ooo000ooo
Chapter 10
Kokoro no Kaze
A cold of the soul
There is probably no more terrible instant of enlightenment than the one in which you discover your father is a man – with human flesh. – Dune
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Present Day
: :Mission Room, Kohonagakure: :
32 Minutes Remaining
Kakashi could feel the seconds ticking away in time with his heartbeat. The clock on the wall of the mission room was the focus of the majority of Konoha's jounin and ANBU. Koharu, Homura and Root occupied a small corner of the Mission Room, wisely keeping themselves separate from the majority that were already jumpy and paranoid with their presence. Kakashi stroked the kunai in his pocket, reassured by its presence and the edge he'd sharpened the night before. His mind was racing, trying to figure all the angles and avenues of what was happening and what could happen. Was this connected to Tsunade's investigation into the Hanta? But what did Iruka have to do with that? The Academy Sensei had worked the mission desk for years but hadn't taken anything more than a B-ranked mission since he'd joined the Academy. He was an advisor to Sandaime but he and Tsunade didn't get along and Kakashi doubted she'd listen to Iruka's opinion on anything except maybe Naruto or the Academy.
"I can't believe this," Shizune murmured. "I thought he fought during Pain's attack?"
"He did," Asuma growled and nodded to Kakashi. "Kakashi saved him from Pain himself."
"This is bullshit," Genma growled, "They're trying something." Raido nodded in agreement and all of them kept one eye on the Konoha Council and Root.
"I don't like how fearless they are," Ibiki muttered, "Their criminals but they act like they're the law."
"As long as they're with the Council they might as well be," Raido pointed out, "At least until someone finds Tsunade."
Hiashi entered the room, Neji and Hanabi with him. "Hatake-san, where is the Hokage?"
"No idea," Kakashi shrugged.
"ANBU's been trying to find her all morning," Shizune worried, clutching an armful of scrolls tightly to her chest.
"The Hokage is missing?" Jiraya's voice boomed in the quiet room and made a good number of shinobi jump and reach for weapons. "What the hell is going on?"
"The Council is charging Iruka with treason," Kurenai explained.
"Iruka? You mean Umino, Naruto's teacher?" Jiraya had only met the teacher a handful of time, but Naruto's adoration of the man was well known.
"We can't find Tsunade," Shizune broke in. "Did you stay with her last night?" A wildly inappropriate question only justified by the honest worry behind it.
Kakashi snapped to attention and around without thinking, the others only half a second behind him. Iruka's chakra flashed over them, unhidden and moments later he appeared in a flash of smoke and leaves. He was in his normal uniform, hair up like always and just as defiant. He didn't look around for support, didn't even hesitate as the Konoha Council approached him and Root moved to surrounded them all to prevent interference.
"Iruka," Koharu could barely contain her glee.
"Koharu." It took every ounce of strength Iruka had not to stab her in the eye with a kunai. They familiarity didn't go unnoticed.
"Umino Iruka," her voice dripped with victory, "You are hereby charged with treason by way of dereliction of duty during Pain's onslaught of the village. Surrender yourself to ANBU's custody. You will be tried by a jury of your peers for your crimes."
Root ANBU surrounded Iruka, but stayed well out of arms reach.
"No one is arresting him without the Hokage's order," Kakashi stepped in. Neither Koharu or Iruka paid him any attention, continuing their stare down.
"Well where is she, boy?" Homura growled.
No one answered.
"You don't know where the Hokage is?" Homura demanded.
"No one has seen her today," Shizune admitted because by now, it was a serious problem that no one knew where the Hokage was.
"Root is not an official organization. They have no authority," Kakashi growled.
That got Koharu's attention. "They serve the Konoha Council."
"The Konoha Council is meant to advise the Hokage, you do not have the power to issue arrest warrants." Kakashi stood his ground.
The air in the room became tense as Koharu turned to Kakashi. Genma and the others immediately flanked him and Jiraya stepped forward.
"Don't over step your responsibilities, Koharu." Jiraya warned, "You are not the Hokage."
"The same could be said for you, Jiraya." Koharu sneered. "Just because you bed her, does not allow you to make her decisions."
Jiraya snarled and Raido and Asuma had to grab him before the Sanin started a war.
Her chakra appeared before she did. Heavy, angry and blanketing as Tsunade appeared in a flash of smoke and leaves and her presence silenced the entire room. She was dressed in the same clothes she'd worn yesterday, circles under her eyes revealed she hadn't slept the night before. Her eyes located Iruka and didn't move.
Iruka finally turned, he and Tsunade facing one another. She had a dusty old scroll in her hands and Iruka recognized the hand-writing immediately. She knew then. It figured that the Sandaime would find a way to interfere from the grave.
Tsunade ignored everyone but the chuunin staring her down with a defiance that seemed a lot more like hatred now. The Village would have to wait, dealing with Iruka was more important and Tsunade had faith that Kakashi and the others wouldn't let anything catastrophic happen in her absence. There was a deeper anger to her drive though, she was the last Senju, she was meant to be the one to take down Iruka. And she knew just where to do it. "The Valley of the End." She smirked as she said it and Iruka answered in kind.
"Fitting."
They teleported out before anyone could stop them and left a heavy silence in their absence.
"Go after them!" Homura snarled at his Root soldiers.
"Anyone that leaves without the Hokage's approval will be arrested!" Shizune snapped in a rare show of temper. Whatever was happening with Tsunade was clearly taking its toll on her.
Voices rose as shinobi demanded to know what was going on and became more panicked as everyone realized no one knew what was actually happening. ANBU blocked Root from leaving but it placed Kakashi directly in the Council's line of fire.
"Stand down Hatake, you are not in command." Koharu snarled.
"Yes he is," Genma argued, "The Hokage has already announced her intention to have him succeeded her."
"That has not been voted on yet," Homaru's tone suggested something ominous.
But it was Kotetsu and Izumo, Iruka's close friends and office mates that managed to silence the room.
Standing off to the side, Izumo nudged his teammate. "Did you get it?"
Kotetsu smirked and held up the scroll that had been clasped in Tsunade's hand. It was Koharu taking notice that alerted the rest of the room.
"Hagane," her voice was a warning.
"Not a chance old hag." It had been his chosen nickname for her since he was a child and his brazen defiance made the rest of the room stop and stare.
"What is happening?" Sai demanded, pushing forward to stand with Kakashi.
"Do not make a mistake now Hagane, your precious Taichou isn't here to defend you." Homaru sneered. Root surrounded him and suddenly shinobi throughout the room were drawing weapons and preparing to fight. Izumo's eyes went completely black as his chakra roared to life. Koharu and Homura took an inadvertent step back.
"What is that?" Raido hissed, he'd never felt chakra like Izumo's before. None of them had but clearly Root knew something about it because they were slowly backing away.
Kotetsu's smile was full of promises of blood. "What's wrong? I thought Root wasn't scared of anything?"Kotetsu's own chakra began to rise, surpassing anything Kakashi and the others had ever felt from him before.
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Present Day
: :Umino Iruka's Apartment, Kohonagakure: :
They were all gathered in Iruka's living room, waiting impatiently for Naruto and Sasuke to return from their interrogations with ANBU. Iruka had cautioned them not to be optimistic, it was likely they'd end up being in ANBU's custody for several days.
Kiba groaned theatrically, "I can't take this, when are we going to find out anything?"
"They could be in there for days," Shikimaru muttered.
Ino and Sakura shared a look. "So Shika," Ino started with a grin. Shikimaru instinctively inched away.
Sakura matched Ino's grin. "Have you talked to Temari?"
Shikimaru winced, "No."
"Why not? You know she came to see you?" Ino demanded.
"She did not, she's here to help her brother." Shikimaru snorted, inching further away.
Sakura and Ino rolled their eyes.
"She is not," Sakura jumped in. "She definitely came to see you."
Iruka's front door blew open, bouncing off the wall with a crack that made them all jump. Naruto burst inside, dragging Sasuke behind him.
"WE'RE FREE!" Naruto roared with glee, Sasuke winced and covered his ears.
"Yes!" Kiba and Lee roared in response and leapt to their feet.
"I feel like that's not exactly what happened," Shino commented, though he climbed to his feet as well.
Naruto threw his arm around Sasuke's shoulders and grinned. Sasuke permitted a small smile, that grew bigger as the rest of the Rookie Eleven enveloped them in a group hug.
"It's not what happened," Sasuke agreed, "The Dobe's simplifying it."
"What did they say exactly?" Sakura demanded.
"We're on probation. Yajirobi and Iruka have to know where we are at all times and we have to have weekly meetings with Ibiki. We can't go back on active service yet either." Sasuke explained.
"That seems way too easy," Shikimaru frowned.
Naruto shrugged, "It's the first step in the right direction. I saw Iruka-sensi talking to Ibiki before they let us go. He probably knows more."
"You didn't get all the information before you left?" Sakura squawked.
"Iruka-sensei is handling it." Naruto's faith was blinding and rock solid. They all shared it but it occurred to Sakura that neither Naruto or Iruka talked about their first years together, before the rest of the world had become involved.
"How did you and Iruka-sensei meet, Naruto?" Sakura asked.
Naruto was quiet for a minute, his gaze somewhere beyond the small living room of Iruka's apartment.
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13 years ago
: :Streets of Konohagakure: :
He was small for his age. At five he could walk, run and climb but most kids his age were a few inches taller than him. Their ribs didn't show. They didn't have untreated scraps and bruises. The Sandaime made sure he was taken care of, but he was the Hokage and he couldn't be there every minute of every day. His care drastically decreased when the Sandaime wasn't there to oversee it.
He'd started making a game of sneaking out when the Hokage was working. No one tried too hard to stop him. So far he'd managed to get away for two days without anyone coming after him. Things were heating up with Rock again and anyone that worked in the Hokage's Tower was busy.
But he had a problem now. A big one. He was starving and he didn't have any money or anyway to get any. No one would give him any handouts, they all recognized him. If he managed to get in the front door it only took a few minutes for the whispers to start. If someone didn't kick him out immediately the whispers drove him out after a few minutes. He was getting better at staying longer, in the beginning he wouldn't have lasted more than a few seconds. Now he could stand them for almost ten minutes.
Tonight wasn't one of those nights though. He barely stepped inside before the owner of the restaurant had blocked his path. He'd snuck around the back alley to see if there was something stacked by the back door or in the dumpster and had no luck. It must have been trash pickup earlier that day. He wandered to the entrance of the alley. It started to rain. Feet bare, he'd lost his shoes the day before. Shorts and shirt torn, he didn't have many cloths so he wore them until they fell apart at the seams. He was covered in dirt; the rain would wash it off now.
He watched the crowd move along the street. No one looked at him. A few made a point to look away. No one spoke to little boy getting soaked in the midst of the trash filled alley. Naruto fought back tears. He tried to be strong but the cut on his knee started to sting as the rain washed out some of the dirt. He scrubbed his arms over his eyes to force the tears away.
"Hey."
The voice was warm and startled Naruto. He looked around to see who it was for. There was no one in the alley but him. He turned. Two boys, teenagers, had stopped and the crowd was forced to flow around them. Like rocks in the river that refused to be moved no matter how strong the current.
Naruto blinked. Maybe he'd been imaging the voice.
"Kid, you okay?" The taller of the two spoke. His eyes were big, dark and depthless. Naruto had never seen eyes like that before. His skin was a weird color. Darker than most of Konohagakure, at least the ones Naruto had seen. He looked like he was tanned from the sun but it hadn't been sunny in weeks. He had a long, vicious scar across his face, his haired pulled back into a high ponytail. A shinobi then, despite his age. He stopped forward, waved a hand in front of Naruto's face. "Yo, can you talk?"
The other boy stepped up and nudged him aside. His skin was pale as moon light, his eyes just as fathomless but a blue instead of brown. His long hair was pulled back into a low pony tail. He was shorter than the other boy, but moved with a more unnatural grace. Like a cat. Naruto had never seen anything like it. Despite their differences, Naruto sensed they were connected. They stood inside one another's space with ease, all the small touches that came with living in another person's life seemed like they were treasured. No one touched Naruto like that.
"Are you alright?" He was more refined then the other boy, his voice softer.
They stepped into the alley with him but the fear that normally came with strangers blocking him in, didn't come this time. Naruto had to crane his neck back to look up at them.
"How old are you?"
Naruto bit his lip, debated answering. Maybe they didn't know who he was? He finally held up a hand, all five fingers up.
They looked shocked.
"You're five?" The tan one was clearly the louder of the two. "But you're so small! Doesn't anyone feed you?"
Naruto flinched away from him. The pale boy immediately put a calming hand on the other boy's arm. "Don't yell Iruka."
Iruka sputtered but made a visible effort to calm down. His words came through gritted teeth. "He looks like he hasn't eaten days. Why the fuck isn't someone taking care of him?"
The pale boy smiled at Naruto. "Where are your parents?"
They didn't recognize him. People were glancing at them as they walked by. Someone would tell them soon and then they'd stop talking to him just like everyone else.
"Dead." Neither boy even flinched and Naruto blinked.
"Who's supposed to be taking care of you?" Iruka demanded. The other boy looked at him with resigned fondness. Iruka apparently couldn't control his temper.
"The Hokage." They didn't even blink. Naruto started to get nervous. If they didn't care about the Hokage, then they weren't scared of him. He backed away.
"Where are you going?" Iruka demanded and advanced as Naruto retreated, gaining speed with every step. Iruka reached for him and Naruto threw up his hands in self-defense.
"Leave me alone! Don't hurt me!"
Iruka froze, face going pale. Naruto peeked out from behind his arms. Iruka and the other boy both looked furious now. They were going to kill him.
An adult broke off from the crowd and stepped into the alley. Would he save Naruto? No, he ignored him and spoke to Iruka and the other boy, bowing deeply. Naruto had only ever seen people bow to the Hokage like that.
"Iruka-san, Itachi-san."
"What do you want?" Iruka still sounded furious and he turned on the stranger with that rage, like he wasn't afraid at all of the adult and what he might do. Itachi stepped between Naruto and Iruka, but he stood at Iruka's shoulder in support. Naruto couldn't see the adult anymore.
"I wanted to warn you Iruka-san."
"About what?" Iruka sounded like he was losing his patience. If he had any, Naruto certainly hadn't seen it.
"That thing."
Naurto didn't think it was possible but he thought he felt the temperature in the alley drop several degrees. Itachi stiffened and Naruto saw his hand fall to something under his jacket. He was armed.
"What thing?" Iruka repeated, his tone terrifyingly cold now.
Naruto couldn't see the adult so he couldn't tell what happened next. Itachi, moving faster than Naruto had ever seen, wrapped him in his cloak and covered his eyes. Naruto heard a crunch, a cry of pain and then raised voices from the street, but Iruka's voice drowned everything else out.
"GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE YOU USELESS PRICK! Anybody else have something to say?!"
Naruto, wrapped in Itachi's cloak and arms, heard everything muffled but felt Itachi's laughter as the boy's body shook. "Sorry about him, he's not good at being subtle." Itachi's arms were warm so Naruto was willing to go along with whatever he said.
"FUCKERS!" Iruka's language was a lot more mature than him apparently.
The next thing he knew, Naruto was pulled from Itachi's arms and off the ground. When he opened his eyes, he was eye level with Iruka's bright, brown eyes. "Hey kid, are you hungry?"
Naruto blinked, not sure what to do. He cast a sideward glance at Itachi and noticed he was looking towards the entrance of the alley with a terrifying look on his face. Naruto looked beyond Iruka and realized the crowd was rapidly moving away from them. Whoever Iruka and Itachi were, they were somebody.
Naruto turned back to Iruka, the older boy had defended him to complete strangers and he hadn't even hesitated. So had Itachi, but it was hard not to focus on anything but the emotional face that held Naruto hostage. He was still waiting for Naruto's answer.
Naruto's stomach answered for him, gurgling loudly. For a moment nothing happened then Iruka broke into a huge smile that seemed to brighten the whole world. He hugged Naruto close, the way Naruto had seen parents carry their children but in a way no one had ever held him. Itachi joined them and Naruto realized he had the same expression. Despite their drastically different looks, they had to be related. They had the same world-shifting smile.
"Ramen it is," Iruka announced and Itachi groaned. Iruka looked at him, comical betrayal on his face. "What? Ramen is awesome." Iruka turned back to him, "Right Naruto?"
Naruto's heart stopped. They knew who he was. They'd always known. They'd always known and they'd stopped to talk to him anyway. Naruto nodded frantically, hunger taking over, fisting his hands in Iruka's shirt so the older boy wouldn't let him go. Itachi sighed dramatically and Naruto saw his hands moving quickly to form seals Naruto had seen the Hokage make. Smoke enveloped them and when everything cleared, the most delicious smell filled Naruto's senses.
"Welcome to Ramen Ichiraku."
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Present Day
: :Umino Iruka's Apartment, Konohagakure: :
"Oh my god it's all Iruka-sensei's fault!" Sakura wailed.
"What? What's Iruka-sensei's fault?" Naruto looked confused, Sasuke just put his head in his hands as the others started to laugh.
Naruto shrugged, an invisible yoke of guilt settled over his shoulders as he glanced across the room at a picture of his younger-self on Iruka's shoulders. "Most of Iruka-sensei's scars are from protecting me."
"You mean the big one on his back?" Kiba asked, leaning in. "The one he got from Mizuki-sensei?"
"Yeah that one, but there's others," Naruto admitted. "He's got scars on his hands from catching me before I fell onto broken glass. His shins are all scared up from when he caught me and covered me when I fell down the side of hill in the forest. He's got three scars running up his rib cage from catching me when I was trying to juggle shuriken and I slipped. He broke his arm twice while I was trying to learn how to ride a bike and I broke his toe when I was trying to teach myself how to skateboard and almost ran into a light pole. I burned him a few times when I was trying to learn fire jutsus. Actually, I burned down his apartment once too."
The group stared at him with a mixture of horror and awe.
Kiba was the first to find her voice, "Naruto, you pretty much owe Iruka-sensei your first born."
"And any kids that come after that," Choji muttered.
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Present Day
: :The Valley of the End: :
The Valley of the End hadn't changed much since Naruto and Sasuke's epic confrontation. Tsunade paused for a moment to look over the land her grandfather had molded with his own two hands and the power that rested in them. Before he was all she would have thought of in that regard but now, there was another factor to consider. Uchiha Madera. Tsunade had only ever considered him as an abstract piece of the story, essential but not important. What would the First have said to that? Nothing good, his fondness for the Uchiha was still famous. What would he think of them now? What would he think of the village he founded? As much as she wanted to think he would share her opinions, she had a sinking pit in her stomach that told her he would not be proud of what they had become.
She turned to Iruka. The young sensei just watched her, unblinking in a way she was startled to realize Sasuke did all the time. Something she'd once seen Itachi do. His eyes showed no sign of the kekkai genkai of the clan Sandaime claimed he belonged to. He didn't have their pale skin or sharp features but the unearthliness was there now that she looked closely. He didn't look like a stock Uchiha but he didn't look like everyone else in the village either. There was a terrifying calmness to him and it sent a chill down her spine. Why had she never noticed it before? Iruka's temper had always made him seem chaotic, all that energy and emotion shooting out of control in every direction. The perfect distraction from the thinly veiled truth and suddenly she was inexplicably, volcanically angry.
"You traitor," Tsunade snarled.
Iruka sneered. "Traitor to what? The village that turned their back on us? The shinobi that killed us? The people who hunted down my brothers and slaughtered them? You don't even know what my loyalties are, how can you call me a traitor?"
Sandaime's words bounced around her skull. "You were a member of the Uchiha uprising. You were going to assassinate Sarutobi."
"I relented," Iruka didn't look happy to admit that, "I trusted my father to guide me and agreed to give the Sandaime a second chance. There were many who did not. The Sandaime forgave me."
"He was always to trusting for his own good." And Tsunade hated that that was a bad thing.
Iruka's laugh was bitter, "I won't argue with that. He wanted to forgive the others too. He allowed Danzo free reign for years. And when he finally realized what was happening, he supported the annihilation of an entire clan and dozens of their allies!"
"Your clan betrayed the Village," Tsunade stated.
Iruka shook his head, "Not all of them. And many of us changed our minds while it was still just angry gossiping. Didn't you ever wonder why there was never a public trial?" Iruka smiled turned bloody.
Tsunade stilled, there had never been a public trial of the Uchiha despite wide spread belief in their treason.
Iruka continued, "When those who refused to reconsider began to plan, we fought a civil war that wiped half of us out. We killed our own flesh and blood to protect the man who turned a blind eye to our demise."
"The Sandaime was a good man and a great Hokage," Tsunade said, refusing to believe her beloved teacher would have allowed such actions. "There was evidence against the Uchiha."
"Created by Danzo, apparently the man trying to steal his position was more trustworthy then the shinobi that died for him every day."
"So what, you could never forgive him?"
Iruka snorted, "I may have been angry with his decision, but I never took action against the Sandaime. We respected his choices because he never gave us a reason not to. Our quarrel has always been with Danzo, the Council and their Root lackeys."
Tsunade huffed, "I don't understand. Why was it so hard for you to just live in the village like everyone else?"
Iruka laughed again, still bitter. "How could you? You're a Senju." It sounded so dirty coming out of his mouth. "You're so damn focused on the future and what could be that you forget to see and consider what actually is. All we wanted to do was the right thing. Protect the village that was our home and the children that were our future." Iruka paused there, shoulders slumping. "But it's so damn hard to keep doing the right thing Tsunade, when everyone else is doing something different."
"You could have told someone what was happening? You could have told everyone. Why let it continue in secret. Maybe if you had, the clan would still be alive."
Iruka met her eyes for the first time since they'd arrived at the Valley. "You're asking for the truth only because you think you know what it is. Truth is not what you want it to be; it is what it is, and you must bend to its power or live a lie." [1]
It was too much to believe. It changed the very foundation of everything Tsunade knew about the village and the shinobi that protected it. She could feel the Seal of a Hundred snapping, her chakra readying itself for battle. "I won't allow a traitor to remain in the village. Not when we fought so hard for this peace."
Iruka smiled and Tsunade breath caught in her throat as his eyes began to spin wildly. The Mangekyo Sharingan flared to life in both of his eyes, identical to what Uchiha Itachi wielded before his death. Tsukuyomi in the left, Amaterasu in the right. Which meant he also had the ability of casting Susanoo. For the first time in her life, Tsunade wondered if her strength would be enough. Iruka's chakra was building wildly, released from whatever seals he used to hide it every day, but she could sense limitations as the edges. Was he limited the same way Itachi had been?
Iruka's hands flew, making symbols almost faster then she could keep up with and his chakra started to glow a warm golden hue. "I'm sure you recognize my eyes. If not from personal experience, then the reports you've read."
"You took them from his body," the thought made Tsunade's stomach turn.
"No," and he said it so sincerely she believed him. "We were always close, twins in every way but blood."
"He was a hero." Tsunade said.
And this time Iruka scoffed, "You say that now, but what did you say before he died?" Iruka raised a hand, index finger pointed at Tsunade. "Before it was more popular to hate him, now everyone feels guilty so they say the love him. But no one really cares Tsunade, because they don't have to face him."
"And you do? How twisted was your clan that they've made you so messed up?" Tsunade began to gather her chakra.
"Not twisted, connected," Iruka corrected. "The real kekkai genkai of the Uchiha."
Tsunade was caught off guard. "What?"
"It's never been the sharingan Tsunade."
"Then what is it?" She was getting tired of all this talking.
"Our blood. The blood line of Indra. A genetic memory shared by everyone in the clan."
Tsunade stopped, "That's impossible." And too horrifying to comprehend.
Iruka smirked, "Every love, every loss. Every triumph, every broken heart. Every life and every death. Every memory and emotion, all shared. I can remember the day Madera was born. The day Kikyo came down from the mountain. The day my father took his first step and the moment he first saw my mother. I can still feel Sasuke's pain when he discovered the clan dead and his trust in Naruto. Why do you think the Curse of Hatred is so strong?"
That made a terrifying amount of sense. The Uchiha had always been emotional, far more than the other clans and the average shinobi.
"We feel one another live and we feel one another die. Can you even imagine what it felt like when they were killed and the slow death in the years before? The loneliness?" There was rage in his voice now. Flames leapt from Iruka's finger.
ooo000ooo
Present Day
: :Land of Snow: :
Even lands away Kikyo felt Iruka's chakra roar free of its bonds. It had been sealed away for so long that when it went off it screamed into the sky like a flare. She saw Itachi and Shishui freeze, heads snapping instinctively towards Iruka. There was no chance they'd stick to taking it slow now. Iruka would only lose control in a few, very limited, very serious situations and all of them were enough to make even Kikyo worry.
Itachi's hand was already reaching for the sword at his back. Shishui was halfway through the hand symbols to teleport. She didn't bother trying to stop them as they disappeared in a flash of smoke and leaves. Instead she turned back to the Namikaze. Unconscious, he still had the boyish innocence of his childhood. Once he woke, that would be replaced by the iron-willed shinobi that had become Hokage and that was not something Kikyo was looking forward to dealing with. She'd have to work fast to keep him under control.
ooo000ooo
Present Day
: :The Valley of the End: :
It had been a long time since Tsunade had fought a one on one battle. There had been brief attempts during the war but it had almost always become a team matter. She'd never fought a Uchiha one on one either and even a few minutes into the fight she was already seeing just how different it was. Iruka was at once tightly controlled and completely out of control. He didn't telegraph any of his movements, there was no hint if he was coming from the left or the right. He switched flawlessly through multiple styles of taijutsu but always seemed to settle back on one she didn't recognize.
"The Uchiha have their own taijutsu?" It was a guess, but an educated one. It made sense.
Iruka grinned and there was blood on his teeth from a successful blow she'd landed early on. "It's called Shunko."
Shunko. Fitting. For the clan in Konoha dedicated the most to war. Tsunade had no idea what kind of taijutsu it was but so far every blow she'd seen had been meant to kill. There were no katas, no combinations, no feints. Iruka's skill with it did not require any and only Tsunade's own immense skill had kept her alive. Her rock-solid faith in her own abilities didn't allow her to consider failure but she was painfully aware that Iruka might actually be the better fighter of the two of them. Which meant Tsunade's advantage lay with her chakra, Iruka had yet to draw deeply on his. Afraid of emptying his reserves? The Uchiha and the Senju both had huge chakra reserves, but Iruka could only hide so much. He was limited somehow.
She dodged a punch and dropped to sweep Iruka's feet out from under him. He back flipped clear and she followed. "Who taught you?"
"My father." Damn, he was flexible and fast.
"His name?" She wanted to hear it from his mouth. As if that would make real what she already believed.
"You already know." He refused to give her the satisfaction and kicked her into the side of the mountain.
Tsunade coughed up blood from the broken ribs in her chest and with a burst of speed shouldered Iruka through a huge boulder. He rolled and came up on his feet but she'd heard bone break. "Say it anyway."
She wasn't prepared for the sadness that swept across his face like a tidal wave and she was even less prepared to hear the truth from his lips.
"Uchiha Fugaku."
Without conscious thought their battle paused. Both of them breathing through bloody lips. Uchiha Fugaku was Iruka's father. That made him Itachi and Sasuke's brother. As the oldest son he'd be the heir to the clan. He should have been the head of the Konoha Military Police.
"Who was your mother?" Because there was no way it had been Mikoto, not with his skin and eyes.
Iruka sneered, "Sarutobi Mali." He loved his father, but he clearly didn't feel the same way about the woman who had given birth to him.
God, the Sandaime's only daughter. Dead how many years ago now? The timeline clicked into place, she'd died in childbirth the same year Iruka had been born. Years before Fugaku and Mikoto had married. Gods, Iruka was a Sarutobi and a Uchiha. He was practically Konoha royalty.
"Mali died giving birth to you." Even though she hated him, she felt for him. She'd lost her own mother when Nowaki had been born.
Iruka laughed and she straightened. There was nothing sad or suffering about that laugh. He shook his head, "No she didn't. The Sandaime and Fugaku came up with that lie to protect the reputation of the Sarutobi clan."
"That's a lie, Sarutobi would never do that."
Iruka gave her a pitying look. "She was a member of Root, loyal to Danzo."
A cold chill washed over her, "That's impossible."
"Danzo wanted Uchiha blood but the Clan had never trusted him. Fugaku had been in love with Mali for years, even though she never returned the feeling. He had Mali start a relationship with him so he could have the child."
"You."
"It lasted five years before the Uchiha realized what was happening. By then she was already pregnant with me so he waited until I was born before confronting her. But Mali wasn't stupid."
No, the woman Tsunade remembered had been anything but. Saurtobi's daughter had been beautiful and calculating, with her big dark eyes and tan skin, a brilliant kunochi.
"She went to Root to give birth, but she underestimated my father."
"He followed her," Tsuande guessed but Iruka shook his head.
"No, he told the Sandaime. Sarutobi didn't want to believe it at first so he went to see for himself and arrived just as I was born. Danzo wasn't present but several other high ranked members of Root were."
"What did he do?" Tsunade had never even rumors of a story like this involving Mali. So few had spoken of her, wary of hurting Sarutobi, his wife or Asuma. They'd even said the child had died in birth as well. The father had never been spoken of.
"He removed their seals and opened the door to my father and the Hanta."
He opened the doors to a bloodbath was what Iruka really meant. There was no doubt in her mind that Mali had died at the hands of the Hanta, and mostly likely Fugaku's, for her actions. Along with every other member of Root that had been present that day.
"My father refused to give us up to the Sarutobi clan and the Sandaime felt guilty enough about what had happened that he didn't fight for us."
Us? Who the hell was us? There was another sibling? They had to be older then Iruka, unless there was another Uchiha besides Fugaku pulled into Danzo's scheme. But no more than five years older if they shared the same mother. That'd put them somewhere near Kakashi's age. "Us?"
Iruka didn't answer and she wondered if he was considering the intelligence of telling her all these things.
"We're going to fight to the death, you may as well tell me." Tsunade said. One of them was going to die today, most likely Iruka. Unless his sibling was also still alive it wouldn't matter who it was.
Apparently he felt the same way, though she doubted he planned on dying. "Are you sure you want the truth? Do you want to die with it on your conscience?"
Tsunade snarled, "I'll be fine."
"No, you won't." Iruka's faith in that was rock solid and it only made her angrier.
"What is the name of the other child?"
"Uchiha Obito."
She wished he hadn't told her.
ooo000ooo
Truth is not what you want it to be; it is what it is, and you must bend to its power or live a lie. (Miyamoto Musashi)
Shunko - Instant War Cry