The Guardian (Naruto Fanfiction)

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Eighteen

It had been several days since Itachi's diagnosis. He had not slept well since. His parents had been unusually invested in him since he had told them, always wanting to sit down and talk, constantly asking him how he was feeling. He knew he should have appreciated it, but in truth, he could not stand it. He just wanted things to be normal. It further reinforced his decision not to tell Shisui and Hana. He could not tolerate any more sympathetic looks, especially from them.

Itachi was determined to maintain his normal routine. He got up at the same time, did the same morning training regimen, then ran with Hana before reporting for duty, just as he always had. The medication helped suppress his cough, making it easier to convince Hana that all was well.

It was late morning and Itachi was posted outside the Academy when one of his subordinates arrived to tell him that the Hokage had called for him. Itachi was used to these meetings by now. Usually they were updates on Madara or briefings about other potential threats. Occasionally he was briefly reassigned to other missions that required his skill set, but it was all fairly routine. This time, however, Itachi was surprised to find Kakashi in the Hokage's office when he arrived.

"Ah, you're here. Good." Sarutobi began, "We have new information on Madara, including a location."

"You found him?" Itachi asked.

It was Kakashi who answered, "Not pinpointed, but we do have it narrowed down to a pretty small area."

"Since Kakashi couldn't keep a Genin team for more than a day, I had to find other work for him." the Third explained, "I put him in charge of a task force with the purpose of gathering information on Madara Uchiha."

A map was laid out on the Hokage's desk, and Kakashi pointed out a mountainous region in the Land of Sound that had been circled in red.

"We had some good leads that all pointed here." Kakashi said, "I sent a few teams to check out the area. They weren't able to get too close, but they were able to confirm that there is definitely some kind of facility there. On top of that, they had a positive ID on Orochimaru in the same area."

"Orochimaru, but not Madara." Itachi guessed.

Kakashi shrugged, "They did have a sighting of a masked man, but they couldn't give a detailed description. There's no way to know for sure if it was him."

"What are you going to do with this information, sir?"

Sarutobi leaned forward, folding his hands in front of him, "This may be our only opportunity for a preemptive strike. Itachi, if you think you're ready, I want you to lead the team."

Itachi hesitated. After three years of intense training, he was stronger now than when he had first faced the masked man. There were few who could hope to match him in genjutsu or ninjutsu, but the illness had not been without effect. His endurance had suffered, as had his chakra reserves. He was sure that he would be able to offer Madara more of a challenge this time, but if he could not end it quickly, he knew he would not last long. Then again, maybe this was the opportunity he needed. He had been disgusted by the prospect of dying pointlessly; maybe this was his chance for a meaningful death. Maybe he could take the enemy down with him.

"Well, Itachi?" Sarutobi asked.

"Naruto will be taken care of in my absence?"

"Of course."

"Then I accept the mission, Hokage-sama. Who is on the team?"

"I've selected one already. Anko Mitarashi is a former student of Orochimaru, and I believe she will be a valuable asset in locating, and if need be, fighting him. As for the rest of the team, that will be up to you. Choose anyone you trust, but I would advise a medic."