Summary: Sasuke gets some action too!
After school ends, Sasuke doesn't really bother running home. It's not like he has anything to do or anyone waiting for him to arrive. School is still easy enough that he can finish all the homework in class while Iruka-sensei is explaining stuff to Naruto and the other stupid kids for the hundredth time. And as for his parents… With Father spending so much time at the police station, Mother has pretty much taken over all the day to day stuff of running the clan. Itachi hasn't been home for more than a few hours since before Shisui-nii became Hokage, and if Shisui-nii has stopped by their home since his appointment, Sasuke hasn't seen it.
At first, Sasuke had thought things would get better, everyone would get used to Shisui-nii being the new Hokage and they could be happy that the third chose an Uchiha (the first Uchiha to ever be Hokage!) as his successor. But that hasn't happened. Instead Sasuke finds himself coming back to an empty home every day. Mother comes back in time to check on him and finish preparing dinner, but then she's gone. She tells Sasuke she's just catching up with her friends and doing grown up things. She says that since he's finally old enough to go to school, she doesn't have to worry about him as much. But whatever she's doing, she always, always, makes sure to be back before Father gets home.
Sasuke kicks a small rock along the road as he walks, watching how the shadows of leaves make it look kind of spotted. Dappled, he thinks. He wonders what Itachi is doing right now. Does he ever feel lonely, living with just Shisui-nii? Does he miss Sasuke as much as Sasuke misses him? Sasuke's already eight years old, far too old to be so childish and dependent, but wandering home by himself, he doesn't force the thoughts away. There's no one to see him and no one who would even care one way or the other if they could. Despite being part of the best clan in the whole village, Sasuke spends most of his time alone.
By the time he gets close to the Uchiha compound, the sun is just beginning to set. He took the long way home, and, with autumn coming, the days are getting shorter and shorter. Suddenly, Sasuke decides he doesn't want to be seen by anyone. He veers sharply to the left, well out of view of the compound gate. At this time of day, the chances of anyone patrolling the walls themselves are pretty low. It takes him less than half a minute to shimmy up an overgrown tree. Its branches extend slightly over the wall into the Uchiha compound, and while Father has complained about it many times, no one has gotten around to cutting the thing in the year and a half that Sasuke has known about it.
Once he's at the correct height, Sasuke takes off his shoes to better balance on the comparatively thin branch. Then, without so much as a glance left or right, he carefully walks out, shoes grasped firmly in each hand. He's only done this a handful of times, but Sasuke's been training in balance, speed and precision since before he could walk. It takes less than five seconds to get across and slide down on the other side of the wall.
He lands on a rather unfortunately placed crate and scrapes his knee bloody, but it's been months since Mother last asked him about any of his various injuries. And after a few minutes, he knows it won't even sting that much. Still, he doesn't have the time or the materials to wash and bandage it here, so with a last irritated glance at the offending knee, he forces himself to focus on sneaking home.
Getting in is a lot easier than he had expected, Father left the window to his study unlocked. And
while locks are kinda useless in a ninja village, it's still pretty odd that Father would just forget. Even if Mother and Father weren't acting strange, Sasuke is pretty sure he'd be able to tell that something weird is happening. A few days ago, Iruka made an announcement about an "altercation between one a female academy student and an enemy agent." Apparently the encounter lasted about five minutes and due to the skill and vigilance of ANBU, the agent was captured before he could do any harm. And now, somehow Naruto has managed to become the center of attention almost the whole week. Sasuke has better things to do than keep up with whatever lame things are going on in the other boy's life, but even he heard that Naruto was apparently involved in some sort of covert something.
The chances of whatever Naruto's done being related to the enemy ninja aren't that high, especially since Naruto isn't a girl, but even so… Something is wrong in the village and the fact that no one, not even his parents, will tell him what it is terrifies him.
But until he's graduated, there's nothing he can really do. As far as his parents and the village are concerned, he's just an eight year old liability. Unlike Itachi, he doubts he'll be seen as anything more until he's a teenager at least. So Sasuke does the only thing he can do and tries to train. The faster he can improve, the sooner people will have to notice him for himself and not for being the Itachi's younger brother or the Uchiha clan "spare."
He manages to last almost a whole quarter hour before the heat and his own anxiety make practicing all but pointless. His mind keeps conjuring enemies hiding in the shadows and tries to link Naruto's weirdness and whatever happened with the enemy ninja to his own parents' hushed conversations and prolonged absences. It's a waste of time. And totally baseless fear, but he can't help himself. So instead of wasting more time outside, jumping at every noise, he heads back home.
Mother and Father are, thankfully, still out. After taking his shoes off and wandering around the house listlessly for a few minutes, Sasuke finally decides to go to Itachi's room. He's not hiding, it's just that even with Itachi gone, his room has always felt safe in a way nowhere else ever has. Sasuke brings his kanji study book with him, so he can at least be productive while he pathetically clings to his brother like some sort of needy child. Itachi's room is spotless. He was never the sort to collect much of anything. The little furniture there is is bare and all his possessions are either tucked away or in whatever place he's living with Shisui. His room isn't dusty either. Even with Mother out of the house most of the day, she still makes sure the entire place is spotless.
And so it is that Sasuke manages to pass several hours wedged between the thin wall and Itachi's chest of drawers, all but invisible from the doorway. It isn't until the sun is setting that Sasuke even realizes how much time has passed. Usually Mother and Father should be home by now. Usually they would be preparing dinner if not eating it. He hopes they come back soon, he's starving.
He carefully tiptoes out of Itachi's room, the Kanji book clutched in his hands and makes his way across the hall to his parents' room. He knocks once, quietly, on the door and when no one answers, opens it slowly. They aren't there. Then, just as he is turning around, he hears them at the front of the house.
"-re is Sasuke," his father asks.
"Likely out practicing still. Hurry, we have much to discuss before he gets home." His mother sounds more affectionate than he is used to and he suddenly feels guilty for leaving practice early. Sasuke is about to go greet them, when his father's response stops him.
"Hmm" his father replies gruffly, "He's a good kid. More diligent than his brother sometimes, more respectful too." If he's caught here, they'll both be disappointed. He'll probably get in trouble for eavesdropping too. Scanning the hallway quickly, Sasuke carefully edges his way over to the linen closet by his parent's room. It's small and full of the good linens Mother only uses for special occasions, but they'd never think to look for him there. With all the stealth he's mastered from living his whole life in a house full of ninja, Sasuke manages to slip in before his parents round the corner.
Not half a minute after he's managed to settle in, he hears their footsteps as they pass him and enter their room. He waits several minutes for them to find somewhere else to be, so he can get out, slip out a window and fake coming home. But they don't come out. Instead he can hear faint whispering as his father changes out of his uniform. Sasuke is going to be stuck in the closet for quite some time. Possibly all night. Suddenly he remembers his shoes. They're still by the door. Why didn't his parents notice them when they came home? They were right there. What's distracting his parents so much that they stay out until dark and don't even check to see if he's home?
When his parents start talking again, voices hushed and only partially audible, all those thoughts fly from his head.
"-ould we do? If the village is under attack, as Uchiha we are honor bound to defend it."
"And we will, as long as the Hokage is willing to do his part as well."
"You're suggesting we hold the village… hostage? That's treason. And if it falls we have nothing!"
"Think Fugaku, this is everything we've ever wanted. Shisui is a good boy, he'll see reason. This will just give him the excuse he needs to finally give us the status the clan deserves. It's ridiculous that those Hyuuga are more autonomous than we are. The Uchiha helped found this damn place."
His mother sounds far angrier than Sasuke has ever heard her before. But it's not the tone that scares him. His parents are talking treason. And against Shisui-nii? Unthinkable! He needs to get out of here. He needs to distract them. He-
His father is speaking again, his voice low and defeated. "Even if such a plan were to work, and it didn't lead to the deaths of the village or clan, I still fear we have our work cut out for us." He pauses for several moments, and Sasuke is just about to leave his hiding place when his father continues. "I'm worried about Itachi. As he is, he may be an even greater threat to our clan than anything else. You've seen how he follows Shisui around. I don't think he's in any state to make a fit clan head. His mind is too full of noble ideals and Senju brainwashing. He'll-"
Mother interrupts him then, "I'll hear no more on this tonight, you will not kill my son. He may have made some mistakes, but he's one of the most skilled Uchiha ever born-"
"I agree, and even if I didn't, his death would cause too many questions. We just need to remove him from the line of succession. You've seen how close he is to Shisui. He's unfit to lead and his loyalty to the village would make the whole clan little more than dogs. He just needs to be made to step down. I'm sure he more than half wants it anyway."
Mother is quiet for a moment before she says, "Let us wait and see. Itachi is still young and malleable. If he cannot be made to see reason… Then I suppose we will just need to start again with Sasuke. I've often said he would make a wonderful leader. He cares far less for the wellbeing of those outside the clan and is has enough talent and charisma to get by. But for now, let us give Itachi time. Tomorrow, we will give our answer to the Hokage and with any luck, soon all of this nonsense will be behind us"
They fall silent then and Sasuke waits another half an hour in terrified silence before silently slipping away. His hands shake even as he lets himself back into the house and yells "Hello." His parents were discussing treason, and worse, they were talking about hurting Itachi. Sasuke doesn't know who he can talk to about this. He doesn't have any real friends in his class and all the Uchiha around his age wouldn't believe him. He's not even sure if Itachi would believe him.
Itachi! He has to warn him! But, between school and his parents and the strict protocol for seeing the Hokage, he's not sure if he can. Or even if he should. Were Mother and Father right? Is Itachi the real threat?
He's so scared and worried and everything else, that it isn't until he's almost asleep that he realizes he never did get dinner.