Everybody has a chapter they don't read out loud.

-Anonymous.


"I don't even know what to say."

It was Kurenai who broke the silence, resignation clear in her tone, all her anger gone.

Beneath his mask, Kakashi grimaced.

"Tell me about it."

Kakashi had just told her the truth about the Uchiha Massacre.

Kurenai ran a hand through her hair. This was just...insane. Firstly, there was that bastard, Danzo. The only thing she could say to him was: Good Riddance. She'd known that there was something shady about that man, but she had not expected this level of Greed and malicious intent.

Serves you right. I hope you rot in the deepest pits of Hell. And to think, you were actually our Kage for some time.

Then, she thought back to the Third Hokage, biting her lip. That part had been a shock, that the Third knew all about it, and did nothing. She felt her heart twist in grief, remembering all those times he'd been kind to her.

Had there really been no other option? Surely, such a tragedy could've been stopped.

Lastly, her mind shifted to the eldest Uchiha. She'd previously heard about people who killed for the village, and people who died for the village. Uchiha Itachi had managed to fall in both categories.

She felt her heart clench, as she realized, yet again, just how cruel the Shinobi world could be.

To not only shoulder the responsibility of taking such a path, but to also unflinchingly continue down it, you truly are a hero.

He'd sacrificed everything for the sake of his village. And asked nothing in return, except that his brother be safe.

And Sasuke...

Both of you suffered far too much for the sake of this village.

Leaning against the window of the office, Kurenai took a deep breath, her brain still processing everything. Her mind ran in circles, going through all the information she'd just been told, completely changing the perspective she previously held of-

She turned towards Kakashi.

"Do you think he knew?" She asked suddenly, "About Kazue?"

Kakashi frowned, deep in thought.

"Itachi had many faces. I first realized it when I compared his attitude during missions and during off-days. He wore each of his masks flawlessly, to the point it was hard to guess which one of him was the real one."

Kurenai looked up, meeting Kakashi's eyes.

"A perfect Shinobi."

Kakashi made a face, clearly displaying his displeasure at the comparison.

"Geniuses." He muttered under his breath, "The lot of them."

Kurenai, clearly hearing him, snorted.

"You're one to talk."

Kakashi grinned drily in response. Then, he shook his head.

"To answer your question, I'd like to believe that he didn't know. I doubt he'd be willing to die if he knew that he was going to have a son." Kakashi placed hais chin on his palm, leaning forward, "As devoted as he was to the village, even he would have to draw the line somewhere."

Kakashi sighed, leaning back in his chair, looking up at the ceiling.

"The Itachi I knew would surely chose Kazue in a heartbeat."

Kakashi grimaced again.

"But then again, I couldn't ever guess what was going inside his head."

There was silence.

"So, what now?"

Once again, Kakashi sighed in frustration.

"I don't know. I can't punish Kazue, not when he's done nothing wrong. And then, there's Hinata. There's the still the question of her being a threat. We'll have to get Ino to check her mind to see if she leaked any information about the village to the Akatsuki, or the like. But..."

"But?" Kurenai probed.

"I'm afraid of what we'll find. I just...have a really bad feeling about this."

There was silence as they were both lost in their thoughts.

"Do it."

Kakashi looked up in question.

"What?"

"I said do it. Get Ino to search her mind." Here her voice hardened, as she narrowed her eyes in determination.

"I trust Hinata. I know her better than anyone else. She'd never betray the village willingly. I'm sure of it."

Kakashi cocked his head.

"Then, how to you explain Kazue? The mere fact that she willingly associated with an S-Rank Criminal should be enough reason to arrest her."

Kurenai frowned.

"I'm willing to bet that she knew the truth about the Massacre. The truth practically proves the Uchiha innocent, so technically, she hasn't associated with an S-Rank Criminal, if there is no S-Rank Criminal to begin with." Kurenai finished, grinning widely at the ridiculous theory she childishly came up with.

However, when she realized that Kakashi wasn't laughing at her, she turned to him, confused.

He was staring at her, wide-eyed.

"Holy Shit."

Kurenai raised an eyebrow, watching as Kakashi suddenly stood up.

"Holy Shit! That's genius, Kurenai!"

Kurenai blinked.

What the..?

"Why didn't I think of that?!"

Kurenai watched Kakashi as he paced the office, his mind already coming up with a strategy to get everyone out of this mess.

She slowly processed her own words, searching for what could possibly have Kakashi this excited.

She found nothing.

"Geniuses." She muttered under her breath, "The lot of them."

"I heard that." Kakashi called out flatly.

"Then, you should know that this is your cue to explain."

Kakashi grinned again.

"Say, we tell the village the truth about the Massacre. It will take time, but soon, they will understand what exactly happened. We will also reveal that Uchiha Itachi was undergoing an undercover mission to infiltrate the Akatsuki. Not only will his name be cleared, he will be hailed as a hero who gave his life for the village. And, it would also give Hinata a reason to associate with him."

Kurenai stared at him blankly. Then, her eyes widened, realizing what he was saying.

"B-But, Hinata didn't help him with his mission! In fact, we're not even sure if she even knew about it!"

Kakashi grinned wider.

"The village doesn't need to know that. And, as it turns out, neither do the Shinobi. The mission will be classified as S-Rank. Let them assume whatever they want. At the end, since, Itachi will no longer be considered a criminal and-"

"Neither will Hinata!" Kurenai finished, her excitement now matching Kakashi's.

Placing a hand on his chin, Kakashi looked out the window, down the village.

"I've been trying to get the elders to confess that they ordered the massacre, but they deny the claims, saying that they had nothing to do with it. They've been asking for proof: The mission scroll or the mission report, but we have none. We can say that we learned something very interesting regarding the massacre, from Hinata's memories. Then, they-"

"Would have to confess to the orders they gave!" Kurenai cut him off, yet again. Kakashi nodded, as he slumped back in his chair.

Then, he sighed for the third time, though this time it was out of relief. He could feel the burden on his shoulders lessen.

"So, that's that."

As she was reveling in knowledge of her sheer genius, a sudden thought struck Kurenai.

"What would Sasuke think about all this?"

Kakashi cringed at the question.

I'd rather not think of his reaction.

"I'll talk to him. Then, we'll see."

Kurenai hummed in response.

After a while, she sighed.

"I should probably get going now."

Kakashi nodded in understanding, watching as she straightened up and turned towards the door.

Then, she paused.

"Also, I'd like to apologize. It was not your fault that Hinata took your advice. You only did what you thought was right."

Kakashi only shrugged, acting nonchalant. But, neither missed the sigh of relief he gave as she left.

Reaching her apartment, Kurenai noticed the lights. They were on.

Huh. Maybe Sasuke's back.

Opening the door, Kurenai sensed a few more chakra signatures inside the house. She narrowed her eyes, immediately on guard.

She quietly tiptoed to Kazue's room, from where the voices seemed to be coming. Slowly walking closer, she heard familiar voices.

"Does it hurt much?"

It was Tenten.

Kurenai relaxed, then turned confused at the topic of the conversation.

Hurt? Someone's hurt?

She tried to quell the panic that immediately erupted at the thought.

"I'm home." She called out, them entered the room. First, she took in the three adults in the room, watching as they avoided her eyes. Beside them, Mirai looked like she was about to burst into tears any second.

However, before she could go to comfort her, her eyes fell on Kazue. He was seated on the edge of the bed, his legs dangling off it. His right knee was wrapped in bandages, and his skin was dusty. But what caught Kurenai's attention was his arm.

It was in a plaster.

At once, her eyes ignited, the temperature of the room rising several degrees.

"What is the meaning of this?"

Her eyes turned to Mirai for a second, as she sighed inaudibly, relieved at her unharmed state.

Her question was directed towards Sasuke. Getting her hint, he scowled.

"Don't look at me like that. It's not my fault."

Kurenai raised an eyebrow. Uchiha Sasuke was many things. But, a Liar was not one of them.

However, before she could ask the others, Neji stepped forward.

"It was mine." He admitted quietly.

Neji was an ideal Hyuga, which meant that he was as proud as they came. So, of course, admitting that he did something wrong was a huge blow to his pride.

Tenten only gaped at him, her mouth opening and closing like a fish, eyes bulging of their sockets. Beside her, Sasuke raised an eyebrow, but hid his surprise well. Instead, being the amazing cousin-in-law he was, he smirked, bowing his head in mock respect.

"Finally of your high stead, Your highness? We mortals, are surely, unworthy of such humbleness."

Tenten snickered.

A tic appeared on Neji's forehead, all his remorse replaced by annoyance, as he balled up his fists.

"You insolent little-"

But, before he could finish and add more words into Kazue's or Mirai's vocabulary, Kurenai stepped in.

"That's enough, both of you."

She took a deep breath.

"First, I want one of you to go report this to Kakashi."

Before either of the males could say anything, Tenten piped in.

"I'll go." She volunteered, and with brief goodbyes, she was gone.

Though she would've loved to stay back and watch as Kurenai singlehandedly brought down two of the strongest Shinobi ever, she wasn't in the mood to be caught in the crossfire. Besides, she always had Neji's back in every situation.

This was her way of telling him that he had fucked up big time, this time around. He was going to get his ass out of this one without her help.

Watching Tenten leave, Kurenai turned to the other two occupants of the room. Eyeing them, Kurenai noticed them avoiding her eyes. She also noticed the explanation they gave her--or rather, the evident lack of it.

At last, she sighed.

"I don't know what happened, but I have a clear idea. I'm not going to confront you about it. You both are responsible adults. I expect you to act like one."

Her eyes narrowed, tone biting as she continued.

"Today, Kazue was the only one hurt. However, my daughter was there too. I'm letting you off the hook this time, but hear me well."

She took a threatening step towards them.

"If something like this happens again, I will not hesitate to gut out your intestines and leave the rest of you to the animals."

Both males regarded her silently, the threat clear in her tone. It took a moment for them to remember that Kurenai had been a Shinobi too. Meaning she could carry out any threat she made, swiftly and silently.

"Am I clear?"

Both nodded.

Kurenai clapped, going back to her cheery personality.

"Now, then."

She looked at them with purpose.

"I'm sure both kids are tired," A look towards Mirai had the girl nodding obediently, "And I'm pretty sure you both have some work to do. I know I do."

Sharing a glance, Neji and Sasuke--being the geniuses they were--deciphered what Kurenai was trying to say.

Get out.

Without another word, both made their way towards the front door and stepped out.

Watching Neji as he passed him, Sasuke contemplated, feeling as if he owed the Hyuga an explanation.

He could trust Neji, right? Besides, he deserved to know, to understand why it had been Itachi, of all people.

And as much as he wouldn't want to admit it, Kurenai had a point.

They couldn't continue on with the mutual hatred and mistrust between them.

Besides, he had made up his mind a few days ago about the future. Now was a good time to start acting upon it.

"Hyuga." He called out to him, though his eyes were afar, resting on the Hokage Mountain.

The man in question stopped, turning, as he watched Sasuke catch up with him.

"What is it?"

Neji suddenly felt uneasy when Sasuke averted his eyes. His unease only increased when Sasuke sighed.

"Walk with me. There's something I need to tell you." He paused for a moment.

"About Itachi."


FEAST, MY PEOPLE!! FEAST UPON THE TREAT I HAVE PRESENTED BEFORE YOU!!

...nevermind.

Anyway, how was it?

Any guesses on what Sasuke is going to tell Neji? And what do you think if Kurenai's unintended plan? Do you think it will work?

Be sure to tell me!!

And lastly,

WE ARE ONLY ONE CHAPTER AWAY FROM THE FIRST ITACHI/HINATA MEETING!!

YAAYYYYYYY!!!

Until then, ENJOY!!

-Your prodigal author.