#itachixuchiha

       It was finally the day. After procrastinating for a MONTHS, Kisame had decided to paid a visit to his old friend, or at least what he considered Itachi to be. At his first arrive upon Konoha, seeing him there, health and alive was a shock. It made him happy for sure, but it wasn’t like he could go and talk to him. A few years on a jail and plus others building an living in the fire country as a free man had keep his mind busy.         As the Hoshigaki approached the tea shop, he stared from the window. Wondering if was really ok to stop by. Akatsuki wasn’t a happy part of their life..maybe Kisame being there would make things worse... Well, that would be Itachi’s problem, not his. He pressed his face and hands over the glass; with a big smile as soon he saw the dark haired man serving one of their clients. Waving.

         “Pushed, huh? Taking too long to pee, eh? Sounds like a likely excuse,” a cursory glance over blistered bottom brings a wave of relief that it’s not anything too extreme. “But it’s fine, you don’t have to tell me the details. I hope whoever “pushed” you... that they’re at least taking responsibility. This will be a quick fix, though you may have to stay here overnight just so that it heals properly.” 

        Cleric silently moved about the room, plucking berries and creams from their respective shelves, ground up crystals and mixing into a paste. “So tell me-” fingers gently smear a bit of the cooled concoction over cute yet weary butt. “Where is this person that supposedly pushed you? Are you two close?” Healer makes quick work of it all, casual attitude making sure that Itachi didn’t feel like he wasn’t being invasive as he goes through with it. Hopefully the teasing chatter would at least ease his mind or distract him. “I work at a near by temple of the sun, but I like to make my rounds to these outer villages to help out. It also gets me out of my own study and meet a few new people. Lucky for you that I was here today, otherwise you’d have had to ride this out for a whole two weeks.”

To say they were forgiven would be a stretch. The serpent knows that they have only received a pardon due to being more useful alive than dead, and too hard to kill even if the latter had been tempting. Making an enemy of them would hardly benefit the Hidden Leaf village, and would give way to more chaos, trampling this new era of peace irreparably. They wonder if Itachi’s story had truly won the hearts of the nation to earn him redemption, or if he was playing the same card as them. Useful alive - too powerful to make a foe of. The fact he is given permission to live inside Konoha again however, makes them question any underlying hostilities. The viper certainly didn’t regain their citizenship upon lowering their weapon.

Regardless, it would always surprise them to see the ex-shinobi, and now shop owner, about in the streets of Konoha. Itachi must find it just as odd to see them. Rogues, heinous criminals, as much feared as they were hated...  Those days are long behind everyone, at least on the surface. While Itachi may traverse the nation at his leisure, the serpent has less leniency. Parole is required to monitor their every step, unless the Hokage says otherwise. On this evening, they have dismissed their parole due to Hinata’s order, the woman promising to give the watchmen a break, while she keeps her eyes upon the Sannin. And who better to watch them than a Hyuga?  As it would turn out - an Uchiha. While Orochimaru was staying in Konoha, the Hokage had made the bold decision to try and coax Itachi in to helping. Despite being retired as a ninja, few others could hold enough power to make the Sannin’s stay in Konoha safe. The serpent is in the living room, being pestered by the youngest resident in the house. Himawari has sprawled arts and crafts around the table, urging the new guest to engage with her. Which they do, but perhaps not in the way they ought to. Science components line the pages, small diagrams that look a little bit more kid friendly for the purpose of her understanding. They do not see Itachi come inside the house, where Hinata would likely drop the task of monitoring the Sannin upon him. “See dear, our cells are just building blocks, we can rearrange them as we want,” they say, their back turned to the Uchiha, as the girl observes the slightly dark science of human-made evolution. As children are designed, her curiosity is apparent, especially hearing she can be her own design - albeit in a more childlike joy than the serpents power hungry one. Her quick question of ‘can you make me taller?’ popping from her lips, and earning a light smile from the serpent. But she doesn’t quite let them finish their sentence, when she spots Itachi walking in and her focus is lost. The Sannin turns to see the man next, and they perhaps seem more inquisitive to see his presence than the excitable girl herself. They do not get up from their seat, as their gaze sweeps his entire form, “my my, I never thought I would be paid a visit by one of the Uchiha brothers.”

Learning the truth of what had occurred had caused the Uchiha ancestor to be delirious with grief and rage, having only learned on the truth behind it very recently and reluctantly. Madara hadn’t understood at the time, but when the Uzumaki brat had snapped at an interrogation session had the Hokage told him. That the Uchiha clan had been slaughtered because of what he’d set into motion decades ago. Only through heinous amounts of self-control had stopped him from breaking free of their pathetic restrictions that worked only because he allowed them to and killing the boy who dared call himself Hokage. 

Now, a considerable time later with the Shin clones playing freely in the streets of the abandoned Uchiha quarter did Madara sit up from the porch he’d been doing restive calligraphy upon sensing a damnably familiar chakra. For all it appeared, a low level transformation jutsu making the boys appear like flesh and blood Uchiha, they could’ve been his sons by blood. Like hell he’d allow that abomination anywhere near them.

Stalking towards the hamlet’s entrance did Madara stop short, rage boiling and exuding an aura of power that could send lesser men fleeing. 

         ❝Aa, the jury is not out on science,❞ he huffed, a ghost of a smile flickering across his face. ❝I have a test on Thursday,❞ he explained, trying to retrieve his textbook back from Hidan. ❝I thought you were here to help me study?❞

❝  yeah ,   yeah.   i’ll help !   but isn’t science just like....  ❞   he gives the open book a shake ,   leaning away from itachi to keep it  just  out of reach.   ❝  they’re always addin’ on and takin’ back shit.   sounds pretty  fake  to me.  ❞   magenta eyes peek around the side of the book ,   a smirk on his lips.   it’s near impossible to tell whether he’s just  teasing  at this point ,   or giving an  honest  opinion.