Fanning the Flames

Shisui's altercation with Danzou ends without the former's death. Still, the Leaf Village faces the threat of the Uchiha coup. The fate or doom of the Uchiha rests in the hands of two traitors.

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Be brave, my little one.

Our pain compared to yours will be over in an instant.

A secret that cannot be spoken.

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-1

For the first time in five days, he could walk in sunlight. No mask forced him to walk in the darkest night. No orders prohibited him from the sun's judgement. Itachi Uchiha stands on top of the Hokage Rock, newly arrived from his Anbu mission. He hadn't noticed it before as he rushed through the Anbu's secret entrance to quickly throw away his facade. The Leaf Village was somber.

Itachi quickly blended in with the natives as an average boy. He kept his head down, felt dark bangs hide his tell-tale birthmarks. Like a good ninja, he listened.

"...right? But he was old, wasn't he? It's to be expected," babbled an obtuse woman who was never seen without some portable food in hand.

"...I wonder how Lord Hokage will take this? That old man's been hard to read since when he first stepped in office, you know," rasped an elderly man, playing a slow-moving boardgame with another elderly man.

"Some said he was supposed to become the next Hokage, too," said a teenager to her friends.

Someone close to Lord Hokage has passed. Itachi picked up speed, headed to the Leaf Graveyard. He had been there once before when he was so very young. It is where his relative's gravestone rested, a boy named Obito Uchiha. It was where countless other Uchiha relatives rested. It was where the Fourth Hokage rested.

It didn't take long to spot the newest addition to the Graveyard. A strong scent of jasmine flowers gave away the new stone and Itachi followed the smell. This new stone was as elaborate as the Fourth Hokage's stone and on it was Danzou Shimura.

Itachi's heart pulsed. Five days ago, he saw the man alive. His aura was so pungent, so powerful it was hard to ever imagine he would die so soon like this. That man was not sick. No, Itachi felt as though he had never been better. There must have been foul play. Some kind of conspiracy.

Once more, Itachi dawned on his Anbu mask and walked the night.

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A small, slender figure walked up the forest path, footsteps silent on top the dying foliage all around. Shisui followed the figure from his vigil among the trees, already have a feeling he may know this person.

If the person knew he was being watched, he did not show it.

The figure trailed up the beaten path and to the doorstep of the Hokage. A secret meeting. Far the prying eyes of the village. Shisui noticed humorlessly they chose an abandoned shrine for a rendezvous. The young man heightened his hearing through the use of chakra and listened.

"Danzou Shimura is indeed dead," the Third Hokage said firmly.

"That man was healthy. He was never the type to engage in direct combat, especially in battles he could not win easily in. Lord Hokage, what really happened that day?"

"I cannot tell you. Please, make this quick. If my royal guard realizes I'm gone..."

"What will happen to me? To the other organization? It is not ideal to let them roam the Leaf freely."

"...you ask the hardest questions to answer." The Third Hokage manifested his pipe and begun to smoke. Shisui noted dimly the figure disliked that horrible smell. "I will handle it. Please. This will take time to sort out. And we have little of it."

"Thank you, Lord Hokage. I will make my leave now." The figure bowed deeply and vanished, leaving the Hokage alone to silently ponder.

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-1

"Shisui, tell me what you know."

Itachi had a suspicion Shisui was avoiding him. And with the warhawk's sudden death, it all made too much sense. Shisui killed the Shimura. On what grounds did Shisui think such a decision was okay? Now with his death, his father will have his doubts with Itachi's Anbu career or his family might be spurred into action more quickly. No matter what Itachi guessed, the Leaf was in a very tenuous situation.

As of now, Itachi gripped Shisui's shoulder tightly. They were within the depths of the Forest of Death, away from nosy ninja. "Why did you do that?"

With that question, Shisui's silence is broken. He turned to his longtime friend with a smile that seemed stitched to his face more than anything. "Itachi, what are you accusing me of?"

"That man's death," he said, though out loud, Itachi could not believe the connection. "Why did you..."

"He wanted my eyes, Itachi."

"Your eyes?" Itachi thought of the Sharingan, but the warhawk had many, many other opportunities to steal the eyes of less known Uchiha. "He knew about the Kotoamatsukami? How? You kept that secret from everyone. There could be no possible way..."

"He knew because I told him, right to his face." His friend gave him a bitter smile.

"Shisui." Itachi didn't know what he wanted to say. Without the full story, he could only speculate. His speculations began to grow more wild by the second.

"I thought I could save the day while you were gone," Shisui explained with a force laugh. "You could come home to a family no longer wanting to overthrow the village. You can spend more time with Sasuke. I talked to Lord Hokage and the Leaf Council about my plan to use the eyes against the clan."

"Shisui, that's a sin that can't be forgiven," Itachi interrupted. "You don't need to take on that bitter pain..."

"Regardless... I used my eyes on him. To save my life. It was... a selfish decision. I should have just died that day and believed in you, Itachi, our first Uchiha Hokage," and he closed eyes as he smiled.

Itachi knew at the rate things were going, there could be no Uchiha as Hokage. "I'm glad you're still alive. You're my only friend. I could never cope with seeing you as yet another person dead."

"Itachi..."

He didn't want to get sentimental right now. There were more pressing issues. "With Danzou dead, Father will be ready to act soon. Do we still have a Kotoamatsukami?"

"No. I can only use it once a decade."

What a strict drawback. Such is the price of the Mangekyou Sharingan. But he was relieved. Shisui no longer would have the need to use his eyes against the clan.

"Has the Military Police Force begun investigating his death?"

"Lord Hokage said he died of old age and left that to the Anbu. You know that won't stop the really curious Uchiha. Though I doubt they'll get much evidence, honestly."

"What can we do, Shisui? Is the Leaf going to be destroyed due to hatred and war? No matter what, it seems we're at a dead end."

To Itachi, he had dreamed of being Hokage ever since the Third Great Shinobi War. He wanted to become a ninja of ninja. He wanted to completely remove the cycle of war and violence from this world. But this situation he was stuck in was not something he had prepared for. A good ninja is certainly a balance of brains and brawns, but no-one told him he needed diplomacy as well.

He had never been good with people.

"I thought about that while you were gone," Shisui spoke, ending Itachi's silent self-pity. "I thought, 'Maybe we'll get more time if our family has someone to blame and not generalize hatred to the entire Leaf Village'. I don't know about you, but this plan seems more practical than using my eyes, Itachi."

"Your plan?" Frankly, Itachi just wanted to do something. He wanted to feel like a competent ninja once again.

"Tensions blew up when the Nine Tails attack happened. The Leaf blamed the Uchiha, the Uchiha couldn't help because of our Sharingan. If we could just find who controlled the beast, our family and the village could have something tangible to lash out at. At the least, it'll buy us time."

"I understand what you mean, but what happens if the person who controlled the beast is an Uchiha?"

"I think we all know it is an Uchiha at heart. Just not who it was," Shisui frowned.

"The Leaf will hate the clan even more."

"Itachi, we can get through this. Have a little faith, huh?"

Itachi exhaled through his nose. It was a beginning, a least. Maybe it was pointless in the end, but it felt good to be in motion and deluding himself.

Find the person who controlled the Nine Tails. Capture him. Bring him to justice. Itachi thought the mantra sounded just like Danzou's missions. Suppressing a shiver, Itachi put the plan into action.