The Shopkeeper of Konoha

Aoto nearly passed out after the Uchiha family had left for a minute. Not because he was terrified of them or for some other reason, that was impossible because the system was always there to protect him. He was worn out from speaking so much and trying to avoid offending the Uchiha while still hinting that there was something wrong with Itachi.

He had to weave a grand lie starting from Shusui and lead it to the Fugaku. He simply didn't anticipate Fugaku's harsh reaction. He took things personally and was a bit prone to rage  when it came to his children. He wondered how the hell did Fugaku become so mature later.

Shisui was far more collected than the present leader of Uchiha, although being much younger than Fugaku. Aoto disliked having to choose his words carefully in order to avoid upsetting the couple. Aoto would have had to resort to harsh measures if Mikoto hadn't been there to soothe the furious horse.

Even though he was very careful with his language and only mentioned both of their kids, they could still see that Aoto was referring specifically to Itachi. Sigh! A shinobi, especially a Uchiha, cannot be fooled by any amount of acting.

The Uchiha family returned to their home after almost storming out. Itachi awoke a short while later while resting on Fugaku's shoulder on the way back.

"Papa, when are we going to go to the summoning beast shop?" Itachi inquired innocently. Normally, their relationship was quite the strict one but today he was quite happy thinking his parents would gift him a beautiful cat. He had seen Shisui playing with his Palico and he couldn't help but approach him.

However, Itachi's query simply caused Fugaku and Mikoto's bodies to shake. Even the fact that he had been unconscious and that his memories had vanished went unnoticed by Itachi. They had always known the Itachi was quite the intelligent one but even his intelligence couldn't save him from Aoto's technique.

"Itachi.. When we arrived, their store was shut. You were so worn out that you passed out." Mikoto lied. Itachi wrinkled his brows. Even though he had been working out hard, he had never before collapsed from tiredness. This was the first.

"Itachi, we will go there again when the shop opens." Fugaku said as he made his way back. Itachi was a little perplexed but remained silent. Soon they returned home and told Itachi to take care of Sasuke while both of them had some clan matters to attend to.

Itachi fed his younger sibling and then took him to his room to put him to sleep.

"What do you think?" -Mikoto.

"What do I think? I want nothing but to beat up this guy." – Fugaku.

"Can't you calm down for a second and think? Why are you so violent always?" — Mikoto.

"He cursed our child. How can I just leave it like that?" – Fugaku.

"As much as I would like to think he cursed, I don't think so. You only saw him eyeing Itachi, but I clearly noticed that when he saw Itachi there was only pity in his eyes. He actually had a single emotion in his eyes the entire time he was gazing at us. Pity with a bit of sadness." — Mikoto.

Mikoto's statement caused Fugaku to go silent. It was accurate. He was also aware of that. Aoto didn't appear to be alarmed or afraid even when they both attacked him; instead, he appeared a little taken aback. He was never terrified of them, but this surprise truly felt as though he had just witnessed something novel. Recently the rumors had already spread of they being responsible of the Kyuubi attack. So if Aoto had hatred in his eyes, they would have noticed it, but there was none.

Additionally, he had noticed Aoto's sympathy and melancholy. Which was rather strange.

"I will take Itachi to the best medical ninja we have at the hospital and do a full body scan." Fugaku spoke after a little pause. Mikoto nodded, confirming her own thought.

"What do you think of the techniques he used?" Mikoto enquired.

"I'm not sure.. My sharingan didn't catch anything. He didn't do any hand signs. The only thing I could make sense of was that the environment appeared to be supporting him. In my entire life, I have never seen such a technique." Fugaku spoke in a somber tone. He had seen a lot of things in his years as a shinobi, including his participation in the third great ninja war, but what Aoto did today was inexplicable.

Moreover, the way their genjutsu rebounded was still a mystery. Aoto was able to instantly and effectively block both of their genjutsu with a single move. They were perplexed.

"Do you think we should inform the Hokage of this?" Mikoto enquired. She didn't have a strong animosity for the village at the time and still felt like she belonged in Konoha.

"No. He's said it already. He will be given a pedestal if we speak. I am just curious, if he is that good then why isn't he revealing his expertise to the higher ups?" This question stumped Fugaku. Since Aoto was actively assisting Konoha, it was understood that once summoning animals were contracted, the partner could not betray them. While humans may use and discard their summoning monsters, this wasn't true of the animals themselves.

"Maybe like you, he also doesn't like the higher ups." Mikoto muttered to herself. Fugaku tensed up. He hadn't told his wife about the mounting resentment his clan was harboring for Konoha, but she was aware of it.

"Anyways, tomorrow we will take Itachi. Its already late. We need to check up ourselves too. That young man's genutsu was a tad excessive. I think my insides were a little hurt". – Fugaku.

"Hahaha.. so the day has come when the great Fugaku Uchiha will be taught a lesson in genjutsu." Mikoto grinned a little.

"Hmph. It's because I didn't use my real powers. Additionally, you must have your eyes examined."