Fumiko again? was what Sasuke had said when Mikoto waylaid him on his way home. His mother had simply smiled at him and handed him the notice from the Academy, patting his shoulder and promising that she would make something nice for dinner if he was planning to be home for it. Sasuke hadn't failed to notice that there were leaves clogging up some of the eavestroughs when he'd returned home (from a mission he wasn't even sure made sense in nature) by way of the roofs.

With Fugaku's joints aggravated by the weather more frequently and Itachi's marked preference for Shisui's apartment instead of his own home, Sasuke's absence had probably started to tell on some of the seasonal chores. It was strange that -- even after everything -- that was a guilt that could gnaw at his conscience, but there it was. He arrived at the Academy as soon as he'd finished debriefing his team, just in time to catch Fumiko mid-escape and forcibly sit her down on the time-out chair by the classroom door, levelling a quelling look at her rebellious glare.

"It's Uchiha Sasuke again, sensei," he said as he stepped into the classroom, expecting an exasperated Iruka again and stopping mid-sentence when he spotted someone considerably shorter instead. "Er -- sorry -- is Iruka-sensei around?"