Uchiha In The ANBU

Date Posted: 11/16/15

Word Count: 2387

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO NOR ANY OF IT'S CANON CHARACTERS.

Itachi Uchiha rounded on his opponent, three gleaming kunai materializing in his hand as he raised it. He flung them with a deadly flick of his delicate wrist, and the ANBU operative made a hasty leap out of their path, backwards and to Itachi's left. The three blades thumped harmlessly into the soft earth, amidst the dancing shadows cast by the stark afternoon sun through the trees. Then, in the larger ninja darted, close and personal, to deliver several swift blows with his bare hands, all of which Itachi dodged with seeming effortlessness. He was young, but he was no novice - everyone, even his own clan, considered him the greatest of his time. Bloody Sharingan blazing from behind his mask, Itachi caught the ANBU by the wrist and jerked him down to his level, nose to nose.

Within seconds, the ANBU dissolved into terrified shivering, sweat beading on his neck. Only then did Itachi release him, and step back. He blinked. The ANBU came back to awareness with a subtle jerk, breath short and rapid.

"You gave a good effort," said the prodigy Uchiha, civil as he always was. "That was a good spar."

"Itachi wins again," Kakashi muttered to Tenzo.

Tenzo nodded. "Second one. He made Badger look like an Academy student, and now he's nearly reduced Panther to tears."

Never had he seen the ninjutsu master so out of sorts before. In the short years that Tenzo had been a member of this team under Kakashi's tutelage, he thought he'd grown to know it's many strengths and weaknesses quite well. But as the stripling Uchiha took on each member of Team Ro one-on-one, Tenzo found himself watching those strengths being turned to more weaknesses before his very eyes. Itachi did a miraculous job at taking someone's skill and using it effectively against them.

Kakashi nodded. "After that ridiculous display earlier, I can't say they didn't need it."

Tenzo couldn't disagree with that, but he also couldn't forget how Itachi hadn't flinched a muscle as shuriken and kunai, which could end his young life in a mere second should any hit their mark, flew inches past his head as he approached his new team on the green of the training grounds for the first time.

The team captain brandished and threw his own kunai, into the ground at the feet of the green-masked member among them. "Frog, you have a go."

"My pleasure, Kakashi-taichou." He cracked his knuckles, taking his sweet time doing it. "I've been waiting my turn."

"Then by all means, have at it."

As he leapt into the fray with great vigor, Tenzo let loose a heavy sigh. He stood at Kakashi's side, which is where he could usually be found; the two had a bond, one Tenzo couldn't rightly explain. It wasn't as if anything special had passed between them - unless one counted trying to kill one another. But of all the members of the elite ANBU team, Kakashi was the one Tenzo knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that he could trust. Trust to have his back, and perhaps even to see him as the person he wanted to be.

Tenzo. Not some half-baked Shodai wannabe.

"What do you think of him?" Tenzo asked quietly, continuing their muttered conversation while absently watching as the spar progressed. "Itachi, I mean."

"Hm…" Kakashi took a moment, hands in his pockets, to lean back and stare at the sky in thought. Clouds rolled by overhead like driftwood in a body of crisp, endless blue. "It's hard to say anything now… He has potential."

"As what, though?"

"Anything, really. That's the trouble with guessing before we know anything."

"A decent ANBU?"

"Certainly."

Tenzo watched as the Uchiha in question swiped Frog's feet out from under him and drove his small elbow into the older boy's stomach, knocking the breath from him from both sides as he slammed into the ground below.

"…A double agent?"

Kakashi hesitated. "…That's a possibility, I suppose."

"He is an Uchiha first and foremost."

"We don't know that."

Tenzo glanced toward his captain. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that for all intents and purposes, it appears that his loyalties are on the straight and narrow - solely with the Leaf. I'm not saying he couldn't be something else, but I'm not going to start developing conspiracy theories until there's a little more information to go on."

He processed this a moment - Kakashi-senpai was right, after all, like he always tended to be - and then smirked behind his mask. "You mean you'll be developing conspiracy theories later on?"

"Ha ha. Funny."

Tenzo couldn't resist a genuine chuckle of his own. That is until Frog shouted profanity to the clouds and stumbled from the sparring ring.

"All right, all right," he growled, rubbing his elbow. Tenzo had missed what happened. "I get it. I won't be underestimating you again…"

"Otter, you're turn," said Kakashi.

The spiky-haired blond nodded and didn't hesitate to jump at Itachi, who didn't look like he'd even broken a sweat yet. With duel clicks, Otter whipped out the hidden blades on his wrists and began swiping furiously at the small, raven-haired boy. Itachi danced and dodged with the skill of an experienced acrobat.

"He's young…" Kakashi said, with a strange tone in his voice. Like a kind of melancholy fondness. "Younger than I was when I joined the ANBU."

"How old were you?"

"Thirteen. Though…" The red and white wolf mask trained on Tenzo. "I suppose that's nothing compared to being raised in the Foundation."

Tenzo looked away from the somber face to watch Itachi come well on his way to taking down Otter, despite the latter employing his excellent taijutsu and Water style ninjutsu.

"No… Growing up as an automaton kinda makes you used to the idea of children being used as spies."

"Automaton?"

"Don't tell Lord Danzo I said that."

That got a rare chuckle from the white-haired Hatake, and he finally turned away, relieving Tenzo of the weight of his heavy gaze. Despite wearing a mask, there was something that happened when Kakashi of the Sharingan looked at you. It was as if a deep sense of grief shot straight from his eyes to the soul of the person unfortunate enough to look him in the eye. The underlying pain was near palpable. It was something Tenzo doubted Kakashi even knew he was doing, but it was unsettling nonetheless.

So to hear him laugh was a valuable thing, few and far between.

"You're not far off, honestly. To think he almost had me under his thumb a few years back… Then you showed up and reminded me that orders were one thing, but bonds were another." Tenzo could almost hear Kakashi's smile then. "I'm still grateful."

"Uh… you're welcome?"

"Sorry, that was kind of awkward, wasn't it?"

"A little bit, yeah."

"I concede!"

Both men glanced up to see Otter taking several steps back with his hands up, knives retracted. Itachi stood still, yet ready with kunai in hand in case the surrender turned out to be false.

"I concede," the ANBU said, and then put a hand on his hip. "Nice job, kid. I don't think I've ever crossed someone of your skill level before, let alone at your age."

And somehow, despite every member wearing their mask, Tenzo could tell that Otter earned himself some dirty looks for that quip. He held up his hands in concession to the negative responses, and simply retreated from the ring.

"Cat, I think it's your turn," said Kakashi, a smirk in his voice.

Tenzo took a moment to process that the captain was speaking to him. He was so used to the older teen calling him by name instead.

"Me?" He glanced over at Itachi, and tried not to seem too reluctant. "B-But Lizard-"

"I know." Oh, Kakashi-senpai was definitely smirking under that porcelain shield. "But it's you're turn now."

"Actually…"

The gentle voice startled everyone, and all turned to its source - the Uchiha at the center of the group.

Itachi stood straight, directly facing the captain. "If I may, taichou. I request to spar with you."

A hushed 'ooh' went through the members of Team Ro, but Kakashi showed no reaction. Tenzo watched him closely, and had to wonder what was crossing his mind at that very moment. Was he surprised, or had he perhaps seen that coming? Kakashi-senpai often was more insightful than he let on… Would he accept the challenge, or stick to his original plan?

"Me, huh… All right." Kakashi took a few easy steps forward, not even bothering to pull his hands from his pockets. "Don't expect me to go easy on you, though."

"I would prefer that you didn't." Itachi sheathed his kunai, brandishing no more weapons, and simply stood there with his hands at his sides.

Kakashi did the same, and for the longest moment, the two Sharingan wielders faced off in silence. Tenzo took a subconcious step back - who knew how big this spar would get?

The silence had only just grown eerie when Kakashi gave a low chuckle.

"Nicely done, using genjutsu right off the bat. But you'll have to be a bit more convincing next time." With that, the captain whipped out a kunai and dashed in.

Itachi withdrew his own weapons, a pair of kunai in each hand. With flicks of his wrists, he threw two at Kakashi, one after the other. Kakashi, likely using his Sharingan already due to his opponent, easily dodged them and didn't even break pace.

Kunai clashed, showering sparks, fighting for a mere second before they pulled back and then clashed again. And again and again. Clang, clang, clang. Back and forth they went, one striking, the other deflecting in a flurry of vicious swipes. They moved with elegant, rhythmic fluidity, making battle look more like a dance, a dance of two masters in their element.

Suddenly, as Tenzo paid closer attention, Itachi's size didn't matter. He more than made up for it in sheer skill. His raven ponytail weaved like a silk ribbon in his wake, he spun and twisted and leapt with the grace of a deer, the agility of a wildcat, and the accuracy of a viper.

And Kakashi-senpai was no pushover. His attacks were more solid, firm and confident, but not arrogant. He was quicker to offense and balanced with defense, and never took his eyes off his opponent. He moved like his chakra type - quick and powerful bursts of energy originating at his core and extending outward like whips.

In all appearances, they could have been on equal footing as opponents.

The spar lasted much longer than all the previous ones, only further demonstrating the ridiculous gap in skill level between the two in the ring and those outside. This ANBU team was made up of the best in the Leaf, and yet Kakashi Hatake and Itachi Uchiha seemed to be on a level of their own.

Finally, Kakashi used a Water Style jutsu followed by the Chidori to incapacitate the young prodigy. It was a simple solution to end things quickly, and Tenzo honestly thought Itachi should have seen it coming.

But maybe he had, and had done nothing about it.

Whatever the case, the spar's end saw Itachi lying on his back on the now-wet ground, chest heaving, hair and clothes soaked and steaming from the short burst of electricity he'd just absorbed. Kakashi sheathed his kunai and stuffed his hands back into his pockets again. He approached the boy, footsteps squelching in the flooded grass as the smell of soaked earth and steam enveloped them all.

"You're better than I expected." Tenzo recognized the smile in Kakashi's voice. The latter offered the Uchiha a hand up. "Well done."

Itachi took it gratefully, still a little out of breath, and stood shakily to his feet.

"I suppose that might've been a bit much…" Kakashi started, a hint of nervousness creeping into his words.

Itachi shook his head. "I should have seen it coming. It was a simple attack that could have been avoided. I was expecting something complex from you, but you reminded me not to underestimate the small things. Thank you, taichou."

"Something to remember for next time." Kakashi patted the boy on the back. "Give me a minute and then we'll head back to the village to get you cleaned up and dried off."

Then he turned to the rest of the team, who picked their jaws off the ground in an attempt to look professional again.

"You know the ANBU's standards. You insisted on confirming that our new addition met them. I would say he's surpassed them, wouldn't you?"

Silence met him, but Tenzo could sense the spike of guilt from his comrades. Kakashi was right on the money, and none of the members of Team Ro would be underestimating or discriminating against Itachi Uchiha again any time soon.

Tenzo himself had a new respect for the young prodigy, and foresaw him fitting into their team dynamic well.

"We are Team Ro," Kakashi continued, and glanced at Itachi. "All of us. Age, gender, background, none of it matters. We are the Leaf's main line of defense, and we all answer directly the Hokage. Anyone who wants to add their own opinion to this philosophy can feel free to speak with me personally. Otherwise…"

Something invisible crackled through the air, and a chill raced up Tenzo's spine. He swore he saw Kakashi's Sharingan glare from the shadows behind his mask.

"Have your teammate's back. At all times."

Every member bowed in response. "Yes, sir!"

Then the chill was gone. Kakashi slouched, and was the laid-back Hatake Tenzo and the rest of the team knew him as.

"Good," he said. "Now, I think we could all use some showers - you all smell horrible."

Itachi glanced up at the captain. "You stink too, taichou."

Kakashi just shoved his head over, and turned on his heel to lead the way back into the village. The others laughed, and followed behind him.

Tenzo fell into step beside Itachi, and even though the boy couldn't see it through his mask, he offered the Uchiha a smile.

"Welcome to Team Ro, Itachi."

A/N: So, this is what I'm working on as a supplement for NaNo, since my own original novel is giving me trouble. So hopefully, updates will be pretty regular. This is also my first Naruto: Shippuden fanfic, so... we'll see how this goes. ALSO NOTE, you can expect spoilers for Shippuden episodes from The Kakashi Chronicles, to the whole Tenzo/Kakashi/Itachi in the ANBU arc. Read at your own risk.

You can find the YOUTUBE PLAYLIST for this fic by searching me on YouTube (Penelope Jadewing) and going to my Playlists tab. It's titled "Fanfiction - As The Masks Crack".

Also expect OCs. They're gonna happen. I'll try to make 'em good. :P Reviews are love! (Suggestions/prompts are welcome as well.)

God bless!

~Penelope