It took some time, but Tobira slowly managed to get the small Uchiha in bed. Itachi did not follow them up to the second floor, the only vantage points being far too open. Instead, he waited below, eyes resting on the empty staircase as he awaited the man's return.

He'd seen how he acted in front of Sasuke, but now that the boy was asleep it would be the perfect time to let his facade fade.

As Tobira walked carefully down the stairs, however, he did not waver. Making quick work of the dishes and straightening out the shoes by the door, the silver-haired man seemed content to set himself on the couch. The room was darkened, a formerly folded blanket lifted into the air. Drifting over the man in one easy movement, his eyes slipped closed, chakra settling as he seemed to fall into a light sleep.

Silence washed over the house in a blink, the only sounds coming from the animals outside or the small creaks that came with the old house. Wind blowing gently against the wood, Itachi took a few steps back from his former home.

Looking to the sky, the clear blue had dulled considerably. A layer of darkness had fallen over the heavens, glittering stars outshining the sliver of moon left. If not for the sharingan's ability to grasp onto what little there was to see, Itachi might have trouble navigating the dim streets.

So it was that he stalked through the blood-splattered compound, making his way towards its outer walls. His crows had finished their meal, flying ahead as Itachi trailed after.

With the birds to guide him, the boy made his way towards the southern half of the compound. The shrine slowly came into sight, though he passed by it after a brief glance. He'd told Sasuke to read the shrine's manuscripts carefully if he wanted to become stronger, though he wasn't sure whether the boy had done it or not.

Itachi doubted his younger brother had built up enough will to go anywhere but the training grounds or home. He wouldn't be surprised if it took him a few months to go through with his instructions, but now was hardly the time to be taking risks. Things could turn sour fast if by some curse Sasuke chose to look now. Or, worse yet, if Tobira decided to go snooping around and found him.

Theoretically, the man should have no idea about the secret meeting room housed beneath the shrine. Still, if Tobira was here to take advantage of a susceptible sharingan user, it would make sense for him to be thorough with his exploration of their clan's shrine.

So it was off-limits as a resting place.

The area behind it, however, was not.

With each step he took forward, the shrine fell further and further into the distance. Long grass rubbed against the outside of his sandals, the terrain changing from finely kept to loose and untended. He moved easily through the trees despite there being no path, having made his way through these woods more times than he could count.

Itachi moved between the thick trees, eventually finding that the ground had shifted from dirt to rock. If he were to go forward, he would be able to look down at the flowing Naka river below. He did not.

Instead, he trailed the perimeter of his camp. Setting up wire strings from a few yards into the woods, he enclosed himself in the semi-circle of land. With flash and smoke bombs set to go off upon contact, he was sure to notice if anyone managed to find the hidden area. The lingering crows could scare off any animals, but humans would probably be a bit more resilient than that.

Once he finished setting up his traps in the woods, he did the same to the rim of the cliff. Should anyone try to climb up it, they would have rigged flash bombs waiting for them as well. These distractions would give him plenty of time to wake and flee the area.

By the time he was done securing his spot, the moon had risen much further into the sky. His stomach growled in protest of its emptiness, the young Uchiha unwillingly thinking back to the plentiful leftovers storied in the main house's fridge. It would be a bit of a hassle to slip through his traps in the dark, not to mention risky. The silver-haired man was resting on the couch only yards away from the kitchen. Going back for some of the chicken was more of a fantasy than anything.

Settling onto the ground with his cloak wrapped around him, the pre-teen slid off his shoes without a word. Hair falling out of its loose ponytail, he slid his hands into his pant pockets. From there he retrieved a half-eaten bag of sweet bread. He had packed himself five pieces for the trip, though only three remained. If he ate one tonight and two tomorrow, that should hold him over until he was able to sneak into town and buy something more.

Itachi leaned back as he pulled tonight's rations out, taking his time as he chewed on the bread bit by bit. Looking over the horizon of the cliff, he could see the slight shifting of the trees. He allowed himself to enjoy the fresh smell of the forest, not having realized how much he missed it when compared to the constant cloudy skies of Amegakure.

About half of the sweetbread sat heavy in his stomach when a familiar weight nested itself on his head. Letting out a small sigh, the pre-teen broke off a small piece and lifted it above his head so it could be snatched up by his bird. This of course called the others to attention, the nearby crows sturring. With a flick of his wrist, he tossed them about a fourth of it, finishing the last bit himself. They downed it in mere seconds, a few of them flying off with a chosen crumb.

Laying himself back and feeling the crow on his head fly upwards, he watched the slowly disappearing birds as they fled with their meal into the nearby branches. They devoured it swiftly, seeming pleased with the meal as Itachi watched on.

After a bit of shuffling between themselves, the crows seemed to finally settle for the night. This was what Itachi slowly fell asleep to - the soft shaking of leaves and occasional ruffling of feathers. With each passing moment his vision fell in and out of focus until, eventually, a light sleep took him.

As the life of a rogue shinobi called for, he found himself waking at every twig snap in the distance, more often than not being the result of one of his crows.

Not that he'd be able to enjoy the sleep he did manage to get. Such a possibility had died years ago.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Light filtered in past the boy's eyes as the sun began to rise, the ravenet lifting an arm over his face as he turned from his back to his side. His head felt clearer than it had yesterday, the dull pain in his temples having subsided momentarily.

Staring out and into the bushes, he could see his crows resting up in the trees. One or two had made itself comfortable laying against his side, but was quick to fly off as he made himself move. A hand reached up to wipe the ground's residue from his hair, the young Uchiha slowly standing. He rolled his shoulders, ignoring the way they popped in protest.

It seemed none of his traps had been set off last night. That was good, at least. It meant this was a well enough spot to camp out until the situation with Sasuke was sorted out.

Wiping the remainder of the dirt from his cloak and pants, he pulled his hair back into a ponytail and slipped his sandals back on. The fresh breeze from the night prior remained, though the sky now held numerous clouds. It didn't look like rain, but then, time would tell.

The birds around him seemed to notice his wake as well, the feathered animals flocking towards him despite his mild ire. It was too early for them to be cawing at him, though he supposed it was his own fault.

Well, his and Shisui's. Why had the other boy always been so pushy about them feeding them? If Itachi had known it would become a daily thing, he might not have admitted to his cousin just how much he enjoyed it.

...But then, he supposed that would mean he wouldn't get to see them nearly as much. Nor would he have the unyielding loyalty of an animal bribed with food.

Crumbling up half the piece of bread from his pockets, he tossed it behind him as he walked, sure the crows would finish it off by the time he looked back. The other half was placed in his mouth, piece by piece until it was no more. The sweet grains filled him up somewhat, so he settled on saving the last piece for in case he couldn't make it into the market today.

After all, he had a lot to do. He had a very limited time frame to gather information before he had to meet with the hokage. The sun looked as though it had only risen about an hour ago, which meant Sasuke was going to be off for the academy soon.

Today was the last day of the week, so it was important to use this time to watch Tobira. While Sasuke was at school would be the ideal time for him to make any reports or do any snooping he had planned.

Slipping past the many traps and returning his last bit of bread into his pocket, Itachi made his way quietly through the compound. His chakra remained as a tight ball in his stomach, suppressed as he wandered back past the shrine and into the housing district.

He didn't feel anyone else in the compound, but then, it wasn't as if he were a sensor.

Itachi wouldn't mark his sensing abilities as bad, per se, but it definitely wasn't one of his stronger skills. He was...adequate at perceiving those nearby. Not enough so that he'd be willing to stride into the compound without looking twice.

Activating his sharingan once more, Itachi felt a small pinch behind his eyes. The houses looked exactly the same as they had yesterday, the only shifts being a cat or two out for the morning. He made a point to travel along the roads where he knew no dogs had lived, not wanting to risk being barked at.

When he finally made it to the main house, he found a cluster of lavender and icy blue chakra heading off the porch. Focusing his eyes, the clusters sharped into the forms of Sasuke and Tobira - off for the day, most likely to drop Sasuke off at the academy.

They walked past him without so much as turning in his direction, the young Uchiha hidden behind the tea shop as the older shinobi led Sasuke towards the gates.

Come to think of it, there was probably non-perishable food leftover in the houses and shops if he didn't get a chance to stop by the shops later today.

Itachi watched as they walked into the distance, standing from his spot only as the gate clicked shut behind them. He would follow from a distance as to not call attention to himself. With time, the man's motives were sure to be revealed.

He'd yet to see any ANBU members in the area, so it didn't look like he was under much surveillance. Following him through the village should be easy enough so long as he kept his head down.

The pre-teen took a step forward, not wanting to fall too far behind. It was less than a yard later that he heard a low voice from behind him, the dark-haired boy flashing his sharingan as he turned to see who was there.

"So, you must be the famed Itachi Uchiha, then."