Itachi couldn't talk.

"Poor Mikoto. She'll always have to take care of him."

"Imagine, being chief of police and having a retarded son."

"I heard they only had a second child because their first was... off."

Kabuto couldn't hear.

"Why did Nonou take him in?"

"Those aren't even hand seals!"

"I don't see the point in keeping that kid around-he'll never get adopted, not with a disability like that."

Shisui taught Itachi how to read and write.

"Why do you bother with that child? He's feeble minded, there's no way he understands what you're saying to him."

Nonou taught Kabuto sign language.

"I ran into one of Nonou's orphans today. He just waved his hands at me when I asked him a question!"

Itachi and Kabuto ran into each other in the market. Itachi was fascinated by the other boy's sign language and asked to learn.

"Fugaku's retarded son stole a notepad from me. He just took it, wrote something down, and showed it to that deaf boy."

Kabuto taught Itachi sign language and discovered that he was a quick learner.

"I saw those two freaks-Nonou's brat and the slow Uchiha-flailing their hands around in the park. They should keep those 'conversations' inside!"

They began to spend more time together.

(Everyone else thinks I'm stupid.)

(You and my mother are the only other people in this village willing to learn sign language.)

One day, sitting in a clearing outside of the village, Itachi grabbed Kabuto's shoulder to get his attention.

(Can I kiss you?)

Itachi couldn't talk and Kabuto couldn't hear.

But they could communicate with each other, and that was enough.