oOo

Day 15 Prompt: Metanoia (Greek)

"A journey that changes the heart, the mind, the self, or the way of life."

"The thing is-" Sasuke began to loudly declare to an empty room.

He stopped and inspected his surroundings with blurry eyes. Oh. He was in his apartment.

Downing the last of his sake, he immediately served himself another glass. He swallowed a generous portion.

"The thing is," Sasuke tried again. Without needing to yell over Naruto, he could be a lot quieter. "The thing… I uh… My dad would never let me marry a Hyuga. So. Like…" He burped, then gagged at the smell. "Uh… yeah. It'd be impossible. He'd disown me."

oOo

Sasuke clumsily brushed his teeth. He paused in the middle of spitting out the extra saliva and toothpaste. A realization hit him so hard, he almost swallowed the foam.

His father would be livid if Sasuke married a Hyuga. It would really, really piss Fugaku off.

How hilarious would that be, actually?

He grinned like a madman while he rinsed his mouth and finished his nightly routine. It stayed even while lying in bed staring up at the ceiling.

Sasuke literally chose his career solely to spite his father. Choosing his wife for the same reason would be on brand for him, really.

oOo

"What could Kakashi offer the Hyuga?"

Izumi tried to bury her laugh in a cough but did not quite succeed. Itachi and Shisui boggled at him before trading speaking looks.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "I'm just trying to figure this out."

Itachi very deliberately set down his chopsticks on their holder and patted at his lips with a napkin. Shisui just dropped his in his bowl. They gave him their full attention. Izumi only smirked and continued eating.

"What are you trying to figure out?" Itachi asked slowly.

Sasuke recognized that voice. Itachi used that voice for interrogations. How dare Itachi use the Interrogation Voice against him.

Shisui rested an elbow on the table, then his cheek on his palm. "I thought you had a crush, but you really like Hinata don't you?"

Sasuke clenched his jaw, but his ears turned hot despite himself. He wished they were not treating this so seriously. The teasing, he could handle. This gravity made the situation seem inevitable. As if his family would make Sasuke face his infatuation.

Sasuke did not want to face his feelings. He did not want feelings.

"I just-" he said haltingly, "…want to figure out what is going on. Isn't that what nin are supposed to do? Always be alert?"

"Do you think the Hyuga are a threat to the village?" Shisui asked archly.

Sasuke huffed out an exasperated breath but did not respond. He could feel the trap closing in around him. Growing up around these two had been a nightmare. They always saw too deeply into him, even without using the Sharingan.

"I don't know why you're having such a hard time with this mystery," Izumi said while putting more food from the platter in the middle of the table onto Itachi's plate. "I figured it out."

Itachi's shoulders slumped as he stared down at the pile of food. His face turned a little green. "I can't eat all of this."

Izumi grunted and pointed at his plate. He sighed.

"Did anyone tell you anything?" Sasuke demanded. "Is that how you know?"

Itachi morosely resumed eating.

Izumi turned back to Sasuke. "Yeah. You."

"Please explain," Shisui said to her.

She shrugged a shoulder. "They've been talking to the two Sand nin who are the best at seals. They're talking to Kakashi, who is not only knowledgeable about seals, but is also the only other dojutsu user in the village other than us."

"Kakashi is indebted to the Hyuga," Sasuke admitted.

She leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms. "And I'm sure Hiashi would rather shave his head than even ask us about anything. So. They're trying to deal with their seal. Re-engineer it maybe. Make a new one? Get rid of the old one? Whatever it is, it involves the whole clan, not just your Hinata."

Sasuke almost choked on his spit. He coughed. "She-she's not…"

"It's good she's never been your patient," Shisui commented, taking a sip of his drink. "Or else Tsunade would punish you for sure, true love or not."

"T-True love!" Sasuke all but squealed.

"But my little brother doesn't believe it's a seal," Itachi commented. "Or else he would have pursued that avenue already."

Three sets of black eyes bored into Sasuke's face. It made him swallow a heavy ball of nerves.

He held out his hands helplessly. "Listen, I've tried not to pry. It was my first thought. Her eyes and the chakra pathways are severely inflamed. I thought maybe she got a seal. But even with just a cursory exam, I can tell her pathways have not been linked to anything in her forehead. It's bare. Neji doesn't have a seal anymore, either.

"It would make sense that they were getting a new one, based on the children. Why else would they be pulled out of school if not to recover from the procedure? But some of them already have seals. Are they going to take it off to put another one on? That's a lot of stress on a young body. Why would they risk it? Either all the Hyuga are taking a break from public life to get a new seal, or they're all getting it off. But not everyone needs to get one removed, and it doesn't explain Hinata."

Shisui sat up straighter, eyes burning with interest. "So, you don't think they're getting new seals because Hinata does not have one, and because some of the children have one already."

"And because Neji doesn't have a seal," Itachi added.

"I would think Neji would refuse to get another. But he also wouldn't want anyone else to get sealed either," Izumi mused.

An ANBU appeared in the corner of the room.

"Oh, come on!" Izumi exclaimed. "Why is it always in the middle of dinner?"

"Sorry, Uchiha-san," The ANBU said gravely. "But we need Itachi-san, please. We think we've found the spy and are attempting to intercept them now."

The older men at the table immediately stood. This time, Shisui left with Itachi. Sitting in the dissipating smoke of their Body Flicker, Sasuke sighed and slouched in his seat. Izumi eyed Itachi's half full bowl, then the sizable amount still left on the table.

"Want the leftovers?" she asked.

Sasuke nodded. He never really had time to cook, and he was not going to turn down Izumi's offer. That would be foolish. If his mother and Izumi did not feed him, then his diet would be as terrible as Naruto's.

"Yes, please."

She stood and patted him on the shoulder. "Don't worry, Sasuke-kun. You'll figure it out. Hinata will be lucky to have you."

With that, she swept into the kitchen. Sasuke leaned forward and covered his burning face with his hands.

oOo

Coming up: Team 8 confers (read: gossips) on what to do about Sasuke.