One Long Mission

Things had been so quiet in Michi no Sato. Itachi wasn't sure sometimes who was simply away on a mission and who'd disappeared entirely, gone wherever it is that people who disappear from this world go.

It seemed like many of the ninja still here were suddenly receiving tokens of appreciation from the villagers. Itachi hadn't been targeted like most of the others, nor did he expect to be. He was more civilian than shinobi now. He tutored Sasuke's Academy cell at least once a week, more if he was feeling up to it. But that was it. (It was incredible how much they'd grown... especially his littlest brother.) No, he should be out giving presents, just like the other civilians.

And that was exactly what he was going to do.

[want a present? tag me!]

While flooding had made entrance into Michi no Sato from the North impossible, there were those who planned to use the weather as a distraction for a more important mission. The wars out in the east were still going on, and news of shinobi in Michi had reached multiple sides. A bounty had been placed on the head of this new little ninja village to garner support from the west.

A small group of mercenaries had infiltrated Michi no Sato. The peaceful village didn't even notice. They were prepared, of course. They'd heard rumors of how skilled this man was. They needed to incapacitate him first, lest they meet their deaths at his hands.

Itachi had been walking through the market. Supplemental oxygen made it much easier to finally get out on his own. In fact, it had been quite a lovely day until he felt a strange pin prick on the back of his neck as he turned a corner. And suddenly, everything went black.

"Too easy." their leader snarled. "Let's move out. Get that body out of here before someone sees us."

The fire festival was here, and ater that run-in with Obito, Itachi decided to see if he actually could make colored fire. It would be quite a surprise for his littlest brother and his friends, and that was why he decided to attempt it.

He couldn't do it with chakra alone, but they were selling packets of chemicals along with the fireworks. And that, combined with a good breath, should make a fire jutsu unlike any Uchiha had ever made.

Time to give it a shot. (Far away from the house, of course.)

Itachi awoke with a strange series of memories:

The baby was stillborn. Mikoto survived, but never had another one, so he'd grown up an only child. No, he'd grown up as a prodigious child that helped his clan overthrow the village government when he was only thirteen. Only Uchiha were fit to live. Everyone else deserved to die and there was no room for error. There was only room for power.

Then why... how did he end up in a house that was full of them?!

And more importantly, who was he supposed to kill first?

The most incredible part of this shared birthday, for the eldest of the Itachis, was that he made it there in the first place. How long he had left was honestly anyone's guess. At varying points in the past months, the medics had measured it in years, months, sometimes even hours in the worst of it. Today was certainly a day to celebrate!!

Unfortunately, after Rock Lee's intense physical therapy session from the day before, he pretty much spent the entire day in a completely exhausted sleep. (There could be a huge surprise party being set up in that room, and Itachi wouldn't have suspected a thing! Hint hint...)

But eventually, the birthday boy did stir.