Chapter 10
Revolution
The village was bathed in the dim lights of street lamps, casting shadows to every nook and cranny. Houses were darkened as their occupants had since chosen to retire for the night. The streets, so full of life during the daytime were now lifeless and deserted with only the odd late night walker present. It seemed like a regular night in the Hidden Village, were it not for the terrible silence, not even the crickets in the surrounding forest were chirping. It was almost deafening to the young prodigies ears.
Itachi rushed across the rooftops of the village in a blur of speed and motion, barely perceivable to anyone as he stealthily moved through the shadows of twilight towards his destination. The only sound he was aware of was the rapid, numberless taps against the roof slate and the pounding of his own heart in his chest.
Behind him were another twenty Shinobi of the Hidden Village of Konoha, all wearing the familiar dark body armour and white animal masks of the Leaf's elite ANBU division, many had Ninja-to slung to their backs as well as weapon holsters strapped to their thighs. Their white masks caught the dim light, giving their usually playful visages a more malevolent air. Itachi knew that his own visage of a raven was no different.
They were ready for war, and Itachi was leading them to that war.
But first they needed to hook up with their supposed allies in the training grounds of his clan. Shisui had been adamant that the ANBU and Uchiha loyalists assemble there before going onto the offensive, to proceed with formulating a plan of attack against the separatist assembly point. Nagging doubts assaulted the young prodigies mind, was Shisui just leading them into a trap? Was this whole thing a setup to lure the Village into making the first move?
He shook off these doubts as the last house flew by under his feet. Ahead was a flat plain of concrete leading to a two meter tall barbed wire fence, and beyond that was the Uchiha training grounds, several hectares of forest and grassland where the clans own Shinobi trained in their special techniques in complete secrecy.
Itachi pumped chakra into his legs and the soles of his feet before jumping high, well over the barbed wire fence and into the huge trees beyond. The ANBU platoon behind him kept stride with little effort, for Shinobi of such skill and experience jumping a high fence was not an obstacle. They continued to hop from branch to branch until they were well within the training fields, and finally the young platoon leader fell to the ground, followed by five of his subordinates while the rest remained in the cover of darkness.
He looked around and whistled a simple note which could have easily been mistaken for the whistle of a Fire Thrush. A moment passed, and that moment of silence was the most deafening the youngster had ever heard, then a reply came in the form of another whistle. A single figure rose from the dense foliage, dressed in the attire of a Konoha Jōnin, black pants and jacket with a leaf green armored vest, a plain white mask adorned his face.
"Fire," he spoke, Shisui.
"Leaf," Itachi replied.
"The will of fire will forever burn," Shisui said the next line.
"And the leaf will forever flutter." Itachi finished with a nod.
"Is your side ready?" Shisui asked as he took a few steps forward. The ANBU tensed, but relaxed when their leader stopped them with a simple raise of his hand.
"Eighty ANBU are on standby, waiting for the word," he walked forward until the two of them were at arm's length. "What's the word?"
"Worse than we feared," Shisui answered with a sigh. "The dissidents have assembled outside of Naka shrine, and the council is deliberating whether to strike now or not. Seems that little assassination attempt on the jinchūriki wasn't sanctioned by them and it's forced their hand."
Itachi frowned but nodded, "Then we best hurry before they make a move."
"Indeed," Itachi replied before he turned around and whistled, another tune well known to a Fire Thrush. A moment passed before a return whistle was heard and figures rose from the foliage, twelve of them, wearing the same attire of Konoha Jōnin and Chūnin with white masks over their faces, ten men and two women. "The rest are waiting for us."
"What's the plan of attack?" Itachi asked.
Shisui eyed him for a moment before turning his head slightly to the group, "Midori!"
One of the women came forward, removing a scroll from the folds of her vest and presenting it to Shisui, who gladly took it from her slender fingers. She then looked at Itachi's surprised features and moved to undo the clasps holding her mask in place. Under the mask was a round shaped face, haloed by shoulder length black hair, onyx eyes glanced at him and a nervous smile spread across her lips as she spoke. "You look nervous Itachi."
"As do you, Midori." Itachi replied, before bowing his head. "I'm glad you're with us."
She blushed slightly at his words before replacing the mask. Uchiha Midori was a distant cousin, two years older than him at fifteen. The two had been childhood friends for as far back as he could remember, and had been in an arranged marriage by their parents when he was six and she was eight. His mother had demanded they at least get to know each other before doing anything, of which he was thankful. She was strong, passionate and stubborn as a mule at times, but she was a loyal friend who would protect those she held dear, rare in this time and age.
Shisui was grinning behind his mask, Itachi just knew it. "You two can do whatever you want later on, for now let's get this over and done with."
Both nodded, Itachi raised his hand, Shisui copied the motion and in a matter of moments the twenty ANBU and thirteen Uchiha took the branches in a flurry of blurs, moving to their objectives. Itachi once again led his ANBU in the general direction of the Naka shrine, and silently sent a prayer to whatever gods were listening to see him, his friends, allies and family through this bloody night.
Deep down he hoped the fight would be short with few casualties.
He knew better.
"This is an outrage," Uchiha Osamu roared in anger, slamming his fist into the table. "Who gave such a preposterous order!"
The council had met in the secret meeting chamber under the Naka shrine, called together by an emergency meeting. The five elders were already nearing full outrage and panic, going as far as blaming each other with this latest calamity. Uchiha Fugaku looked on with narrowed eyes as his esteemed council seemed to degrade. The whole situation was one huge problem.
He just couldn't believe someone would be stupid enough to sanction such a useless mission, assassinate an eight year old Demon host? The child was no threat to either them or their plans, and although he didn't like him he at least acknowledged the advantages of having a fully trained Jinchūriki within the ranks of the new Shinobi army of Konoha. They would have been damn near unbeatable.
That left a single question.
If he hadn't sanctioned the mission, then who did? All of the councilors were adamant that they weren't involved and the clan head couldn't rely on either the Yamanaka or the ANBU Torture and Interrogation Department at the moment, not with their allegiances for the current senile Sandaime Hokage.
"Not one of us," Uchiha Yuuma answered, clasping his hands on the table as he spoke. "Not with our plans being so close to fruition, and even then the child would be more valuable to us alive than dead."
"It doesn't matter who sanctioned such an order," Uchiha Hideki growled. "The problem is now that old fool is weary of us, all the work we put into looking like we were disarming is for nothing. We must act now before it is too late."
"I agree," Uchiha Minoru agreed with a nod of his aged head. "Whether we like it or not we must escalate our plans, a preemptive strike may give us the advantage."
"But a quick victory is now out of the question," Fugaku sighed. "I hoped to simply eliminate the old man in secret then make a move for the vacant position of Hokage, but that seems out of our grasp now."
"Indeed it does," Hideki agreed with a frown. "I t seems civil war is now the only option."
"Sounds better than skulking around with backroom politics," Yuuma grinned.
"How did you ever become a member of this council?" Uchiha Kazuko frowned before turning back to Fugaku. "But I agree. There is no other option now than a preemptive strike against the Hokage and the Council of Fire. Eliminate the leadership, cut the head off the snake, and then the rest will fall into place."
"Then we must release assassins to deal with the Hokage and clan heads." Hideki said with authority.
"It has already been done," Fugaku stated simply, gaining the councils attention. "Fear not gentlemen, for the necessary action has already been taken. A have sent out a unit of my most trusted men to deal with Hiruzen, and if the rest do not capitulate they will meet a similar end."
"Are you sure they are up to the challenge, Fugaku?" Kazuko asked. "Hiruzen may be getting old but he's still worthy of the mantle."
"Bah," Hideki scoffed. "You give the old fool too much credit!"
"I handpicked each man myself; there is no need to worry." Fugaku replied with a thin smile. "Sarutobi Hiruzen will be dead within the hour."
"Excellent," Hideki applauded. "Then we must prepare for the next stage, I propose sending units to assassinate the heads of the Hyuga, Yamanaka, Akimichi and Nara clans. Once Hiashi, Inoichi, Shikaku and Chōza are dealt with then there will be no one to stop us."
"What about Danzō and his Root," Yuuma asked. "They need to be dealt with also."
"Once Danzō has been dealt with then Root will fall apart," Osamu frowned. "Send a unit after him as well, and the Hokage's former teammates."
"Everything has already been done, gentlemen," Fugaku said with a sigh. "All you need to do is wait and hope."
Before anyone could respond there was the almost deafening noise of an explosion, an explosion which shook the very foundations of the underground meeting hall. Fugaku jumped to his feet and rushed to the exit, ignoring the shocked looks on the faces of his elders.
"We're under attack," Osamu shouted.
"But how!" Minoru cried out as he got to his feet.
"It seems Hiruzen is not prepared to wait for us to make the first move," Hideki replied with a wry grin. "He doesn't seem as senile as I thought."
Fugaku spun around as he opened the door, "All of you remain here, understood!"
He did not wait for their answer.
The Chūnin was barely able to utter a cry of pain before the Ninja-to sliced cleanly through his throat, severing flesh and bone before sending the head flying across the corridor. Uchiha Noboru sheathed his weapon and surveyed the scene around him. It was complete pandemonium, complete chaos, confusion and panic. The guards of the Palace knew they were coming, but were woefully inadequate in taking on a seasoned Jōnin and his small force of veteran Chūnin.
The battle was still ongoing, as the defending Chūnin, Jōnin and ANBU continued to fight a desperate rearguard action against his unit and their Chūnin allies. The battle had been a bloody one, but they were winning. Soon the Hokage will be dead by his own hand and Konoha's head would be severed from its rotten body.
The main hallway leading to the Hokage's office was a mess, wooden walls blackened by the controlled explosions of custom paper bombs, bodies of Chūnin lay where they fell, blood seeping from wounds to pool onto the floor, splattered the floor, walls and ceiling, almost making Miniature Rivers of crimson. It reminded Noboru of the last Great War, and he loved it. The clangs and scrapes of kunai and katana, the meaty thuds of shuriken hitting bodies and the explosions of paper bombs tied to kunai, this was an environment where a Shinobi thrived.
Noboru ducked away from a few thrown kunai, and flew forward with speed, ducking under the hastened slash of his opponent to dig a kunai into his side and jump away. The fuse of the paper bomb had already begun to burn before the Chūnin even knew what hit him. He died in the explosion, ripped to bloody pieces.
"Come on," he shouted with glee. "The old fool is behind those doors. The time for a new Konoha is at hand!"
He kicked through the doors with chakra imbued strength and prepared himself to face the Hokage's own personal ANBU guard, elites in the old man's eyes. Yet he was surprised. There was no one in the reception area, not a single soul. Not even that little teenage Yamanaka girl who had taken over as the Hokage's secretary. The room was empty.
He frowned as he entered the room, kunai drawn as he cautiously looked around. Three Chūnin entered alongside him, also searching for their elusive and seemingly non-existent opponents. Noboru frowned, where was his elite ANBU guards? There were always at least four of them protecting the old man at all times.
With one last look around he turned towards the last door, the one which led to the office of the Hokage himself and kicked open the door. The room was the same as he remembered. That same mahogany desk with an impressive view of Konoha behind it, filing cabinets full of finished paperwork, chairs for guests, warming walls, timber floors.
No ANBU.
Only the old man sat behind his desk, fully dressed in his robes of state, hands clasped, looking at him and his subordinates with narrow, angry eyes. "So you've finally come have you?"
Noboru chuckled, "You were expecting us? Where are your dogs old man!"
"They are not needed," Hiruzen replied in a low, threatening voice. "Against the likes of you I doubt I'll need to go all out."
"Big words," Noboru laughed as he went through the hand seals for the horse, tiger, monkey, bore, horse and tiger before taking in a deep breath, "But useless if one can't back them up; Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!"
He exhaled a stream of fire, funnelling it through his index finger and thumb, which expanded into a great fireball of searing flame. It struck, encompassing the Hokage's desk and the old man himself, floors and walls burned, window panes exploded outward, sending shards of glass and dying embers to the main street below.
Noboru exhaled the last of the flames and waited for the fire to die away. When it did he surveyed the scene of destruction. The wooden floors and once immaculate white walls were blackened by scorch marks, mahogany desk was in flames and the grand windows had been shattered. Yet there was no sign of the old man.
One of the Chūnin moved forward, walking around the flaming desk to see the fallen over chair, and to check for the old man's corpse. The man turned to him with widened eyes. "He's not here!"
"What do you mean he's not there!"
Before the man could reply a single crimson tile soared through the blasted open windows, striking the man's neck with perfect precision. Noboru flinched as the man's neck shattered with a loud crack and he fell to the floor with a meaty thud. He ran forward, his two surviving Chūnin in tow to check the window.
Hiruzen stood at the other end of the street, on top of the building on the other side. He no longer wore his robes of state, but instead a black bodysuit with plated shoulder armour and an ancient Samurai helm worn over his head, twin ribbons swirling behind him in the wind. He looked just like the pictures Noboru had seen in textbooks about him. The Legendary Professor, hero of the First Shinobi World War and Sandaime Hokage of Konoha.
Already Sarutobi's hands were converging into the seals for the tiger, dragon, rat, horse and tiger of his next Jutsu. "Ninpo: Kawara Shuriken!"
Several crimson tiles broke free of their restraints and floated into the air all around him, levitating for a few moments before soaring towards Noboru and his subordinates. The Jōnin dived to the darkened floor, hitting the deck just as the wave of heavy tiles soared through the shattered window frames. One of his Chūnin took a tile to the face, caving in his skull in an explosion of shattered bone and viscera. Another struck another man's thigh, shattering the bone with a thundering crack and sending its target to the ground, howling in agony.
Noboru rose to his feet, hands beginning to go over the seals for another fire Jutsu, but the sound of something landing in front of him caught his attention. He looked up to see the Hokage perched on the window frame in a crouch, hands coming together to form the sign of the tiger. Noboru knew that it was already too late.
Sarutobi leaned back, taking in a deep breath of air before releasing a stream of condensed flame from his mouth, the flames distorted in motion, coming together to make the visage of a snarling dragon opening its long jaws. Noboru and his subordinates barely had time to scream before they were encompassed by the flames and burned to a crisp. The power behind the Jutsu caused the whole room to go up in flames, and Sarutobi was forced to jump back out the window so as not to get caught. He landed in a crouch, in the middle of the street and slowly rose to his feet, breathing out a small cloud of smoke.
"Katon: Karyū Endan," he muttered as he looked up at the blasted frames, watching as the flames licked and burned through his old office.
"Hokage-sama!"
He looked around in time to see four ANBU agents land on the ground before him, crouched with their heads bowed in something similar to reverence. The lead ANBU, wearing a white mask with black paint giving off the visage of a snarling wolf looked up.
He nodded gruffly before looking back to the scene of destruction before him, "Report."
"As you expected the Uchiha launched assassination attempts on the clan heads of every major clan in the village. They have since been found and taken care of. Units of ANBU have been placed around each clan compound, and the clans have been assembled to defend the village." Wolf gave his report with professionalism expected of every ANBU.
"And the counterattack?"
"Uchiha Itachi has reported successfully meeting up with the Uchiha loyalists and is moving into position. ANBU Captains Yamamoto and Edo have begun their assault on the Naka shrine, heavy resistance."
"It appears the information was correct," Hiruzen replied with a frown. "The Uchiha were preparing to launch their coup tonight, using Naka shrine as their staging ground, any word on the council, or Fugaku?"
"According to early reports the council has barricaded themselves in the secret chamber, Uchiha Fugaku is leading the defence against out counter thrust." Wolf answered.
Hiruzen sighed, "So much for the quick victory."
Itachi looked upon the chaos before him with a sigh. It appeared that the Uchiha dissidents had expected an attack and were more than prepared to meet the ANBU and Jōnin forces arrayed against them. Shouting and the scrapping of metal could be heard from his perch and in front of him the once hallowed ground which was the Naka Buddhist shrine had become a battle ground.
The dead lay where they fell. The bodies of Uchiha and ANBU alike covered the stone courtyard, blood staining the ground in pools and Miniature Rivers. The Torii gate was burning, as were half of the timber structures within the sacred grounds of the Naka shrine.
Dissident and loyalist alike were fighting across the courtyard, armed with kunai, shuriken, Ninja-to and katana as they hacked and slashed at each other. There was no room for any fancy Jutsu here, using mid to long range techniques were just as likely to hit friend as well as enemy, so the battle was being fought with close range techniques as well as fists, feet and a variety of close range weapons.
Itachi looked to Shisui, who nodded, and with a raised hand lead his men and women into the fight. The ANBU and Uchiha loyalists launched themselves in unison, any doubts forgotten as the common need to survive took over. Itachi was the first to land, right behind one of his clansmen as he was about to finish off a wounded ANBU. He grabbed the man and stabbed his Ninja-to through his back, blade exiting through his chest covered in gore. His clansmen's back bent like a bow as he fell to his knees, then his face.
He flew forward with reckless abandon, Ninja-to held tightly in his hands as he ducked a panicked strike from another of his kin and stabbed out with his weapon, piercing him in the abdomen and slashing to the side. The man screamed in pain before Itachi grabbed him and effortlessly slit his throat.
Itachi pushed all of his doubts to the back of his mind, encompassing his thoughts with two simple words, spoken over and over again. "Don't think, don't think, don't think, don't think."
Uchiha Shizuka was running right for him, katana raised high over her head. She was a Jōnin level Shinobi, thirty two years of age, liked to grow flowers in her spare time, especially white roses, mother of three, one of whom was only four years old. He remembered when she used to sneak sweets to him and the other kids.
"Traitor!"
"Don't think."
Uchiha Hideki had been a member of the Uchiha Clan Council for close to twenty years, ever since he had officially retired from the Shinobi ranks he had been invited to join this prestigious advisory body. He had been proud of his ascension, and had done what he could for the good of the village and the clan.
Then the Kyubi no Yoko attacked. Slaughtered hundreds of men and women, Shinobi and civilian alike fell before its relentless onslaught. Only the last second thinking of the Yondaime Hokage had saved them all, sealing the demon in a human vessel was a stroke of genius and said plenty about the man's skill and courage. He had not only saved the village but given them a Jinchūriki with the potential to become more powerful than any of the others.
That was when everything had begun to go downhill. First to come were the rumours, malicious rumours. Hideki knew that most rumours were simply hearsay, but the common crowd gobbled them up as if it were their last meal. Rumours abounded that an Uchiha had somehow led the Kyubi to Konoha, had orchestrated the attack. There wasn't a shred of evidence proving these ridiculous accusations, but just the word seemed enough for the Hokage.
They had been moved from their original compound to a small settlement on the outskirts of the village, isolating them from the rest of the population. Then slowly the advisory council noticed that the control they had on the Police force, which they had created and administered since the villages founding, was being stolen from under them by backroom village politics.
It was that knowledge which had Fugaku-sama declare action. In Hideki's mind it was long overdue. Ever since the Yondaime died the village had been placed in a slow downward spiral. Sarutobi may have been a great Hokage in his day, but he was getting old and a successor needed to be chosen. The only problem was politics. Members of the ruling clans could not be considered for Hokage, a measure introduced by the Shodaime to make sure the most powerful clans didn't gain too much power.
That settled it. If the Uchiha could not clear their name then they would do so by force, show the entire village that they weren't simple dogs who could be put down at a moment's notice. They were the surviving founding clan of Konohagakure no Sato. It was them and the Senju who created this village from the ground up, and it was their time to shine.
They had assumed that the village would be completely taken by surprise. They assumed the Hokage wouldn't prepare a pre-emptive strike against them. They assumed the Uchiha clan was united under their beliefs. How wrong they had been. News whittled down to them that their fellow kinsmen and women had turned against them, had made a deal with the Hokage to oust them from their positions.
There was no way for them to win now, but they could at least take as many of them with them as they could. Make a final stand which the village would forever remember.
Hideki became mildly aware of a smell wafting op his nostrils, reminding him of the scent of rotten eggs. It took his old mind barely a second to remember what that meant, but by then it was already too late. He turned to see Osamu slumped over in his chair, a thud against the wooden floor signalled that Kazuko, who had been pacing, had collapsed.
Gas;
They were being gassed.
He got to his feet, fishing in his robe pocket for a handkerchief as he made his way towards the exit, all the while with each step he took his body got heavier, his eyes blurred and his limbs felt like lead weights. He was three steps from the entrance before he collapsed, falling on his face, foam bubbled from his mouth and nose as the poison gas did its job.
On the surface two ANBU wearing the insignias of Root stood over the hidden chambers oxygen supply, a rather innocent looking air vent, imbedded in the ground fifty yards inside the tree line of the Naka Shrine. A container of cyanide gas was being pumped into the vent.
Uchiha Fugaku ran with chakra propelled speed, propelling himself into the air and jumping from branch to branch in retreat of the battle. It was a lost cause, the ANBU, Jōnin and traitorous Uchiha had taken his forces by complete surprise. It was a complete and utter slaughter out there, with the dead littering the grounds like leaves during the autumn solstice.
He gritted his teeth in anger. His own clan had turned against him. His own eldest son was leading the charge. They were all traitors, every last one of them. Could they not see that he had done all of this for them? Could they not see that by siding with those corrupt cowards that they were sentencing the remnants of their clan to a life of servitude and enslavement under the tyrannical heels of the village?
If his own eldest son was against him, then who else was? Was his wife, his youngest son, his own council? Was this all a trap to get him out in the open, start a power vacuum? Replace him with someone who could be more easily manipulated? He was the only one capable of leading the clan. The clan was his, his, his HIS!
He twisted in midair, pulling a handful of kunai tied with explosive tags from his vest pocket and throwing them at the surrounding trees. The three man unit sent after him were hot on his heels, and he saw no way of escaping until he took care of them. The paper bombs exploded as the last man soared past, and engulfed him in flames.
The other two were already upon him, Ninja-to drawn from sheathes strapped to their backs. Fugaku landed on the ground, finishing his seal of the tiger. "Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!"
He breathed out a huge fireball of crimson, bathing everything in proximity in crimson flames. The foliage, trees and canopy was burning, but the two ANBU were able to dodge the attack, one using a substitution to get him out of range, the other using chakra propelled speed to dart out of the way. Fugaku jumped back, backpedalling a few steps when his feet touched earth, drew his katana from the small of his back and a kunai from his hip holster.
Both ANBU came in at the same time, but Fugaku was able to bring his weapons around to block each of their strikes, and pushed them away. He activated his fully matured Sharingan and allowed himself to fall into a basic sword fighting stance. When they came again his three tomoe Sharingan eye saw every move they made, and his body, honed by years of training and fighting, moved with grace.
He blocked each blow with simple ease, Sharingan eyes telling him their next move based on the way their bodies moved, shifting eight right and left, bending knees, lashing out with kicks and fists as well as blades. It was all too easy. He ducked a slash and darted forward, katana piercing through carapace armour, bone, blood and cartilage. The ANBU fell back, katana imbedded in his chest.
The last black ops agent came at him with a new ferocity, slashing and hacking with his Ninja-to, each strike effortlessly intercepted by the former Uchiha clan head. Uchiha Fugaku snorted; new recruits most likely, weren't nearly as good as the Hokage's personal elites.
He was about to attack when he saw a spark of chakra in the shadows of the woods, only a spark, but enough to get his matured eyes attention. He disengaged and jumped back, just as a condensed beam of flame shot out from the darkness and encompassed his opponent. The man barely had time to scream before the flames consumed him, cooking him like meat over a fire. He was still screaming when the attack ceased, and his body, blackened and sizzling from burns fell onto its knees, then its face.
Uchiha Fugaku drew another kunai and waited. He didn't have to wait long. A single figure walked out of the darkness, covered in a long black cloak with crimson clouds decorating the fabric. Over his face was an orange mask set in a swirling pattern, only one eyehole visible. The figure chuckled darkly before it spoke.
"So you're the Clan head these days? The Uchiha are definitely getting weaker."
Fugaku gritted his teeth. "Who are you!"
The cloaked assailant seemed to ignore him as he turned to look at the shrine in the distance, sky lit up by the burning flames. "Not according to plan. I was hoping for the Uchiha clan to be eradicated tonight, but it seems they will live to fight for a little while longer."
"What?"
"Oh come now my boy, did you really believe your clan of two, maybe three hundred Shinobi could defeat a village of ten, maybe fifteen thousand active duty Ninja, and that doesn't count the five thousand reservists and retired personnel." He looked at him with a dull onyx eye. "Truly you are delusional."
One moment he was there, the next he wasn't. Fugaku could only look on in complete surprise and bewilderment before a blade exploded from his chest, sending blood and gore across the ground. The former clan head hacked up blood before looking down at the soaked crimson blade. "When... how?"
The figure sighed as he withdrew his sword, walking past him as Fugaku fell to his knees. The masked Shinobi looked at the blade before snapping his wrist, sending blood pooling to the ground. "Yes, the Uchiha clan has truly fallen if a neophyte like you is their clan head. In my day clan heads were men and women who were born and bred through war and carnage, conditioned into deadly weapons and calculating strategists."
There was a blur and Fugaku was slammed against the bark of a tree, a tree which was ten meters away from where he had fallen. He gasped in pain, before hacking and coughing. The masked assassin had a good grip on his neck, keeping him immobilised with a single hand, another dark chuckle.
"I suppose it's not a total loss." Fugaku looked up just in time to see a hand reach out for his right eye, index, middle finger and thumb gaining a grip on his still Sharingan activated orb. "Your eyes will suffice, for now."
The night was deafened by a meaty snap, followed by a pained scream.
Dawn was breaking, and from his place Sarutobi sat, watched and waited. The crimson sky, visible to his west, was a sign of the great battle which had taken place during the night. A battle which had only lasted for a half hour, forty minutes at most, and by its end the Uchiha separatists were now either dead or had surrendered. The council had been killed in their hidden chamber, and Uchiha Fugaku was nowhere to be found.
Casualties were heavy, with almost fifty of his ANBU either killed or grievously wounded, casualties for the loyalists were eight dead, six wounded. The casualties for the separatists were far worse, out of the hundred and fifty Uchiha who had stubbornly dug in their heels and followed their clan head none had survived. They had all fought to the last man and woman, brave but pointless.
Now he waited for the leader of the loyalist faction to make himself, or herself known to him. He already had an idea of who it was, but choose to bide his time and wait. He didn't have to wait long. The broken door at the other side of his battle scarred office opened and the leader of the Uchiha loyalists stepped into the early morning light, Uchiha Itachi and Shisui flanking her.
He wasn't disappointed, nor was he surprised to see Uchiha Mikoto enter the chamber, her usually beautiful and youthful features looking pale and haggard. She was dressed in her old Jōnin attire, and he guessed by the splashes of blood on her uniform and jacket that she had been in the thick of the fighting.
She wasn't an Uchiha by blood, but she was one of the finest Shinobi of her generation, renowned for her strength, stubborn determination and mastery of the katana. Mikoto was chosen to be Fugaku's wife because of these traits. It had been a test, a simple test for the Uchiha council to see if the Sharingan could be strengthened when a member of the clan mated with someone from outside the clan.
She bowed deeply, "Hokage-sama."
He heard the trembling in her voice and rose to his feet, "Mikoto-san, so you were the leader."
She raised her head, doing an admirable job, but anyone could see how moist her eyes were, "Hai, Hokage-sama. We need to gather the dead for burial and see to the wounded and dying, a new clan head needs to be found and... and-"
She lowered her head and stifled a quiet sob. Her son placing a hand on her shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze, and Mikoto looked up at him with a thankful smile. Her eldest son stepped forward and spoke for his mother. "Forgive her, Hokage-sama. It has been a trying time for all of us."
He nodded, placing a hand on her other shoulder, "I understand, and there is no need to apologise. This whole fiasco could have been averted if it wasn't for my negligence, and I can assure you that this will never happen again."
"He was a good man," Mikoto spoke up. "Once he was a good man, determined to change his clan for the better... but something happened to him Hokage-sama, one day he simply changed. Almost like he wasn't the same person I married anymore."
He nodded, "I know Mikoto, I know."
Shimura Danzo took a sip of his green tea before looking down upon his two subordinates; both men were kneeling before him, heads bowed in respect. He waited for a brief moment before bidding them to rise, "Report."
The one on the right nodded his head, "The deed is done, Danzo-sama. The Uchiha elders were successfully terminated as per orders and allied forces in the area were unaware of our presence."
"As far as they are aware the elders committed suicide by drinking poisoned tea," the second added.
Danzo nodded, "Excellent, you are dismissed."
The Root ANBU bowed their heads before vanishing in a duo of blurs.
Danzo took another sip of his tea before setting the cup down. He had to admit this was not the way he saw the scenario work. A faction of the Uchiha allying with Konoha was unlikely at best in his opinion, but it seemed to work out well.
Danzo knew that the one he chose wasn't adequate enough for the task of assassinating a Jinchūriki, no matter his age. It was a simple task of forging the signature and presenting it before the man, and even easier for him to make the attempt. The intervention of the Nukenin was unexpected, but it wasn't serious enough that he couldn't recover. The Hokage would think it was an act of the Uchiha, forcing him to make a move against them, thus wiping out a political opponent and a volatile clan in one stroke, or so he thought.
It didn't quite work out the way he wanted; then again the result was better than his best expectations. There were still Uchiha among Konoha's Shinobi forces, as well as plenty of fresh bodies with Sharingan for his research. The Uchiha clan head and advisory council had been eliminated with acceptable casualties.
It was an adequate result.
"Hmm, I'm truly amazed the control lasted for as long as it did." He looked down at the simple glass jar, studying the two eyes submerged in the greenish liquid, before glancing back at the still body that the eyes once belonged too. Lying face down on the ground, eyes wide open showing nothing more than a black abyss. "Amazing how the powers of the Mangekyo can work won't you agree? Keeping you under my thumb for so long, even if the end results weren't what I wished for."
He looked at the Hidden Village from his perch. Far enough away to assure that he wouldn't be detected by the inhabitants within. The battle had ended many hours ago, and the victors were obvious. He grinned under his mask as he watched the sun rise.
The village had been victorious, as he expected, no matter how perfect the Uchiha thought they were they were no match for an army of thousands of Shinobi. A few hundred against a few thousand were never good odds, not unless the numerically lesser force had superior strategic planning to back it up, even then outcomes were uncertain.
"Don't relax quite yet Konoha, because this incident was only the beginning." He whispered as he watched the sun continue its slow cycle. "This era of peace had made this country, no, this continent complacent and weak. I will put an end to this false peace. I will begin a war to end all wars, and when it is over true peace will be a reality."
He slipped the glass jar into his flowing black robes, looked once more at the rising sun and blurred out of existence, leaving not a single trace of his existence. His voice echoed through the landscape, a ghostly voice which seemed to come from a dream of a dream.
"This is only the beginning."
Glossary
Shinobi - Ninja
Chūnin – Journeyman Ninja
Jōnin – High Ninja
Nukenin – Missing Ninja
Hokage – Fire Shadow
Raikage – Lightning Shadow
Konohanin – Leaf Ninja
Hokage – Fire Shadow
Shodaime – The First
Sandaime – The Third
Yondaime – The Fourth
Sharingan – Pinwheel Eyes
Jinchūriki – Power of the Human Sacrifice
Nibi no Nekomata – Two Tailed Monster Cat
Kyubi no Yoko – Nine Tailed Demon Fox
Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu – Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique
Katon: Karyū Endan – Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet
Ninpo: Kawara Shuriken – Ninja Art: Tile Shuriken
Author's Note 1: Laptop went boom, seriously the memory core fried and I lost a shit load of fanfiction work, including a completed chapter of this (Had to rewrite the thing ) and beginnings of chapters from A Long Way From Home and The Good Left Undone, plus the inevitable sex scene segment for the latter -_- (First time trying too...hmm, maybe it's a sign... well screw you I'm rewriting it), it was a work of art and it's now gone!. No university work though, thank god.
Author's Note 2: Naruto, all of the characters and locations are all the property of Masashi Kishimoto, I make no profit from this venture.
Author's Note 3: No Omake this time, mainly because this is the end of the first story arc, and the next story arc will begin roughly when the Manga begins, just with a few changes to the script. I am the writer of this little re-imagination after all. On a side note this chapter was once again rushed a little bit, will be fixed up later on if I made any mistakes.
Author's Note 4: How should Naruto's team work out this time around? It's going to be different with someone aiding and helping him, and I already have an idea of who the Genin team should be, but I wanted your opinions. Pick two of Naruto's teammates and see if they coincide with my own choices.