Take heed of an 'Unreliable Narrator' trope.
Itachi is sharpening his kunai when Sasuke bursts into the room, shoji rattling from the force of his hands.
They both take a moment to stare at each other. Itachi holds the kunai in a searing grip, his knuckles white from exerting quick restraint from the instinctual urge to throw it towards his younger brother. Normally, Sasuke's chakra would be fluttering obviously around his senses, but-
The fingers in Itachi's hand twitch. He can't feel it.
He can't feel his younger brother's chakra.
"Sasuke, is everything alright?" He asks. Don't act rashly, he tells himself as he thins his chakra out, the aura prodding around for genjutsus and the space where Sasuke's body is.
All of a sudden, Sasuke's chakra leaks out, covering him in the usual manner. Itachi's brows furrow as Sasuke's shoulders relax, his unusual chakra control lapsing as they continue staring at each other.
A strange expression spreads across Sasuke's face, the ends of his lips pulling upwards in spasms as if under the sway of an untalented marionette.
"No, Nii-san," He says. The words are slow and purposeful. "Everything is just fine."
He's still staring at Itachi as he says it, making no move to leave. Itachi continues holding the kunai.
"Was there something that you needed from me, Otouto?" He asks. He can only hope that whatever trepidation he feels does not show on his face.
Sasuke shuts his mouth, closing the slight gape of his lips. "I just wanted to know when you'll be back from your next mission."
A part of Itachi softens a little even as the bells in his head keep ringing in alarm. "Don't worry, I told you I'll be back before your birthday. It's not every day you turn six, after all."
Sasuke curls his lips into a soft smile, making his expression more genuine, more him. "Okay. I'll see you soon, Nii-san." He turns away then, socks padding softly across the tatami as he gently shuts the shoji, taking care not to make any noise as it closes.
Itachi's eyes follow him as the shadow passes out of his vision.
He exhales. Slowly, he places the kunai down on his thumb, careful to not push down more than necessary. Once his skin unfurls and exposes a bead of blood, Itachi makes the necessary handsigns for the summoning jutsu and places his hands on the drawer next to him, cautious not to get any blood on the tatami.
Itachi watches as the familiar seals bloom under his hand and Ahō caws and jumps from the drawer onto his shoulder, clearly startled from being pulled from Shisui's family aviary.
"Ahō-chan," He starts to say as her feathers settle, black eyes blinking at him in curiosity, "Please watch over my brother as I go on my mission. Report back any unusual behavior or call for Shisui during an emergency. Remain unseen."
Ahō bobs her head in acknowledgement and starts preening his hair, beak brushing against his scalp with soothing familiarity. Her coddling makes Itachi sigh, but that doesn't stop the warm affection in his heart from sneaking through.
He lets himself streak a finger through her feathers before gently flinging his arm upwards, forcing Ahō to flap her wings and glide towards the open window to a nearby branch.
Itachi's face hardens as he gathers his things. Maybe he's just overreacting, but it was best to keep an eye on Sasuke while he was away, just in case. It wasn't unusual for frightened children to pull in their chakra on instinct, but that look on his face…
Itachi shakes his head and puts on his mask. One issue at a time, he tells himself as he, quite literally, runs away from his problems.
"Nii-san!" His brother joyfully exclaims as Itachi comes back from his mission. The jump is less than expected.
Itachi can't help but let out a soft oof as Sasuke compresses the air from his lungs, his small body clinging to Itachi's front in a move that he hasn't done since he was four years old.
An exhausted smile creeps up as Itachi hugs Sasuke back. His shaky limbs, raw from cleaning out the dried blood, gently encircle his brother.
"Did you behave yourself, Sasuke?" He asks, pulling back after a few seconds. Sasuke's hands still cling to the front of his shirt as if searching for comfort, and Itachi's eyes flicker to Ahō in the branches, giving her a slight nod. She flutters away.
Sasuke pouts. "I always behave, Nii-san," he exclaims. There's an awkward pause before Sasuke gives him a small smile. "Will you train with me now that you're here?"
Itachi gently pulls Sasuke's hands away from his shirt. "Sorry Sasuke, maybe after dinner," he says, poking Sasuke's forehead.
Instead of the usual frown and complaints, Sasuke's smile turns brighter. "Alright," He simply says, meandering off into the house, letting Itachi's eyes follow him until he disappears down into the dark hallway.
There's a pause as Itachi's mind runs through the behavior. It's nothing suspicious, and Itachi wouldn't have noticed it if it wasn't for the incident last week.
He shakes his head. No use thinking about it until he speaks to Ahō, he muses as he purposefully strides towards his room and opens the shoji.
Ahō, attempting to open the drawers she knows Itachi hides his dried fruits in, guiltily hops away and settles on the windowsill, preening as if she had always been there.
Itachi gives her a Look, unfooled. Ahō caws at him in greeting, shifting her feet in a nervous gesture.
He sighs and puts out his arm. Ahō flutters to the offered appendage and stands as still as she can manage.
Itachi tiredly makes the familiar handsigns.
"Perception Parallel Genjutsu," He mutters, letting his aching eyes bleed into the sharingan. Distantly, he feels Ahō tremble as he shifts through the crow's wispy emotions and memories, letting the unneeded visuals pass by him until-
There, he thinks, chakra tugging at the mental string of Sasuke's face.
Garbled mutters permeate through his mind, the confusing caws of his not-Itachi-kin irritating his hearing as he focuses his gaze towards the sound.
Not-Itachi-kin is on the floor, putting his wings on the ground as he glares at the discolored paper in front of him. Itachi, interested, dares to get closer as he hops back to the nearer branch, cautious of his master's command to remain unseen.
The child continues staring at the sheet until his gaze snaps to the open window. Itachi stays still, sensing danger.
Not-Itachi-kin stomps over to the open window and, with a scowl, violently closes it.
He doesn't spot not-Itachi-kin in the room anymore, but his shadow and quiet caws can be seen and heard throughout the night, long after the not-Itachi's are asleep.
Itachi pulls himself back, dismissing Ahō's summoning with a mental promise to get her the dried fruits for her work.
Ahō's eyesight was much better than his own, and the scribbles she managed to glance at were most certainly not homework, as well as the fact that Sasuke was explicitly forbidden from working on anything after nine o'clock.
Itachi frowns and runs his hands through his hair, undoing the loose ponytail as he gets ready for dinner.
Another piece of a potential puzzle, unknown and insignificant without more information.
"Thank you for the meal," Sasuke neutrally exclaims, his lips twisting into a subtle smile. Itachi's eyes rove over his face even as he berates himself for trying to find something that's not there.
Fugaku copies the words from the end of the table and Itachi dutifully follows the exclamation, forcing his eyes back to the meal in front of them.
Mikoto hums from her spot across from her youngest son. "Happy Birthday, Sasuke-kun. I hope you enjoy everything," She says, giving him a smile.
Itachi makes himself give a small smile back to his younger brother. "Happy Birthday."
"Happy Birthday, son," Fugaku exclaims, the lines around his eyes and mouth softening almost imperceptibly. "You'll be an exceptional shinobi like your older brother in no time."
There's an awkward pause as the words settle. Ever since Sasuke started the academy a year ago, their father had been announcing more and more comparisons between the two. Itachi grips his chopsticks with a little more force than necessary, but Sasuke simply focuses on his meal, not giving any indication of his thoughts.
"So, Sasuke-kun," Mikoto starts to say, diffusing the air with practiced ease, "Was there anything new happening at the academy today?"
"No," Sasuke simply says, rudely shrugging — a habit even Mikoto's pointed stares never quite managed to erase. "Some kids wished me a happy birthday. I just sparred with my friend after class for a bit," He finishes, lifting a piece of tofu into his mouth.
"Oh? Who's your friend?" Itachi asks, a small smile upon his lips. For some reason, Sasuke had a hard time starting new friendships, but he was glad to know that there was someone there for him when Itachi couldn't be.
"Uzumaki Naruto," Sasuke calmly answers, dabbing his mouth with a napkin.
Everyone freezes.
Sasuke slowly blinks from his spot at the table. "Do you all know him?" He asks. The tone is almost … mocking?
Itachi struggles with how to react to the second clan heir of the Uchiha proclaiming his friendship to the Kyuubi's vessel, but his father beats him to it.
"Sasuke, you shouldn't-"
"Well, that's wonderful, Sasuke-kun," Mikoto interjects.
Itachi side-eyes his parents from his spot. Their bodies are tense, both of them aware of each other but neither bridging the gap of acknowledgment.
Sasuke gives a shy smile to his mother, acting as if his father's words had never reached him. "I'm glad too, Kaa-san," He says, happily chomping down on the rest of his tofu, seemingly unaware of the tension pulsing through the room. There are a few more minutes of idle chatter between his mother and brother until Itachi can't take it anymore.
He still has half a plate left of food, but Itachi stands up, his stomach churning from the stifling atmosphere that only seemed to grow more oppressive with each passing second. "I'll clean the rest of the dishes," He announces, gathering up his things. He pauses, turning to Sasuke. "I'll walk you to school tomorrow, Otouto."
It's such a small thing, but Sasuke looks back up at him with a grin and his eyes widening in such genuine delight that it sends a pang of affection through the chronically worried condition of Itachi's heart.
He gives a small smile back before heading out to their kitchen sink. Itachi has barely placed the soap on the rag before his mother appears behind him.
Itachi gives her a quizzical look as she smiles at him, her expression tired, but mischievous.
"Your father left to retire early," She explains, picking up a used pot.
Ah. Itachi's lips quirk up. Mikoto: 1, Fugaku: 0.
They spend a few minutes in peaceful silence before the thoughts in Itachi's head scratch around, begging to be let out. He glances at Mikoto, her own actions showing nothing of the thoughts she is sure to be dwelling on with her busy life.
"Kaa-san," He starts to say. There's a mutual pause as his mother lets him gather his thoughts. "Is Sasuke alright?"
Mikoto continues her movements, her expression blank. "Would you elaborate?" She asks. Nothing in her voice betrays anything but mild curiosity.
Itachi hesitates, struggling to put words to his feelings.
"He's quieter, in some ways. More cautious." Itachi shakes his head. "I'm worried I've upset him."
Mikoto gives him a soft smile, turning her head away from the worn metal and clay dishes. "He's always like that when you aren't home. I suppose he can get a bit moody even when you come back, if only because he knows your time here is short," She says, pulling out another dish from the sink. "And he's growing up," She points out, voice betraying a hint of wistfulness.
Itachi frowns. "I suppose he is."
And that is that.
Itachi makes sure to walk Sasuke out to the academy the next morning before sending a note to the ANBU department that he'll miss his scheduled training session.
He's gone into Sasuke's room numerous times throughout his life, either to help with homework or change his diapers or to simply play with Sasuke's toys alone when his parents aren't home. It's never something Sasuke has shown particular territorial tendencies over, but right now the action feels forbidden as he steps into his brother's place.
He lets his legs guide him around the room. At first glance, there's nothing that sticks out within the modernized area. Sasuke's old toys have been relegated to a dusty corner of the floor, with the exception of a dinosaur plushie on the center of his bed. Everything looks neat and tidy.
Itachi's mind pulls him back to the memory of a shadowy figure of Sasuke spread out on the floor. He kneels down, letting his aching joints touch the cold floorboards as his eyes bleed into the sharingan, scanning for anything unusual in the wooden floor.
He feels a brief moment of guilt for his snooping until his eyes catch on the minute scratches along a pane of wood directly on the leg of Sasuke's bed frame.
"What were you doing, Sasuke?" He mutters to himself, reaching out his hand. He hesitates, suddenly cautious about invading his brother's privacy. He's read in parenting manuals that this sort of behavior fostered negative relationships between individuals.
Itachi bites his bottom lip in thought and mentally shakes his head. This was all for Sasuke's sake, so it was fine. He had a duty to protect Sasuke from everything, and that meant sacrifices needed to be made.
Decision solidified, Itachi kneels down onto the hardwood, carefully shifting the bed frame until the scratched panel is easily exposed. He makes sure to place his hands in the same position as where the scratch marks start, feeling around the wood for a dent.
Itachi's eyes instinctively focus as the pad of his fingers finds the widened crease. There it is.
He lifts the panel in one motion to find an unmarked scroll, the length of it no larger than his palm.
Itachi reaches inward to make a grab at it, careful to wipe away any excess sweat beforehand in fear of unwanted marks.
It's surprisingly light, he thinks as he lifts it. It's a new mission scroll then, not one meant for personal novels and reports. That type of scroll is not something Sasuke could have gotten on his own unless he somehow received it or took it from someone.
The thought of Sasuke's potential thievery chaffs at Itachi, pulling his lips into a frown. He checks the outside for traps and finding none, he opens it to reveal-
Nonsense.
Itachi's eyes rove over the ineligible scribbles, but they refuse to make sense of whatever code the words are written in.
He frowns. For Sasuke to be able to manage something so complex without mentioning it to anyone is… concerning. His younger brother was always eager to share his accomplishments, and in the rare occasions where he didn't, adults around him were quick to point it out to their family. To be able to devise a code Itachi had no recollection of ever encountering nor hearing about was unusual, to say the least.
Itachi activates his sharingan, letting the blooming headache filter through his senses as the sharpened letters burn into his mind.
Huh, he thinks. That's unusual.
He squints, bringing the paper closer to his eyes. The characters shift a little, the letters moving until he can just barely make a word he eventually focuses on. The frustration builds as the figures swirl around, tantalizingly refusing to come together in a coherent order. It's as if the answer was right at the front of his mind, just out of reach, and his temper builds as it simply refuses to move past the wall in his mind.
"Itachi-kun?"
He quickly shoves the papers back into their place, mind churning out ideas and plans as his hands place everything into their respective spot.
"Yes, Kaa-san?" He calls back out, forcing his heart back into a normal rhythm. He steps out of the room, quietly closing the door as his feet tap down the hallway.
His mother walks out of their smaller kitchen, steps silent as she peeks out and gives a gentle smile once he's spotted. "Since you seem to be off today, would you help me with tomorrow's lunch? You always know how to make Sasuke's favourite dish in just the right way," She asks, unsubtly pushing him to stay for dinner.
Itachi nods, letting his curled hands tighten in his pockets as the slight creases of his mother's face relax. "Of course," He answers, following Mikoto back into the room. The characters on the hidden paper shift in his mind, taunting him, but he pushes it aside.
It's not important, he tells himself, forcing his thoughts to fall into Sasuke's 'secrets' about the inane confessions of a seven-year-old.
Besides, he can always go back later, Itachi mollifies himself as his mother hands him a zucchini.
There were more important things to focus on.
Shisui sighs from his spot over the Nakano cliffs, posture tense as his eyes rove over the calming stream below. He kicks a small pebble off the cliff, making Itachi's eyes follow it as it splashes into the water.
"The clan is getting worse," Itachi comments. He almost regrets bringing it up as Shisui's lips twitch into a deep frown, his face continuing to stare into the river below.
"We'll find a way," Shisui promises, his tone so determined Itachi can't help but cling to it. "We haven't even tried everything yet. Maybe this next meeting we can bring up the fact that the Akimichi clan still trades their goods for our services to them." Shisui makes a vague gesture. "Ya'know, remind them of positive inner-village relationships and all that."
Shisui's words soothe out Itachi's festering worries even as another pops into his mind.
"Shisui, have you noticed anything unusual about Sasuke?" Itachi awkwardly brings up, quickly changing the subject. The mood immediately turns lighter as Shisui turns around with a small grin, used to Itachi's rapid changes in conversation.
The older teen lets out a small, amused huff. "If you're talking about the fact that he hasn't scowled at me in forever, then yes. I've met veteran Iwa nin with less stubbornness than that kid," He jokes. "I don't know what you said, but I'm glad I don't have to worry about getting my eyeballs ripped out in my sleep anymore."
Itachi frowns. "No, that's not what I mean. He's been acting a little off, and I found out he's been hiding some things from me. Nothing big, but it has me thinking about what changed…" He confesses, the words trailing off in embarrassment. Itachi isn't used to asking for help, especially when it comes to his younger brother.
Shisui gives him a wry smile. "You don't think about things, Itachi. You obsess over them. Besides, I was keeping your brother company while you were gone, and I never saw anything… weird…" Shisui has an unusual tilt to his voice as the words trail off, and Itachi shoots him a concerned glance, his eyebrows furrowing in worry.
"Shisui?" Itachi asks.
Shisui blinks, the glazed look in his eyes disappearing to focus clearly on Itachi's face. "Sorry, I got sidetracked. What I mean is, you don't need to worry about him. Hell, the whole clan would be at his beck and call if Fugaku-sama wasn't so strict about all that."
Itachi hugs his knees, feeling defensive. "I know something's wrong, but Sasuke won't tell me," He says, voice leaking out the frustration he feels. "I'm just worried about him," He confesses, voice lowering to an awkward mutter.
Shisui gives him a soft look. "I think he's growing up, you know? At least you'll never change, Itachi. I know you'll always act like you're a hundred years old and be a dango addict," He adds, dissipating the tension.
Itachi rolls his eyes and makes a half-hearted shove at Shisui, who laughs as he purposefully loses his balance. Itachi knows he's simply trying to make him feel better, but that logic doesn't stop the tender affection from running through his body at Shisui's antics.
Steadying himself, Shisui gives a big grin as he pulls out a flower behind his back.
"And you'll always be an exceptional person, Itachi. In strength and looks," He winks and places the flower behind Itachi's ear.
Itachi softly smiles back at him, and all is forgotten.
For a moment.
"You missed another meeting," Is the first thing his father says as Itachi heads home after assassinating the compound of a troublesome yakuza clan. His sharingan had burned into his mind how a few of the eyewitnesses had been younger than Sasuke even as he struggled to remind himself of his duties, his obligations.
He is so, so tired.
"Be sure to make time for the next one," Fugaku continues as Itachi passes by him, not bothering to give an empty promise to his clan head. He knows he's provoking suspicion, provoking ire, provoking the already tentative trust his clan has in him. Shisui had informed him yesterday, face grim, that his second uncle had imposed that he disclose unofficial reports for Itachi's 'increasingly concerning behavior.'
The soft click of the ANBU armour does nothing to distract from the ache in his bones as he heads into the house. His steps take him past Sasuke's room, as always, before he notices the silence.
No breathing, no shadows.
Itachi glances at the clock in the hall. It's almost seven, far past the time Sasuke should be home for supper.
Itachi's mind slowly pulls out a memory of Sasuke talking about spending time with a friend after school. The Kyuubi's vessel.
Before Itachi realizes what he's about to do, he opens the bedroom door. He stands below the door arch for a second before following his feelings, letting the actions of a few weeks ago guide his movements to the scratched-up panel below the bed's wooden leg.
Lifting it is almost natural, as if he's done it a hundred times. The curiosity and suspicion come back in full force as he gets closer to his goal, forcing all of the frustration of the day into finally, finally figuring out his brother's stupid mystery and his stupid, unsuspicious behavior and as Itachi shakily lifts the panel there's nothing.
It's not there. The scroll is gone.
Itachi's eyes flash in and out of the sharingan, mind uncomprehending of the empty space before him.
A few seconds of silence does not manifest the scroll, so Itachi numbly puts the panel back and makes his limbs tread back to his bedroom, feeling as if every move was weighed down with lead, the few drops of adrenaline mercilessly leaving him to stumble back.
Mechanically, he grabs a futon and puts on clean clothes, pulling the covers over his shoulders as he refuses to think about his brother and the next mission tomorrow.
Itachi puts his face in his hands, breathing in the smell of dirt and copper.
Sleep. He just needs to sleep, and then everything will be better tomorrow.
Itachi's legs stumble through the porch and into his home, exhaustion lacing every one of his steps. He had only finished a B-rank, but his partner had still insisted on running back to the village at top speed, rambling on about how he would do five hundred backflips if he failed to outpace Itachi.
Itachi, while not lacking in that area, was decidedly not a taijutsu expert.
… But he was an Uchiha, and Uchiha were raised to not back down from challenges.
Itachi lets out a soft chuckle at his foolishness. The expressiveness of Maito Gai was an invigorating and physically taxing presence on missions. In a roundabout way, Itachi could understand why Gai and his former taichou were friends. The man was odd, but compelling.
Itachi plods down the hall, making sure to take off his sandals and put the spare slippers on his worn feet. Being able to walk back from a mission without taking off his ANBU armor was a strange sensation that didn't lessen as he reached his bedroom shoji.
Itachi immediately straightens and blinks at what he sees.
"Sasuke," He begins, wary, "What are you doing in my room?"
Sasuke blinks back in surprise, immediately jumping on the tatami from his perch on the windowsill, the sunset behind his frame casting warm shadows on his visage.
"I can't sleep. Can I stay with you tonight?" Sasuke asks. His tone is so unequivocally childlike that it can't help but awaken some primal parental instinct in Itachi's brain, even as the muscles in his arms twitch with memories of the night before and the invasion of his space.
"Of course," He automatically agrees. Itachi steps into the tatami barefoot, carefully placing the slippers next to the shoji's wooden frame. The folded futon is easily pulled out from his closet, and Itachi's skin itches from feeling Sasuke's eyes on the back of his neck.
He wordlessly makes the sheets, as he's done countless times before, and climbs in — too tired to change into nightclothes. Besides, he'd always made it a policy to shower and change at the barracks right after a mission. Anything to not stay a moment longer in the stifling compound.
He makes room in the futon for Sasuke to climb in. Sasuke was still small enough that they didn't need to bring an extra one, yet.
"Tiring day at the academy?" He asks as his little brother delicately steps over.
Sasuke yawns as he climbs in, limbs awkwardly sprawling into the comforter. "You could say that, Nii-san," He mumbles, breathing growing fainter as he snuggles up against Itachi's front.
Itachi stares at Sasuke's hair for a moment, feeling the slow rise and fall of his younger brother's shoulders, letting his mind wander as the silence of the evening washes over them.
Itachi curls his body around Sasuke's, breathing in the faint, unfamiliar hints of smoke and copper, and sleeps.
"Get up!" A familiar voice hisses.
Itachi pulls away from Sasuke's form and tiredly squints up at Shisui, who looms over him with a serious expression.
"Come with me, it's urgent," Shisui says. He shinshuns outside, the breeze from his momentum knocking back Itachi's hair as he scrambles to extract himself from the futon and follow Shisui to the rooftop.
"What is it?" He asks, desperation coating his words. So many things could have gone wrong, and Itachi is loathed to think of any of them happening.
Shisui levels him with a frown, eyebrows pulling his face into a severe expression.
"It's the Hokage," Shisui says, voice clipped, "He's dead."
Itachi stares at him, mouth agape. "Dead?"
"Murdered," Shisui clarifies. "Along with the rest of the Hokage Council."
The rest of the words drown out as the rush of Itachi's heartbeat overrides everything else, narrowing his vision until he can't even see Shisui in front of him and his legs weaken and he feels sick to his stomach-
Shisui violently grabs his shoulders. "Snap out of it!" He whispers, his face close enough to show the concern and frustration, "It wasn't the Uchiha! There's no coup, Itachi."
Itachi's eyelashes flutter as he tries to get his bearings. "No coup?" He manages to rasp out.
Shisui gently pulls back, making sure to let his eyes glance over Itachi's shaky form. "No one has taken responsibility for it, and no one is forcing themselves upon the Hokage seat. As far as I know, no one was expecting this, and whoever acted did it individually. All the clan heads and military leaders are in an emergency meeting as we speak."
The relief over what could have happened is almost strong enough to send Itachi back to his knees, the hints of confusion and fear almost being pushed aside as his brain shouts Sasuke's safe, there is no war, Sasuke is safe.
"Did you-" Itachi is almost hesitant enough to ask it, but there was no one else that he could think of who could do something like this in one night.
Shisui's frown deepens. "No, I didn't," Itachi doesn't take the snap in his voice personally. They were all on edge.
However, Shisui's body language closes further, his eyes meeting and then moving away from Itachi's glance in twitchy bursts.
Itachi is patient, and he waits.
"There's more," Shisui bites out in one breath before the silence can grow even more stifling. "Danzo-" His Adam's apple moves as he swallows, and Itachi follows the movement, noting the faint stubble Shisui didn't bother to shave.
Shisui takes a deep breath. "Danzo was found to be in possession of multiple Sharingan."
Itachi packs down every emotion he is feeling and puts it in a neat little box labeled What The Fuck.
The look Shisui sends back is only vaguely apologetic. "He had one implanted in his right eye," Like Kakashi Hatake goes unsaid, "And someone — the culprit, most likely — stuck," At this, Shisui's face twitches, "Stuck a scroll down his throat. The scroll was revealed to contain multiple accounts of conspiracies to kidnap clan children and establish them into ROOT, as well as the hideouts where sharingan were being kept like some sort of sick warehouse. They're running DNA tests on all of them right now," He finishes, looking vaguely nauseous. Itachi can't help but agree with that feeling, considering the fact that so much of Danzo's verbal arguments ended with the eradication of Uchiha. To now know it was all done for the sake of bloodline theft shook to the very core of Itachi's trust in the village.
There were so many questions Itachi wanted to ask, but the only one his mouth blurted out was, "You saw him?"
Shisui's frown deepens even further, the exhaustion pulling at his face in a way that only Itachi ever witnessed. "Everyone saw him. The Hokage, Danzo, all of their heads were severed and put on a pike in the middle of the marketplace, right as the patrols were switching. Civilians were the first to see them," He finishes.
Itachi goes to move even before Shisui ends his sentence, but a firm grip on his arm stops him.
"Trust me," Shisui says, "You don't need to see it. They've probably already been removed, anyway."
Itachi relaxes his arm, letting Shisui's hand drop from his own. "I wasn't going to. I need to check on my father."
Shisui sighs. "I already spoke with him. Like I said, he's in an emergency meeting with the other clans. There's not much we can do right now but see how things end up. Keep your guard up, Itachi," At that, Shisui cracks a weak smile, "Not like that's anything different. You're tougher than those coconuts I brought back from Kumo," He tries to joke. Itachi can't quite crack a smile, but he appreciates how much lighter the atmosphere becomes.
"You should stay with Sasuke and make sure he's alright. I'll be patrolling the compound for a while," Even without a coup, things could get ugly, Shisui doesn't say, Be careful.
"Do you want me to go with you?" Itachi asks, voice soft. Shisui shakes his head.
"I'll feel better with you in the main branch house with your mom. Nothing will get past her."
Itachi nods, his face hardening. "Stay safe," He warns. "Keep me updated."
The lines in Shisui's face lessen for a brief moment. "Of course, Itachi. Take care of yourself as well."
With that, Shisui lives up to his nickname and vanishes, leaving nothing but the wind.
"I'm home," Fugaku calls out into the hallway. His voice is familiarly firm, but as Itachi leaves a disgruntled Sasuke in the younger's room and spots his father's slumped shoulders, he fears the worst.
"Tou-san," He says, hesitating over the question, "How did it g-"
His father pulls him in for a hug.
Itachi is too shocked to react, hands twitching by his sides as Fugaku holds him a desperate grip, his smell of wood and sweat permeating through Itachi's senses.
"Thank you," His father whispers into his ear, voice betraying a hint of shakiness. "You should have told me, but you saved us in more ways than I could have imagined."
All at once, Itachi understands what his father is implying. "Tou-san-"
His father pulls back, shaking his head. "You don't need to say anymore. I noticed you with your uniform yesterday morning," He stays, voice grim. "But don't worry, I only saw for a moment as you left, and I'm sure you were careful."
Itachi goes numb.
Fugaku frowns as the silence lingers, Itachi giving away none of his scrambling thoughts.
"We won't speak of it again," Fugaku settles on. He gives a strong nod to Itachi before passing by him into the kitchen.
Itachi swallows. Exhales.
His feet quickly pad over to his room, feeling the phantom lingering of his father's hands on his back as he forces himself to not slam the shoji open.
His closet mocks him from across the room, the firm wood giving nothing away about its tampering. With purposeful steps, he bridges the gap, opening the closet to reveal-
Nothing.
The clothes on the hangers are crisp and wrinkle-free. Everything smells exactly like him, and the dull glint of his ANBU-issued armour doesn't suggest any new fighting or use. The weasel mask continues to laugh at him.
Itachi activates his sharingan and pulls out the uniform, hands running through the material with shaky fingers for anything unusual, anything that could tell him something.
Itachi's fingers stop. There, right beneath the left armguard is a dip in the metal. He brings it closer to his eyes, the sharpened vision of the sharingan revealing an almost invisible darkening and tiny scratches around the area, as if it was stained by soot and desperately cleaned to hide the evidence.
Unbidden, his mind conjures up the sight of Sasuke crawling into his bed after a late day at the academy, the smell of soap almost overlapping the hints of fire and copper.
Copper. Blood.
No, Itachi desperately thinks. "You're overreacting. You've been through a stressful period, so your mind is linking things in an illogical manner," He confidently tells himself, as if saying it out loud would compel him to believe it.
The emptiness of the room presses inward, forcing his mind to spin through the memories of Sasuke's increasingly unusual behavior, the slight scratches on his floorboards, the way he thinks he sees a shadow on his wall before turning and seeing nothing there, the clipped comments, the shifting mood that no one mentioned-
It's impossible, he thinks, gripping the ANBU metal hard enough he has to purposefully move his chakra out of his hands to not dent the metal. It's impossible, he says again, like a mantra, like a prayer.
Before he consciously realizes it, his feet have led him to Sasuke's room. He dispels the clone keeping guard without a look, turning the knob with his sweaty hands.
"Sasuke," he rasps out. His brother is on the floor, boredly scanning an Academy scroll. There's a pause as they look at each other, Itachi fishing for his words, "Let's go out to the Nakano to train."
Sasuke immediately hops up, methodically closing the scroll and putting it back into its proper place, a slight smile growing outwards as he looks back towards Itachi and holds out his hand. Just a month ago, Sasuke had announced he was too old to be holding anyone's hand, despite the furtive glances given towards Itachi's own on the walks to school.
"I'm ready when you are, Nii-san," He says. The palms of his hands are newly calloused for the grip of a katana.
Itachi's limbs feel mechanical as he reaches out.
"Let's go," He hears himself say, voice solemn and grimly determined. Sasuke doesn't verbally react to the words, but Itachi can feel the sudden stiffness in his body as they walk out into the edge of the compound near Konoha's boarder.
In the distance, Itachi can see a faint wisp of dying smoke coming off the front of the Hokage tower. Nausea threatens to return.
He keeps his eyes forward, focusing on the trees in front of them as they walk painfully slow, the leaves crunching beneath their feet. The mild bite of winter hangs in the air.
"I'm not stupid," Sasuke suddenly says. Startled, Itachi looks down at him, not expecting the comment. "I know you brought me here for something. What is it?" He asks. Sasuke's voice is flat and impatient, and Itachi flounders at the blunt treatment.
He's never heard Sasuke talk like that before, not to him, and Itachi's resolve hardens as he pulls away from Sasuke's hand and faces the thing that calls itself his brother.
"Otouto," He starts, voice shaky in a way he's never displayed to him before, "Did you kill them?"
Sasuke stares at him for a moment, considering, looking at Itachi in a way that unsettles him to the core. The silence stretches on for too long, far too long for a simple No. to cut through the tense atmosphere.
Even before Sasuke opens his mouth, Itachi regrets asking. Maybe if he had just brushed it away, they could've both pretended. They could have both been content to live their lives and move on and smile during dinner and lived on as normal brothers.
But Itachi asked, and now he reaps the consequences.
"Yes," Sasuke simply says. He doesn't speak anymore.
Itachi doesn't swallow, doesn't cry, doesn't fall to his knees like he wants to, like he's begging himself to. Instead, he shuts his eyes and whispers, "Why?"
It doesn't feel right to show weakness, especially right now, but the trembling in his voice is now far outside his control.
Itachi opens his eyes just in time to see Sasuke give an impassive shrug. "They were giving you trouble, weren't they?" His tone is blasé and unaffected, so unlike his younger brother that Itachi wants to snarl and go for the intruder's throat.
But Sasuke's body language is closed off, arms tucked into himself defensively as he shifts his gaze away from Itachi's eyes. All of that screams Sasuke, the position of his body accurate down to the slight shift of his feet. It's the same one he's always used when waiting for the disappointment of Fugaku's gaze.
It's as if Itachi is seeing a genjutsu layered on top of reality, the two views distorting his vision so badly it makes him feel ill.
"Are you Sasuke? Are you my brother?" He rasps out, because he doesn't know anymore. He doesn't even know his own brother. Was it all a lie? Was this an extremely well-trained, reckless spy?
Itachi's world is crumbling before his very eyes, and he's desperate for anyone to pick up the pieces, even if it means trusting the words of someone — something — that he doesn't recognize.
At that, a flicker of emotion filters through Sasuke's eyes. He looks back at Itachi, mouth set in a firm line that screams of their father. "I'll always be your brother, Nii-san. That has never changed."
Like a fool, Itachi takes the rope as if it was a lifeline and prays that it isn't a noose.
"Okay," He manages to say, "Okay. I believe you." Because if I don't believe you, then I have nothing of Sasuke left, he bites back.
Sasuke — His brother, Itachi firmly reminds himself — shifts his feet, eyes never leaving Itachi's. It startlingly reminds him of the day Sasuke burst into his room those few weeks ago, eyes wild and expression vacant with an emotion Itachi still can't quite understand.
Sasuke nods, once, and then holds out his hand.
Itachi takes it. The skin is warm and sweaty and calloused and very, very alive.
The new Hokage looks up at him from under her bangs, her expression shrewd and calculating.
Itachi refuses to fidget from his spot on the floor, dutifully staring at the desk situated below her eyesight.
Tsunade sighs.
"Your father politely pressured me to take you on as a diplomat," She announced, shifting in her seat. "And I would have thrown his nepotistic ass to the curb if it wasn't for all the begrudging respect and skillset your superiors and comrades reported." She opens up a file on her desk, browsing through the paper with a quick glance. Itachi remains rooted to the spot, tensely waiting for her point to get across and surprise over her words lingering within his heart.
"This ANBU stuff under Danzo was a shit show, huh?" She scoffs under her breath, continuing to shuffle papers written around the margins with illegible handwriting. Itachi wisely doesn't comment.
Tsunade grunts. "Listen up," She commands. Itachi snaps to attention, lifting his head. "I'm not naive enough to fall for the 'temporary position' shit I was told this would be. Therefore I'm placing you under the head of the Strategic Alliance Commission of Konoha. You'll only observe for the first year, you won't give orders, I'll only promote when I feel like it, and I'll kick you out faster than you can say 'But the Third never would-' if I even catch a whiff of you trying to undermine my rule and taking my place before you're good and ready. You have a problem, you come to me first. Understood?"
Itachi slowly nods, trying not to let himself look like a fish out of water.
Tsunade gives a sharp grin. "Evaluations will be every three months. Congratulations, Itachi-san."
Somehow, life goes on.
His father attends more and more diplomatic meetings after the death of the Hokage, the other clan heads sending letters and trade agreements to such a dizzying degree that it makes Itachi sick with the realization of just how far the Uchiha clan had fallen, how close it was made to fall.
More and more Uchiha disperse out of the compound, people with fans on their backs chatting warmly with others on the street. Shisui and he talk, and they bring their suggestions about how the Uchiha Military Police should be handled to the Strategic Alliance and Fugaku. Eventually, the 2nd Hokage's order of only Uchiha being allowed to populate the police is disbanded.
The complaints decrease as less and less Uchiha propagate the military group, letting civilians disassociate punishment from a specific clan. The Uchiha on patrol react better as well, force being banned as a valid measure of control as they feel cemented in their place within the community.
Shisui continues to run missions, Itachi watching his shoulders relax more and more as the days go by and talks of the coup sputter out into nothing. Itachi never realized how forced his laughs had become until Genma chokes on his senbon from watching Kakashi and Gai play hopscotch and Shisui's booming, genuine cackle is heard all the way to the hospital.
Even Itachi sometimes forgets the truth about Sasuke between the soft smiles he sends across the dining room table and the busy work of attending to his new bureaucratic duties.
It's all very domestic as long as he doesn't think too long about the silent steps pacing the outside of his room at night, or the flashes of purple Itachi sometimes notices along the fringes of Sasuke's hair during spars. There's a moment where he fears for the safety of Sasuke's new team once he comes home with a Konoha headband, but Kakashi mollifies his concerns with begrudging compliments on his teamwork skills. The new genin instructor never brings up any indication that anything unusual has happened.
Life is normal, and it goes on.
The Godaime Hokage peers at him from her spot on the desk, face devoid of the hat and garbs Hiruzen preferred to keep on.
Itachi keeps kneeling in a shinobi bow, head facing the floor as he waits for his orders. Something in the air suggests that it's not the usual mission debrief, and Itachi is loathed to be right.
Tsunade straightens from her contemplative posture. "We've received word from Hatake that Sasuke Uchiha has been captured by enemy nin on their mission to Kirigakure," She says, ripping it off in one go like a clotted bandage.
Itachi lifts his head, his eyes widening in shock. "What?"
The rush of his heartbeat overwhelms him, his hands tightening to fists in equal parts fear and anger at his former taichou's inability to keep an eye on his younger brother.
Itachi's eyes harden. "I'm going, Hokage-sama," He rudely proclaims. The title is only half-remembered.
Tsunade lifts an eyebrow. "Why do you think I brought you here, Itachi-kun," She pointedly says. Itachi bows his head, cursing himself for his temper.
Tsunade continues one, the power-play politely forgotten. "I'm letting you assemble a team to go after him. Hatake couldn't track him with his two other genin trailing along, so we've issued another team for Kiri while we send you out. Sasuke was last spotted two-thirds on the road to the island's bank, during the fourth night. He disappeared sometime around 0300 and 0400, with everyone on the team being placed under a strong sleep-inducing genjutsu that lasted in-between that period. They immediately returned back, letting their escort stay put with a clone until further instructions are given."
"No further information?" Itachi clips back.
"Details are in the report," She explains, pushing forward the scroll on her desk. Itachi stands and quickly snatches it, sharingan roaming over the coordinates and mission parameters.
Itachi pauses to turn back at his Hokage and she nods. "You're dismissed, if you're ready."
He gives no further answer as he leaves, steps quickening into a rhythm as he heads towards the door, giving a quick bow before exiting.
Kakashi is waiting for him in the hall, body hunched over and hands in his pockets. Itachi doesn't deign to look at him as he passes by. It's obvious his former taichou has something to say, but Itachi doesn't spare him a glance as Kakashi curls further inward, planting his back against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest.
I'm sorry, Kakashi doesn't say.
Tell me that if I don't come back with Sasuke's dead body, Itachi doesn't spit back.
He heads down into the ANBU barracks, quickly summoning Ahō as a messenger. He needs to get his team ready.
Kiri is cold and damp and unforgiving in its ability to confirm the worst fears of tracker squads.
Itachi stands over the spot where another trail leads to a dead end, hand gripping the short katana he had used as a machete for the dense wilderness. It wasn't exactly textbook procedure, but it helped soothe the fear swirling around Itachi's dreams of a small, injured Sasuke lost in the forest, only able to make it back home with the help of his weapon's familiar markings.
Cat and Bear stand by his side in the rain, their black cloaks soaked in mud and water. In the distance, one of Itachi's crows caws out a negative on the search up ahead.
Itachi keeps holding the katana and peers closer to the staged footprint, letting his eyes burn in overuse as he imprints every perfect detail of Sasuke's shoe. The footprint is well-hidden, but not well enough for an ANBU nin, and that's what frustrates Itachi most of all.
The staged trails were textbook, high-level traps. They were methodical and accurate, even showy in some cases. It displayed skill and knowledge of Sasuke, or Itachi's knowledge of Sasuke, to a perfect replication of what his weight, height, and skillset would show if he had voluntarily left his team and went prancing around halfway across every village bordering Konohagakure.
The grinding of Itachi's teeth can be heard through the mask.
"Taichou, I think-" Cat starts to ask from under his mask, but Bear lifts up a hand, stopping Tenzo from continuing.
"Weasel-san?" Shisui asks, voice softly muffled. Itachi's grip on his sword tightens and trembles. Cat shifts, clearly uncomfortable as his captain transparently tries not to lose his shit.
"Weasel-san, we need to head back," Shisui points out, and Itachi hates him for it, because he's right.
Itachi follows the trail back to Konoha with a hand signal, not trusting his voice to cry out in rage and grief. It had never been so hard to be Weasel during his time in ANBU or in any mission that went so full to shit that he had to spend days cleaning the guts and fluids off his uniform.
He should have remembered that the worst kind of missions were those that didn't bring back a body.
A week passes.
No one dares to suggest they light a funeral pyre for Sasuke, but that doesn't mean Itachi can't see the pity on people's faces as the days go by and the frowns on his parents' expressions don't dissipate.
A minor clan has the idiotic misfortune of sending funeral flowers to the main house of the Uchiha, almost causing a domestic incident with the wrath of both Fugaku and Mikoto's tongues.
Shisui visits him every day, making sure he gets updates on the other search parties as well as insignificant stories about village gossip as he threads his hands through Itachi's hair. Ahō hops on his chest as he pretends to sleep, helping Shisui with preening.
The days pass so slowly that Itachi feels like he's being strangled with it, the air turning suffocating every time he looks back at the empty spot near the dining table.
He passes Sasuke's shoji from time to time, stopping to listen for any signs of scratchy writing or quiet breathing. It never satisfies him, leaving the ache in his chest wide and hollow.
And then, the Hokage summons him.
His distant older cousin — and that's what Itachi reminds himself he is — looks at him, an unknown emotion flashing across his face.
It passes, and he hangs his head, body language folding back into the defeated expression it was before. The scars around the right side of his face stretch weirdly in a way unlike anything Itachi has seen. The white skin of his right arm and hollow socket pull his attention even more. A missing eye wasn't something doijutsu users simply ignored.
The man doesn't shift under his gaze, but Itachi can tell he's twitchy and unused to being stared at.
Good.
"Your brother—" He croaks out, voice deep and raspy, characteristics of a katon user. Itachi freezes. "You look just like him."
He says no more as Itachi's stare turns to meet the itchingly familiar, black-eyed gaze.
"Is that why you targeted him?" Itachi coldly asks, "Because of me? Is that why you willingly let yourself be captured and brought here?"
Obito Uchiha looks at him, his scars pulling his face into a perpetual frown. Itachi vaguely wonders if it's painful having his muscles so unwillingly tense all the time. He hopes it does.
"It's just me and you here," He points out, voice softening. He was never the best at interrogations, but arguing over infrastructure bills with the Nara clan should make going through this a piece of cake.
"Anything you wanted to say to me will be kept confidential, within reason," Itachi continues, sweetening the deal, "Provided you give more information on what happened to Sasuke." His lips thin a little as he thinks about his brother on the hospital bed, lithe frame breathing shallowly as the medic nin calmly informs him about the severe chakra exhaustion forcing Sasuke's body into a coma.
He still remembers his Hokage snapping at him to shadow a presumed corpse as Obito Uchiha simply walks into the village, gently carrying Sasuke bridal-style into the hospital before being whisked away in chakra chains.
Itachi doesn't know all that much about his former taichou, but even he knows it's a good thing he isn't part of ANBU anymore. If not for how close Obito was to Sasuke and the lack of obvious injuries, Itachi would have struck him down himself.
The tall figure across from him shifts, pulling Itachi away from his thoughts. "He came to me," He states.
Itachi's lips thin. "Who?" He prods. The man was frustratingly vague.
"Sasuke," He says. "He found me and undid a seal on my heart." His hands, forced into the metal desk, twitch in an aborted movement. Itachi's eyes glance at the space on his chest, as if being able to figure out exactly what the hell he was talking about.
"And how did he undo the seal?" Itachi asks, humoring the man.
Obito inclines his head. "He stabbed me in the heart and then brought me back to life."
Itachi blinks. Obito stares back, face calm and patient.
"And why did he do that?" Itachi says, cautious. Even the ramblings of a madman had kernels of truth, and his answers could provide important insights.
For the first time, Obito hesitates. Itachi had met a lot of genin who could hide their expressions better than the thirty-something-year-old. "The seal made me… different," He pauses, "It made me forget."
"Forget?" Itachi coaxes.
"Who I was," Obito states.
Itachi stares at him. It's maybe the worst excuse he's ever heard.
"So you never contacted the village after your supposed death because you forgot who you were," Itachi dryly summarizes.
"In a sense," Obito unhelpfully agrees. "My memories directly before the stabbing are hazy as well."
Itachi resists the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose. "What about Sasuke's condition?" He grits out.
The other side of Obito's lips pulls into a frown. "He helped me destroy an evil spirit. I think he used too much chakra sealing it," He states, concern lacing his voice.
"So you have nothing to do with Sasuke's condition?" He accuses.
"No," Obito states, sounding confused.
Itachi stands up, giving in to the urge to suddenly get far, far away from the source of his frustration and confusion. "Thank you for your time, Obito-san," He says, making sure not to let his sarcasm filter through.
His distant cousin says nothing as his eye follows Itachi's form out of the room, the large, metal door closing with a loud bang.
Itachi walks over to the see-through mirror, eyes focused on Ibiki's form and waiting for his comments as the Head Interrogator fixes his gaze on the imprisoned man.
Ibiki makes a noncommittal noise. "You've gotten rusty, but I don't think he's completely lying. We'll have a Yamataka come by and confirm things. Overall though, he appears to have suffered a lot of mental degradation, but it hasn't manifested violently outside of a potential kidnapping. We'll keep an eye on him and keep him away from any Uchiha until we get more data and skillset." Ibiki gives him a stare, "Rest up. We'll handle things from here."
Itachi gives a tired, but determined nod. He turns towards the stairs and neatly dodges Kakashi barrelling into the room.
"Obito's alive?!" Itachi hears him yell out, disbelieving voice echoing out from below Itachi's feet as he walks upwards.
That was Ibiki's problem now.
Itachi says over Sasuke's bed, hovering over him even as his parents come by with bittersweet smiles and soft hugs towards Sasuke's unconscious body.
He doesn't stir as Mikoto pries herself off of his body and Fugaku makes Itachi promise to send any updates on Sasuke's condition, both of them understanding his need to look over his younger brother.
Itachi pushes a spare gurney into the room, ignoring the medics' glares, and settles down to wait for however long it takes, even if all of the medic-nin stress that it may take weeks until he wakes up.
As fate has it, Sasuke wakes up that very night.
There's a slight fluctuation in his breathing before Itachi pulls himself out of the calming meditation, rushing over to grip the rails around Sasuke's bed.
Soft relief floods through his body as Sasuke frowns, his hair sticking to his sweaty forehead as he shifts over the sheets. Itachi stares at him, mentally coaxing Sasuke to wake up and tell him that everything was alright with a small smile.
Sasuke's eyes open, slowly, carefully, and then Itachi sees a pale purple.
His first instinct is to jump away from the unknown threat before Sasuke's eyes completely widen, giving Itachi's activated sharingan a good view of the tomae and circles before they quickly shut.
His younger brother opens them back to a normal black, but Itachi saw.
There's a tense silence as neither of them speak, each waiting for the other to make their move.
Itachi swallows. "What was that?" He whispers, even as he knows the answer to his question.
The rinnegan.
A myth brought back in the form of his brother. The new information is enough to rattle Itachi's carefully constructed normalcy of the past few years, bringing back the memories of Shisui's face and the smoke that stood haunting Konoha's alleys for days.
"You didn't see anything," Sasuke says, voice intense, and was that…?
That-
Itachi's lashes flutter as the genjutsu settles over him, calming his muscles and mind even as his chakra screams from the invasion. He just needs to find a pull before it's complete, something familiar until-
With a hard, mental snap, Sasuke's genjutsu breaks.
And for the first time in years, Itachi sees fear on his brother's face.
"You-" Itachi starts to say, but he can't find the words over the overwhelming fear and anger coursing through him. To use genjutsu to modify the memories of anybody, especially kin, was unthinkable. A social taboo of one of the highest orders to the Uchiha clan.
Itachi's hands shake at the knowledge of what would have happened if Sasuke wasn't as startled as he was. How many times did Sasuke attempt it? How many times did he succeed? It was cast so casually, with such instinct and power that suggested years of use.
And that eye he had damningly shown…
Itachi's fists tighten as it flashes over his memories. A parasite, his mind whispers. The pieces were connecting now, even as the cracks were still too wide to show the big picture.
Whatever had happened to his younger brother all those years ago, it was connected to that left eye.
The only thing stopping Itachi from taking out a kunai and ripping it out right then and there was the guilt and fear still plastered over Sasuke's face as he waits for Itachi to act.
Itachi suppresses his emotions down into the smallest, tightest box he can as he walks out and snappingly calls out for a medic to check on Sasuke. His steps echo out into the hall as he heads back towards the compound, not sparing a backward glance at the hospital door as his mind races and shifts through his memories for anything that can tell him what to do next.
Itachi settles in his futon back home, quickly sending out Ahō to his parents and Shisui to let them know of Sasuke's situation. The house is blessedly empty, allowing him to carefully construct the traps around his room and think about what to do.
The hours tick by with no solid idea. He can't rip it out. He can't hurt Sasuke. He can't let this unknown thing change Sasuke. But the unknown thing didn't seem to hurt Sasuke; Sasuke had control over it, to a degree.
Sasuke had committed violent acts against the village, Itachi firmly reminds himself. He said it was to help you, a part of him shoots back. Even Shisui was ready to harm the clan, not to mention the vague commands for violence you've done for smaller reasons.
All the conflicting thoughts are enough to make him pull at his hair in frustration.
He's too biased against Sasuke, because that's what he's thinking of him as — Sasuke. His younger brother, who he promised himself to protect above all else, even before his birth. When the Hokage died, a man he trusted with everything, his only thought was if Sasuke was safe.
Itachi shoulders slump. He already knows the decision he has made, even as he hates himself for it.
As long as Sasuke is alive, that is all that matters. Even if he lives a cursed life, even if something strangles him into something beyond that kind boy that used to smile up at Itachi in joy, Itachi will let it happen, because he is selfish.
Itachi has very few vices, but Sasuke's existence will always be pushed to the front of everything he does.
It's a horrible way to live, a cruel way to live, but Itachi grabs at it with desperate hands even as his eyes shut and his mind wanders into a restless sleep.
Itachi wakes up.
There's a figure standing above him, face obscured in shadow. Itachi doesn't react to Sasuke's presence, waiting for the younger to make the first move as he lets his breathing distort and his eyes open.
Sasuke looms over him, the moon's gaze providing a luminous halo over the casting of his shadow. He doesn't say anything as he simply stares at Itachi, neither willing to chip away at the silence of the late evening.
Sasuke is the first to break.
"I'm sorry," he says. There's no follow-up, but Itachi wasn't expecting one.
"I forgive you," Itachi tiredly replies. There's a flash of surprise on the other's face before his body relaxes, hands jamming into his pockets. And just like that, the events of the night before are willingly forgotten.
"Can I sleep with you tonight?" Sasuke asks, voice quiet.
"Aren't you a bit too old for sleepovers, now?" Itachi answers, cutting through the strange tension. There's no indication of his feelings in the rhetorical question, but he prays that Sasuke still picks up on his discomfort and leaves. His mind still feels overfilled and a strange, restless discomfort runs through his limbs, making the request decidedly unwanted.
Sasuke shrugs. "I don't think there's an official age limit. Besides, you and Shisui have sleepovers all the time, and you don't see me making a fuss out of it," He says, tone pointed.
Itachi's lips thin. "That's out of line," He warns. The alarm Itachi feels at the underhanded blackmail is enough to grip his heart and fan his anger. Sasuke was too young to fully understand the consequences of what he was threatening, but that didn't mean Itachi was going to lay down and beg at his feet.
Uncharacteristically, Sasuke's body language suddenly turns sheepish, feet shuffling along the tatami. "Sorry," He mutters, dragging out the apology, "It's just- You're still so busy, even after everything," He stresses the word, "And I never see you," He says, letting his frustration shine through.
Itachi has been through every type of lesson on manipulation and interrogation. Even if he can recognize a guilt trip, it doesn't mean it won't work on him.
Itachi sighs.
He lifts the futon covers, the action forcefully dredging up nostalgia over a much smaller Sasuke sprawling inside. "Get in," He commands, trying not to notice Sasuke's smug excitement.
At thirteen, Sasuke was too big to fit inside of Itachi's roll with them both side by side, but Itachi was too tired to argue over something he knew Sasuke would debate him over. For all of the comments about how he looked like the split copy of their mother, his attitude was all Fugaku's.
Sasuke carefully climbs in, the fabric of his jinbē scratching over Itachi's skin as his body tries to settle over Itachi's in a parody of a hug.
Sasuke shifts a few times, his arms reaching around for a comfortable angle before laying near his shoulders, his left leg hooking over Itachi's waist. He can still smell the scent of fire and copper over the neutral aroma of soap.
The summer air turns stifling as he tries to focus on his breathing, resisting the urge to push Sasuke off of him. He feels trapped.
"I'll always be there for you, Nii-san. Even if you don't want me, I'll always love you," Sasuke whispers against his ear. Itachi shivers. Whether from his breath or his words, Itachi can't tell.
"I love you too, Otouto," Itachi forces out. It's not a lie, and that's what unnerves him most of all. Even when the cracks of Sasuke's façade chip through for Itachi to see the eyes of something alien, something old and deep and unknown, he still loves him. He would do anything for him.
Maybe that's what still brings them closer, Itachi muses. To be seen as an other and to see the world in a way so unlike everyone else as hands become redder and the soul feels as tired as the earth itself … that is something Itachi can understand, even as he grasps for straws regarding Sasuke's actions and confusing words.
But that doesn't mean he ever wanted that for his brother. He never wanted that darkness to touch Sasuke, but it happened right under his nose, without any awareness of the cause. Worse still, he can't share it. No one seems to see it but him, and he refuses to put them both in a position of danger by revealing it. In an ironic twist, secrets were tying them together.
Itachi minutely trembles as he forces his arms around the thing that calls itself his brother, hands gently rubbing Sasuke's back in meditative circles, hoping that the motions will cause him to fall asleep faster.
Sasuke's breathing slows not a few moments later, his head snuggling against Itachi's chest with a weight that feels much heavier than it should be.
Itachi now remembers his mother's words from long ago, back when Sasuke was still forming soundly in their mother's belly.
"Itachi-chan," Mikoto whispered to him, soft and amused, her hair fanning behind her like a dark halo as Itachi rested his head in her lap, "You have to be careful of obake*, okay? It's why you must remain vigilant at all times."
Itachi lets out a huff. "I know they aren't real, Kaa-san. You don't have to scare me."
Suddenly, her expression turns serious, forcing Itachi's body to tense on instinct.
"If they're not real… then how did I switch with your real mother?" She asks, raising her hands up high. Itachi's eyes widen, and he shrieks as Mikoto plunges her fingers down on his body, digging into the skin around his ribs.
"No! Kaa-san, stop tickling me!" He laughs out, half-heartedly trying to get away from his mother.
"Not until I get your body too!" She jokingly yells back, unrelenting in her attack. It isn't long until both of them fall into the grass, bodies rolling around in a manner undignified for the main branch of the Uchiha clan.
Itachi closes his eyes and lets the tears fall. Grief, strong and confusing, flows through his body until he drifts off to sleep.
He does not dream.
*Obake refers to "a class of yōkai, preternatural creatures in Japanese folklore. Literally, the terms mean a thing that changes, referring to a state of transformation or shapeshifting. The term obake can be a synonym for yūrei, the ghost of a deceased human being." (per wikipedia)
I always wondered how the people around a person who time-traveled would react. Wouldn't it be horrible if the person you loved most in the world exhibited strange and unusual behavior, almost as if the person that they were died without any explanation? And you had no idea what was going on, especially in the life-or-death context of the shinobi world? I think that sets for a great piece of horror media.
Fun fact: I named Itachi's crow Ahō based on the word a background crow says in the Naruto anime during comedic scenes! It's a type of gag common in older animes (ugh, older animes? I can't believe Naruto is considered an older anime now….)
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Song for the fic: Christmas Kids