Shisui cut off the flow of chakra swimming through his body, and all the momentum from Shunshin no Jutsu (Body Flicker Jutsu) left his body, and he perfectly stopped on the ground with no extra steps needed for stabilization. His control over the jutsu had reached such mastery that the blades of grass around his feet didn't so much as flutter as he came to a stop.

He looked in silence at his young clanmate, Uchiha Itachi, the kid whom he considered a brother. Itachi stood in front of the Memorial Stone with the names of the brave heroes who had laid their lives down for the village.

"You wanted to talk to me?" asked Itachi, without looking away from the Memorial Stone.

"The clan has been worried about you since you joined the ANBU. You haven't been regular with your… duties," Shisui said.

"Worried. You mean, they're suspicious," said Itachi.

"Yes."

"They asked something of you?"

"To keep an eye on you."

"Father?"

"He was present and was the one to give the order."

Itachi turned to Shisui. "What do you think?"

"While not all of them think you're against the cause, some of them have begun to think that you might not be as enthusiastic about the cause as they think you should be," said Shisui.

"The cause," Itachi shook his head.

Following the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox's Attack, the Hidden Leaf's leadership began to suspect that the Uchiha were behind the attack due to the Sharingan's ability to control the beast. From that point onwards, the Uchiha were placed under close surveillance to find the truth— something accomplished by accumulating all of the Uchiha property scattered around the village and giving them a large section in one part of the village after the devastation caused by the beast's rampage. While it was true that a large amount of the Uchiha property had been destroyed during the rampage, most of the clan agreed that the reallocation to one section was solely for surveillance reasons.

This mistrust and isolation from the rest of the village created feelings of ill-will amongst the Uchiha and ultimately rekindled the hatred harboured towards the 'Senju-influenced' government ever since the Uchiha had been side-lined by giving them control of the Leaf Military Police Force.

That resulted in the beginning of the cause—led by the Clan Leader, Fugaku Uchiha—a coup d'état to overthrow the Hidden Leaf regime and instate the Uchiha on top of the village.

In preparation for the coup, the Uchiha started inserting its members within Konoha's command structure to act as spies. Shisui himself was among those spies who made it to ANBU and relayed information to the clan. Itachi was placed in ANBU as well, and while his role was the same, in some ways, he was a more critical piece than Shisui.

The Hidden Leaf's ANBU division was structured directly under the Hokage, but most ANBU reported to the ANBU Commander, the operating leader of the division. Only a small group of ANBU was directly under the Hokage's command. When Shisui joined the ANBU, the Uchiha clan wanted him to be placed under the Hokage's direct command, but he never got that opportunity.

On the other hand, Itachi was directly placed under the Hokage and had access to more sensitive information. Contrary to what the clan expected, Itachi became uncooperative with their needs. Unfortunately for them, the person tasked with keeping an eye on Itachi was also not in support of their operation, unknown to them.

Neither Shisui nor Itachi supported the Uchiha coup d'état because they knew it could trigger a Shinobi World War. They agreed that the Uchiha had been mistreated and deserved better as one of the founding clans and the village's protector. They even supported the vision of an Uchiha one day sitting on the Hokage chair. However, they didn't believe that the coup d'état was the way to achieve that.

"What are you thinking?" Shisui asked Itachi. They had met when Itachi graduated from the academy. Even then, Itachi always wore an indifferent expression, but with time, Shisui had learned to identify Itachi's facial quirks to recognize that his friend had made a decision.

"I believe it's time to let Lord Hokage know about this situation," said Itachi.

Shisui narrowed his eyes at the statement. Telling the Hokage meant betraying their clan, even if it was for the greater good. He licked his lips, thinking about the implications of such a decision.

"Do you disagree?" asked Itachi.

"Do you think it's wise to involve the Hokage? It could result in tensions rising," Shisui replied. He had been withholding information from the clan, but revealing their secrets and operations to their enemies was not a light decision.

"Silently opposing the plans won't lead us anywhere when the entire clan is bent on destroying everything this village stands for," Itachi's calm voice had a rare heated tone. "We can't do anything on our own. We need help."

'Oh, Itachi… if only you knew,' thought Shisui. He could potentially resolve the situation on his own, but he didn't want to take that route because of the ramifications.

Shisui sighed, "Alright… let's get the Hokage involved, but we discuss what all we disclose to him." He wasn't ready for his solution, which he considered to be extreme— for now, involving the Hokage seemed to be the most logical option.

Itachi nodded and returned to gazing at the Memorial Stone, as if remembering the names etched into the stone.

———

.

Takuma entered the Udon joint from the staff door and walked into the transfer area right outside the kitchen.

"Orders 40, 45, 47, and 50 are delivered," Takuma yelled out as he tore away the order slips hanging from the counter and threw them into the trash.

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"Good job, kid!" came from inside the kitchen.

D-rank missions were no longer viable for Takuma. His dealer income was already earning more than his monthly allowance when he was under the state's care— which wasn't a large amount, but it settled his medical expenses. If not for Sango's treatment expenses, he could have lived off his drug income as he had done before he was a shinobi. The only thing he was potentially missing out on was the mission points. Mathematically, however, being in top condition before Ring fights, thus increasing his chances of winning, earned him more than doing D-rank missions. He didn't want to do D-rank missions, and the only reason he did them now was when C-rank missions with Iruka didn't meet his minimum quota. He had taken the D-rank mission as a delivery boy for an Udon joint because Iruka was away on a mission as part of a Jonin team.

As Takuma craned his neck to peer at the clock hanging near the ceiling, he heard, "Takuma!"

He looked out to the small dining area. Three very large people occupied the largest table that could accommodate ten people. One look at them, and Takuma knew they were from the Akimichi clan. It was the fourth smaller person that had called out to Takuma. He could only see a hand as the large Akimichi blocked the view.

Then Masaaki peeked through.

"Oh, Masaaki!" Takuma called back, thinking why Masaaki was in the company of Akimichi.

"Join us!" said Masaaki.

Takuma turned towards the kitchen and shouted, "Boss, can I take my break right now?"

"Yeah, go ahead."

Takuma shouted his thanks and turned back to Masaaki. "Give me a minute; I'll be right there."

After saying that, Takuma walked out of the staff's back entrance that opened up into a back alley. The moment he stepped out of the diner, he no longer looked like himself, and instead, he was a blonde man with a bright smile. He walked into the back alley on the other side of the street, where a middle-aged woman waited for him.

"Miss Shimada, my favorite customer," Takuma smiled widely. "How are you today?"

Miss Shimada was a civilian housewife that one could find in any residential area. The only difference was that she was one of Takuma's highest-grossing customers.

"Very good, thank you," Shimada said in an uptight manner without a hint of a smile on her face.

"Just like always," said Takuma. She never smiled. "What can I do for you today?"

"Double my usual," she said, taking out a thick cash clip of crisp fresh-of-the-printer notes. Takuma could almost smell the hot printer smell from them.

"Right up," Takuma dispensed the product after counting the cash. "Do you need something else, Miss Shimada?"

"No," she said while walking away from him.

"Just like always, then."

Takuma also walked back into the diner, undoing his disguise. He walked to Masaaki's table, which now had a tremendous amount of food on it. Takuma had memorized the menu, and their bill was going to be large and very good for the business.

"Come, sit beside me," Masaaki said. The Akimichi beside got up so that Takuma could go inside. Takuma didn't want to, but he sat between the Akimichi and Masaaki and was promptly squished between the two. "D-rank mission?"

"C-rank, actually. I'm spying on the boss inside to get evidence for money laundering. This entire joint is a front," when Takuma spoke without lowering his voice, all four looked towards the kitchen with surprise. "I'm joking; of course, it's a D-rank mission." Masaaki and the biggest Akimichi laughed immediately while the other two followed awkwardly. "… or is it," Takuma said with a small smile, and they quieted down. "Na, I'm just pulling your leg; it's a D-rank mission… I'm Takuma, by the way."

He was in a good mood after making the sale.

"Look how you got them. That was side-splitting," laughed the biggest Akimichi, who looked somewhat familiar to Takuma, but he couldn't put his finger on it.

"This is the old uncle I was talking about," Masaaki introduced the old man. "Akimichi Choza."

Takuma furrowed his brow for a moment before they shot up when he finally recognized the man sitting across from him from a shinobi magazine. It was Akimichi Choza, the Clan Head of the Akimichi Clan. Which meant he was Akimichi Choji's father.

"I-It's a pleasure to meet you, sir," Takuma tried his best to be proper and polite in front of the Head of one of the village's biggest and most influential clans. "I was in the same academy batch as Akimichi Hideaki, and I must admit, that boy is strong."

This was a huge situation that he wasn't prepared for. Takuma could feel the extra product in his pouch grow heavy, and it took a lot of self-control to not push it deeper into his pouch. He was in grave potential danger.

Choza turned to the Akimichi beside him.

"Doto's son."

"Ah, Doto's son, yes. If I remember correctly, he's learning under a Jonin," Choza nodded with a gentle and full smile. "No need to be nervous, Takuma. As you're on your break, be our guest, and eat with us."

"Thank you, sir."

After the introductions happened and the table began to eat with vigor, Takuma focused on the situation. He glanced at Masaaki, who was shoving in without a care in the world, and remembered all the times his friend had brought up training under an "old man." Not once had Takuma thought it would be Akimichi Choza. He had no fucking idea how Masaaki had managed to get into this situation.

"I have to ask, how did you two meet?" said Takuma.

Masaaki looked up from his Udon bowl. "I was training with my bukijutsu one day when the old man came up to me. We fought—"

'They fought?!' Takuma exclaimed.

"—and then he took me under his wing."

Takuma felt his head churn. Here he was getting banged up in an arena three times a week, losing sleep selling weed around the village, laundering mission points out of LRC— and Masaaki was somehow training under Akimichi Choza.

He looked at Choza, who nodded and then at the other two Akimichi. One of them answered him.

"Clan Head saw potential in Masaaki and generously decided to help him reach his best potential. Masaaki is now under the care of the Akimichi Clan," he said arrogantly, but the mouthful of food made it come out anything but.

Takuma was once again confused. Masaaki had everything to gain from it, but what did the Akimichi clan gain? The confusion must've shown on his face as the Akimichi beside him leaned down to whisper.

"Masaaki is sponsored by the Akimichi clan. In return for the resources the clan provides for him to grow as a shinobi, he will work for the Akimichi clan and its interests."

Takuma's eyes widened as an inkling of understanding entered his brain. He glanced at Masaaki to see if he could discern any signs that showed Masaaki was being mistreated—but other than the bandage on the side of his neck, Masaaki looked to be fine.

The meal lasted close to an hour, with the plates coming and going from the table. Akimichi ate a lot and was good for the restaurant industry of the Leaf. As they were leaving, Takuma saw them off and asked to talk to Masaaki alone,

"You go ahead; I'll catch up," said Masaaki to the Akimichi.

Takuma waited for them to be outside of earshot before asking, "You're working for the Akimichi now? Do you understand what that means? Are you fine with that? They're not mistreating you, right? What kind of things—"

Masaaki put his finger on Takuma's lips. The usual happy-go-lucky expression had mellowed down to a small smile with seriousness showing through in his eyes. "I understand my current arrangement perfectly well, Takuma. The old man had made it very clear the day he invited me to join the clan," he said.

"How long will you have to work for them?" asked Takuma, still worried about Masaaki.

"That's between me and them," Masaaki said. He looked at his hand as he clenched his fist, "I want to get stronger, and if they can make me stronger, then I will continue working for the Akimichi clan. And it's not like they're terrible—everyone I train and spend time with are lovely people."

Masaaki smiled, "You worry too much, Takuma. I'm not dumb—"

"I never said that."

"Yes, I know. I understand what I agreed to, and it wasn't an on-the-spot decision— I thought about it long and hard before I agreed to the old man's deal. You don't have to be worried about whatever bad things you're worrying about— they're good people," Masaaki patted Takuma's shoulder hard and heavy.

Takuma breathed out as his shoulders loosened. He was still worried about his friend, but something from Masaaki told him that he had it under control.

"They're really treating you well?" asked Takuma.

Masaaki nodded with a smile.

Takuma sighed, "Alright, just… just take care of yourself."

"I will!" Masaaki grinned brightly as ever.