Where We Belong

Chapter IX

Hokage's Office, three weeks later...

- Nanadaime-sama...

The man's deep and visibly calmer voice (compared to how it had sounded until not long ago) made Naruto literally jump in his seat, lifting confused and half-asleep blue orbs up front to meet the owner of that voice. And that waked him up instantly and definitely. He had long expected to see that man return, although at the same time deep inside he prayed that he hadn't visited him to re-join active field work. As if he had somehow read the blond man's thoughts –which he probably had- Itachi Uchiha smiled gently, still keeping his calm demeanour and posture before explaining to his leader that someone wouldn't be too happy if he made such rush decision. And he wasn't specifically talking about Konan. Rather, his personal doctor, so to speak, would probably suffer a heart stroke if he even suggested re-joining ANBU. On the other hand, he wasn't physically ready either; and the problem was no longer whether he had suffered some sort of after-effect from his most recent stroke or not. The main issue was that he had suffered a severe loss of muscle mass. He could even feel his bones weakening to the point that standing up sometimes took him a superhuman effort. Therefore, he had spoken with Tsunade to undergo a strict rehabilitation treatment. He didn't think he could tolerate for long the uneasy, desperate feeling of not being able to at least protect his loved ones. Not to mention the village; and him as his leader.

Naruto could see terror and sheer despair exuding from every pore in the man in front of him. Itachi wasn't like that; he never had been. And the Nanadaime would never forget the lesson he gave him in their first and last encounter during the Fourth Shinobi War. He had told him never to seek to resolve a situation on his own. That he should always trust his friends. No sooner said than done, when the blond shinobi looked up once more, he noticed the older man falter and, in an act that was absolutely typical of him - that is to say, reckless - he created two Kage Bunshin to hold him when he realized that Itachi would fall irretrievably. The ponytailed man gasped at the sudden violence of the movement; however, he recovered instantly, raising his own scarlet gaze (his three-tomoed Sharingan) to the Nanadaime, thanking him for his help with a weak smile.

- Please undo these, Nanadaime... -Uchiha practically begged of Uzumaki as he walked slowly towards the desk –I just came here because Tsunade-sama asked me to inform you of the situation from now on. However, I'd also like to ask a very special favour from you and it concerns my replacement until I'm ready to return...

Naruto offered Uchiha the seat across from his at the desk and asked if he wanted anything to drink, pointing out that he also looked slightly dehydrated. The lines on his face were more pronounced and, besides, his skin was pale and his lips dry. Itachi laughed lightly at the Nanadaime's remark. He didn't remember Uzumaki being as attentive to detail as he was demonstrating at that moment. It was true; he hadn't been able to drink a drop of water in his last hours in the hospital, to the point that Sakura considered extending his hospitalization one more night. She only let him go because she could see Konan's terrified expression at the thought of his condition having gotten worse in only a few hours. As a matter of fact, the pink-haired medic-nin had to explain to his girlfriend –yes, they had finally made their relationship official- that they were only taking precautionary measures precisely in order to prevent that. Naruto only listened to the ebony-haired shinobi's explanation without even daring to intervene only until Itachi himself paused out of shortness of breath. He coughed a couple times to clear his throat though he only felt it drier the more he tried to clear it.

- Stop... -the blond man asked seriously upon noticing that –I'll get you some water...

He stood up without a second's delay and moved to a smaller table near his desk where he always had a water bottle, serving the other man a top-filled glass and handing it to him. Unable to hide his increasing concern, Naruto realized that dehydration was definitely evident in his friend when he saw him drink as if he had just returned from a long walk under a desert-like heat. Itachi could barely whisper his thanks the moment he finished drinking and as he gave the empty glass back to the Hokage; the blue-eyed man instantly refilled it in case the ebony-haired shinobi might need some more later. At that moment and before they could resume their conversation, a young Jōnin entered the room apologizing to the two men for the interruption and then properly saluting them. The first to turn to him the moment he recognized his voice was Itachi, asking unable to help a hint of suspicion in his tone if anyone had mentioned to him that he'd actually required him to show up. Even though he had been expecting him to do so after his training with his team had finished, the Uchiha clarified to both the Jōnin and Uzumaki's shock. In the latter case, however, there was another reason why he had reacted in that way; he wondered why Itachi had asked for Inojin Yamanaka's presence at his office in the first place.