The next morning when Itachi was waiting for Sasuke to get ready for school, his father called him into his office.

"Itachi," his father began before pausing. "A letter was found in Shisui's house earlier this morning when a clan member noticed his front door wide open."

Itachi's eyes narrowed in confusion and he tilted his head. "Is Shisui okay?" He asked, pushing down the emotions once again.

Fugaku let out a long sigh. "I'm afraid he's killed himself. We've had members canvassing the area, but we haven't found his body yet."

"Killed himself? That's impossible. Shisui wouldn't do anything like that…" Itachi insisted.

"Yes, I believe that as well, which is why we've opened an investigation. You spend the most time with him; did you see him at all yesterday?"

"Yes, I was with him in the evening, just after he returned from his mission, but he seemed fine. He was just…Shisui," he answered. He knew it wouldn't do good to lie about his whereabouts, especially since the clan was aware of how often they spent time together.

"I didn't know he finished his mission earlier than expected. He normally comes to see me after he gives his report to the Hokage," Fugaku said, mostly thinking to himself.

"He looked tired when we saw one another so we didn't spend much time together," Itachi added. "He returned home just before sunset and I spent the next hour or so training before returning home myself. I walked past his house as well and nothing looked out of the ordinary.

Fugaku hummed. "I see. I'm going to see the Hokage about this here in a bit. Take Sasuke to school and don't let him know until we've recovered his body and confirmed his death."

Itachi bowed his head. "Yes, father. I will return soon. Would you like me to accompany you to this meeting?" He asked.

"No, I'll be doing this on my own. Stay here with your mother in case they locate him," his father replied. Itachi bowed again and left his father's office with his heart beginning to hammer in his chest. He took a deep breath as he walked outside to where Sasuke was waiting and calmed himself down.

Everything was going as well as he expected it to. While he was stuck here at home, he needed to find a way to get an audience with the Hokage without alerting the masked man he knew was watching him as well as Danzo—that's who he was most concerned about. He could try to corner him as he did to Shisui, and that would mean Shisui would've died for nothing if Itachi was overpowered.

On the other hand, if he took care of Danzo. If he finished what Shisui started, the village and his clan would be saved. He knew it was only a matter of time before Danzo made his move, and now that he was in possession of Shisui's sharingan the trouble he made was going to be disastrous.

"Good morning, Sasuke, Itachi-san," Hinata said as they approached the gate of the Hyuuga compound where Hinata and her cousin Neji were waiting.

Sasuke smiled easily at her. "Morning! Itachi said he was gonna be walking with us to and from school!" He told her. Itachi felt the ache in his chest lessen when she lit up with happiness. The kids in front of him were so innocent and clueless as to what was going on behind the scenes that he felt it was possible to escape his reality, even for a brief walk to their school.

"Really? I'm so happy to hear that!" Hinata said, smiling up at Itachi.

"Hinata-sama, we need to get going now," Neji said from beside her.

"Yes," she said. "Let's get going."

Itachi and Neji walked in silence as they listened to Sasuke and Hinata discuss different topics from school to training to what they should do after training in the evening. It was refreshing and Itachi felt extremely guilty knowing that he was going to be telling them awful news after school.

"Itachi, would you be free to join us?" Hinata asked.

"I might be free to do so," he said. He didn't want to agree, especially since he knew they might have a difficult time training after hearing the news. Honestly, he wanted to tell them to just cancel their training for today, but that would only make them question.

"I see. Please let me know after school," she replied. "I would be happy to have you join us but don't feel obligated to if you are not up to it. I wouldn't be upset or offended."

Itachi put his hand on her head. "Thank you."

He waved goodbye as they walked into their school and started on his way back home to wait for news of Shisui's body. And he knew that when it happened, it really was going to be a dark path for him to walk.

When Hinata and Sasuke were walking to their class, Hinata stopped in the middle of the empty hallway and faced Sasuke.

"What is it?" He asked.

"..."

"Are you feeling sick?"

She shook her head. "Did…Itachi-san seem weird to you?" She asked haltingly.

Sasuke lifted a brow. "Weird how?" He asked, kind of getting offended that anyone would call his brother weird, even Hinata.

"Something just seemed off," she explained. "I can't really put it into words. He just seemed off."

Sasuke reached out and touched her arm. "Itachi's fine. He's the same as usual. He's probably just tired or something," he assured her.

After a moment, she nodded her head and gave him a small smile. "You're right. Thank you, Sasuke."

She didn't really believe it but worrying Sasuke was the last thing she wanted to do. When they got to their seats, they had a few minutes alone as they always arrived earlier than their classmates.

Ino and Sakura always came after them, competing with each other to sit next to Sasuke. Hinata felt bad for him, but she wasn't about to step in between them. They weren't actively harmful toward her, but they weren't necessarily nice to her either. They tended to ignore her, and she preferred that to being tripped and shoved by the others in their class.

After, Shikamaru came in and sat next to her like he sometimes did before class began and he returned to his own seat.

"You doing okay?" He asked. "You seem a little pale."

Hinata shrugged. "I've just been feeling uneasy lately. I'm not sure about what," she admitted. Shikamaru was someone she could talk easily with and, even though he was always very lazy, she knew he cared in his own way.

He patted her shoulder, pointedly ignoring the glare Sasuke was sending him. He knew how close the two were but he wasn't going to pay any attention to the Uchiha when Hinata was his good friend, too. "Uneasy how?" He asked, leaning a little closer as more students came in.

Hinata looked around briefly to make sure no one was looking, almost leaning in a bit. "I feel like something bad is going to happen."

Shikamaru nodded his head in understanding. "Are you afraid for your sensei, the next Hokage?" He asked.

"I-I don't think it's about him," she sighed softly. "I truly don't know." Her shoulders slumped as they rarely did as she was from a noble clan and Shikamaru rubbed her back like his mom would do to him when he was upset. She smiled at him. "Thank you."

He smiled back. "Any time. I have to head back to my seat," he said when almost everyone was in attendance. "Let's watch the clouds at lunch."

"That sounds nice," she agreed. Shikamaru went to his seat and Hinata turned to sneak a glance at Sasuke who was looking out of the window and blatantly ignored Sakura and Ino who didn't seem to care.

Naruto was one of the last to come in, still rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "Ino-chan, Sakura-chan, please move so I can sleep a little before class," he yawned.

"No way, Naruto!" Sakura said. "We—I got here first!"

"We came at the same time!" Ino argued.

Sasuke turned to them. "This is Naruto's seat, so please move." He hated being around them but he had to be as polite as possible or his mother would throw a fit if he made any girls cry. Bad enough that he could barely even look at Hinata while they were here since they were always watching him like a hawk. He was just glad that it wasn't for nothing and they left her alone.

Naruto squeezed his way into the seat, shoving them off. "Thanks!" He said sarcastically. Then he let his head rest on the desk where he promptly fell asleep. Both Hinata and Sasuke looked on in shock. Naruto was hardly ever tired. They shared a brief look before turning away with a shrug.

Iruka came in with a bright smile a few minutes later. "Morning, class! Everyone ready to start the day with a quick brain exercise?!" The class groaned and Naruto shot up. "That's the spirit! Each one take a sheet of paper and pass it to the people next to you."

"Why are we doing that, Iruka-sensei?!" He complained.

"Because, Naruto, after this we're going to spend the rest of the day outside doing target practice and physical training."

Naruto quieted down and took the paper he was given before passing the last one to Sasuke. "Fine."

Sasuke nudged him. "You okay?"

Naruto yawned again. "I stayed up really late waiting for my dad to come home from Hokage training or whatever," he sighed. "He's getting so busy now; I'm surprised he still has time to train us…"

"Ah. It's difficult but it gets easier to handle," he assured his friend.

"How would you know?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "My and Hinata's fathers are Clan Heads, remember? We only ever see them for personal training and sometimes dinner."

Naruto looked down. "Oh, yeah. That's right. Sorry," he mumbled.

Sasuke shrugged. "It's no big deal. Just how it is. No need to be sorry."

"Okay, class, today's brain exercise is simple. If the world was going to come to an end tomorrow, who would you spend your last day on Earth with?" Iruka said, looking about the room. "It can be friends, your family, someone you like, anything."

Hinata tilted her head in thought for a moment before looking back at Sasuke and Naruto, the former having already been looking at her. She gave him a warm smile before returning to her assignment.

'My family, Sasuke Uchiha, Naruto Uzumaki, Itachi Uchiha, and Shisui Uchiha,' she wrote down. Pleased, she set her pencil aside and flipped her paper over.

Naruto tapped his pencil against his chin, glancing over at Sakura and then Hinata before nodding to himself.

'My parents, Sasuke, Itachi, Shisui, and Hinata.' He grinned and then put his head back down on his desk.

Sasuke, even after having been caught by Hinata, continued staring at her.

'My brother and cousin, Hinata Hyuuga, and Naruto Uzumaki.' He set his pencil aside and turned to look out the window.

"Fugaku-san, what is it that you needed to speak about with us so urgently?" The Hokage asked the man standing before him and his advisors, and Minato who was shadowing him.

"I'm afraid I have bad news, Hokage-sama. Shisui Uchiha has taken his own life. Just earlier this morning, his front door was found open and on the kitchen table, there was a letter, explaining that he took his life due to feeling as though he failed. Itachi shared with me that he was with him for a little bit yesterday evening," Fugaku explained.

The Hokage let out a long exhale and took a puff of his pipe as he absorbed the information. "I see. Shisui had sent word that he completed his mission earlier than anticipated, but he did not report to me yesterday. I had assumed he was simply taking his time in returning. I am very sorry to hear about this, Fugaku-san."

Minato schooled his features well but Fugaku could see that he was just as shocked as they were. Due to his students, he'd been a bit close with Shisui. Minato was not allowed to say anything though unless the Hokage specifically asked for his input.

Fugaku didn't show his confusion. "He didn't report to you?" He asked. It was the first thing a shinobi did when they returned from a mission. Shisui would always report to the Hokage and then to Fugaku himself.

Then Danzo spoke, "Shisui Uchiha?" He asked. "I saw him yesterday evening while I was on a walk around the village." All eyes turned toward him.

"You saw him?" Fugaku asked. "Did he look all right?"

Danzo took a moment to think about it. "Yes, he looked perfectly fine. He was with Itachi, as he said."

"What time was this at?" Koharu asked.

"I want to say it was just after sunset, I believe."

Fugaku froze for a moment as he recalled Itachi saying Shisui went home before sunset, but there was no reason for Danzo Shimura to lie about something as trivial as that. He gathered his thoughts and waited for the Hokage to speak.

"I see," the Hokage spoke. "Has there been an autopsy done yet?"

"No, Hokage-sama. We've yet to locate his body," he answered.

Danzo straightened up. "I mean no offense when I asked this, Fugaku-san, but have you thought to question Itachi more on his whereabouts yesterday?" He asked. Fugaku hardened his gaze just a bit.

"Itachi would not lie about something like that, Shimura-san. Itachi and Shisui were best friends," he said curtly.

"Then Itachi should know more than anyone what happened. I understand he is your son, but I would hope that does not cloud your judgment. You're the head of the Police Force and should always question any possible suspects without bias," he explained.

Fugaku was about to argue when there was a knock on the door and Shikaku Nara poked his head into the room.

"Apologies for interrupting, Hokage-sama, but it appears Shisui Uchiha's body has been found," he announced. "It was found on the edges of Nakano River. The Uchiha Police Force is requesting Fugaku-san to return as soon as possible."

Fugaku stood up immediately. "Thank you, Nara-san." He turned back to the Hokage and his advisors. "Thank you for seeing me on such short notice. I will keep you informed of our findings."

The Hokage nodded and dismissed the Uchiha Clan Head. The Third rubbed a hand down his face at the situation at hand. He was positive Shisui wouldn't kill himself, especially for something like that. Shisui carried the Will of Fire and was dedicated to the village.

The three Uchiha Police Force members who found Shisui's body made their way to the Clan Head's home to confront Itachi Uchiha, the man who Shisui was closest to as well as the man they had Shisui spy on back when they were planning the coup.

When they arrived at the house, they slammed the door open. "Itachi Uchiha, come out here!" They stood in the home's entrance where they waited until Itachi came out.

"Is there something I can help you with?" Itachi asked. If they were here, he could only assume that they found Shisui's body and realized his eyes were gone. They were looking for answers.

"We found Shisui's body, and his eyes are missing," one of the Police's Head Detectives, Yashiro Uchiha, said. "You're part of the Anbu, so bring this to their attention and get them in on this."

Itachi nodded. "Yes, I understand. I will do that."

The three turned to leave. "Let's hope we find the person who did this soon. After all, only an Uchiha would bother taking unactivated eyes from another Uchiha." This time it was his squad member with the long hair, Inabi Uchiha, who spoke.

Itachi's jaw clenched and his eyes instantly activated. "Why don't you just come out and say what you really mean?" He asked, his voice steely and yet eerily calm. "You believe I had something to do with it."

The three turned back to face them with their eyes activated as well. "That's right," The last one, Tekka Uchiha, spoke up. "You were always with him. You were closest and the last person to see him from what we heard. You murdered him to gain more power and staged it to look like a suicide!"

Before Itachi could calm himself down to speak, he was rushing towards them and taking them down in an instant. As he stood over the three who were bleeding on the ground and groaning in pain, he glared down at them.

"Appearances and preconceptions aren't going to tell you anything. You've all made the mistake of assuming I'm a patient man. You overestimate your own abilities with no idea of the depth of my own, assuming I would need to kill my best friend to achieve stronger abilities… Look at you now, groveling in the dirt."

"Itachi, that's enough!" Fugaku said suddenly as he witnessed his own son ruthlessly attack his own clan members. Danzo Shimura's words rang in his head and he couldn't shut it off.

"I would've never thought my own clan would accuse me of such a horrid act," Itachi glared.

"We have no choice but to suspect you!" One of the men said. "Your loyalty goes so far as the village and yet not to your clan. When we were plotting two years ago, you offered no inside information and were vocal about being against it! At the time, we sent Shisui to keep an eye on you. We don't trust anyone who puts anyone over their own clan!"

"The clan, the clan…Your obsession with the clan and our lineage only inhibits your growth. Change is impossible in this fog of ignorance. How can we evolve when regulation is the only thing we've ever known? Just two years ago, you were shamelessly plotting against your own village and I hoped maybe the clan would come to change with Minato-san taking the seat, but I see now that I was mistaken. It seems there may be no hope for this clan. You're all just fearful of what you don't understand, how pathetic."

"Itachi!" Fugaku hissed. He turned to his men. "I apologize for my son. He has been…working too hard recently in the Anbu and is exhausted."

The other men gaped at their Clan Head. "Fugaku-sama, please give us the order to arrest him!"

"The Anbu are operatives directly under the Hokage, so we couldn't arrest him without a proper warrant and evidence. I will keep an eye on Itachi myself, I promise you." He bowed his head and the clan members had no choice but to accept his words.

"Yes, sir," they said in unison.

Itachi turned away and deactivated his eyes. "I must now go pick up Sasuke from school. Goodbye." And then he was walking away.

"Fugaku-sama…"

"I know. I will watch him closely, you have my word. He is my eldest, but I will not let that hinder the investigation. Take me to Shisui's body, now."

"Sir!" They said as they all flickered away.

The walk to the academy allowed Itachi to slowly let go of his anger, but he still couldn't believe the doubt his fellow clansmen had of his loyalty to Shisui. Sighing, he understood their point of view. He and Shisui were always seen together when they were home at the same time, but it still bothered him.

More importantly, he wasn't sure how he was going to tell Sasuke, Hinata, and Naruto of Shisui's passing or the manner in which he passed. He briefly entertained the idea of letting them think he died whilst on his mission, but the word was more likely already out on how he died. He owed them as much of the truth as he could tell them.

"Brother!" Sasuke called out, snapping the older Uchiha out of his thoughts. He smiled and waved to the trio standing by the school gate. "You're late."

"So it seems, " Itachi said. "I apologize." They joined Itachi and began their daily walk to the Hyuuga training grounds. "I want to take you three somewhere," he stated as he began leading them down a different path

"Where?!" Naruto asked excitedly.

"That's a…surprise," he replied. They accepted that easily enough and followed Itachi down a different route.

When they got to the small clearing completed with a lake and dock near the Uchiha District, Sasuke turned to his brother with a frown.

"We're gonna be late for training," he said.

Itachi walked closer to the lake but refrained from getting on the dock as it only reminded him of his best friend. "I recommend skipping training today," he stated. At their confused faces, he took a deep breath and turned away from them, facing the lake. "Shisui's body was found in the Nakano River. He left a letter in his home and took his own life."

When he got no response, he looked over to find Sasuke visibly shaking, Hinata's face in her hands, and Naruto's eyes unfocused as he stared out somewhere in the distance.

"I'm sorry." This seemed to be what broke them.

Sasuke was the first to speak. "Shisui wouldn't do…that!" He shouted. Itachi turned back to watch the water and nothing at all.

"I'm sorry, Sasuke," he repeated. He heard a small whimper that he recognized as Hinata's. Itachi didn't dare look; he wasn't good at this sort of thing. Comforting her when her mother passed was easy as he hadn't known the Hyuuga Matriarch, but this was different. This was someone he knew most of his life, someone who helped him better his skills—both as a ninja and socially, someone he trusted undoubtedly with everything about him. This was much more difficult.

"I thought he was on a mission?" Naruto said, finally finding his voice.

"He returned yesterday evening," the eldest explained. "I spent a little bit of time with him, but he was exhausted and returned home soon after."

"Why didn't you go with him?! You're always with him!" Sasuke yelled.

At this, Hinata lifted her head, uncaring of her tear-filled eyes. "Sasuke, no. It's not Itachi-san's fault!" The older Uchiha felt grateful for Hinata's words, but it didn't last long before that feeling was snuffed out by all the guilt and remorse he held in his heart. "I don't believe Shi-kun would ever do that either, but he did," she continued. "I wish it wasn't true. I—I had a bad…feeling and I sh-should've listened to it." Hinata turned away and quickly wiped her face. "I have to go."

"Hinata…" Sasuke said, grabbing her wrist before slipping his hand into hers. Naruto grabbed her other one.

"But what could I have possibly done? I'm just a kid, not even a genin," she laughed almost bitterly and it sounded so foreign coming from her. "I just wish he'd come to us! I know we're kids but we're his comrades, his friends!"

Itachi finally moved from his spot and put his hand on her head. They all stood there in silence for what seemed like hours before Hinata finally turned her head back to look up at Itachi. She observed his face, her eyes darting around his features before settling on his eyes and peering deeply into them.

"Are you okay?" She said at last.

Itachi was taken aback by that question, even though his face didn't show it. He hadn't been asked that, by anyone, and he hadn't expected to; he's a Shinobi, and they didn't have time for emotions. Genuinely, he didn't know how to answer.

"I am a shinobi, Hinata-san," he eventually replied.

She gave him such a heartbroken smile and it made his chest hurt even more. "That is not what I asked."

He clenched his jaw and swallowed the lump in his throat. "As the eldest, I'm sure you're aware…"

Hinata nodded and removed herself from Sasuke and Naruto's grips before reaching out and grabbing Itachi's hand, squeezing it tightly. Her eyes never left him and he observed the gentleness and solace overflowing in her eyes—it reminded him that the Shinobi life was not for her. The innocence and kindness within her were something he didn't want to see blown out. He didn't want her to end up like him. Despite it all, that look in her eyes was something he needed right now. His face remained impassive but his grip on Hinata's small hand held all his turmoil and pain.

"I'm sorry, Itachi," Sasuke said. "I'm sorry for blaming you, even a little bit."

Itachi's other hand went to Sasuke's head. "It's okay," he assured him. Shisui meant a great deal to his little brother as well. He mustn't forget that. "We've lost a good friend today, but we will never forget him. We'll continue to live on and make him proud."

"Yeah!" Naruto exclaimed with a wide, wobbly smile. His eyes were shiny and red as he'd been harshly wiping his tears before they fell.

"I agree, even if I'm mad at him right now," Sasuke stated, glaring off to the side. Itachi ached to tell them the truth, but this wasn't their fight. Should he fail to take out Danzo, only then will it be up to them. He hoped it didn't come to that.

"Yes," Hinata mumbled. "Exactly." She let go of Itachi's hand and turned to her friends before bowing politely. "I'm returning home now, on my own. I'll see you tomorrow morning." Her eyes remained glued to the ground. Then she turned and walked away.

Sasuke made a move to chase after her, but Itachi stopped him. He sighed as he watched his best friend walk away, the sadness pouring out of her entire being.

"I'd like to train today, but I know I won't be focused," Naruto admitted. "I'm gonna go find my parents. See ya." He waved to the Uchiha brothers before leaving in the opposite direction of Hinata, toward his house.

"Let's go home, Sasuke," Itachi said quietly. He wanted to spend some more time with his brother before leaving the village to infiltrate the Akatsuki. He prayed Sasuke would understand his reasons when he was older, but he was prepared for his baby brother to grow to hate him for leaving. He wished things had worked out in their favor, but he supposed no one got that lucky. It was his job to make things better for those who came after him.

Without Shisui, everything already seemed colorless and cold.

Hinata took her time walking home, barely having the strength to lift her feet in order to move. Upon hearing of Shisui's death, that ball of worry in the pit of her stomach only grew. She still felt as though the bad thing hadn't passed yet, and it confused her. What could possibly be worse than losing a dear friend?

Shisui always seemed so bright and happy and radiant that she never even thought something like this would occur. Taking his own life? It just didn't register to her. But she didn't seem to know him as well as she thought. She couldn't even get that look in Itachi's eyes out of her mind or the tingling in her hand from his borderline-painful grip. Shisui was his very best friend, and she couldn't even begin to understand what he was feeling. She briefly thought about what would happen if she suddenly lost Sasuke and Naruto and it took her breath away.

"Hinata." She snapped to and looked up at her father who was currently walking back home from an emergency meeting at the Hokage tower with all the other Clan Heads.

She bowed. "Good afternoon, father," she said.

Hiashi exhaled slowly through his nose. "I just heard the news of Shisui's passing. I'm assuming Itachi told you?" Hinata nodded. "I see. My condolences."

Hinata lowered her head. "Father, I'd like to train alone for today."

He put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently. "Just for today, my daughter. Tomorrow, we move forward," he told her. "But, for today, you shall mourn however you need to." He led her inside and squeezed her shoulder again before returning to his office to await Neji's return from school.

Hinata felt as though she was on autopilot, and completely unaware, as she suddenly found herself dressed in her training uniform in an empty training room lined with dummies and targets. She activated her byakugan and once she saw she was alone in this part of the house, she let herself feel the anger she'd been holding back. Her eyes filled with tears as she jumped toward the dummies and let out shouts as she threw a barrage of palm strikes. Eventually, her vision became too blurry to see but she didn't let up on her attacks.

She kept going until she couldn't stand anymore and her hands felt raw, and she let herself drop to her knees. Only then did she allow herself to sob as Shisui's smiling face came to her mind.

Hina-hime!

She wept harder, realizing that she was never going to hear him call her that ever again, that he was never going to tease Sasuke and Naruto relentlessly, that he was going to miss out on so many things, that he was…gone.

"Naruto!" Minato called out. Naruto faced his parents with a tear-stained face. Immediately, they were gathering him in their arms. "I'm sorry." He let himself cry in their embrace.

Kushina ran her fingers through his bright yellow hair, wishing she could take his pain away, but she could only hold him until he felt okay to stand up on his own again.

"I don't believe it," Naruto cried. "Shisui wouldn't do that!"

Minato shut his eyes tightly and he hugged his son tighter. He wished to tell him about the investigation, about his own doubts, and even about the accusations on Itachi, but he knew that wasn't going to help anything. If Itachi really did it—and Minato didn't believe that for a second—then Naruto and his friends were going to be absolutely devastated to have lost not only one friend but two. He didn't know how this situation was going to turn out, but it wasn't looking good for Itachi.

When Naruto finally calmed down, he pulled away from his parents and wiped his face from his snot and tears. Kushina didn't even have it in her to scold him for it.

"Let's go home for today," she said. "I doubt anyone is really up for training today."

Naruto shook his head. "I want to practice on some dummies," he said. "I'm so…mad."

His parents nodded understandingly and took Naruto's hands as they walked back to the Uzumaki household.

Later, Minato and Kushina left Naruto in the privacy of their backyard as he continuously battered the dummies and said nothing of the anger in his eyes or the tears streaming steadily down his face. This wasn't something they could make right or solve, they could only let Naruto deal with it however he needed to.

Shisui was a kindred spirit. He loved pranks as much as Naruto did and that's what really helped them to bond with one another. Originally, he hadn't cared much for the overly-affectionate man as he was too comfortable with Hinata and he wanted him to keep his distance, but it changed when Shisui gave him a few ideas and even helped him to perfect the pranks he had in mind. Although, with his dad next in line to be Hokage, he didn't pull any more pranks but Shisui still helped him flesh out any ideas he had. Even though they both knew it wasn't ever going to see the light of day.

Knowing that he was gone, that he wasn't going to be able to laugh with him again, learn new things from him, or even show him when he mastered the Body Flicker, it hurt. It hurt him more than he imagined something ever could. Naruto's mind went to the thought of losing Hinata or Sasuke like that and he instantly caused the dummy to explode in a flurry of dust and hay with a single punch. His eyes went red and he growled out in anguish.

"Naruto!" Minato called out as he ran outside after feeling the chakra spike. He dropped to the ground and hugged Naruto closely. "It's okay. I'm here, okay? Try to calm down." Eventually, his eyes returned to their bright blue and he cried on his father's shoulder once again.

Sasuke held onto Itachi's shirt as they walked back home. He didn't know what to say. What could he say to make it even a little better? There wasn't anything in the world that could fill the void a person felt when they lost someone they loved.

They spent the whole walk in silence, the harsh sun shining down on them didn't make them walk any faster. If anything, to Sasuke, it felt like it was weighing them down and causing them to move any slower. When they made it to their house, Sasuke tugged on Itachi's shirt a couple of times until Itachi looked down at him.

"Would you…like to train with me, brother?" He asked.

Itachi gave him an apologetic smile and poked his forehead. "I'm sorry, Sasuke. Next time," he said. Sasuke rubbed that spot on his forehead and pouted but things felt normal at that moment and he couldn't help but smile.

"But I thought you didn't have any missions," Sasuke said.

"I don't, but…I'd like to meditate in my room for now," he replied. Sasuke let him go and thought about Hinata meditating during lunch hours. He decided to try it himself and quickly rushed to his room, passing Itachi in the long hallway.

"I'm gonna meditate, too!" Sasuke called out before running into his room and shutting the door. Once he was alone, he let his shoulders drop along with the smile on his face. After seeing how badly affected his brother was, Sasuke was determined to be Itachi's strength until he felt better again. Besides, part of him was thankful Itachi refused to train with him because he could be alone now. He could let himself cry now. For his cousin. For his friend. It was difficult to think that he wasn't going to be teased by Shisui ever again. But, mostly, his heart ached for his brother and how lonely he must feel.

Sighing, Sasuke sat in the middle of his bed and closed his eyes. He took a deep breath and tried to clear his mind but Shisui's face kept popping up. Before he knew it, the tears were falling and he didn't bother with wiping them away. Hinata and Itachi made meditating seem way easier than it was, but then again they were very similar; nevertheless, he continued trying until his mom called them for dinner. He cleaned his face and only left his room once he made sure it hadn't looked like he was crying.

Dinner was an awkward event with Itachi pointedly ignoring their father as he ate while their father did the same. Mikoto did her best to fill the silence however she could, but she eventually gave up and dinner turned into a stifling matter.

"The items Shisui had on him included a small pouch that held different herbs," Fugaku said just before dinner was over. "Do you know where it came from, Itachi?"

Itachi didn't look at Fugaku as he spoke. "Hinata-san made it for him and gave it to him just before he left for his mission. It wasn't any poisonous herbs I gave him, not to worry," he said curtly.

"Itachi!" Mikoto scolded. "Your father was not accusing you of anything."

"Not outwardly, no," he replied. "But he suspects me."

Sasuke looked at his father in shock, as did Mikoto. "Is that true, Fugaku?" Mikoto asked.

The older man sighed. "As Itachi was the last person to see him, we have to keep him in mind while investigating," he admitted. "It's just procedure."

"Shisui meant a great deal to Itachi! He wouldn't harm his best friend," she said. "How dare you accuse my son of doing something so horrendous!"

"Mikoto, I will do my job correctly. Just because he is our son doesn't mean he can get away with anything. I have to do this investigation with no bias!" A pause. "This discussion is over."

Itachi stood. "That, we can actually agree on." And then he left.

Mikoto angrily collected their plates and ignored her husband, causing the older man to sigh before turning to Sasuke. "Sasuke, how about I teach you a new jutsu?" He suggested.

Sasuke lit up and nodded his head eagerly. His father was offering to teach him rather than giving in when Sasuke begged for too long. He impatiently followed his father to their backyard and went out the back gate down to another lake, similar to the one Shisui and Itachi would meet at. They walked onto the dock and stood on the very edge.

"What I'm about to teach you is something that is a key jutsu of our clan. It is something you need to master in order to be recognized as a full-fledged Uchiha," Fugaku said. "I will show you the hand signs and then demonstrate it for you." Sasuke watched as his father slowly worked through the hand signs of the jutsu—snake, ram, monkey, boar, horse, and tiger—before moving to the edge and sucking in a deep breath. "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"

Sasuke watched in awe as a huge ball of fire came from his father's mouth and moved out toward the middle of the lake. He nearly flinched at the heat emanating from the powerful jutsu.

Fugaku turned back to him. "When you do it, you have to focus your chakra to the middle of your chest and then push it up into your throat and out of your mouth, understand?" He waited for Sasuke to nod. "Your turn."

Sasuke nodded again in determination. "Yes, father." This was something he needed to do, something to show his father that he wasn't completely useless. Sure, he wasn't anything like Itachi but that didn't mean he didn't have any good points. Training with the next Hokage and his equally talented wife had helped him in greater ways than he had ever imagined. Not to mention training with a Hyuuga and an Uzumaki, whom he learned had greater stamina and larger chakra reserves than your average ninja. He moved to the edge of the dock and repeated the hand signs he was shown before sucking in a deep breath and pushing his chakra out of his mouth. "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" But unlike his father, Sasuke's fireball only managed to make it four feet from his mouth and certainly didn't pack the same heat either.

A disappointed sigh from his father told him all he needed to know, but that didn't stop Fugaku from driving the point home. "I shouldn't have thought you'd be like Itachi," he said, causing Sasuke to flinch internally. "You're not ready to learn this yet." Fugaku turned away and started his walk back home.

"Father," Sasuke said. Fugaku paused. "Do you really think Itachi did something to Shisui?" He asked. Now that his father was already disappointed, he didn't have to worry about ruining his mood by asking this.

"...Honestly, I can't say either way for certain," Fugaku finally replied after a minute. Sasuke let him walk away this time.

"That's not a yes," Sasuke mumbled to himself. "But it's not a no either." He clenched his fist, his blunt nails digging into the palm of his hand. "Itachi would never do something like that."

With newfound determination and frustration, Sasuke continued to practice the Fireball Jutsu well into the night. He wasn't going to stop until his was even bigger than Fugaku's. After all, a man who couldn't believe in his own son—the perfect son, the son that was willing to do anything for their clan and their village, even if it meant marrying someone he hadn't chosen himself or dying in the battlefield to protect his people without any thanks—wasn't someone Sasuke wanted to admire.

We hope y'all enjoyed this chapter. There are only a few more left until the characters are 12 and we start where the show began! I'm a bit anxious about what y'all are gonna think about the changes and direction we've chosen to go in, but also excited! We're slowly working on the Konoha Crush Arc, but with my small vacation, moving homes, and recovering from all that, we're not moving as quickly as we'd like.

Thank you for the favorites and follows and especially the reviews! They get me so motivated :)

-hina

NEXT UPDATE: 05/13/23