Chapter 3
Life
The mood of all within the Hokage's chamber was sombre. The Hokage sat in his chair, hands steeple together as he leaned against his table, looking down upon the thick mission report sent to him by the commander of his ANBU detail. He looked down upon it with tired, defeated eyes before looking up at the handful of men in the room, men and women he trusted, men and women who together represented the clans and council of Konoha.
"Many of you have probably already heard the rumours," Sarutobi said as he stood up, clasping his hands behind his back as he turned to look out the huge window of his office. "The rumours, I'm afraid, are true. Last night the Uchiha clan was attacked and massacred by one of its own."
There were no gasps, no sounds permeated the air. It was all eerily silent. Slowly the Hokage turned, gaze first meeting that of his two former teammates and eldest advisors. The eyes of Homura Mitokado were closed and his head was bowed in sombre reverence. The female member of his old team, Koharu Utatane, breathed a heavy sigh as she too looked down.
The voice of Shukaku Nara cut through the silence as he rubbed his forehead with his right hand. "How can one man wipe out an entire clan?"
"Such power is indeed terrifying to think off," Shibi Aburame thought out loud, looking through the room and each of its recipients. "I knew that Itachi Uchiha was a prodigy, but I still find it difficult to fathom that even he has the capability to wipe out an entire clan in a night."
"It is a serious blow to our military capability at least," Koharu muttered, folding her arms as the elderly woman spoke. "Not to mention that the military police has effectively ceased to exist."
Hiashi Hyuga was silent for a moment, head bowed slightly and eyes closed as he thought. The Uchiha may have been the rivals and opponents of his clan, but they all descended from the same ilk, even though in this time both his people and the Uchiha saw each other with tension and suspicion the Uchiha were still his clan's cousins. There would be mourning among the Hyuga in the coming months.
"Do we know the location of Itachi Uchiha?" he asked at last, opening his eyes to look at the Hokage.
"He escaped," Hiruzen replied with a sigh. "Killed at least five ANBU while he was at it, and injured a dozen others. The survivors reported being made the subject of unbreakable Genjutsu and black flames, which most likely means that he has gained the power of the Mangekyo Sharingan."
"That is indeed worrying," Hiashi murmured. "Those eyes are a curse, granting the wielder great power but also slowly degrading his senses until nothing remains."
The secrets of the ultimate Sharingan were not completely known by anyone outside of the clan, even the Hokage himself, his top commanders and the heads of the most powerful clans only knew so much about what the Mangekyo Sharingan was capable off, and the Uchiha was very secretive of their techniques, as was almost any major clan.
Hiruzen nodded his head to Hiashi's statement.
"What of the clan itself, do we know of any survivors?" Inoichi Yamanaka asked.
"Yes, at the moment there are only three," Hiruzen replied with a sad bow of his head. "It might become two though. The clan heads youngest son, Sasuke Uchiha, was the only Uchiha to come out of it physically unscathed, though he has suffered mentally. The Matriarch, Mikoto, is in a stable condition, and the third survivor, Midori Uchiha, is currently undergoing surgery in intensive care. The doctors tell me that her chances of survival were fifty-fifty at best."
"And Kakashi-sans condition?" Shukaku asked.
"Also stable," Hiruzen added.
The clan heads shook their heads, some in dismay over the loss of so much human life in their back yard, others for the weakening of their own military power. The loss of so many Uchiha was a bad blow for the village however you looked at it.
"He could not have done this alone," Tsume Inuzuka growled. "Someone must have helped him do this."
"I agree," Homura nodded his head. "Itachi was capable, yes, but I doubt even he could do all of this. Do we have any information on who may have aided him to commit this atrocity?"
"The ANBU commander who supposedly gave him these orders was found dead on the outskirts of the village in the early hours of the morning." The Hokage growled in supreme annoyance. "All evidence suggests that it was a clean and thorough assassination. There was nothing at the site which could lead our forensic teams to gain any clues. The site had been thoroughly sterilised. There is no evidence."
"Whoever did this was a pro," Shibi said thoughtfully.
"Indeed,"
"My ANBU are still searching for clues, but we would be most grateful if the Inuzuka, Aburame and Hyuga could lend their talents." Hiruzen said as he looked around.
"Yes, Hokage-sama," Tsume agreed with a bow. "You will have our most seasoned trackers."
"Mm," Shibi condoned with a nod of his head.
"The eyes of the Hyuga will help any way we can." Hiashi finished for the trio. "This was a notorious act, an unlawful slaughter in our own backyard which cannot be allowed to go without an appropriate response."
"Thank you, all of you." Hiruzen stated with a nod of his head. "There will be uncertain times ahead, but I ask you all to remain strong and steadfast throughout. We have lost many brothers and sisters this night, but they will never be forgotten and those responsible for this horrendous act will be found and punished for this crime."
All in attendance nodded in agreement.
"I will keep you all informed in any changes that may occur."
The clan heads nodded their heads, knowing that the signal had been giving to end the meeting. They filled out of the room, moving to implement their respective tasks. Only three people remained. The Hokage and his two former teammates and advisors were the only souls left once the door closed. Hiruzen sat heavily in his chair, as Homura and Koharu took the seats at the other end of the table.
"This is a disaster," Homura muttered at last.
"Mm," Sarutobi agreed with a nod.
"It will take the village a while to recover from this atrocity," Koharu added, allowing her stony facade to dissolve for a moment. "Not just in military terms either. Many friends have been lost this night. It feels like we're at war again."
"A few have survived," Sarutobi murmured. "We should be grateful for that at least."
"That reminds me to ask, Sarutobi," Koharu rubbed her forehead for a moment. "What was the Uzumaki boy doing in the compound? It is true that if he we're not there then the number of survivors would have fallen to two, however."
"Mikoto had started looking after the boy, on and off, for the last month or so." Sarutobi explained. "The night of the massacre she had been at his apartment cooking him a meal and checking up on him. She left her parasol at his apartment, and the boy decided to return it to her. He happened upon the massacre by circumstance."
"I see," Homura nodded.
"Did you think he had something to do with it?" Hiruzen asked tiredly.
"Off course not," Koharu shook her head. "We are simply worried is all?"
"The boy did indeed use the power of the Kyubi this night, though it appeared to be unconsciously." Sarutobi stated, rubbing his head. "If he wasn't there the number of survivors of the clan would have been two instead of three. If he and Mikoto hadn't have met it might have even been just one."
"Do you think Itachi might try again?" Koharu asked.
"If he does we will be ready," Hiruzen replied with a voice of steel. "I want all of the clans and Shinobi in the village to be on high alert. The ANBU are to be fully recalled to service and scattered around the village accordingly, and I want a full detail to keep guard over the survivors around the clock until we are sure the danger has passed."
"Yes, Hokage-sama," Koharu and Homura replied as one, bowing their heads in silent agreement. "It will be done as you will."
"Keep an eye on Danzo as well," Hiruzen finished. "I feel in my bones that he has had something to do with this."
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
"Dismissed," Hiruzen finished.
Deep under the surface of Konohagakure's old town district, in the oldest sewer systems of the village was the new temporary headquarters of the secretive branch of ANBU known as Root, and they were assembling in full force, gathering together in a drained out chamber. Almost fifty elite Ninja had gathered from every corner of the Hidden Leaf Village, answering the call of their master.
The leader in question sat on a tatami mat in the middle of the crevice, outwardly calm and collected. Dressed in a white high collared robe, a rickety walking stick laid out to his left. The full right side of his body covered in bandages, even across the right side of his face, obviously missing an eye and sporting a stump which was once a right arm it was obvious the man had been through war.
Silence was constant, his soldiers, all kneeling with their heads bowed did not make a single movement or gesture. They were as still as statues, waiting for his order. Each Shinobi had been put through severe mental and physical conditioning, trained to operate at maximum efficiency with no emotion. They were the perfect soldiers.
Danzo frowned. He did not like assembling his Root like this, but the current situation with the Uchiha called for it. Itachi Uchiha was supposed to be his greatest intelligence asset, gathering information on his clans alleged activities and their rumoured coup d'état against the village. If necessary he would have ordered him to strike at the heart of the clan, annihilating the clans council and their leader was the best he expected Itachi to be capable off.
He did not anticipate even Itachi to be capable of annihilating the entire clan, and even then Danzo would have sent at least half of his organisations number to make sure the mission was a complete success. Now he sat here, waiting for news of the massacre. There were rumours of survivors within the clan, and if so then there was potential for him to not only gain the power he was seeking but also the potential to build a new, loyal Uchiha clan from the ashes of the old.
He heard movement in the rafters above and watched as an ANBU fell silently from above. The elder not even batting an eyelash as he fell into a kneeling stance, head bowed in silent reverence. Danzo eyed the plain white bore mask and immediately knew him as the operative he had implanted in Sarutobi's ANBU ranks.
"Report," The Cyclops ordered lightly.
The man nodded his head. "We were finally able to gain the intelligence you desired, Danzo-sama. Out of the two hundred and twenty nine living members of the Uchiha clan Itachi killed all but three; the matriarch of the clan, Mikoto Uchiha, as well as her youngest son Sasuke, and one of her nieces, Midori. Mikoto-san has been hospitalised with a number of injuries but is currently stable, Sasuke-san is physically unharmed, however the niece, Midori-san's chances of survival at the moment is fifty-fifty, suffering from a stab wound to her stomach, massive internal bleeding and trauma."
"So there are three survivors, but the number could fall to two." Danzo murmured, massaging his chin with his one remaining hand. "And the Uzumaki boy, what was his role in all of this?"
"According to reports it appears that the Uzumaki boy was there by coincidence," the operative reported. "We have learned that the matriarch has taken an interest in the boy, and has been observed aiding the boy in day to day living. He was returning a parasol she had left behind. He stumbled upon the Uchiha boy and together the two of them came upon the massacre. The only reason Midori-san is still alive is because he tapped into the powers of his tenant to keep her alive."
"He tapped into the Kyubi's power?" Danzo questioned, about to take a sip of his tea but hesitated upon hearing the news.
"It would appear so," the agent acknowledged with a nod. "However is seems that he was somehow able to use its power to heal instead of destroy."
"Hmm, now that is interesting." Danzo thought out loud as he took a long sip of his tea, draining the last of its contents before laying it on the smaller mat beside him. "What is Sarutobi's response to this?"
"Tripling security around the village, hospital has at least six ANBU units guarding it around the clock and the Uzumaki boys own detail has doubled. The Hokage is keeping the massacre from becoming public knowledge for as long as possible, but the other clans as well as the elders have recently been informed as to what has happened."
"I see," Danzo murmured, remaining silent for a long moment before looking up to his subordinate. "Good work, continue to monitor the situation and report any changes to me."
The agent bowed, then like a wraith jumped up to the rafters once again with short bursts of chakra to his feet. All the while his leader was in quiet contemplation. He needed to make preparations, tie up loose ends and remove anything which would incriminate him in what had happened. All documentation linking him and his organisation to Itachi was to be burned; all agents who had made contact with the Uchiha were to be eliminated.
With a wave of his hand he dismissed all but five Root operatives, sending them back to their positions within the village. These five operatives, whom he trusted the most, were to be given his orders and would be responsible for making sure that the orders were carried out efficiently and effectively. He would remove all evidence to his association with Itachi, and through that Konoha's last line of defence would survive.
He would do what was best for Konoha, even if it perceived him and his troops as villains. That was what he and his Root were. The silent guardians and shadow operatives of the superpower which was the Village Hidden in the Leaves. They would protect the village, even if doing so meant using methods that Sarutobi and his soft minded followers frowned upon.
That was the reason for their existence.
That was Root.
Mikoto lay in bed, body covered in white bandages from various wounds as she looked out the open window of her private hospital room, feeling the gentle blow of a cool breeze and the rustling of noises outside of her window it almost seemed like a dream that she would soon wake up from. Mikoto had hoped for the longest time that all of this was just a dream, which she would wake up to see her husband beside her, getting up and preparing breakfast for her two sons.
She had hoped that all she had witnessed was nothing but a dream. How cruel life was.
She knew, deep down, that what had happened was not a dream. The images of her clan, her brothers and sisters, her nieces and nephews, her cousins, aunties and uncles strewn across the ground, blood flowing to darken the ground with its taint. Those images would never leave her until her dying days.
What was worse was the cold, hard knowledge that the perpetrator of this horrific crime was her own son, her eldest son. The scion of the entire clan had become its downfall overnight. He had not only killed his clan but took the life of his father, and tried to take her life as well.
A tear silently fell along the circumference of her cheek, how bad a mother had she been for her eldest son to become this. How much of a failure had she been not to see the signs of what he was about to do and try to stop it. Mikoto looked out the window, a heaviness descending on her breast, a heaviness of guilt and uselessness. Her eldest son had killed their entire clan, probably taken the life of her husband and her youngest son as well.
She looked down at her hands.
What was she going to do? She was alone now, all alone. It would probably be easier to end her own life now and deny her eldest son the satisfaction of ending her life personally. Just the thought was heart wrenchingly unbelievable. If someone told her that he was planning to do what he did then she would have simply laughed. That was the extent of her shattered faith in her eldest son.
What had she left to live for?
What was left?
"Mom?"
Her head snapped up, falling to the form at the doorway to her room, eyes widening slightly in recognition when she saw the black hair, the onyx eyes and the pure untainted relief on his small face to see her alive. Mikoto's eyes widened in surprised, but also hope. Hope that what she was seeing before her was not an illusion of her mind; hope that this was Sasuke who stood before her.
"Sasuke," she managed through a choked sob, and her youngest son ran into her arms and hugged her tight, he himself crying as he leaned into her as if to make sure she was really there.
"You're alive mom, you're really alive," he cried as he buried his face into her chest and cried with all his might, all pride to become a splendid Ninja forgotten and replaced with all the fear of a young child who thought he had lost everything. "When that kid said so I thought he was lying."
"That kid?" she asked.
"Mm, Naruto from my class." Sasuke clarified. "He told me that you were still alive, but I didn't believe him... then he hit me for calling him a liar, then he led her here... then... then."
Mikoto sighed, but continued to hold her crying son in her arms. She would continue to live, continue to strife, all for his sake. She would protect her son and make sure he travelled the right path, and when the time came to revive their clan she would make sure he did it right, without any of their clans faults or sense of superiority to get in the way.
"The boy who helped you get here," she asked at last, gently pushing her son back so she could look into his eyes. "Do you know where he is?"
Sasuke was silent for a moment, actually attempting to think. Then he looked over to the door and pointed. "He was right there, led me to where you were mom and said he didn't want to get in the way."
Mikoto sighed after a moment. "Sounds like him alright, silly boy."
She was completely unaware that tears were flowing down her cheeks. She wasn't aware she was crying until she saw the wet patches on her bed sheets, and it was only when she reached up to touch her soaked cheeks before she finally cried. A mass of emotions including the loss of her entire family, knowing that the culprit was her firstborn and of seeing her own husband's body brought all of her emotions to a simmering head.
Sasuke was just able to look up, eyes widening slightly upon seeing his mother, his pillar of strength in a family where his father barely acknowledged him and where his older brother was becoming more aloof. To see her cry as inconsolably as she was at this moment was terrifying.
"Mom?"
Mikoto sobbed loudly as she hugged her youngest son close, needing nothing more than a little comfort through all the pain and guilt she was feeling at this moment. Her youngest returned her embrace, and she was unaware that he was also crying silently.
Naruto dug his hands into his jacket pockets as he walked down the main street of the village, ignoring everything around him as he attempted to sort out his whirlwind of thoughts. He would never admit it, but what he had seen last night would probably leave a mark on him for as long as he remained among the living.
He would probably never forget what he had seen. The masses of bodies, the rivers of blood, the continuous stream of terror stricken, unmoving faces, each carrying their hosts last painful memories of death, forever etched. An entire clan, perhaps one of the strongest clans in existence, completely eradicated overnight. Just the thought of it was terrifying. He may be young, and he may not be the smartest tool in the shed, but even he knew that the Uchiha clan were considered among the strongest and most well respected in the village.
"Help me... please!"
That girl's face, grimacing in pain and disbelief, would probably stay with him for a long time as well. He didn't know why he did what he did and he couldn't even begin to explain what it was that he did. All he knew was at that moment only a single thought flowed through his mind. That thought was simple and to the point. He had to save her. He wanted to save her. There was more to her eyes than pain and fear, there was also betrayal and he felt that for such betrayal to linger in her eyes she must have known her attacker.
Then there was his Auntie, he wanted to press forward after the ANBU came and began tending to the girl, but he was stopped by those very same ANBU. They had taken them both to the hospital, rushing the girl away from him and staying guard over him in a hospital room while a disgruntled doctor looked over him to make sure he was alright. He always hated hospitals, grew nauseous of the smell and nervous by the doctors, some were nice, but twice as many others were cruel and uncaring.
He hated the hospital.
So he decided to leave, waiting for the moment when the eyes of his guards were diverted before sneaking out of the room. He knew that they were not that easy to lose, but he liked to think to himself that he was able to outsmart his would be protectors. That was when he met Sasuke in the corridor. He didn't seem hurt, at least not too badly, but the look in his eyes was another thing entirely. He seemed to be broken, and sure he was the only survivor of what had happened. Naruto decided to prove him wrong, and dragged him through the corridors. Sasuke looked ready to say something, but he shut up pretty quickly when he heard what Naruto had heard, that a few nurses mentioned that only a handful of Uchiha had survived the massacre.
A handful;
It made him shut up, but Naruto could see that it also brought him hope. Eventually they found the room he had been looking for, and Aunt Mikoto was sitting upright in her bed, looking as lost and afraid as Sasuke was. Naruto let Sasuke wander in without any trouble, and turned around to walk down the corridor towards the exit. He felt he was not needed at the moment, and he had a real strong urge to escape the hospital.
He looked up, blinking in surprise and bewilderment when he saw the familiar tree in the centre of the academy grounds. That same swing tied to its strongest branch rocking slightly in the breeze. Naruto moved without realising it, closing the distance between him and the swing, closing the gap within seconds he saw on the worn wood, feeling the creak as it took his weight. For the longest time he sat there, looking out over the seemingly deserted terrain of the academy.
Class must be out today, it was too quiet.
Naruto was unaware as to how long he sat on the swing, but the next time he looked up one of them was there, a member of his Jiji's ANBU black ops, looking down at him with his emotionless white animal mask. It was an owl this time. "Come on kiddo, Hokage-sama was looking for you."
Her skills were definitely getting rusty. She had just barely woken up, still drowsy. It wasn't until she sat up and wiped the sleep from her eyes that she noticed that she and her son wasn't the only ones in the room. A kunai hidden in the sleeve of her sleeping kimono was in her hand in a backward grip and at the ready.
In that moment she was not a grieving widow or a protective mother.
In that moment she was a Kunoichi ready for a fight.
She hesitated when she saw the face of the intruder, and after a moment she lowered her weapon and placed it on the bedside table across from her, lowering her head in apology; "Hokage-sama."
The old man wasn't wearing his robes or hat of state, trading them in for a simple hakama and pants of his own clan. His favourite smoking pipe was in his mouth though and the tobacco was burning away as he smoked, breathing out a waft of it from the corner of his mouth into the air as he set the spent match down.
"It's quite alright, Mikoto-san." He acknowledged before giving her a sad smile. "You wish to hear what news we have on your clan and the fate of the perpetrator?"
She hesitated a moment before finally nodding her head; "Yes, Hokage-sama."
"Besides you and Sasuke there is another survivor of the clan, your niece Midori is out of surgery and although she isn't out of the woods yet she is stable," Sarutobi said as he took his pipe from his mouth and blew out the smoke. "As for the fate of Itachi... he was able to escape, took the lives of a few of my ANBU and injured quite a few others in his escape. For now the chances of him returning to finish what he started are not unlikely, so I've strengthened your guard details and that of your son and niece until we're sure he's gone."
Mikoto did not answer for the longest time, attention drawn to that of her youngest son, sleeping beside her in an uneasy rest. She caressed his messy black hair, smiling softly as he stirred but did not awake. "Thank you for telling me personally, Hokage-sama."
"Hmm," the Hokage nodded his head, clutching his pipe back within his mouth as he leaned back against his chair. "A manhunt has been organised to try and track Itachi down, if he is within the country we will find him, however it is more likely he has left the country altogether. If that is the case then we will have to count on our allies for help, but chances are he has fled further to unfriendly territory."
"So the chances of catching him are nil?" Mikoto asked as she continued to caress her youngest son's hair.
The Hokage nodded his head solemnly. "We're preparing funerals for all of your clan. I understand it may be difficult for you to bear, so I would recommend not returning to live in the clan compounds. A flat or house can be setup for you, Sasuke and Midori when she fully recovers if you wish."
"Thank you, Hokage-sama," she replied, thinking for a moment before looking over. "And yes, I think it would be best to move out of that compound. I don't think it would be healthy for any of us to stay in that compound with the memories and the ghosts."
"Good, then I will leave you too your rest," Sarutobi nodded as he stood up, picking up his hat of office as he walked towards the door. The door closed, leaving her alone with her son. The Uchiha Matriarch, probably one of only three left alive in the world, lay down on her bed, hugged her son tight and allowed her exhaustion to consume her once again.
Midori lay in bed, unmoving, looking up at the white surface of the ceiling with dull onyx eyes. She sighed, but otherwise made no other motion. How she hated hospitals. The smell of disinfectant was nauseating and the lack of life or colour in the rooms seemed to suck all of the joy out of the atmosphere. Yes, she hated hospitals with a passion. Give her worn wooden floors and paper sliding doors any day.
She stifled a harsh exhale of breathe when the stab wound in her stomach throbbed painfully. The wound had been sowed shut. Her organs had been healed through medical Jutsu, salve applied and bandages wrapped around her stab wound. She had been given anaesthetic to dull the pain, but it still seemed to remain, as sharp as when she had been stabbed and as painful as when she was lying in her own blood on the main road of the compound.
She did not move. She could not move. The pain immobilised her, unable to move and unable to cry out she simply gripped the bed sheets until her knuckles went white, gritting her teeth and shutting her eyes hard, emitting nothing more than a pained whimper as she rode out the newest wave of agony assailing her.
Images haunted her, and would continue to haunt her until her dying breath. She had ran out of the house, hearing the screams and the sounds of battle, drawing her mother's cherished katana and rushing out to defend her home, defend her clan. She hadn't stopped until she stood in the centre of the street, looking at the fallen forms of her loved ones with wide, disbelieving eyes.
Movement caught the edges of her vision and she spin around, hair flailing to see who was directly behind her. When she saw him her grip on her katana loosened and she lowered her weapon in obvious relief.
"Itachi, don't scare me like that!"
He did not answer, simply continued to look at her with dull eyes. It was kind of intimidating. She was probably the closest thing to a friend he had. The two of them had grown up together, used to play together before his training really started. How stupid she was. She was so relieved to see him that she just didn't notice the blood sprayed across his cheek, nor the dyed crimson blade of his ninja-to.
She didn't notice until his blade was hilt deep in her gut.
The first thing that hit Midori was shock, pure disbelieving shock, followed by terror and then as she fell on her side, Itachi pulling the blade callously from her body as she hit the ground, she felt betrayal. She had liked to think that she and Itachi were friends, but he obviously didn't think the same way, not if those emotionless orbs of his were any indication.
He looked down at her as if she were nothing, less than nothing.
Then he walked away.
Damn him.
"Damn you, Itachi," she murmured in a broken voice, knowing that tears were streaming down her cheeks but didn't care. "Damn you."
Her memories since then were hazy, but she remembered blurred images of her little cousin, Itachi's brother, Sasuke, and a blond haired boy roughly his age. The boy stayed with her. He did something to her. Midori didn't know what he did but whatever it was it saved her life. She owed him, whoever he was, and she was sure as hell she was going to repay it.
She dully heard the door of her room open and turned her head to see the familiar form of her aunt. Mikoto stood in the frame, pale slender hand gripping onto an IV drip. She looked pale, and by her bandages she had suffered at the hands of Itachi as well, but she was still alive.
Midori thought it was a cruel mirage at first, her mind, dimmed by drugs, playing tricks on her. She still hoped though, hoped with all of her might that she was not the victim of a cruel trick of the mind; "Auntie?"
The Uchiha matriarch smiled softly as she entered the room, hand pulling the pole along with her but showing no outward signs of pain. She was dressed in a simple white hospital kimono, one designed to be baggy and not cling to the skin. Mikoto sat down on the chair beside her niece's bedside, looked over and smiled.
"You're alive, Midori," she said softly. "Thank whatever gods there are for small mercies."
"You're here, right?" Midori asked, tears streaming down her cheeks. "You're not some cruel trick, right?"
How could she break down like this? She was a Shinobi of the Uchiha clan. She should be able to control her emotions better than this. Midori thought this as she forced her eyes shut tightly to stop the flow of tears which threatened to spill. A gentle hand caressed her cheek, and the young girl opened her eyes to see the pained, saddened, yet loving eyes of her aunt looking down upon her with a sad smile.
"I'm here, Midori, you're not alone."
Those words broke what little fortitude the young Uchiha had left.
She cried.
Authors Alert 1: Naruto, its settings and characters are the property of Misashi Kishimoto. I do not own them
Authors Alert 2: Almost there, just another chapter. The epilogue may be a little later than I originally thought, but for now expect it, if not by Sunday, then definitely by Monday. A lot of people have been asking me if I am thinking of continuing this story, my answer at the moment is a very big question mark. I may continue it, but not as a multi-chapter epic length story, I have too many of those going on at the moment to think about. Instead I may make a few sequels, small stories or one-shots dealing with important events in this little alternate timeline.