Evening fell.
As Uchiha Itachi left the Hokage Building, preparing to go home, the Hokage's warning flashed through his mind-"Itachi, don't go home openly today. It's best if no one spots you, especially anyone from the Uchiha Clan."
Uchiha Itachi understood the concerns behind the Hokage's advice, and he felt a faint stir of emotion.
He could feel endless malice enveloping him.
But at least the Hokage trusted him.
Uchiha Itachi followed Sarutobi Hiruzen's advice. He waited until night had fully fallen before returning to the Uchiha Clan's compound.
Then he slipped silently up to his front door.
Yet just as he was about to enter, he hesitated.
"Sasuke..."
Uchiha Itachi murmured.
If everyone in the village is spreading stories about my "future evil," Sasuke must have heard them too, right?
How will Sasuke look at me now?
Will he cling to me as he always has?
Or will he angrily demand answers?
Will he distance himself from me instead?
Unable to figure it out, Itachi simply stopped dwelling on it. He entered the house, and the first person he saw was his mother.
"...Itachi." Uchiha Mikoto managed a faint, gentle smile. Conflicting emotions filled her eyes as she looked at her eldest son, and she said softly, "Dinner is ready."
Uchiha Itachi walked silently into the room until he saw Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Sasuke sitting at the dinner table.
He immediately noticed that Sasuke's eyes were a little red.
Uchiha Itachi's heart clenched.
"Let's eat." Fugaku broke the silence in a heavy voice, without even the inclination to offer the customary thanks before eating. He had not so much as looked at Itachi when he came in.
Sasuke, however, could not eat a bite.
He stared blankly at Itachi, a trace of hope and pleading in his