Junlin's residence.
Early that morning, Junlin bought two breakfasts on the streets of Konoha and set them out in the Living Room.
Dad Izuna had not returned. Even if he had, he did not need to eat, since he had a body created through Impure World Reincarnation.
The other breakfast was for Uchiha Itachi.
Ever since laying his cards on the table with Junlin, Uchiha Itachi had been visiting him often.
Junlin, who habitually cultivated a "good person" image for himself, could hardly let a child go hungry, so he always brought breakfast for Uchiha Itachi too.
These days, Uchiha Itachi had been using clones made with the Clone Technique to deal with the Uchiha Clan elders who were forever trying to give him remedial lessons in morals and ethics.
By constantly visiting Junlin, Uchiha Itachi also hoped to learn a few things indirectly through him.
After all, of Yanbai's publicly acknowledged children, Muye and Silver Moon were rarely seen. Only Junlin had a fixed workplace, and he had been in the same year as Fugaku, giving them something of a schoolmate bond.
Junlin was the easiest to find, so Uchiha Itachi had come to him.
Junlin's calm voice echoed through the dining room:
"Uncle Zetsu has been gone for a while. The Akatsuki is a complete mess now."
"Apparently, someone has taken over Uncle Zetsu's position and is planning to stir something up, starting in the Land of Water. But they probably won't provoke the Land of Fire. Mother is here, after all."
As he spoke, Junlin looked at Uchiha Itachi's solemn face, then said quietly, "That's all I know..."
Uchiha Itachi remained silent.
For a while, the only sound in the silence was Junlin eating.
Uchiha Itachi poked at the red bean bun before him with his chopsticks