If you have time. A statement harmless if no other thought was put into it. But From Father to Son, from Fugaku to Itachi, specifically, it was double-edged. Meant to pull him into offering himself for the work both out of obligation, yet without making a direct demand.
He honestly wouldn't have been surprised if Fugaku had worded it as a demand, he was his Father, superior, and clan head, after all. It meant he was treading carefully, wanting to see if he would do it of his own volition testing to see just how badly he wanted to be here.
He'd long ago caught onto it. Accepting runs the risk of showing reluctance, and denying simply shows disrespect, and he might not want to be around often nor throw himself into his duties as heir-to-be, but he still didn't want to blatantly disrespect his Father.
"What sort of damage has it sustained?" he asks, instead, keeping his calm expression, though turning his gaze back to the kitten in his lap, who had started off with a quiet purr.
no subject
He honestly wouldn't have been surprised if Fugaku had worded it as a demand, he was his Father, superior, and clan head, after all. It meant he was treading carefully, wanting to see if he would do it of his own volition testing to see just how badly he wanted to be here.
He'd long ago caught onto it. Accepting runs the risk of showing reluctance, and denying simply shows disrespect, and he might not want to be around often nor throw himself into his duties as heir-to-be, but he still didn't want to blatantly disrespect his Father.
"What sort of damage has it sustained?" he asks, instead, keeping his calm expression, though turning his gaze back to the kitten in his lap, who had started off with a quiet purr.