"So, what's this Nekobaa like?" Ino inquired as they turned another left corner. "Just as her name suggests; she's an old lady with a lot of cats to keep her company. She's widely respected among the ninja feline community, and her supplies are of excellent quality despite her overcharging for them." Itachi supplied. Ino pictured an old grumpy lady that was covered in cat fur with big bushy grey hair, which wasn't quite far off from the real deal. They rounded the last corner and stopped by a door that displayed hinges and a curtain in place of what should have been a door, covering the entrance.

Itachi reached out and pushed aside the curtain, revealing a dimly lit room with shelves lined with various ninja supplies. The scent of dander and cat food wafted through the air, and Ino could see several cats lounging around the room, some napping on the shelves and others curled up in baskets.

A small, hunched figure emerged from the shadows, revealing the weathered face of an elderly woman. Deep wrinkles marred her features, causing her eyelids to droop and giving the impression that her eyes were shut. She was clad in a tattered robe, and her unkempt grey hair seemed to have a life of its own. Ino couldn't help but notice how closely the reality matched her earlier imagined image of Nekobaa. The old lady's expressions morphed into curiosity as she gazed at the newcomers. Well, Ino suspects that she was looking at them. She couldn't exactly see the lady's eyeballs at all…

Her voice was croaky as she spoke, "I heard the rumors, but seeing is believing indeed. I'm happy to learn that they were true," she said, "and even happier that you remembered this old lady; your family still has a debt to settle..." she finished.

Itachi jeered, "I had already settled that debt a long time ago, Nekobaa. I may have risen from the dead, but my memory remains intact."

The old lady chuckled, "Ah, well, you can't blame an old lady for trying." Then Itachi revealed, "I'm here to start a new tab, if you would accept it."

Nekobaa smiled in response, "You were always my favorite customer. Tell me, what is it you need?"

"I require five sets of shuriken, and six of kunai. I'll also need two rolls of ninja wire and a weapons pouch. That will do for now." Itachi responded. Nekobaa turned to eye Ino and inquired, "What about your girlfriend, do you need any supplies, dear?"

Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment as she felt the gaze of both Nekobaa and Itachi on her. She stammered, "Um, nothing for me, I'm just accompanying him… as a supporting friend" she stressed the last word, and she looked down, feeling flustered.

"Very well" Nekobaa said as she turned to one of the cats and said, "You heard them, five sets of shuriken, six kunai, two rolls of wire, a weapons pouch, and nothing for the friend. Go and tell Tamaki to prepare the order." She then turned to Itachi and said, "How will you be paying for all this?"

"Upfront" he announced as he handed Nekobaa the bills to cover his purchase.

"Excellent. Now then, while you wait for Tamaki to get your order together, why don't you fill me in on your story. Don't leave any details out and I expect you to include what happened to your little brother as well. He hasn't come to see me since that last time before you two confronted one another. That ungrateful pest!"

Itachi filled Nekobaa in on the short version of what happened, which was that he was offered a second chance and he planned on making the most of it by making things right with Sasuke, but Ino cut him short to provide a comprehensive account of everything that had transpired. She recounted starting from the massacre to the very moment they had arrived at her den. Itachi was too humble to boast about how he was truly an honourable hero of Konoha, so she did it for him.

Nekobaa listened attentively as Ino unfolded the truth, and when the blonde appeared to have finished, the elderly woman seemed deep in thought, as if grappling with the decision to share something or to keep it to herself. With a sigh, she seemed resolved to disclose what she knew. "Itachi, I have known you since you were a child. The day I learned of your clan's fate, I suspected that something was amiss. But now that my doubts have been confirmed, I believe it is time to reveal something I should have shared years ago…"

Itachi gazed at the elderly woman with a sense of heightened curiosity, while Ino's eyebrows had risen as she observed the gravity in the old woman's voice and wondered 'What the hell did this old bat keep from him?'.

"Do you trust this friend of yours?" she inquired from him, referring to Ino.

"I do" he asserted, and this was sufficient for her to go on.

"He's alive." Nekobaa revealed.

'Huh? Who's alive?' Ino wondered and turned to Itachi to seek her answer, but Itachi appeared to be in utter shock; caught off guard by whatever this ancient cat lady had said.

Itachi's widened eyes were a clear indication of his heightened state of shock and surprise. His mind raced with a flurry of thoughts, like a whirlwind of possibilities swirling through his consciousness. Every synapse in his brain seemed to fire at once, processing the new revelation from Nekobaa with lightning speed. 'How?' he mused as he tried to figure out the possibility that was too incredible to be true.

As if Nekobaa had heard his thoughts, she offered the explanation, "When you brought him to me so I may dispose of the body, I too believed him to be dead. However, one of my ninneko, Doshun, detected a pulse after you left."

Itachi uttered in a disbelieving whisper, "He's… alive" and Nekobaa nodded in confirmation, and adding, "Continue westward from the Land of Wind, until you reach the land where the sun refuses to shine, and there you shall find him."

Ino found herself increasingly perplexed by the cryptic exchange unfolding between Nekobaa and Itachi. His shocked reaction had raised her concerns for him, and she was eager to grasp the identity of the person they were discussing. Who could possibly be alive, and why was it affecting Itachi so profoundly? Her curiosity and bewilderment surged, urging her to seek answers and unravel the mystery that seemed to be unfolding before her eyes, but she remained in the dark about.

In a gesture of concern, Ino reached out to place a comforting hand on Itachi's shoulder, her voice filled with worry. "Itachi...what's going on? Who is she talking about?" Her genuine curiosity and concern were evident in her tone. However, Itachi was too absorbed in his own thoughts, too far removed from the present reality to respond immediately. The revelation that someone he had believed to be dead all this time was actually alive had sent his mind into a whirlwind of emotions and questions. It was a profound shock that left him speechless, as he struggled to process the implications of Nekobaa's words.

When Kabuto had revealed that he had failed to locate his body or even a sample of his DNA for his Reanimation jutsu scheme during the war, Itachi was grateful that Nekobaa had done a fantastic job of disposing the body so that no evidence could be left behind. After all, a shinobi's body bore the secrets of the village and its clan's abilities, and thoroughly disposing of a body was a way to ensure that those secrets remained safe, and that the deceased was laid to rest completely. However, it turns out Kabuto failed, not because of Nekobaa's thorough disposal, but because all this time Shisui had been alive!

"Itachi…" Ino tried once more, and this time he met her worried gaze, "What's going on?" she asked again, and Itachi responded to the question that had been plaguing her, "Shisui is alive…" he whispered. Ino's expressions had now mimicked Itachi's initial reaction, but then she realized that this was fantastic news, "Itachi! That's… That's incredible!" she chimed. He had been telling her about how Shisui deserved this chance more than he did on their way to the cat lady's den, and his deepest wish had come true! He should be elated! So why wasn't he…

Author's Note:

Short but eventful. Next chapter will take a while to post. I am currently focused on other works that require updating.

Next chapter:

Itachi processes the info, Sasuke seeks out Sakura, Naruto returns from Mount Myoboku.