A/N: A special thank you to all my lovely reviewers: Jao Jao, Charming Essence, alquiem, luvhinata, Lecs, MinaMina, NaviTheGoddess, Shippooliver and AN1M3STAR.

I was so tickled to have received so many reviews for my last chapter. Thank you again so much everyone for your comments!

I've been giving considerable thought to the pairings that I'll be using for this story. I've mapped out the plot for the rest of the Treaty and also a short sequel which I'll most likely title The Endgame. Using the ItaHina and SasuTema pairings will work better with some of the exciting plot twists that I've thought up. After I finish The Treaty and The Endgame and if I'm still motivated, I might do a quick alternate ending to The Treaty that will be SasuHina. I have an idea of where the plots could splinter off into the two separate pairings, but I'm not sure how much work it would entail. :-/

I'd also like to give a shout out to my lovely Beta, Lecs, and also wolfpirate13 who Beta-ed the prologue for me! They were so lovely to track down my spelling errors and give me input about the characters and the story flow. I've reposted the previous chapters with their revisions taken into account.

Chapter Six

The Shisui and Itachi Special

a.k.a "No, I'm pretty sure that it's called The Itachi and Shisui Special."

The three ANBU members stood at attention in Jiraiya's office: a beaver, a panther and a fox. The Hokage had his hands folded over the scrolls that the ANBU had returned from the Fire Shrine. Tsunade also stood in the room, hands resting on the back of the Hokage's chair as she leaned forward enraptured by the ANBU's account of their mission.

"I was skeptical at first when I read the scroll assigning this to an ANBU team. I thought it deserved a much lower rank." Jiraiya said half to himself. "Akatsuki; Kakuzu from the Village Hidden in the Waterfall and Mizore Shinku, the Bane of the Village Hidden in the Frost. Your team did well in defending yourselves against them. It's shocking that the one named Kakuzu killed his partner and…"

"…took Shinku's still beating heart out of his chest and incorporated it into his own body," finished Naruto. "Yeah, it was shocking for us too."

"Kakuzu and Mizore Shinku," interrupted Tsunade. "Do we know anything about them, Jiraiya?"

Jiraiya shook his head. "Mizore Shinku is a recent addition to the bingo books. He must be a recent addition to the Akatsuki as well. He's from the Village Hidden in the Frost. His name is fitting, it means crimson sleet. He was implicated in the assassination of their feudal lord."

"He did seem like he was new to the whole missing nin thing," said Yamato in agreement. "He would have spilled even more of the Akatsuki's secrets if his partner hadn't killed him. Apparently they wanted to capture Naruto for a man named Lord Pain. Kakuzu mentioned their leader, so Kakuzu is more than likely not the one in charge; or perhaps that's what he wanted us to believe. He did kill his comrade after saying that the leader wouldn't like it, so he's influential enough in the group to be allowed that sort of freedom. Shinku said that each member had a quota to fulfill and Kakuzu had already reached his when he captured the seven tails. He also told us that he wished to prove himself to Rain ninjas. Perhaps another team of Akatsuki members are rain ninjas or perhaps the Hidden Rain Village is a financial backer for the organization."

Jiraiya nodded approvingly. "He did reveal to us a lot of information. I can see why his partner silenced him."

"What about this Kakuzu character? He was very strong and appeared invincible. It seems that he captures other ninja's hearts so that he can use their jutsu. He used a number of high level jutsu from different elemental affinities. That should be impossible," said Sasuke.

"I have heard of a Kakuzu before," said Tsunade. "But it couldn't be the same man. That would be impossible."

"I haven't seen him in any bingo books," added Jiraiya. "Where have you heard of him, Tsunade?"

"My grandfather spoke of him once. When he reigned as the first Hokage, he and his ANBU fought off an assassination attempt from an elite ninja from the Village Hidden in the Waterfall. He was around my grandfather's age and was very skilled. He killed four ANBU, but was bested by Hashirama. After my grandfather defeated him, he asked the man his name. It was Kakuzu. Kakuzu's abilities were similar then; he could use those cords like you described and had powerful earth style jutsu, but my grandfather never mentioned him using other affinities or anything about masks."

"Wait, a second," said Naruto. "So if he's the same age as the First Hokage that would make him…"

"Over one hundred years old."

"That should be impossible," said Yamato.

"I guess that's why I haven't seen him in any recent bingo books. His name must have been crossed out years ago. People assume that he's dead."

"Maybe he's a zombie," volunteered Yamato.

"That should be impossible," Sasuke countered.

Tsunade cleared her throat. "My great uncle actually developed a jutsu to raise the dead. It's a forbidden jutsu, but it does exist."

"Don't say shit like that to me!" said Naruto. "Do you want to give me a heart attack, granny?"

"Perhaps these hearts not only supplement his jutsu, but also prolong his lifespan," said Yamato.

"It's a distinct possibility," said Tsunade, brushing off Naruto's comment.

"Hm," Jiraiya pondered. "With those two attacks by the Akatsuki, first on Itachi's ANBU team and then on Kakashi's ANBU team, Naruto, you're going to have to be more careful. It seems like the Akatsuki is adamant about capturing you. After Sasori and Orochimaru failed to get into Konoha and were grievously wounded, I'm surprised that the Akatsuki leader would send another team in so soon. They've been unusually aggressive."

"Itachi?" gasped Sasuke worriedly. "What happened to my brother?"

"Orochimaru attacked Itachi's squad because he desired to use your brother as his next reincarnation," Jiraiya answered.

"His what?" wondered Sasuke.

"We'll explore this further," announced Jiraiya, not wanting to go to the trouble of elaborating on the subject. "Thank you, Sasuke, you can go. I want to speak with Naruto and Yamato in private."

"Go to the hospital to get that shoulder checked out," Tsunade recommended.

"It seems that your sensei has a strange habit of just collapsing randomly after his missions are done," remarked Hinata as she swept into the room, leafing through a medical chart.

"Jeez, Kakashi," muttered Sasuke amusedly. "I feel like I spend so much of my time after missions taking you to the hospital. You shouldn't overuse your Sharingan so much."

"It's not a good habit to fall into, no," quipped Hinata. "So where are Naruto and Yamato? Will they be coming over soon too?"

Sasuke picked at some of the dried blood underneath his nails. "Jiraiya wanted to talk with them about some jinchuriki stuff. They should be over soon." He leaned back in his chair to regard her. "Sakura said that it was just chakra exhaustion. He should be fine after a day of rest. Come to see me?"

Hinata flipped through the pages of the report with a sigh when she noticed the name of the attending physician. "Not exactly. Tsunade wanted me to do a consultation."

"Consultation?" Sasuke wondered. "That can't be good."

Hinata flipped Kakashi's medical file shut, turning to Sasuke. "Just standard operating procedure now for Mangekyo Sharingan usage."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Mangekyo Sharingan? There can't be that many shinobi using that with any regularity. Just Kakashi really and... my brother."

"Right."

"Who... you treated a couple days ago."

"Right."

"Hm," Sasuke muttered to himself.

"What's with the… dramatic pauses? Is something wrong?" wondered Hinata.

Sasuke pursed his lips. "Not exactly," he said. He turned to her. "When do you get off work today? Would you be up for some training afterwards?"

Hinata pulled a hand through her dark hair. "The Hyuga clan has two noblemen visiting from Kenkaji this week so I'm required to be back at the compound for dinner with them, so tonight's not good. I'll also probably have a big surgery this afternoon, so I'll be low on chakra. I don't start my shift tomorrow until 4pm though; do you want to do lunch and then train afterwards?"

"Probably have a big surgery? You don't know yet?" Sasuke wondered.

"We've called in a specialist for an unusual procedure. I just need to get it all cleared with Tsunade and the patient."

Sasuke looked at Kakashi curiously. "Okay, tomorrow's fine."

"Are you sure nothing's wrong? You're acting kinda weird."

"Everything's fine," Sasuke said.

"Okay," Hinata said, putting down the medical chart on the table next to them. She picked at the long white sleeves of her medical coat. "You know that you can talk to me if anything's wrong. I heard that you were attacked on your mission by the Akatsuki. Did something happen?"

Sasuke silently cursed her ability to read him so well. He stared at the wall across from him. The words of the treaty had been violently etched into his mind. She was engaged to be married to his brother – how was no one freaking out about this? Did she even know about it?

She walked over to him and put a hand on his cheek, running the other through his hair soothingly. "You look pale..."

He reached out and grabbed her around the waist, hanging on tightly. He buried his head in her chest, breathing in her clean, lavender scent. Confused by his sudden action, she regarded the back of his head with worried eyes.

There was a shuffling of footsteps in the doorway. Pale eyes met with green as a familiar figure paused in the door's opening to glare at her. Hinata had explained many times to Sakura that she and Sasuke weren't dating, but the pink-haired kunoichi still held a grudge.

"Hi, Sakura," said Hinata quietly.

"Hi, Sasuke," said the girl, acknowledging the Uchiha first before eyeing the Hyuga. "What are you doing here, Hinata?"

After Sasuke reluctantly released her from his hold, Hinata handed the pink-haired kunoichi the medical chart. "Lady Tsunade asked for a consult. I'm here to conduct an eye exam to ensure that there were no complications from his Sharingan overuse."

Sakura snatched the medical chart away from Hinata perhaps a bit more violently than was necessary. "I'm Kakashi's attending physician. I wasn't informed of this."

Hinata unconsciously took a step away from Sakura. "It's a new policy."

Sakura shifted her weight to her left leg and put a hand on her hip. "I'm more than capable to conduct an eye exam, Hinata. I think you should leave."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

Hinata took a deep breath and tried to keep herself from rolling her eyes. "The Byakugan is necessary for this procedure."

"And what is this procedure? I have never heard of anyone ever having complications besides chakra exhaustion from Sharingan overuse."

"It's classified information," said Hinata crossing her arms over her chest.

"Classified!" Sakura said, her voice climbing into higher registers in her rage. "I-"

Sasuke leaned back in his chair with his arms crossed over his chest. "The Sharingan is an Uchiha clan secret. The clan closely guards any knowledge of our dojutsu. You probably don't have the clearance or the authority to know more about the procedure or the diagnosis."

"And she does?" Sakura screeched, pointing at Hinata. "She's a Hyuga, not an Uchiha! Even a civilian born kunoichi like me can tell the difference."

"Sakura," began Hinata, as she noticed the machine behind her beeping. "You need to calm down or leave. You're making Kakashi's blood pressure spike."

Sakura advanced on Hinata. "I refuse to leave until you tell me what this procedure is. Kakashi's my patient. I'm entitled to know of the risks involved so I can advise him about whether or not he should take this treatment."

"Tsunade and I will be advising Kakashi about this procedure."

"You would just love that, wouldn't you!" growled Sakura grabbing Hinata's arm. "Well I'm -"

Feeling the killer intent emanating from his teammate, Sasuke decided that it was about time to intervene. "Just calm down and do what she says, Sakura." Sasuke stood from his chair and forcibly pulled Sakura's hand from Hinata's arm. "It's not because she's a member of the Hyuga clan that she has the clearance for this. It's because she's been developing new medical dojutsu techniques with Tsunade. What have you been doing?"

Sakura pulled back her hand from him like she had been struck. She looked at Sasuke with an unreadable emotion in her eyes. It was part longing and part loathing. It seemed that all the commotion had woken their patient. "Icha Icha," came the weak voice of the Copy ninja from his bed.

Senju Tsunade glanced up at the viewing gallery where her other apprentice Haruno Sakura was clutching the railing in a death grip and grinding her teeth as she watched Hinata and Tsunade prepare Kakashi for the surgery.

"I'm going to administer the anesthesia now, Hinata. Are you ready?"

"Yes, Tsunade-sama," said Hinata, looking up apprehensively at Sakura.. "I'm ready."

Tsunade noticed the girl's gaze towards the gallery and asked, "Is it alright for Sakura to watch? If it's going to disturb your concentration, I can ask her to leave. She wanted to watch and I thought that it would be a useful exercise for her, but if it'll affect the surgery, I'll ask her to leave."

Kakashi cleared his throat from the bed where he was waited for the surgery. His head was secured in a frame to prevent any movement. Staring at the ceiling, he commented, "I'd prefer for my surgeon not to be distracted. Can you ask Sakura to leave?"

"No, that's alright, Tsunade-sama," said Hinata. "You do not need to worry Hatake-san. My concentration will not be affected in any way by Sakura's presence."

Kakashi huffed. "Do what you think is best. I just want to get this over with. You might not need to administer any anesthesia, Tsunade, the thought of the procedure makes me want to pass out in terror."

Tsunade pursed her lips in annoyance. "You would do well not to insult your surgeon right before the surgery. Hinata's an extremely talented medical ninja and dojutsu user. You have no need to worry. So far we have a 100% success rate for this particular procedure."

"Wohoo," said Kakashi dryly.

"Don't worry so much, Kakashi," said Tsunade. "We can stop the surgery now if you're having second thoughts; though once Hinata starts operating, we can't, so let us know now."

Kakashi sighed and said, "I trust you two."

Tsunade administered the local anesthesia as Hinata activated her Byakugan.

The surgery was a success. Once she activated her bloodline and concentrated on the procedure, the world around her and all the stresses of the day faded away to feel of the medical chakra in her hands, the sight of the chakra clots in her patient's chakra vessels and the regular beeping of her patient's vital's monitor.

Hatake Kakashi's condition was not as advanced as Uchiha Itachi's; nonetheless, the clotting in his chakra pathways was concerning. It was good that she and Tsunade had performed the procedure before Kakashi's condition had taken a turn for the worse.

She felt a great deal of pride in herself for another successful surgery. She and Senju Tsunade had developed this technique together over a long course of study and development. It was so amazing to see the end result! She had used a great deal of chakra during the procedure; though, not nearly as much as she had during Uchiha Itachi's. It was good that she and Sasuke had moved their training session to tomorrow afternoon.

As she stepped out of the hospital, with her head bowed in exhaustion, she allowed herself a small smile as she remembered Tsunade putting a hand on her shoulder and saying with a smile, "Very well done, Hinata. I couldn't be more proud of you."

Hinata's heart swelled at her mentor's words. She closed her eyes and let the warmth of the Sannin's words flow over her. She never received these words from her family; she was so starved for anyone's admiration. When her eyes opened, they drifted without her accord towards the viewing gallery where they met the eyes of Tsunade's other apprentice. Fury and resentment were the emotions foremost in the other girl's eyes but there was also envy and insecurity simmering beneath the surface.

Hinata finally allowed herself to reflect on the memories that had been lingering at the back of her mind and taunting her as she prepared for the surgery. There had been bad blood between herself, Ino and Sakura for years. When they were children they had been close - that is, Ino sort of took both of them under her wing. Ino and Sakura had been friends first and then Hinata joined the fold. They had been a girlish Triumvirate for about three years before a boy caused a great schism between them.

At the tender age of eight, Sakura fancied herself in love with Uchiha Sasuke and swore that she could no longer be friends with Ino or Hinata. They were now rivals for the Uchiha boy's affections.

The betrayal affected Hinata and Ino differently. This was the first time that anyone had ever turned their back on Yamanaka Ino. It had been disorienting for the blonde girl. She clung tighter to Hinata through it all; they became even closer friends than they had been before.

Having grown up in the Hyuga Clan, Hinata was used to people turning their backs on her. Her mother had died when she was just a girl, leaving her at the mercy of her stern father and harsh members of the council. Her cousin Neji had written her off after his father was killed in the place of her own. She had dealt with betrayal before and she had dealt with it in more dangerous doses. Sakura's tantrum seemed shallow and unimportant by comparison. Besides, Hinata had been convinced that it was some sort of joke and that Sakura would go back to being her friend soon.

xxx

She saw the pink haired girl walking ahead of her on the street. Hinata ran up ahead while her bodyguard, Hyuga Ko, trailed behind her. He smiled at her proudly. Hinata-sama had gained so much confidence because of her close association with that Yamanaka girl and her friendship with the younger Uchiha boy.

Hinata caught up to Sakura and grabbed her shoulder. "Hi, Sakura. I haven't seen you in a while. Ino and I will be practicing our taijutsu tomorrow morning in training field ten. Want to come too?"

Sakura turned around in surprise. She raised an eyebrow and looked at the Hyuga heiress with a sneer. "I thought that I made it clear to you that I don't want to be friends with you or Ino anymore."

Hinata raised an eyebrow in turn. "Are you sure? That seems silly. I don't understand why you want to fight Ino over Uchiha Sasuke. That's not a good reason to stop being friends with us. Besides, I talked with Sasuke about it. He doesn't like you like that. He told me himself."

Sakura screamed in rage. "I hate you, Hinata! You think you're going to win, but I won't let you!"

"But, Sakura… Sasuke and I are just friends. I'm not…" began Hinata.

Sakura fisted her hands together. Howling like a wounded animal, Sakura let her fist fly at the Hyuga heiress. Hinata was completely taken aback by her former friend's actions that she wasn't able to hold up her hands to defend herself.

"I hope you realize what you're doing, little girl," said Ko, as he shunshined in front of Sakura and grabbed her wrist before she could lay a hand on Hinata. "You were about to harm the heiress of the Hyuga clan in the middle of Konoha." He tossed aside her wrist more roughly than was necessary. "If I ever see you trying to harm Hinata-sama ever again, you and your family will sorely regret it."

Frightened by the bodyguard's words, Sakura ran away without offering so much as an apology. Ko didn't notice the murderous glance that Sakura sent Hinata on her way back to her house.

Putting a kind hand on Hinata shoulder, Ko counseled, "That girl does not want to be your friend, Hinata. I realize that you are trying to be the better person by reconciling with her, but it would be better if you didn't."

After time passed, it became clear that Sakura didn't want to be her friend again. Hinata's friendship with Sasuke would always be a point of contention between the two former friends. Hinata came to realize that Sakura had truly written her off.

Sakura was an extremely bright girl, so she had excelled at the ninja academy. Sakura always outscored Hinata on her written exams. She liked to check Hinata's test scores over the Hyuga heiress's shoulders and then taunt her about them.

"Why, Hinata, it looks like the heiress to the great Hyuga clan still can't score higher than a measly carpenter's daughter. You should just quit the academy and save yourself and your clan the embarrassment," Sakura taunted.

"Why don't you leave Hinata alone, Sakura," said a voice from behind her. Ino gave Hinata a smile and Sakura a glare. "Hinata only scored a point less than you. Look, she got a ninety percent and you go a ninety-one percent." Holding out her test paper, Ino countered, "I had a perfect paper. Maybe if you spent less time harassing Hinata or dyeing your hair, you would have done the same, Forehead Girl."

"Shut up, Ino pig!"

However, Sakura was no match for Ino, Sasuke or Shino who were always neck and neck for the highest grade at the academy. In the end, Sasuke graduated first with Ino as a close second and Shino as a close third. Hinata fell out somewhere in the middle of the pack.

When genin teams were assigned, Hinata expected to be placed on a team with either Sasuke or Ino. They usually put the three top scorers on separate ninja squads. As the heiress to one of the noble clans, Hinata would be placed in a squad with other members of important ninja clans. Hinata was disappointed to be put on a squad with Shino and Kiba instead of her one of her friends, but in the end it worked out for the best.

"Guess who got put on a team with Sasuke, girls," taunted Sakura. "I guess you'll have to play second fiddle to me now."

Hinata, Ino and Sasuke were all part of the rookie genin squads that entered into the chunin exams in Konoha that year. Hinata had been extremely apprehensive about the exams. Both Hyuga Neji and Haruno Sakura were taking the exams and both were out for her blood.

Hinata's team had intervened to help out Ino's team when the other Konoha rookies were in over their heads with an experienced genin team from the Hidden Sound village. Hinata healed the members of Team Asuma, while Kiba and Shino fought the Sound Ninjas. During the middle of the battle, Sasuke's team had arrived having heard the commotion. Sasuke and Naruto joined Kiba and Shino to thoroughly rout the Oto genin.

Hinata's knowledge of medical ninjutsu was very elementary, but all the same she was able to patch Choji and Shikamaru up pretty well. Throughout the battle, Sakura hovered by Hinata and Team Asuma, too afraid to take part in the battle with the Sound Ninjas and too bitter to help Hinata or Ino. Ino was in much worse shape and in considerable pain. She lay on the ground by her teammates moaning in agony. Hinata was worried that Sakura was going to attack her and Ino, but the presence of Shikamaru and Choji, as injured as they were, seemed to give the pink haired girl pause. Even still, the Haruno girl was holding a kunai loosely in her hands.

"What on earth's wrong with her?" wondered Sakura. "Can't you try to be a little quieter, Ino pig? Do you want to attract more Sound ninja teams?"

"Jeez, what the hell's wrong with you, Sakura?" Shikamaru snapped.

"Ino's inner ear has been badly damaged," Hinata explained. "Something caused her eardrum to burst."

"Shikamaru and Choji didn't complain so much. And to think you call yourself a kunoichi, Ino pig," jeered Sakura.

Shikamaru's voice was terribly icy. Hinata had never heard him so serious. "Ino shielded me and Choji from the worst of that Sound Nin's attack. She's in much worse shape than us. Show some respect, Sakura. You used to be her friend!"

"Shika," Ino cried out in pain.

"I'm here, Ino," said her teammate with considerable distress. "Hinata's going to help you. Everything will be alright."

Hinata wasn't able to repair the eardrum, she only knew how to heal minor cuts and scrapes, but she was able to patch up the worst of Ino's injuries. The Yamanaka heiress eventually fainted from the pain, so Shikamaru and Choji were forced to carry her back to the Tower in order to complete the second portion of the exam.

Teams Kurenai, Asuma and Kakashi had all acquired the correct scrolls, so they all were eligible to enter the preliminary matches. Sasuke defeated his opponent surprisingly quickly, even though his opponent was able to absorb chakra. Hinata had been leaning against the metal banister watching the battle enraptured.

She felt a hand on her shoulder when the battle had been called and the next participants were named. One was a ninja from the Sand Village in the black cat suit who carried a wrapped bundle over his back. She glanced back into the eyes of her sensei.

"Why don't you wash that blood off your hands, Hinata," said her sensei kindly, "while you wait for your name to be called."

Hinata glanced down at her hands. Ino's blood was starting to dry on her palms. She had forgotten about it in her rush to get to the tower, get medical aid for Ino and see the outcome of Sasuke's match.

Wandering out to the stadium's porch to find the women's restroom, Hinata tried to calm her breathing. Would Ino be alright? Which ninja would she be up against in her preliminary match? Kami, let it be anyone but Neji. She was so scared of him.

The women's restroom was not too far away from the entrance to the second floor of the stadium where she had come out of. The place was deserted. Turning the faucet, Hinata let the water flow over her hands. Ino's blood stained the water red as it flowed down the drain. More or less satisfied that her hands were clean, Hinata splashed water on her face.

Was this what being a ninja was like? Having to wash your friend's blood off your hands after you weren't able to save them? If only she had known more medical ninjutsu. Putting her head in her hands, Hinata wept bitterly.

"I might have known that you would be crying in here, Hinata," said a taunting voice from behind her.

"S-Sakura!" gasped Hinata, glancing at the familiar reflection in the mirror. The pink haired kunoichi was leaning against the doorway, blocking the exit.

"You sure are jumpy, Hinata," Sakura taunted. She was smiling at her like a cat that had just trapped a mouse. Sakura had her arms crossed over her chest and a kunai in her right hand, shining threateningly. "I know why. Frankly I don't want to even imagine what will happen to you if you compete. I think it's best if you quit. I would hate for you to…get hurt."

Hinata bristled. "Are you threatening me?"

"Threatening you?" laughed Sakura. She used her kunai to pick at her fingernails. "I'm just…scoping out the competition." Hinata understood the doublemeaning in her words.

"I'm not going to quit," Hinata pronounced firmly. "That's not my ninja way."

"Well then, let's just hope that you don't have an…unfortunate accident," Sakura continued. "It so quiet here with everyone watching Naruto and Kiba's match right now. No one would notice if something happened to you."

"You wouldn't," said Hinata. She clutched at the side of the sink with her hands. "It's against every shinobi rule to hurt a comrade."

Sakura laughed bitterly. "Well it's too bad that I don't come from a shinobi family who would have been able to teach me that."

"Why are you doing this?"

"I would do anything for Sasuke," said Sakura.

Sakura unhitched herself from the doorway and advanced on the other girl. Hinata was saved from having to fight the kunoichi from her own village when Kurenai sensei burst into the bathroom.

"Hinata, here you are! You need to hurry up, your match is next."

Sakura slipped her kunai back into her holster and turned to smile at Kurenai politely.

"Who do I have to fight?" asked Hinata.

"Hyuga Neji."

Sakura's smile was devilish. "Good luck, Hinata."

xxx

A familiar voice stopped her from entertaining further thoughts as she turned to look at the person who called her name; her eyes landing on dark hair and equally dark eyes.

"I… Itachi," she stuttered..

"How are you?" he asked, offering his hand. She had put her midnight black hair up in a loose ponytail that allowed several tendrils to frame her face. She must have just gotten off a long shift because her shoulders were slumped and her eyes were lackluster. "You look exhausted, like you have the weight of the world on your shoulders."

She accepted the hand he offered her. He pulled her close and wrapped an arm comfortably around her shoulders. She sighed happily and leaned her head back into his shoulder. "You would not believe the day I've had."

Itachi breathed in the alluring lavender of her shampoo. "How about I buy you some dango and you can tell me all about it. In my experience, dango can cure anything."

She chuckled and wrapped an arm around his back as he led her towards the dango shop.

"I wanted to thank you again for helping me perfect the water senbon jutsu," said Hinata. "You're a great teacher."

Itachi chuckled. "It's my pleasure. I've had lots of practice teaching jutsu to my teammates. It wasn't any trouble. You're a fast learner."

"I don't suppose we could train together again?" asked Hinata, looking up at him winningly.

Itachi glanced down into her pearlescent eyes. "I don't have any missions scheduled, so I should be in the village for the next couple days."

"If it'll be too much trouble, you don't..."

"It wouldn't be any trouble at all. What did you have in mind?"

She rested her dark head on his shoulder. "I've gotten out of practice with my genjutsu. My genin sensei Yuhi Kurenai taught me several while I was studying to be a Tokubetsu Jonin. I was hoping that you could give me advice on them… I know that you are particularly skilled with genjutsu. Maybe not tomorrow, but the next day? In the afternoon."

"Let's plan on that. I'll let you know if any missions come up in the meantime." When the girl beside him failed to respond, Itachi looked at her curiously. "Something's upsetting you, I can tell. Would you like to talk about it?"

Hinata sighed. "I don't want to bother you with my problems..."

"I don't mind," answered Itachi. "Please, bother away."

Hinata chuckled before diving into her story. "I'll be meeting two noblemen from Kenkaji for dinner that the Hyuga clan is entertaining. I'm not looking forward to it at all."

"From the town of Kenkaji?" asked Itachi. "They wouldn't happen to be Hato Kaba and Okami?"

"You know them?" asked Hinata in shock.

Itachi brushed his hands away from his face. "I know of them."

Hinata looked haunted for a moment. "They are here on business with my father and the council of elders… I fear that things other than silk are being sold."

Hato Okami. Itachi had heard the name before. As the Head of the Uchiha clan and a high ranking member of Konoha's shinobi leadership, Itachi was well aware of the man who would become the next daimyo. He was not personally acquainted with the man, but he knew of his reputation.

The man's father, Hato Kaba, had made a name for himself selling silk. He was descended from the nobility of a land that was a vassal to Fire Country. He had made a very advantageous marriage for himself by wedding the eldest daughter of the previous daimyo.

Hato Kaba had taken advantage of the daimyo's contacts at home and abroad to expand his client base tremendously. Every feudal lord and all of the nobles from their vassal countries were loyal customers of the Hato Silk Company. Movie stars and important businessmen and woman would only buy their silk from the Hato Silk Company. Every silk gown and kimono on the runways of Crescent Moon Country was made of Hato Silk. The wealth of the Hato family was almost too vast to contemplate.

When the Fire Daimyo's wife found out that she could have no more children after her daughter was born, the feudal lord's throne also came within the grasp of the Hato family. Because the position of Feudal Lord could only pass down the male line, unless the daimyo's daughter had a male child before her father died, Hato Okami would become the next feudal lord of Fire Country.

Indeed this would be a very advantageous marriage for the Hyuga clan; their financial and political power would increase dramatically. But Hinata married to this Hato Okami? Something in his chest tightened uncomfortably at the thought.

"I'm sorry to hear that," said Itachi. He looked at her curiously. "If you require my help in any of this, you only need to ask."

Hinata blinked rapidly, trying to keep the tears of frustration of dripping down her face. "You're very kind to offer. I cannot tell you what it means to me. However, these are Hyuga clan affairs. My clan would be very displeased if I dragged the Uchiha clan into their private matters."

"I'm sorry if I caused offense," said Itachi quickly. "I have no intention of interfering with your clan's business; it is not my place. I offer my help not as the Head of the Uchiha clan, but as a friend. To do otherwise would no doubt be offensive to both our clan's honor and reputation."

Hinata looked at him curiously. "You're better at these clan politics than I am."

Itachi chuckled wryly, "I've only had more practice. I've been the head of the Uchiha clan for five years now."

Hinata sighed discontentedly. "I've been the heiress of the Hyuga clan for nearly eighteen. I should be better."

"So how are things at the hospital?" Itachi asked as a way of changing the subject. When Hinata's expression didn't brighten at the mention of her work, Itachi felt contrite. "Difficult day? I'm sorry for bringing it up. I can't seem to say anything right today."

Hinata chuckled a bit. "Things at the hospital were stressful today, but you don't need to apologize for bringing it up. I don't mind speaking about it. I had to perform an exhausting surgery today and the presence of a certain kunoichi watching me like a hawk while I was doing it didn't help matters. She was from the same class at the academy as I was and we both began studying medical ninjutsu around the same time. I've never done her any harm, but she just seems to hate me so much. I feel so guilty around her, but I'm not sure why."

Itachi pondered this thought for a moment. He had a feeling that he knew who she was speaking of. One of Sasuke's teammates was a girl named Sakura Haruno. She was a talented kunoichi to be sure; however, she was a first generation kunoichi from a civilian family. Being from a civilian family could be a tremendous detriment to an aspiring ninja. It was a sad fact of life, but it could be very difficult to be taken seriously and receive private training without any clan affiliations.

Sakura had studied medical ninjutsu under Senju Tsunade and her jonin sensei had been Hatake Kakashi, so in that respect she was more fortunate than many other first generation ninja. However, she had never been her teachers' sole focus.

Kakashi had also trained Itachi's brother, a prodigy from the Uchiha clan and the cousin to Uchiha Obito, Kakashi's best friend who had died tragically on a mission. Kakashi's third student had been Uzumaki Naruto, the jinchuriki of the nine-tailed fox and the only son of Namikaze Minato, Kakashi's beloved sensei. How could a kunoichi from a civilian clan hope to compete for her sensei's attention when her other teammates were shinobi like Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto?

Sakura's other teacher was Senju Tsunade, the legendary kunoichi of Konoha's Sannin. Tsunade was the most talented medical ninja in the entirety of the shinobi world. It was a coup that Sakura could even have a woman like that as her teacher.

Tsunade had left Konoha many years before. However, after the death of the Third Hokage at the hands of Orochimaru and Sasori of the Red Sand, Tsunade had returned to Konoha with Jiraya, the third member of the legendary Sannin.

Jiraiya had been asked by the council to become the Fifth Hokage and he politely declined in favor of Tsunade. She seemed a shoe-in for the position, even though she found it odious. She was a Sannin and she was the granddaughter of one Hokage, the grandniece of another and a student of a third. It was almost as if it had been written in the stars. However, one member of the council was against Tsunade's appointment. Uchiha Kagami had been appointed to the Konoha council of elders after the near disaster that was the Uchiha coup d'etat.

Things had gotten much better within the Uchiha clan after the death of Uchiha Fugaku and the appointment of his son Uchiha Itachi as the new Head of the Uchiha clan. However, several members of the clan were still radicals and resented the control that the Senju clan held over the village. Appointing another Senju as Hokage, could reignite the fire keg that was the Uchiha clan. Kagami recommended that they appoint Jiraiya instead.

Nonetheless, Jiraiya and Uzumaki Naruto sought out Tsunade and returned her to Konoha. During the journey, Uzumaki Naruto had changed something within Tsunade. She agreed to return to Konoha, whether as Hokage or not. In the end, Jiraiya finally accepted the position of Hokage and Tsunade stayed in Konoha as the Hokage's assistant and the Head of the Hospital.

Tsunade, a descendent of Uzumaki Mito, had begun training Naruto in several Uzumaki ninjutsus and seals that she had learned from her grandmother. Naruto's indomitable spirit reminded her so much of her younger brother and her dead fiancé, so Naruto would always be her favorite student.

When Tsunade returned to Konoha, she also took on two other apprentices. The last of the Senju offered to teach the heiress of the Hyuga clan and a civilian couple's daughter in medical ninjutsu. Tsunade had been instantly impressed with Hinata's maturity and gentle manner. Hinata had astonishing chakra control and an impressive command of the Byakugan. The girl was extremely bright; though, perhaps not as bright as her other student Sakura. Where Sakura was all book smarts and impressive chakra control, Hinata was all intuition and imagination.

Sakura would perform all of the techniques that Tsunade taught her flawlessly; however, Hinata would take the techniques and modify them to include the use of her Byakugan. A medical ninja that could see inside a patient's body even to the microscopic level of a person's chakra network was an extremely impressive thing. Hinata was able to prove diagnoses and implement medical procedures that Tsunade had only been able to theorize. Itachi had seen it firsthand! How could a kunoichi from a civilian clan hope to compete for her sensei's attention when her master's other apprentices were kunoichi like Hyuga Hinata?

Itachi finally spoke. "I think I know who you're speaking about. I haven't had too many dealings with Haruno Sakura, my brother knows her much better. However, if I was to theorize, I would say that it's most likely jealousy that's tainting any possible friendship with her. You have everything that she wants: a clan and the attention of Tsunade."

Hinata leaned against him with a sigh. "Jealousy. It's so strange to think that someone could be jealous of me. I'm not anything that special."

Itachi chuckled and squeezed her shoulder. "I wouldn't say that. Your skill in medical ninjutsu has certainly impressed me. You engineered a medical miracle that's changed the course of my life," he said matter-of-factly. "You're a remarkable woman, Hyuga Hinata."

Hinata stuttered, "T-thank you." To receive praise like that from the legendary Uchiha Itachi! It was almost too much for the Hyuga heiress to take in.

"It's the truth," Itachi shrugged. "Try not to let her jealousy bother you."

Looking down at her feet, she said, "I'm probably being foolish by dwelling too much on this. I pity her sometimes, but that only makes me feel like the villain. It almost feels like a crueler thing for me to do to do than anything else. I have so much more than she does; it hardly seems fair."

Itachi's gaze was intense as he said, "You have a kind and loving heart and I have no doubt that it's an uncomfortable situation to be in for you – being the source of that hate. There is no other personality trait more insidious than jealousy. It turns a person into something ugly and causes them to do things they later regret. I'm sure that you have never done the girl any harm; it's your very existence that burns her."

Hinata sighed. "You have a gift for voicing my innermost thoughts and opinions so eloquently."

Itachi quirked a half-smile. "I haven't learned how to read minds yet. It seems that we have similar values and modus operandi."

Hinata nodded. "It's so strange. You seem to understand me so well."

"It's true what they say: great minds think alike," Itachi joked.

Hinata chuckled. "And what sort of advice would your great mind give mine?"

Itachi's mock-serious suggestion was surprisingly good counsel. "The best thing for you to do would be to keep living life as you are – you have done nothing wrong. But it would probably be best if you tried to avoid too much contact with her. It can't be pleasant for either of you, I'm sure."

"A surprisingly thoughtful suggestion, Uchiha-san. Thank you," Hinata teased.

"Anytime, Hyuga-san. That's me, Uchiha-surprisingly-thoughtful-Itachi"

From behind the pair, a man's eyes followed their progress with interest. Uchiha Shisui was surprised to see Itachi walking through town arm-in-arm with Hyuga Hinata with such familiarly. He followed them into the dango shop. Itachi would probably hate him for intruding on what looked like a date but intruding on Itachi was one of Shisui's favorite hobbies. The Uchiha clan head was most likely think of some disturbingly creative way to get back at him, but it would be worth it.

Walking up to the booth they were sitting at, he smiled. "Hey Itachi, do you mind if I join you?"

Itachi's expression was not at all welcoming. Unfortunately, Hinata didn't seem to notice. She stood up from where she was sitting across from Itachi and offered Shisui her hand with a bright smile. "You're Uchiha Shisui, right? I'm Hyuga Hinata. My younger sister's in your genin cell."

Shisui grinned at her. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Hinata. Your sister Hanabi is quite a talented genin."

"Why don't you join us," Hinata invited. "Hanabi speaks so highly of her jonin sensei."

Hinata slid into Itachi's side of the booth and Shisui sat across from them. Itachi couldn't help but smile as Hinata beamed at him. She was really too much.

"Hanabi was telling me that you recently returned from a B-Rank mission in the Land of Earth. She's working hard to perfect a new jutsu that you taught her."

"Which one's that?" wondered Itachi.

"The Water Bullet techniques. One of your favorites, I believe, 'tachi." Shisui waved their waiter over. "The usual," was all he said. The man winked at him and Itachi and walked away.

"The usual?" Hinata wondered.

"Yep," answered Shisui. "Itachi and I consider this place our second home."

"They even named one of their recipes after us," Itachi agreed.

"The Shisui and Itachi Special," Shisui answered.

"No, I'm pretty sure that it's called The Itachi and Shisui Special," Itachi corrected.

"We could just get a menu and settle it right now," Shisui continued.

Hinata held her right hand over her mouth as she giggled. The Hyuga signet ring glittered on her ring finger. Shisui noticed it immediately. He pointed to her finger. "Do you mind if I…"

"Not at all," Hinata agreed putting out her hand for him.

Shisui examined the ring on her slender finger. "Hanabi has one just like it."

"We're joint heiresses to the Hyuga clan," Hinata explained. "So we each have the Hyuga signet ring."

"It's beautiful," Shisui answered.

"Thank you."

Itachi crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back in the booth. "So what about the other genin in your cell, Shisui? Team Shisui is also known as Team Kekkei genkai or Team dojutsu, right?"

Shisui chuckled. "And they said that Hatake Kakashi had a powerhouse team with the Uchiha heir and the Yondaime's son! I've got a Hyuga and two Uchiha. I'm spoiled rotten; though, the three sure are a handful."

"Kosho's Sharingan awakened in your last mission, right?" asked Itachi.

"Yeah. We had been ambushed by several ninjas from the Village Hidden in the Stone. Aoshiso and I got separated from Kosho and Hanabi. Hanabi was using her Jyuken on the enemy, but she was running low on chakra. She was about to be overcome by one of the ninjas when the Sharingan awoke in Kosho and he was able to hold off the ninjas until Aoshiso and I were able to fight our way through to back them up."

Hinata put a hand over her pounding heart. "Thank goodness Hanabi was alright. I didn't realize that she had been in so much danger. She didn't tell me."

"There's no need to worry about Hanabi. She can more than take care of herself. Besides, as her sensei I'm here to look after her. Kosho and Aoshiso are also extremely fond and protective of her."

Hinata was unconvinced. Itachi peered sideways at her and remarked to Shisui, "But you see it's the right of the older sibling to worry about the younger sibling. I know that Sasuke is extremely talented and can more than take care of himself, but that doesn't stop me from worrying and being protective of him."

Hinata glanced at Itachi. It was really amazing how much they had in common. He seemed to empathize with her every care so unconsciously. She hadn't really thought about it before, but it wasn't surprising. They both came from the ruling families of noble clans. Itachi understood the pressures associated with being the heir better than any of her other friends could. Ino did her best to be understanding and Sasuke tried of course, but Ino was the heiress to a vassal clan and Sasuke wasn't likely to become the clan head, so they could understand her concerns as Itachi might. He also understood what it meant to be an older sibling like none of her other friends could who were youngest or only children. Were really none of her friends the eldest? Ino, Shikamaru, Choji, Naruto, Shino, Neji, Rock Lee and TenTen were all only children. Kiba and Sasuke were the youngest. In recent years, Neji had taken on the role of her unofficial big brother; however, with Main House and Branch House differences, it wasn't quite the same as it was with her and Hanabi or as she imagined with Itachi and Sasuke. The similarities between her and the older Uchiha brother were really astonishing.

She turned back to Shisui who was staring at her. His stare was intense, like he was looking through her and into the deepest recesses of her soul. Itachi and Sasuke sometimes had that look too. Maybe it was a trait of the Uchiha clan; though, she sometimes saw her father and Neji with that look also.

The waiter walked up their table with a plate of dango. There was more than enough for the three of them. "Thank you," said Hinata pleasantly.

"Hyuga-san, Itachi-san, Shisui-san," said the waiter with a polite nod before leaving the table.

"Try one, Hinata," said Itachi, talking a skewer from the plate with three dango on it.

Hinata picked up a skewer as well and tried one. She licked her lips. They were delicious.

She rested her head in one hand. "It seems so strange to me that the Uchiha clan has to awaken their kekkei genkai. Members of the Hyuga clan are born with their Byakugan; though, it takes intense training to fully learn how to utilize it properly."

"It's the same with the Sharingan. After it's awakened, it still requires intense training to use it fully," said Shisui around his dango.

"But it can only be awakened under intense stress or emotion," said Hinata. "It's quite a burden to bear for the Uchiha clan. Only with great stress can you awaken your greatest weapon."

Itachi and Shisui turned to stare at her curiously. Her pale crystal eyes held such empathy in them. She glanced up at them and hesitated before asking a question, "I hope you don't think I'm being impertinent or prying into your clan's secrets. But there's something I've been dying to know. Can you tell me about the Mangekyo Sharingan?"

"How do you know about that?" Shisui wondered, putting down his skewer.

Hinata glanced at Itachi awkwardly. Itachi said, "Hinata treated me at the hospital last week for complications from overuse of the Mangekyo Sharingan."

Shisui frowned in confusion. He turned to Hinata and answered her question. "Well, not many people in the Uchiha clan are able to awaken it.I think in our entire history you'd only need one hand to count the number of clansmen who were able to awaken it. It's the most powerful weapon that an Uchiha can possess; however, it comes at a terrible price."

She leaned in eagerly, complete enthralled by his words. "What price?"

"Pain and suffering. The Mangekyō Sharingan is acquired through witnessing the death of the person closest to you. You need to feel the pain and devastation of this loss. You need to suffer before you can awaken this powerful weapon. Not only that, excessive use of the Mangekyō Sharingan has a deteriorative effect on the welder's eyesight."

Hinata stared at him in shocked silence for a good minute before she said quietly, "It sounds more like a curse than a blessing for the Uchiha clan."

"A curse to our enemies," countered Itachi.

Hinata smiled sadly at Itachi. "That too." Turning to Shisui she asked, "You said that you can count on one hand the clansmen who awakened this power. Who are they?"

"One of them technically isn't in the Uchiha clan," Itachi began.

"It wouldn't happen to be Hatake Kakashi, would it?" wondered Hinata.

"Clever girl," answered Shisui. "The first people of the Uchiha clan to awaken this power were Uchiha Madara and his brother Izuna. They wished to expedite the process, so they murdered their best friends."

"That's…that's…" Hinata stuttered. "That's terrible… and the last one?"

"Yours truly," answered Shisui.

"You? You have the Mangekyo Sharingan? I didn't know that. If you had used it anywhere near Hanabi, she would have noticed. She doesn't do anything anymore but train and tell me about her genin cell."

Shisui chuckled. "I use it sparingly. I don't want to take the risk. I know that if it's used too excessively the wielder will go blind. The only way to procure Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan is to take the eyes of one's sibling."

"Take the eyes?" Hinata looked disturbed.

"Yes," replied Shisui seriously.

Hinata looked at Itachi with horror. He looked hurt under her stare. "You must know that I would never take Sasuke's eyes. I figured after I died, I would offer mine to Sasuke."

Shisui wrinkled his nose at Itachi, though he didn't seem surprised by this revelation. No doubt this was a conversation that the two friends had already. "You do realize how creepy that sounds."

Itachi grumbled.

"Itachi is the master of macabre birthday presents. It would be best if you don't tell him when your birthday is," Shisui teased.

Hinata didn't know how to respond to that, she merely gaped.

"But what you don't know, Shisui," remarked Itachi smugly, "is that Hinata is able to cure the damage that the Mangekyo Sharingan causes to one's eyesight. Mine is almost totally restored."

"What!" gaped Shisui. "How many fingers am I holding up?"

"I wish you would stop doing that. What will people think when they keep seeing you giving me the middle finger?"

"Has she cured you of your idiocy as well?"

"Now that would be a true medical miracle," Itachi quipped. The two friends laughed.

"If that's true, maybe I will start to use the Mangekyo Sharingan more often. My genin cell is becoming so jaded. I would be nice to use another trick up my sleeve to impress them."

"That's kinda pathetic, Shisui. You're willing to risk your heath and eyesight to impressive a couple of genin," teased Itachi.

"Look who's talking Uchiha-I-signed-a-seeing-eye-dog-summoning-contact-Itachi."

"I just go by Uchiha Itachi now."

"Now wait just a minute," started Hinata. "The medical procedure is extremely dangerous and rather invasive."

Shisui raised an eyebrow when he noticed Itachi's lecherous grin. Itachi was thinking about when Hinata had performed the check-up for him at the hospital. "I didn't think it was so bad," Itachi answered.

Hinata blushed crimson and stuttered, "S-Sure, you were awake for the examination, but I had you heavily sedated when I actually performed the procedure…. It's extremely dangerous."

"It can't be too bad," Itachi shrugged.

Hinata's widened her eyes and turned to face him, poking him in the chest with her dango skewer. "Itachi! I had to slice through the microscopic chakra clots behind your eyes. If I missed in the slightest, you could have been….that is….you…you could have been blind or a vegetable or…"

"What?" wondered Itachi. He didn't realize how much skill was required for the operation. He'd have to be more careful about his medical charts. He knew that he had authorized experimental procedures in the off chance that a cure could be found for his illness, but he didn't realize quite how dangerous and experimental the procedures were.

"Are you alright, Itachi? You look really pale," asked Shisui with concern.

"Ugh," was the only reply, his dango skewer forgotten in his distress.

"Are you sure you want to recommend the Mangekyo Sharingan so highly now, 'tachi?" Shisui teased, taking another dango skewer from the plate. "I wonder what the success rate of Hinata's procedure is."

"Well I'm two for two so far," said Hinata. "But I don't want to have to perform the surgery with too much regularity."

"Two for two?" wondered Itachi. "Kakashi's team is back from their mission?"

"Yeah," said Hinata. "They just got back a couple hours ago."

"There you are!" yelled an annoyed voice from the doorway.

Three genin walked up to their table. They were dirty and covered with scratches. The dark haired boy in the center held a struggling cat in his hands as far away from himself as he could. The boy's spiky black hair was standing up in messy spikes and his dark eyes were furious. The cat in the boy's arms was hissing and spitting intensely. The girl with her dark brown hair twisted into a bun at the back of her head stood to the boy's left with her arms crossed over her chest. Her pale Hyuga eyes were icy. On the boy's right, a second boy stood. He looked a great deal like the first. He had the same dark eyes, though his hair was brown rather black and had a wave to it. This third genin was the first one to speak. "Shisui sensei, we've been running around being terrorized by this terrible cat all day and you're sitting here eating dango and chatting up some hot kunoichi! It's not fair! Our talents are being wasted!"

The female genin deadpanned, "That's my sister, Aoshiso."

"Really?" wondered Uchiha Aoshiso. "Can you introduce us?"

Hanabi and the boy holding the cat both rolled their eyes. Apparently this was a common occurrence, their other teammate embarrassing them.

Shisui chuckled at his genin cell and slid further into the bench to make room. "Why don't you three join us, I can order more dango. My treat."

"You're the best, Shisui sensei!" said Aoshiso sliding in next to Shisui.

Hanabi shrugged before sliding in next to her sister. Hinata slid closer to Itachi before giving her little sister a hug. "Rough day, Hanabi?"

"You have no idea, Hina," Hanabi replied heavily.

The third boy didn't move. He still held the cat in his hands. "What am I supposed to do with Tiger here?"

"Right," answered Shisui. He turned to the cat. It stared hissing and struggling anew. However, under Shisui's gaze, it calmed and then fell asleep. "I'm surprised you three didn't think to use a genjutsu on him."

"Wouldn't that be considered animal cruelty?" drawled Kosho.

"Er," wondered Shisui. "Just give me the damned thing."

Kosho slid in next to Aoshiso, handing the sleeping cat to Shisui. Shisui sat the cat on the corner of the table, before peering at Itachi. "Do you think cats are allowed here?"

Itachi smirked. "The owners love us. We could probably get away with murder in this place."

"Hm," Shisui answered. "Well then you can explain the situation to our waiter. He's on his way over."

Hinata giggled. Sure enough, their waiter walked up to the table with an eyebrow raised. Itachi cleared his throat. "I hope you don't mind if we keep this cat on the table. It won't be any trouble."

The waiter had a pained expression on his face. "It's no trouble at all, Itachi-san. Can I get you anything else?"

"Another plate of dango, please," Shisui said.

The waiter nodded and walked away. Shisui turned to Itachi. "You'll have to be sure to give him an especially large tip, Itachi."

Itachi smirked slyly. "I though you said that this was your treat, Shisui."

Shisui grumbled quietly. "I can't believe I just got conned into paying for Itachi and his date."

Aoshino, never one to be shy, took the last dango skewer from the plate and said, "I cannot tell you how humiliating it is going back to D-Rank missions after being away on an exciting B-Rank mission."

"Tell me about it," Hanabi agreed.

Aoshino waved his dango skewer around as he warmed to his argument. "There are bandits terrorizing innocent travelers and S-rank missing-nin running around free and the Hokage has his best team chasing cats. Chasing cats!"

Hanabi quirked an eyebrow before countering, "I don't think Jiraiya would be assigning genin teams to chase after S-Rank missing nins."

"Come on, Hanabi! Team Dojutsu could take out a lousy missing-nin, right, Kosho?"

"Hanabi and I could probably take one out, though I don't know about you, Aoshino. Besides, how could you be in Team Dojutsu when you don't even have a dojutsu," Kosho countered.

"My Sharingan just hasn't awoken yet. When it does, I'll be more than a match for you or anyone!"

"You wish," taunted Kosho.

Hanabi sighed heavily. She had heard this conversation countless times since she had returned from the Land of Earth with her team.

The waiter returned with another plate of dango and placed it in the middle of the table, as far away from the sleeping cat as he was able.

"Do you mind if I come in?" Ino asked.

"Not at all," Shikamaru replied. He quirked an eyebrow. "Do you mind if I leave?"

Ino frowned at him. "I'm sorry for snapping at you at the hospital, but I stand by what I said."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes but let her in. After making ANBU, he decided that it was too troublesome to continue living at home with his troublesome mother and had decided to rent out a small studio in downtown Konoha. His ANBU pay and commissions from jonin missions was more than enough to pay rent and other creature comforts.

Ino followed him inside and immediately moved to the small kitchenette. The studio was small, but comfortable. His bed took up most the space in the main room. It was flush up against the wall to leave space for the lumpy yellow couch against the other wall. The kitchenette was small but had all the necessary appliances. He hated cleaning, so the place usually had clothes all over the floor and piles of dishes in the sink.

Whenever Ino would come over, she would scold him before doing the dishes. She filled up the sink with water and dish soap and began putting plates in to soak. Rummaging around under the sink, she called over her shoulder, "Do you still have that pack of new sponges that I bought last time?"

Shikamaru walked into the kitchen and picked up the towel hanging off the bar on the outside of the oven. Leaning against the oven he said, "They should still be down there."

Running the water and scrubbing the first plate in the sink, Ino said, "So are you feeling better? Drinking plenty of water?"

"Just as the doctor ordered," Shikamaru replied, accepting the first plate that Ino had cleaned.

"I met Hinata for tea yesterday and she was telling me about some trouble that she was having with the Hyuga clan. They're so hard on her. It's nowhere near as stressful being the Yamanaka heir or the Nara heir compared to being the Hyuga heir."

"It's because we're the heirs to vassal clans and Hinata's the heir to a noble clan like Sasuke and Choji and Shino."

"I suppose you're right." She handed him another plate. "She was telling me that the Hyuga clan has been pressuring her into a marriage with a silk baron. Hato Okami from Kenkaji. Can you imagine?"

Shikamaru reached over her shoulder to put away the plate. He stood perhaps a bit closer than was necessary. She shivered when he wrapped his arms around her waist and leaned his chin on her shoulder. "Noble clans have rules that we don't have to worry about." He laid a soft kiss on her neck. "We have more choice about who we're allowed to marry."

"Sh-Shika?"

"Yes?"

"I thought that we agreed we wouldn't do this anymore," Ino said. She dropped the bowl she had been washing back into the sink.

"I didn't agree to anything," Shikamaru said.

He flipped her around and pushed her against the sink. Holding her shoulders in a vice like grip, he pulled her to him and captured her lips in a furious kiss. She tried in vain to push him away, but eventually gave in to the magic of his touch. It was so easy to slip back into the familiar passion. She gripped his arms tightly as she leaned into his embrace, her soapy hands soaking through the fabric of his sleeves.

His hands slid down to grip her hips as he lifted her on top of the counter. Her back hit against the cabinets. When he grabbed one of her legs to wrap it around him, she shifted to do the same with the other. The heels of her sandals dug into his back, but he didn't seem to care in the slightest. She let out a little moan at the feel of one of his hands dancing up her thigh from under her skirt. Logic began to kick in again within her lust filled brain. Kami, that little sneak, thinking he could seduce her like this again.

"Shika," she gasped out. "Stop it. I told you that I didn't want to do this anymore." He pulled away, tugging her lower lip teasingly. An amused smile was on his lips. She slapped away the hand from under her skirt and unwrapped her legs from around his waist. He didn't step away from his position between her legs. "I wanted to talk to you about Hinata. She's really in a bind. We could use your brain for all this."

"And what do I get in return?" his hand smoothed over her hip meaningfully.

"Don't be gross, Shikamaru!" she growled. "I'm not going to pay you in sexual favors!"

Shikamaru laughed loudly. "You're so easy to wind up."

"This is serious, Shikamaru. Will you help?"

Shikamaru shook his head and said, "No. Not going to help."

Ino scowled. "And why not? Because I'm not going to sleep with you? You're repulsive!"

"You're not helping your case," he said. He stepped back from her to lean against the wall.

"You helped me out when I was in the same situation with my arranged marriage to Fu."

Shikamaru crossed his arms over his chest. "Well that was different."

Ino threw up her hands in exasperation. "How is it any different? Hinata's your friend too."

"I don't have any personal stake in this matter. With your arranged marriage, I did."

"What's that supposed to mean?" wondered Ino.

"Kami, Ino, you're so blind."

"I still don't see why you refuse to help. You have no reason not to except for the fact you want to be difficult."

"The reason is that it's not proper for us, the heirs of the Nara and Yamanaka clans to get involved in the affairs of another clan. If the Hyuga clan elders found out, it could put our clans in danger."

"But you and Choji both got involved with my arranged marriage. How is this any different? Yamanaka, Nara and Akimichi or Yamanaka, Nara and Hyuga?"

"It's very different. Our clans owe fealty to the Akimichi clan. The Yamanaka, Nara and Akimichi are tightly entwined, so we can interfere with each other's affairs. It's not the same with the Hyuga clan."

"But-"

"And if the Yamanaka and Nara clans get involved, the Akimichi clan inevitably gets pulled it. We would be pitting two of the noble clans against each other. That would cause internal instability for Konoha or even civil war."

Ino jumped off the counter. "Civil war? Over Hinata's marriage? I was going to ask Kiba, Shino and Sasuke if they wanted to get involved too-"

"Kami, Ino, are you trying to pit all the noble clans against the Hyuga? Inuzuka, Aburame and Uchiha? Are you mad?"

Ino waved her hands in denial. "Not against the Hyuga, I'm just trying to help Hinata get out of a marriage to an odious nobleman she doesn't like."

Shikamaru snorted. "Do you even know who this man is?"

Ino crossed her arms over her chest. "I think he's from the village of Kenkaji? I've never heard of him. The Hyuga are already rich, I don't see why they have to marry Hinata off to some slimy silk baron."

"You're talking about Hato Kaba and Okami. Okami is next in line to be the daimyo. You're going to be pitting the noble clans against each other and the daimyo. Civil war."

Ino was taken aback for a minute. "But how can he be next in line to be the daimyo? The daimyo has a daughter, doesn't he? Wouldn't she be the next daimyo?"

Shikamaru sighed and put a hand over his eyes. "Only a man can be the daimyo. The current daimyo has a daughter, but because she's a woman, so she can't inherit the throne. However, the current daimyo has an older sister. She can't inherit the throne, but her son can. He is the only male descendent of their former daimyo, his grandfather, so he is next in line for the throne. If the current daimyo's daughter has a son before her father dies, her son will inherit the throne. Otherwise the throne will pass through Okami's sons."

Ino's eyes widened, "I didn't realize that. So Hinata's oldest son could be the daimyo if she marries this man?"

"Yes."

"Unless the current daimyo's daughter has a son."

"Yes," repeated Shikamaru. "But the daimyo's daughter is very young. I think she's only ten years old; she won't be eligible to be married for at least eight years. Then she'd need to have a son before her father dies. Theoretically, it's possible that her son might be daimyo. It depends on how long her father lives."

Ino sighed unhappily. "So you won't help Hinata?"

"No."

"And you're going to try to prevent me from getting the others to help me."

"Yes."

"But, Shikamaru-"

"Ino, you shouldn't get involved either. You'll only get yourself in trouble if you do. The Hyuga clan and the daimyo's heir are dangerous people to try to interfere with. Besides, it's none of our business. Hinata's your friend and it's nice that you want to help her out, but this is something that she needs to do alone."

"Fine," muttered Ino, storming out of the apartment.

Walking into the small interrogation room, Inuzuka Hana tossed the file onto the small table in the center of the room. "I'm surprised to see you back so soon," the detective said, sitting down across from Sasuke.

"Your comment last week about the names not adding up got me thinking. What if it was a political assassination?" Sasuke slid the file across the table to flip it open. He was unsurprised to see the same six names.

All of the deceased were involved in the Uchiha-Hyuga marriage treaty in some capacity. Fugaku signed as the Head of the Clan and the other four clansmen were witnesses. Danzo was a witness on the behalf of the Hokage. After the accident the only people aware of the treaty were the Hokage and four members of the Hyuga clan.

The Hokage was dead now too. Sasuke knew that it was his student Orochimaru who had been responsible for that particular assassination. However, it did little to refute the fact that only the members of the Hyuga clan were still aware of the treaty.

"Political assassination?" asked Hana. She glanced at the camera on the wall and stood up. "One second, Sasuke. I think the camera might still be on. I'm going to turn it off."

She closed the door quietly behind her. Sasuke sat back in the chair and mused about the mission he had just gone on. It was strange that the Third Hokage had commissioned that particular mission so many years ago. Did he have an inclination of foul play on the Hyuga side? Why else would he have an ANBU team collect that scroll? It was just chance that Sasuke was assigned to the team and that Sasuke had accidentally opened it, right?

Hana stepped back into the room and sat down across from him. "A political assassination is a pretty serious claim. Do you think another village was conspiring to destroy the leaders of your clan? After the Hyuga incident, the village has been more vigilant. I would be very surprised if that was what happened."

Sasuke leaned forward. "I'm thinking more along the lines of an internal political assassination."

"Internal?" whispered Hana. "You'll have to be extremely careful voicing these thoughts aloud."

"Is that why you turned off the camera?" Sasuke wondered.

Hana glanced at the small window set into the door of the room. "I also locked the door to the room on the other side of the one-way mirror. Can't be too careful."

Sasuke looked at her curiously. "Alright. I'm wondering if another clan in Konoha wanted to kill the leaders of the Uchiha clan. It would be paralyzing to the clan, because the heir was a thirteen year old boy."

Hana nodded. "Though, your brother Itachi probably couldn't be considered a normal thirteen year old boy. He was more skilled than many ninja twice his age. We were in the same class at the academy for a year before he skipped a bunch of grades and then made genin."

"He made chunin at eight, what class were you together in at the academy?" wondered Sasuke.

"Preschool," Hana chuckled. "When we were both four."

"Have you thought about the fact this might have been a political assassination?" wondered Sasuke.

Hana whispered, "That was actually my original theory on the case. If it was an assassination, it wasn't a mission order. The Hokage and his assistant keep us in the loop about those, so we're able to close cases that might be related to shinobi missions. This was either an assassination within the Uchiha clan or an assassination by another clan. I'm not sure why Danzo was there, but he was most likely involved. His presence alone makes everything more suspicious in my eyes."

"I've heard that he was a bit of an unscrupulous bastard."

"He was," said Hana. "If anyone in the village might have been embroiled in a political scandal, it would have been Danzo. He was a power hungry scoundrel who liked to operate within the shadows. This screams Danzo."

"I'll have to research Danzo's involvement more closely," said Sasuke. Looking at the woman curiously, Sasuke asked, "If you believed that it could have been a political assassination, why didn't you pursue it further?"

Hana looked down at her hands. "I spoke with the Hokage about it, but he didn't think that there was any cause for concern. I'm a member of a very small and not very influential clan; it would be too dangerous for me to get involved in something like this. I decided to cut my losses."

"I'm the heir to one of the noble clans. I can probably get away with more snooping. I'll let you know if I find out anything interesting."

"Thanks," said Hana smiling. "Oh, did you have any breakthroughs with your chakra transfer theory? I wonder if that might have been how the assassination was handled. Our sensor was a very talented member of the Hyuga clan, but he might have missed something."

"Or he might have been involved," said Sasuke after a beat. "You said that Sora Hyuga died in a mission soon after. He could have been silenced by the perpetrator of my father's assassination."

"A member of the Hyuga clan? That's a serious accusation. Be careful, Sasuke," she said again.

Sasuke knew that he needed to speak with his brother after getting back from his mission. Itachi's apartment was usually the first place that he went after returning to Konoha – after the Hokage Tower and Hospital of course. However, he and his brother had not parted ways under the most amicable of circumstances.

Sasuke could distinctly remember yelling at his brother and then storming out of the apartment. He might have even kicked over that coffee table, which was a present from Shisui. His brother had an uncanny tendency to know exactly what was going on in all parts of Konoha at any time, so he would know that Sasuke had gotten back from his mission this morning. He would also know that Sasuke hadn't been badly injured and hadn't had a good reason to be avoiding him for so many hours.

Itachi would assume that Sasuke was still upset about the revelation of the Uchiha coup d'etat. It was a legitimate conclusion – Sasuke was still bitter about it. However, he was more upset at his father for not being the upstanding and noble shinobi that Sasuke had always assumed he was than at his brother for telling him the truth of the coup.

The true reason for Sasuke's anger at his brother was the treaty that he had discovered that morning. The rest of the day had passed like a blur: getting his shoulder fixed, wrapping his arms around Hinata at the hospital, Sakura's hissy fit, reading those familiar names again on the police files. But he wished that the memory of that treaty would just blur out of his mind as well. It even mentioned children, Hinata having his brother's children! Something in his chest tightened uncomfortably at the thought.

On her eighteenth birthday, Hyuga Hinata, the heiress of the Hyuga Clan, will be wed to Uchiha Itachi, the heir of the Uchiha Clan.

Her eighteenth birthday was at the end of December. There wasn't much time before the two would be married. But why did no one else seem to know about this treaty? Was it another secret that mother and Itachi were keeping from him or was his clan truly ignorant of it?

The twinkling lights on the metal fence had already been turned on at the Senbei shop. The dinner crowd had already started to gather and the numerous conversations blended together in the soft nighttime air. He noticed that Uchiha Kagami was there that night with his son and grandson. The always hospitable Uchiha Teyaki and Uruchi were standing next to their table to great them. Being an elder of the Uchiha clan and a member of the Konoha small council, the old man always commanded a certain amount of respect.

Kagami looked up at Sasuke as the Uchiha heir walked up to the small door to the left of restaurant which led to the second floor and Itachi's apartment. Kagami nodded his head at Sasuke as a sign of respect. Noticing the motion, Teyaki glanced over in Sasuke's direction. The restaurant owner gave a bright smile and a wave. Sitting next to his father, Uchiha Masaru's eyes were icy and Uchiha Kosho's eyes were curious. Sasuke smiled and waved back.

The staircase seemed shorter than usual as Sasuke walked up to the second floor apartment. His ninja sandals seemed louder than usual as they echoed on the wooden steps. The hall seemed darker than usual as he stood outside his brother's apartment door and braced himself to knock.

The noise of the metal hinge against the small Uchiha insignia on the door echoed through his empty chest as it filled the entranceway. Never before had he felt such a feeling of fear and anxiety when going to his brother's apartment. He felt a small twinge of shame when he thought that it was jealousy that was making him act so strange today. He hoped that Itachi wouldn't be able to sniff out the true reason for Sasuke's distress.

"One second, Sasuke," said his brother from inside. "I'll be right there." The door swung open after a beat and Sasuke faced his brother in the doorway. "Hi," said Itachi after a beat. "Would you like to come in?"

Sasuke felt a twinge of regret at the tense look on his brother's face and the strangely formal way that Itachi invited him in. Before Sasuke could realize what had happened, he blurted out, "I'm sorry for yelling at you and storming out like that before my mission."

A look of relief flashed across his brother's eyes before Itachi gave him a small smile and said, "That's quite alright. I'm sorry for keeping it from you for so long. You had a right to know."

Itachi stepped back from the door to let his brother enter the apartment. Sasuke followed him inside. Walking into the kitchen, Sasuke grabbed a bottle of sake and two cups from his brother's small stash on top of the refrigerator. Leaning against the counter, Itachi watched his younger brother with curious eyes.

The floor plan of Itachi's apartment was very pleasing. Itachi had the whole inside ripped out about a year back and remodeled in a more modern style. It was an open floor plan, so that one could look out into the dining and living room from the kitchen. Itachi faced into the kitchen from his position against the breakfast bar and Sasuke looked out into the rest of the apartment from where he stood near the refrigerator. Itachi's bedroom and office were down a small hallway off the living room.

Sasuke uncapped the bottle and poured two cups. "I've been thinking about what you told me about father's involvement in the coup d'etat. And I've come to believe that what you told me was the truth."

Itachi betrayed no emotion in his eyes as he accepted the cup from Sasuke. "What changed your mind?"

"I reconsidered the things that I knew about father and the things that I had seen when I was a child and I came to realize that what you said could very well be true. I also spoke with Kagami and he confirmed the story."

"Great-uncle Kagami?"

"Yes. I figured he would know about it if he was appointed to the Konoha small council around the same time."

"Right," said Itachi. He tipped back the sake and held his glass out for a top off. Sasuke poured another glass before leaning back against the refrigerator. "So you encountered two Akatsuki members on your mission too?" asked Itachi. "Bad luck."

"Yeah," said Sasuke. "Goes with the territory I suppose, considering that my idiot best friend has a tailed demon sealed inside him."

"Point taken." Itachi chuckled. "Were they very strong?"

"The one named Kakuzu was like something out of a nightmare. The younger one, Mizore Shinku, wasn't too strong. I probably could have taken him down on my own."

Itachi looked at the sake swishing around in his cup before tossing it back. "Jiraiya told me something about that Kakuzu character incorporating additional hearts into his body so that he could use different elemental affinities."

"Terrifying, right?" commented Sasuke.

"Where on earth does the Akatsuki find these people?" wondered Itachi. "Immortal priests sacrificing people to their savage gods, shinobi that look more like sharks than humans, shinobi that steal and use other people's hearts..."

"I guess they need monsters to fight monsters."

"I suppose," said Itachi.

"Just don't tell Naruto that I called him a monster," said Sasuke quickly. "He's got monstrous skills, not a monstrous personality."

Itachi smiled wryly. "It's always good to make the distinction. Many people can't seem to do the same."

"Yeah," said Sasuke. He looked out into Itachi's apartment absently. Noting a huge stack of letters on the coffee table that he had kicked over a couple days ago, Sasuke asked, "What's with all those letters?"

Twisting around to glance into the living room, Itachi said, "Those? Mother dropped off the letters she's received from noblewomen looking to ally themselves with the Uchiha clan through marriage. With the demands that the clan brought up in our last meeting, I thought it couldn't hurt to read through them."

Itachi didn't tell Sasuke the real reason that he had begun reading through the letters. He had told his mother that he would read through them, but he hadn't taken the task seriously. After talking with Hinata about Hato Okami, Itachi had felt a horrible sting of hopeless and wanted to immerse himself in the odious task of wading through the letters from these noblewomen.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Oh really?"

Itachi looked back at the smirk that his brother was trying to hide. "You know about these letters?"

Sasuke couldn't hide his smirk anymore. "I catch mother sitting at the kitchen table with a stack of them sometimes. She's usually drinking a cup of coffee as she reads them and laughing to herself." Sasuke laughed at the sour expression on Itachi's face.

"Maybe not a cup of coffee, but a cup of sake would be nice to get through some of the worse ones."

Sasuke straightened from his position against the refrigerator and walked over to the stack of papers. "So are you sorting them into yes's, maybe's and no's?"

Itachi followed his brother into the living room. "That's the plan. I think I've got something along the lines of zero yes's, one maybe and fifteen no's. Mother also said that I have to write replies to all of them. I feel like she's punishing me or something. This is perhaps the most odious thing I've ever had to do."

Sasuke looked surprised. "You're writing out each response separately?"

Itachi sat down on the couch and looked down at all the letters. "Yeah. Why? Did mother do it differently?"

Sasuke sat next to him and picked up one of the responses that Itachi had written. "You're not good at this stuff are you? Mother uses a form letter and then just changes the name at the top – much easier that way. She writes the form letter and then uses a jutsu to make however many duplicates she needs."

"Why didn't I think of that?"

"Do you need some help reading through these?" wondered Sasuke.

Itachi looked at his brother with relief. "Definitely."

"Then we're definitely going to need more sake," said Sasuke.

"Maybe I'll send a crow to Shisui and tell him to bring over some more sake."

"Tell him it's an emergency."

"Whoa, this one has pictures," yelled Sasuke, holding the letter at arm's length like it had burned him.

"Pictures?" asked Itachi, looking up from the letter he was reading. "That's two shots." He handed Sasuke the sake bottle absently.

"Any good?" wondered Shisui.

"Trust me; you don't want to see them. I wish that I could un-see them."

Itachi raised an eyebrow. "That bad?"

"I don't know why she thought sending you naked pictures of herself would help her case," Sasuke deadpanned.

"Whoa," said Itachi.

"My thoughts exactly." Sasuke brought the letter closer to him and blew a little plume of smoke onto it. He watched the expensive parchment surrender to the flames with some satisfaction. "I think this woman deserves a more personalized response than just our form letter."

"I'm not going to send her any naked pictures of myself, if that's what you're suggesting, Sasuke," his brother quipped. Shisui choked on the sip of sake that he had taken.

"Let's keep this one from mother," said Sasuke.

Itachi smirked as he read another one, "I don't know, I think mother might be amused by the situation."

"Kami, Aunt Mikoto frightens me sometimes," said Shisui.

Itachi glanced over at Sasuke taking his second shot. He smiled evilly, "So how many shots do we have to take when we find naked pictures? Two somehow doesn't seem sufficient."

Shisui gave Sasuke an identical evil grin. "I agree, 'tachi. Two is not enough."

Sasuke looked at the two men with a peeved expression. "Come on guys, haven't I suffered enough?"

"I think four shots would be sufficient," said Itachi.

"Four seems like a good compromise," agreed Shisui.

"You both suck," Sasuke growled, pouring himself another shot.

Shisui opened another letter to peruse its contents. "I haven't seen any letters from any Konoha kunoichi."

Itachi nodded sagely, "I wouldn't be surprised if mother just burns those."

"They're probably would be a lot of naked pictures in those ones," agreed Shisui. Sasuke choked on his fourth shot. "Would the clan find a match with one of them agreeable?" Shisui continued.

Itachi paused in thought.

Sasuke interjected. "If she was from a respectable clan and was a powerful enough ninja, I don't see why not. There aren't too many kunoichi from notable clans who are very strong. She would have to be a Tokubetsu Jonin at the very least. I suppose there's Yamanaka Ino, if you're into blondes."

Shisui couldn't stop his loud laugh. "Yamanaka Ino?"

Sasuke frowned. "What so funny? She's a pretty strong kunoichi. She's been in ANBU for as long as I have."

Itachi chuckled and said, "She's a lovely girl, no doubt; however, Shikamaru would hate me forever if I married her. I couldn't do that to him. Besides, I doubt that the Uchiha clan would be happy with me marrying a kunoichi whose clan is only a vassal to a noble clan. They'd want someone with a more impressive pedigree."

Shisui interrupted his friend. "Ino is hilarious. Her talents as a ninja are very impressive. She was a member of my ANBU team before I took on those brats in my genin cell. She's developed some very interesting jutsu. I was working with her a couple months ago to develop a jutsu that combines my Kotoamatsukami with her Shintenshin no Jutsu."

"The thought of you and Ino Yamanaka doing anything together sort of terrifies me, Shisui," Sasuke said.

"I don't know whether to be flattered or upset by that remark," quipped Shisui, who wiggled his eyebrows. "At least we all know that any collaboration between the two of us would probably be pretty hot."

Itachi gave his friend a strange expression. "You better not let Nara Shikamaru hear you talking about Ino that way. He gave Gemna a black eye when he made a similar comment once."

"Point taken," said Shisui. "Shikamaru's a pretty okay guy, I suppose, so he might be deserving enough."

Itachi nodded sagely. "Shikamaru and the Yamanaka girl complement each other very well, but I don't think I would be happy with a woman that skilled in the kunoichi arts of seduction," countered Itachi.

"A bit of a scary thought," agreed Sasuke.

Shisui's grin was lecherous, "I think that I could be okay with my girl having that sort of skill set."

"Stop creeping out my impressionable younger brother, Shisui," said Itachi.

Sasuke looked peeved.

Changing the subject, Itachi said, "So did you have any Konoha kunoichi in mind, Shisui, when you brought that up the lack of Konoha letters?"

Shisui cleared his throat. "You seemed pretty cozy with Hyuga Hinata today. I wonder if the Hyuga clan would let you two marry."

Itachi raised an eyebrow regally. "Hinata would be a great addition to the Uchiha clan; however, I was recently made aware that her clan is entertaining nobleman from out of town. There is a distinct possibility that the Hyuga clan will enter into a marriage treaty with the Hato family of Kenkaji."

"Where did you hear that from?" wondered Sasuke. "I didn't know that."

"I heard it today from Hyuga Hinata herself," said Itachi.

"Before or after dango?" wondered Shisui.

"Wait, what's this about dango?" asked Sasuke in annoyance.

Shisui cleared his throat and said, "Hinata enjoyed the Shisui and Itachi special today."

"I'm pretty sure that it's called the Itachi and Shisui special," corrected Itachi.

"WHAT!"

"No need to get your panties in a twist, Sasuke," Itachi drawled. "It's the name of a dango dish, not a threesome."

"Though if she was interested in a threesome, I doubt that I could say no," Shisui quipped. "If only she could get her friend Ino involved too."

"Sometimes I hate you two so much," said Sasuke.

"Well now you've hurt my feelings. And to think I might have invited you the next time. We could call it the Shisui and Itachi and Sasuke special," Shisui continued.

"No, I'm still pretty sure that it would be called the Itachi and Shisui and Sasuke special."

"Semantics," shrugged Shisui.

"Please stop," Sasuke whined. "I don't want to hear or think about this. You're just making it so much worse."

"Blushing is three shots, Sasuke" said Shisui. "Drink up, kid."

A/N: Please review!