And so it was the day of the start of the Chunin Exams. Orochimaru had assured Itachi and Kimimaro that they could both send out a crippled shadow clone into battle and they would still win quite handily. Neither of them had needed those words of encouragement, but neither were inclined to dampen his mood.

The far more needed news from Orochimaru came when he pulled him aside shortly before their departure. Danzo had fled Konoha shortly after he had. He was in no danger of ANBU retaliation. On the contrary, Hiruzen had readily accepted Orochimaru's proposal to have a showing of his own for the Chunin Exams. Should things go well, Orochimaru had told him, Sound would be catapulted into a position of power and respect among the other villages.

Still, Itachi had to wonder. What exactly did await him in Konoha? He doubted that all would forgive his actions against the village. But perhaps there would be open supporters. Itachi already knew the truth of that night was not one that would be hidden away as easily as dust under the rug. No matter what, no moves against him would be made openly, which suited him just fine.

There was one thing that kept gnawing at him though. In those nights where he felt his mind wander back to the ugly altercation that had led him and his clan to living under Orochimaru, as his mind edged towards the ignorance of sleep, in the fringes of his thoughts was one thing.

Kakashi.

He was one of the few people he considered a friend among the living. But what would Kakashi think of him now that he was a traitor to Konoha? And with those thoughts came a feeling.

Shame.

Though he was his friend, Itachi, even with his unique power at his disposal, could not divine the answer to the question he had despite the time spent with him. He simply did not have the proper skill unlocked nor the level of insight required to find out. For the first time, perhaps, Itachi felt…

Insufficient.

He didn't like the feeling. He made himself a promise that he would find Kakashi, even if it took the full immensity of his hoarded skills, and he would talk to him. Then he would have the answer he desired.

But for the time being, he contented himself with walking beside Kimimaro and Orochimaru. It may have been disappointing that they were the only three to go, but Orochimaru hadn't wanted to push his luck with the village.

"You can't just barge in and expect to be heard," he'd told them. "Sometimes you need a more subtle hand." The meaning had been clear to both of them. Itachi pulled up his most recent quest with a thought.

Show of Strength:

Show the Shinobi world that the might of the Uchiha has not faded since Madara's time.

Completion Award:

10,000 XP

Massively increased standing in the Shinobi world

Completion Failure:

[Impossible]

Itachi let himself have a small smile. He knew even before the quest popped up that with his power, he literally could not fail to accomplish what Orochimaru asked of him. He felt the closest thing to pride since he'd single handedly saved what he could of his clan.

"Itachi, what are you thinking about?" Orochimaru asked. For all the gratitude he felt towards him, Itachi couldn't help but find his perceptiveness annoying.

"The mission." It was an answer that would stop him from probing further while also frustrating him. It was the kind of answer Itachi liked to give him.

"No need to be so serious. You should be treating this as a vacation." Itachi ignored him. Orochimaru looked to Kimimaro.

"Think of all the dango you could eat at your favorite place," he said. Orochimaru had evidently talked about him in great length with Kimimaro.

"Hmmmm…" Itachi gave a fake noise of thought. "The Sound haven't quite mastered the flavor." Another safe response. In truth though it was another thing about Orochimaru that annoyed him. The man had a wealth of information on almost every major shinobi in the elemental nations. It was impressive, commendable even, but he wished he would use it for more than just teasing him.

"That's the spirit Itachi," Orochimaru said. As far as Itachi could tell he knew that it was just a response to get him to keep quiet, but he was unlikely to let up. He wondered the extent of his information on his friendship with Shisui. He frequently tried to tease him in the same way Shisui would, but it never felt right with him.

But why?

Itachi wanted to know. It wasn't anything he could think of. Orochimaru, despite his personality "quirks" as Itachi had labeled them, was a worthy friend. Some days Itachi even wondered if he could be the father that he never had.

Father… Itachi let it ring in his head again. How long had it been since he'd used that word? He thought back many months, to his ANBU graduation ceremony. That was the last distinct conversation he remembered with his father.

What had happened between them? Itachi remembered. Far back, before he'd gotten his powers, maybe around 4 or 5, his father had taken him to see a battlefield. There was no distinction between friend and foe, just corpses with bent and mutilated bodies, as if they were dolls discarded and trampled upon by an uncaring child.

His mind came back to Orochimaru. There was no doubt the man was using him for his personal gain, but Itachi felt something stronger than just ulterior motives. The man cared for him, more than his father had. Which just led him back to his original question: why did Orochimaru's teasing feel wrong compared to Shisui's?

Itachi cursed his power. He felt so close to the answer, like it was obvious. But somehow, it eluded him. He was sure even Kimimaro, the estranged orphan could tell him, but his Uchiha pride forbade asking him. He turned the thought over in his mind once more.

And then he realized.

Orochimaru and Shisui were two different people, with very different relationships with him. Shisui was, well, Shisui, and no matter what Orochimaru did, he couldn't fill the same spot in Itachi's life that Shisui had.

"Wisdom's level goes up by one." It felt ridiculous to Itachi that such a basic observation could have been beyond his grasp. Then again his wisdom when it came to understanding people hadn't been nurtured before his power had taken ahold of him, and even in the months he'd had it still remained neglected in favor of other skills.

He wondered, would this new point of wisdom answer his question he had about Kakashi? He went through everything he remembered about him and asked again, "What will Kakashi think of me after that night?"

He will want to talk to you. Despite what happened you're closer than just teammates. It was an answer that made sense to Itachi, and he was pleased.

"We're here." Orochimaru's voice cut through the dark clouds of thought in Itachi's mind. How long had he been lost in his thoughts? No matter, he told himself, he doubted he'd find himself on journeys of self reflection that often in the coming days. He had a mission to accomplish.

They approached the gate and entered. Itachi took in the familiarity that had almost been lost to him in the months of absence. They made their way to the Hokage's tower. All around him whispers echoed through the streets as he passed by. If he focused he could pick out what a few were saying.

"Isn't that the Itachi Uchiha?"

"It's that traitor."

"Look, it's the next Madara Uchiha."

Itachi stopped listening there. He understandably wasn't that popular with most of the people, and consequently they got a wide berth. It was almost pleasant. It would be hard to sneak up on them with such a clear area around them, not that he thought anyone would attempt such a thing.

"Excuse me." A teen approached them. "You're Itachi Uchiha, the guy who fought off the ANBU to save your clan, right?" Itachi gave him a nod. "C-Could I get your autograph?" He felt Orochimaru's relish in the absurdity.

"Go on Itachi," Orochimaru said, "give the nice man your autograph." Itachi decided it best to go along with the boys request.

"Thank you sir," the teen said, and then he was gone. It was bizarre to Itachi. He'd expected maybe a handful of people that would be on his side, but not veneration..

"Remember Itachi, not everyone here hates you for what you did," Orochimaru whispered to him, in a voice so quiet Itachi wondered if it was actually some kind of jutsu for subtle communication. It wouldn't surprise him if it was.

They arrived at the Hokage's tower without further incident. The rooms and halls he'd spent so much time in felt foreign to Itachi. He didn't belong here. He felt the trained eyes of some half dozen ANBU on him as he followed Orochimaru to the Hokage's office. He took a deep breath. Nobody would dare attack him here, not when he was a guest of the Hokage.

"Hello Hiruzen." Orochimaru greeted him as soon as they were in the office.

"Hello, Orochimaru." He was seated at his desk, unperturbed by the sudden guests. The two exchanged pleasantries and formalities that reminded Itachi far too much of the days when he was the pride of the Uchiha clan of his father. He let his mind meander.

"Itachi," Hiruzen's voice brought Itachi back. "I am so sorry." Itachi noticed a single tear trailing its way through the valleys of a face that time had worn down.

"Lord third-" Itachi froze. He had forgotten to consider how the Hokage would be affected.

"I know," he said. "There is nothing I could offer you that would even begin to make things up to the Uchiha, and even at my age I can only guess the depths of your sorrow for your parents and brother."

"I don't know what to say." It was something that Itachi knew had been keeping him up at night ever since it happened.

"I expected you wouldn't know what to say. But to see that you're carrying on the Will of Fire in your own way, it is the best recovery I could imagine for you." Hiruzen smiled. With the smile came warmth, and the wrinkles wrought by time seemed to vanish.

"Thank you." It was all Itachi could think to say.

"Enough of that dreary talk. Orochimaru has been given his instructions, and the Chunin Exams begin tomorrow. I expect you all to go and get some rest. I'm sure the journey has exhausted you." And with that, they were dismissed.

By now the sun was nearing the end of its descent below the horizon. Itachi didn't remember it getting this late, but blamed Orochimaru and Hiruzen talking for the hour. Orochimaru took them to one of the higher end hotels and they turned in for the night. It would be a big day tomorrow.

The next day they reported to the exam hall for the first part of the exams. Orochimaru briefed them on what they needed to do and left them to it. The exam, Itachi found, was disappointingly easy. He finished it, turned it over, and sat with perfect posture for the rest of the allotted time.

He considered using Observe on some of the ninja he could see, but decided not to. Orochimaru was seldom mistaken in his predictions. That, and he wanted to reclaim some of the excitement that had been taken when he'd gotten his powers. What would he do when confronted with a power he wasn't familiar with? He craved to think on the fly, and use Observe would ruin the point.

The next part of the exam was as trivial. It was a short trek through dangerous terrain in teams while collecting a pair of scrolls. It was hardly a fair task for the other participants given his background as ANBU. He and Kimimaro took it slow until they found another team and they trailed them until they slept.

From there it was a simple task of using his Stealth and Thieving to take the scroll from their inventory. Itachi couldn't help but feel a hint of pride at how easy it was to accomplish with his levels. He only hoped that the final stage of the exams would give him some sort of challenge, even if it ended up being basic.

And then came the final part, one on one combat. Orochimaru had already explained that the real purpose was to show off your strengths that would make you a good chunin candidate but he'd not told them what they were looking for.

The matches were drawn and they began the wait. It wouldn't be too long until the matches were held. The villages had agreed that none of the remaining candidates needed a month to prepare. Itachi heard whispers though. None of the villages wanted to be there much longer, not with "the next Madara" in their midst.

"It really is sad, isn't it?" Orochimaru asked him after they met up at the hotel that night.

"What is?" Itachi said.

"Calling you "the next Madara." It's more accurate than a lot of them think it is."

"I don't understand." Itachi had some knowledge of Madara but he couldn't quite grasp the comparison.

"He was a traitor of the village, but it was the village who had betrayed him and his clan first, just like you."

"And what about that makes it sad?"

"Those who are labelling you "the next Madara" are perpetuating the hatred of Uchiha, as Tobiroma did in Madara's time, and that's going to keep them on the path that has already cost them greatly."

"But why are you telling me this?" It was interesting no doubt but it was very odd to Itachi.

"I've just been thinking about it since I first heard it." It was the most straightforward answer Orochimaru had given Itachi in a long time. "Don't think about it too much, you need to be ready for your match, so focus on that."

Orochimaru left him and Itachi was alone. Kimimaro had gone out to get some fresh air and exercise. He had been looking better since the start of their trip, and Itachi almost forgot he was sick sometimes. But now was not the time for that, now was the time for rest. He needed to be ready.

A/N: It has been a long time, way too long in fact. I'm honestly shocked that I came back to this after so long, and readingsome the earlier chapters made me go "ew why the fuck did I do that?" but as my friend Ser Serendipity has done, I'm also electing not to go back and clean it up, and instead leaving it as a reminder to not do dumb shit as a writer again. Expect sporadic updates for at least a little bit.

(and I know they chunin exams aren't written that excitingly but I really couldn't be assed to try and make this sound cool when we all knew Itachi was just going to destroy them with ease)