Chapter Ten: Big Brother/Niisan
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Two days. He was supposed to be dead in two days. Shisui didn't go home that night. He wandered the woods for a while and finally settled on a high branch with a good view of the full moon. He would try to meet with Lord Fugaku and use Kotoamatsukami to alter his mind and prevent his support of the Uchiha coup It shouldn't matter that his subordinates wanted a fight, Fugaku was the clan leader. He should make the difference. If that trio of troublemakers — Tekka, Inabi, and Yashiro — assumed it was because Fugaku was swayed over concern for his sons — that's as it should be. The future generations were more important than the grievances of the older generation.
Why couldn't they see it?
It had been nearly seven years since he'd awakened Mangekyo Sharingan. Sakura had mentioned it at the apartment. Did she even understand how it was awakened? His closest friend, a former teammate and rival, had died on a mission — Shisui could have reached out behind him — could have saved that rival. But he let him die. As he looked back, saw the friend cut down and realized what he'd done, the dark ultimate power of the Sharingan had unlocked.
It was a steep price and cruel fate. He'd looked through the clan documents. Only one other instance was recorded— Madara Uchiha when his brother Izuna died in his arms. Did that mean no one else had the ocular power? No. But it did mean the whomever else might have it kept it their dirty, little secret.
If in the original timeline, Shisui died, did he do it in such a way that Itachi developed Mangekyo Sharingan? How else would he be able to slay the entire clan? He had to have had help, right? Maybe it was whomever actually unleashed the Nine-Tails those years ago?
He leaned the back of his head against the solid trunk of the tree and stared out on the horizon as the night sky began to lighten with the first rays of dawn. He heard a stick snap below him and he shifted his gaze to the forest below and felt himself relax upon spying a young Academy student.
His curiosity sent him to a lower branch, while still carefully masking his chakra. How many little girls had pink hair? He watched as she moved to stand in front of a certain tree. She spread her legs apart in a fighting stance, positioning her weight evenly and centered the balance of her core and started punching the air, her thin little arms extended into straight lines and then retracting to ninety degree angles at her sides.
Her form was correct, but punching at the air wasn't going to do much for increasing her strength. So this was young, untrained Sakura, hailing from a civilian family. She wasn't a prodigy like Itachi or even Sasuke, but he appreciated the determination. He remembered most of the girls at the Academy back when he was a student were simply boy crazy and looking to meet a future ninja husband.
Shisui watched her for a solid twenty minutes. Before he decided to let his presence be known. He unmasked his chakra and was satisfied to see her twirl around suddenly aware that someone was nearby. The red bow holding her hair back fell off and sent long pastel pink bangs over her eyes. She had a bit of a prominent forehead — not unusual for a little kid, but probably the reason for the long bangs. Maybe he should tell her she'd grow into it?
"Who's there?" young Sakura called, her voice wavering in fear, but she kept her arms up defensively.
Shisui dropped down in front of her and held his hands up in peace. "I was in the tree up there, watching the sky. I didn't expect company," he said, by way of apology.
"Oh, I haven't seen you here before," Sakura said. She gazed up at him, those familiar jade eyes landed on his face and hair. "You're an Uchiha?"
Shisui nodded. "Are you a friend of Sasuke's?" Shisui asked. Mentioning the young Uchiha should disarm her suspicion. "He's my little cousin."
Sakura visibly deflated, her shoulders slumped. "We're classmates, but he doesn't consider me a friend. He doesn't even know who I am." Sakura took a deep breath. "I'm Sakura."
"Shisui," he introduced himself. "Would you like some help training? Your form is good, but you need to apply force to get stronger."
"You would help me?" Sakura asked, surprised. "Why?"
"You're a future shinobi of the Leaf, are you not? It's in my best interests to make sure you're the best you can be. Why are you here by yourself?" Shisui asked.
"I had a friend, but we both like the same boy so now she avoids me. She has lots of friends, so it doesn't matter to her. I don't matter to her." She blew out a breath, ruffling those bangs, and stared up at Shisui. "My parents are civilians so they don't know how to help me. I make perfect scores on all the written tests. I study hard, but I just have no skills." Her head hung at the last bit.
Shisui stepped closer and continued to hold his hands palms facing towards her. "Hit my palms. Hard as you can." He was glad she didn't know about chakra control yet or else he'd have regretted the suggestion. He felt her put her whole weight into it all twenty kilograms. "Good, keep going. I want you to punch one hundred times. Count aloud. Go!"
"One! Two!" Sakura kept at her current force, and only started to lose intensity around seventy-five. By the time she got to one-hundred she was covered in sweat and panting.
"Very good, Sakura-chan! I want you to start doing push ups every night —at least twenty. And work on your balance." Shisui stood on one foot, arms straight out at shoulder level. "And stand like this for five minutes then switch to the other foot— every night."
Sakura nodded.
"And ask your teacher if you can stay a little after school to work on kunai and shuriken throwing okay," Shisui suggested.
"Maybe I can ask my dad to hold his hands like you did so I can practice punching," Sakura said, smiling up at him brightly.
"That's a great idea, Sakura-chan. You'll need to work on kicks too though. I have to get going. Do you want me to walk you home?" Shisui asked. He didn't really like knowing a little kid like her was wandering the woods by herself. "You know, it's not a really safe being in the woods by yourself like this."
Her head hung low again. "Ino-chan used to play with me here, but not anymore."
Oh, he was definitely interfering with his next suggestion. But future Sakura had already done more interference than this. "Why don't you ask the blond boy? I've seen him at the park before — he's usually alone. I bet he could use a friend too."
"Naruto?" Sakura scowled. "He's so loud. And he's a troublemaker."
"I believe I've heard him say he wants to be the Hokage one day. I would think he'd be motivated to practice. It's just a suggestion," Shisui said.
"Maybe," Sakura said thoughtfully. She looked up at him and smiled, swiping her bangs out of her eyes. "Thank you, Shisui-niisan!"
"Big brother, huh?" Shisui asked, amused by the little girl. "Run off now, be safe!"
He watched as she ran back towards the main part of the village. It probably wouldn't be too much of a change to the timeline. Sakura seemed like a pretty lonely little girl. Naruto and Sasuke were pretty lonely too. They ended up a team anyway, they might as well start off a little more cohesive.
Feeling slightly optimistic, Shisui hurried back home. He would visit Lord Fugaku later that morning. He would try to reason with him first. Maybe he wouldn't even need to use his Sharingan? He would reveal that his three subordinates— Tekka, Inabi, Yashiro— had requested Shisui to spy on Itachi for the last several months. Perhaps he could appeal to the clan leader as a father and an uncle.
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OoO
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Every morning, Kakashi woke up at precisely five o'clock. Sometimes he laid in bed and stared at the ceiling for a while, other times he started his morning exercise routine - pushups, pull-ups, basic taijutsu stretches, sometimes a jump rope. Sometimes he went for a run. More often than not, there were lingering anxieties from whatever nightmare haunted his dreams and he would head off to the Memorial to talk to his fallen friends.
This morning he woke up refreshed and feeling calm. It might have had something to do with the lithe woman sprawled across his chest. Sex wasn't a big deal for Kakashi — he did it for work, he did it for fun, he did it when he was pissed, and he did it when he was bored. Finding a willing participant was never the issue.
What he did not do was actually sleep with someone. He didn't stay the night over at someone else's place or invite someone into his own place. He had never woken up with someone in his arms. There was no good reason he should feel this comfortable around a woman he'd only known for a few days.
He tightened his arms around her and took a deep breath, sniffing her hair and getting a whiff of the lilies and gardenia scent. He was tempted to rouse her for another round, but he felt like he was starting to be obsessed. He was definitely feeling possessive.
While the hair on her crown was golden-blond, her more private hair was certainly not. He had suggested that she shave when they were in the shower together. The way her eye ticked had been a total turn on. She had been pissed and it looked glorious on her.
"Sakura? Wake up. We're meeting the Hokage this morning." Kakashi rolled Sakura off him to lay next to him while he sat up and stretched. She snuggled into the pillow and murmured something. He got off the bed and started getting dressed— boxers then face mask. "Wakey, wakey, Sakura-chan." He grabbed hold of the sheets and yanked them down, while taking a moment to admire her mostly naked body. She'd put on panties before they finally went to bed last night.
"Hey!" Sakura sat up and blinked at him a few times, obviously trying to orient herself. She belatedly pulled the sheet up over her chest. "It's not even daylight, yet."
"Isn't your friend due to be killed in two days? I'd think you'd be on a bit of a time crunch," Kakashi pointed out.
"You stayed," Sakura stated, obviously surprised.
"It was late, so it just made sense," Kakashi said, feeling defensive.
She gestured between them. "This — was training?"
He was grateful for his mask. "Naturally." He was afraid his teeth might shatter with the intensity of his jaw being clenched.
She laid back in the bed and laughed. "Definitely better than any other training I've gone through."
Kakashi chuckled and then scanned the floor to find his pants. "Do you have food for breakfast here or should we pick something up?"
"You—want to be seen with me?" Sakura asked. "I thought it would be wise to keep a low profile. I have food here I can fix."
"Food that we can fix," Kakashi corrected. For some reason, the visual of standing together in her tiny kitchenette making breakfast actually cheered him. He was a pretty decent cook. Since he had no family, he usually read books to keep himself company — he'd gone through all his mother's old cook books when he was a kid. He'd actually become a pretty good fisherman and hunter thanks to some of his father's survival manuals. His old teammates, Obito and Rin, used to come over and eat with him. But since they died eight years ago, he generally didn't have anyone to cook for, but himself.
Sakura shoved her covers aside and strode to her dresser — Kakashi watched, appreciating the curves of her hips and the jiggle of her breasts as she crossed the room. His hands flexed at his side. He decided to leave his shirt off and went to the kitchen to explore the options. It would be fun to see her reaction to his shirtless body.
He'd already gotten out a pan and was scrambling eggs when Sakura joined him. He could feel her eyes on him.
"So I read through the redacted reports about Shisui's death," Sakura explained.
"How did you manage that sort of access?" Kakashi asked, he glanced over at her and caught her staring.
She shifted her eyes up to his face. "I'm the Hospital Director. I have access to the Death certificates. But since his body was never found, I actually had to look through the Hokage's archives."
"Are you the Hokage?" Kakashi asked.
"No, but I'm close to the current and former Hokage," Sakura explained. "I assist sometimes. Anyways, there was a report by Itachi— he'd incinerated the person responsible for poisoning Shisui— it was someone he was familiar with that used insects. Shisui suspected the silent man."
"Ah, Sugaru most likely," Kakashi reasoned. "Part of Abarame clan— though Sugaru probably isn't his actual name and we're not supposed to know the Anbu's identities. Sometimes, it's too obvious. The poison could disintegrate without leaving a trace. That also means there wouldn't be time to figure out an antidote."
"How do you know he's part of Abarame clan?" Sakura asked.
Kakashi tapped his nose. "I can smell the insects."
"How? Using your Ninken?" Sakura opened the refrigerator and pulled out a couple of oranges. "You know what? That's your business. You can tell me if you want." She set a cutting board on the counter and began to slice the oranges. "Okay, so if for some reason I'm not able to keep Shisui from being poisoned, as long as I can get to him in time, I can either try a general antidote or manually remove the poison."
Kakashi scoffed. "Do you just happen to carry antidotes around with you when you travel fourteen years into the past?"
"I would be a pretty sorry medic if I didn't pack some on missions in general." Sakura took the knife and rinsed it at the sink. "But is his eye stolen before or after he's poisoned? Probably before — to paralyze him. He reports to Lord Third, not Danzo, so can't he just avoid the man?"
"All very good questions," Kakashi said. "I'm fond of Itachi — he's been on Team Ro with me for two years. It's hard for the Uchiha. The prejudice is very real. But those two, they're the cream of the crop."
"You don't seem to have a problem with the Uchiha clan," Sakura pointed out.
Kakashi turned off the stovetop and leaned his hip on the counter to look back at her. Her eyes kept staring at his torso. "My teammate Obito was an Uchiha. He died before the Nine-tails attack. But, I know the Uchiha aren't to be scorned just because of their surname."
She drew her eyes up to his face and there was something unreadable in her expression.
"Is there something I should know?" Kakashi asked.
"There are so many things you will know in the next few years, but I do not think it is wise for me to tell you prematurely." Sakura rubbed her temples. "Did Itachi tell you about the masked man who killed his old teammate?"
"The first time I met Itachi," Kakashi said. "What about him?"
"The Nine-tails attack seven years ago— it was an Uchiha, but not one that lives in the village," Sakura explained.
Kakashi help up his hand. "Yo. Hold up. Let's just deal with the here and now, okay? We have enough problems. Let's focus on breakfast and meeting the Hokage. What else do you have planned for today?"
"I'm meeting Fugaku Uchiha around eleven with Shisui and Itachi," Sakura said. "He wants to meet the kunoichi that miraculously healed his brother-in-law."
The Uchiha compound was monitored twenty-four/ seven by Anbu. He'd have to do something to make sure that Sakura wasn't on the videos. There was a chance she already was if she'd already been there. The images were black and white so her hair wouldn't make her distinct. Itachi would know where the blind spots were or could make some. "I doubt if Fugaku Uchiha will be open to changing his mind. We should start evacuating those not involved in the coup soon. And I can probably safely stash at least thirty people into my Kamui dimension, maybe forty."
"There's at least one hundred and fifty people in the clan," Sakura said.
"Then you'll have to decide who is worth saving— who is not so far gone in their hate? Who has the potential to contribute to the village?" Kakashi divvied up the eggs onto two plates and set one in front of her. They forgo chairs and stood at the bar next to each other. "Who whole-heartedly supports betraying Konoha and who is passively resisting?"
"How much energy will it take for you to hide that many people?" Sakura asked. "I can contribute some chakra, but if this puts you in the hospital for chakra depletion, it's not good enough."
Kakashi slipped down his mask and shoved a fork full of eggs into his mouth. It was silly to go through the extra effort of eating while masked when she'd already seen him. "I can do five people without a problem. I would need to rest between."
"That's not enough," Sakura reasoned. "And if it's going to put your life in danger, it's not an option. I'll know more after I meet with the clan. The boys and I will make a save list. Not all Uchiha even have the Sharingan. I wonder if the trauma of the massacre itself is what awakens so many for Danzo to harvest."
"Probably."
"I should have more allies arrive in about four days," Sakura said. "They'll be able to protect them."
"Why don't you write your allies a letter?" Kakashi asked. "Write me a letter. Give it to Pakkun and he can deliver it to me in the future."
"That's a great idea! My summons worked here when I tried it earlier." She smiled at him. "See? This is why I needed your help." The smile vanished and she blew out a breath. "Future you is going to be so pissed at me."
Kakashi chuckled. "Well, I think he'll be receptive to you making it up to him." He reached for her hips and held her pressed against him. "I'm feeling very forgiving at the moment."
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It was a rarity that the whole family sat a the kitchen table for a meal. Itachi had woken up early and cooked a large breakfast. He fried eggs, made pancakes, made a fruit salad, and onigiri wrapped in seaweed. When his mother entered the kitchen to make tea she'd been stunned.
"Itachi, dear, what are you doing up so early?" Mikoto asked. She put on her apron and washed her hands. "You've really outdone yourself, son." She worked on preparing tea, but Itachi had already boiled the water. All that was left was to steep the tea leaves in the cups he'd already set out on a tray.
"Good morning, Mother," Itachi said, lifting the pan from the stove top and scooping out the eggs. "I have a mission this afternoon, so I thought it would be nice to spend the morning with the family."
"I see, it looks delightful. Aren't you meeting your father later today?" Mikoto asked.
"Yes," Itachi confirmed. He sensed his father just outside the door, he seemed to hesitate perhaps also waiting for the answer.
Fugaku entered, wearing his police uniform. He'd been ready to head straight to work. "Itachi? What is all this?"
"We have not been seeing eye-to-eye for some time, Father," Itachi said, gesturing for his father to sit on the pillow on the floor by his place at the low table. "While a meal together will not resolve our conflict, it should show that I do care about spending time with my family."
Mikoto took off her apron. "I'll wake up Sasuke. We'll be right back."
"Will you be bringing the girl today?" Fugaku asked.
"The medic? Yes. I have a mission this afternoon, so we'll be there around eleven this morning." Itachi set plates at the four places of the table and settled the food in the center. He sat catty-corner to his father.
"And you cannot tell me what your mission is," Fugaku stated. "Your promotion into Anbu was to gain the clan access to the inner workings of the village."
"I cannot tell you about my top secret missions," Itachi agreed. "What I have learned about the village is that the perceived slights of the Uchiha clan need to be worked past. You should focus on the future. Do not dwell in animosity and wounded feelings."
"You've missed several meetings," Fugaku said.
"No one seems to care about my opinion. Even with a walking miracle like Uncle Taki trying to speak reason," Itachi said. He looked over at the door as his mother and little brother walked in. Sasuke's sleep-dazed expression cleared as he eyed the spread across the table. "Good morning, little brother," Itachi greeted.
"Aniki," Sasuke whispered in awe. "You did all this?"
"Of course, I wanted to make sure my precious little brother had a proper meal before your big day at school today," Itachi said. "You have that practical skills test today, yes?"
"It's tomorrow." Sasuke sat next to Itachi and across from his father. "I mastered the Fireball jutsu last week," Sasuke boasted. He picked up one of the onigiri and took a bite.
"And the burns on your face have healed nicely," Mikoto added. She looked over at Itachi. "His fireballs are quite impressive."
"I showed him once. He took it upon himself to train until he mastered the technique only a few days later. Both my sons are geniuses," Fugaku said, a rare smile flitted across his lips.
"Can you train with me this afternoon, Itachi?" Sasuke asked, looking over at his brother with hopeful eyes.
"Sorry, Sasuke. Not today. I have a mission this afternoon." Itachi felt his heart clench at the keen look of disappointment on his brother's face. "But if it's okay, I was hoping to walk you to school this morning."
That disappointment quickly transformed into a radiant smile. "Okay!"
Fugaku left a few minutes later, taking a few bites of food and drinking his tea. Mikoto watched him leave with sad eyes.
"Go get dressed, Sasuke. Then we'll head out," Itachi said. As soon as Sasuke reached their shared bedroom, Itachi met his mother's gaze. "Have you thought about our conversation? Will you stand against the coup?"
"I don't want to stand against your father, Itachi. He's our leader," Mikoto said quietly.
"You are a Jonin of the Leaf," Itachi reminded her. "This course endangers the very children of the clan, Mother."
"I'm not a Jonin anymore. I resigned years ago." Mikoto stared down at her teacup. Unable to look her eldest son in the eye.
"And you're willing to risk Sasuke's life?"
Mikoto looked across the table at him. "You wouldn't allow anything to harm your brother."
While that was true, it wasn't his responsibility. Itachi set down his tea cup with great care. Internally he was shaking with anger, but outward he appeared cool and calm. "If it weren't for me — you would have been crushed by flying debris during the Nine-Tails attack. Do you deny this?"
"No. You saved mine and Sasuke's life that night." Mikoto looked at the door behind her. Sasuke was coming.
"Then would you say that you are indebted to me?" Itachi asked.
His mother nodded.
"Then you will tell me others who do not wish for violence and are willing to go into hiding. I'm not asking you to stand against Father. I'm asking you to take yourself and others out of the equation," Itachi reasoned.
"Okay! I'm ready!" Sasuke shouted from the front door.
Itachi left his mother without another word. He met Sasuke by the front door and slipped on his shoes. He walked alongside his brother en route to the Academy. He'd only made the journey for a year when he'd gone to the Academy. In those days, they were eager to graduate any promising child. The rules changed shortly afterwards and while Sasuke would have easily been promoted in years past, he had to wait until he was eleven before he'd be eligible.
"I'm impressed to hear about your fireball jutsu," Itachi murmured. "It took you one week to master a skill that few shinobi outside of our clan ever learn. It is a great accomplishment."
"Mother told me to stop comparing myself to you." Sasuke looked up at Itachi and shifted his backpack over his shoulders.
"That would be wise," Itachi agreed. "I work hard so that the horrors I see will not touch you, little brother." He reached for Sasuke's head and ruffled his brother's dark, unruly hair. "Now, tell me, have you made friends at the Academy?"
"No, not really. Girls confess to me every day that they love me — it's very annoying." Sasuke reached up and tried to smooth out his tangles. "No one seems to take the classes as seriously as me. There's this one girl that scores well on her tests too, but she's very bad at the practical skills part. Nara is good at the practical skills, but he's so lazy."
"What about Naruto?" Itachi asked. "I've seen him on the playground before. He seems — enthusiastic."
"He's loud and annoying," Sasuke argued.
"I suspect he could use a friend." Itachi could see the Academy in the distance. "You should be kind to him. I do not make friends easily either. I never know what to say. And when you are exceptional — it often separates you and makes others intimidated and wary."
"You talk plenty to me," Sasuke said.
"That's because you are my precious brother," Itachi said. They arrived on the playground just outside of the Academy a few minutes before the doors opened. "Ah, there's Naruto now." He and Sasuke watched as the loud-overly boisterous blond nervously approached his pink-haired classmate where she sat on the swings. He handed her a colored page. She was obviously surprised by the gesture and smiled at him. He was so flustered by the smile that he hurried away and gave a second colored page to the shy Hyuga girl — who promptly passed out.
"What is going on?" Sasuke practically marched towards the playground seeming to forget all about Itachi.
With amusement, Itachi watched the scene unfold. His brother approached the young version of Sakura and asked to look at the paper she was holding. She was obviously surprised and showed it to him. He looked from her to the blond and back again. Then sat on the swing next to her with an adorably cute scowl on his face.
Itachi chuckled faintly at the sight.
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Present Time…
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"I don't really care about having ramen, Naruto." Sasuke scowled at the bowl of Tonkotsu Ramen sitting in front of him. He always got the same type every visit to Ichiraku Ramen.
"Maybe you'd care more if you tried a different type?" Naruto suggested. "Shoyu or Miso?"
Sasuke stuck his chopsticks into the bowl and stuffed his mouth full of noodles. "I like what I like." He rubbed his hand over his left deltoid.
"Are you still upset about the tattoo?" Naruto snickered. After all Sasuke's refusal to be branded when he saw Naruto showing off his new Anbu tattoo, he'd asked for one too. So now they both had prosthetic lower arm and hand on their dominant side and had Anbu tattoos. They were practically brothers.
"No. I'm upset that we're sitting here wasting time," Sasuke growled.
"We can't go back until the device activates in four days," Naruto reminded him. He scratched the top of his unruly golden-blond hair. "I mean, shouldn't we have different memories by now?"
"How would we even know?" Sasuke asked. He rested his elbow on the table and rubbed his forehead. "I was literally on my way home. I had just finished taking down that fighting ring colosseum. I read the letter where you said Sakura compared me to the police force and I turned around and started on my way back home."
"Sakura's really smart — so whatever she's doing — it will probably make things better," Naruto said, flashing what should have been a reassuring smile.
"Normally, she's really smart," Sasuke agreed. "Except when it comes to me — she's never been particularly bright." He looked across the table at Naruto. "Neither of you are. Both so annoying and stubborn— always chasing after me and trying to make me come back home."
"Annoying, huh?" Naruto asked. "And why did you come back home then?"
"Because you and Sakura are here," Sasuke grumbled. "She better not get herself killed."
"I believe in her," Naruto said, quietly, the only indication that he was also worried. "She'll get Kakashi Sensei to help her. And we'll be by her side in no time, Sasuke."
"I can't even imagine if she manages it," Sasuke whispered. "If she can stop the loss of my clan — what would it be like?"
"You would still be a pompous ass, but you would be less sad," Naruto said.
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