"Do you think anyone could have fixed it?" Even yourself. Not now, anyway. He reached out to put an arm around Itachi's shoulders, a casual sideways bro-hug. (As for pushing Shisui off the tree-- good luck with that, Itachi, because his butt was planted there with a good amount of chakra. Shisui does take precautions, y'know~?)
"Listen, what's done is done. If you want, if it would make you feel better, if you think Konoha would benefit from it-- we could send somebody else to keep tabs on her. Even if you didn't really bring her home for interrogation, you were still able to gather that much information about her that no one else really could have put forth otherwise. Quit thinking about it as if all is lost; and--" Have another squeeze to your shoulder, Itachi. "Have faith in your fellow shinobi, Itachi. They can pick up where you left off. These shoulders don't have to bear the weight of the world when it can be shared with others."
There was a pause; a long, calculating, pregnant pause.
"I could do it."
He stared into the distance again.
"But you'll have no say about the outcome if I find out she's less friend than foe."
no subject
"Listen, what's done is done. If you want, if it would make you feel better, if you think Konoha would benefit from it-- we could send somebody else to keep tabs on her. Even if you didn't really bring her home for interrogation, you were still able to gather that much information about her that no one else really could have put forth otherwise. Quit thinking about it as if all is lost; and--" Have another squeeze to your shoulder, Itachi. "Have faith in your fellow shinobi, Itachi. They can pick up where you left off. These shoulders don't have to bear the weight of the world when it can be shared with others."
There was a pause; a long, calculating, pregnant pause.
"I could do it."
He stared into the distance again.
"But you'll have no say about the outcome if I find out she's less friend than foe."