As always, all source material belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

Chapter Ten

That night, Itachi again fell asleep with Hana in his arms, and once again woke in the middle of the night to frantic pounding on the door.

"It's Shisui again." Hana said, "And I smell blood."

The moment Hana opened the door, Shisui burst in and slammed it shut behind him. He was breathing hard, and holding a bloody rag to his face.

"What happened?" Itachi asked, helping him to a chair.

"That psycho Danzo attacked me out of nowhere."

"You're hurt. Where?" Hana asked.

"He got me in the face. He was trying to gouge my eye out. If I didn't have Obito's Sharingan, I don't think I could have gotten away in one piece."

"Show me the wound."

Gritting his teeth, Shisui pulled away the rag. A long slash ran from under his right eye to the bottom of his ear.

Hana grimaced, "It's deep. I'll have to stitch it."

By that time, the commotion had drawn Tsume and Kiba to the top of the stairs.

"What's going on?" Tsume demanded.

"Everything's fine, Mom." Hana told her, "Shisui just needs a quick stitch job. I'll handle it. You can go back to bed."

"You sure? I ain't a medic, but I've sewn up plenty of critters. I could help." Tsume offered.

"I've got it. Don't worry about it."

"Sorry for waking you guys up." Shisui added.

Tsume and Kiba looked skeptical, but they did return to bed.

"We've got bigger problems than we thought." Shisui said as Hana pulled a suture kit from her medical supplies.

"Danzo was obviously after your Mangekyo Sharingan." Itachi said, "We knew that was a possibility as soon as we found out he knew about it."

"Yeah, but here's what we didn't know. I'm not the first person he's done this to."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean the guy has a Sharingan embedded in his fucking hand. He tried to use it on me."

Itachi sat down, "This is what he's been after the whole time. It's why he was so adamant about the executions. It's not about protecting the village, it's not even about getting one over on the Hokage. It's about harvesting Sharingan from the dead afterward."

"Then what are we supposed to do?" Shisui asked, wincing as Hana began to apply to sutures, "It's not like you can just back out now."

"… It means I have to do this tonight before Danzo can try again, and it means I have to destroy the eyes as I go."

"I can't believe I'm actually hearing this conversation." Hana groaned.

"I'm out of time. If I wait, I'm only putting everyone in danger."

"So… tonight? You're serious?" asked Shisui.

"…Yeah. I'm going to talk to the Hokage, then…"

"'Then'… yeah." Shisui sighed.

Itachi changed into his ANBU uniform, tied on his headband, and sheathed his ninjato on his back. He stared at himself in the bathroom mirror for a long while, wondering if this was the last time he would be able to stand his own reflection. Once he had collected himself, he made his way to the Hokage Tower with the small pack of belongings he would need while on the run. He guessed correctly that the Third would still be in his office even at this hour. An impending massacre and cover-up would require quite a bit of paperwork.

Sarutobi must have understood what it meant when Itachi appeared in uniform. His already grim expression darkened even more.

"You've decided to do it tonight then."

"Yes, sir. Danzo attacked Shisui tonight. He's forcing my hand."

"I didn't think he would make a move like that until afterward. I'm sorry."

"Shisui was wounded, but it was minor and he was able to escape. Even so, Danzo made it clear that he has no intention of keeping his word."

"You should never have been put in this position. If there is anything I can do, anything at all, just ask."

"You have already promised protection for Shisui and Sasuke, but I need assurances. Shisui can take care of himself, he proved that tonight, but I'm afraid Danzo will try again, and Sasuke doesn't even know he's in danger. There's also Orochimaru's threats toward Sasuke. I have to know they'll be safe."

"They will be under my protection. I give you my word."

Itachi bowed his head "Thank you, Hokage-sama."

"I know what this mission means for you, but don't believe that you will be abandoned. I will make sure that you have some form of line of communication with me, and a way back into the village if you ever need it. You are shinobi of the Leaf, regardless of what the world may believe after tonight."

"Thank you."

Sarutobi shook his head, "Don't thank me. I should have been able to prevent this all together. I failed you."

"You aren't to blame for this, sir. I have to go. My window is closing."

Walking out of the tower, Itachi was confronted by none other than Danzo, still looking a bit disheveled from his clash with Shisui.

"So you intend to keep your work after all." the village elder said with great self-satisfaction.

"One of us believes in honor." Itachi replied, "That being said, I'm not afraid to get my hands dirty. I know what you did tonight, and it won't happen again. The same goes for my brother. If you touch him, or speak to him, or so much as look at him wrong, or if any of your men do, I swear on my honor that I will destroy you."

"What makes you think you are in a position to threaten me?"

"I am an ANBU captain. I have been for five years. Do you think I don't know about your side operations? About Root? The Hokage turns a blind eye because he can't afford open conflict with you, but I have nothing to lose. If anything happens to Sasuke or Shisui, the entire world will know every one of your dirty little secrets. That includes the one about your right hand. I bet the Hokage would be very interested in that one in particular."

"Perhaps I underestimated you. You play the game well. You would have been an excellent recruit if I had gotten to you young enough." Danzo said.

"You have my terms."

"I do indeed."

Without further posturing, Itachi left. He had no doubt that Danzo already had half a dozen plans to circumvent the blackmail, but he could not have left him without the threat.

After next week's chapter, Fall of the Guardian will be going on a summer hiatus. I am in the process of moving and will not have much time to write for a while. Expect new chapters to begin in mid-September. As always, reviews are appreciated!