Chapter 3
Obviously school wasn't gonna happen today, at least for Sasuke. So Kakashi called Nara Shikaku and asked him to take Naruto and Neji to school, though both of them were protesting, that they wanted to stay.
Kakashi sent them anyways, he needed time to talk to Sasuke, to call Senju Tsunade and ask her why they hadn't been informed of this earlier and most importantly how Itachi was doing.
From they way the news portraid it, it seemed quite serious, especially, since the news weren't allowed to report the full story, as some privacy regulationgs had to be taken.
So, once the kids were on their way to school, Kakashi made some hot chocolate and sat Sasuke back down on the sofa.
"So, I don't really know how to start this conversation. So just, ehm, let me talk and try to listen. Ehm, ok, So, by now, I guess you have understood Itachi had no play in this, so I won't have to connvince you of it anymore. oh, but I need you to know, it's not your fault for thinking that, you were a small child, you didn't know any better, you just tried to find a reason, why it happened. There was nothing you did wrong. ...-"
"But that's just it, there is. How could I accuse my own brother of murdering our entire family!! I-I can't just simply do that! What will he think if he finds out I thought that?! He'll think I'm some kind of psychotic monster! I-"
"Sasuke, calm down, Itachi would never think of you as monster. I know that and so do you. Just try to take some deep breaths, that's not what I wanted to talk to you about anyways."
After waiting for Sasuke to regulate his breathing and calm down a bit, Kakashi continued on.
"What I wanted to tell you was, what we're gonna do now. Since our boss was arrested yesterday, our scheduels for today got canceled which means we're free today. So, I'm gonna call Senju Tsunade and ask her how Itachi is doing and if you feel up to it, if we can come visit him. But before you answer, Itachi seems to be injured pretty badly, I can't guarantee you what you're gonna see, if you step into that hospital room. I can't guarantee you anything right now. So, I would get it if you say you don't want to, just as much as I would get it, if you want to."
Sasuke sat there for a second, not realy considering the words just seemingly waiting for Kakashi to continue on. When he realized there was nothing to be continued, he answered.
"It doesn't matter how injured he is or how terrifying it looks. He's been locked up in a basment for four years, tortured and mistreated, of course it won't be rainbows and sunshine, but when ever since four years ago, has life ever been rainbows and sunshine. No, I want to see Itachi, just to be sure that he's still there, still... alive"
Kakashi nodded, he had almost guessed the answer would be like that and although he wasn't entirely sure, that letting Sasuke visit his brother was a good idea, he was still glad about the seemingly still intact attachement he had to him, even after so long and after so many years of hatred.
Besides that, it wasn't like Sasuke was the only one who wanted to see how Itachi was doing.
"Alright, then, drink your hot chocolate, try and relax a bit. I'll call the school and then I'll call Tsunade." He told Sasuke and then left the room to make the calls.
The school was surprisingly very understanding, he supposed they had also heard the news report and already guessed he wouldn't be coming in today.
Then it came to calling Tsunade.
"Ah Kakashi, I was just about to call you, but I guess you saw it on the news, didn't you"
"Yeah, we did, I still can't really believe it. ... So, ehm, Itachi, h-how is he doing?"
"Straight to the point I see, not that I blame you though. I get it. ... The kids doing about just as well as he can be. He's still unconscious. Listen I don't want to tell you all of this over the phone, why don't- Did Sasuke hear it?"
"Yeah, he did, we all did. He was so out of it, I had to call the school and excuse him for the day. That's another thing I wanted to ask. Could he see Itachi?"
"Alright, then why don't you and Sasuke come down here. I wanted to give you a report on his condition and I also need to talk to you about something else, while we do that, Sasuke can go to Itachi."
And so that's what happened. Upon arriving at the hospital, Tsunade was already waiting. They greeted each other and she led Sasuke to Itachi's room.
"Before I let you go in there. Don't be too afraid by what you'll see in there. I know it looks bad and I'm not gonna stand here and pretend like it isn't, but as far as we can tell right now, he'll probably survive. The injuries were serious and some of them badly infected and then added to the starvation and dehydration it did put him into a critical condition, however he is mostly stable for now. So just, don't get too shocked when you see him."
Sasuke looked at her, seemingly more discouraged than he had been in the car, but nodded anyways, to him it didn't matter anymore, he needed to see his brother.
And so she opened the door and brought him inside.
The scene there, truly didn't paint a pretty picture.
In the middle of the room, there was a bed, surrounded by various machines. On the bed a man, that only barely resembled Itachi anymore. His long hair was gone, the lines on his face reached deeper than ever. His cheeks were sunken in and his skin so pale he almost didn't stand out from the white blankets surrounding him.
He was terribly thin, that much was obvious, even though he was covered with a blanket.
Multiple tubes were attacked to him, some injections, a breathing mask, luckily no feeding tube, his eyes were covered by bandages. Tsunade brought a chair to Itachi's right side and he sat down next to his brother's bed without another word.
He felt like he couldn't breathe, tears began to run down his cheeks as a sob wracked through his body.
It hurt so much to see his brother like that. He looked so different from the last time he had seen him. He was barely recognisable, though Sasuke would never fail to recognise him.
Kakashi came up to him from behind and put a supporting hand on his shoulder.
"You can hold his hand if you feel like it. But please only take the right side, his left arm is injured, any more movement on it would only cause further damage."
Once Sasuke had taken his hand, Kakashi asked him.
"Are you gonna be ok here, if I leave for a bit, Tsunade and I have something to discuss."
Sasuke nodded and with that Tsunade and Kakashi left the room.