"Compensation for services rendered," Itachi corrected. "Also, a missive from my father.
I am to hand it to you and confirm your receipt. "
I took it mechanically. That was one fancy envelope.
"Do I have to sign anything?"
"No, my witnessing will suffice. Good day, sir.
It was a very revealing meeting. " Without another word, Uchiha Itachi disappeared in a puff of smoke.
I stared at the empty space, feeling more than a tad dumbfounded at seeing Uchiha Itachi quite literally run away. "… I didn't expect him to be shy.
"
I think I meant it as a joke, but-
"Don't mind my cousin, that's just how he is. "
Wait, that's really what happened? I didn't just hallucinate that? "Uchiha Itachi is shy?"
"And hides it behind professionalism, yes. When he doesn't know how to deal with a situation anyway.
It's been happening less and less, I was worried I wouldn't get to see it anymore. Ha! The day he snaps will be a time for the ages.
Anyway, I can take the cart if you'd like to look over whatever that is. "
"… Thanks for not just doing it. "
Shisui's smile faded and he nodded seriously. "We do listen, sir.
"
I tried and probably failed not to show how my heart sank at the potential secondary meaning of what he just said.
Shisui handed me a shoulder satchel and was soon pulling my cart, still not transformed. I began to pry the envelope open while I walked alongside.
"Publicity stunt?"
"New optics Clan policy," Shisui nodded. "The KMP is still reviewing proposals, but Lord Fugaku feels it best that non-police clansmen be the first to begin rehabilitating our image, as per your recommendations.
" Bloody hell. "I've been empowered to answer your queries about that and anything else, insofar as I don't reveal any clan-only secrets.
" Insofar as he didn't – that said nothing of anything I already knew or deduced. Holy- "I've also been given similar dispensation by the Hokage relative to the very belated dispensations detailed in that bag.
I'm technically off duty right now, but I volunteered to answer any questions you have. There's quite a few things in there, some of whom won't go forward without your agreement.
I'd prefer if we were in private when going over it, but it's your decision. "
I immediately began mentally running through what public locales I could stand. No offense to Shisui but paranoia didn't exist when you lived in ninja central.
That's when I finally opened the envelope, read the thing inside and promptly discarded that plan. I did not have nearly enough money to play patron for the amount of time this would take to sort out.
"… Is he serious?"
"I don't actually know what's in there, sir. "
"An invitation. In formal slant.
To Uchiha Sasuke's birthday party. "
Shisui actually stopped in surprise this time. "Wait, what?"
I came to a halt too, eyes wide. "He sent you into this blind?" That was just… "Unbelievable…"
"Not just me, apparently," Shisui shook his head, mouth twitching.
"Who-wait, Itachi? He didn't know what was in here either?"
"If he did he wouldn't have vanished, Gods, it's just like that man to test his son's loyalty like this, I'm going to make fun of Itachi for days, this is just too good. "
Fugaku sent his kid to deliver an invitation to his other kid's birthday party without telling him. That man was something else.
Shisui resumed walking, so I forced myself to walk along. The wheels were starting to creak again, I'd have to oil them again soon.
"It says here it's six months from now, is this normal?"
"For weddings, maybe, it can go as long as a year or more actually. For this though, a month or at most three is the done thing.
"
"What does it mean? I have my own suspicions, but…"
"I think we both know well enough by now that your 'suspicions' are probably the way to go, sir. "
That was supposed to be flattering, I was sure of it, but somehow it just made me dread my life even more.
This was all Naruto's fault. If he hadn't cursed me with seven years of bad luck when he broke that mirror, none of this would have happened.
I'll need new formal clothes for this, won't I? I looked at Uchiha Shisui, weighing the risks to our budding friendship against the risks of false friendship with a quick cost-benefit analysis in my head. "I guess I need to see a seamstress.
Sorry to impose on you, kid, but since we're already out…"
"I'm hardly a child, sir. "
"You just turned thirteen," I flatly said. "Be glad I'm letting you pull my cart, never mind everything else you're too young for.
"
Shisui looked at me intensely for a moment, then shrugged. "Fair enough.
"
We drew many, many bewildered looks on the way to Madam Aimi, but since Shisui was ultimately still a kid mid-way through his growth spurt, there was more surprise and sympathy on my behalf than wariness and resentment, so that was something at least. I expected Shisui to accompany me inside, but he declined.
"I'll stay here and put myself on display for the kids over there. They look like they'll escape their parents' leash any moment now.
Good ice breaker, right?"
"Good luck proving you're not one of those guys, then. "
"Thanks!"
Formal clothing was always expensive, but not so much as right after the Kyuubi attack, so it turned out I could afford something relatively nice even if it would cut into what I'd set aside for my experiment. The seamstress had a wide selection of fabrics and patterns.
I briefly lamented the styles – though there were various casual options in this world, most of the continent and especially Fire Country were explicitly Japanese in customs. So I couldn't, alas, commission anything resembling the traditional men's dress of Ireland.
Well, I could, I'd doodled enough to come up with a positively regal adaptation of the historical garb, if I do say so myself. But alas, I'd look ridiculously out of place in a trius and léine.
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