As I had suspected, I made short work of the archives in restoring them to their proper grandeur and reorganising the system to make it far more effective and easier to maintain. I had enjoyed the endless amounts of dusting and reading I was able to accomplish, just as much as I enjoyed cleaning at the bathhouse. It was always a strict routine, and since routines were something I lived by, it suited me very well. Occasionally I would find a man or two attempting to look through to the women whilst they bathed naked, however they always ran away from me screaming when they realised I was standing behind them.
I never even received the opportunity to politely remind them of the regulations, they always left before I had even opened my mouth. Perhaps my void expression could be read as frightening by those who were not used to it. I should work harder to be more approachable. There was one person in particular, however, who continued to come back no matter how many times I caught him spying on the ladies. I had personally never come across him, therefore I had no inclination of who he was, but he had had Naruto with him several times and from what I had overheard, he was training the boy ready for the next part of his Chunin examinations.
Today was one of those days where the bushy haired man was peeping down on the women through the roof, having made a hole for him to look through but my keen sense for chakra caught him the moment I was within a close proximity, so I carried myself up to the roof and appeared before his head. "You are not permitted to be here." I informed him blankly, observing him as he yelped and flailed his arms from the shock of my sudden appearance, crashing backwards before he then rubbed his head and complained with a groan.
"Gagh! It was just getting good as well!" He wailed in misery, almost sobbing as he looked rather longingly at the hole he had made for himself in the bathhouse roof. "Why does it have to be a beautiful woman who always comes to spoil my research, but doesn't have one ounce of sex appeal on her?!" S-Sex appeal? What is he-? Never mind that now. I must focus.
"You are violating the regulations. Please vacate these premises immediately." From where he had been sunbathing, Naruto flipped up onto his feet and tucked his arms behind his head, wandering over to us with a bored voice.
"Pervy sage, when are we going to start training today? We've been here almost two hours!" Seeing me Naruto cracked a grin, his bright countenance like a ray of sunshine which chased away all prospects of rain. "Hey lady, nice seeing ya again!"
"Good morning Naruto." I greeted warmly, having no issue with the boy who was merely dragged on his tutor's immoral ventures. "Mister, this is your final warning. Please vacate immediately or I shall have to use deadly force."
"Yes, yes, just one more minute, I think I can see a whole load of new women coming in, and their bodies are perfect! Smooth skin, damp from the steam, round watermelons on their chests, flushed cheeks…" He continued to list off all that he found attractive about them, including comparing the sizes of their waists and the proportions of their bodies. "Hm…that one is a little too thin, not enough meat on her jugs, but that one is a little too bottom heavy, if you get my drift! Oh! Oh there! She is perfect…" No longer wanting to listen to his ramblings or allow him to continue breaking the rules, my eyes flashed and swirled into the Sharingan as I slid a foot backwards.
"Uh…pervy sage? I think you're in trouble." Naruto tried to warn his tutor, however the Sage man merely waved him off and told him to be patient. Flexing my fingers I began to channel my chakra into my fist and arm, gathering strength there as I focused entirely on that area of my body. "I really think you ought to look. Hey. Hey! Pervy sage!" Finally the Sage sat upright, demanding to know Naruto's problem but the moment he was exposing his torso, I took my opportunity. Closing the distance in less than a heartbeat, I punched Naruto's tutor directly into his gut, powering the movement with my chakra so that it was ten times as strong as an ordinary punch. It knocked the wind out of his body instantly, causing him to choke and spit out saliva as I lifted him clean off the rooftop then watched as he arced down in the air, crashing to the ground on the street. "Wow." Naruto looked both alarmed and impressed, following after me as I jumped down then leisurely approached where the sage was twitching on the ground.
His eyes were almost spinning from his dizziness, needing a few moments to recuperate before he wheezed the breath back into his lungs. Satisfied I had delivered my point, I hummed softly before turning to leave. "Hey lady, you knocked out my teacher!" Naruto complained so I paused by him, reaching out a hand to pat him twice with a firm hand on the head. There. According to my research, such a gesture is both comforting and apologetic, perfect for this situation. I have done very well today. Now I must return to work otherwise I shall fall behind schedule, and I could not stand the thought of deviating from my everyday routine.
As I mopped one of the empty baths, I wondered how Sasuke was faring this very moment. Was he ever sparing a moment to think of me? I hope so. I would be happy if he would keep me in his thoughts. Unfortunately it was an unlikely hope as knowing Sasuke, he would be utterly focused on his training and would not allow himself to lose concentration for any reason whatsoever. I should do the same, I will only feel lonelier if I dwell on the fact that I was now without not only Itachi but Sasuke.
Itachi. Many times did his name crop up in my mind without warning. I wonder how much he has grown. Is he taller than me now? Was he at least taking proper care of himself wherever he was? Had he found companionship? Friends? Was he alone? So many questions, but none of my abilities allowed me to answer them, even when I had tried. It were as if he had removed himself from the face of the earth and all that remained behind him was the image of his faced carved in my memory. We will meet soon, I know that, so I did not worry too much. I will be able to ask him my questions face to face, though in my premonitions, he did not always answer them depending on the situation of our meeting.
I shall have to proceed from this point onwards with meticulous caution. No mistakes can be afforded, and it is paramount that I do not interfere with the designated timeline that I have already foreseen, witnessed and memorised. Some moments I might be able to shift in a better direction, others I may be able to save from their fate, but only minor alterations. Why was I born with these gifts? Where did they come from? No other Uchiha before me had carried such remarkable ocular prowess as I, and no child have ever been born with their Sharingan already awoken. I wish I had had more time with my parents to ask them my questions, but now it seems that the truth of my skills will always remain a mystery.
They had to have come from somewhere, surely. It made logical sense by all accounts, yet I could not find that logic anywhere. Life could be cruel, sometimes too cruel. It hardly mattered, I knew fate like an old friend, for I had seen it more than a thousand times in a thousand different variations. All I hoped that our friendship will allow me to do what I needed and succeed, otherwise I feared that all hope for those that I love would be lost.