EDIT 8/24/21: As part of my revamp of this fic, this chapter has been proofread. This chapter was originally chapter three but was moved up. In a few important changes, some of the dialogue has been changed, especially during the meeting on the first part of this chapter, and there's an addition of a scene that was originally in the chapter after this one.

[ This chapter has been edited/ fixed as of 8/24/21 ]

Eternal

Part One: Genesis

Chapter Four

Just a Guess

"I understand that you're quite the philanthropist, Uchiha-san, but are you certain that investing such a great amount of money in one project is a smart decision?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes at the older man's words. This had been going on for longer than it should. Some business associates of the Uchiha Corporation have managed to catch wind of his brother's donations and have been expressing their displeasure in him "using the company name without consulting the board first". Although some of the points they've made were valid if that was the case, Sasuke could see right through them all.

They could care less that he was donating to the Hokkaido research team. They were more concerned that he was not feeding that money to the company, and in turn, to their pockets.

Itachi linked his fingers together as he placed his elbows on the table, leaning onto it as he met the man's eyes. "Urihara-san, first of all, this is not an investment, it's a generous donation. Secondly, it isn't a project, it's a medical research mission to help prevent whatever the people of Maisō had been infected with. I say doing this is for the benefit of the whole country, and I'm only doing my part as a citizen of this nation to help prevent a possible epidemic."

Mr. Urihara crossed his arms over his chest. "And did you not think that other organizations, health organizations, would have been willing to do just that?"

"Nothing's stopping them from doing so. In fact, it's more than welcome that they do. Whatever is going down there is serious."

A loud thump was heard as another man stood up abruptly, slamming his hands on the table. "Uchiha-san, it's an honorable thing you are doing, but you must think of where else that money could go and how that could benefit the business and its associates as a whole."

Sasuke smirked. 'And there it is.'

He hoped that these men were smarter than to reveal their true intentions this way, but greed also manifested other people's stupidity.

Sighing, Itachi shook his head as he looked to his younger brother who was seated beside him, his arms crossed while he looked around the room with a wry smile. As his brother's eyes met his, Itachi knew what Sasuke was thinking and wanted to say. Relenting, he gave him a curt nod.

"With all due respect, Maezawa-san, Urihara-san, it'd be best to leave my brother be." All eyes were on the younger Uchiha at this moment.

Sasuke stood up from his seat and walked to the end of the table. "Say whatever you want about the CEO's donation, but this could prove beneficial to the company from a public relations standpoint."

He stopped to look at Mr. Maezawa, silently urging him to take his seat which he did. "It may not have been announced yet, but when the time comes for it to be done, the Uchiha logo and name will be in the news everywhere, not just Japan. Showing this philanthropic side to the media and the public is great publicity, whether or not the Senju's succeed in their mission."

"However, Uchiha-san, what if the funds donated are needed for the company at the moment?" Mr. Maezawa raised an eyebrow, amused and angered at the young man's audacity.

This was when Sasuke decided to tell them their concerns were misplaced. "Mr. Maezawa, the funds are my brother's own money. Not the company's, so why does it bother you so that he chose to use it as he wished?" Sasuke faced the man, an unamused expression gracing his face. "You, of all people, would know that the company faces no financial troubles at the moment."

"But-"

His confidence rose at the man's change in expression. "Did you think my brother was stupid enough to risk charges against him for using company's funds so carelessly? And without consultation? Instead of arguing on the use of alleged company funds, had it not occurred to you that he was referring to using his own? Had it not occurred to you to ask the legal and financial departments for confirmation? Or were you eager to jump to such a conclusion for another reason?"

Before Maezawa could retort, anger building up on his face, Itachi stood up. "This meeting is over. I appreciate the concern, however, as now know, there is nothing to be concerned about." His eyes traveled to the people in the room, stopping to meet his brother's eyes as he gave him a proud smile.

Itachi and Sasuke walked into the former's office, the latter closing the door behind him. Heading straight to the window, Itachi stood overlooking the bustling streets below him.

Sasuke leaned back on the closed door, eyeing his brother, wondering what exactly was going on in his head.

"How are your classes?" Itachi asked, breaking the silence, not removing his gaze from the view outside.

Sasuke waited a moment before he spoke. "Fine. The usual."

Itachi let out an amused breath. "Always a talkative one, otouto."

"Just a little frustrated." Sasuke walked towards the window, stopping beside the older Uchiha and following his gaze.

"That happens quite a lot in the career field filled with prideful people." He turned to look at him. "I let you in these meetings to observe, not get a rise out of my business partners." Although his words were curt, the amusement in his features showed he felt otherwise.

"You let me speak," Sasuke replied as he shrugged. "And you were letting them talk for too long. I know your intention was to weed out future corruptors, but you had more than enough evidence already. You could have just severed ties with them on the spot."

"Yes, but you do agree it would be more fun to slap them with the legal papers afterwards, don't you?"

Sasuke sighed.

Itachi studied his brother. He was all grown up now. Twenty-one years old and studying in Japan's best university for business. Witnessing his growth from his cute little brother to a very capable man was quite the experience, but to him, he will always be his cute younger brother, no matter how much he'll protest being called such.

Turning back to the view outside the window, two brothers stood side by side. The same dark hair, dark eyes, light colored skin, and a similar aloof and mysterious aura that surrounded them. Though, surprisingly to most people, Itachi was slightly more reckless despite his demeanor.

"I am curious about something, though, aniki," Sasuke said, meeting his brother's eyes through their reflection. "Philanthropy is not something new when it comes to the company and, certainly, not you, but I have the sneaking suspicion that there's something more to this than just that and future company benefits."

Itachi's lips formed a small smile. "Can't hide much from you anymore, otouto." He turned and ruffled his hair. He was still a bit taller than him, and this gesture had begun to annoy Sasuke as he grew older.

He swatted Itachi's hand away from his hair, briefly patting it down afterwards. "Not going to answer the question?"

"Not now."

Sasuke considered his reply for a moment. "And with that, I'm assuming you're not going to tell me why you haven't publicly announced that you're the secret benefactor to the Hokkaido mission?"

"In time, I will let PR give the announcement. I am the face of the company, after all. However, that time is not now."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "And when will that be?"

There was a knock on the door before Itachi's assistant poked her head through it.

"Soon, I think," Itachi replied as his assistant walked in, clipboard in hand, to remind him of another meeting that was to begin.

Sasuke watched as Itachi nodded at his assistant's words before facing him again. His hand raised, two fingers meeting his forehead. "I'll answer your other questions next time, otouto."

As Sasuke walked to the elevator, he began loosening his tie. He was never a fan of the neck constraints; however, it was necessary to wear in the office. Since he was leaving, it was of no use to him.

Sasuke sighed and placed a hand on his forehead. 'Why does he keep doing that?'

His brother usually answered questions vaguely, and he was used to it, but this time there was something irking him. Add to that his forehead poking, something he usually did when he wanted to avoid discussion. Or at least, that's what Sasuke perceived.

It was a gesture Itachi began doing after his recovery from a bad ailment he had experienced as a child. Sasuke didn't remember much of it, but from what he did remember, it gave everyone in the family a scare.

The elevator pinged, and he walked into it. Staring at his reflection on the shiny metal doors, he looked into his own eyes. He found himself doing that a lot lately. Ever since that day he woke up with blood rolling down from his eye.

He knew his eyes actually changing color was impossible, and he tried his best to keep himself from thinking of it too often. Still, he couldn't stop himself from wondering. It was driving him crazy.

Before his thoughts could continue its downward trajectory, his phone began to vibrate in his pocket. He sighed at the sight of the caller ID. Raising his other hand to remove the tie from around his neck, he answered the call.

"Yo, teme!" Naruto. Obviously. "Wanna go get some ramen for lunch?"

"Man, I wanted ramen."

"Too much sodium, and you'll die."

"Dying from ramen isn't real, and if it was, I'd gladly do it." Naruto huffed. "But fine. Crêpes aren't too bad." Naruto said as he dug into the sweet dessert.

Sasuke wasn't too fond of the treat. He was there for the coffee. He needed it after the meeting that morning and to clear his mind from more questions. Having Naruto's eccentric self as company usually did the trick.

"So," Naruto clasped his hands together, emitting a loud clap. "Did Itachi say yes to the hiking trip?"

"I have no idea why you want to go hiking there when there's a village that was just quarantined."

"It's quarantined! They say it's safe. Well, unless it isn't. Is it?" Naruto raised a brow.

Itachi did say the situation was stable, but how long would it stay that way? "I didn't get to ask him. Kind of preoccupied this morning."

"Never stopped us before, so it's worth a shot. Why not text him? We don't even need to ask for his permission to go on that hike. I just wanna hang out at the cottage."

"You really don't fear death, do you?"

"The place is quarantined! It's not like there are monsters up in the mountains."

If Naruto was being completely honest, he wasn't too sure of why he wanted to go so bad. There was something that had been bothering him, and for a while now, the Uchiha cottage would keep popping up into his head. Maybe he'd get answers there? Or was he just masking his curiosity as a desire for a weekend away from the city. Still, why the mountains?

His thoughts roamed to the dream he had. He was pretty sure they were by a mountain, or a cliff of some sort. No, that couldn't be it. It was by a waterfall, too. He didn't remember there being such a thing in the Hidaka Mountain Range.

Sasuke considered Naruto's idea for a moment, looking at his phone on the table. Naruto followed his gaze, and suddenly, a thought, an idea, occurred to him. A mischievous grin began forming his lips.

While he wasn't certain of his reasons, any reason to push his friend's buttons was good enough for him to stir some trouble.

He grabbed the phone from the table with Sasuke being startled out of his quiet contemplation. Naruto quickly began typing in the password.

"What are you doing?" Sasuke furrowed his brow. "And how the hell did you get my pass code?"

"Months of taking your phone when you weren't looking and putting in whatever," the blonde replied, fingers tapping away at the screen. "And I don't know why you're being so hesitant about just asking. Wouldn't hurt to try."

Sasuke sighed, not in the mood to start a ruckus in the café. "There's something he's not telling me."

Ever since Itachi had returned from his business trip, Sasuke had noticed that his brother was looking more and more into the Hokkaido issue. Sure, it could just be him watching how the money he donated was being put to use, or he could just be concerned about more health issues arising, but Sasuke could tell there was something deeper than that.

Just yesterday, he caught a glimpse of files Itachi had on his desk, labeled folders placed next to his computer. Why would he need information on Japanese mythology, feudal Japan, and ornithology? Had his brother picked up new hobbies? Was it a new business venture? He found it strange.

"That isn't a surprise. You Uchihas are pretty tight-lipped. Itachi more than you, so what's new?" He continued tapping for a few seconds. "And sent."

"Something just feels off."

Naruto raised a brow. "And you say Itachi's vague."

After rolling his eyes, Sasuke massaged his temple. "Whatever. You know, you could have texted Itachi yourself."

"Yeah, but what fun is that?" His mischievous smile reappeared.

Sasuke glared at him as he took his phone back. "What did you do?"

He shrugged. "Why's your password 'Salad'?"

Itachi listened to the woman on the other line of the call as he paced back and forth on his office floor, his shadow following him on the wall opposite the large windows. He came to a halt in front of his desk and leaned onto it, eyes focused on the floor. "And now you're sure?"

"Something in me makes me think yes," she replied, audibly tired. "It's quite similar to what happened when-"

Itachi knew what she was about to say. "And what would cement your certainty?"

He could feel her glaring even though she wasn't in the room. "Listen, Uchiha, you may be Mr. Big Bucks and donated a bunch of money to my mission, but I don't appreciate that tone." He didn't comment, which aggravated her, but she continued. "I'll need a few more days. She comes back from the little errand I had her run two days from now."

"I wouldn't call retrieving classified information a 'little errand,' Tsunade-san," he replied. "And that seems like a long time to just grab something for you."

"And I wouldn't try to correct me," said woman countered. "I'll send you updates."

Then, the line went dead.

'Such a short temper,' Itachi mentally remarked as his phone pinged, displaying that a new message had arrived from his brother. He clicked to view it.

It read,

"Hey, broooo! Naruto, AKA the great future prime minister of Japan, wants to know if we could go hiking in the Hidaka mountains this weekend. Soooooo, can we use the cottage?" Followed by numerous emojis and ending with a "Sincerely, Lord Saucy."

It definitely wasn't Sasuke. Shaking his head, he chuckled. Naruto was always the more exuberant of the two.

Though, Naruto's request was surprising. He knew he was aware of the predicament within the Hidaka mountains, yet he still made the request. Would he really let the two be so close to the site? Itachi thought back to his conversation with Tsunade. She did say the disease hadn't spread to any members of the team. And he was going to head to the site himself anyway, so it wouldn't hurt to schedule it earlier than he originally intended.

He looked at his opened laptop for a moment, still on the page he was on before the call, then turned his attention back to his phone, typing a reply. After clicking send, he returned to his desk seat and brought his laptop closer to him, sliding it near the edge of the desk. On a search engine, he entered the name of the place in question..

"Maisō," he said. "Quite unusual to name your village 'Burial.'"

"See! All you had to do was ask!" Naruto beamed triumphantly as the two walked towards the exit of the café. "You can thank me later."

"No way in hell that's happening when you gave me that stupid nickname."

Itachi had just sent a reply, basically saying yes, but also mentioning that he was to join them, and that there will be a more in depth discussion about him later. Naruto was a little bummed that he had no mention of his fitting new nickname for the younger Uchiha, though.

"It's perfect for you! You're cocky, flippant-"

"'Flippant,' big word for you."

"Urgh, teme, you really need to-" Naruto lost his footing due to his abrupt turn to face him and bumped into a chair. His side hurt from the impact, but it wasn't serious. Though, he felt that whoever's seat he bumped into would be a more serious problem.

A head of pink whirled to face them.

"Hey, watch where you-"

"Male. Mid-thirties. He was one of the first group of people that had gotten infected," Doctor Villanueva said as she handed his file to Tsunade.

With her eyes set in concentration, she read through the individual's medical record. "No previous serious injuries, health problems, nothing."

"And just a few weeks after heading to a doctor in the city for his yearly check up."

The two doctors watched the patient's comatosed state, the only sound heard being the mismatched beeping of the heart monitors. The tent was filled with critical care patients as well as their quiet, almost inaudible breathing. The room was well lit, making the white colors surrounding them all the more eye-catching. With their white sterile uniforms, it seemed almost glaringly bright.

"We all thought severe pneumonia caused the septic shock, but I'm starting to think something else is going on." Villanueva crossed her arms.

Tsunade arched her brow. "What makes you so sure?"

The other doctor scoffed. "Oh, come on, Tsunade. You and I, and a number of other healthcare professionals within the vicinity, know the air is fine. We've done tests, examined the area for contamination, but we've come up with nothing."

"And you and I both know better than to rule out that possibility," Tsunade responded. "The air feels heavier here, it's hotter than the places surrounding it, hotter than it should be at this time of year. With all the green, there should be a breeze or cooler air, but no. You've noticed it too, haven't you? How we're all boiling around here and how it's getting worse every day that passes?"

"Well, then, it's climate change. We've done the tests. There's nothing. We have to look elsewhere."

A red haired man peeked his head through the curtain looking a little embarrassed to impose. He raised a finger before speaking. "Doctor Villanueva, Doctor Zhang said he needed to speak with you about the old lady?"

She nodded before looking back at the head researcher whose head was tilted.

"Old lady?"

Villanueva sighed. "Yes. We're presuming she's a patient's grandmother. She popped in a few hours ago, lurking around the area. We've told her she shouldn't be here, but she's not listening."

"Why wasn't I informed of this?"

Reading the growing anger on her face, the American professor raised her hands up in defense. "You were on the phone. Then after that, you were making your rounds." She put her hands down as she walked to the exit. "We can handle it. You have a lot more to worry about, Oh Great Doctor Senju."

Tsunade stared at their retreating figures until the two left the tent completely. Her eyes went back to the patient lying in bed. Listening intently to her surroundings to make sure she was the only one awake inside, she slowly lifted her right hand. With her left, she removed the gloves that had fit perfectly against her skin.

She approached the patient, right hand lifted, one foot after another. Once again, the only thing she could hear was the beeping of monitors and her own breathing. The curtains stood still, the lights still bright. As she reached the side of the hospital bed, she slowly let her hand down. With a deep breath, her hand stopped, hovering just above the man's chest.

Green.

Green energy emanated from her hand, reminiscent of what the moon's reflection looked like on a steady stream: bright and glistening over the water. But with the quiet beauty of the sight, the energy that appeared around her hand held a power that very few knew existed. It would have been felt by anyone else in the room, but its bearer was the only one conscious to feel it, and she felt it more than anyone else could be able to.

A few moments passed and the green energy disappeared as quickly as it came. Tsunade's hand hovered above his chest for a beat before she sighed and put her glove back on.

She closed her eyes, inhaling deeply before opening them and staring at her hand. This was going to be even harder than she initially thought.

Confusion and curiosity flashed through their eyes as a sense of familiarity breezed through. But no one spoke. No one dared to.

Naruto felt a variety of emotions barrel through him within a second. Happiness, sorrow, pain, loss, relief, contentment. It was almost maddening, and he didn't know why. He could smell the familiar scent of the outdoors, as if he was out in the woods with the wind on his face. He could hear the sound of nature, the birds quietly chirping around him. The quiet clicking of cicadas eventually drowned out the chirps, and the bright blue sky turned to night.

Faces quickly passed by him, faces he thought he should know, but then stopped. And suddenly, in front of him were the three people he saw before he opened his eyes that morning.

As quickly as the cacophony of emotions came, they vanished, and he was back in the café with the smell of coffee wafting within the walls, and two pairs of eyes switching to look at his, then each other's.

It was then that he decided to speak, wanting to move his mind away from whatever sensation he felt, wanting to feel normal again after such an irregularity.

"Sorry, uh, for bumping into you." He felt like he knew her name, but just couldn't remember. Like it was at the tip of his tongue. Like he would blurt it out, and he would be right. He looked at Sasuke to save them from another bout of silence, but the look his friend had on told him he wouldn't find that from him.

Because he was staring. Blatantly so. And Naruto had never seen him appear so affected.

It was her.

It had been a week or so since he saw that familiar head of pink hair in the airport, and it's been the same amount of time since he had another dream with her in it. Oddly enough, he was missing those dreams. Though they brought him an infinite amount of questions, they were the few in which, in those moments, he felt at peace.

He tried to keep his face blank, not wanting to show any signs of his inner thoughts.

"Uh, it's fine," she said, replying to Naruto's apology.

She was dressed in casual attire. Light blue jeans and a white top with a blazer hanging on the back of her chair. He didn't think of her as someone in the business field, but perhaps he was wrong. However, he still doubted that was so.

"I wasn't watching where I was going," Naruto said and raised his thumb in Sasuke's direction. "And this one over here was being rude."

Her eyes shifted from Naruto's to his, and again he could see the subtle look of disbelief reflected on the pools of emeralds. Did she know him? Or know of him?

No matter how hard he tried to ignore it, he felt at ease in her presence, and he had absolutely no idea why. He'd never met her before. But he had dreamt of her, but that was no explanation.

Sasuke wasn't a romantic, so just thinking the sentence made him uncomfortable, but looking back at the woman in front of him, he couldn't help but wonder what it was about her. He's never been this curious about someone before, let alone someone he hadn't even spoken a word to.

It was maddening. He didn't like to dwell on these things, especially about a person he hadn't even formally met yet.

She looked at Naruto again and replied, "You were arguing?"

Naruto was beginning to break out of his previous shock. "Yeah, this emotionally constipated asshole treats me like I'm some sort of dumbass," he said, nodding his head at the aforementioned asshole.

"Tsk," Sasuke rolled his eyes. "'Some sort?'"

The blonde stared at him, irritation building. "You wanna fight?"

Sakura stared at the two as they continued their banter? Argument? She wasn't sure, but she didn't feel like they truly meant their insults. Granted, every friendship is different, and she's had her fair share of rivalry/ friendships, but the one before her took the cake. Though, it was refreshing more than it was baffling, even considering they're acting in such a way in front of a stranger.

She didn't even realize the smile that had graced her lips until she noticed the blonde one looking at her. He smiled back. "Glad we're entertaining."

His friend looked at her, piercing onyx eyes penetrating her gaze, giving her goosebumps.

There was something about that man. While his blue eyed friend gave the impression of warmth, he made her feel something so much more raw, more intense.

She stared back at him for a moment, trying to figure out where she had seen them from. That brief moment where silence enveloped them earlier was something more than shock. Something happened. She felt a swirling mess of emotions almost manifesting in the depths of her mind, in the base of her heart. Iit was tugging at her, trying to escape from within.

Then, she realized.

Those onyx eyes from a week ago, the ones that she pictured in her head while asleep. They were the ones that stared blankly back at her, yet sent feelings of sorrow, shock, pain, and relief into her all at once. And those eyes were staring right back at her.

'Sasuke-kun?'

And his friend. She broke her gaze away from his and turned to look at the man who continued to argue with him. He was in that dream, too. He was in multiple, in fact, just like 'Sasuke'.

"Oh! We must be being rude, shit talking in front of you without even introducing ourselves." He grinned sheepishly. "The name's Naruto Uzumaki, future prime minister of-"

"Ignore him, he hasn't even graduated college yet, and he's already going around saying that."

"I'm just building up my popularity!"

"You know the public doesn't vote for prime minister, don't you?"

"Of course, I do! Maybe she'll end up in the House of Representatives, and she'll remember today and say, 'Huh, that Naruto came so far and now, he's here, so I'm going to vote for him!'"

"Ah, yes, because what are the odds, right?" Sarcasm rolled off his tongue.

"You-!"

Sakura couldn't keep the laughter from escaping her lips. "You two are something else."

Naruto beamed. "Thank you! So you totally forgive the teme over here for making me bump into you earlier, right?"

Her laughter ebbed, but the smile on her face remained. "Yeah, water under the bridge. It was no big deal, anyway. I was just busy thinking about something."

She looked at the two of them, one looking like the embodiment of light, the other the opposite side of the same coin. As she had inferred with their bantering, they seemed like complete opposites. But the combination felt right, nostalgic for some reason.

A phone rang, and the dark haired man took his phone out of his pocket. "Aniki? Yeah. Sure. On my way." He hung up and looked at Naruto. "Itachi needs me for something back at the office."

"I thought you were only there this morning to 'observe' that meeting?"

He shrugged. "He called."

"That's weird, but hey, he's kind of always-" Naruto stopped, jaw dropping open as he looked at his phone and saw the time. "Shit! I have that thesis to submit!"

Naruto ran to the door and yelled, "It was nice meeting you!" as he exited the café.

"Nice meeting you, too," Sakura replied with a wave, even though he was already gone. She felt eyes on her and looked to see that 'Sasuke' still stood there.

"It was nice meeting you, as well."

He didn't respond immediately, but eventually spoke. "Likewise."

Then, he walked out the door, and her mind began reeling. She didn't even ask for his name, but she knew it couldn't be anything else but 'Sasuke.'

'Sasuke and Naruto...' She had a feeling she wouldn't forget those names.

As Naruto ran outside to the streets, Sasuke walked the opposite direction heading back to the office.

Sakura stared out of the window watching them move out of her vision and changed her view to the other people heading to their destinations and peeked a head of white hair crossing the street to the other side of the road, the man's hand holding up a book to his face from what she could see from behind him. Then, she went back to focusing on her food.

The man, already on the other side of the road, looked back to her behind the window before he walked away.

Itachi opened the door to his family manor that night and saw Naruto.

"Hey, Itachi." Naruto smiled, flashed a peace sign, and walked inside. Itachi stepped back to allow him space to enter.

"Naruto," he greeted. "Did you miss your thesis deadline?"

The man groaned as he continued walking further into the house, Itachi following behind. "Did Sasuke tell you? And no, I clicked submit right on time."

"Sasuke didn't have to tell me. I had an inkling."

Just as he finished his sentence, his younger brother walked down the stairs, towel around his neck as he rubbed his wet hair with one end of it.

"So," Naruto started as he walked towards the kitchen to grab a glass of water. "Hokkaido is still a go, right?"

The brothers walked into the kitchen as Naruto sat down on a bar stool. "Yes, but I have to ask, why do you want to go hiking when a possible epidemic is just a walk away?"

"I don't know," Naruto replied truthfully after a beat of silence. "I just really feel the need to go there."

If Naruto were to be completely honest, he had no idea why he felt so strongly about going to the Hidaka Mountain Range to hike. He could go hiking anywhere else, but something in him was pushing himself to that specific area, and usually, he'd follow his guts. Of course, he questioned himself on whether or not he's being insane and just wanting to risk it for some sort of thrill, but he knew himself well enough to know that wasn't it. Maybe it was because the cherry blossoms were about to bloom in the area and the Hidaka ranges were close to some of the most beautiful spots to view its blooming.

At the thought of the flowers blooming, he was reminded of something that had occurred earlier that day. "Hey, Lord Sauce-"

"Never call me that again."

"Did you catch the name of the girl we met in the café earlier?"

Sasuke didn't say anything, and Itachi found his silence unusual. It wasn't exactly shocking. Sasuke doesn't say much in general, but it was a simple question, and simple questions didn't take long for him to answer.

"...Sakura."

Naruto's eyes widened slightly but went back to normal in a snap. "It is?"

Sasuke looked away. "Just a guess."

Naruto tilted his head. "Why? 'Cause of her hair?"

This time there was no reply, and Naruto really didn't need one.

The two fell silent as Itachi eyed them suspiciously, arms crossed as his back met the wall. 'Hm…'

Note:

And in a month's time, I have updated!

Thank you all so much for the comments. I've loved reading them all.