A/N: So my plot bunnies were like, "LET'S NOM ON SHIKA'S SCENES WITH GAARA OR KAKASHIORGAARAGAARAGAARA," so not helpful.
Chapter Four
Lengthening Shadows
Under the shadows cast by the morning sun, Itachi set out for the Naka shrine. After his outburst, he doubted the clan still met there, which made it the ideal place for him to plan – especially since he needed access to the stone monument.
During his last visit with Danzou, through discussing the necessary arrangements in ROOT patrols for the night of the massacre, he had been able to confirm his suspicions that Danzou didn't have an Uchiha ROOT member – or any member capable of carrying out the nuances needed for the attack.
From that observation, he suspected that Danzou expected him to fail.
The timing of the operation was going to have to be ridiculously precise to avoid any suspicions arising after the fact. The Hokage could only do so much, which meant half an hour was the largest window he could reliably operate under. No matter how much of a genius he was, it was still one person against 579 clan members. If he considered the use of Kage Buunshins and used the extremely conservative estimate of 15 minutes to cover and search the entire compound, that meant a rough average of 39 kills per minute, approximately three kills every two seconds.
On paper, those numbers were difficult, but not impossible. Even factoring in the presence of Uchiha jounin, he would have the advantage of both surprise and the ability to focus on the attack, while his opponents would be distracted protecting civilians and one another. The numbers became unrealistic when he considered the showmanship that would have to be involved.
As far as anyone was concerned, he had no logical reason to kill his clan. The only explanation for his motive would have to be drawn from witness statements and the physical evidence left from the attack. The rampant speculation, guaranteed to run after such senseless killing, would seize upon any inconsistencies present in the evidence. If he wasn't careful, there was a chance he would escape the blame.
At first, he couldn't understand how Danzou could benefit from his failure. If he failed, the investigation and witness interviews following the attack would unveil the Uchiha's schemes for a coup. Emotions would run high and the village would be in upheaval. The Hokage would be forced to hand down execution notices. Shinobi comrades who had fought with Uchiha members would undoubtedly be up in arms, weakening the Sandaime's influence. It was also unlikely that the Sandaime would face the criticism alone.
But then he remembered Shisui's cautionary words on Danzou seeking the sharingan.
The Uchiha had never considered the use of seals, like the Hyuuga, to protect the secrets of their eyes. The very nature of their eyes was their seal.
Before Kakashi, the sharingan had never been successfully transplanted and used by a non-Uchiha for a number of reasons. The first reason was that few were compatible and had the strength to wield such a physically and mentally demanding dojutsu. The second, more critical reason, was that the sharingan could only be turned on and off by the emotions of an Uchiha. That meant that dead Uchiha would be just as useless as Uchiha who had never activated their sharingan.
In other words, a sharingan had to be activated before it could be transplanted. Once transplanted, it could never be turned off – only covered to reduce the chakra drain.
Itachi suspected that if he failed, the resulting chaos would provide enough cover for condemned traitors to 'disappear'. Danzou wouldn't even hesitate to take children, as evidenced by ROOT. And since the emotional reconditioning of ROOT would never work on Uchihas, Itachi didn't want to think about what those children would be subjected to in order to trigger the potential of their eyes.
He imagined that Danzou had only approached him because this approach was the cleanest way that Danzou could accomplish his plans.
As he arrived at the shrine, he wondered if, on the off chance he was able to wipe out the clan, Danzou was of the mentality that if he couldn't have the sharingan, no one could. While he suspected Koharu only saw the threat of a military coup, he wondered if Homura was aware of Danzou's potential ulterior motives.
Counting from the right, he made his way to the seventh tatami mat and lifted it to uncover the stairs.
Had Danzou considered that he might be wielding the Mangekyou sharingan? He didn't think it was likely; Shisui had been the only other known user – the only other person who could have taught him how to use it.
Walking down the dark hallway, he activated his sharingan. Now, he was left with the stone as his only source of guidance. If he could use it to teach himself Amaterasu, his chances of pulling off the mission would significantly increase. If anything, there might even be time to spare and hide a few of the civilian children. It would be difficult, but he had a few contacts outside of the village who owed him favors.
The whisper of cloth was so soft, he almost missed it. Quickly, he blended into the shadows.
Ssp.
There it was again. This time, he heard a soft derisive chuckle emerge from the direction where the stone stood.
How had he missed someone's presence?
Disturbed, he quietly summoned a crow. With a quick modified henge, an inky black mouse appeared. Crouched in the shadows, he sent it toward the room with the stone tablet. From his summons' eyes, he spied a cloaked male figure crouched against the tablet.
A sense of unease struck him as he urged the mouse to creep further. He didn't recognize the man's profile, which suggested a stranger had somehow known about the clan's secret shrine.
As the mouse's perspective changed, he was able to make out a mane of wild jagged hair that partially obscured a mask. With an exception of a single hole for sight, the rest of the mask covered the man's entire fact. Wary, he watched as the man appeared to study the tablet.
Was he able to read the stone? He studied the man's apparent familiarity with the inscriptions with growing disbelief.
-0-
Kazuki lay face up on his bed. He stared at the ceiling and refused to move.
I don't want to move.
Or think.
Or do anything. Eyes half-lidded, he heaved a sigh. As much as he hated to admit it, he was out of time. He needed help, but as much as he had mentally accused Itachi of isolating himself, he knew the same could be said of him.
The whole premise of his plans (and whether or not he actually needed help) relied on his dreams and faint memories. At times, he still wasn't sure whether or not he just had a fanciful imagination. After all, he still needed the stepping stool to reach the kitchen sink.
If he didn't have his shadow techniques, he would have started to suspect that he was insane.
At least insanity would be easier to deal with.
That indecisiveness to confide in someone had cost him. The situation was too volatile for him to take the time to convince someone to listen to him, never mind helping him. As soon as his foothold on the situation was stable, he decided, he'd confide in someone.
In the meantime, he needed to gather a few more pieces of information to complete his contingency plans.
He turned his head to look at the sealed scroll on his desk. He also needed to deliver the scroll to Chouji. After the talk with Itachi, he realized that he had forgotten to account for whether he wanted to leave any last words behind in the event of his own death during the massacre. The scroll was what he had finally decided upon after a long night.
"Kazuki, are you up yet?"
Ah crud. Hurriedly, he closed his eyes just before Sasuke slammed open the door and entered at a run.
He heard the footfalls come to stop beside his bed. Without warning, he felt the sheets being pulled out from under him. He landed with a thud, tangled in sheets and blankets. "Urgh." He briefly debated the merits of fighting himself free of the covers, when –
Bright light assaulted him.
- Sasuke would do that for him. He squinted at his brother's hovering face and unashamedly whined, "What the hell?"
"You ok? Have you been having more of those nightmares?"
Kazuki turned and burrowed his face back into the mess of covers, "Mm fine."
"Good, then you can hurry up – Father's waiting."
Kazuki unburied his head to glare up at Sasuke, "Wha?"
"He wants to meet us at the pond."
Kazuki stared at Sasuke's impatient face and immediately dropped his head with a groan.
-0-
Kazuki stared as his father breathed out fire. The fireball roared as it expanded, easily spanning ten times his father's height in diameter.
It would figure that the day after Itachi's outburst, his father would decide to show them the Uchiha's coming of age technique.
Part of him was reluctant to come any closer to the heat than necessary. On the other hand, his interest couldn't help but be peaked at the brightness of the fire. He hadn't missed how everyone's shadows had lengthened and darkened across the dock as the fireball burned.
"That's a basic Uchiha ninjutsu, Katon Goukakyuu no jutsu. You were taught the seals a while ago. To use it, you must draw chakra from your mouth into your chest and hold it there. Then, immediately blow it right out."
Kazuki suppressed his impulse to slouch. That was it?
Before he could mull upon the instructions any further, Sasuke stepped up from beside him with a determined shout, "Ok!"
Dammit, why is he always so eager? Now I'll be expected to perform it as well, such a pain.
He watched in anticipation as Sasuke flashed through the seals, took a giant breath, and …
…puffed out a fireball no larger than his head.
He kept silent as the fire fizzled out. He wasn't sure where Sasuke had made a mistake. He had never tried, or felt inclined to try, a fire jutsu. Intrigued, he wondered if his brother just hadn't held in the chakra long enough.
"Hmm, you haven't reached Itachi's level…"
Unaware of Sasuke's downcast look, his father turned to face him, "Kazuki?"
With a mental shrug, he stepped closer to the edge of the dock. Never thought I'd be doing this.
Flashing through the seals, he inhaled and held his breath, molding his chakra by instinct. Just before he felt like he was going to burst, he released his breath. Immediately he knew something had gone wrong as he felt something inside him switch. It felt like the moment after he threw a kunai and realized that he had released the weapon too late.
His fire streamed out much farther than Sasuke's. However, the flames were pure white. Instead of ballooning out into a giant fireball, a ball of black clouds grew at the end of stream. The cloud ballooned to almost the size of his father's fireball. Even after his fire disappeared, the cloud continued to persist. Dark flakes began to fall the cloud, dropping into the pond.
Feeling something bubble up, he quickly covered the inside of his hand with shadow just before the first coughs escaped. As he coughed into his hand, his father turned away, "Perhaps for you two, it was still too early."
He wasn't sure what had happened. He heard his father leave as he lifted his hand for inspection. Once he was sure the substance in his hand was cool enough to touch, he retracted the shadow back into his sleeve. Rubbing his fingers, it looked like he had coughed out some sort of abrasive black ash. He glanced back at the pond, where his cloud still persisted. Its shape had begun to transform into a column, rising towards the sky like a smoke signal.
The sudden heat and crackle of flames interrupted his contemplation. He turned around to see his brother blow out another fireball. He wouldn't be surprised if his brother stayed there for the rest of the day.
Overcome with curiosity, he settled into a low crouch at Sasuke's side. The second time he attempted the jutsu, he focused instead on the feel of the chakra changing inside his chest. Aiming downwards, toward the water, he focused on that 'switching' feeling and exhaled. This time, only black spewed out. He watched the stream hit the surface of the water, causing steam to erupt upon contact.
Fwoosh! "ARgh."
To his left, he saw that Sasuke's fireball looked no different than before, "At least you've got fire."
Sasuke looked over. The steam was dissipating, and he could see black specks dotting the water's surface.
"I'm just polluting the water."
Still frustrated, Sasuke grumbled, "At least your cloud was large."
Kazuki shot him a dry look. Rolling his eyes, Sasuke offered, "Does it feel like your lungs are burning when you hold your breath?"
At Kazuki's incredulous expression, Sasuke grinned with reluctant amusement, "Not like actual burning, more like… trying to breathe in the hot springs."
Seeing Kazuki's thoughtful look return, Sasuke returned to his practice in a lighter mood.
For the third attempt, Kazuki took a small breath. He didn't want to contaminate the waters any more than he already had. This time, as he held his breath, he recognized the sensation Sasuke had described.
Now that he knew what he was looking for, he realized that he had been instinctively trying release the flames like his shadows. He released his breath.
A small stream rushed forth. Sure enough, a fireball, the size of two fists, grew at the end of the stream. The color was still slightly off, but it was… close enough. He'd practice the jutsu later.
In the meantime though, he touched his lips with a wince, he needed to figure out the logistics of setting up a festival, "Sasuke, thanks for the advice. I'm gonna head back."
Sasuke acknowledged him with a wave.
Shaking his head at Sasuke's single-minded focus, Kazuki made his way back towards the house.
-0-
"I'll talk to your father ok?" Mikoto smiled at her youngest. She didn't know how successful she'd be. Planning and hosting a festival would be time intensive, and clan affairs had been taking up an increasing amount of Fugaku's time. All the same, this was a request from Kazuki.
It wasn't that she favored him over her other sons, but rather, he was the only one she felt she could still claim.
She cherished memories of those early days, when her sons were hers. She had known it wouldn't last.
Itachi had always been able to see more than anyone else. Her clan, her village – everyone had recognized that. His ability to see the bigger picture meant she was quickly left wishing him a safe return. That boy had always been meant for great things.
It was an honor she had never wanted for him.
But it was one she now saw Sasuke chasing.
While other mothers commiserated on their children's lack of discipline, she smiled, and afterwards, restocked the medicine cabinet. Maybe it was a product of being raised in a traditional clan, but the boy had always listened to her cautions about training with half an ear. If only Sasuke knew his preference for his father was reciprocated by his father.
Kazuki had always been a bit of a surprise. They had never expected twins. When he was three, she had been seriously concerned that they were going to lose him. She suspected Fugaku had also been affected by that scare. Aside from acquiescing to her requests and allowing the boy his frequent naps, Fugaku had also been surprisingly tolerant of Kazuki's grades. Sometimes, she worried that they were being too indulgent of his indolence, that they would be crippling his ability to survive as a shinobi.
Still, he was young. There would be plenty of time to push him – time she had never secured for Itachi.
The clan and the village had called Itachi. Fugaku had Sasuke.
Kazuki was hers.
She turned around with three lunchboxes and kneeled. Laughing at his unsatisfied scowl, she sought to distract him, "Aren't you headed to see Chouji-kun? Why don't you take this?"
He stared in confusion as he accepted the lunchboxes, "Why did you pack three?"
"Isn't Naruto-kun going to be there?" She ruffled his hair, smiling as he attempted to duck away.
"You cooked for him?"
She adjusted his collar as she answered, "Of course. I would have made two lunchboxes, but we were out of the larger containers." When he didn't respond, she looked up to study his face. Biting her lip, she took a guess, "The Akimichi's are known for their large appetites – and large bentos. The first time you asked me to pack you extra, I suspected it was for a friend. It wasn't too hard to figure out who it was for."
She waited patiently as her youngest hesitantly ventured, "But… father didn't want…"
She sighed and stood. Turning her back to Kazuki, she started cleaning up the dishes, "Your father's … afraid of Naruto-kun's pranks."
She felt Kazuki step to her side, "Really? Itachi said the same thing."
She smiled humorlessly at the doubt in his voice. Without really meaning to, she abruptly asked, "Did you know? Back when we had both been pregnant, Naruto's mother and I had thought that our kids were going to be the best of friends."
"Ehh?"
She paused and laughed at Kazuki's dubious expression, "Why do you sound so shocked?"
"Sasuke and Naruto get along like water and oil. Wait, you knew Naruto's mother?"
She shrugged noncommittally and resumed washing the dishes, "It was war and we were both pregnant."
She shouldn't have brought up Kushina.
To her relief, Kazuki changed the subject, "During the war – Did you have the sharingan?"
"Mmhmm."
"How did you learn how to use it?"
She dried her hands on her apron and led him towards the porch to sit. "My mother and my instructor both had the sharingan."
"So you didn't read anything about it?"
She joined him on the porch, "No, most everything is passed down orally." Seeing his interest and disappointed confusion, she elaborated, "Do you remember how the sharingan is activated?"
He nodded.
"On rare occasions, when we see something worse, our sharingan can evolve into what's called the Mangekyou sharingan."
"Worse?"
She brought an arm around Kazuki and drew him in to rest against her side, "Much, much worse. The Mangekyou is a powerful response developed to meet a horrible situation, which I don't ever want you in."
Feeling him nod against her, she continued, "Now, the reason we don't have much documentation on the sharingan is that different families within the clan have their own secrets about the Mangekyou sharingan."
"Do a lot of people have the Mangekyou?"
"No, but occasionally, one person in a family would develop the Mangekyou and discover a new aspect of its capabilities. I know it sounds a little confusing, but the family secrets were passed orally even if the teacher or student didn't have the Mangekyou. The only requirement to teaching and learning the secret, regardless of whether the secret could be used, was that the student must have an activated sharingan. …It's a little like how you were taught the Katon Goukakyuu no Jutsu seals before you knew what chakra was."
Kazuki leaned away to look at her, "Do we have a secret?"
She pondered to herself for a moment. She had been meaning to have this talk with Itachi to try to reconnect with him, especially after his outburst.
Well, it wouldn't hurt to let Kazuki know. "Mmm, yes. But keep that a secret between you and me ok?"
Kazuki blinked owlishly at her, "Father doesn't know?"
She shook her head and leaned in so that their foreheads touched, "It'll be our secret."
Kazuki startled when her forehead touched his. "Ah. Ok."
She leaned away and started to stand up when Kazuki spoke again hesitantly, "Can you… can we…?"
"What is it?"
"Can we keep another secret?"
She sat back down, "Sure." She dismissed her initial concern at his question, how bad could it be?
"Can you teach me how to use the sharingan?"
Dismay rushed through her. Kazuki didn't know what he was asking for, and he was still much too young. Even Itachi had been eight before he had activated his sharingan.
Before she could answer, he continued, "And can we keep this a secret? I don't really want anyone to know. Sasuke will get upset and father will – "
She interrupted, "We can keep it a secret. But, as you well know, activating your sharingan is a very trying and difficult process, and it can be especially dangerous when you're young. I – " She stopped herself when she noticed that Kazuki was looking away from her.
She was about to reprimand him for his inattention when he spoke, "It's dangerous when you're young because it drains your chakra levels right?"
A horrible suspicion rose within her. "Yes." Her voice was steady. She was surprised at herself.
"If I had it, would you train me? And keep it a secret?" He still wasn't looking at her.
This would explain so much. She was relieved she hadn't allowed Fugaku to push the boy.
She stepped forward and dropped to her knees. Before he could fully turn in surprise, she tugged Kazuki into a fierce hug, "Yes. Yes, it can be our secret."
She kissed the top of his head and released him. When he stepped back, she saw a glimpse of his sharingan before his eyes faded back to black.
Could he already control activating his eyes?
"Go visit your friends. We can talk more when you get back."
-0-
He had done it! He turned back as the last of his flames fizzled out only to see his father walk away. The emblem on his father's back had never seemed as far as it did then.
He stared at his sandals as heard his father's steps recede. Had he not learned it fast enough?
"As I expected, you are my child."
Heart in his throat, he looked up with wide eyes.
His father never turned to face him but the emblem stayed within sight as his father spoke, "Did Kazuki master this as well? Where is he?"
Sasuke shrugged, uncomfortable and uncertain. He hadn't noticed, but he doubted Kazuki had tried after he left, "I'm not sure. I think he's at Chouji's"
"The Akimichi's?"
For a moment, he was worried he had said too much. He didn't really want to get Kazuki in trouble. If he did, the boy would just complain endlessly at him and refuse to help him train. It was bad enough that he had to join Kazuki and his friends now and then to get Kazuki to go anywhere with him.
"Hmmph, no matter. You did well. From now on, you may shamelessly wear the family crest on your back. You must now improve. Then, you can soar to great heights."
Delight shot through him, "Ok!"
"Also, I will say one thing."
Curious, Sasuke waited.
"Do not follow your brother." Having said his piece, his father left.
Itachi-niisan?
-0-
"Shikaku! Glad you made it!" Chouza boomed out as he saw Shikaku making his way up the hill.
Returning Chouza's smile with a tired grin of his own, Shikaku joined Chouza on the porch, "Where's Inoichi?"
"In the back," Chouza answered with a noncommittal swing of his hand.
At that moment, the two of them were shoved forward as Inoichi slung an arm around each of their shoulders, "Right here." Turning his head, Inoichi studied Shikaku with a minute frown, "An old man like you shouldn't be doing all-nighters."
Shikaku shrugged of Inoichi's arm with an annoyed glare right before he broke into a grin, "Look who's talking. You're older than me."
Inoichi affected an affronted expression, "By a month."
On his other side, Chouza added with amusement, "And a half."
Inoichi spun around, purposefully hitting Shikaku in the face with his hair, "Why are you taking his side?"
As Shikaku sputtered, Chouza laughed and held up his hands, "Take it easy old man. Don't want to raise your blood pressure."
Inoichi gave up with a laugh before looking at Shikaku, "But seriously, is everything alright with Yoshino?"
Waving his hand, Shikaku nodded, "She's fine. Nagging as usual. The council elders just wanted a consult on the ghost case again."
When Chouza looked confused, Inoichi elaborated, "A month or so back, some patrols reported matching descriptions of an intruder. When investigations by the chuunin stalled, several of us were called in for consult."
Shikaku continued, "From all the reports, it seemed to be a prank by some skilled Academy students."
Inoichi shot him a glance, "A prank?"
Shikaku raised an eyebrow, "You weren't updated? Basically, everything reported could be explained away with a bunshin."
Inoichi furrowed his brows, "So why were you called again?"
Shikaku looked away, "The sightings were sporadic at best, but last night, one of the groups sighted a Kumo plate on the ninja. And since I made my recommendations, no one has been able to pinpoint the Academy student responsible for the appearances – if it was an Academy student."
"Oh shit."
Shikaku shrugged, "Yeah, so they wanted another consult last night. Anyway, enough about old men talk. How are the kids?"
Inoichi pointed down the field, "See for yourself."
In a clearing at the bottom of the hill, Shikaku could make out Ino making violent gestures at Chouji in between her slaps at another boy, "Who is that?"
Inoichi groaned while Chouza laughed, "Kazuki Uchiha."
Shikaku raised his brows, "An Uchiha?" He frowned for a moment, as he recalled his past conversations, "Wait, that's the kid Chouji befriended?"
Chouji grinned, "Yup. Kid's been good for Chouji."
Shikaku winced in sympathy as he saw Ino start tugging at Kazuki's pony tail while Inoichi laughed in embarrassment. He raised his eyes in surprise as he saw Chouji pick up Ino and set her aside before substituting himself with a log and hiding. The Uchiha had timed his movements in sync to Chouji, so that when Ino regained her bearings, she was staring at two logs.
Her pout was adorable.
"I didn't realize they taught the Kawarimi so early."
Chouza smiled proudly, "I asked Chouji. He said that Iruka-sensei had demonstrated in class and that Kazuki-kun had thought it would be a good idea to learn."
Inoichi rubbed his forehead, "Probably so they could run away from girls."
They watched and laughed as the two boys tried to creep through the bushes unsuccessfully before Ino pounced.
Inoichi dug an elbow in Shikaku's ribs, "Hey, are the clan elders still bugging you for an heir?"
Chouza looked over with interest, while Shikaku grimaced, "They gave up on that this month actually. Yoshino found out they had been pestering me and well… you can imagine what happened."
The other two men flinched with sympathy. Chouza asked, "So what now?"
Inoichi added, "Will they try to appoint someone else?"
Shikaku shrugged, "Apparently we don't have any suitable candidates this year. The deer rejected everyone that was presented."
Inoichi nudged him companionably while Chouza reached over to clasp him on the shoulder. As the three of them watched the children rough house, Shikaku could help but feel a little wistful. It could have been his child down there, forming a second generation of Ino-Shika-Cho.
-0-
"Forgive me Sasuke, another time."
Kazuki opened the door just in time to see Sasuke walk straight into another forehead flick from Itachi.
That will never get old.
As Sasuke clapped his hand over his forehead, Itachi stood up, "I don't have time to look after you today." Walking past Kazuki, Itachi startled him by ruffling his hair.
To his embarrassment, he let out an indignant squawk of surprise, causing Sasuke to laugh.
Redoing his ponytail, he looked up to see Sasuke still staring at the door. When he realized that Kazuki had caught him looking, he offered, "See? Everything's fine; we were worried over nothing."
Kazuki looked back.
"Maybe."
He didn't think so. In any case, "Did you talk to father yet?"
He turned back to see Sasuke give him an apologetic frown, "About the fire festival? I tried, but I don't know if he heard me. I think he's working on it."
He looked back at the entranceway where Itachi had left and sighed right before he felt his head jerk back as his pony tail was pulled, "Oww, hey! What the heck?"
"It's your turn to come with!" Sasuke called out as he raced ahead.
The training grounds again? No wonder he and Naruto were powerhouses back then.
Kazuki groaned, "I just got back…"
He revised his earlier assumption. Maybe Sakura had developed her bedside manner from having those two competitive idiots for teammates and not from having Ino as a friend.
-0-
He watched with amusement as the boy stepped out to meet him, "How did you know about me?" Of the numerous clues he left, he was curious as to which ones had been spotted. After all, he hadn't expected the boy to be the first one to spot him.
"You were able to slip through the Uchiha's defense and even look at the secret stone inside the Naka shrine. Only the Uchiha know that place. After that, I examined your actions and tried to understand who you are and what your goal is."
From only that? He scrutinized the boy's body language. The boy didn't give much away, but it seemed as though the boy had arrived at his intended conclusion anyway – as expected of a genius.
With muted amusement, he noted that no Uchiha genius would have paid as much attention to him before.
Finally, when it seemed he would learn nothing more from the boy's expression by keeping silent, he spoke with a hint of dark amusement, "… Then this will be easy. You probably know that I'm an Uchiha and that I hold a grudge towards the clan and the village."
Apparently unfazed by the confirmation of a legendary identity, the boy replied evenly "You must follow my conditions. I'll help you get revenge on the Uchiha, but you must not lay a hand on the village or on my brothers – Sasuke and Kazuki."
He listened, distantly impressed as the boy outlined his plans. The clan would be extinguished even earlier than he had planned and – even better – without any suspicion of outsider influence. He would have to keep an eye on the boy, his brothers, and Kakashi, but his chances of monopolizing control over the biju just became much greater.
-0-
Recognizing Itachi's handwriting, Danzou intercepted the missive coded for the Hokage. Despite his informal title, Sarutobi still hadn't realized that his codes had long been broken.
It had cost him a few missions and men to maintain his cover of ignorance, but reading the missive, he knew it was well worth it. This kind of danger to the village couldn't exist.
With that man's presence, his plans for the Uchiha would have to be derailed. It wouldn't be a huge loss, as he had made arrangements for that possibility, however slight as it might have been. Thanks to that boy, the man's attention had been momentarily diverted from the village.
He was sure that wouldn't last very long
In the meantime, he would have to step up his operations outside the village and encourage Madara to seek his amusement elsewhere.
He would also have to be more proactive within the village. Sarutobi would never prepare the village in time. The lingering presence of a Kumo shinobi was a testament to that fact.
Quickly, he hid the missive in his sleeve.
Perhaps Orochimaru and his experiments could be of use once more.
-0-
Although it seemed premature, Mikoto had felt almost compelled to pass down her family heirloom to her children who could receive it for the past month.
Today, she had decided, today was the day that she would give in to her impulses.
Sitting on Kazuki's bed, Mikoto smiled softly at her child, "I was going to teach this to Itachi tonight, but he's taking a while to get home. So, while I wait for him, I thought I could show it to you a little early."
Call it a mother's intuition, but I suspect you and Itachi will need all the protection I can give.
A/N Cont: Ok, this chapter was somewhat of a necessary filler, and I think it came out a bit choppy and icky, but uh yea – it's out.
Annnd, reading the reviews, I'm all like YEEESSSS, WHAT I WRITE MAKES SENNNSE, MY LIFE IS COMPLETEbutnotreally. The issue is whether or not you guys are going to kill me in the next chapter. heh heh…
On a random note, anyone know why Madara didn't just swap eyes with his brother? Then they could both just have the eternal sharingan right?
Conception Notes:
Maths at the beginning of this chapter: The numbers I came up were based on the fact that there were 30 kids in Sasuke's class and 90 in the Academy before the Massacre. Then I took into consideration that there were roughly 4 generations of Uchiha during three shinobi world wars and that people, including Shikaku and Kakashi, had apparently believed that Itachi had killed everyone in the clan. I also made the arbitrary estimate that a fourth of the Uchiha were civilians since the compound in the manga appeared to be somewhat self-sufficient. I mean the police station and a bakery were located within the walls.
Annyway, thank you guys so much for your support! As always, random strings of letters as reviews are totally cool with me too XD If you spot any typos, please don't hesitate to let me know! XD
Awww guyyss. I nearly fell off my exercise ball when I read the first reviews for my last chapter. You guys rock! … Eh. Thank you: #1 Guest, #7 Guest, AnonymousFern, ITACHIROCKS, Uzushiogakure9,#8 Guest, Almost Ninja, #9 Guest, lugialegend233, a, Juliedoo, creven16, Radiant Celestial Aura, not the usual baka, amethystfirechik, #10 Guest, Gyuchin, freakingbored123, LokiHatake, #11 Guest-0-,Fluehatraya,Mel.
