Note: sometimes a new chapter gets posted when I try to replace/update from my phone. If the chapter title you get your email with is in the form of 'chapterx' instead of an actual name, it's not actually up.

Chapter 6 – When Otou-san Turns

When he leapt down from the tree, Sasuke felt a familiar pull at his mind. He froze in horror for a while, slowly looking down and away from his house. Down at the forest ground in the side of the clearing.

There was a patch of daisies growing there, wild flowers with half their petals bitten. Their yellow centers were bright in the evening sun. Sasuke leaned down to pick one of them, the most perfect one he could find. He straightened and tucked the flower into his pocket. It had no weight, but its presence was reassuring. It was familiar. It was familiar to him.

He walked back into the house silently, through the front door. The sitting-room was empty; Itachi wasn't there. He had probably gone to his own room to stay until the redness of his lips faded. Fukurou was to be his wife in the future, but it wouldn't be decent to reveal that he was meeting with her almost intimately before their courting began.

Sasuke wondered if his mother had been someone like Fukurou, someone so skilled but jaded. But she had been almost five years younger than the Uchiha heir, so it was unlikely. But she was beautiful. Almost as beautiful as Fukurou, but in a warmer sense … he stopped the line of thought.

His father was there in the kitchen. He stood leaning against the back door while Mikoto chopped vegetables for dinner. Her face was set in a stern frown. Sasuke walked in and prepared for a lecture, and maybe some angry looks. But when Fugaku turned to look at him, there was nothing but contemplation in his eyes.

"Troublesome child," he muttered under his breath. "Where have you been? We wasted hours of our police's time searching for you. And their time is especially vital right now." He stressed the words in an airy way, as if simultaneously conveying that it was important, and that Sasuke wasn't important enough to know.

Sasuke bowed his head, knowing what to say. It wouldn't sound too outlandish, since he'd already admitted to it before. His mother would stand up for him, he was sure of it. "I don't remember, otou-san. I don't know what happened, I just woke up outside the academy building." His stupid forgetting-self had brought the issue before, and it was there to use. They would send him to therapy, probably have his mind examined, but he would be finished and out of the village by the time they tried.

His father's eyes narrowed. "At least try to make your silly excuses sensible."

"No, he could be telling the truth," Mikoto spoke up. "He'd claimed to have these memories blanks before. I've been trying to schedule an appointment with a Yamanaka council member, but they … well …" she bit her lip, glancing at Sasuke.

"I see," Fugaku crossed his arms over his chest. "Well, we'll have that appointment soon." Sasuke could detect the genuine concern in his voice. After all, he couldn't have both his sons ruined. "For now, Sasuke, come with me." He turned to open the back door, out into the clearing.

Sasuke looked questioningly at Mikoto, who had gone back to neatly slicing tomatoes. Her dark hair hung over one shoulder, tied loosely. It kept it back from her face, but still allowed the strands to fall around her eyes when she leaned forward. Itachi had mimicked that style, when he'd started growing his hair long. She didn't look up.

There was a sort of unease there, although he didn't know what it was. At the age of seven, he wouldn't have noticed it at all. But now it hung there in the air of the main house, concentrated there in Uchiha Mikoto's clean knife and Uchiha Fugaku's retreating steps into the back and aniki's reddened mouth. He turned and followed his father like he'd been told.

Their main house was at the far end of the clan compound, and encompassed the small forest that grew in the back and filtered out into Fire Country's larger woods outside the village. Outside their sliding door was the clearing that had been set aside as Itachi's training grounds. Fugaku didn't look back as he went beyond it and into the forest ground, barely waiting for Sasuke's pattering steps behind him.

What was happening? The shadow of Itachi hung over every aspect of the world, drawing his attention back whenever it slipped away. But he was clever enough to realize that something was happening in the background even as Itachi existed. Something was there, and he had no idea whether to pay it heed.

He decided not to. Clan matters were always delicate things that fluctuated between tense and angry, and it wouldn't be wise to get involved.

They walked for a little while through the foliage, and Sasuke realized where they were headed. His mouth was set into a grim frown when they pushed out of the trees and into another clearing a little way off, the one that led to the large pond at the end of the Konoha river. He clenched his fingers into fists and went to stand by his father, trying not to let the annoyance show in his eyes.

"Sasuke," Fugaku began, turning around to regard him. His hands were folded neatly into his sleeves, and not a single branch had caught on his clothing. "I think it's time you showed us some improvement. When he was your age, Itachi could do the Goukakyu no jutsu perfectly. Let me see your attempt."

Sasuke gritted his teeth and nodded, going to stand by the wooden steps that led into the pond. The water was clear and still in the dimming light and his father's presence was silent behind him. Waiting. Expecting to be disappointed.

He didn't care. He stood on the wooden platform and brought his small hands up into the seal sequence.

Snake. Ram.

"Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!"

Sasuke took a deep breath and brought his fingers to his face to act as a channel. He let the air go in one release, and felt the familiar chakra flow through his seven-year-old body. It was different, with a body this young. But his mind knew its way around chakra from years of practice, and that one day practicing at Naruto's apartment was sufficient.

The episode wasn't even close to attacking; it simply lingered in the back of his mind. That was how unfamiliar this was. How completely out of character it was for Uchiha Fugaku to pay attention to him.

Heat pooled in front of him as the ball of fire emerged, scorching the water of the lake. It rose large, larger than anything a seven-year-old could do. He didn't care. The great ball of fire stayed strong before slowly dissipating, and Sasuke brought his fingers down from his mouth. Steam rose from the pond.

"That was …" Sasuke turned to see his father frowning at him. "Show me that seal sequence again," he instructed.

Sasuke obediently formed the seals with his hands. Snake. Ram.

"Where did you learn that?" His father demanded. "That isn't the normal sequence."

With that, Sasuke's blank look faltered slightly, and he cursed himself for not paying attention. Of course, it should have been Tiger. Monkey. Boar. Horse. Tiger. His own version was one created specifically for use in battle, a shorter once which required greater control than most chunin could manage. He'd just revealed that in front of otou-san. He bit his lip.

"I read it in a ninjutsu book, otou-san. From the library."

"Where is this book?"

"I don't remember. Today, I'll go ask for it and show you."

His father's frown lifted just slightly, and he was given an appraising look. "Do that. Your jutsu was adequate. Keep practicing."

Of course he had to keep practicing. After all, otou-san needed a back-up plan now that his precious son had been disgraced. Now that everyone in the clan looked at him with accusing eyes, and demanded a replacement. No one liked to see a prodigy fall unless there was someone to rise into his place.

He stayed up late that night, waiting for his parents to sleep. It was clear that they were awake late, because harsh whispers emanated from the direction of their bedroom. But the voices stopped at around midnight, and Sasuke slowly pattered out of his room, opening the sliding door without a sound.

He made his way to his father's office, a small room near his parent's bedroom. It was dark but his eyes adjusted easily and he found the small shelf behind the desk. His hand groped blindly until he found the silk purse he was looking for. He needed money for it, and a seven-year-old boy wasn't given too much to spend. Straining to see in the darkness, he counted out two thousand ryo. Just enough to buy what he needed.

After replacing the purse, he snuck back to his room in his nightclothes and sought out his shorts in his closet. He slipped the money into the pocket, which he would change into in the morning. While his hand was in there, it felt something soft.

The daisy. Right. It would help. Just in case.

Sasuke drew it out, feeling another of its petals fall off in the effort. Its white petals stood out in the pale moonlight, but its yellow core looked almost bluish. He held the flower stem tightly in one hand when he slid under the sheets of his futon, and fell asleep with it beside his face.

Huh? What's that? Why am I holding a …

Sakura.

Sasuke's eyes refocused when he woke, saving his memories by a thread. He smirked at the daisy held loosely in one hand.

It was afternoon and the streets were mostly empty. The people of Konoha were busy with their work, and the shops had few customers. One of them was a green-eyed boy with hair a copied yellow, handing one thousand five hundred ryo over to the man behind the counter.

He walked out of the store with a small bulge in his pocket where a couple of packets rested. There were slight stains of takoyaki on his fingers.

It would be today; he would do it today. It was useless to wait until Itachi was prepared, after all. It was better to get it done faster. Sasuke ambled down the street, fingering the packets he'd bought under henge. That evening would be the moment where the fate of the Uchiha clan changed.

This time, he wouldn't be left crying on the floor beside dead bodies on a futon. Maybe now that Hiyaki oji-san and Sayaka oba-san would be alive, he could become a member of the Uchiha police force. He could wear his clan symbol with pride, and no one would look at him in pity.

The packet was light, but the powder it contained was harsh. If he couldn't rely on the battle-abilities of his seven-year-old body, he would have to resort to more subtle methods. They would work only because aniki trusted him, but that didn't matter. He didn't even have a plan, because that was unnecessary. It would work out, somehow.

The academy bell had rung in the distance a while back, and the streets were slowly starting to fill. Sasuke ducked into an alley before releasing his henge with a small cloud of chakra smoke. He slipped back out, but regretted it immediately. Two small figures were walking down the same road, and they both spotted him. One pink-haired, and one blond.

The blond girl's eyes lit up when she saw him, and she grabbed her friend's hand and bounded over to stand before him.

"Hey, you're Uchiha Sasuke-kun, aren't you?" Yamanaka Ino asked, flipping her cropped hair back over her shoulder.

Sasuke nodded silently, shooting glances at Sakura, who was standing beside her. The girl was looking away determinedly.

"You made top of the class!" Ino exclaimed, hands curled into excited fists. "That's so cool, Sasuke-kun! You even beat Forehead-girl in our test," she poked at Sakura's arm.

"That's nice," he commented. "I need to be getting home, though." He'd never known Ino that well. She had been one of the girls who'd drooled after him, but something told him that half of her affections were directed towards a misplaced sympathy for his 'tragic past'. Girls her age were truly uncaring, sometimes.

"Hey, wanna know something?" The girl's voice as a mischievous tinge to it. "I saw your brother today. In the morning, before class. I didn't know he was your brother at first, until he asked my mother to write on the note. His name was 'Uchiha Itachi', and I figured he was related to you somehow. Gosh, you two look so alike!"

Sasuke thought of pointing out that there were over three hundred Uchiha in the village, and that they all looked disturbingly similar – though not as much as the Hyuga – but held back. Instead, he narrowed his eyes and made no move to hide his interest.

"My brother was there? He asked your mother to write a note?"

"Yeah!" Ino told him. "He came to buy violets, a small wrap of them. For some reason, he couldn't write the note on the card, so he asked my mother to write it for him. I think it was for someone in the hospital, since he seemed like the type to know what flowers mean. Your brother's really sweet, huh?"

The words were like daggers. Sasuke clenched his teeth and prevented himself from busting out, instead storing away the information. As an anbu, Itachi wasn't too well known outside the clan, and a simple flower-shop owner wouldn't have recognized him. But Itachi had bought flowers? There was no one currently in the hospital that he knew, and he couldn't have been attached to any of his anbu teammates; such behavior was discouraged in their ranks.

They were probably for Fukurou. Sasuke almost shivered at the thought, hatred settling deeper inside him. That meant he actually liked her. Going to meet with her and kissing her was somewhat understandable, since she had demanded it herself. But flowers? Flowers for Uchiha Fukurou, the cold, mindless killer who was one of the prize shinobi of the Uchiha clan? The girl with the type of sharp prettiness that stung and ruined that of everyone around her?

He remained silent. Luckily, Ino required no encouragement to talk.

"So why weren't you in class today?" She asked. "I don't have any classes with you, but I asked Kiba and he said you weren't there." Her blue eyes watched him expectantly. They were so different from the other, more familiar pair of blue eyes he was used to seeing. Sakura was standing there, still and silent. One hand was brought up to her mouth where she resisted the urge to nibble at her fingernails.

"I was busy," he said evenly. "Now I have to get home." He pushed past her.

As he turned, Sakura's green eyes followed his form. She noticed the small daisy poking out of his right pocket with perceptive eyes.

There were loud voices when he reached the house. They filled his ears the moment he slid the sliding door open, echoing through the large house. Sasuke frowned, not bothering to remove his shoes as he walked down the hall and peered into the sitting room, concealing his presence as much as he could.

Both his parents were sitting by the kotatsu, and papers were flying from where Mikoto had just thrust them away. They pattered to the ground amid her angry voice.

"-young!" She exclaimed. "You can't put him there, it's too dangerous. We have other things to concern ourselves with. You can put off this plan until next week."

Fugaku sat on the other side stoically, arms crossed. "Other things? What other things?"

"Sasuke's memory problems, for one," she said, eyes still narrowed. "That's not normal, we have to see to it before it gets worse. I've heard of things like that happening to the iryounin after the last war. It can't be healthy."

He considered that in silence. Sasuke kept watching from his spot behind the gap of the sliding door. This never happened before; he'd been brought up learning that the Uchiha were supposed to show unity in everything.

"This is more important, Mikoto," Fugaku finally said in his stern tone. "Surely you understand why we need to do this?"

"I know," she pleaded. "I'm aware of that. I know that we have to do this, and I've seen my position on the front line. I'll do it for the clan. But please, don't let them put my son there beside me."

Sasuke held his breath. What was she saying? Put him on a front line? There was no battle happening! Were they expecting some sort of war? He inched closer to the gap in the sliding door, pressing his ear against the material and peering in.

"He's more likely to survive than any of us, you know that," his father's tone was no-nonsense. He wasn't about to relinquish anything.

"There's more than one type of survival," she replied. It was clear that she wanted to speak more loudly, but she held it down.

Fugaku didn't look up. "He'll learn."

Sasuke stayed only to see Mikoto's fingers curl into her knee before slowly standing up and leaving. The louder voices resumed in the sitting room behind him, but he didn't pay them attention. It was clear that they were clan matters, and clan matters were usually petty things.

Instead, he walked down the hall, pausing when he realized that aniki's door was slightly open. He was back. Of course he was; he had been taken off duty temporarily.

This was when he had to do it.

Over the past few days, the blind anger churning inside him had become sharper, more focused. The day before, he hadn't been able to talk to Itachi, but now he thought he could. He thought he could even smile when he dug the kunai into that man's neck. There was nothing but an eerie calm in his mind, surrounded by the unease that permeated his clan. Where had he been on this day, in his own time? Sasuke flipped through his memories before dryly recalling that he had been at Kaeru's house, playing ninja.

Without hesitating, he pushed the door to the room open. Inside, Itachi sat cross-legged by his futon, sharpening kunai. A row of eight lay beside him while he worked on the ninth, slowly moving the sharpening block up and down the black blade. The kunai already gleamed, but he didn't seem to notice.

"Nii-san?" He asked, voice high. Yes, he could do it. He could speak and smile and kill him later.

Itachi looked up, feigning surprise. He had probably already down, but he always kept it to himself and pretended to be surprised. Sasuke gritted his teeth, because aniki always knew how to please.

"Ah, Sasuke. Come in, I've been bored," he smiled a kind smile and waved with one hand. "Did you finally return? That's good. I asked to help look for you, but they won't allow me out of the clan compounds." He looked almost sheepish.

Sasuke silently went over to sit in front of him, on the other side of the futon. He looked down to the gleaming blades, imagining how he would use them. "What are they … talking about?" He asked.

"Clan matters, Sasuke. It's alright, they'll sort it out." Itachi resumed his sharpening. "It's getting dark. Want to play shogi until bed?"

Sasuke shook his head, "what about dinner?"

"Ah. Oka-san is … busy. Do you want a ration bar? I think I have some in my pack. It's not very tasty, but it's filling." It was really all he ate, since it was all anbu provided.

Sasuke wrinkled his nose, just like he would have done. He almost scared himself, with how easy it was to pretend. But ration bars were disgusting and no seven-year-old would purposely eat one. He shrugged. "I'm not that hungry. I'll just go get a tomato from the kitchen." It was clear that Itachi wasn't going to tell him anything about what was happening.

He stood up to leave, and walked down to the kitchen listening to the soft sounds of steel against steel in aniki's room and muffled voices in the sitting room. It was strange, how different it was. Maybe his seven-year-old self had stayed in Kaeru's house so often during the week in a subconscious effort to avoid this.

When he reached the kitchen, there was a half-sliced tomato already sitting on the table, beside a cup of cold tea. He immediately formulated the rest of his plan upon seeing the tea. It was perfect. Itachi always drank tea at this hour; oka-san would take it to him. but she hadn't, this time, because she had gone to speak with otou-san. The cup was there, waiting to be taken.

Sasuke placed a slice of tomato in his mouth and slipped the small paper-square of powder out of his pocket. He chewed on the fruit while he ripped the paper and slowly poured the powder into the tea, watching it swirl and mix evenly into the color of the liquid. By the time he swallowed, the tea looked perfectly normal, although cold. But Itachi would drink it, because aniki was aniki and he wouldn't refuse something 'made' by his loving otouto.

When he went back to Itachi's room with the tomato in one hand and the cup of tea in the other, there was a slight smile on his face.

"Nii-san, look! Oka-san forgot to bring you tea, so I brought it instead!" He bounded over and put the small cup beside where Itachi sat. He sat across from his brother, taking a bite of the tomato.

"Ah, thank you, Sasuke." Itachi nodded and picked up the tea, still seeming absent minded. His hands handled the cup, but his eyes were glued to the kunai in the sharpening block. Sasuke decided he would use that kunai. The one that glinted with sharpness. The one Itachi was sharpening right then. Even the great could be brought down by their human weaknesses.

"You were in that boy's house, weren't you?" Itachi asked suddenly. He brought the tea to his lips, and Sasuke watched as he sipped it.

When he realized what his brother had said, he nodded stiffly. "Um, yeah. But nii-san, he's not that bad!"

"I know. It's fine. But don't lie to oka-san, all right? You can tell her, she changes her mind quickly," Itachi shot him a slight, secretive smile. In the past, he would have treasured those smiles, those fleeting moments where they were brothers and nothing else mattered. Not anbu, not Shisui-nii, nothing but a small exchange between family.

The muffled voices emanating down the hall became slightly louder. Itachi took another sip of the tea.

The tomato disappeared quickly as Sasuke finished it off, waiting. He couldn't do anything else, or think of anything else. There was only waiting, until aniki either finished the tea or – if he took too long – realized that he couldn't. But he needed to drink most of it. It was strong and made to work with tea, but it wasn't lethal. That part he would do himself.

But Itachi, in his absentmindedness, finished it quickly. He set the cup aside and put the finished kunai to the other side. Then he reached into his pouch and took out another, putting it into the block.

"Are you sure you don't want to play shogi?"

"I don't like shogi," he didn't try to hide the edge to his voice. It was too late for him. It was almost time.

"Oh? Why not-" Itachi paused. His voice went silent.

Time seemed to pass by in hours instead of seconds. The sharpening block and kunai both fell nearby, discarded. The cup clattered to the floor. From years of training, Itachi immediately made to put his hand down his mouth. He'd already gotten his fingers to his lips when Sasuke rushed forward.

With a manic grin, Sasuke pushed the hand aside, noting its newly sluggish movements. He pushed Itachi down, pinning one hand while the other lay trapped beneath him. His brother looked up at him through eyes that were started to cloud over. He would be like this for the next hour, fighting sleep.

There was no time to delay, or his parents would notice. Sasuke quickly drew the kunai that had just been sharpened and held it to Itachi's neck. He could sense that even with this disability, Itachi was calm under the haze he was put into; his throat remained still and retreated from the blade. His legs were tensed, prepared to spring up the moment they had enough energy. But they had no energy.

"I know, nii-san," Sasuke told him, pressing the blade down.

Itachi's eyes widened imperceptibly.

The rush was amazing. The satisfaction, the anger that he had bottled up for days – years – rushed back into him, waiting for reification. The moment his blade pressed down would be the moment he finally avenged the Uchiha clan. Avenged oka-san and otou-san. Avenged what had been done to him.

"You killed the clan," Sasuke said in a harsh whisper. Because he wanted him to know why. "You murdered oka-san and otou-san and showed me their deaths. You ruined me at the age of seven, and I worked to kill you for years. Do you know? Because I do. I see it every day when I see myself and see you and hate it."

"Sasu … ke …" Itachi struggled against the drug. His legs had gone limp, but purposely. He was putting every effort he had left in his voice.

Six violets rested by Uchiha Shisui's grave.

"I've gotten over them," Sasuke went on, his voice scathing. "I've gotten over oka-san and otou-san dying, I've almost gotten over the clan dying, but I can't get over what's been done to me. I can feel it, I'm not right. I'm not normal anymore, and it's because of you. Because of what you did that day, I … I can't trust anyone. No matter how hard they tried, they couldn't fix me. And I don't care."

"Need … to …"

Sasuke didn't want to allow him to continue. Instead, he brought the kunai up and made to plunge it down. It wasn't the type of battle he'd expected to have to complete his revenge, but this was death too, and it was just the same.

Right before he could move it, there was a pushing feeling in the back of his mind. Yelling. Yelling louder than the voices down the hall, loud enough to deafen him inside his own head. The kunai remained in midair, held in fingers still with resolve.

What am I doing!? Why am I trying to kill aniki?

This is not the time! Get out!

I need to get away from aniki! He's trying to say something!

He can't speak, I've made sure of that.

Itachi-nii isn't even trying to fight, he's stopped moving but he's still trying to talk. If I could just get that kunai out of my hand …

Sasuke almost wrestled himself. It was himself, the same person. But his memories were in the back again, and they were fighting. It was all in that hand. He watched with wide eyes as the hand he held the kunai in began to shake as half of him tried to drop it and the other half held on tightly.

Stop! I don't like this! I'm scared!

Then get out!

In one swift movement, his arm swung to the side. It hit the empty cup of tea lying there and sent it careening across the floor where it crashed into the wall. The voices down the hall quieted immediately.

Sasuke swore to himself and glanced at the open doorway. He had seconds, at most. He looked back down at Itachi's clouded eyes and tried to bring the kunai down. His shaking hand pushed it down, closer and closer to aniki's neck …

The door was swung open.

Another body crashed into him, pulling him away. He struggled as much as his seven-year-old self could, scratching at the form that was holding him still. In some kind of blur, his back was against the futon and hands were pinning him down. He pushed against them. But it was no use, and he finally looked up at oka-san's startled face.

She hovered above him, looking pale. "Sasuke! What are you doing!"

Oh, good. Oka-san is here. She'll fix me!

No. No. No!

"He's going to kill everyone in the clan!" Sasuke yelled at the top of his voice. "He's going to kill the clan and you and otou-san and everyone! I know it, I know, I'm trying to stop him!"

Itachi's prone form lay nearby, and he had managed to get his hand into his mouth. Sasuke watched in horror as he flipped over and coughed the tea out onto the floor. No, it would still hold. Some of it had already digested; he would still be groggy. It was still possible, if he convinced oka-san.

Convinced … oka-san? What was he thinking? Was it even sane?

Mikoto's expressed was worried, as if she didn't know whether to yell or cry. She threw the kunai across the room and held him up, looking at him. "Sasuke, why do you think Itachi is going to kill us?" She asked carefully. Her long dark hair was messy, and it hung haphazardly out of its tie. She held him firmly by the shoulders on the futon and waited for his answer.

"He is," Sasuke said with conviction. "He's going to kill them in the night, I know it's going to happen because I've been through it before. I won't let it happen again. This night, you'll all survive."

"Anbu, is it?"

They turned at the new voice in the doorway. Uchiha Fugaku stood there, watching Itachi spit out the rest of the liquid. His tone was calculating. "I already knew that they knew. This might have been …" He paused.

"No," Mikoto told him. "Not now, not until we've-"

"Now is the best time," Fugaku replied. "If they planned this, they'll be prepared. But they won't be prepared right now. Now is perfect. You know what to do, Mikoto. Take Itachi to Hiyaki first and then go to your position."

Sasuke watched as his mother stood up, her bare feet moving slowly across the room. Something in him changed. He didn't want to kill Itachi. He didn't not want to kill Itachi. It was like he had forgotten something, or that something in his mind had proclaimed itself insignificant.

All he knew was that he had to go somewhere unfamiliar.

"Oka-san, what's happening?" He asked politely, sitting upright with his hands on his knees.

Mikoto's expression when she looked at him was nothing short of frightened. She turned back to Fugaku. "There's something wrong with him," she hissed. "There's something wrong with Sasuke. You can't do it now. Not when-"

"Now," he said, his tone final. He turned around to leave. She watched in defeat as his footsteps receded quickly down the hallway.

"Oka-san … you can't … it can't happen," Itachi rasped, pushing himself up. "I can't let it …" His face was slowly growing paler, and his hand scrambled to hold against the ground.

"Can you walk?" She asked sharply.

"Yes," he replied. He stood up, still stumbling with the numbness of his body. "I know … what this is. It will last … only an hour," he looked at Sasuke.

Somehow, that look contained no anger. Only questioning.

"Then take Sasuke and go," she instructed. "Consider your mission for them failed. Right now, protect your brother. Take him away from the village, just for a little while. To Kusa."

Itachi nodded, but he knew that he wouldn't leave the village.

Sasuke frowned. "I'm going to visit oba-san in Kusa? Right now?" He shrugged. "Well, I suppose it's ok. You did say she had a cat."