*Knock knock
"Come in," Sasuke said. He didn't look up, his gaze locked onto the quiet ink of the note as he turned it over in his hands.
In his left hand rested a heavy, reinforced container holding a set of Sharingan eyes.
Kakashi stepped into the room, taking in the contents before shifting to the slip of paper.
"So," Kakashi began, the weight of the moment settling between them. "Itachi left your father's eyes. Do you intend to do the switch now? I'm certain that Itachi would've told Lady Tsunade about this; she's the only one I can see Itachi trusting your sight to."
Sasuke carefully set the note down on the table, though his left hand remained securely wrapped around the jar containing Fugaku's eyes.
"Yes, I think it'd be best if we did it soon."
Sasuke replied
"Then I'll speak with Lady Tsunade first thing in the morning," Kakashi agreed, his tone dipping into that serious, dependable weight he kept for missions.
Then, just like that, the serious topic was left for tomorrow. Kakashi leaned against the doorway as he checked his imaginary watch. "But enough of that for tonight. Dinner is getting cold. Move it, or I'm dragging you to the table by your collar.
"I'd like to see you try," Sasuke muttered. A faint smirk touched his lips, though he knew better than anyone that Kakashi wasn't entirely joking; his sensei would definitely drag him out of the room if he pushed it.
Turning to his bed, Sasuke pulled open the drawer of the bedside table and carefully set the container inside. He slid Itachi's note into one of his Chunin vest pockets and shut the drawer. Right on cue, his stomach let out a low, betraying growl. Giving a quiet click of his tongue at his body's timing, he turned on his heel and followed his sensei out of the bedroom, ignoring the amused smile Kakashi had on his face.
The short walk down the familiar hallway led straight into the warmth of the kitchen. The scent of grilled fish and hot rice filled the small space, a sharp contrast to the heavy atmosphere of the bedroom they had just left behind.
Within minutes, they were seated across from one another, the quiet scraping of chopsticks against ceramic replacing the weight of their earlier conversation. Kakashi was already digging in, eating with his usual, surprisingly rapid efficiency. For a while, neither of them spoke. It wasn't an uncomfortable silence, but rather the familiar, unspoken understanding of two powerful shinobi who knew exactly when to let a topic rest.
Sasuke stared down at his bowl, watching the steam rise and slightly blur his already fading vision. "You're still terrible at making rice," he remarked quietly, breaking the silence without looking up.
Kakashi paused, a piece of fish halfway to his mouth, and let out a soft chuckle. "Maa, but you're not complaining about my grilling skills, now are you? How many fish have you had, Sasuke? Is it four now?"
"I've only had three."
Sasuke replied without looking up, scooping rice onto a bite of chicken and eating it despite claiming Kakashi's rice was 'terrible'.
"You need to brush up on your lying. You've had five; I was just curious to see if you'd correct me."
Sasuke stopped chewing, his chopsticks freezing just an inch from his bowl. He swallowed the bite of chicken and rice before slowly looking up, meeting his sensei's amused gaze with a flat, deadpan expression.
"I was testing your math," Sasuke muttered, completely unbothered by being caught. He reached out and aggressively stabbed another piece of fish from the serving platter, dropping it onto his plate. "And it's six now."
Kakashi let out a proper laugh this time, leaning back slightly in his chair as he watched his student continue to eat. Seeing Sasuke with an actual appetite, and seeing him relaxed enough to bicker over dinner brought a genuine sense of relief. Kakashi had come a long way in working with Sasuke, and while he was worried about what the meeting with Itachi would do to him, Kakashi was glad to see that it didn't take the turn Kakashi was dreading.
'Having Itachi alive and recovered, that changes everything for him. It's a miracle, honestly. Most people would have completely shattered if they carried out a lifelong vendetta, only to realize the person they hated had sacrificed everything for them. If Itachi had died, Sasuke would be drowning in guilt and rage with nowhere to direct it, nowhere to direct it other than the village that put Itachi in that position in the first place. But with his brother actually alive... Sasuke has a path forward, one where he can pick on his own, without someone else's decisions dictating his path.'
"Keep eating like that, and I'll have to put you on kitchen duty," Kakashi warned playfully, though he reached over to push the remaining rice container closer to Sasuke anyway. "Get some sleep after this. Tomorrow morning, we go see Lady Tsunade."
The sun hadn't even fully cleared the horizon when Kakashi woke the next morning.
He moved silently through the quiet house, getting dressed out of pure habit. Leaving his room, he walked down the hall and paused just outside Sasuke's closed door, listening intently.
He could hear the steady, even breathing of his student inside. Sasuke was still asleep, likely exhausted from the immense emotional toll of holding his father's eyes in a container. Kakashi decided to let him rest for a little longer while he made a quick pot of tea.
He leaned against the kitchen counter, watching the steam rise from his tea.
"You're up early," Kakashi noted, sliding a second mug across the counter. The tea was still steaming, a bitter brew designed to shake off the lingering exhaustion of the night.
Sasuke caught the mug, wrapping his fingers around the warm ceramic. His eyes looked tired, the faint strain of his failing vision still visible in the way he squinted slightly against the early-morning light hitting the kitchen window.
"Didn't sleep that well," Sasuke muttered, taking a cautious sip. He didn't mention the container sitting in his bedside table drawer, but he didn't need to. The weight of it was sitting in the room with them. "Are we heading out now?"
Kakashi took a slow sip of his own tea. "Finish your tea first. Lady Tsunade likely won't be in the office this early, and you could use some time to wake up a bit."
Sasuke nodded and leaned back against the opposite counter, taking slow sips of the bitter tea. For a few long minutes, the only noise in the kitchen was the quiet clink of ceramic against the countertop as they finished their drinks. The heat from the mug and the sharp bite of the brew slowly did its work, clearing the fog from Sasuke's mind.
Setting his empty mug in the sink, Sasuke turned on his heel and walked back down the hallway without a word. He pushed his bedroom door open, stepping inside the quiet room. He didn't hesitate. Pulling open the bedside table drawer, he lifted the heavy, reinforced container holding his father's eyes. It wasn't out of paranoia; he knew nobody was foolish enough to break into Kakashi's house, let alone capable of doing it without his sensei noticing. He simply didn't want to leave them behind.
The glass was cool to the touch, a sharp contrast to the warm mug he had just been holding. He carefully packed the container into a pocket over his heart, making sure it was secure and he wouldn't
When he walked back into the hallway, Kakashi was already waiting by the front door, pulling his shoes on. He gave Sasuke a quick, assessing glance, noting the slight extra bulk under his vest where the container was secured, but made no comment. He simply turned the doorknob and went out into the clear morning air.
The walk through Konoha was completely uninterrupted. At this hour, the streets were mostly empty, save for a few shopkeepers unrolling their tops as well as the distant, rhythmic footsteps of an early-morning patrol. Neither of them spoke, bypassing the main roads, sticking to the quieter side streets that led directly to Hokage Tower.
The towering red structure loomed ahead, quiet and still in the early morning light. They slipped through the main entrance, heading straight for the central stairwell. Their sandals made a rhythmic, echoing thud against the stone steps as they walked up them in silence. By the time they reached the top, the cool air of the lower levels had given way to the soft warmth of the upper hall.
Kakashi didn't bother knocking. He simply turned the handle and pushed the heavy wooden door open, stepping into the Hokage's office with Sasuke right behind him.
Tsunade was already seated at her desk, a steaming cup of coffee cradled in her hands. The morning light filtered through the large windows behind her, illuminating the office. She didn't look startled by their sudden intrusion. Instead, she set her coffee down on the wooden table and leaned back in her chair, her sharp amber eyes locking onto the two.
"You're early," Tsunade said, her voice even and entirely unsurprised. She looked from Kakashi to Sasuke, her gaze lingering slightly on the faint strain in the younger Uchiha's eyes. "Itachi told me he left you your father's eyes, and that you'd be coming to me for the procedure. I just didn't expect you to show up at dawn the next day."
Tsunade nodded, standing up from her desk. She actually looked somewhat relieved, and undeniably bored, making this a perfect excuse to step away. Now that she didn't have to deal with the paperwork that could only be described as a complete waste of her time, she had a lot more time on her hands.
"Very well. You'll come with me, Sasuke," Tsunade commanded, her tone shifting seamlessly from bored to Medic. "We're going to the hospital to prepare. Kakashi, I need you for something else."
Before Kakashi could ask, Tsunade reached into a drawer, retrieved a scroll, and tossed it across the room to him.
Kakashi's hand clamped around the parchment while maintaining steady eye contact with her, his posture sharpening as he waited for the specifics of the assignment. He didn't question her timeline or her instructions; he simply held the weight of the scroll in his palm, ready to take on whatever task she was handing off to him while she handled Sasuke's surgery.
"That scroll is for the Mizukage regarding the alliance proposal she sent back with you," Tsunade explained, her sharp eyes boring into Kakashi. "The agreement was that any and all negotiations would go through you specifically. And with your Flying Raijin, once you actually place a mark somewhere in the Land of Water, keeping this channel open should be much easier."
She paused, shifting her gaze over to the younger Uchiha. Her expression softened just a fraction.
"I'll be right outside, Sasuke. Wait for me out there while I finish speaking with Kakashi," she instructed smoothly, gesturing toward the door.
Sasuke silently walked out, the door closing behind him with a soft click. Once they were alone, Tsunade looked back at Kakashi with a distinctly teasing smirk.
"When I first read through that alliance proposal, imagine my surprise when the newly appointed Mizukage spoke of creating a 'strong, historic bond,' likening it to the union of the Uzumaki and Senju," Tsunade chuckled softly as she remembered the stories her Grandmother Mito used to tell her about her and Hashirama. "You've managed to catch the eye of quite the powerful woman, Kakashi."
She let the tease hang in the air for a second, enjoying the opportunity to tease him, before her features leveled back out into her normal, grounded tone.
"Mei Terumi made it clear in her notes that she has no intention of forcing you into anything. She sounds incredibly confident in herself, which isn't surprising, but she wants this to be genuine. As long as you're fine with it, I completely approve of you two getting to know each other. Whatever comes of it personally is entirely between you two. Yes, this is a serious political matter for our villages, but I won't pressure you into a relationship just for a treaty."
Kakashi looked down at the heavy scroll in his hand, a small, subtle smile touching his lips. He wasn't one to be easily flustered by teasing from just anyone, and the chance of getting to know Mei better wasn't exactly unappealing.
"I appreciate that, Lady Tsunade," Kakashi replied, his voice calm and steady as he tucked the scroll securely away. "I'll accept the mission. If the Mizukage is looking for a genuine relationship, I won't push her away or rush into it, nor will I accept just because of the potential good it could do."
Tsunade's smile turned approving, glad to see her top shinobi open to the possibility. Her tone quickly sharpened back into that of the Hokage, practical and decisive.
"Good. Pack and leave within the hour," she ordered, walking around her desk toward the office door. "The sooner you mark a location in the Land of Water, the faster we can open this negotiations channel. I'll handle things on this end."
"Understood," Kakashi said, giving her a respectful nod.
Tsunade walked around her desk to the door, pulled it open, and stepped into the hallway, where Sasuke was waiting patiently against the wall. Without missing a beat, she gestured for the young Uchiha to follow her.
"Alright, Sasuke, let's go," Tsunade said, her voice echoing slightly down the quiet corridor. "We have a lot of preparations to make at the hospital before we can begin."
Sasuke gave Kakashi one last, silent look of acknowledgment before turning on his heel to walk alongside the Hokage. Kakashi watched them disappear down the central stairwell, the quiet click of the office door closing behind them leaving him alone in the room, ready to prepare for his journey across the sea.
'Well, I guess I have to go see that dangerous woman again.'
Kakashi smirked slightly before vanishing in a flash.
- Chapter End -