Obito looked at the little figure in the room and asked in surprise.
"Itachi? What are you doing here?"
Grandmother smiled from beside them.
"You're finally back, Obito. Little Itachi's been waiting for you for ages."
Obito was baffled.
Itachi came all this way to see me... for what?
Grandmother thoughtfully prepared two little teacups and a pot of hot water for them.
Then she got up to leave.
"You two talk. Grandmother's going back to her room to rest."
Itachi dipped his head politely.
"Goodbye, Grandmother. Thank you for your hospitality."
Once Grandmother had gone inside,
Obito asked curiously,
"Itachi, what brings you here today...?"
Itachi said calmly,
"My father sent me. He wants you to be the Uchiha Clan's eyes inside the Anbu."
"He also asked me to put a question to you: which matters more in your eyes, the clan or the village?"
Understanding dawned on Obito's face.
After a moment's thought, he answered solemnly,
"The clan comes before everything, of course. Please tell Lord Fugaku I'll pass information to him."
Itachi said thoughtfully,
"I'll relay your words to my father exactly as you said them, Obito."
"Now I'd like to ask you a question of my own."
Obito nodded.
"Sure. Ask away."
Itachi fixed him with an intent gaze.
"Why is what you just said completely different from what I heard from Shisui?"
Ah. Right...
Obito clicked his tongue.
He'd forgotten how close Itachi was with his Little Brother.
Obito fell silent to think again.
Last time, he'd only been pretending. This time, he really was thinking.
"The conflict between the Uchiha and the village is growing sharper. Someone will always end up caught in the middle, torn between the two. But..."
Obito went on pointedly,
"I personally believe our generation can resolve this. There's no