Prologue
"Why do you cry, little hatchling?"
The words rang through the air, Itachi's head popping up from its spot between his small knees. His dark eyes scanned the wet forest surrounding him, though he caught no sight of anyone else. The only sign of nearby life was a duo of crows that sat overhead.
Itachi eyed them timidly, pulling himself up from his spot against the tree root. His lips pulled into a tight frown, brows furrowing up in focus as he looked from the birds to the land around them. When he saw nothing, a kunai was pulled from his sleeve and into his hand.
Tears long forgotten, the four-year-old wiped his runny nose against the skin on his wrist. He said nothing for a moment, stiffness running through him as he used his senses to try and find where the question had come from. He was in the forest of the Uchiha compound, but that hardly meant anything in times of war. The young boy was not foolish enough to assume safety.
When the silence dragged on without a hint of anyone else nearby, he adjusted his weapon in his grip and refocused his gaze on the crows. They hadn't moved from their perches, though one had taken to preening itself. The animal seemed sorely unaware of the adrenaline pumping through the small ravenet's veins.
He knew that hatchling was a word used to describe animals that had only recently emerged from their eggs, particularly with birds and snakes. The connection between the beings above and the words used was not lost on him, though it certainly didn't comfort the boy in the least. Either someone was trying to distract him with the birds or he had been caught in a genjutsu.
Itachi didn't plan on staying around to find out. He needed to get home and away regardless. He had no interest in risking his life on the off chance he might offend the crows with his lack of response.
Instead, he took off, small feet darting over the muddy terrain with ease. He ran past the bushes and over the roots as he made his way back towards his house, heart thumping with fear.
There hadn't been anyone nearby other than the crows, but animals didn't talk unless they were summons. Even then, those were so rare to see. Itachi had only ever met two before, both of which belonged to an elder shinobi. If those were summons, there was no way they were there out of boredom. They must want something. Whether it be something beyond Itachi's understanding or simply to earn their summoner an easy kill, Itachi did not know.
What he did know, though, was that his lack of understanding hardly mattered. If for some reason the summoner wanted to kill him, they would. This wasn't a war between people, after all. It was a war between nations.
His father's calm explanation rang in his mind right alongside the crow's question, both filling the boy with a deep sense of dread even as he finally made it to his house.
The feeling did not ease for hours even as he entered the relative safety of his home, the small Uchiha huddled under his bed with a kunai ready until his mother returned.
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"Why are you scared, little nestlings?"
Itachi looked to his side, eyes searching for the voice's owner and quickly connecting it to a small bird nearby. He could feel Izumi shift beside him, the brunet tilting her head as she saw the bird.
The two sat feet away from it, the stressful silence that had progressed between them coming to an end at the sight of the bird.
"A talking raven?" Izumi watched it carefully, the seven-year-old girl wary but interested.
"It's a crow, not a raven." was Itachi's half-hearted response, watching the animal with a similar expression. "Probably a summon, if it's talking."
The bird stepped closer and closer, the two children backing up immediately despite its calm tone. "She, not it," the scolding tone came, though the small bird at least stopped approaching when she noticed their retreat. "But yes. I am Gara the crow summon."
Itachi and Izumi shared a look, the wheels in their heads seeming to turn in the same direction. The dark-haired girl smiled at the crow, humming out, "It's nice to meet you then, Gara."
Nodding along for a brief moment, the boy tilted his head to the side. "It is." though his dark eyes focused on her with suspicion sparkling deep within. "Is there something we can help you or your summoner with?"
After all, it wasn't every day a summoning animal could be seen wandering with such vague aim. As far as Itachi could tell, no one was around other than the three of them.
Faintly, his mind wandered back to all those years ago. The duo of crows were imprinted in his mind, even without the sharingan. Their question, which had frightened him so much back then, was remarkably similar to Gara's current one.
Perhaps an elder clansman had crow summons? Or an enemy that had taken interest in him outside of wartime.
She seemed happy enough with their responses, taking careful steps closer and closer until she was allowed to nest herself between the two of them. Their bodies were riddled with discomfort, though she carried on in an easy tone. "No, no. Nothing the two of you could help with at the moment."
"...So eventually, then?" Izumi asked, hesitantly reaching over and running a finger down the crow's soft feathers.
Allowing the girl to do as she wished, Gara settled into herself, musing, "Perhaps, though that isn't of much importance for now. These mentions of the scary adults, though? What have they done to bring you two so much fear?"
Biting her lip, Izumi looked to Itachi. She saw the look he sent her, any possible words dying in her throat as the fresh genin spoke for the both of them. "Nothing for you to hear of."
Gara only gave a small snort-like noise, rattling out, "Smart children."
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"What has the little fledgelings so frustrated?"
Itachi's lips fell into an even tighter frown, though Shisui's scowl loosened immediately. The two turned to look behind them, Asu steadily approaching.
They turned just in time to have his nails grab into Shisui's shoulders, the older boy biting down the initial pain and allowing the crow to do so. Itachi only shook his head at the animal, which prattled, "Oh, too big to share your worries with an old crow like me?"
A light huff left Itachi, the boy rubbing his sore eyes as he spoke. "When have we ever?"
"Fair point, though it would be a bit disappointing if I were to quit trying. Wouldn't it?" he inquired, cleaning his feathers atop an amused Shisui's shoulder.
Itachi didn't give a reply, though he supposed that would be more than enough for the crow. Instead, he looked down and over the cliff, shoulders shagging ever so slightly.
The eleven-year-old was beyond tired, but even so, he knew better than to claim the crow summons' worries as annoyances.
It was almost refreshing to have someone worry over Shisui and him, even if their rare appearances tended to feel like splashes of cold water in the face.
Their concerns weren't something to get used to, though. They both knew as much - they weren't children, after all. They were shinobi of the Uchiha and Konoha.
It was something they both knew, even if the two organizations in question seemed to forget it at times.
Itachi sat down, Shisui standing behind him with a hand on the younger's shoulder and a crow on his own. The dark-feathered bird carried on without much pause, seeming content to fill the silence.
"You two shouldn't pay the leaders much mind. If they wish to fight amongst themselves, so be it. Let them fight their own battles."
Itachi listened, knees brought up to his chest with a sour taste building on his tongue. It merely wasn't possible at this point. They were far too tangled in the web to escape now, even if they wished to. If they were to try to extract themselves, no doubt things would fall apart.
Shisui was Lord Third's and Fugaku's loyal follower.
Itachi was his father's and Danzo's willing puppet.
The only thing they could do at this point was follow through on their orders while trying to manoeuvre the elder shinobi into a state of relative peace.
"This is our battle." he settled on saying instead, tired eyes watching the raging river below. "For Sasuke; for our young clansmen; and for the innocent villagers."
An amused voice came from behind, though Itachi had no idea why the summons found his words even vaguely funny. "Perhaps it is an elder brother's duty to fight for his brother, but the protector of your clan and village should be none other than the ones who are currently endangering them."
A small bitterness had leaked into the crow's voice, Itachi unable to think of a response as the wind kicked and whipped around them.
Asu may be right, but that hardly meant anything. Not when the world and those who inhabited it seemed to struggle to follow the basic principles they supposedly agreed so wholeheartedly on.
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"It's time to go, little chicks."
Sasuke looked up at the birds, awed as his small neck craned upwards. His eyes were wide, looking over at his big brother with a noise of surprise. "It's talking!"
Itachi sent the crow duo a scowl, heading over to pick the six-year-old up. "It's rude to point, Sasuke." he spoke off-handedly before turning his full attention to the birds. "What do you mean?"
"It's time to go." was all Gara said, lifting into the air and flying across the room. She landed on Izumi's head, leaning forward as she repeated herself.
The brunette seemed confused at first, though a subtle fear welled up as she eyed the bird with a frown. "To help you?" mind undoubtedly crawling back to all those years ago in the woods.
Shisui crossed his arms, raising a brow as Asu called out in agreement. The teen asked, "Why now? We need to stay at the house while Mikoto and Fugaku are away. It's not safe to leave Sasuke alone, and we certainly can't carry him around all day."
After all, whatever they needed the group of young Uchiha for must be dangerous. Shisui hadn't a doubt in his mind.
"No, no. It has to be now, while you're all together." Asu corrected, landing surprisingly gentle in Itachi's collar. "For a group as intertwined as you are, it's been incredibly difficult to gather you all."
Stomach turning, Itachi opened his mouth. Unfortunately, Asu nipped at his earlobe, the pre-teen grimacing lightly. It wasn't particularly hard, though it was enough to silence him beyond a faint "Mn-"
"Enough talking. You're far too weary, curious, and brave all at once." Asu scolded, "You four will be coming to meet our summoner. Your presence will bring him much comfort." seeming pleased with himself.
Sasuke looked up at his brother, Itachi prepared to shake his long-time acquaintance at the worrying words.
Unfortunately, it was easy to overlook that these were not ordinary crows. So as he moved to throw them off, he instead found darkness swooping over his vision and constructing his consciousness.
Itachi's vision shuttered, a terrible numbing sensation overtaking him as Sasuke began to feel horrifyingly light in his grasp. It didn't take long for each and every sensation to fade, the boy unable to resist as he began falling into the ever-consuming darkness.