Scaring His Little Nephew to Tears

Itachi left the Surveillance Post.

He crossed a street and had just turned a corner when he unexpectedly ran into his father, Fugaku.

"Are you off work, Itachi?" Fugaku asked with a smile.

"Yes, Father."

Itachi felt a little tense. He didn't want his father to know that, after joining the Anbu, his job was to spy on his own clan.

But Fugaku had already seen through everything.

"Itachi, do you remember the first day our Uchiha Clan moved to the new Clan Compound, a few years ago?"

He glanced at the high-rises not far away and said gravely, "I noticed those buildings around the Clan Compound back then. I figured they were there so the village could keep an eye on us."

Itachi silently nodded.

"Hmph. The Third Hokage really had a clever plan. He actually thought he could use my son to deal with the Uchiha Clan?"

Fugaku glanced toward the Hokage Building, his gaze turning cold. "What he doesn't know is that you, Itachi, were a spy we planted in the Anbu from the very beginning."

"I'll do my best to become a bridge between the clan and the village, Father."

Itachi gave him his answer.

He didn't say which side he stood on. He wanted to view the Uchiha Clan and Konoha more objectively. Only then could he make the right choice.

Wasn't that right?

A bridge between the clan and the village... Does Itachi want to become Hokage?

That's right.

If Itachi becomes Hokage someday, the Uchiha Clan will surely be able to rejoin the village.

Fugaku took his son's words to mean what he wanted them to mean. His eyes filled with pride, and he patted Itachi on the shoulder.

"I believe in you, Itachi."

When it came to Itachi, he had always trusted him completely.

"By the way, Father. I saw you and Uncle on the surveillance feed just now..." Itachi hesitated, unsure whether he should ask.

"Oh, your uncle's coming to my house for dinner tonight to celebrate your mother's birthday. Looks like you couldn't persuade him to come, nephew. I had to step in as his brother-in-law."

Fugaku teased him with a laugh.

So that was it.

Itachi smiled along and asked no more, though his doubts remained.

The sun set, and night gradually fell.

Dan returned to the alley. From a distance, he spotted Samui standing alone in front of the Fitness Gym, waiting quietly.

When he came closer,

"Director, you're back."

Samui stepped forward and bowed to him as usual.

"You seemed worried about me," Dan remarked.

"Yes." Samui pretended to blush, lowering her head so she wouldn't have to meet his eyes.

Who was worried about you? What a narcissist.

What she really cared about was what had happened after Dan and Inohi went to meet Uchiha Yashiro.

Unfortunately,

Dan never let his feelings show, so she couldn't read anything from his expression.

"My brother-in-law's hosting dinner tonight. Come with me," Dan said abruptly.

"Huh?"

Samui was taken aback. She hesitated before replying, "That doesn't seem appropriate. I'm an outsider..."

She seemed to be turning him down, but in truth she couldn't wait to accept.

Although the Uchiha Clan had been driven to the Village Outskirts by Konoha's high command, they had taken the opportunity to turn their Clan Compound into an Independent Kingdom. Even Konoha's Anbu couldn't get in.

Now, as a spy, Samui had a chance to enter the Uchiha Clan Compound and meet the Clan Head's family.

It was a golden opportunity to gather intelligence.

Dan knew exactly what she was up to.

"Inviting you was actually my brother-in-law's idea. If you're free, don't turn him down," he said.

Dan was curious, too, about why Fugaku had specifically told him to bring Samui along.

"All right, then."

Samui agreed, pretending to be overwhelmed by the honor.

Ten minutes later,

the two of them had changed into black and white kimonos and bought a birthday cake. Then they headed for the Uchiha Clan Compound.

In the yard of the Clan Head's house,

the brothers, Itachi and Sasuke, were playing on the floor in front of the house.

"Big brother, teach me the tricks for throwing Shuriken tomorrow, okay?"

Sasuke wore the Cat Ears Itachi had given him. He wriggled around in his brother's arms, whining and showing his belly.

Like a little cat.

"Sasuke, I have a mission tomorrow. I'll teach you when I have time," Itachi said apologetically, gently stroking his younger brother's head.

Suddenly,

Itachi turned his head and saw Dan and Samui at the entrance.

His expression changed slightly. He instinctively started to get up to greet them, but Dan gestured for him to stay put and walked over with Samui.

Sasuke hadn't noticed the guests. He was still rubbing his head against Itachi's stomach, muttering,

"No! You already promised me..."

Huh?

Why had his brother suddenly gone so stiff and stopped moving?

Sasuke lifted his head in confusion, then followed Itachi's gaze. At once, he saw a...

giant, standing right in front of him.

The man's expressionless, enormous frame blocked the moon and cast a dark shadow over the brothers.

His eyes were black as bottomless abysses.

"Sasuke, say hello to your uncle," Itachi reminded him quietly.

"Unc... Waaaah!" Sasuke looked terrified and burst into tears on the spot.

His uncle looked so scary.

"Little Sasuke's gotten so big over the past few years, but he still cries just like before," Dan remarked with a sigh, seemingly unaware that he'd scared his little nephew to tears.

"Uncle, I'm sorry. Sasuke's being rude."

Itachi apologized to Dan, then patiently comforted his younger brother, his eyes full of affection and tenderness.

Samui witnessed the heartwarming scene and couldn't help remembering how Dan had described Itachi:

Cruel and ruthless, taking pleasure in slaughter, and not even caring about his parents.

But...

The Itachi she saw seemed like a perfectly good kid. He didn't look like a madman at all.

The Director must have gotten the wrong impression.

"Let's go inside," Dan said to Samui. They took off their shoes at the Entrance Hall and stepped onto the Wooden Corridor.

They had barely taken a couple of steps when a beautiful black-haired woman heard them and hurried out of the kitchen.

The moment she saw Dan,

Uchiha Mikoto's eyes reddened, and she rushed over to hug her younger brother tightly.

Dan gently put his big arms around Mikoto and said, "Happy birthday, Sis."

"Do you know how long it's been since you last came to see me?"

Mikoto murmured and buried her face in her younger brother's broad chest.

Their parents had died on the battlefield when they were very young, so the siblings had relied on each other ever since.

Although Dan was several years younger than Mikoto, he had always protected and looked after her as a child, right up until the day she got married.

"You two really are close," Fugaku said as he came out of the study, sounding a little jealous.

To Mikoto, her own brother really was more important than her husband.

Mikoto glanced at Fugaku, then turned to Samui beside Dan and said with a beaming smile,

"Dan, this young lady must be your employee. She's lovely."

"Hello, ma'am." Samui quickly bowed.

"There's no need to be so formal. From now on, you can call me Sis, just like Dan does."

Mikoto stepped forward, took Samui's hand, and greeted her warmly.

Her husband, Fugaku, had told her that Samui might be more than just Dan's employee, and that the two of them might be closer than that.

After all,

Dan was twenty-four this year. At his age, he really should have been married and started a family already.