Sasuke stood outside the study, pacing back and forth as he anxiously waited.
"Second brother still hasn't come out…" He muttered, shooting nervous glances at the closed door.
Would his father really beat him senseless?
Sasuke wasn't sure, but it was weirdly quiet in there. Not a single yell, no sounds of struggle—nothing. He had braced himself for the inevitable explosion of Fugaku's rage, maybe even a classic Fireball Technique through the roof, but… nothing.
Sasuke was about to press his ear to the door when it creaked open.
"Yo!"
Satoru stepped out with his usual smug grin, his white hair catching the hallway's dim light. His expression was completely unbothered, not a single bruise or singed clothing in sight.
"Isn't this my dear little brother? What's up? Were you eavesdropping?"
Sasuke nearly jumped out of his skin. He straightened up immediately, his face heating up.
"Wha—I wasn't! I would never do something like that!"
"Oh?" Satoru leaned forward with an exaggerated smirk. "Really? Then what were you doing loitering outside the door like a stray cat?"
Sasuke averted his eyes. "I was just… passing by."
"Ah, I see, I see." Satoru nodded sagely. "Just so happened to be standing right here for the past fifteen minutes. Completely coincidental. No suspicious activity whatsoever."
Sasuke scowled. "Whatever! What were you and father talking about?"
"Trade secrets," Satoru said with a wink.
Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Then why did father look… happy?"
It was true—when Satoru had stepped out, Fugaku had actually looked pleased. Appreciative, even. That had never happened before.
Father wasn't one to give out praise freely, and Satoru's usual antics should've warranted a serious lecture. At minimum. Instead, his expression was almost… proud?
Sasuke frowned. Was skipping class actually a good thing?
Satoru threw an arm over Sasuke's shoulder and steered him toward the exit. "Alright, enough about that. Time for important business."
Sasuke sighed. He already had a bad feeling about this.
"And what exactly are we doing?"
Satoru's grin widened. "We're going to stalk Itachi."
Sasuke blinked. "What."
"You heard me," Satoru said, practically bouncing with excitement. "We lie in wait, we watch, and then—bam! We capture a wild, unsuspecting Itachi in his natural habitat!"
"…You do realize you're describing Itachi like some kind of forest animal, right?"
Satoru nodded sagely. "Exactly. We'll observe him in the wild. Study his movements. Maybe even learn his secrets."
Sasuke massaged his temples. He had many regrets in life, and letting Satoru drag him into whatever nonsense this was had just skyrocketed to the top of the list.
Still, curiosity gnawed at him. "Why Itachi, though?"
"Because I know he just got back from a mission," Satoru said. "He'll have to report in at the Hokage's office. If we time it right, we can ambush him when he leaves."
"Ambush?!" Sasuke repeated, horrified. "Second brother, Itachi is a Jonin. He will destroy us."
"Tch, you're focusing on the wrong details, my dear little brother."
"There are so many wrong details!"
But it was too late. Satoru had already started marching toward the Hokage Tower, his pace cheerful and his intentions highly questionable.
Sasuke groaned and followed.
Meanwhile…
As they walked, Satoru's Six Eyes picked up something odd. Someone was following them.
At first, he'd ignored it—after all, the streets of Konoha were always crowded. But when he deliberately turned down a side path, the presence remained.
Interesting.
With a small tilt of his head, Satoru activated his enhanced perception.
Oh?
So it was him.
Hatake Kakashi.
Satoru nearly laughed out loud. What is this, a surveillance mission?
He could guess the reason. This morning, he'd spoken to Naruto—Konoha's most valuable Jinchūriki. And knowing the Third Hokage, any Uchiha who got too chummy with the kid would immediately be flagged as a potential threat.
So they sent Kakashi to investigate.
Satoru didn't dislike Kakashi. He was an oddball, sure, but not too bad. A little too broody, though. Someone really needed to pry that mask off his face and force-feed him a proper meal.
But that wasn't his problem.
Satoru kept walking, fully aware of Kakashi's gaze burning into his back.
Fine. If he wanted to play the stalking game, let's play.
Back at the Hokage Tower…
"Alright, Sasuke," Satoru whispered, crouching behind a conveniently placed wall. "We wait here until Itachi appears. Then we strike."
Sasuke frowned. "Strike… how, exactly?"
Satoru waved a hand. "Details, details. We'll figure it out when we get there."
Sasuke stared at him, unimpressed.
A few minutes passed.
Then—
"There he is," Satoru whispered, nudging Sasuke.
Sure enough, Itachi had just left the building, his posture relaxed but his eyes sharp.
Sasuke tensed. "Okay… now what?"
Satoru grinned. "Now we—"
"Second brother," Sasuke suddenly interrupted. His voice was flat.
"Yeah?"
"If you're planning something stupid, please remember that I still want to live."
Satoru gasped, clutching his chest. "Sasuke! Have some faith! When have I ever—"
"Yesterday," Sasuke said immediately. "And the day before that. And literally every single day before that."
Satoru pouted. "Wow. Rude."
Sasuke sighed. He was already regretting everything.
Meanwhile, completely unaware of his impending doom, Itachi glanced toward their hiding spot.
His sharp eyes met Sasuke's for a split second.
Sasuke paled.
He turned slowly to Satoru, whose grin had only widened.
"Brother…" Sasuke whispered, filled with dread. "You can rest in peace."
And then, in one fluid motion, Itachi vanished.
Sasuke froze.
Satoru blinked.
A shadow loomed behind them.
"Planning something, little brothers?"
Itachi's voice was calm. Too calm.
Sasuke let out a silent scream.
Satoru, on the other hand, simply clapped his hands together.
"Ah, crap."
—
(A/N: Don't Forget To Add In Your Collection And Support via Powerstone)