Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
Meetings between Cousins:
Shisui Uchiha stared across from his best friend and cousin, Itachi Uchiha. The teen was nervous, wondering what his cousin wanted to discuss. Judging from the younger teen's expression, he would not like it. He remembered the conversation he'd had with his Aunt Mikoto just a few days ago.
Shisui made his way down the hospital hallway towards his aunt's room. He'd received her message just a few minutes ago, and was now curious about what his aunt needed to discuss with him. His best guess was that it had something to do with his cousin, Itachi. Thinking of his cousin made him wince. Losing Sasuke was affecting Itachi worse than he imaged it would. The worse part was that he had no clue how to help him deal with the loss.
So engrossed in his thoughts that it surprised him to realize he was standing outside his aunt's room. Cautiously, he knocked on the door. He heard a quiet, "Come in," from the other side of the door. Taking that as confirmation, he opened the door. Stepping inside the room, he found himself stunned by the sight before him. Mikoto Uchiha had always been a woman who was put together. Being the wife of the clan head and police chief, it was one of the things expected of her. Today, however, she was anything but. Her long, silky raven hair was disheveled and looked unwashed. Her normally pale complexion looked sickly, and there were dark rings under her eyes. To put it bluntly, she looked like hell.
Shisui smiled at her, trying to hide his shock. "Hello, Aunt Mikoto. I got your message and came as fast as I could. How, how are you holding up?" he asked.
Mikoto smiled at him, but it didn't reach her eyes. "Oh Shisui, thank you for coming. I'm so sorry to bother you like this as I know how busy you are, so I'll get right to the point. I'm worried about Itachi," she said.
A shiver went down Shisui's spine. "So I was right, this is about Itachi," he thought, studying his aunt. "I know. I'm worried about him too. He's not handling losing Sasuke, I am afraid," he said.
Mikoto nodded. "I expected as much. You know better than anyone how close they were. That's actually why I've called you here. Let me ask you a question. What do you know about the Uchiha curse?" she asked.
Shisui blanched. The Uchiha curse was the clan's shame, and most refused to discuss it. So why was Aunt Mikoto bringing it up? Did she think Itachi was going to be its next victim? He prayed to kami no. Looking at his aunt, he realized she was waiting for an answer. "The Uchiha curse. I know it takes effect the moment an Uchiha loses the one they love most," he said.
Mikoto nodded. "Yes, it's true. Most people believe the Uchiha to be a heartless clan, but that is far from the truth. The truth is we love deeply, and losing our most precious person can send us into an unbreakable darkness," she said.
The young Uchiha nodded. "Aunt Mikoto. Do you suspect Itachi is going to fall victim to the curse? Is that why you've called me here?" he asked.
Shisui watched in shock as his aunt's eyes filled with tears. "Yes, I do. Itachi loved Sasuke more than anyone else, and vice versa. I've always known Itachi was a pacifist, even from a young age. However, even the kindest souls have their limits. I believe Itachi's finally reached his breaking point," she said.
Shisui wanted to deny it; that there was no way Itachi would ever fall victim to such a curse, but knew that he couldn't. He had been observing Itachi ever since he'd learned of Sasuke's death, and honestly he was seeing some worrying signs. His cousin had been shutting him out and had been isolating himself ever since Sasuke's death. It was worrying. So instead of defending Itachi as he always did, he nodded in agreement. "I hate to say it, but I'm inclined to agree with you. Itachi's been shutting me out. I've been telling myself he just needs time, but I'm worried that this is more than just grief," he said.
Mikoto sighed. "I thought as much. I can't lose another son, Shisui," she said.
The young Uchiha was tempted to tell her she should have thought of that before planning a coup, but held his tongue. Now was not the time for blame games. "So, what do you suggest I do?" he asked.
Mikoto looked down, unable to look Shisui in the eye. "I don't know, honestly. I was hoping you could talk to him. He always listens to you," she said.
Shisui sighed. "I'll try," he said.
Mikoto smiled sadly. "That's all you can do," she said.
Now here he was, standing across from his cousin without a clue how to broach the subject to him. Itachi looked like himself at first glance, but he could swear there was a dark glint in his eyes that hadn't been there before. "Itachi, how have you been?" he asked.
Itachi waved a hand. "As best as I can be in this type of situation. Tell me Shisui, what would you do if you found out that the person you trusted to do right by you betrayed you?" he asked.
Shisui looked at him, perplexed by his question. "I don't know, honestly. I suppose it would depend on the situation," he said.
Itachi nodded. "I see. I suppose you're right," he said. There was a pregnant pause hanging between them.
Shisui knew he needed to trudge carefully here. He also got the impression that Itachi knew something that he didn't. "What do you mean by that Itachi? Has someone betrayed you?" he asked.
Itachi made a humming noise. "You could say that, but they betrayed Sasuke more than me," he said.
The older Uchiha quirked an eyebrow. "Who, and how so? Are you talking about the clan? Because they honestly never planned on anyone attacking them first," he said.
Itachi scowled at the mention of the clan. "No, the clan is only partially responsible for Sasuke's death, but they are not the ones responsible for betraying him. That award goes to the Third Hokage," he said.
Shisui was stunned. The Hokage had betrayed Sasuke? How did he do that? The Third hadn't caused Sasuke's death, had he? "What do you mean by that Itachi? The Third had nothing to do with Sasuke's death," he said.
Itachi laughed bitterly. "You're right. He didn't cause it, but he is covering it up. The other day, I went to his office, where I overheard an interesting conversation between Danzo and Hiruzen," he said.
To say Shisui was stunned was an understatement. Now he knew for sure something was wrong because the Itachi he knew would never eavesdrop on the Hokage. He was curious, though. What had Itachi heard? "What the hell, Itachi?! You listened in on a private conversation between the Hokage and one of his advisors?" he said.
Itachi shrugged. "I didn't plan on doing so, but then I saw Danzo and I just had to know," he said.
Shisui tilted his head. "Had to know what? Does Danzo have something to do with the attack on the clan?" he asked.
Itachi laughed. "Yes, he has everything to do with it. You see, dear cousin. A few months before the attack, Danzo ordered me to kill the clan," he said.
A horrified expression made its way to Shisui's face. He hadn't been aware of that. Yes, he knew the clan was planning a coup, but he was hoping they could come to a peaceful agreement. "Damn you Danzo, acting like the Hokage when you don't have that power," he thought. He glanced thoughtfully at Itachi. "What did you tell him?" he asked.
Itachi snorted. "What do you think I told him? I told him no! He doesn't have the authority to order me around. So he attacked Sasuke to get back at me!" he said, his hands waving in the air.
Shisui winced. To be honest, he wasn't surprised at all to learn that Danzo was involved in this. What he was confused about was how Lord Third was at fault. It also didn't escape his notice that Itachi wasn't addressing him as Hokage-sama but as Hiruzen, showing a loss of respect. "Okay, I believe you about Danzo. Tell me, though, how Lord Third is at fault here?" he said.
An enraged expression adorned the younger Uchiha's face. Shisui had never seen his cousin so angry before. Itachi's voice came out in a hiss as he answered. "Hiruzen refuses to punish Danzo despite knowing that he's responsible for the attack. He's even trying to find one of my father's old enemies to blame for the attack," he said.
Shisui's eyes bulged. No way, he couldn't believe that. "That's a huge accusation, Itachi. Do you have proof?" he asked.
Itachi smiled. "My sharingan recorded the entire conversation. Would you like me to show you?" he asked. Before he could answer, Itachi had his cousin in his illusion. He watched as Hiruzen talked with Danzo, asking the man questions about the attack. It enraged him, how nonchalantly the old man was about Sasuke dying. Finally, he watched Hiruzen hand Danzo a file, a file on one of Uncle Fugaku's old enemies. Then the illusion ended. "Is that enough evidence for you?" Itachi asked.
Shisui was gasping. It couldn't believe he'd just witnessed his hokage do something so heartless. He looked up at Itachi. "What are you planning to do?" he asked.
Itachi eyed him cautiously. "I'm going to leave Konoha. I'm hoping you'll join me," he said. He purposefully left out the part where he took the Kyubi jinchuriki with him in case Shisui turned on him.
The older Uchiha's eyes narrowed. "You want to leave Konoha? Why, what are you planning?" he asked.
Itachi sighed. "I will not tell you anything else until I know you're on board," he said.
Shisui looked conflicted. He had always prided himself on being a loyal shinobi to his village, however, there was a part of him that was extremely loyal to his cousin as well. He knew he could never turn his back on Itachi, and his cousin had every right to be angry with Hiruzen. "Alright, Itachi. I'll come with you. Plus, if Danzo attacked the clan once, he'll try again," he said.
Itachi smiled. "I knew I could count on you Shisui," he said.
Shisui nodded. "Of course, but it would be best if we had a few allies come with us," he said.
Itachi thought about it for a few seconds before nodding. "I have someone in mind," he said. An evil smirk adorning his lips.
Author's note: So here's chapter thirteen of "A Brothers Fury." I hope you enjoy.
P.S I know it's not stated if Shisui and Itachi were cousins or not, but I'd like to think so because of how awesome they are.