Chapter 5: It begins (1)

"Eight-thirty already? I better get home. Mom gets mad when I'm out after nine." Sasuke threw his kunais into his backpack and exited the school training grounds at a run.

It only took ten minutes to run home, but Mikoto had a wicked tongue when she was mad and the eight-year-old boy didn't relish the thought of starting his weekend with a lecture about responsibility.

Besides, his stomach had been growling since school had let out several hours earlier and he really wanted to eat something.

His mother certainly wasn't beyond sending him to bed without dinner if she was really mad at him. Subconsciously, he started running faster.

The shops were already closed, but the street lamps and lights from the apartments above the shops lit the way as Sasuke ran down the wide main street of the Uchiha compound.

He noticed that there were a lot of people gathered at the temple at the end of the street, but didn't think twice about it as he waved to his aunt.

A lot of club activities centered on the temple and they were probably having a meeting or something. It was busy almost every night.

Mikoto was standing on the wide, covered porch near the front door when Sasuke arrived. Wearing a knee length, short sleeve tan and black dress and white apron she looked like she had been cleaning.

Her thin face was etched with worry and her usually smooth, medium-length black hair was coming out of the band she had tried to secure it with.

Bending over, Sasuke rested his hands on his knees and breathed heavily, "So…rry…I…lost…track…"

Fugaku stepped out of the house and spoke just as Mikoto was about to open her mouth, "Next time be more observant. We were just debating whether or not to go look for you." Sasuke cringed at his fathers stern words.

"Go inside and eat your dinner, but be quick about it." He rested his hand in the seam of his black yukata and stood with both bare feet planted firmly on the wooden planks of the porch.

His ever-present frown was accentuated by the noticeable clenching and un-clenching of his teeth.

Sasuke nodded and walked passed his parents. Mikoto gave her husband a faint smile before following her son inside.

He had tried to hide it, but he had been worried when Sasuke hadn't returned home on time. Mikoto had known him too long to be fooled.

She had tried to put him at ease, though, telling him that sometimes their son would stay out until nine o'clock practicing at the schoolyard and going after him before that time would look "out of place" to the ever-present and watchful ANBU who had been tailing the clan.

"Sasuke? We had stew tonight, so grab a bowl and help yourself." Mikoto smiled as her son used a ladle to pour the still hot contents of the tureen into a ceramic bowl.

She handed him a piece of buttered bread and watched as the boy dug into his food. In no time flat he was reaching for seconds.

Walking back down the hall Mikoto retrieved a suitcase from Sasuke's room before returning to the porch. Fugaku was staring out at the dark lake with a pensive expression on his face.

The full moon reflected off of the water, creating a long white line that rose and fell with small, wind-swept waves.

The clan-chief's stout, muscular build, medium length hair, and serious expression had changed little over the years and Mikoto found herself wondering if Itachi would look like his father when he grew up and started filling out.

The two had many similar traits. Both tended to speak only when they had something to say, avoiding small talk.

They also tended to be aloof when it came to showing their feelings and perhaps the biggest similarity was in their ninja abilities.

While Itachi was a genius who had honed his skills at an early age, they were almost the same as Fugaku's.

In fact, Fugaku's one strength over his thirteen-year-old son could be said to be experience. At forty, he was one of the most powerful ninjas in the world and rated as S-rank.

Mikoto figured that Itachi had to also be S-rank by now as well. She had worried when Fugaku had said he would subdue his son.

If it had turned into a fight there would have been a lot of destruction and she wasn't so sure either one of them would have come out unscathed.

And she was not going to choose between her husband and son. Luckily Fugaku had been practicing Genjutsu techniques with his Mangekyou Sharingan and found one that worked very well at disabling Itachi.

"He'll be okay." Mikoto said quietly, correctly guessing what her husband was thinking about.

Fugaku turned his head to look at his wife then looked back at the lake before quietly replying, "He won't, Mikoto."

"Why not?" Sasuke's worried voice piped up behind them and they both turned around and stared at their youngest son.

His eyes were wide with concern and his hands were clenched into fists. "You're talking about Itachi, aren't you? What's wrong with big brother?"

Fugaku was taken aback at his youngest son's outburst, but he could see that the boy was near tears. Sasuke idolized his older brother and Itachi's campaign of avoidance had hurt him greatly.

"Sasuke…" He paused and looked at Mikoto, who had bowed her head and closed her eyes, "Sasuke there are some things going on that we haven't told you about. Itachi… is going through a very bad situation right now. It's possible he will never be the same after this."

"But…but you're going to help him, aren't you? You aren't going to hurt him again?" Sasuke instantly regretted his words when Fugaku's eyes flashed red with anger.

The young boy remembered seeing Itachi after the confrontation two years ago when his brother had been accused of killing Shisui.

The fact that Fugaku had beaten Itachi black and blue had frightened him quite badly; even though he had not seen him do it he did see the distressing after-effects.

"Sasuke!" Fugaku said sternly, "Uchiha do not abandon Uchiha. Fathers do not abandon sons. If that means discipline, then so be it."

"I'm sorry, father. I didn't mean…" Sasuke paused, "I just want…"

Fugaku closed his eyes and sighed, then reached over and put his hand on Sasuke's head. "I realize that. We are all worried about him. Now, I want you to take your suitcase and go to the temple. Auntie is waiting for you there."

"The temple? If I'm spending the night with Auntie shouldn't I go to her house?" Sasuke wondered why this evening was turning out to be so strange.

First he was late, then he was given stew, which he realized as he ate had come from a can, then learned Itachi was in trouble, and now he was being sent to the temple with a suitcase.

As with most young children, he didn't like being outside of his usual routine and a small amount of anxiety was beginning to build in his chest. Something was going on.

In the last year he had spent many evenings at Auntie's house and he enjoyed visiting with her, but for some reason tonight was different.

"It's okay, Sasuke." Mikoto smiled. She knelt down in front of him and gave him a hug and a quick kiss on the cheek. "You are to follow Auntie's orders to the letter, understand?"

"Yes mother, I always do what she says." Mikoto gave him a stern look and Sasuke amended his statement, "Most of the time. But I will this time. I promise." He put his shoes back on then grabbed the handle of his suitcase in both hands and walked away.

"There you are!" Auntie exclaimed cheerfully, "I was beginning to think I would have to eat these buns by myself." The heavyset, elderly woman gave the boy a big smile as she raised her hand to show her nephew a sack loaded with sweet confections.

She was actually his great-aunt and had raised the orphaned Mikoto from an early age, so really Auntie was more like a grandmother to Sasuke and Itachi than an Aunt.

Sasuke smiled back at her, "I'll help you eat them, Auntie." He followed the older woman into the temple.

"Take your shoes off, but bring them with you." She instructed as she picked her own sandals up off the floor.

A few of the elders were in a corner talking about something that caused their faces to be set in serious frowns, but it was a hole in the floor that caught the boy's attention.

One of the tatami mats was lying askew and in its place was a staircase that descended down into the dark.

"What's that?" Sasuke asked quietly.

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