The Guardian (Naruto Fanfiction)

Chapter Two

Chapter Two

Itachi was awake in the dark, predawn hours. He dressed in his ANBU uniform, still brand new, and pulled his mask down over his face. He ensured that his sheathed ninjato was secure on his back, then picked up the backpack he had prepared the night before, slinging it over one shoulder as he left the Uchiha Compound.

It was well past sunrise by the time Kakashi arrived at the village gates, but Itachi knew better than to comment on his lateness.

"Good morning, Sempai."

Kakashi gave a nod, "Let's get moving. I'll explain the details of the mission enroute."

The road was quiet. It seemed that the two ANBU operatives were the only ones traveling so early in the morning.

"Our mission is to establish surveillance on a suspected traitor and determine if our intel is good. If it is, we eliminate him." Kakashi explained.

"Who is the target?" asked Itachi.

"A former Leaf Jonin named Isao. He went rogue about six months ago, killing another Jonin in the process. Now we have reason to believe he is selling military secrets to enemies. The Intelligence Division thinks that he'll be making an appearance at a hot spring resort on the northern border of the Land of Rivers."

It was normally a nearly two day journey to the border, but the two operatives, traveling light and fast, made it in just over twenty-four hours. It was an almost completely silent journey; neither Itachi nor Kakashi were much for idle chat. They set up their observation point in the tree line a short distance from the hot spring the Intelligence Division's report had indicated. From there, there was little to do but wait. The morning of the second day, the team spotted their target, an average, unassuming-looking man with shaggy brown hair and a pockmarked face. He appeared to be alone.

"Intel thinks he'll be meeting with representatives from Kusa and Taki, minor villages trying to boost their military capabilities. They won't be in uniform, so keep your eyes open." Kakashi instructed.

Another three days dragged on without change. It was tedious, uncomfortable work, but Itachi stayed quiet and kept his focus. It was Kakashi who broke the silence.

"You have a lot of patience for a kid your age. Kind of surprising."

"…Thank you."

"That being said, I think you're way too young for ANBU." Kakashi said bluntly.

"You were young too when you were recruited, weren't you?" Itachi pointed out.

"I was fifteen, and in retrospect, maybe even that was too young. You're not even thirteen yet, and you've never had to serve in wartime like my generation did. You'll be asked to kill in any shinobi branch, but in ANBU it will be routine. You don't want to cross that line until you have to."

"…I've already killed. More than once." Itachi said quietly.

Kakashi's expression was hidden by both his masks, but the silence that followed was telling.

"When?" he asked, finally.

"I was a Genin and my team was assigned a normal D-rank mission delivering supplies to one of the sentry posts only about two miles outside the walls. We were ambushed by a rogue from Kiri who I can only guess was after the supplies. He had decapitated our sensei from behind before any of us knew what was happening. He must have thought I was too small to be a threat, because he focused on my older teammates. I saw my chance and I stabbed him in the neck with a kunai."

Itachi was able to relay the story with the calm matter-of-factness of a mission report, but in reality, the event had left him a shaking, blood-soaked mess. His first strike had killed the attacker, but Itachi, seven years old and terrified, had not stopped stabbing until his teammates recovered enough to pull him off the body. That was the day his Sharingan awakened. It was his first kill, but far from his first encounter with death.