I do not nor will ever own Naruto

-xXXXx-

"Uchiha Shisui," the Sandaime Hokage began morosely, looking up at the seated teen and his father past steepled fingers. "I have called you here to discuss with you the desertion of Uchiha Itachi."

Shisui stared blankly at the ground ahead of him, seemingly unaware of the conversation he was being included in. It was like his ears had been stuffed with cotton, but at the name mentioned, his felt his pulse jump and twitched.

"Shisui, when did you last see Itachi?" Sarutobi asked, leveling him with a stern, but kind gaze.

Shisui glanced up at him, and Sarutobi thought he saw Shisui's eyes flicker red.

Tamotsu's hand came down hard and tightly on Shisui's shoulder, and the teen quickly looked back down, murmuring an apology as he deactivated his doujutsu before answering:

"Yesterday."

"And what did you talk about?" Sarutobi then asked, warily watching the, for some reason, rather hostile boy.

Shisui lamely shrugged, refusing to lift his gaze. "... Dunno. A lot of things."

"Did anything seem odd about him to you? Did he happen to make any reference to where he was going?"

Shisui looked up at him suspiciously then, frowning. "...Why? Are you sending a retrieval team after him?"

The tension in the room suddenly escalated. Sarutobi was silent. Tamotsu had narrowed his eyes, and Shisui could feel his own worry building up. Then the Hokage sighed deeply, eventually meeting Shisui's eyes.

"Itachi is a member of Anbu. A highly-ranked one, at that. I'm afraid... the normalities don't follow him. He has too much information on the inner workings of the village, and as such will be pursued and terminated by hunter nins."

Shisui's face paled in horror and in less than a second he was on his feet despite his father trying to calm him.

"He hasn't done anything!" Shisui raged. "You can't- he's just trying to-!"

"What?" Sarutobi asked sharply. He waved away the Anbu operatives that had appeared at Shisui's outburst. "What is he trying to do, Shisui?"

Shisui glared at the man, but then Tamotsu forcefully made him sit in his chair. Shisui looked up at his father to object, but was immediately shocked into silence by the warning glower on his face and that his father had actually activated his Sharingan at him.

"Hiruzen, I have sent my nephew on a mission," Tamotsu announced, turning his gaze to the Hokage. Shisui was, again, silenced by the aggressive behavior of his father.

Tamotsu hadn't deactivated his Sharingan. Shisui could feel the Anbu on the edge of his senses, each chakra pulsing in reaction to the blatant challenge issued by the Uchiha Clan head and eager to rectify the situation.

The Hokage looked just as shocked as Shisui at Tamotsu's behavior, but his wide gaze eventually narrowed into a much more dangerous one.

"Uchiha Tamotsu, you do not have the right nor the authority to issue a mission to a Konoha shinobi," Sarutobi's intimidating voice boomed throughout the room. It left Shisui's ears ringing and reminded him exactly who he had been foolishly shouting at.

"Clan Faction Policies on Alien Matters, Clause 17, of Konohagakure's constitution says I very well can," Tamotsu replied smoothly, in a voice that was much quieter but for some reason still had the same effect as the Hokage's. Shisui looked up at his father with wide eyes. What was he playing at?

Sarutobi narrowed his eyes further. "As I have said before, the same rules do not apply to Anbu Operatives."

"If I was allowed to look at the laws governing Anbu, as I should have been when I was named Itachi's guardian, as well as when my own son was inducted into Anbu, I would have known." Tamotsu glared. "Unfortunately, I was denied that right. Both times. As is, I have sent him on an infiltration mission to get close to and eradicate a renegade Uchiha Clan member." Shisui opened his mouth to talk, but Tamotsu dug his fingers almost painfully into Shisui's shoulder as a warning. Shisui shut up.

"And what member would that be?" Sarutobi asked dangerously.

"Uchiha Madara."

The Hokage blinked in outrage for a moment as Shisui's head snapped up to stare at his father. "If you are playing some kind of joke, Tamotsu-"

"I assure you I am not," Tamotsu said quietly, angrily. "I have seen the man myself."

"He is long dead," Sarutobi pressed.

"Many people remember the exploits of a certain Sannin, Hokage-sama, and I am fairly sure you remember it much more clearly than any others," Tamotsu said harshly. "Immortality is not impossible." Shisui felt his heart pound as Tamotsu said the words which were almost the exact same Itachi had said.

Sarutobi grimaced at the older Uchiha. "Fine, then. Saying that this man is, in fact, alive, why have you sent Itachi to kill him?"

"Itachi is the most qualified out of any other clan member," Tamotsu said flatly. "As for why I want to kill Madara..." His grip on Shisui's chair tightened. "He is responsible for planning the Kyuubi attack nine years ago and shifting suspicions onto my clan."

Sarutobi's eyes widened, and Shisui's breath was knocked out of him. How did he...?

The Hokage caught Tamotsu's knowing, challenging gaze, and pressed his lips together as understanding dawned in his eyes. Tamotsu's stare didn't waver.

"Tamotsu," Sarutobi began tensely.

"That is not the issue right here, Sarutobi," Tamotsu interrupted, his voice chilling. "But I will have you know that despite my clan's current indecision on the coup-" he ignored Shisui's horrified whisper of "Dad!" and then utter shock as Tamotsu's eyes slowly morphed into what could only have been...

"Mangekyou," Shisui whispered, eyes wide.

"- if it comes to the point of genocide," Tamotsu snarled, glaring murderously. "I will raze your armies to the ground for my family."

Sarutobi stood slowly in reaction to the open hostility, and Shisui looked between the two in alarm, his breathing heavy and his pulse pounding as the silence went on for minutes. Eventually Tamotsu grimaced, forcing his posture to relax somewhat.

"I personally believe the coup is a ridiculous idea," he said in order to pacify the Hokage. "Forgive me if the talk of killing a boy I think of as my son has put me in a foul mood. I wouldn't kill you. I highly doubt I have the power to, anyways."

Sarutobi slowly narrowed his eyes. "What do you propose we do, then?"

Tamotsu sighed, forcing himself to relax and release his deathgrip on the railings of Shisui's chair. His Mangekyou, a design of three marquise extending out from the iris, faded into the normal Sharingan, then into the original dark color of his eyes.

"I just want to talk," he said honestly, sighing deeply. "My clan council doesn't believe it will work, but..." he shrugged. "There is a reason I am the clan head and they are not. They can get over it."

The Hokage, though he seemed to try to resist it, smirked slightly. "Fugaku didn't think it would work, either."

"My brother had a bunch of old croonies still living in the Second Shinobi War influencing him and no patience," Tamotsu deadpanned. "He wouldn't think sitting down and talking could get you anywhere."

Sarutobi's mouth twitched up more, but then he sobered. "What will you do?"

Tamotsu frowned. "I'd like to continue peace negotiations with you. Alone. I wouldn't dare tell my clan yet, as they would understandably be quite upset."

Sarutobi dipped his head. "Thank you."

"It's not for you," Tamotsu said flatly. "Forgive me, but I don't exactly like you at the moment."

The Hokage frowned. "Understandable," he acknowledged, "But back to the issue at hand."

"Itachi?" Tamotsu asked.

"Yes." The Hokage sighed. "Are you certain this man is Uchiha Madara?"

"It was the same masked man the fourth Hokage fought," Tamotsu said quietly. "I know the Yamanaka clan has a jutsu which can go through the mind of a corpse, depending on how degraded the body's brain is. You should know the masked man I am talking about."

Sarutobi grimaced, no doubt being reminded of the harsh way his wife had been killed. "Yes, I do. We just never had a name."

"Whether he is an Uchiha or not," Tamotsu said, "He is the one who has placed the blame of the Kyuubi attack on my clan. I'm sure you can agree that I was right to send Itachi after him."

Sarutobi stared at Tamotsu for a while, before reluctantly shaking his head, "I can't call back the hunter-nin squad."

"You-!" Shisui began, glaring, but Tamotsu made him sit still.

"But if Itachi is with the man you say he is with, then they could be on the other side of the Earth Country by now. The hunter nins will never catch up." Sarutobi pursed his lips, and both Tamotsu and Shisui knew that the hunter nins would be the test. If Itachi was with the man Tamotsu said he was with, he would be fine. If not... well. "It mustn't be made public, as I'm sure you know, but...I support the mission."

-xXx-

"What the hell was that?" Shisui burst out when they were finally home, after a tense and silent walk from the Hokage tower to their house.

Tamotsu rose an eyebrow at him, kicking off his shoes. "What was what?"

"Wha-?" Shisui began, incredulous and gesturing in the general direction if the tower. "That!"

Tamotsu sighed. "That," he said. "...was politics. Scary, isn't it?"

Shisui sputtered for a moment, pacing and rubbing his hands over his face, before he suddenly stopped and released a large sigh. "...How did you know...?" he asked hesitantly.

Tamotsu watched him for a moment. He released a sigh of his own and looked away. "You and Itachi weren't exactly quiet last night."

Shisui froze, wide eyed. "You were there-?"

"Someone was in the compound who shouldn't have been," Tamotsu explained quietly. "I followed the presence to the house and..." He shrugged weakly. "I overheard you two. The man had disappeared before I could do anything, and I had no idea where he had gone. I stayed after you had gone, trying to decide if I should confront Itachi or not, but before I could decide, he was going somewhere. I followed him. I saw him talking with that masked man, and I heard his decision, and... I agreed." He shook his head sadly.

"So Madara was here?" Shisui asked, disbelieving. "Why didn't Itachi kill him then...?"

"Shisui, you don't understand..." Tamotsu said. "That man... He's strong. Very. I don't think, and maybe Itachi didn't either, that he could have fought him, especially if he were to take into account how close the village was..."

Shisui frowned, his gaze falling to the ground. "Oh..."

Tamotsu watched his son hesitantly, debating whether or not he should speak the next part. "I... followed them to his house. I was hoping I could overhear where they were going. Madara left, said he was waiting for Itachi, and only a few seconds later, you came..."

Shisui paled, feeling his insides twist up. "You saw...?"

Tamotsu shuffled his feet awkwardly, releasing an explosive sigh. "Well, if you mean you eating Itachi's face..."

"Dad!" Shisui burst out, horrified, and he flushed all the way to his chest.

Tamotsu cracked a grin, and reached over to ruffle his son's hair. "Aww, my boy's growing up! Into a person of rather questionable tastes, but hey, at least you aren't a drag-queen!"

"Dad, what the hell!" Shisui cried, knocking his hand away. Tamotsu laughed, dragging him forward into a hug.

"I've seen the effect you have on each other," he said, smiling warmly. Shisui stilled. "How can I not approve of that? You're good together."

"Dad..."

Tamotsu's grip tightened, very conscious of the trembling form in his arms. "I'll make sure he comes home, Shisui. I promise you that."

Shisui inhaled sharply, tears streaming down his face. "Yeah," he whispered, clenching his eyes shut.

-xXx-

"These will be your rooms for now," said Konan, seeming so much colder than the last time he had seen her, motioning to the door ahead of her. Itachi's eyes caught the ring on her right middle finger, so similar to the one now weighing his hand down on his right ring finger. He moved his gaze the the plain door, walking through to an even plainer room.

"Someone will come to get you when your partner gets here," she said flatly behind him, and he didn't turn around to look at her. "I advise you to not leave the city for a few days. Your old village may still be looking for you."

Itachi knew it was more of a command than it was advice, and merely dipped his head in response. She left, shutting the door quietly, and Itachi was left standing without a single idea of what to do.

He went to the wide widow, staring down into the city. It seemed so much more darker than when he saw it with...

He leaned against the glass, tracing the designs of the neon signs into the fog his breathing made on the glass. There were a lot less signs. Where were all the people? What had happened, in the span of nearly five months...? Ame should be prospering, not looking even more dreary.

His hand went to his pocket, feeling the headband he had taken off and the Konoha Leaf etched into the metal. He should have just left it behind. His fingers pressed into the curving grooves, and then glided over the deep cut a few inches away. He hadn't been able to slash his headband. He didn't think he would be able to.

His eyes, darting over the landscape he was shown, closed despondently when he found nothing of what he had been looking for.

A teasing smile. "It appears, even after knowing of your vast vocabulary, "yellow" is just too much for your poor little brain to comprehend..."

There wasn't any yellow in Ame.

-xXXXx-

Aaand that concludes the first part of this story. I don't know if I'll post the next part as a new story or not, though I do not think I will.

You all have been amazing and I love you!