Chapter 4: Things Don't Always Go As Planned
As Itachi sat upon the throne in the Uchiha stronghold, he engaged in a staring contest with a gold-eyed black fox, who's accusing eyes seemed to grow more accusing every minute.
Itachi, with all his patience, was steadily growing more irritated. For a moment, he toyed with the idea of using his Sharingan on the animal, but he quickly realized how low it would be to attack something so defenseless.
The Uchiha finally looked away, the feeling of guilt the fox had instilled in him overflowing into actions. Had he done something to this fox to deserve its accusing gaze?
To distract himself until his younger brother arrived, Itachi thought over his plans again to ensure that he hadn't missed something. Instead of fading away, the fox's aura seemed to increase, and, as a result, the feeling of wrongness Itachi had grew heavier.
"Maybe you should watch over your brother alive rather than dead. Every plan has variables, and they will vary."
For a second, Itachi believed that the fox had spoken, but further inspection on the memory said that it was only his imagination. When he looked at the fox to make doubly sure that it had not spoken, he found it replaced by a white pill bottle.
Itachi's eyes widen in surprise, but they quickly returned to their original size.
"The decision is yours," the lingering presence of the fox seemed to whisper.
And Itachi decided to procrastinate on that decision as he picked up the tiny white bottle and stowed it away in the pocket of his pants.
Later, after Sasuke had passed out and Tobi came to retrieve him, Itachi's body had disappeared. Tobi had questioned Zetsu about this, but the spy had no answer; maybe it had happened when he blinked?
If the shinobi that followed had searched slightly deeper into the rubble, they might have found an empty white bottle, out of place among the rocks.
Neither side knew what exactly happened to the one who had massacred his entire clan in one night.