"You wanted to see me, father."
Fugaku scowled scornfully as his eldest son allowed himself into his office, looking thoroughly displeased.
"Come here." His voice was cold and stern, and internally, Itachi let out a sigh. He knew what was coming.
Five days had passed since Sora had been taken down, and yet Sasuke still showed no signs of return to his family.
"If this is about Sasuke, then I'm afraid I can't help you," said Itachi with an air of defeat as he sat across from his father. "He said he would follow behind me with his children while he waited for Amaterasu's ashes to be delivered to him. I don't know where he possibly could've gone."
"That idiot," hissed Fugaku, slamming his fist down on his desk. "Why would he wait for such useless things?"
"I know it might come as a surprise to you, father, but I'm guessing Sasuke was very... emotionally invested in that girl," said Itachi slowly, enlightening his father on the pair's illicit relationship. "She was, after all, the mother of his children."
"... an absolute idiot! If he was waiting for her ashes, then where is he now?!"
"I can't imagine travelling with a ten month old and newborn baby is very easy," suggested Itachi. "Especially if you're alone, and trekking across such a vast terrain."
"If you knew he was bringing them back, why didn't you leave others with him to make the journey?!"
"Sasuke's orders. I merely obeyed."
Obviously furious with his eldest son's lack of tact, Fugaku pinched the bridge of his nose.
"This... this is why Sasuke is second in command, and not you!" shouted Fugaku, incensed by Itachi's complacency. "You have no backbone! It's almost as if you lack common sense, as well! Why would you let your brother give out such an irrational order, and let him get away with it?! Out of all the things you could've done, Itachi- this! This! I can't believe you!"
"It's like you said, father. Sasuke is second in command. I was just obeying orders."
Knowing he was testing his father's patience, but also not appreciating being patronized for letting Sasuke do as he willed, Itachi was stone faced as he spoke curtly to his father.
"Get out," barked Fugaku, pointing at the door. "Before I get angrier at your insolence!"
"As you wish."
Bowing to his father, Itachi rose from his seat and turned towards the door. He didn't even flinch as he saw a kunai lodge itself in the wall next to his head as he placed his hand on the doorknob, ready to leave.
"Don't let me see you until I'm ready!" spat Fugaku, enraged at having to deal with finding his second son. "I'll be sending out a search party to make up for your misgivings!"
"As you wish."
Silently, Itachi exited his father's office, and made his way back home. It was already late, and he had a feeling that by the time he got home, Izumi would have put Yuta to sleep.
Ever since he had led the remaining Uchiha forces back to their headquarters from Suna, he had noticed the exhausted atmosphere that was lingering around the compound. Word had quickly gotten around that Fugaku had managed to snag some of Sora's legendary chakra from himself, but they were all curious as to when he would actually use it. Would he announce it to the clan first, or would he seal it within himself without anyone else knowing? As much as everyone was tired, they were also restless. Would this really be their ticket to winning the war?
Finally reaching his home, Itachi sighed. He and Izumi lived in the apartment block that all married couples in the compound stayed in, in one of the bigger apartments of the fourth floor. It was a modern addition to the traditional compound, where the few remaining original traditional houses were in use by the council members and their families. Of course, his family and Izumi's family were two of them, but upon getting married, the pair had moved into the apartment block, and courtesy of their families' statuses in the clan, were able to gain one of the more luxurious apartments.
"Hey, Itachi."
"Hey, Satomi. How's Yoshi holding up since you got back from Suna?"
"He's... getting there. Little by little. I'll see you around."
"See ya."
As he ascended the stairs leading up to the fourth floor of the apartment block, Itachi frowned as the woman he was talking to, Satomi, disappeared into her and her husband's third floor apartment.
She definitely didn't have that black eye when we came back from Suna, thought the Uchiha to himself, thinking no more about it as he reached his floor. His main concern was his own family; he didn't have the time nor energy to meddle in someone else's problems.
"I'm home." Itachi called out as he unlocked the front door to their apartment and let himself in, stepping out of his shoes before stepping into the main living area of their home. Although it was indeed bigger than the other apartments around, it still managed to maintain a cozy feel to it, providing just enough space for himself, Izumi, and Yuta.
The living room lights were off; however, to the side he could see that the kitchen light was on.
"What did your dad want to talk about?" came Izumi's voice, making Itachi smile as he headed in her direction.
"You know, the usual." Itachi sighed as he plonked himself on a chair opposite Izumi, looking at her tiredly. "Telling me off for not being my brother's keeper. Nothing new."
"If your father loves Sasuke so much, why doesn't he go out and retrieve him himself?" scowled Izumi sourly, having disliked Fugaku from her childhood. Although Fugaku had indeed praised Itachi as his star child earlier on in life, as he and Sasuke grew older, their father's preference changed along the way, leaving Itachi in the shadow of his younger brother. Izumi knew that Itachi didn't mind one bit- he was never the type to seek out attention. However, blaming Itachi for everything that was going wrong was not something she was going to sit around and watch unfold.
"He's a busy man." Itachi slumped onto the table and buried his face in his arms, finally feeling at ease for once.
"Are you hungry?" asked Izumi softly, placing a hand on her husband's shoulder. "Do you want me to get your dinner ready?"
"No, it's too late," resisted Itachi, grabbing his wife's hand as she made to get up. "Come on. I just want to shower and then we can go to bed."
Looking worried about Itachi but not wanting to argue any further, Izumi nodded and patted his hand.
"Come on now, up you get," she said gently, helping her husband out of his seat.
"I'm so tired," whined the Uchiha, throwing himself onto his wife and hugging her in a tight embrace. "This whole thing is tiring!"
"I know, Itachi, but we'll get through it," said Izumi reassuringly, kissing her weary husband on the cheek. "Have a shower, and then we can relax in bed. You can tell me all about Suna."
"Please, I'd rather learn about what you guys have been up to around here," moaned Itachi, dragging his feet on the carpet as Izumi pushed him towards their bedroom.
"Ah... maybe not," said Izumi pointedly, not wanting to explain to Itachi about what had actually gone down since he had been gone.
"Why? Did Sakura do something wrong?"
"Oh, no, Sakura was wonderful!" said Izumi, waving away Itachi's concerns. "No, it's just one of the girls in the project passed away. It was a sad occasion, really, but if anything, I'm glad it happened while your father was away. At least we were able to send her off properly without him jumping down our throats and saying that trash belongs with the dogs."
"And by we, you mean...?"
"Okay, fine, I sent her off properly!" groaned Izumi as Itachi halted in his tracks, making it harder for her to continue pushing him. "But really, it wasn't a big deal! They were going to throw her ashes into the bin anyway, and I thought it'd be nice if I could scatter them in a prettier place!"
"Okay, so what you're really trying to say is that you sneaked into the mortuary, stole this woman's ashes, and then took them to a nice place far away from the compound to scatter them. And then most likely you would've... what? Burned some incense for her?"
"For the most part, yes! But, that's it. Now you have to tell me about Suna."
"Hmm, what is there to tell you that hasn't already been said? We have the chakra- well, a portion of it, anyway, thanks to Karin. As we were extracting it, I'm pretty sure I nearly broke Amaterasu's arms- bless her soul- Sasuke had quite a few emotional moments dealing with her death, and now his return to the compound is long overdue. But I'm thinking, since he hasn't returned yet, could he possibly have betrayed father for the Senju?"
"That's preposterous. Sasuke was the most dedicated soldier we had."
"That is true. And I think maybe he's just taking his time, since he has to tow his two children back with him by himself."
At the mention of her niece and nephew, Izumi's face lit up, and she stopped trying to push Itachi towards their room.
"How are they?" she asked excitedly, always a sucker for baby news. "Ayumi? And what has he named the boy?"
"Actually, I believe Amaterasu named him," said Itachi with a small nod.
"Really? Good on her, she wanted to name Ayumi, so at least she had this opportunity! What did she name him?"
"Take a guess."
"Hmm... after Sasuke? No, that's stupid, didn't they hate each other?"
"Close, and apparently not towards the end. Take another guess."
"Wait, what?!"
"Did you completely miss the part where I mentioned he had emotional moments dealing with her death?"
"Well, now that you mention it, yes, but- just tell me the baby's name!" whined Izumi, hitting Itachi on the chest.
"Hey, ouch- okay! She named him Shisui! And from what I saw, Sasuke seemed fine with it, so Shisui Uchiha he is!" gave in Itachi, finally revealing the name to his wife. "There you go, you're an aunty to Ayumi and Shisui. Happy?"
"I hope he brings them back soon! I can't wait to meet our little man!"
"If he brings them back."
"Don't say that," chastised Izumi, resuming pushing Itachi towards their room. "Sasuke's probably just trying to be careful while he travels with them. I don't blame him, either- travelling with children as young as that is dangerous."
"Well, knowing Sasuke, where there's a will, there's a way. And where Sasuke wills, nothing can stand in his way."
"... fair point. Now go wash up and come to bed. I have to be out of here by six tomorrow morning."
"Your wish is my command, my lady."