日向導 - A Hyūga's Guide

Chapter Fifty: Sound Minds, Sound Souls & Sound Hearts

Let it be known that Uchiha Sasuke was unlike his blond best friend, Uzumaki Naruto, when it came to a level of unpredictability. Whereas the blond man was known to charge into battle and think later, relying on his emotions rather than logic ninety-nine percent of the time [with the extra one percent being reserved for situations that required him to think], Uchiha Sasuke was the opposite. He never did something without thinking, and that was to be expected one hundred percent of the time—it was a guarantee.

Whether or not that was a liability could never really be determined since there were countless factors that dictated such an outcome. The first, and probably the most significant factor was whether Uchiha Sasuke was in a sound state of mind. Insanity could eat away at one's mind, morbid pleasure fills one's heart, and a steady stream of negative thoughts can taint one's soul.

It was to be expected when Hinata's body fell limply onto the floor, her blood pooling under her, that Sasuke would simply shatter. His world would stop. His eyes would well up in tears. In fact, Itachi had stood there and watched with absolute delight as countless emotions flashed through his younger brother's eyes.

His delight did not reign for long, because there was a sound he wasn't expecting. Tears, yelling, a few nasty words—those were expected—but not a laugh. A laughter so boisterous that the walls shook, and Itachi felt his bones rattle. A laughter so haunting that the atmosphere grew dreary and dark. A laughter so insane that it made the eldest Uchiha take a step back and furrow his eyebrows in confusion.

No, he had not expected his younger brother to laugh and clutch his stomach, fighting for a moment to breathe, only to continue as if he did not lose the love of his life.

A bated breath. The hairs standing on the back of his neck as he listened to his younger brother lose his mind. Was this not what he wanted? Did he not taunt him and beg him to put on a show? Did he not intend to break the little boy who used to run around with a smile plastered on his face?

So why then did he feel his stomach drop? Why did he feel as though Sasuke was laughing at him? Why was there this horrible sense of unease that filled his mouth and made it hard for him to swallow what little saliva in his mouth?

And just as he had started, Sasuke stopped and stood up straight. He muttered words that Itachi could not hear, his eyes crinkled, and his mouth stretched in a smile unlike any other.

"I've grown." He said as he stretched his arms wide. "I'm not that naïve little boy who ran around in his older brother's shadows. I'm not that little boy who begged for attention, who cried at any slight inconvenience, who hated quickly but loved just as easily. I'm not that foolish little brother you remember, Itachi." There was some emphasis on his name, venom dropped from each pronounced letter, a joke waiting to be shared.

"Have you finally lost it?" Itachi tilted his head to the side. He kept his face calm but his heartbeat was rapid, thumping so loudly that he felt it in his eyes as he watched Sasuke closely. "Have you joined me in insanity?"

He scoffed and rolled his eyes, a habit he had picked up from Naruto. "Tell me, Itachi—" Again, there was that sense that he was telling a joke every time his name left his mouth. "Have you noticed anything different?" He spun around again, stretching his arms wide and beckoning to the entirety of the room. He didn't have to say it, but his raised eyebrow was enough—he was giving his brother a moment to look around, to spin around and finally notice if anything was out of place.

So Itachi did. He raised his chin up high and glanced around the room carefully. There didn't seem to be anything out of the ordinary, he thought that Sasuke was simply pulling a prank on him, but then his eyes were drawn to Hinata's body.