His mother was the first to speak. "Oh, Itachi," Mikoto whispered her hand gently running over Itachi's cheek. Itachi looked resigned as he lowered his eyes from his reflection and returned the kunai that Sasuke had lent him.
"I believe that now is not the time to discuss this," Itachi hinted as his eyes faded back to black. His mother nodded mournfully in response while doing her best to wipe away her tears. Sasuke pushed himself onto his feet when he saw Itachi start to rise, and they both helped their mother to her feet when she shakily tried to stand.
"But there is much to discuss," Fugaku said with a deep frown. He gave Itachi an even stare for a few beats until Itachi gave the smallest nod of acknowledgement. Sasuke was mildly surprised to also receive Fugaku's heavy stare, instinctually wanting to roll his eyes with a sneer. But upon catching Itachi's silently beckoning look, Sasuke paused. While he was displeased at Itachi's request, Sasuke did nod with a deep sigh. He was not looking forward to the coming exchange.
"It would appear that you were not the only one brought back," Itachi said, now looking off into the distance. They all turned to watch as a small crowd was starting to gather, survivors climbing out from the piles of rubble. Even from where they stood, the voices in the crowd sounded energetic and loud.
Sasuke still wasn't sure just what had happened to him. He knew that he had used the last of his chakra to subdue the kyuubi, a choice that meant certain death by chakra exhaustion. He still clearly remembered every vision he'd seen afterward- glimpses of possible futures and alternate pasts. They had all started peacefully enough, frequently featuring Naruko or Itachi. But they all ended the same, with him surrounded by death until his own life ended. Sometimes, it was Itachi slaying their entire family before killing him. Other times, the kyuubi had managed to escape, killing Naruko and destroying the village in the process.
It had been hell.
As he walked with his family towards the crowd of survivors, Sasuke was doing his best not to display any of the panic that was sitting in his chest. There was a voice in the back of his mind whispering that this wasn't real and Itachi was only seconds from attacking him. Fortunately, his mother's tight hold on his arm was providing some comfort and helping him ease back into himself. If he wasn't careful, Itachi would sniff out his strange behavior within minutes.
Sasuke scanned the faces in the crowd, recognizing only a handful of people. He could see his former classmates amongst their respective families, some Uchiha clan members embracing each other while shooting their family less than subtle looks, and-
"Mikoto!" Kushina's loud voice exclaimed seconds before the red-haired woman was tightly embracing his mother. "I'm so glad you're alright, 'ttebane! Itachi-kun! Sasuke-kun!" Kushina shouted before quickly embracing him and his brother. Itachi hadn't had enough time to react before the whirlwind that was Kushina struck. The woman had even managed to pull Fugaku in for a quick hug. If anyone hadn't been looking their way before, they were now.
"Minato went to find Naruko. I can't believe that she managed to slip away from me! I thought raising a girl would be easier than raising a boy. But that girl's going to be the death of me, dattebane," Kushina said with a deep exhale and a hand over her chest," Kushina moaned.
"I know what you mean," Mikoto replied and softly pat Kushina's back soothingly. Mikoto shot a meaningful look his way, making Sasuke straighten with a small frown.
"Itachi!"
In a rare show of vulnerable emotionality, Itachi fully welcomed Izumi's teary embrace with a loose one of his own. Sasuke felt almost uncomfortable to witness such a publicly affectionate display coming from his brother, but the feelings were squashed by a tight squeeze from Shisui. "You scared me half to death, Sasuke. How was I supposed to explain anything to Itachi?" Shisui said jokingly while nuzzling into the top of his head.
"Shisui, you're disgusting," Sasuke gripped because his cousin reeked. Truthfully, Sasuke wasn't the freshest either, but Shisui was practically covered in sweat, dust, and the metallic scent of blood. Sasuke did his best to ignore the dark red smatterings on his cousin's clothes. Shisui let Sasuke push him away, a large grin on his face and pure relief in the older boy's dark eyes. Satisfied with the results of his subtle check over Sasuke, Shisui practically glomped onto Itachi's back with a cheery exclamation of, "Little late to the party, cousin." As annoying as Shisui could be, Sasuke was grateful for his cousin's joyful demeanor at that moment. Shisui's infectious mood seemed to calm everyone around him, allowing them to bask in the simple miracle of life.
Sasuke's senses suddenly shouted at him as the space near Kushina was being distorted by the appearance of chakra. The Hokage appeared in the space next to his wife, his arm wrapped around Naruko's waist as he supported her. Sasuke felt a spike of panic that something was wrong with her, but it quickly quelled we he saw that she was smiling softly. From what he could tell, she didn't look injured just exhausted.
"Naruko!" Kushina exclaimed and tightly embraced both her daughter and husband. Sasuke felt the small ball of anxiety in his chest start to loosen. She was alright. He really should have expected her to defy the odds by now. When his gaze met hers, he watched surprise, relief, and teary joy flash across her eyes. Oddly enough, he could feel a similar set of emotions pass through himself. When she finally pulled away from her family without a word, they let her go without a fuss.
He wasn't sure what to say to her. He'd already done a decent enough job of imparting his final words on her. What could he say to her now?
Thinking back on it, perhaps he should have been more obvious? It was clear that his subtlety had gone right over her head. But as he felt the eyes of everyone around trained on him, Sasuke let the words die on his tongue. He'd find some other way and time to tell her. Fortunately, Naruko had no reservations about expressing herself.
Sasuke truly hadn't expected such a violent reaction from her. He knew that she was mostly unpredictable, but a punch to the gut was not the reaction he saw coming. Doubled over, Sasuke barely heard Naruko shout, "Idiot!" at him. She could have easily broken bone, but her punch was just enough to wind and slightly bruise him. With a quiet pull of air, Sasuke glared at Naruko but faltered at the gathering of tears in her eyes. Without any care for self-image, Naruko grabbed him by the lapels of his collar and proceeded to roughly shake him. "What the hell is wrong with you, 'ttebayo!?" she screamed in his face.
For a few seconds, disorientation kept him from responding. It took a few tries to get his brain to process a coherent thought, but when it did, he started. "Usuratonkachi-"
"You were dead, 'ttebayo! For real this time!" she shouted as another bout of shaking started. "You do something like this again, I'll kick your ass so hard that every one of your Uchiha ancestors will feel it!" Her shouting was punctuated by a tight embrace that had his face buried in her shoulder.
He wanted to be annoyed by her, but he did feel some regret for worrying her. He should be making promises to her- promise her to never do anything so self-sacrificing for her again but he knew that it would be pointless. That would be one promise that he would break in a heartbeat. He had no intentions of willfully leaving her while he was still breathing, but if presented with the choice between his life and hers…
"Don't be such an idiot," he managed to mutter into her shoulder. Slowly, she pulled away from him and he tried his best convey his thoughts to her, practically willing them into her mind. Her shoulders slumped slightly, her frown shifting from anger to silent understanding. Her resigned melancholy lasted for a second before being replaced with fiery determination. He wasn't sure what she had decided upon, but he could guess at what silent promise she was making to him.
"I won't let any of my precious people die," he could imagine her saying. His gaze hardened in response, his resolve mirroring hers.
"Naruko-chan, I assume you had something to do with my brother returning to life," Itachi said, immediately causing whispers to rip through the surrounding crowd. Naruko faced Itachi with a bashful grin, her hand rubbing at the back of her head.
"It was Nagato. It was his jutsu that brought everyone back, 'ttebayo."
"Still. I'm grateful for the part you played. I am in your debt," Itachi said with a bow of his head. Naruko blinked owlishly when even Fugaku copied his eldest son's actions and dipped his head towards her. Just like that, the Uchiha that had been scattered throughout the crowd faced her, some bowing but most watching her in consideration. Sasuke smirked at the bright blush tinting her cheeks as she chuckled embarrassedly.
"Oi! Let's hear it for Naruko!" Kiba's loud voice shouted out, accompanied by Akamaru's howls.
Sasuke watched as the crowd quickly followed Kiba's example, raising their voices to the sky in loud cheers. It wasn't long before the rowdy crowd was lifting her from the ground in celebration of the Honorable Daughter that saved the village. Oddly, Sasuke felt seeds of pride start to grow within him. She wasn't the Hokage, but she was already protecting the village like one.
Feeling a heavy gaze on him, Sasuke turned and locked eyes with whoever was staring him down. Meeting the blue gaze of the Hokage, Sasuke didn't initially react. He watched Minato stare at him in consideration before the man turned back to join in his daughter's celebration. Sasuke frowned in confusion. What had that been about?
~:~
That night, Sasuke found himself blinking awake far too early. As if his body had decided that there was something far more important to do than sleep, Sasuke rolled over and sat up. He looked over at Shisui's motionless form before rising and silently slipping out of the tent they shared.
The outside air was cool and crisp, but Sasuke couldn't pinpoint what had woken him up. Based on the chakra signatures around him, he could tell that most of his clansmen had managed to fall asleep. Without making a sound, Sasuke quickly left with a shushin. The Hokage Monument was a bit more peaceful despite the large crowd of civilians sheltered within it. With his legs stretched out in front of him, Sasuke silently stared up at the moon.
Seeing the village in rubble had hit him like a punch to the gut. But seeing what was left of the Uchiha district made his heart break. The distract had been on the edge of the village and was now nothing more than a large pile of concrete and wood. Sasuke could feel an air of sadness settle over his clansmen. Like him, they all seemed to collectively wilt.
"Otou-san?" Itachi quietly prompted.
Fugaku nodded and cleared his throat, "We have been given a great gift- the ability to share another day amongst the living with our loved ones. The inconvenience of repair is but a small setback. We are Uchiha."
Like a resurging wave, Sasuke watched his clansmen slowly begin to perk up. They continued to listen to his father's declarations, growing inspired and reassured. Sasuke almost pitied the other clans in the village. He was sure that none of them could compare to the Uchiha when it came to pure strength of will and clan pride. His clan would have their distract cleared and rebuilt in no time. (Even so, Sasuke couldn't help but wish that everyone in his clan had the ability to make thousands of clones.)
The quickly setting sun made rebuilding a job for tomorrow, but tonight's docket was one of celebration. Sasuke could already hear some of his aunts chatting with his mother about pulling some supplies and emergency equipment sealed away under Naka Shrine for a celebratory feast. While his mother was wrangling all the women of the clan, his father was busy gathering volunteers to help clear out a section of the district for temporary tents.
Sasuke could already envision the clan sitting around a large bonfire that night and listening to the clan elders retell clan stories. He was already anticipating how homely and comforting it would feel. For once, he could sit near his brother and father without having to force himself to ignore the mistrustful and disappointed stares of others. But not even a disaster of this magnitude would distract his clan for too long. Eventually, they would return to hating the Disappointments they claimed that he and Itachi had turned out to be.
His musing was cut short by the appearance of her familiar chakra signature. Without any prompting from him, Naruko took a seat at his side and joined him in stargazing. "Bastard, you're gonna get sick," Naruko said and raised a corner of the gaudy, orange blanket she had brought with her.
"Hn. Why are you up, Usuratonkachi?" Sasuke asked and moved the slightest bit closer. He didn't care for the color, but he was starting to get a little cold.
"Same reason as you, I reckon," she replied and wrapped the blanket around them both.
"What happened?" Sasuke finally asked. It was still eating at him, what he'd missed both during and after the fight with Pain.
"After you were an idiot and let yourself die, the kyuubi was quiet again. It was a lot easier to think without it getting into my head. When I was in Sage Mode, I noticed how weird those rods Pain used felt," she started. "They we're getting chakra signals or something, so I used one to find where they were coming from.
Nagato was the one controlling Pain. He used to be Ero Sennin's student a long time ago- him and Konan," she revealed. "They wanted to use the tailed beasts to achieve peace in the world."
Sasuke barely held back a dubious scoff.
"Ero Sennin tried to tell me about the cycle of hatred once. He believed that one day everyone would be able to truly understand each other and break the cycle, but he didn't know how to do it. Nagato thought pain was the answer- shared pain and loss would cause people to seek peace."
As much as he loathed to admit it, there was a part of Sasuke that could understand. It was easy for a collective of people to get along with each other if they were opposing another force. But it would have to be the strongest opposition there was, capable of uniting everyone in the world against it. Otherwise, Sasuke couldn't see how it would work.
"But his answer can't be the right one. There has to be a way to break the cycle and get everyone in the world to cooperate without pain and hatred. I don't know how to do it, but I'll figure it out, 'ttebayo," Naruko promised up towards the sky. She then turned to him with a small smile, "You'll help me. Won't you, Sasuke?"
He'd seen multiple versions of her in the short while that he'd been dead and most of them existed as the Hokage. In those scenarios, he'd initially been unclear on what his role would be, but he'd quickly discovered it. He'd played the part of her rival, husband, friend, and occasional protector. If only he knew a title that comprised all of the above and then some.
"Hn. You'll need all the help you can get, Usuratonkachi," Sasuke teased with a smirk.
"Jerk," Naruko grinned and shoved her shoulder into his side.
Suddenly, Sasuke felt his heart pound in his chest as a completely foreign idea flitted across his mind. He'd thought that this Naruko was different from the ones he'd seen, but how different was she really? In a rare display of bold affection, he squeezed her hand in his and kissed her softly. Her soft gasp told him that he'd managed to catch her by surprise for once, but her surprise was quickly replaced by enthusiasm. His muffled noise was stifled by her kiss as she shoved him onto his back. What had started as his attempt at showing more affection was now overshadowed by Naruko's almost desperate grip on his clothes.
When she pulled away, it was for as long as it took her to get out, "Don't you die on me again, Bastard."
Her normally bright blues were darkened, as if she was waiting for him to object and oppose her. But from where he laid beneath her, he was tempted to agree with whatever she wanted. He almost did just that but stopped himself in time. She must have seen the hesitation on his face because her features twisted into a glare. "I mean it, 'ttebayo. You have to live so you can get all old and wrinkly."
"Fine," he said with an almost exasperated sigh. "As long as you promise you'll get old with me," the words were out of his mouth before he could second guess them.
"Deal," she agreed firmly and too quickly. Sasuke waited for exactly six seconds until the words caught up to her. Sasuke watched her eyes go wide and cheeks flush slightly.
A fond, soft chuckle escaped him as he watched her brain overwork. "Dobe," he teased, feeling far too light.
"Bastard, quit being all weird," she grumbled while hiding her face in his neck. Deciding to spare her any further teasing, Sasuke fixed the blanket around her back and wrapped her in a loose embrace. Taking his invitation for what it was, Naruko wriggled to get closer. "G'night, Sasuke," she said with a yawn at his neck.
"Hn."
~:~
The next morning, Sasuke was woken by Naruko shifting away from him- a rare break from her clingy habits. The sun had just started to rise and Sasuke could hear the villagers below already starting the village cleanup. With a wide yawn, Naruko summoned a hoard of clones to rush off to help with the cleanup efforts. Not quite ready to get up yet, Sasuke had been tempted to keep the original with him. Fortunately, after giving her clones their short orders, she had rolled back over and pulled up the blanket without sparing her small army another glance. (Sasuke noticed that a few clones had glared enviously at her as they left while some looked a bit put out.) With Naruko once again tucked against his side, Sasuke closed his eyes and returned to sleep.
His sleep was ended a second time by the muted presence of another, the familiarity of it was the only thing keeping him from retaliating for the disturbance. Still somewhat reluctantly, Sasuke pulled out of Naruko's unconscious death grip and turned to face their visitor. Itachi looked a bit amused at first but quickly sobered up. "It's time," was all he said.
"Time for what, 'ttebayo?" Naruko's sleepy voice mumbled next to him.
"Good morning, Naruko-chan," Itachi greeted the girl with a small smile. Sasuke was getting whiplash from how quickly Itachi was switching demeanors. Itachi had always been polite, nice, yet still a bit reserved with Naruko. But Sasuke could see less reservation about his brother now. Curiously, Sasuke raised a brow. "While I'm sure that you could use the rest, I already promised Kushina-san that I would find you. That was an hour ago."
The noise that Naruko released barely sounded human. She both jumped out of her sleep and lost her balance, her clumsiness getting the best of her. With a roll of his eyes, Sasuke grabbed her by the ankle before she could roll off the side of the Yondaime's face. If it was even possible, Itachi looked to be suppressing a grin. Sasuke pulled Naruko up by the ankle and stood, giving Itachi an exasperated look.
"Why didn't you wake me sooner, 'ttebayo!?" Naruko questioned frantically.
"Like I said, I thought that you could use the rest," Itachi replied, a bit of amusement leaking through his calm. Sasuke watched Naruko scramble to gather up her blanket before rushing out a farewell to him and Itachi in one breath.
"You're in a good mood," Sasuke huffed as he joined his brother on the trek back to- did they still have a district if they were all sleeping in tents?
"Good fortune can be enough to brighten anyone's spirits," Itachi replied. Sasuke knew what Itachi was referring to, but he still had to raise a brow at his brother while blatantly glancing at the piles of rubble. "Material things can always be replaced," Itachi replied, his good mood still intact.
"You're normally so serious and pessimistic-"
"I prefer realistic," Itachi corrected.
"-that it's strange to see you like this," Sasuke finished as if he hadn't heard his brother.
"Naruko-chan has given this village a gift- a second chance. I am but one of many that feel grateful towards her," Itachi said.
It didn't take them long to reach their clan's temporary settlement and once they had crossed that invisible line, Sasuke noticed Itachi's prompt switch in expression. His brother walked with his eyes forward and back straight, looking both calm and tensed. Sasuke eyed a few of their clansmen that were giving Itachi blatantly mistrustful glares, but his brother didn't seem to respond to their stares. Interspersed amongst the hate were a few fearful looks. Sasuke was aware that there were some in the clan that feared his brother's strength and what it would mean for them should they ever stand against the village. But he'd never seen it shown so obviously before.
"Sasuke," Itachi beckoned when he stopped in front of his parents' tent. Sasuke tore his gaze away from the elderly woman that he had been staring at to rejoin his brother's side. Without a word, they slipped inside the tent together.
Both of their parents were already waiting for them when they arrived- their postures and the atmosphere surrounding them exposing the seriousness of the coming discussion. Normally, his mother either wasn't present for or she remained a silent observer for their discussions with their father. But her posture signified the opposite for once. Sasuke was mildly curious as to how this would go.
He could sense chakra signatures just outside the tent, milling about as they cleaned a bit too slowly. Sasuke nearly rolled his eyes at the obvious eavesdropping. It's not as if the thin tent would keep their voices hidden, but he supposed that some people couldn't help themselves.
Surprisingly, it was his mother that spoke first. "Itachi, how are you feeling?" she asked with a motherly smile.
Rather than his usual action of brushing off others' concern for his well-being, Itachi offered her a small smile. "I'm fine, Mother," he stressed.
Sasuke smirked. His mother's worry had been almost suffocating when he'd come home with the Mangekyo. It was maybe a bit too gratifying to see Itachi receive the same, stifling treatment.
"Even so, now is a very crucial time for you, Itachi. I am aware of your opinions on the Mangekyo Sharingan, but I disagree with you. You have gained a great asset that will go a long way in aiding you as Hokage," Fugaku said.
"I am aware of this Father," Itachi replied because of course Itachi had already though all of this through.
Fugaku nodded once, not appearing surprised that Itachi had already considered the implications of his new eyes. "Then I think that we shouldn't beat around the bush any longer," Fugaku started.
Sasuke wasn't sure why he had been deemed necessary for this discussion- more than used to his father pulling Itachi away to speak in private. But he was pleased to be present and, more importantly, included. To his surprise, his father looked away from Itachi to face him directly.
"Sasuke, you have done well for both the clan and the village. You showed great loyalty and strength and for that I am proud of you," Fugaku said, his stern mask falling momentarily to show true emotion.
His kneejerk reaction was to disregard his father's words, but something stopped him. A quick glance at his mother and brother showed similar expressions. His family was proud of him…despite failing to do everything he had set out to do and still dying in the end? Sasuke wasn't a fool. He knew what they were getting at, but the praise felt hollow with Orochimaru still slithering about somewhere and what was left of the Akatsuki still active.
"Sasuke," Itachi prompted, his pride masked by a warning look.
Sasuke huffed silently. "I didn't do it for the clan or the village," Sasuke corrected. His reasons were far less noble.
"You were given a second chance. Can you say that you wouldn't change anything about your actions?" Itachi asked, his face blank. Fugaku and Mikoto looked between the two of them, like outside observers to their children's silent conversation.
Sasuke could guess what Itachi was hoping to hear. Before he answered, he gave the question a decent amount of thought. There were obvious things that he would change, such as letting Orochimaru escape. But he couldn't truly regret what he'd done for Naruko's sake. It was his weakness. She was his weakness.
"I made decisions in battle that were driven by emotion. If I had been thinking clearly, perhaps I would have accomplished more," Sasuke finally responded. Itachi somehow managed to look unsurprised, disappointed, and resigned all while retaining an emotionless mask. (Had he finally gotten skilled at reading his brother?)
"The ability to accurately self-critique is necessary for improvement. You are already strong for someone so young, but you can and will grow stronger. Which is why I have decided that it should be you to lead the clan after me," Fugaku said.
Sasuke's eyes widened in surprise, but he seemed to be the only one shocked by the announcement. He knew that Itachi had long predicted this, but he hadn't expected his mother to already be aware. Then again, it shouldn't have been such a surprise. It was expected that the title would fall to him since Itachi had rejected it. Sasuke just hadn't expected that his father would have asked him here and now.
Fugaku gave him a small smile. "There is much preparation to be done, but I am sure that you will meet my expectations for you."
Sasuke felt a small spike of panic that he couldn't explain. Could he become clan head? Sasuke was sure that he would have no trouble with accomplishing the task. Judging by the looks on his parent's faces, they felt the same way. When Sasuke looked at Itachi for a hint of guidance, he received a truly blank expression- any hints of emotion or opinion fully locked down- as if to say that Itachi was letting him make this decision entirely on his own.
Sasuke could still remember Itachi's words to him. 'The clan head has a duty to the clan. They must put the clan first.' Itachi had been unable to put the clan before the village. Was the village more important to Sasuke than the clan? Weren't they the same thing? Sasuke frowned.
"I am a loyal Konohagakure shinobi. I do what I must for the sake of the village and my clan," Sasuke started. As if all the air had been sucked out of the room, his family seemed to be hanging on his every word.
'I think you could do so much more.'
Sasuke met his father's eyes and used as much conviction as he could to say, "I decline the position of clan head." Sasuke ignored the quick spikes of chakra from outside the tent and his father's stunned expression. "The responsibility of clan head should fall to the one best suited for the job. That's not me."
Yesterday had more than proven where his loyalties lied. Above the clan, the village, and even his own vengeance, Sasuke felt loyal to his precious people. After a quick side glance at Itachi, he could see mirrored sentiments and understanding in his brother's dark eyes. Sasuke knew that Itachi valued the village, but not even the village would come before those his brother had deemed irreplaceable. Feeling comforted in his decisions, Sasuke faced his father again.
Fugaku stared at both of his sons, looking as if the rug had been yanked out from underneath him. Mikoto was in a similar state of shock but recovered much quicker. She gave Sasuke a soft smile. "I'm happy for you, Sasuke. I'm happy that you've found something precious enough to fight for," she said. His cheeks warmed a bit, but he ignored it. Sasuke had been so concerned by Itachi's reading him that he'd neglected to think that his mother could do the same just as well.
Taking a cue from his wife, Fugaku nodded along in agreement. "While this does not make things easier for me, I will respect both of your decisions," Fugaku said, closing the book on the matter.
~:~
Later that evening, Sasuke was once again perched atop the Hokage Monument enjoying a cool breeze and some solitude. He had spent the day clearing out the Uchiha district with his mind reeling from the discussion with his family. He had moved on autopilot, making it easy to ignore the resentful looks his fellow clansmen were shooting at his back. (Fortunately, a hoard of Naruko clones had shown up to help with the cleanup.)
Sasuke was mildly surprised at how little he was affected by his loss of favor amongst his clan. Should he be more bothered by the resentment and mistrust being sent his way? He probably would have been if he hadn't been so distracted by his family's full approval of his decisions (and the occasional clone striking up conversation with him at the time).
"One might say that you're haunting this place."
"That would be one person's opinion," Sasuke replied, keeping his eyes on the already noticeably cleaner village.
Sasuke didn't react as Itachi came to sit silently next to him. He did raise a brow at Itachi's relaxed seating. "I'm proud of you, Sasuke," Itachi started. "Despite the trouble we've created for Father."
Sasuke scoff. "He'll get over it."
Itachi smirked. "You actually managed to surprise me. I hadn't expected you to turn Father down."
"You did. What makes me any different?" Sasuke asked, not expecting Itachi to respond.
"I suppose you're right. You've been much less concerned with pleasing Father or gaining his approval lately," Itachi said and leaned back on the palms of his hands. "I also hadn't expected your connection to Naruko-chan to be so…intense."
Sasuke did his best not to flinch or blush. "It wasn't just her. It was everyone who matters," Sasuke corrected.
Itachi nodded once in understanding. "It makes me wonder if this is the reason that there has never been an Uchiha as Hokage," he mused. Sasuke shot Itachi a questioning look. "The first Hokage, Senju Hashirama, killed his best friend, Uchiha Madara, in the defense of the village. As Hokage, he was prepared to do what was necessary to protect the village."
"Don't worry. Shisui loves the village as much as you do," Sasuke said.
Itachi chuckled softly. "Yes. I'm very fortunate," Itachi agreed. "The Sandaime was unable to separate emotion from duty. This allowed men like Orochimaru and Danzo to exist unchecked. He wasn't able to do what was necessary for the village."
Itachi didn't react to Sasuke's loud, derisive scoff. "But I doubt that I would be able to do differently should I be placed in a similar position," Itachi admitted and met Sasuke's gaze.
Sasuke couldn't explain the feeling he got from his brother's meaningful gaze. It held traces of the one he'd gotten earlier today when he'd rejected his father's request. Sasuke felt like he had understood exactly what Itachi had been conveying to him before, but now he was second guessing himself. (Or maybe his brother's love ran deeper than he had determined?) Before he could fully decipher it, Itachi had his walls back in place and was looking out at the village again.
Is this what it meant to be an Uchiha? A slave to your emotions and bonds? Was it impossible to sever those bonds? No. Sasuke knew that the bonds could be destroyed. It was apparent in the reds of his eyes.
They were both quiet for some time before Sasuke said, "Well, for your sake, I won't desert the village."
"Thank you," Itachi replied with a small smirk. "But I highly doubt that Naruko-chan would let you get too far."
Sasuke groaned aloud.