Okay, so here's another chapter. I'm really tired. Too tired to give some lengthy and in-depth introduction about life and it's retarded ways and means...
Enjoy.
Danzo was very angry.
He managed to let Shisui Uchiha escape from his clutches. Along with his left eye...
Well, beggars can't be choosers. And, unfortunately, Danzo was a chooser at this point. He did manage to take Shisui's right eye however, so perhaps it wasn't a complete loss.
Yet the escape of Shisui meant that the Uchiha were probably going to be forewarned of Danzo's attempts to steal the Sharingan. Which meant that stealing another complete set of the Sharingan would get a lot harder. And that was saying something since it was hard enough to get one Sharingan, let alone a complete set of them.
Danzo sat back in his chair with a long sigh.
He had his work cut out for him. Honestly, was he the only one concerned with Shisui's dependability?
He was apart of the clan for Kami's sake! What's to say he wouldn't just turn against the village for his own selfish gain?! The same thing went for that Itachi kid as well! He was a clan member. Danzo didn't think he should be trusted with the task of spying. They should've just killed off the clan when they had to chance, lie Danzo had suggested in the first place!
Ah well... The clan would be put to a stop somehow. He'd find a way...
He always did.
Itachi somehow ended up back in the district, in the middle of the street, alone and barely grasping on to his sanity.
Was life even worth it anymore? How could it be, when even Shisui...brave and courageous Shisui, jumped from a cliff to his death?
Protect the Uchiha...
Yes...Itachi had to protect the Uchiha. Until his dying breath, he planned to do so.
He would protect the clan in Shisui's place.
No matter what life threw at him. He'd push through, and save them. He'd save the clan. He'd save the village. He'd save his parents. He'd save Sasuke too-
"Hey!"
Itachi realized that he'd just ran into someone, and they'd fallen down. Someone short and black-haired and familiar looking...
Of course. It was Masato Uchiha's daughter. The girl whose boyfriend Itachi had to kill.
His thoughts froze.
Out of all the people to run into, it was just his luck...honestly-
"Are you even listening to me?!" The girl snapped.
What was her name again?
"No," He replied shortly. "I'm a bit preoccupied at the moment. I apologize." Itachi said and helped her up. He then brushed past her.
"Really? Like 'sorry' is going to fix this!" She screeched gesturing around, and dusting off her clothes simultaneously.
"Fix what?" He asked, turning around.
"My grocery bag damn you!" She snapped. Itachi looked at the ground, where multiple fruits and vegetables were rolling wildly away. Some were completely squashed from the fall.
"Oh. My apologies. Let me help you retrieve them." Itachi bent down, and began to pick up the fruits that were escaping.
The girl narrowed her eyes at him, then she too bent down and began to pick up the food.
Finally managing to pick up everything (Excluding the destroyed ones.), and they stood up and faced each other.
"I'm sorry again." Itachi said, then finally smiled gently.
The girl glared at him, then stuck out her hand. "I'm Kei."
Ah, that was it!
Itachi took her hand, and shook it. "I am Itachi."
Kei's eyes widened slightly at his name. He could only assume that she must've heard of him before.
"I've heard of you before."
Of course.
"Most everyone has." He replied, letting go of her hand.
"Are you really in the ANBU?"
He gave her a sideways glance. "Where did you hear that?"
Kei shrugged. "I overhear things from my dad sometimes."
"Do you mean that you eavesdrop on him?"
"No!" Kei snapped, then blushed. "Well, yea. Kind of."
Itachi rolled his eyes. "Kind of. How exactly do you 'kind of' eavesdrop?"
"I...well. Ah, never mind." She mumbled.
Itachi and Kei stood there for another moment before Kei spoke again. "Well, I should get going. Because I really need to get these tomatoes and vegetables home so Mom can make dinner."
"Right, I'll walk you there."
"Wait, what?" Kei looked at Itachi. "I'm fine. Seriously."
"I'll walk you home as compensation for knocking everything out of your hands."
"Please, I'm fine."
"I insist."
Kei pursed her lips at the boy in front of her. She could swear she's seen him before now... Looking at Itachi gave her a strange sense of deja vu.
"Fine. Let's get going then. I refuse to get yelled at because of your clumsiness and your daydreaming."
"I wasn't daydreaming." Itachi replied.
They started to walk through the district.
"What were you doing then, running into me like you did?"
"I was...thinking."
"That's daydreaming."
"Daydreaming is a pleasant visionary and usually wishful creation of the imagination made by the human mind whenever it finds itself distressed, unhappy, or bored."
Kei blinked. "That's what you were doing. You were...doing whatever you just said."
"No. I was not thinking pleasant thoughts by any means..."
"Then what were you thinking about then?"
Itachi looked to the sky. The sunset was very red...the color of blood. A sign that a great tragedy was about to pass.
Of course, not many people would know that this tragedy was the death of the Uchiha, let alone would they even realize that this sunset held much meaning.
"I...was thinking of the future." Itachi finally replied.
Kei frowned. "The future...I try not to think about it."
Itachi glanced at her. "Why not?"
Kei sighed. "My father doesn't want my boyfriend, Kizashi, and I to be together. And I'm pretty sure he was planning to ask for my hand in marriage when he turned 18."
Itachi's blood ran cold, and he looked away from Kei.
They wouldn't ever get married. Not now, not ever. Especially not since Kizashi was currently being taken away by some of the ANBU to hide his cold, dead body.
And not since Kei would die with the rest of the clan.
"Itachi?" Kei asked. "Are you daydreaming again?"
Itachi breathed deeply. If he continued to think about it, he'd probably self-induce a panic attack. Now was not the time for that.
"The future is nothing to daydream about. If you think about it, you'll get all stressed out." Kei said. "Every time I think about the future, I get really nervous and scared. What if Kizashi and me break up? What if we never get married? Will I have to marry someone else in the clan? Will my father control me for the rest of my short life? Will the clan continue with their ridiculous dream of conquering the world?"
Itachi was silent. He had no answer, because those were some of the same questions that he asked himself.
"Either way," Kei continued with a soft sigh. "I find that thinking about the future causes more stress than relief."
"That's true, however one must consider what possibilities the future may bring. The only way to do this is to think and ponder every possible choice, and what future that choice may lead to."
"Whoa..." Kei said. "That's deep. Are you some sort of closet philosopher?"
Itachi allowed a small smile onto his face.
"Maybe...When you put it like that, I think I am."
Kei smiled back at him, and for a second, she forgot her grudge against him knocking her over. Instead, she basked in their momentary kinship.
"So you do actually like me." Itachi said.
Kei rolled her eyes. "I like you yes, but I'm still angry about how you knocked me and my food over."
"I said I was sorry."
"Well, I think you proved you are by walking with me."
Kei paused then turned to Itachi. "Thank you, again, for helping me out...though you are the one that caused this in the first place." They were outside of Kei's large house.
Itachi knew this because he recognized the roof that he'd hide on top of for hours on end, spying on Masato's family. He'd eventually come to memorize every little tiny detail about the roof. Every scratch, every broken tile, everything...
"Of course. It was the least I could do." Itachi inclined his head to Kei. "Farewell, Kei-san." Turning around, he began to walk away.
"Hold it!" Kei said, forcing Itachi to a stop.
"Yes?" He asked.
Suddenly, a bright red object was soaring through the air towards him. Itachi reached out and caught it.
It was a tomato.
"Think of it as compensation for walking me home, alright?" She called to him, then disappeared inside before he could argue.
He stared at the object in his hands. He never really liked tomatoes... Oh well.
He performed a few hand signs (which was quite a feat considering he was holding a tomato), then appeared outside his bedroom door.
Only to see Sasuke in his room, playing with his old toys.
"Oh!" Sasuke cried, noticing his brother's sudden appearance. "Hello Nii-san!"
"Hello Sasuke."
"Um..." Sasuke looked at the pile of dinosaurs behind him and made an attempt to slyly move in front of the mess. "I was just cleaning up, I swear-"
"It's okay Sasuke." Itachi interrupted his brother's scared ramblings.
"Um...I think I heard mother calling me!" Sasuke said, then tried to slip past Itachi. He stopped his little brother by grabbing and holding him.
"Hold on Sasuke. I want to give you something."
Sasuke stopped struggling. "What?"
Itachi released him, and opened his hand where the tomato was, miraculously, not bruised from Sasuke's struggles.
Sasuke made a face.
Itachi laughed. "Just take it." He then tossed it to Sasuke, who just barely caught it. "And get out of my room please, Sasuke."
Sasuke quickly dashed out of his brother's room and headed off to his own bedroom. In his hand, he still held the tomato from earlier.
He'd never actually tried a tomato before. But it was a vegetable so it must taste terrible, right?
Sasuke cautiously took a bite. It honestly didn't taste half bad...
He actually really likes tomatoes.
Itachi sat next to Sasuke on the stairs leading to their veranda on the backyard. They'd been having a nice conversation when there was a pounding at the front door.
"Itachi Uchiha! Come out!" A voice yelled, and another round of pounding began.
Itachi smiled at Sasuke, then stood up and went to the door. He already had a hunch what they wanted...
He'd have to play his part well.
Itachi opened the door to reveal three of the more respected Uchiha in the Police Force.
"Hello. What can I help you three with?" Itachi asked politely.
"Do you happen to know of the whereabouts of Shisui Uchiha?" The guy in the front, whose name Itachi thought might've been Goro, asked stiffly.
"No unfortunately...Why, if I might ask?"
"He wasn't present for last night's meeting and we have reason to believe that he was murdered." The second guy, Isamu, said glaring at Itachi.
"I see...I haven't met with him recently. That is sad to hear." Itachi said, putting on a look of polite remorse and sorrow.
"So we," Goro continued. "The Police Force have decided to investigate this incident fully."
"An investigation?" Itachi said in surprise, slightly narrowing his eyes. They definitely suspected him. This was not good...
Isamu riffled through his front pocket, and pulled out a piece of paper. On it, it read:
I'm tired of the duties...
there is no future for the Uchiha...
And for me...
I cannot walk out the "path" any further...
Itachi was silent as he read the little paper. He recalled writing this in Shisui's handwriting, to hide his death. However, he did not let any sign of recognition pass over his features.
'Was that heroic enough words for you Shisui...?' Itachi thought sadly.
"He was feared as Shisui of the Mirage, and one of the most talented Uchiha. He was someone who'd do any mission for the clan." Isamu said.
"I doubt a man like him would leave something like this behind and die." Goro said, staring directly at Itachi.
Itachi stared back. He was silent for a moment, to consider his words, then spoke. "It's not wise to judge others by your preconceptions and their appearances."
The three men seemed to take this as an adequate answer, and began to walk away.
"Why don't you be more direct?" Itachi said to their retreating backs, crumpling the paper in his hand.
They stopped, and turned to look at him.
"So, are you suspicious of me?"
"Yes, brat!" Goro snarled, his Sharingan activating.
"Listen Itachi, if you betray the clan, you won't go unpunished." Isamu said.
Suddenly, the three men were thrown backwards, as Itachi almost easily thrashed them about. He was slightly bent over staring at the ground, the men laying there groaning and wincing in pain.
"As I've said just now, don't judge others," Itachi said ominously. Itachi had never felt rage such as this. It angered him to no end that they'd ever accuse of murdering his best friend. "Simply by your preconceived conceptions, and judgments of their appearance."
"You assumed that I am patient," He stated, standing up and throwing a kunai at the Uchiha crest. "And therefore you underestimate me. You fail to measure your own capacity, and then fail to see the depth of mine." He finished, anger evident in his voice.
Suddenly, Itachi was kicked into the stone wall by his father.
"Itachi! What the hell are you doing?" He said, glaring at his son. "Apologize. Now!" He roared. The three men had picked themselves off of the ground, and were staring at Itachi, hatred evident in their cold stares.
Itachi moved to his hands and knees, and begged their forgiveness.
"Please...pardon my actions. I was out of line to behave as I did."
It was silent as the five stayed like this, four standing and one kneeling, then finally the three policemen began to walk away. Fugaku also began to walk back towards the door.
"Brat." Goro spat at Itachi as he walked by the still crouching boy.
From the shadows, Sasuke watched the entire thing. He also saw the Mangekyou whirl to life as his older brother glared at the retreating figures of the cowards who called themselves "men".
I wanted to find a nice easy place to end this. So until next time...