Chapter 6 – Uchiha Itachi and the Banquet
A week later.
The investigation into Orochimaru had finally drawn to a close, and Kakashi at last found himself with a rare moment to rest.
Unfortunately, after days of combing through clues, they had very little to show for it—only countless corpses, all bearing the traces of prolonged Wood Release cell experiments.
As for Orochimaru himself? His whereabouts remained completely unknown.
Because of his special status, even though the Anbu had already classified him as a defector, the report submitted to the Hokage's office was shelved and transferred to Root for external investigation.
"Another open-ended case…"
Kakashi gazed at the sun setting in the distance, letting out a faint sigh.
The longer he stayed in Anbu, the more clearly he felt the darkness in human nature—whether it was from ordinary shinobi or the village's leadership.
He was tired of it.
"Kakashi-senpai? Did you say something?"
The voice beside him snapped him out of his thoughts.
Only then did Kakashi remember that he still had company.
He turned his head slightly, gave the boy a glance, and replied casually:
"Nothing important."
Uchiha Itachi studied him for a second before silently following along.
Whether it was just his imagination or not, every time Kakashi looked at this boy, he was reminded of his younger self—
the same dazzling talent, the same sharp edge, the same early step into the darkness.
But unlike Kakashi, who had been driven by the mysterious death of his father and his own naïve idealism, Itachi was being pushed by something far more tangible—the visible and escalating conflict between the Uchiha clan and the village's upper echelon.
And perhaps it was precisely because of this similarity that Kakashi tried to avoid him whenever possible.
Deep down, he knew it was because he hated the path that had shaped him.
Politics—what a poisonous thing.
And so, in moments like this, the only solution was to relax a little.
He pulled a familiar, orange book from his pocket and began to read.
Still learning, still trying to improve despite everything?
As expected of Kakashi-senpai.
Itachi, glancing at the book, silently made up his mind—when he got home tonight, he'd train extra hard.
Even if it meant cancelling plans with Sasuke.
The two, each lost in completely different thoughts, made their way slowly toward the Hokage building to turn in their mission report.
They had only climbed a couple of flights of stairs when a man in a white lab coat emerged from a side room.
He stopped, eyes lighting up behind his thick glasses when they landed on Kakashi.
"Oh? Kakashi?
I'm surprised you had the time to come by."
The man's voice was warm and good-natured, carrying the kind of friendliness that felt like an older brother next door.
Kakashi recognized it instantly and turned toward him, one-eyed stare as expressionless as ever.
Of course—it was Sōsuke Aizen.
"I'm not here for fun.
Just here to turn in a mission report."
Despite his words—and the habitual mask of indifference on his face—Kakashi did close his book and slip it away, as though conceding that a bit of courtesy was due.
"That's perfect, then.
I was just heading out for dinner—want to join me?"
The tall man's tone was as warm as his smile, even as he casually shrugged off his lab coat, brushing away faint stains of the day's experiments.
He seems like a very gentle person…
Itachi thought quietly, watching the exchange.
Then Aizen's gaze fell on him, and his brows rose in surprise.
"Wait—are you taking on students now? You didn't even tell me.
You really haven't changed, Kakashi."
"Not a student. A colleague," Kakashi replied, jerking his chin toward the boy.
"You've probably heard of him—the Uchiha clan's prodigy, Uchiha Itachi.
He'll probably be promoted to jōnin by next year."
"What?"
Aizen's eyes widened in surprise before softening with a smile.
"So you're Itachi-kun. My apologies for the misunderstanding."
Itachi gave a perfectly polite bow, replying like a miniature adult:
"It's fine. May I ask…?"
He glanced toward Kakashi, clearly expecting an introduction.
"This is Aizen Sōsuke," Kakashi supplied. "We were promoted the same year.
He's a jōnin too, and recently became head of the research division. I heard he just wrapped up a few big projects."
"Just some minor projects," Aizen replied lightly. "Nothing impressive compared to you geniuses.
Please, Itachi-kun—just call me by my name."
"Yes, Aizen-senpai."
Itachi didn't refuse, though his tone still carried a hint of formal distance.
"You should join us too, Itachi-kun," Aizen said cheerfully.
"I was just about to celebrate finishing this project.
How does Akimichi barbecue sound?"
He looked at Kakashi, whose sigh sounded halfway between complaint and resignation.
"I never said I was coming."
But Aizen only clapped his hands together with a smile, as though inspiration had struck.
"Oh! Guy should be done with training by now—if we shout his name on the way, we're bound to run into him. Let's invite—"
"Alright, alright. Let's just go."
Kakashi's tone softened immediately.
Itachi blinked at the sudden change, momentarily confused as he followed the two men.
People like this—who treated him without suspicion, without prejudice—were rare in the village.
But it felt… nice.
If the village were full of people like them, maybe things wouldn't have come to this between the clan and the village.
The thought warmed him in a way he didn't expect.
---
Later, at the Akimichi barbecue restaurant—
Clunk.
The beer glass landed heavily on the table as Kakashi exhaled, finally letting out all the frustration that had been pent up these past days.
The mask was pushed down to his neck, and with a few drinks already in his system, he looked more relaxed than usual.
"The missions keep getting more complicated.
If I could, I'd rather trade places with you and spend all day in a lab."
"Trust me, you'd go mad," Aizen chuckled as he flipped slices of beef on the grill.
"Just last week, we thought there was an error in our data.
We almost rebuilt the entire experiment from scratch—twice—before realizing some Aburame rookie had dropped a poisonous bug into the culture dish… two separate times."
"We were pulling all-nighters until two in the morning every day.
I'm surprised I still have hair left."
He smiled at Kakashi knowingly.
"Besides, you wouldn't be allowed to just stay home even if you wanted to.
Anbu doesn't let go that easily."
Kakashi didn't answer—just drained another glass.
Even with his expression blank, his sharp features inevitably drew glances from nearby tables, especially from the female customers.
Itachi, meanwhile, couldn't stop staring—this was the first time he'd seen Kakashi's face without the mask.
I thought he'd have an average face, the kind that's good for blending in on missions… but he's actually—
His thoughts were interrupted when a pair of chopsticks placed a freshly grilled slice of beef onto his plate.
"Don't be so stiff, Itachi-kun. Relax a little."
Aizen grinned and patted him on the shoulder.
"Kakashi might look like he's always frowning, but he's actually easy to get along with."
"Yes!"
Itachi straightened instinctively, replying as if speaking to his father.
"Kakashi-senpai takes good care of me on missions. He's taught me a lot."
"Right? And do you know what that book he's always reading actually is—"
"Hey! Aizen!"
Kakashi's voice cut in sharply, his face stiff.
Who just casually outs someone's guilty pleasure in front of their junior?
Aizen just laughed, which made it worse.
The table was soon filled with sizzling meat, beer foam glistening in glasses, and smoke curling under the warm lights.
Itachi sat there quietly, still a little stiff, but… this atmosphere was strange and new to him.
It wasn't like his bond with Shisui, built on shared ideals.
Nor was it like his bond with Sasuke, tied by blood.
This was something simpler, quieter—an unspoken acceptance between equals.
And yet, for him, it felt foreign.
Maybe there really is something wrong with the way I've been living.
He didn't know what to do with this warmth, so his mind wandered.
Absentmindedly, his gaze drifted toward the bottle of beer
near Kakashi's hand.
"Ah—no. Not for you."
Before he could even think about it, a large hand gently intercepted his line of sight.
Sōsuke raised a finger.
"Even though Itachi is already a capable shinobi, drinking before the age of twenty is still off-limits."
"But you can eat more meat."
"You're still growing, aren't you?"
"Thank you… Sōsuke-senpai."
Looking at the slices of beef that were being piled onto his plate—so many that it was nearly full—Uchiha Itachi nodded and finally picked up the pace, chewing faster than before.
Sōsuke-senpai really is such a kind person.
Almost like a father… No, perhaps more like an older brother?
So this is what it feels like to be the younger sibling… If only Sasuke could look at me the same way.
The thought rose unbidden in Itachi's mind.
Either way, leaving food untouched would be wasteful.
Seeing him gradually let go of his reserve and start eating heartily, Kakashi and Sōsuke exchanged a knowing smile.
"How is it? I think the grilling turned out pretty well."
"It's delicious."
Itachi nodded seriously, his cheeks puffed from chewing.
Then, as if hesitating, he asked,
"But… won't it be a problem for the two of you to be seen dining with someone like me?"
What he really meant was—with someone from the Uchiha clan.
Ever since the Nine-Tails' attack, the village had looked at the Uchiha with different eyes.
Not quite like the outright hostility shown toward the Jinchūriki kid, but there was no shortage of veiled barbs, snide remarks, and even open insults hurled at Uchiha police force members patrolling the streets.
In recent years, the friction had only grown worse.
And at the clan meetings… the coup proposals were no longer a rare occurrence.
That sense of urgency pressing on Itachi's heart was getting heavier by the day.
Even sitting here, eating and chatting so casually, made him feel a faint sense of guilt.
But Sōsuke's counterquestion stopped his thoughts in their tracks.
"Why would it be a problem?"
Sōsuke clinked glasses with Kakashi and downed his drink, then casually picked up the tongs and started grilling more meat as though none of this mattered to him.
"Kakashi's best friend back in the day—his teammate—was also from the Uchiha clan. He saved Kakashi's life more than once on the battlefield.
"When that man died, it was Kakashi who often looked after his grandmother, right up until she passed away two years ago."
"There are plenty of people like him in this village. And there are plenty like me who know about it.
"So tell me—do you really think people like us would refuse to share a meal with you just because of the crest on your back?"
At that, Kakashi's drinking hand stilled slightly, his expression darkening for just a moment.
Itachi's eyes widened, his gaze shifting toward Kakashi.
He had never heard this story before.
Sōsuke's tone even carried a trace of mockery as he went on:
"As for all those voices you've been hearing?"
"In truth… they're nothing more than mouthpieces for a few certain individuals."
The moment he was about to touch on sensitive names, Kakashi quickly cut in:
"Sōsuke—you've had too much."
"Ah… my bad."
Sōsuke scratched his cheek, then nodded apologetically toward Itachi.
But Itachi had already stopped eating, staring blankly at the two of them.
Mouthpieces?
Could it be… that what's happening to the Uchiha now has happened before, many times?
Kakashi, noticing his gaze, wore a faintly complicated expression. He didn't explain further, only said:
"In a few years, you'll understand."
"..."
"Yes. I—I understand."
Though Itachi said the words, it was obvious he had taken them to heart.
The conversation died down after that, and the air around the table turned a little heavier.
Itachi noticed that Kakashi was drinking faster now, his half-lidded gaze sinking as if he'd been dragged back into memories he'd rather forget.
How could Kakashi possibly feel lighthearted?
At twenty-two, he knew far too much—
Including the truth behind his father's death.
Just as the meal was about to wrap up, a surprised voice sounded nearby:
"Eh?"
"You guys are here too?"