If Sasuke knew his mother at all, the cats would probably end up being for her as well, but he was far from being in the habit of correcting Fugaku on any matter. He resisted the urge to fidget while the kitten in the basket popped its nose back out from under the bench, apparently recovered from its scare, and focused instead on keeping his grip on Hoderi's leg secure.

The question brought his attention back to his father, a hint of embarrassment in his expression when he answered: "Neither. We were hunting in the woods when the rain caught us."

There was no particular reason for him to be embarrassed, but it was such an unusual context in which to run into his father (and clan head) that Sasuke could very nearly feel himself regressing, which in turn only served to make him feel more embarrassed. Had he had any kind of good news to report to his father of late, the situation might have been different, but as it was ...