Sasuke, of course, passed the Genin Exams with little effort.

Amazing, a few of his peers thought.

Inconceivable, his instructors thought.

...Sasuke's taken the Exam? Fugaku Uchiha thought. He stared down at the note that his wife had written him with an increasing amount of horror. My son took the Genin Exams. Wasn't that going to happen in May? He looked up and squinted at his calendar. Oh. It's May.

...holy crap, it's May!

Fugaku, it seemed, was three months off. You couldn't blame him, really, as his work hours were long and laborious and the only reason he could tell what day of the week it was was because this one old lady always filed a report on suspicious teenagers in her neighborhood every Saturday. She hadn't done that in a while, actually. I should probably check up on her. That aside, Fugaku couldn't clamp down on the amount of guilt that rose up on him. I didn't even help him study.

...when was the last time I helped him study? In fact, when was the last time that I saw him?

He hadn't been home in a while, he realized. A few months, at least. He had taken to sleeping and eating in his office, and, honestly, he wouldn't even blame Mikoto at this point if she had started to cheat on him. He'd be bitter, of course, but it was more his fault than anyone else's.

"Lord Fugaku," a voice said so suddenly that Fugaku nearly fell from his chair, "here's the next batch of reports."

Takashi Uchiha was nothing special. He never made Jounin and had immediately been inducted into the Police Force when it became clear that he never would. It was the fate of every average Uchiha, and it wasn't a very bad one. It paid the bills and the members still saw action, just not as much as they would otherwise. However, he was also an Uchiha, which meant that the meaning of "average" was slightly skewed. True, he might not be Jounin, but he was definitely Special Jounin for his espionage and intel-gathering skills. Most of all, he had a mind of steel. He noticed things few others would.

It did not take a genius, though, to see that Fugaku Uchiha was shaken. "...Lord Fugaku? Are you alright?"

When Fugaku looked up, Takashi cringed. He had prominent bags under his eyes, a pale complexion, and a hazy, somewhat confused expression. He was obviously only awake through a large amount of coffee and sheer force of will.

"...Sukara?" he asked weakly.

"I'm Takashi, sir."

"Oh...I see." For the first time, it occurred to Takashi that, despite the fact that he was the infamous Wicked Eye Fugaku and a Hokage candidate, the Uchiha Clan Head may not be able to handle everything by himself.

"Lord Fugaku, why don't you take a break?"

A sigh. "I have too much work to do."

"Well...I could take over for a day or two." When Fugaku just looked him up and down, Takashi's face heated up a bit. Did I really just insinuate that I'm on par with Fugaku Uchiha?

Fugaku, though, was too tired to care and jumped at the opportunity. "If you're sure that you can hold down the fort."

Well, I can't back out now. "Don't worry, Lord Fugaku, everything will be fine."

Fugaku nodded, letting out a large breath. A ghost of a smile made its way onto his face. "Thank you, Sukara."

"I'm Takashi."

"And I need some sleep." And so Fugaku Uchiha stumbled out of the room, leaving his slowly panicking underling inside. The reports suddenly seemed much more intimidating. I'm screwed, aren't I?

Something was wrong. Sasuke knew it when his father visited him for lunch. That fact alone was not a cause for panic, but then one would realize that Sasuke hadn't seen his father for many months...maybe even a year. So, of course, Sasuke inquired as to what was wrong. "Is everything alright, Father?"

Fugaku stared at his son for a second, then blinked, his brain processing what he had said. "Yes, Sasuke. Nothing's wrong."

"Then why are you here?"

"Because you passed the Genin Exams. Congratulations."

A little spark of...something appeared in Sasuke's chest. Was it...was it happiness? Was it pride in finally getting his absent father's recognition? Was it-

Fugaku then proceeded to face-plant into the ground, causing everyone who was still in the room to give him an odd look. And, predictably, the little spark of light in Sasuke's chest was snuffed out. Using his foot, he nudged his father's arm. "Are you awake?" No answer.

From a few seats away, a boy with blond hair and blue eyes (Naruto, I think) asked, eyes wide, "Is...is he alive?"

Nudge. Still nothing. "You know, I'm not sure."

"Okay…"

Shrugging, Sasuke grabbed his textbook and lunch and proceeded to walk out of the room, content with the knowledge that Iruka would eventually be back to take care of his incapacitated—and quite possibly dead—father.

Itachi liked peace and quiet. Because of his current occupation as an ANBU Commander, he didn't get much of it. Sure, his team was nice and calm, but their victims were never quite as generous. Maybe he shouldn't complain too much about the fact that his targets screamed in terror when he shoved a sword in their chests, but Itachi never really gave that part of his mind much thought. Just leave it alone and let it do its own thing.

Indeed, other than the sound of Mikoto's knife as it hit the cutting board, the house was dead silent—well, there was also birds singing outside, but Itachi found the consistent, rhythmic thuds of his mother's blade much more calming. It was a small break in his hectic life and Itachi sat still in his living room, eyes closed, taking in the atmosphere.

And then Sasuke came home.

Normally, it wouldn't be a problem. Sasuke was trained in stealth and could enter their house silently—though not undetected. Itachi could just sit there in the silence and get some more quiet time while Sasuke started his homework. But no, that didn't happen this time because Sasuke was apparently in a bad mood. Itachi could tell by how the door slammed open. And by the fact that Sasuke was screaming bloody murder.

Itachi sat there for a second as Sasuke stormed into the room and started loudly yelling, his words unintelligible and his voice cracking on several occasions—not that Sasuke seemed to notice...or at least care. Finally, with a sigh, Itachi interrupted his brother. "Sasuke, can you say that again? Slower, this time."

Sasuke paused. "...I've been placed on a team with Naruto and Sakura Haruno."

Itachi raised an eyebrow. "Sakura as in the girl who punched you in the face when she thought you called her a bit-"

"Yes," Sasuke interjected tightly, "her."

"I see. And who's this Naruto you mentioned?"

"A guy in my class. He's got blond hair and blue eyes-"

"A Yamanaka?"

"No, no, he's an orphan, I think. He's always quiet and never causes much trouble. Something about him is suspicious, though. I swear, he's unnerving."

"So you're paired with the girl who hates you and a boy who you're scared of?"

"I'm not scared of him."

"...right. My apologies, carry on."

Sasuke gave him a half-hearted glare, then sighed. "I just...I don't know what to do."

"Don't know what to do about what?"

"My team! One's a psychopath and the other one may quite possibly be some kind of creep. Oh, and don't even get me started on my sensei!"

Now, this peaked Itachi's interest. Sasuke normally had a lot of respect for Jounin but, judging from the less-than-kind tone, he was apparently quite unhappy with this one. "Who's your Jounin-sensei?"

"Uh...Kakashi Hatake, I think. The thing, though, is that he arrived three hours late! Not only that, but he was still in his pajamas and stumbling around, bleary-eyed, and...and he hugged me and started sobbing some nonsense about not leaving again or something!"

Itachi stared blankly. "Kakashi?"

"I'm pretty sure that I already said that."

"As in Kakashi Hatake?"

"Yep."

"As in the elite Jounin Kakashi Hatake?"

"No, as in the idiotic, bumbling moron Kakashi Hatake...who just happens to be Jounin. By a pure stroke of luck, surely. In fact, I'll bring it up with the Hokage."

"Don't," Itachi wheezed, suddenly realizing that something was very wrong with his friend, "just...just spare me. Go study."

Sasuke ignored him. "Oh yeah, and you'll never guess what he did next!"

"I really, really don't want to know."

"He then hugged Naruto and started repeatedly apologizing for 'not being there' or whatever. And then he went to Sakura and hugged her and promised that he would not let everything go wrong this time."

"This time?"

"I don't know, I was also confused."

"I see."

"So, yeah, I'm going to go to the Hokage now and request a new Jounin-sensei. I was going to ask Naruto if he wanted to come, but Naruto wouldn't answer me, and Sakura...well, she's scary."

"Sasuke, don't report your sensei, it's impolite." A pause. "Wait two weeks then subtly drop hints in the Hokage's presence that you don't appreciate him. Or, you know, you can try and assassinate him in his sleep. But that's only acceptable after two weeks, is that understood?"

Sasuke wilted. "Yes, Brother."

"Good." Itachi slowly stood up. "I'll be out in the garden if you need me. Don't be too loud." He glanced around a bit before leaning down and whispering into Sasuke's ear. "Oh, and did you get anything for Father?"

Sasuke blinked. "What?"

"Father. Today's his birthday. I told you about this last week. What did you get him?"

Sasuke's stomach dropped. "O-Oh," he said. "O-Of course. How could I forget?"

Itachi gave him a small, proud smile. "Good job, Sasuke. I knew you would remember. Where is it?"

"You see, I—uh—accidentally left it at the Academy. I'll go get it." And make sure someone took care of Father.

"Okay, good. Be quick about it, Mother's cooking something special." His smile widened. "Father's finally coming home." At which point Sasuke finally felt like a horrible person. It was less the realization that he had left his father to fend for himself on his birthday—not that that wasn't making him feel bad—but more that he was lying to Itachi.

...well, that in and of itself was suspicious. One does not simply lie to Itachi. No, Itachi was a trained shinobi who could tell when an enemy ninja was lying just by the twitch of his nose. Itachi was calmly walking out into the garden now, though, and Sasuke had long since learned not to look a gift horse in the mouth. Turning around, he walked out of the house with two goals in mind: make sure that his father was still alive and well and find him a birthday present.

Mikoto quietly chopped some onions, tears leaking down her face. I'm a Jounin and yet I still tear up when I cut onions. Maybe I should up my training a bit. Being both a mother and an active shinobi was hard, but Mikoto was no useless little girl. Ever since Fugaku fell into the black hole that was paperwork, he hadn't been out and about. Clan morale couldn't fall, so Mikoto acted as a sort of regent for her somewhat-absent husband. She got put back on the active shinobi roster and had been going out daily to meet with people. When people asked what had happened to her husband, she gave them the truth: "Paperwork is a beast that my husband is valiantly battling." She had been in the vicinity of the Hokage, who had nodded sagely.

As she started to once again go out on missions, though, she realized something: I've become pathetic. Her skills were still sharp and definitely at high-Jounin level...but she had lost everyone's respect. She was no longer the Red Death whose sharingan—even the base version—struck terror in the hearts of all who saw it. She was no longer the war hero who cut off five of Iwa's supply lines, took on twenty-five highly-trained enemy-nin without back up—and won spectacularly—and single-handedly saved a small village on the outskirts of Konohagakure. She was no longer the best friend of the Red Hot Habanero and confident of the Fourth Hokage.

Now, she was just Fugaku's wife. She was the demure little Uchiha Clan Matriarch. A housewife of no note. The worst part was, she had let it happen. She had let someone marry her off. She had let them kill her spunk and fire and replace it with some delicate flower that she no longer recognized when she looked in the mirror. Completely subservient to my husband. She loved Fugaku, she truly did, but she was bitter at the part he played in her transformation.

She hadn't realized it until her first A-rank after coming out of retirement. The rush of flying through the air, jumping from tree to tree. The feeling of power when you finally get the upper hand over your opponent. The absolute glee when your kunai slices right across their neck and they drop to the ground, dead. Yes, that was when she realized it. I miss this. I won't let anyone take it away from me again.

Thud. Mikoto blinked and looked down, then sighed. Her knife had gone straight through her cutting board. Again. Suddenly filled with a large amount of rage and frustration—at what, she didn't know—she turned around and stalked out of the kitchen. And how pathetic is it that the room where I spend most of my time is the kitchen? I've never liked to cook!

She looked down the dark, silent hallways. And this house, it's so bare! I used to love art! There isn't a single painting in this house!

She glanced outside the windows into the backyard. A garden! An actual garden! There aren't even any potentially poisonous plants in there—they're all flowers! And I know every single one of their names, too! I used to scowl at flowers!

Her eye caught her son, then she glanced over at the front door. Sasuke's slippers stood there, in pristine condition as always. And children! I've never even liked kids! Yet I let myself birth two of them! What is wrong with me?! Why, I should-

She paused. No, no. I'm being ridiculous. None of this is Sasuke or Itachi's fault and every mistake is at least partly my fault. Besides, she may have never liked children, but she loved her sons fiercely. It's time for some change…

"Itachi," she called. Itachi, who was in the backyard, turned.

"Yes, Mother?"

"I'm going out."

"For what?"

"I'm going to sign up for some art classes and buy some more plants."

Itachi stared at her blankly. "...okay. Don't forget, though, it's Father's birthday."

A smirk grew on Mikoto's face and Itachi nearly blanched in surprise. "Oh, I know. It might be a special occasion, but we're going to have a discussion tonight." She paused. "All of us are."

"...of course, Mother."

"Be safe!"

"Yes, Mother."

Sasuke forced himself to not seem like he was in a hurry. Heavy books were one thing, but looking like he cared about someone's birthday—even if it was his father's—would ruin his reputation. He slowly felt guilt creep up on him as he kept his face carefully blank. I left my father unconscious on the Academy floor on his birthday. Of course, that thought was completely overshadowed by another: I lied to Itachi.

Well, he deserves it for buying a TV, another part of his mind said. I don't care what he says, it's putting our health at risk.

But Big Brother said it wouldn't and Big Brother is always right! his Itachi-worshipping side retorted. The other side stayed silent and Sasuke once again assured himself that, yes, his elder brother was perfect in every way humanly—and inhumanly—possible. Except when it came to technology because then Itachi just became some kind of crazed fanatic.

That aside, Sasuke kept on walking, nodding to fellow Clan members and people from other Clans—and ignoring everyone else because they weren't really important. Eventually, he made it to the Academy. The doors were locked Sasuke could get inside with relative ease. The locked doors were just a formality, after all. Students learned how to pick them in the First Year—they actually practiced on the school locks themselves, which Sasuke found was quite a good way to say that students were allowed to come to school after hours if they needed to.

He walked through the hallways before finally reaching his classroom and knocking on its door. "Come in!"

Iruka Umino looked up from his paperwork then blinked. "Sasuke, how nice to see you! Is there anything you need?"

Sasuke scanned the room. "Where is my father?"

"...you don't mean the man who was passed out on the floor and all the students were too afraid to touch, do you?"

"That's exactly who I'm referring to."

Iruka cleared his throat. "Lord Fugaku—your father—randomly stood up, muttered an apology, then left."

Sasuke frowned. "Left?"

"Yes. He walked into a wall before jumping out the window."

"I see...do you happen to know where he was heading to?"

"I'm afraid I don't. Do you need help finding him, Sasuke?"

Sasuke waved him off. "No, it's fine. He probably went back to his office—the jerk."

"Er, if you need anything-"

"I'll come right to you." There was a pause. "Thank you, Iruka-sensei."

"You're welcome, Sasuke."

The only thought going through Sasuke's head, though, was: He better not have accidentally walked off a cliff.

tbc

So...this chapter went way past expectations. As promised, each section featured one or more members of the Uchiha Main Family. Now, onto the changes: don't worry. I've got a plan—a hazy one, maybe, but it's still a plan. Just wait for a bit. Trust me, it will be worth it.

Remember to Favorite, Follow, and Review! Until next time, this is SSSRHA, signing out!