Both Kakashi and Sasuke seized each other up in a staring contest, and neither of them seemed to be willing to give it up. They wanted their personal question answered in the first place, urgency and anger boiling underneath their hardened gazes. Naruto's eyes were nearly shining red, his guttural growl bringing his team's attention to him. Kakashi conceded. After all, there wasn't much pride in saying he'd won this stupid crusade against an Uchiha.
It had been a thoughtless mistake to involve Itachi's name in this whole debacle, all these months ago. No, not that - reckless. Shinobi were taught to hide their emotions, but that didn't mean they didn't have them. He should never have given Sasuke another reason to fuel his hatred. And though the youngest Uchiha stopped asking openly about what exactly his sensei meant, the issue was far from forgotten.
He asked then, after seeing Sakura's reaction to his Sharingan. And Kakashi had no other option, but to respond.
It was a mere suspicion, nothing truly confirmed, but Itachi had been near Konoha a while ago. The information caused an undesirable reaction in Sasuke, yet the explanation continued. The pink-haired girl they knew as their teammate had disappeared around that time. Sasuke wasn't exactly stupid - he connected the dots alarmingly quick, his gaze darkening considerably. What was suspicion before, was confirmed now.
Despite his loud and goofy attitude, Naruto wasn't a dumbass, his reaction a bit more vocal. All of this made a whole lot of sense, a dreaded feeling dawning upon the younger ninja. Sasuke swore under his breath and whirled around swiftly, but his sensei had anticipated his movements. Kakashi was certain that the boy would leave Konoha right now and pursue his brother restlessly.
What Sasuke was going through was a particularly brutal version of what many shinobi experienced at some point in their lives - the despicable question, fatal choice between becoming a fully efficient machine or keeping a heart to love with. And right now, he knew that the shaky balance the Uchiha had held between these two, in the last months, had been brutally shattered.
Perhaps it was better this way, as he still had to ask his own question.
"What do you choose?"
Sasuke froze, caught in a maelstrom of emotions. The immediate answer was "revenge", no hesitation, no second thoughts. Kakashi felt the urge to curse. Damn it, Sakura, why do you always have to be the weak piece?
