Fugaku didn't seem at all convinced, but Hanako stood up and left the room without letting him continue. She made her way to the kitchen, only to find Mikoto cleaning up after dinner. She hadn't touched Itachi's plate, so it was still on the table.
"Do you need any help, Mikoto-san?"
The woman looked at her and smiled. "Oh, are you done speaking with Fugaku already?"
Hanako shrugged. "You could say so." She looked the plate again and sighed.
Mikoto noticed and smiled. "Can you take the food to Itachi's room? Maybe you can get him to eat." Hanako looked at Mikoto with surprise.
"I..."
"You go out, surround the house, and it's the door right in front of the pond. You won't get lost." Hanako sighed taking the plate.
"Yes, ma'am."
Mikoto smiled again. "Arigatou, Hanako-chan."
Finding Itachi's room wasn't difficult. Just as Mikoto had said, it was the door in front of the pond. The problem was, she wasn't sure what to say to him. Should she ask him what was wrong? Was it really her place to care?
"Itachi..." Hanako sighed, knocking on the door. "Mikoto-san is worried about you, so she sent me with your food. Would you please eat?"
The door opened, and Hanako was surprised to find Sasuke glaring up at her. He crossed his arms in front of his chest. "What are you still doing here? Isn't it late for you to be hanging around here?"
Hanako sighed. "I am worried about Itachi, aren't you? He's not eating."
"My brother is fine."
"Sasuke, let me in."
"No."
Hanako took a deep breath. Dealing with kids wasn't something she liked, and she was definitely going to have trouble with that when her brothers were born. "Are you up for a deal?" she asked with a playful smile.
"What kind of deal?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow at her.
Hanako kneeled in front of the boy to be at his level, and smirked. "I hear you like training. If you let me through, I will train you in whatever jutsu you want. I'll teach you anything."
"Anything?"
"If it's something I know, then yes."
Sasuke seemed to think about it and smiled. "Deal." And he moved away from the door, closing it after she walked in.
Itachi's room was just as Hanako had expected, neat and organized. Itachi was sitting on his bed, watching the sky through the window. Hanako sighed and sat next to him, carrying a wooden tray in her hands with his food. "What is going on with you?"
"What do you mean?" he asked, looking at her.
"Is there something going on between you and your father?" Itachi widened his eyes slightly. "I noticed the air was tense between the two of you."
Itachi tightened his fist slightly and looked away back to the window. Hanako shook her head and lay the tray beside him as she stood. She walked towards the door, and looked at him one last time before leaving.
* * *
Hanako walked through the streets silently. Nothing moved; nothing seemed to make a sound. This place was strangely silent and the atmosphere was so tense she could easily cut it with a knife. That was until she heard a faint scream and turned around rushing to the sound's origin. Her heart was beating rapidly and she could almost feel it coming out of her chest. Hanako made it to the street from where the sound came. It was completely covered in dead corpses. The blood dripped over the walls and stained the ground. She felt her hand move to cover her mouth as tears started to form in her eyes. Her feet started to move on their own as they guided her towards her home.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE: The Secrets of the Mangekyou Sharingan
Start from the beginning
