Implementation (II).
It was already dark when Itachi finally arrived at home.
After a long talk with the Hokage during which he did not only tell him about the future, but they also started to plan together how certain events should play out this time around, he had indeed been able to stumble in an unused alley before losing his consciousness.
It was a relief that he only fainted for about two hours because like this, he was able to return home just in time for dinner. He may have had an excuse if he had missed it, but it was much easier this way. It also helped that he was hungry and needed to eat so that his chakra reserves would refresh themselves faster.
But knowing this didn't help him ignore the unwelcome feeling of nervousness that was starting to build up in his stomach. Even the fact that the Hokage believed him and they already made plans to change the future for the better was barely helpful.
He wondered if eating with his family would ever be the same again.
It didn't help that he recently became the focus of not only his immediate family, but also of the entire Uchiha Clan. After all, it wasn't every day that a "five years old" activated his Sharingan.
Of course, Izumi did activate her Sharingan as well when she witnessed her father's death during the Nine-Tailed Fox's attack, but most of the clan was happy to ignore her because of her half-blood status. Itachi quickly threw off the thoughts of Izumi though; this wasn't a topic he was quite comfortable thinking about just yet.
The reason he told his father, and consequently the rest of his family and clan, that he activated the Sharingan was simple; he was an adult in the body of a child. He was always rather mature and didn't act like other children his age, witnessing the horrors of war at the age of four did that to you, but it was a far cry from the person he became as an adult. No matter how easily he could fool most people who would just shrug and say that such behavior was expected from a prodigy like him, people who knew him well would notice that something was different about him.
On the other hand, it was expected that the awakening of the Sharingan would change a person. This was a well-known fact in his clan. His already mature personality, combined with the awakening of his eyes and a bit of acting, should be enough to fool even his parents.
"Otou-san, Okaa-san, I'm home, " he called when he stepped through the entrance and put off his shoes.
Only a few seconds later, his mother stood in the door frame leading to the living room, smiling down at him. She was a beautiful woman, especially now, when she was nearly ten years younger than the last time he had seen her.
"Welcome home, Itachi. You're just in time for dinner." Then she frowned. "You look exhausted, more so than usual. Did you overdo it with your training again? I told you to take it easy, didn't I? In fact, I think your father and I told you not to train with your new eyes on your own because you're still getting used to them."
He must look worse than he thought if his mother commented on it. Well, at least her assumption about him training his Sharingan fits with the excuse he had prepared.
"I'm sorry, Okaa-san, I won't do it again. I promise."
She looked at him for a moment as if to decide if she believed him or not before she sighed and let it go. "Alright, go wash your hands and then head to the table. Your father is already waiting with Sasuke and you know how terrible he is with babes. Go rescue him for me, would you?"
Itachi couldn't help but smile at that. It was quite amusing to watch his father when he tried to handle Sasuke as he never seemed to know how to hold him. It was actually really sad that he couldn't remember this from his last life. Furthermore, it made him wonder which other details he had forgotten.
Itachi gave her a short nor and went on his way. Shortly after, he sat in front of his father, having taken Sasuke from him and placed him on his laps. It was astonishing to witness Sasuke's effect on him; before arriving home, he was nervous and uncertain, but as soon as he could hold Sasuke he felt as if everything was alright.
The stern voice of his father pulled him out of his thoughts. "Itachi, did I hear it right that you trained with your Sharingan without supervision? Such irresponsible behavior is rather out of character for you."
Well, he thought, here it comes. It wasn't as if he didn't expect this topic to come up. Not after his mother instantly noted his exhausted state. If she could see it so easily, then so could his father.
He nodded. "I did, and I am sorry. I know you forbid me from training with them on my own, but I wanted to test my limits and both you and mother were so busy the last few days, so I decided to go on my own. I will not do it again."
His father didn't give any outward reaction to that, nor gave he anything away what could tell Itachi what he was thinking. Not that this was a problem, he knew his father for long enough to guess his thoughts.
"And how did it go?"
It was as he had expected. While his mother's first reaction might be worry that he overdid it and hurt himself, his father was more interested in the results of his training. He would only inquire about his health or restrict his freedom when there were signs of serious injuries. Looking exhausted wasn't enough reason for him to do so, even if he ignored a direct order of his.
"Everything went well. I expected the increased chakra consume and was prepared for it. The only problem I noted is that I am still too slow. My body can't react fast enough to act on the information my eyes give me."
Oh, how it irked him to confess that. He may have never been too proud of his abilities, but he did grow used to them. For him, not being able to use his eyes to their fullest potential was, frankly speaking, a disgrace.
At least his sight was as good as it had been originally when he was a child, and not as terrible as shortly before his death.
"Well," his father hummed, "this is not too unexpected. You awakened your Sharingan with all three tomoe in both eyes," -here he could hear pride in his voice- "which means that your enhanced perception is already at its highest. It would be surprising were your timing not thrown off." He paused and looked contemplative for a moment before he continued. "Tomorrow, after I finished all my duties, we will train together. You're the heir of the clan, so you need to master our Kekkei Genkai as soon as possible."
He just nodded. This would be their second training session together in this timeline, and while he might not enjoy them too much, it would help him master his new (or was it old?) body much sooner. Besides, it was surprisingly nice to spend time with his father before he became so obsessed with his plans to higher the clan's standing in the village.
The conversation stopped there, and soon after his mother arrived with their meal. While his parents passed the time by talking with each other, he concentrated on his meal and on feeding Sasuke.
This memorial service reminded him far too much of all the other funerals he had attended in his long life,, and he didn't like it at all.
Sarutobi would love nothing more than to just turn around and go home to mourn in private. Hell, even his paperwork seemed a much more enjoyable task than this! But he knew he couldn't do that. No, he needed to do his duty. He already held his speech and everything left to do was for the people to come forward and give their farewells to the deceased.
He let his gaze wander over those present as he waited for the service to end, and saw several people of note.
There was Kakashi on the left; the poor boy had already lost his teammates years ago, but now, with the death of both his Sensei and Kushina, he had no one close to him left. Of course, the memories provided by young Itachi showed him that he would get over it eventually, at least as much as was possible, and continued living.
What to do with him was one of the hardest decisions he had made; Kakashi's time in the ANBU shaped him and made him the man he had become. It also made him one of Konoha's most powerful Shinobi.
On the other hand, it was also clear that it didn't do anything good for his mental health, no matter that he was able to pull himself out of the abyss of his mind later in life. Hiruzen had to decide now what was more important: the mental health of one of his Shinobi or said Shinobi's potential as a warrior for their village.
Thinking about Itachi, the boy - no, the young man stood in a front row to the right of him, together with the rest of his clan.
He couldn't even imagine how he had to feel now, standing side by side with members of his family he had killed himself. And not just killed, but killed on orders of his village. How he was still able to love Konoha, he truly didn't know. To stay true to his home that brought so much pain for him…
He was sure that even his old Sensei, the Nidaime Hokage, who had rarely ever something good to say about the Uchiha and repeatedly warned him about them, would be impressed. Most likely a bit smug too, knowing that his warnings about the Uchiha betraying the village were justified and came true, but still.
For all that Itachi deserved to finally be at rest, to have peace, he couldn't help but be happy that he was given a second chance. Not only had he another chance for happiness, but all the knowledge and memories of his would become very useful in the years to come too. In fact, today's memorial service was already different than the one presented to him by Itachi.
The main difference was that he hadn't brought Naruto with him. Knowing what he did now, he couldn't understand what he must have thought the last time around. Why would he show off Naruto like this or tell anyone about his identity as Jinchuriki when he knew that people searched for a scapegoat in times of pain and suffering? To think of all the years of hardship the boy would have needed to endure, only because of an old man's folly...
He might not have been beaten or continuously bullied by the citizens or anything like that, but being ignored and glared at for all his life was bad enough in its own right.
But not this time around, he would make sure of it!
Another minor difference was an addition he made in his speech.
One of the main reasons for the dissatisfaction of the Uchiha Clan was the attitude of the leadership of the village and the behavior of the villagers themselves towards them. An example for the former was the "banishment" of their clan to an outer district, while an example for the latter was the permanent accusations about them being behind the attack of the Nine-Tailed Fox. This accusation was mostly based on two points: their absence on the front line during the attack and the belief that the Sharingan could control the beast.
In his speech, he had made sure to thank the Uchiha Clan openly for their service to the village in protecting the civilians and leading them to the shelters. This way there shouldn't be any rumors in future about what they supposedly did during the attack because everyone already knew.
That wouldn't be enough for those determined enough in blaming them, of course, but he didn't plan to let the situation escalate to the point where that would be a problem.
This was only one small step, naturally. One of many to come.
One of the most important things Itachi and he agreed on was that they would need to include the Uchiha more in various affairs. Their name shouldn't be only known because of their leadership of the Konoha Military Police Force (KMPF) or their combat powers. They needed to connect more with other parts of the village.
To achieve this, Itachi would soon bring him a list with the most easy-going and approachable members of his clan who were also Jōnin. He would then continue by making them instructors for the new genin teams when the Academy finished its school year.
Noticing that people began to leave, he was about to turn around and go himself when he saw a pale-skinned man with long, dark hair standing at the edges of the procession.
Orochimaru.
He was another case he didn't really know how to handle. He loved the man as if he was his son, his own flesh and blood, just as he did with his other students too, but the things he had been told about his deeds and experiments on humans, even babes…
He truly wanted to give him the benefit of a doubt, but he couldn't.
His job wasn't made any easier by the fact that he was currently the only one who could stop him, seeing that Jiraiya and Tsunade were not in the village at the moment.
Tomorrow, he decided. I will decide what to do with him first thing tomorrow.
With that thought, he finally turned around and started to make his way home. There was still work for him to do, even on a day like this. There always was.