"I think she is great company. Kisame would agree." Sasuke heard Itachi say just as the door was opened for him into his father's office.
Fugaku glared viciously at Itachi, who turned around to look at him with a devilish grin. It seemed things never changed.
"Sasuke!" Itachi got up, opening his arms, Sasuke made a face as his brother hugged him, but he wasn't going to be so stubborn as not to at least embrace him back.
Fugaku didn't stand up, but nodded his head toward the empty chair.
"How are you enjoying being back?" Itachi sat back down.
Sasuke sat down and leaned back. "I have gotten used to the time difference yet."
Itachi smiled. "We are glad to have you back, right, dad?" This might be entertaining. His father and brother were known for their fights. Itachi thought it was a game. His father was too proud to admit defeat. Sometimes it blew up in both of their faces, but it was a better relationship than any of them had with his mother.
"I will deal with you later," Fugaku growled.
Itachi's grin got wider. "What? You don't want Sasuke to know about you and your assistant?"
Sasuke raised an eyebrow at his father. "You're sleeping with your assistant?"
Fugaku closed his eyes. "No, I am certainly not. She's your age." Did that mean it was a possibility if his assistant was older?
"He's torturing her, and he won't tell me why." Wasn't he cruel to all of them?
Fugaku rolled his eyes as he started eating. "I wish you would not bring your brother into your silly fantasies."
"He's always been hard on his assistants." Sasuke shrugged.
"Ah, but that is the interesting part. He hasn't fired her." Itachi leaned over to Sasuke. "She's been here for six months. He keeps setting her up to fail, but she's still here."
That piqued Sasuke's attention. "I thought the record was three." Most of his assistants didn't last more than a month since his mother left. Either they got sick of him and quit, or he got sick of them, and they got fired.
"Don't you start," Fugaku growled. "This conversation is over."
Sasuke leaned into his food as his father changed the subject. Not what he was expecting to come back to, but it wasn't as interesting to him as Itachi found it. He would just let Itachi figure it out.
"When are you moving back home?" Itachi asked.
Sasuke picked at his food. "I was thinking about getting my own apartment."
"Out of the question." Fugaku snapped. "You will have your own wing of the Uchiha Manor, as is tradition. You only got a pass before because you were in a dorm for university in another country."
Sasuke stabbed his food harder.
"You'll have to marry to get out of that one." Itachi chuckled.
"Don't think that just because you are a man now, you don't still have to follow that rule." Fugaku scolded.
Sasuke wouldn't be interested in breaking rules if there weren't so many.
Hinata laughed.
"It is close, though," Kisame was nearly bent in half at her little table, so he could be closer to his food.
"I checked the list so many times. How had I not noticed I got the wrong onion." Hinata laughed more. "It's so strong."
"The rest of it is right, though," Kisame admitted as he ate. "It's good. You got any more furniture to build? I'll trade with you again."
Hinata waved her hands. "I'll bring it in sometime for lunch."
Kisame helped her pick up the second-hand furniture she found scrolling last night, took it apart, loaded it, unloaded it, and put it back together in her apartment, and all he wanted was lunch. It didn't make up for it.
"How's the director treating you?" Kisame set down his clean bowl.
"He's stern but fair," Hinata covered her mouth with her last big bite. "When he's in a good mood."
Kisame nodded his head to the side. "Itachi thinks that he's got some big plot to be purposely hard on you. He's been pestering his father for weeks, trying to find out what it is."
"Is that why he keeps getting himself in trouble?" Hinata wiped her mouth.
Kisame nodded. "Don't take that the wrong way. He thinks you're great. Pissing off his dad is just a bonus."
Hinata rested back on her hands. "I don't understand Uchiha men, it seems."
Kisame snorted. "Wait until you meet Sasuke."
Hinata sighed. "Wonderful."
Hinata got back just in time to meet him in the hall for his meeting. "Status." Hinata read off his items for the rest of the day and the start of tomorrow. She added details about the event that Kisame had relayed to her.
"Sasuke will be moving into his own wing in the manor. I want it redecorated and furnished, and I want him moved in by the end of next week. He will be taking over this project." Fugaku ordered, tossing a folder in her direction. "Have his team together and ready for his first day. Have his office furnished as well, and I want his schedule during future statuses. Check that he went to his tailor appointment. He's shown up in street clothes to events before. I will not have that."
Hinata picked up the file. "Yes, sir."
"I want no incidents, understand," Fugaku added in a cold tone.
Hinata nodded.
