sunshineverse | [Closed] Oh brother, let's go down

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zz old game: naruto

[Closed] Oh brother, let's go down

Who: Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Sasuke
Where: Down by the river
When: May 28th
Notes: Sasuke gets to spend some expensive time with his brother.

Itachi still didn’t know how he felt about Sasuke actually buying time with his brother. He felt guilty Sasuke felt he had to do that. Then again, this was time spent with his brother instead of any number of horrible people he’d thought he might be forced to spend time with, so it wasn’t that bad.

Whatever he thought about it, Itachi had no idea what to do on a date with his brother. Usually they spent time together because they had something to do together. Itachi wasn’t good about finding “fun” activities, so he’d done the best he could and secured food to eat that he knew were Sasuke’s favorites. Or had been at one point.

Okay, Itachi had food and a location, which was a shady bend of the river he thought was a nice place to relax with summer heat coming on. As he set the basket of food down, Itachi contemplated minor genjutsu and small children. Would severed heads be too graphic for them? When was the first time he’d seen a severed head--not that he was a good judge on how a normal child would react.

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Sasuke had admittedly let his competitive nature get the best of him at the auction -- there wasn't any real reason that Shisui shouldn't have won the auction, after all -- but then again, Shisui had also apparently played him. Clearly his cousin was the one he hadn't spent much time with recently, if he'd started forgetting just what kind of person Shisui was.

Still, it was nice to be able to look forward to a day spent with Itachi that was actually scheduled in a way his brother likely couldn't get pulled away from, and even though Sasuke had half-heartedly offered to let Itachi off the hook, he'd been pleased at the insistence that they follow through with the auction terms.

It wasn't until the time arrived that it occurred to him that they hadn't actually decided what they would do. Frankly, Sasuke was content to hang out with Itachi in most capacities, but it had been a long time since they'd spent time without an agenda. After a few minutes of dithering, he packed his usual complement of weapons to head to the spot Itachi had chosen, a few scrolls tucked away in his weapons pouch in case Itachi ended up just wanting to sit quietly or something.

The weather was as pleasant as late spring always was in Konoha, a cool breeze off the river and the shelter of a few enormous trees keeping the area from suffering too much in the midday sun.

"Hey," he called once Itachi was in sight, one hand jammed casually into a uniform pocket.

Itachi straightened and looked at his brother. This was one of those times when Itachi was reminded how much Sasuke had grown lately, and that he wasn't a little kid anymore, mentally or physically. He was, of course, still a teen and still growing. Itachi would have that to look forward to for a few years.

"I brought some food." Itachi gestured to the basket. "And other than that, as you have spent an exorbitant amount to spend time with someone who lives in the same house as you, it seems prudent to allow you choose what we do." And as flattering as that might be, Itachi still had a healthy dose of guilt sitting on his head. He needed to make more time to spend with his brother.

The problem was, he knew that resolve wouldn't last very long. There would be things that needed doing, and he would get lost in the tangle of missions and duty that always distracted him from personal commitments.

Today was simply about Sasuke, and whatever he wanted to do. Ironically Itachi was here because of the auction, which had been a duty to Konoha, technically. Itachi was a pretty awful brother.

Sasuke waved a hand dismissively, trying not to look as embarrassed as he felt about the amount he'd wound up bidding against Shisui.

"It wasn't like I was going to let some random stranger buy you," he muttered, settling by the basket and peering at the contents. "After that it was our cousin's fault."

Really, our cousin could have applied to either Obito (whose fault the entire auction was) or Shisui. Sasuke punctuated his sentence with a noise that indicated that his respect for both men had suffered greatly as a result of the auction, but perked up as soon as he realized that Itachi had brought some of his favourite foods.

"I figured we'd meet however the auction rules dictate, then you can do whatever you need to do," he added, absently now that he was sorting through the basket to pluck out a fresh omusubi. "I know you're busy, what with the exam coming up and everything else."

Everything else was the only echo Sasuke allowed of what he'd said to Shisui at the auction -- that Itachi barely spent time at home as it was, for all that he might nominally live there. His brother was busy; the strongest shinobi in the village always had the most tasks, and Sasuke was more proud of that fact than resentful when it came down to it. So he reminded himself, anyway, as he took a bite and looked back up at Itachi.

"Today, the only thing I have planned to do is spend time with you, as we have both been forced to clear our schedules, thanks to our favorite and possibly most annoying cousins." Itachi meant both of them. Obito was probably pleased that the auction had turned out the way it did, as much as he liked to meddle in with Itachi's well being.

"Everything else is on hold for the Chuunin Exams," Itachi admitted. "And the most challenging there will be placing genjutsu on small children." Which wouldn't be hard at all for a genjutsu expert. Itachi's problem would be not over doing it with the children.

"Did you get conscripted to help with anything?" Itachi should be keeping up with his brother better than this, and he knew it.

That wasn't something Sasuke heard often, his gaze snapping up in a bit of surprise before he hid it as quickly as it appeared. He wasn't sure he even had ideas as to what to do with Itachi for an entire day; he was definitely certain that it had been a long time since they'd spent that much consecutive time in each other's company.

Stalling, he worked on finishing off his omusubi, trying not to grin a bit at Itachi's description of his Chuunin exams task.

"They're making you the genjutsu gatekeeper? Is anyone going to pass?" Sasuke's year hadn't been too bad, though he did also recall that there were plenty who hadn't passed the genjutsu round that year, either.

He made a face at the question, though, grabbing a napkin to wipe his fingers. "I don't have an official assignment yet. I'm on a mission until the day it starts, so sensei will probably just put me somewhere."

There was as much dead certainty in his tone as resigned aggravation -- there were perks to being the Hokage's student, maybe, but mostly there were downsides about appearing in official places and showing dedication to the village in everyday tasks. So Obito said.

Itachi saw the flash of surprise and wondered why, if he were such a horrible brother and friend to people, anyone wanted to spend time with him.

"It's better to fail at the genjutsu portion than to figure out you're lacking when your life is on the line," Itachi responded neatly. Yes, he intended to be harsher than necessary with his genjutsu to make sure the children passing through were more than competent. It wasn't as if he would be the only one casting genjutsu, so even if he failed everyone, there would be some who passed.

"I'm sure he will place you somewhere your skills will be the most helpful," Itachi said, when he was actually sure Obito would put Sasuke somewhere that he would learn the most possible.

"Yeah, I know," he said, unsurprised at how seriously Itachi was taking his role of casting illusions on genin. Wherever Obito put him, he was probably going to have to deal with upset kids whom Itachi had barred from proceeding.

"I'll probably get stuck with the medics for at least part of it," he said, looking a little annoyed at just the thought. "They've already been complaining at the hospital that Chuunin Exams shouldn't be producing injuries bad enough to need a full complement of licensed medic-nin."

Which meant unlicensed shinobi with medical training would be stuck pinch-hitting, something Sasuke didn't relish. The only real benefit he could foresee was being able to identify which village had sent the weakest contenders for the year.

"Anyway," he said, picking out another omusubi. "Do you have your genjutsu already planned out?"

"I do not pity you, nor would I want to take your place." Itachi intended to stay as far away from injured children as possible during this exam. He'd rather not be subjected to tears and the slightly disturbing trauma of injured children. He'd seen enough of that when he was growing up, and he didn't need the reminder that while things were softer in these times, children still suffered to become trained killers.

"The most obvious option is to simply make the maze endless, but that seems too simple and possibly what they'd be expecting. Sense deprivation might be an option, but I'm fairly sure I would over do it with any enemies..." Itachi frowned. At twelve he had been Chuunin for two years, so his experiences weren't a good basis for what this kids would be ready for. "Would savage squirrels or rabid dogs be more appropriate for genin?"

Sasuke barely wanted his place; he had to spare a moment for the uncharitable thought that Obito was his own jounin sensei and yet saddled him with the boring work. Even being the one to level genjutsu against genin sounded more entertaining, even if Sasuke was nowhere near the illusion expert that Itachi was.

"I think they made the maze endless in my year," Sasuke agreed. "It was too obvious."

The suggestions made his mouth quirk in amusement, though. "Brother, even genin aren't scared of squirrels or dogs. They should probably be running into things that might actually threaten them when they're in the field."

"Dogs are frightening," Itachi protested. Sasuke had a point. Itachi frowned and shook his head. "Enemy-nin would work if they ran, but if they stand and fight it won't be as effective. Traps would be easy enough to replicate."

Itachi paused in his rambling to dig out some food. He wished Sasuke liked more sweet things...

"Or an enemy-nin catsing genjutsu, or would that be too much of a hint?" Itachi asked blandly. He didn't really...want to inflict pain on these kids, even if it was just the perception of pain.

Sasuke just gave Itachi a look at the suggestion that dogs might be frightening enough to use for the chuunin exams -- the only possible way that would work would be if they were trying to eliminate the absolute scrapings of the barrel, which was unlikely to be present at an international event. Sasuke wasn't the political protege of his team, but he knew that much.

"If they stand and fight, you can just have them fight the genjutsu," Sasuke said, pulling out the mug of tea and pouring Itachi and himself a cup each. "See if any of them are good enough to break out of it.

"Or if you're playing the enemy-nin casting the illusion, then see if they can figure out where you're located to take you out. That's all genin-level stuff they should know before trying for chuunin."

Sasuke was proving that Itachi was over thinking this. He took the tea with a murmured thanks. "That's the scenario they are most likely to run into in combat situations. And it's the most effective way to deal with a genjutsu user instead of just breaking out of the genjutsu repeatedly or getting out of range."

Itachi liked that idea. It would also test teamwork and their ability to act under pressure. It would be easy enough to create a genjustu where they had to find him to break out. Itachi bit his thumb nail as he thought about it.

"If you leave a clone or a summons as a scout, you can see what village they're from and show them genjutsu of their usual enemies, too," Sasuke suggested, getting into the idea of it despite himself. It would at least make for an exciting exam, something he probably should have expected with Itachi in charge of the illusion; the maze his year had had a few enemies, but they'd been barely better than the initial suggestion of pets and woodland creatures.

"Genin should be able to at least sense genjutsu and look for you, if not forcibly break it."

Itachi was wary about using his crows, which were mainly used for his ANBU work, in the village, but a clone would serve as well. He could always put a henge on the bird so it would look like a pigeon or sparrow...or use a genjutsu as an initial test, perhaps?

"Ah, but that treads on thin political grounds when all the villages have come together to test their new recruits in a show of solidarity. It's unlikely the children would talk enough about the enemies that attacked them in the maze to make anyone notice, but perhaps it would be safer to stick to unidentifiable attackers with techniques from their common enemies, or Konoha-nin. They'll be expecting Konoha, as they're taking the test here." He should watch them for a while before springing his trap. Surely he could get an idea on what would be the best choice and genjutsu after a while. They were just genin. How much would they be able to hide when they were nervous?

It seemed foolish to pretend as if none of the villages were ever in conflict with one another, but Itachi was probably right that it would unnecessarily ruffle feathers if any of the genin happened to blab about it. Nameless and allegiance-less opponents were probably better, and would give the genin a chance to assess their enemies instead of jumping to any conclusions based on village affiliation.

"If you use Konoha-nin, they'll probably be looking for techniques they know we use," Sasuke said, thoughtful. "What kind of opponent are you looking to send against them?"

"Which is why they should look like Konoha-nin, and use tactics from somewhere else." Itachi nodded. Through them off balance, make them question what they thought they knew. That sounded like a good way to test kids.

"Something that will knock those who aren't ready out of the running," Itachi shrugged as he sipped his tea. "I was the one thinking about dogs instead of people, so this is an evolving idea. This way when people blame me for the failure rate of the genin, I can blame you." Itachi gave Sasuke a very slight smile.

"That makes sense," Sasuke agreed, taking a sip of his tea at the same time. He was beginning to wish more and more that he was actually going to be around for sign ups, even if Chuunin weren't as likely to get any kind of entertaining role at the exams.

He snorted at that last, though, returning an amused look. "Go ahead; no one's going to think I came up with any of your ideas. The blame will fall squarely on you, brother.

"As long as they're chuunin-level genjutsu, it should be fine."

"Don't be so hard on yourself, Sasuke. You're skilled enough that with my sterling reputation and your talent, I'm sure I could get you blamed," Itachi assured his younger brother. Actually, he doubted it. He wasn't known for mischief, but sadly no one would think he would be stealing Sasuke's ideas.

"I haven't been Chuunin in...more tan six years now. Do you really think I can remember what was considered a Chuunin level genjutsu?" Itachi spoke absently, already pondering genjutsu levels and more typical casting techniques versus atypical methods the children would be far less likely to recognize.

Perhaps he should ask himself if he had genin, what level of competence would he expect from them before he sent them into the exams and expected them to succeed? From there he should lower his standard a fraction, slightly, as this wasn't the final stage of the exam.

Between Itachi's reputation and Sasuke's talent, the only way Sasuke was likely to get dragged into it would be if something went wrong -- that wasn't something he was going to bring up, though, choosing instead to shake his head with a laugh and rummage for yet another omusubi. Itachi's question brought his head back up with first a blink and then a smirk, though.

"You could just use jounin-level genjutsu and fail them all," he suggested. "Then we wouldn't have to deal with the second half of the exams and everyone would clear out of the village before the humidity hits."

He paused for effect, then added, "Or if you're really concerned, you can try them on me, I guess."

"I would rather not give Obito another reason to psycho-analyze me so soon after last time," Itachi grimaced. He loved his cousin, he honestly did, but he would never be comfortable with people being so concerned with his happiness. He was slightly prone to broody introspection, so happiness didn't show much. He was happy, though.

Mostly.

Itachi had to smirk at Sasuke's suggestion. "I'll give you a chance to retract that statement before I make you regret it."

"Sensei doesn't really need reasons to do that," Sasuke said in as ominous a tone as he could imagine. Maybe that wasn't entirely fair -- generally, he could see the method behind the madness, even if it took until after the fact -- but sometimes it was hard to tell what was a reasoned strategy and what was for the hell of it. Possibly that was the whole point; he'd given up trying to understand Obito at this point.

He grinned when Itachi smirked at him, though, folding his arms. "Genjutsu's not my strong suit, so I need to practice anyway.

"And even if it isn't, I'm certainly better than a genin."

"Exactly, which is why I'm trying not to do anything that will give him a reason to think I'm anything but blissfully happy with my life and healthy." It wasn't really a grumble. Itachi knew he wasn't exactly happy or healthy, nor had he been for a while, but for the moment he was content to ignore those deeper issues and focus on more important things like the upcoming exams or fretting over recommending Sasuke for Jounin and listening to complaints from clan members.

"If that's really what you want to do..." This was Sasuke's time to do with what he wanted, and the issue of what genjutsu to cast was solely Itachi's issue, not his brother's. He felt selfish using this time to work on that.

That was honestly a policy that Sasuke could follow more himself -- it would definitely get him fewer bags of candy thrown into his face, at least. He should take notes from Itachi on how to more convincingly get their cousin off his back. Not that he hated Obito's tendency toward overbearing concern, exactly, but at Sasuke's age it was also a tendency toward embarrassing concern.

"Sure," he said, breaking off that train of thought in favour of one much more interesting. "We can conspire to make sure you don't traumatize foreign genin, and our cousin won't be able to haul either of us in for a wellbeing check."

"Unless he realizes we're conspiring together and makes us come in for a family therapy session," Itachi added. He put a last bite in his mouth and flipped his hands through signs, not bothering to use the normal eye-to-eye contact, but the more subtle flick of a finger as he brought his hand up to look at his nails. His fatal flaw was nail gnawing, and hopefully Sasuke's food now tasted like oranges.

"I'm sure it would be enlightening." Itachi added.

Sasuke's face made it abundantly clear what he thought of that -- Obito would probably want to include Shisui to make it more efficient, and he wasn't sure he could handle that many big-personality cousins for that long -- with an exaggerated shudder. He took another bite of his food, then blinked at it, chewing with a conflicted expression.

"That's different," he said. "Do you find it practical?"

"It's very useful, once you know what someone associates with certain tastes. There are a few universal responses to certain tastes, but those are not quite as effective." Of course, that meant knowing your target fairly well, which Itachi sometimes did if he'd been tracking or tailing someone for a while. That was usually what happened. Itachi could pull off an excellent interrogation, but he was usually sick afterwards. He hated it.

"It's probably not the kind of thing to bring to test gennin with. Though an auditory genjutsu of someone calling for them might be good...." Itachi looked past Sasuke's left shoulder in contemplation, then back at his brother. "The real question is, can you break it?" Itachi quirked an eyebrow at Sasuke and diplomatically sipped his tea to keep from smirking.

Sasuke took another bite of the omusubi, trying to figure out how useful it would be: this was weird, to be sure, but far from debilitating. He supposed that it could be done to force people to taste blood or vomit -- or even less pleasant bodily fluids -- but what were the chances of taste alone bringing someone down, even if it came associated with some kind of memory?

"The genin probably won't be eating in the maze, either," he pointed out. "And if they were, they'd be the overconfident type that would be easy to fool."

As for breaking the genjutsu: something not visually-based would for once been fairly immune to the Sharingan, but even if Sasuke didn't spend that much time creating genjutsu, he'd gotten an increasingly fine-tuned sense of his own chakra as various med-nin has drilled it into his head. The orange-flavoured rice texture was bizarre enough that his body cooperated, too, and it didn't take long before he'd isolated the point of intrusion and flushed it with his own chakra, restoring the proper flow.

And then made a face, because sweet citrus had changed very suddenly to tart tomato.

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[Closed] Oh brother, let's go down

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