The Crown's Weight
Itachi awoke to the sound of bickering, the distant voices growing closer and closer as consciousness slowly returned to the boy. His vision shifted from pitch black to a blinding light, which was strange considering the room that came into view wasn't all that bright.
In fact, there didn't seem to be any lights on. The only source came from the rays gliding in through the windows, shining heavily against him. He stayed still, eyes slipping closed just as soon as they opened. His brain worked to make words out of the agitated noises from behind, pressing past the pounding in his head or the itching instinct to sit up from his vulnerable position against the wooden floor below.
He wasn't sure where they were. The crows had claimed they were going to bring the four of them to see their summoner, though Itachi had no idea who or where that could be. For now, it was his best bet to pretend he had yet to awaken and hope he overheard something useful. If one of the others awoke and drew their attention, Itachi would step in then.
It took a strange amount of effort to understand their words, his mind fading in and out as he lay against the hard floor. He did, eventually, manage to sort the noises into three distinct voices. Only two of which he recognized.
"I appreciate your concerns, but they do not belong here." the unfamiliar voice spoke, low and patient despite his clear annoyance. "This isn't...these children need to return home, back to the clan that knows them and those from which they were stolen."
Asu sounded just as annoyed, though he let his displeasure out in a much more open manner. "And yet it is as I have told you - these children come from a time that doesn't deserve them or their talents. Them staying here will be beneficial for not only you, but them as well. Not to mention the clan."
The bird paused only briefly before adding, warning woven into his tone, "You know not how far-reaching the consequences of their return will be, for more than just your clan. Do not be so arrogant as to think that this is a choice being made for the Uchiha clan and the Uchiha clan alone. It is one that will affect both allies and enemies - civilian and shinobi alike, for years upon years to come should you reject the offering."
A tense unease filled the room, and for a moment Itachi found himself cursing the fact he was unable to see their faces or read the way their bodies moved. He continued to wait, however, focusing on keeping himself still and his breaths long. He mimicked the deep calm that came with sleep, restraining a twitch as the conversation finally picked back up.
The unfamiliar man seemed to force himself to reach past his hesitance, pushing out the words with an uneasy sternness. "How is it that you propose they can help? The older three may have enough experience on their shoulders to be competent, but the youngest child seems hardly old enough to have just started his training within the last year or so."
"Well, for starters, the oldest two have skills and experience that are already well beyond their years in both body and mind. As for the others, we can assure you, they have certain...uses. Though they may not be apparent right away." the second crow chimed in, emploring him, "There is far more to see than meets the eye for each of them. For instance, do you care to take a guess at which two are awake?" Gara mused, a hint of amusement running through her voice.
Itachi forced himself not to stiffen at the mention. It was quiet for a moment longer before the steady sound of a sandal against hardwood came, the man seeming to walk in a large circle around them. "Two, you say?" his frown leaking into his words. "The girl is awake, that much I know."
He could feel Izumi shift in her spot as the crow made a noise of confirmation, the girl more than likely sitting up at the mention. Itachi himself could hear her huff of irritation, no doubt cursing her own inability to be more subtle.
Taking this as his cue and not wanting Izumi to be left to deal with this stranger alone, Itachi shifted from his position so that he was no longer facing the window. Instead, he looked upwards, dark eyes meeting equally opaque ones. The pre-teen scanned him with suspicion as he looked up at the elder, not recognizing him despite the Uchiwa coating the walls of what was apparently his home.
The man met his gaze easily, dark eyes focusing on the younger Uchiha as the two bore into each other. It left a terrible weight on his chest, looking up at the unfamiliar kinsmen from the ground. Under any other circumstances, he would have likely found a way to escape the room or at the very least put some distance between him and the man.
Unfortunately, this was complicated by the three others lying only feet away from him. Shisui and Sasuke were unconscious, and thus unable to properly defend themselves. As for Izumi...she was skilled, but with no way of knowing this man's strength, it wasn't safe to assume she would be able to defend herself if he did have ill intentions for them.
He may have been telling the crows to take them back home mere moments ago, but that didn't mean much. He'd know Izumi was awake - which meant it was entirely possible their previous conversation was nothing more than a ploy to throw them off for whatever reason they may have. Unlikely, but completely possible.
The problem of not knowing exactly where they were was also...present. It was strange. The house seemed fairly large from what little he could gather, but its structure didn't remind him of a single home within the compound. That in combination with the man's unfamiliar form and the dozens of unknown chakra signatures outside was less than pleasing.
At first glance, Itachi might have guessed they were in the home of some sort of distanced kin. The offspring of an Uchiha, exiled far too long ago for anyone to remember. The descendants of an Uchiha that had seemingly died, but had in truth only gotten lost and opted not to return. The possibility even crossed his mind, vaguely, that this strange place could very well be yet another secret the higher-ups of the clan had opted not to share.
Each of these scenarios had a number of issues, however. Lines that didn't quite add up. Particularly, the dark-feathered bird's words lingered heavily in his mind.
From a time that doesn't deserve them. That was what they had said. Not a place, but rather, a time.
Itachi wasn't per se an expert when it came to summons, but he knew a decent enough amount about them.
A contract between a shinobi and summoning animal. It could be done in a number of ways - through smeared blood, a tattoo, a talisman, or any number of ways the two beings may agree on. The two would be connected, lasting even beyond death some would claim. Which, when it came to a summoning animal's life span, meant more than people gave it credit for if that was truly the case.
A bond that lasts beyond life itself. If a summon was able to cross through time as well as continue to hold onto their contract for so long, well, it left an unsettling likelihood before Itachi.
When, exactly, where they?
It was a damning question to consider as he looked into the dark eyes above, belonging to a man who was by the sounds of it intertwined enough with the crow summons to be notable. To be able to argue with them rather than have the conversation shut down by either side's sheer power alone was a considerable feat, one Itachi wasn't foolish enough to ignore.
By the powers shown in the crows, it was clear they were more than standard - likely, they were near if not at the top of the chain for the summoning family despite their small stature. As for the older man, despite their calls of arrogance, he clearly had their respect to be able to speak to them with such informality without having to worry about suffering the consequences.
Itachi was not one to underestimate his opponents, and he had no intention of beginning now. Especially when a small voice in the back of his mind told him there was something familiar about this man - something he should recognise beyond the familiar features on his face.
As it was, he pulled himself up slowly despite the ache which ran through his bones, moving back slightly so his back was against the wall beside the window. He made sure he wasn't within reach of anyone who may come through said window, putting distance between both it and the other three behind the man. All the while he kept sharp and heavy eye contact, body stiffened and ready to make a lunge to take out the man's legs if need be. He did not look to Izumi, knowing she was ready to make a similar lunge for his back from behind should it become necessary.
Instead, he kept his eyes on the man, the two sizing each other up as their chakras pushed and pulled - the other trying to get a grip on his understanding of the child before him while the pre-teen did the same.
Itachi's chakra pressed against his gently, poking and prodding for a weakened spot to slip his chakra into and infect. If he were able to put the man under a genjutsu without flexing his chakra to the shinobi he could feel in the area outside, it would be optimal. The smaller Uchiha had no interest in getting into an unneeded altercation if there was a way to avoid it, especially with them being so severely outnumbered. Arrogant he may be at times, but he wasn't a fool. Sometimes, retreat was the only option.
Which was unfortunate, considering they had nowhere to retreat to at the moment. If what he had gathered was true and they were in fact in a different time period than their own, this would be much more difficult than simply escaping a possible enemy.
They were in unknown territory, with no way to return to their own.
A third of their unit was incapacitated.
There was a child tangled in the mess.
His body felt severely weakened despite its lack of injury; as if he hadn't slept in days.
Had this been a mission, he would know exactly what to do. As the highest ranking shinobi available out of the group, he was in charge. It was his duty to make sure they got out of this alive and returned to the village to tell the tale, no matter if he had to cut off a few of the weaker links to do it or not.
The thought left a bad taste in his mouth as he pointedly did not look at Sasuke, eyes narrowing as he carefully moved to stand with his back still against the wall. The man had yet to say anything either, both busy watching the other despite the agitated sigh coming from Asu.
He would find a way out of this, one which didn't involve sacrificing Sasuke. If he went about this the right way, it was entirely possible none of them would have to die. He just had to play his cards right.
Itachi's chakra receded from its previous consideration at genjutsu, making note of the few openings he had found but ready to play along with whatever game the crows had decided to force them into nonetheless.
There was no guarantee they could all make it out now even if he grabbed Shisui and Izumi carried Sasuke. They likely wouldn't make it past these two, not to mention the unknown shinobi outside. Then if by some miracle they did make it out, where would that leave them? In the middle of a time they didn't know - with enemies they couldn't predict and no supplies in sight besides the few weapons they had on them.
It wasn't optimal, with the crows having an unknown amount of intel on them and the man's home base advantage, but it would have to work. With the decision to not retreat while they had the chance, Izumi's eyes boring into him from across the room as he stood, it became his responsibility to make sure it did.
If nothing else, at least the three had always been good at feigning compliance.
The elder Uchiha's hand lowered from the spot where it had previously hovered, his sword's handle remaining ungrasped as Itachi made no sudden moves despite his slow incline towards a standing position. His brows furrowed, words clear and precise. The shred of indecision that had lingered in his voice when speaking to the crows earlier had disappeared, replaced by the certainty that came hand in hand with the burden of leadership.
"Well then, boy, how about you tell me your name?"