"Hey Shisui," says Itachi as Shisui drops down from the trees. "You look like you've been getting up to things you shouldn't be again."
"It's nothing," says Shisui. "I was just making sure Naruto didn't get into too much trouble over that prank we pulled."
"Oh," says Itachi. "Sasuke wants a kitten!" she blurts out.
Shisui grins and says, "Is she going to get one?"
"Probably not," says Itachi sadly. "But she's started begging our Mum to let her get one, but Mum keeps telling her that Dad says 'no' to pets - we're only allowed ninja animals."
"Why doesn't she just get a ninja cat?" asks Shisui.
"Because Sasuke is a stubborn five year old." Itachi kicks at a stone, feeling uncommonly shy all of a sudden. "So, um, what was the prank?"
"Well, I caught Naruto and Hinata sneaking around in the police station," explains Shisui. "Turns out they knocked out all the officers with sleeping powder and tablets so they could draw on their faces. Of course I helped."
Itachi stares at Shisui. "So that's why so many policemen looked like they'd scrubbed their faces raw!"
"Exactly!" grins Shisui, and Itachi has to tell her stomach off for doing a backflip. He just smiled, damn it!
Itachi doesn't know what to say next, so she just gazes at Shisui. To her surprise Shisui is staring back, apparently content to just smile at Itachi and not say anything. Itachi is too busy staring into Shisui's beautiful eyes to feel embarrassed or uncomfortable.
"Ah-he-hem," somebody clears their throat, breaking the moment that had been swelling between Shisui and Itachi. The pair turns to see Itachi's father standing behind them, arms crossed and a disapproving frown on his face. "What is going on here?" he asks.
"We were just chatting," says Shisui smoothly.
"I didn't hear an awful lot of talking," says Itachi's father, raising an eyebrow.
"Ever heard of a lull in the conversation?" asks Shisui, just as smoothly. "We'd just hit one when you arrived."
Fugaku scratches at the mustache-stubble on his top lip. "Is that so?"
"Yes." The expression on Shisui's face dares Fugaku to challenge his honesty.
"Well, in that case," says Fugaku. "Perhaps you had better tell me if it is true that you two have been spying on the clan for the Hokage."
Ice runs through Itachi's veins. How did he find out?
"Where'd you hear that?" asks Shisui, sounding like that is the most stupid suggestion ever.
"Where I heard it is none of your concern," says Fugaku. "Nor is it my concern. I want to know if it is true."
"It is true."
Itachi gapes at Shisui. Why would he just admit it like that?
Fugaku sighs. "Why would you do that?" he asks sadly.
"All we want is for the clan to stay loyal to the village," says Shisui. "We do not want a coup, so we have been working with the Hokage to find a way to prevent it."
Itachi holds her breath, waiting for her father's response.
Fugaku sighs and says, "Honestly, I would rather there be no coup as well."
Itachi gasps and Shisui almost falls over backwards.
"If we are to stop it completely, we need to do so now," continues Fugaku. "Before the clan forgets that there we are not completely hated in this village."
Shisui smiles. "Well, I know the Hokage does not hate us," he says. "Neither do Naruto or Hinata. And I'm pretty sure they are somehow influencing the other clan heads, even if they don't realize it. You've got to start somewhere, and sometimes a start is all you need."
"I've been noticing it too," says Fugaku nodding. "Something is changing in the Leaf and it started when Iruka took in Naruto." he smiles at Itachi and Shisui. "It seems I have a meeting to call." Then he goes back to looking disapproving. Itachi realizes that it is simply his resting face. "If you two are not there, there will be hell to pay."
The Uchiha clan crowds into the meeting hall. Fugaku does his best to keep his face blank, however he is sure he looks disapproving. He always looks disapproving. But that may very well work to his advantage in this situation. When the clan is gathered, somebody asks, "why did you call this meeting, Fugaku sama?"
Inwardly smirking about how easy it was to get someone to walk right into his trap, Fugaku says, "I mustache you a question."
Out of the corner of his eye, Fugaku sees Itachi roll her eyes.
"What question must you ask us?" says a clansman very precisely.
"What is it you want?" asks Fugaku.
"I want to know what your question is!"
"That was my question," says Fugaku patiently. "I want to know what you want."
"What do you mean?"
"Well," says Fugaku, pretending to think carefully. "Do you say, want to destroy the Leaf Village? Or perhaps you want to send it into civil war. Or maybe you want to start the Fourth Shinobi War? Or," and Fugaku puts great emphasis on this 'or'. "Perhaps you want to be respected by your fellow villagers and accepted by the people you deal with every day."
"What do you mean, cause a war?"
Fugaku smiles. "It's simple really," he explains. "If we go ahead with this coup, it will throw the Hidden Leaf into civil war. The other villages will take the opportunity to attack us and thus will begin the Fourth Shinobi War. Then we would be responsible for starting a war. Do you want that?"
"What's the other alternative?" a clansman shouts angrily.
Fugaku pretends to think about that very hard. Finally he says, "We could work hard to be accepted and not give up until we achieve our goal."
"We helped found this village!" protests someone. "Why should we have to work hard to be accepted by it?"
"Because we do not come across as very nice people," says Shisui cheerfully. "A little girl told me that Uchihas are scary because they all look so grumpy all the time."
"Oh really?" says Fugaku. This is news to him. "What little girl was that?"
"The same one who recons Uchihas would look better with mustaches."
"What little girl is that?" asks a curious clansman.
"Hinata Hyuuga," says Fugaku. "Ironically she is one of the people who drugged us and drew on our faces. And that's not even the best part. No, the best part isn't even that Naruto Uzumaki was her co-prankster. No: the best part is that Shisui caught them - and helped. I believe he was behind that little pink pony?"
Shisui has gone pale. "How did you find out?"
"I have eyes and ears everywhere," says Fugaku.
"You mean you spied on us," Shisui droops.
"Exactly," nod Fugaku. "It has come to my attention that in order to be accepted into the Hidden Leaf, we must first change our image. I am changing mine by growing a mustache."
Itachi groans and mutters, "I thought my Dad was above Dad-jokes."
"How the hell do you expect a mustache to change people's opinions of you?" demands a clansman whose name escapes Fugaku at that moment.
"It is not the mustache but the idea behind it," says Fugaku. "The idea is change, the mustache is the physical representation of that change." Fugaku realizes he needs to convince the clan before this upstart cements them in the direction of rebellion. "If we do not change now, we will all die. We are the only ones stopping us from being accepted into the village. We are the only ones who can change that. But we cannot expect others to make the first move while we present ourselves as unapproachable."
The clanspeople are starting to nod in agreement.
Then that upstart starts shouting again, "We founded this village! They should give us respect as our due! If you think I am going to sit by while my clan has to work for what is ours by right, then you have another think coming!"
"Be quiet!" snaps Fugaku, his patience gone.
"You want me to be quiet while our clan is oppressed by the people we brought together to form this village?"
"We did not bring the clans together," corrects Fugaku. "Hashirama Senju did. The Uchiha clan was merely the first clan to join him."
"Will you listen to this fool?" the upstart growls, sounding less convincing and more angry be the second. "He is just making up excuses to convince us to give up on the coup because he is too weak and cowardly to do it!"
Fugaku does not rise to the bait. "I am no coward," he says evenly. "It is not cowardice to prevent the needless loss of life."
"I think you've just gotten cold feet!" counters the upstart. "Well if you won't continue with the coup, then I will!"
"No you will not!" thunders Fugaku, angry. "No one is starting a coup! I forbid it!"
A hush descends on the meeting hall.
Glaring angrily at Fugaku, the upstart sits back down. Fugaku makes a mental note to keep an eye on him.
Fugaku declares the meeting over and the sullen clan files out of the hall. Then he turns to Shisui and Itachi. "I believe the two of you have a report to give to the Hokage?"
Itachi and Shisui leave to go and make their report.
Fugaku wonders how long it will be before that upstart and any sympathizers he might have start to cause trouble.