-November 17th, 339 NE-
-10:00 PM-
-Hokage's Office-
The remaining clan heads had gathered in the Hokage's office to discuss the aftermath of the "Uchiha Rebellion", as they were already calling it. Their faces ranged from solemn to angry, but they kept themselves civil for the moment.
Mikoto Uchiha was not present; even though in the wake of Fugaku's death she was technically the head of the Uchiha clan, the Hokage had decided it would be better if she remained out of sight for the moment. She and Sasuke were currently staying with the Aburame clan, as Shibi had volunteered to give them shelter until their home was habitable once again. Mikoto had gratefully accepted, knowing that Shibi would do everything in his power to keep them safe from any hotheaded ninja who might seek to take revenge on her or her son for her husband's actions.
The ANBU Commander was also not present, as he had already left on his mission to retrieve Itachi Uchiha. It would be several days before he returned with his charge in tow, and the situation would hopefully have calmed considerably by then.
Once Hiashi arrived, his normally stoic face particularly harsh this evening, the Hokage began the meeting.
"Let us begin with the final death toll. Shikaku."
"Yes, Hokage-sama. Shizune-sama has reported that all injured ninja have either succumbed to their wounds or begun their recovery, so the final toll stands thus:
"From our forces: two ANBU- and five jounin-level ninja dead; of our eleven injured, six will be in long-term rehabilitation, three in short-term rehabilitation, and the remaining two are expected to return to duty within the week.
"From the Uchiha: ten jounin- and fourteen chuunin-level ninja dead; of the twenty-seven injured, nineteen will be in long-term rehabilitation, five in short-term rehabilitation, and three will never recover sufficiently to resume their duties – all three of those had their chakra networks destroyed by Jyuuken attacks," he added, giving Hiashi lazy glance. The Hyuuga clan head's expression did not change.
The Hokage nodded grimly. "What of the remaining Uchiha?" he asked.
Shrugging slightly, Shikaku resumed his summary. "There are currently seven Uchiha in the field, five chuunin and two jounin. Teams have already been dispatched to escort those Uchiha back to Konoha. All other Uchiha have been accounted for and are currently in custody, with the exception of Mikoto and Sasuke, who are under the protection of the Aburame clan."
"Where does that leave the police force?" Inoichi asked curiously.
"In bad shape," Shikaku replied. "While the Uchiha represented only forty percent of the total force, that forty percent made up ninety percent of the leadership, obviously including the Chief. As it stands the police force will be unable to function come tomorrow."
Inoichi grimaced. The police force didn't do much in the way of ninja work, but they were vital to keeping the village running smoothly. Every ninja that had to do police work was a ninja that wasn't running missions, and thus not bringing in income. It wasn't an issue when the Uchiha were running the police, but civilians alone wouldn't be able to handle some of the problems than can come up inside a ninja village. Drunk or unruly ninja are still ninja.
"Chouza, Tsume," the Hokage called out. "I want you to pick out several members from your clans and take temporary control of the police force. We'll need to work out a permanent solution, but for now focus on keeping the force running. Let me know if you need additional help."
Tsume and Chouza nodded. Hiashi spoke up next. "I can also volunteer some ninja from the Branch House, Hokage-sama."
The Hokage sighed internally – Hiashi was already angling to replace the Uchiha as the internal police force. Sarutobi couldn't really blame him, but that could ultimately lead to a repeat of the current situation down the line. No, he had already eliminated the idea of assigning a single clan control of the police. Still, he nodded in acceptance for the time being.
"Thank you, Hiashi. With that problem dealt with for the moment, I want to focus on the Uchiha clan itself. The Kurama are calling for blood – between the attempted assassination of their genin and the rebellion of the Uchiha, they want the entire clan locked away. Konoha can't afford to lose that many active shinobi, however, so we need another solution.
"Inoichi, I want your clan working around the clock to sort out the innocent members of the clan; I want a list on my desk as soon as possible detailing which members of the clan are still loyal. I also want to know any laws they've broken, any secrets they're keeping, everything. For the time being, any Uchiha released had better be a damn saint, do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
"Hiashi, I want your clan working with ANBU to sweep the Uchiha District. All seals should be deactivated, all documents seized, all weapons caches cleared out. Keep a record of who owns what. Any Uchiha proven innocent will have their assets returned, but all other assets will be taken as fines and reparations."
"Understood, Hokage-sama."
The Hokage sighed and massaged the bridge of his nose as he leaned back in his chair. "Alright, next is the Council. The Kurama have also petitioned to strip the Uchiha of their seat on the Council, and I'm inclined to agree. The problem will be the civilians..."
"Actually, Hokage-sama," Shikaku interrupted, "I might have an idea for that."
"I'm listening."
"Well, the laws concerning the Council state that all vacant seats must be filled before any votes not directly related to those seats can be taken, unless there exists a state of emergency. The last such emergency was the aftermath of the tailed beast's attack. Under those circumstances, all vacant seats were assumed to vote with the Hokage, essentially granting you those extra votes for a limited time."
"That's true, but even if Mikoto doesn't attend the meeting, the only vacant seat is the Uchiha..." Chouza interjected.
Shikaku smirked, his eyes dancing with mirth. "That is the only vacant seat at the moment... I'm thinking we pull an Uchiha and steal one of Fugaku's techniques. If we..."
-November 18th, 339 NE-
-8:00 AM-
-Council Chambers-
"Esteemed Councilors, thank you for responding on such short notice. A terrible event has occurred, as devastating in its own way as the tailed beast's attack, and all of Konoha will need to unite to ensure our continued survival and prosperity."
The civilian councilors stirred uneasily, wondering what was going on. They looked to their ninja counterparts, noticing that Fugaku was not present.
"Yesterday afternoon an Uchiha clan member attempted to assassinate a ninja of the Kurama clan. When the attack was thwarted, the ninja eventually confessed that Fugaku Uchiha himself had ordered the attack. When I attempted to take Fugaku into custody, he and several of his clan resisted arrest and attempted to overthrow Konoha's government in retaliation."
The civilians gasped in shock or shouted in disbelief. It took a minute for the Hokage to restore order, but he soon resumed his explanation.
"Many ninja were lost in the battle, and many more are wounded and currently unable to return to duty. This loss of manpower seriously threatens Konoha's stability and safety, and I am thus declaring a state of emergency. As Konoha law dictates, the Council may, with a two-thirds majority, overturn my decision if they feel such a state does not actually exist. Shikaku, please conduct the vote."
As expected, every ninja councilor voted in agreement with the Hokage with the Uchiha seat abstaining. The civilian result was mixed; four voted with the Hokage, six against.
"Very well, the decree stands; Konoha is now in a state of emergency. As Hokage, it is my sworn duty to maintain the stability of Konoha. ANBU."
Ten ANBU suddenly appeared within the chamber, surrounding five civilians, all of whom had voted against the Hokage.
"Councilors, you are hereby arrested for corruption, conspiracy to commit murder, and conspiracy to commit treason. You will be detained by ANBU until such time as a trial can be arranged. As Konoha is currently in a state of emergency, that may take some time. Take them away."
Their protests were swiftly cut off as the ANBU removed them from the room. The five remaining civilian councilors were white-faced, wondering if they would be next. The Hokage turned to face them, his face stern.
"Councilors, you have not committed any crimes of note; I commend you for your honesty and integrity," the Hokage said. The councilors smiled tremulously, but did not feel particularly reassured.
"For my next order of business, I call for a review of the following laws: the law pertaining to permanent Council status for clans; the law pertaining to civilian seats on the council; the law pertaining to which seats may vote on which issues; and the law pertaining to the disposition of the Konoha Police Force. I call for a single vote for all of the above laws – do I have a second?"
Every ninja in the room issued a firm "Seconded."
One of the civilian councilors stood, trembling slightly. Unsurprisingly, it was the only remaining councilor who had voted against him earlier. "H-Hokage-sama, you can't do that. The law requires that all Council seats be filled before a vote can be called."
"You are correct... unless a state of emergency exists. How fortunate that a state of emergency was just declared. In this circumstance, all empty seats vote with the Hokage."
"But- you can't- that's illegal!" shouted the civilian, his shock momentarily overcoming his fear.
The Hokage surged to his feet, slamming his fist upon the table. His already grim face became positively stony, and a small amount of killing intent began to leak into the room. The civilian blanched, and dropped back into his chair.
"Let me speak plainly," he growled. "The civilian seats were added to this Council out of respect for your contributions to the growth and prosperity of Konoha. I understand the rationale, and despite recent events I still agree with it," he said. "However, in the last five years this Council's powers have been consistently twisted and abused until they are nothing more than a mockery of their original purpose. This abuse led directly to Fugaku Uchiha deciding that he and he alone should decide the fate of this village, and if you had had your way he would have succeeded. What I do now is no more illegal than the outdated and shortsighted process that would have seen a madman elected our next Hokage based on the whims and greed of civilians who should have had no say in the matter to begin with.
"That ends now. Be grateful that I am allowing civilians to remain on the Council at all. By the very laws you have so eagerly twisted to suit your own greed and arrogance, I could strip every civilian from the Council and demand any punishment I see fit. So let me tell you what will happen.
"The civilian seats will no longer have any right to vote on a strictly ninja matter, and should there be any doubt it will be the Hokage who decides if the civilians are allowed to vote. The civilian seats will no longer have any vote on ninja law, and they most especially will have no vote on the appointment of the Hokage. The civilian seats will be restricted to dealing with civilian matters, as they should have been from the beginning.
"The practice of voting to appoint temporary seats has proven to be highly susceptible to corruption. Henceforth the Hokage, the ANBU Commander, the Jounin Commander, and one representative from both the ninja and civilian seats shall discuss the matter and appoint a worthy councilor."
The Hokage slowly sank back into his chair, finally letting up on his killing intent. The civilians were staring at him in shock; it had been a very long time since they had seen this side of the Hokage, and several had chosen to forget that it existed at all.
"Now then, I believe I called for a vote. We have much work to do, so let's get on with it, shall we?"
-November 19th, 339 NE-
-4:30 PM-
-Near Wave Country-
"Hello, Dragon-sama," Itachi said calmly, turning his head slightly to stare into the branches of a tree. The two chuunin who were accompanying him on his mission, an Inuzuka and an Aburame, turned to look at him questioningly.
Dragon dropped out of the tree and landed lightly on the ground. "You've improved even more, I see," the ANBU Commander complimented.
"Thank you, Dragon-sama," Itachi said, his expression not changing in the least. The Inuzuka gaped at the ANBU Commander, while the Aburame's insects began to hum in agitation. The Inuzuka's canine partner growled softly, not pleased that someone had managed to sneak up on him.
"May I ask why you have sought us out?" Itachi asked.
Dragon sighed. "I have come to recall your team to Konoha. Your scouting mission will have to end here, with whatever information you have managed to gather so far. You are to return to Konoha immediately."
"What? Why?" cried out the Inuzuka. "We just found a solid lead on the bandits in the area."
"Because those are your orders, chuunin."
Itachi studied Dragon for a long moment before nodding. "Very well," he said.
The Inuzuka grumbled under his breath, but turned to move in the direction of Konoha.
-November 21st, 339 NE-
-9:30 AM-
-Konoha Gates-
Itachi noticed immediately that something had changed within Konoha. The guards watching the gate tensed when they saw him and did not relax even while Dragon was explaining the reason for their return. A couple of civilians who caught sight of him glared in a mixture of disgust and poorly disguised fear.
His teammates were directed to return to their homes immediately for a meeting with their clan, but Dragon kept him back and instead escorted him to the Hokage's office. Itachi quickly noticed that even though he could see several police patrols, it was either a Hyuuga, Akimichi, or Inuzuka who was leading them. In fact, he had yet to see a single Uchiha since he entered Konoha. The glares or wary looks he received as he moved through Konoha continued.
Itachi kept his face carefully neutral, but inside he was disgusted. His father's plotting and treasonous activities had finally caught up with him, and it appeared the entire clan would be paying the price. He held no love for his father – the man had never been particularly affectionate to begin with, but after the tailed beast's attack Fugaku had changed, becoming even colder and more distant. He had pushed Itachi harder and harder in training, always ranting about the glorious future of the Uchiha.
He did not resent the training; he understood the utility of power and knew it was always better to be strong rather than weak. No, Itachi resented the way his father looked at him, the way his father spoke to him – as if he were a tool or a weapon to be honed and sharpened. He had become accustomed to such treatment from others, but it hurt more than he had thought possible to have his own father look at him like that.
His mother had treated him as family should, but she had her own problems dealing with Fugaku and did not always have the time or energy to look after Itachi. Even she had begun treating him as if he were an adult rather than her own child, though she could occasionally be affectionate and was always supportive.
It was Sasuke to whom he felt closest. His little brother looked up to him as someone to admire and emulate, and even though he was often kept busy and away from home – another reason to dislike his father – he made sure to spend as much time as possible with Sasuke. There was no fear or wariness, no jealousy or envy, just child-like admiration and happiness. It made Itachi feel… human.
When they finally arrived at the Hokage's Office, Itachi was prepared for anything from revocation of his ninja license to immediate arrest on charges of treason.
"Ah, Dragon, Itachi-kun, glad to see you back safe and sound," the Hokage said pleasantly as they entered the office.
"Thank you, Hokage-sama," the ANBU Commander replied as he moved to stand beside the Hokage's desk. Both focused on Itachi.
Itachi shifted slightly, the only outward sign of his unease, then spoke. "Hokage-sama, may I ask why am I here? Am I not to be detained along with the rest of my clan?"
The Hokage sighed, the smile slowly slipping from his face. "No, Itachi-kun, you will not be detained." The Hokage proceeded to quickly summarize what Fugaku had done, how the Uchiha had rebelled, and the actions taken afterward.
"I see… what of my mother and Sasuke?"
"They are currently residing in the Aburame compound. You are welcome to join them when our business here is concluded," the Hokage said.
"What is our business then? I'm sure you did not need to inform me of these events personally, Hokage-sama," Itachi said, his face still expressionless.
"For better or worse, Mikoto is the new clan head. Unfortunately, despite her own innocence in the rebellion she is tainted by the stigma of her marriage to Fugaku, and other ninja and even civilians will see her as at least partly guilty for your father's actions. If the Uchiha are to recover from Fugaku's lunacy, someone other than Mikoto will need to lead the clan. I believe that someone is you," the Hokage stated, his eyes searching.
Itachi closed his eyes for a long moment, assimilating this new information. The Hokage wanted him as a puppet, it seemed, much as his father had. He could already guess the Hokage's plan. Itachi would be recruited into ANBU to "prove his loyalty", and the Hokage would let it slip that Itachi had passed his personal evaluation and could be trusted with such a sensitive position, alleviating the other ninja's concerns. His mother would become a powerless figurehead while he established his own reputation as a loyal ninja, and in a few years he would leave ANBU to assume his duties as the newest clan head of the Uchiha.
He wouldn't have any real power, of course. The Uchiha had been removed from all their positions of power within Konoha, and it would be decades before the clan as a whole was truly trusted again. Itachi himself would be carefully watched by all sides, the Hokage's ninja monitoring him for any signs of rebelliousness while the remaining Uchiha would likely view him as a traitor who sold out the clan for the Hokage's favor. It was an impossible position, thankless and demanding, one that they would never have asked another child to take – but they were more than willing to ask him.
But if he didn't accept… then Sasuke would suffer, either with the rest of the clan or, worse, as the next figurehead appointed to "guide" the Uchiha back into the fold.
Itachi opened his eyes again, staring straight at the Hokage. He wasn't surprised to find that the Hokage's eyes wouldn't quite meet his own.
"What would you have me do?" Itachi asked.
-August 30th, 340 NE-
-2:00 PM-
-Konoha Training Grounds-
Kuushou checked again to make sure no one was nearby to witness his experiments, then focused on the training post sticking out of the ground in front of him. His constant efforts over the past year in merging his youki and the human chakra his body contained had paid off, and he was able to create a stable mixture containing nearly any percentage of youki he desired at a moment's notice. From there he had swiftly mastered the leaf exercise and beyond, soon passing Ino's own progress in chakra control. She had been annoyed and redoubled her own efforts so she could keep up, but her happiness that he had overcome his difficulties with chakra control – thanks to her advice, not Shizune's, she reminded him – was plain to see.
Still, he didn't need any witnesses for this quite yet, so he had sought out an isolated training ground. He had acquired a fire jutsu - a low-powered, simplistic variant of the Uchiha's infamous Grand Fireball technique - and was ready to determine just how much his youki would alter human techniques.
Chakra theory stated that the handsigns helped ninja manipulate their chakra in the right pattern and prepare it for specific techniques, and doubled as a mental focus. Whatever they did for normal humans did not work for Kuushou, perhaps because his youki overwhelmed the chakra in the body and did not allow it to react naturally. Still, he had been able to puzzle out what was supposed to happen and found that he could manipulate his youki in the proper way to mimic the effects of the handsigns.
Or so he thought, anyway. He hadn't yet had the chance to observe for himself, thus his trip to the training grounds.
For his first experiment he decided to use the lowest concentration of youki he could and work his way up from there. A short string of handsigns later and he inhaled deeply before activating the technique and expelling the gathered air in a single burst.
A small fireball flew from his mouth towards the log, but quickly destabilized and fizzled out completely a mere ten feet away.
Kuushou blinked, trying to place the odd sensation he had felt. There was something… shrugging, he shook the odd feeling off and refocused. Perhaps his human chakra was still too weak or he hadn't used enough; it was his very first time using any human technique, after all.
Grinning, he prepared a much more youki-intensive batch of merged energy and began the technique again. If all he needed was more power, this should be more than sufficient.
The fireball he expelled this time was easily ten times the size of the previous, looking more like a strong example of the Grand Fireball technique than what should be its weaker counterpart. His eyes widened in delight and victory as the fire roared towards the training post… and then began churning in midair. His expression faltered; that certainly wasn't what the technique was supposed to do.
"What the…"
Kuushou's eyes widened when streams of fire began pouring out of the fireball and rushing back towards him. Too late he remembered where he had felt that sensation before and figured out what was happening.
"Well… shit," he said, before the fire slammed into his body.
-August 30th, 340 NE-
-5:00 PM-
-Yamanaka Residence-
While he had quickly healed the burns and other damage caused by the fire, his clothing was a complete loss, the charred scraps that remained were wholly inadequate to cover him. It had taken him nearly two hours to make it back to the Yamanaka home unseen; he didn't want to explain just why he was running through Konoha naked.
Freshly clothed and bathed, he settled back into the library and started reviewing chakra theory again. He would need to find techniques that did not require chakra to sustain once they were launched. Water sounded good, at least for now – less likely to destroy his clothing and far easier to explain.
Failing that, he could always focus on close-range attacks, although even those would be risky.
-May 10th, 341 NE-
-Konoha Training Grounds-
Itachi's fist lashed out, catching Naruto in the stomach and driving the air from his lungs. Even as Naruto folded over, the kunai clutched in the younger child's hand drove upward and scored a hit, leaving a long, shallow cut on Itachi's arm. They broke apart, Naruto quickly regaining his breath as he fell back into a ready stance.
Itachi eyed the wound with a nod of approval. "You are getting better. Still, you are too willing to accept damage in exchange for striking the opponent. Even with how quickly you heal, allowing the opponent to strike you at any time could prove disastrous. There is always the possibility their weapons are laced with poison or that they have a technique as dangerous as the Jyuuken in their arsenal. Try again, this time while avoiding the blow."
Naruto nodded silently. Itachi dashed forward again, his fists striking the air around Naruto as they resumed their battle.
These training sessions had begun in part because the Hokage had deemed it useful for Itachi to be seen helping Konoha's "little hero". Itachi was certain the Hokage also fully intended for Naruto to learn from these training sessions, and the boy had. Itachi wondered if this almost impossibly fast progress was what people had seen in his younger days.
Still, Itachi found himself enjoying these sessions on a personal level as well. Naruto did not fear him as the other children did, nor was he awed and humbled by his skill or disturbed by his quiet, calculating demeanor. There was an odd sort of respect between them; two people who would never be even remotely "normal" who had found a kindred spirit.
Itachi reflected on that thought for a moment, absentmindedly deflecting Naruto's attack. Was it that Naruto could see Itachi for all that he was and didn't care? There was something to that, he concluded, but that was not the whole answer.
Even Itachi's mother tried to ignore the fact that he had already grown more powerful than her, choosing to focus on their familial bond instead. It was comforting in some ways, but it felt like he was donning a mask whenever he stepped foot inside her house, like he had to hide part of himself in order to feel welcome.
Sasuke was better in this regard, but the early adulation had slowly but surely turned into a one-sided rivalry following the fall of the Uchiha clan. Sasuke had still held out hope that Fugaku would acknowledge him, and the sudden loss of his father had hurt him deeply. Sasuke had eventually turned the pain of that loss into a determination to restore the Uchiha clan's honor, and Itachi's place in Sasuke's life had shifted from role model to measuring stick. It was ironic, Itachi mused; Fugaku really would have been proud of Sasuke now.
Itachi stifled a hiss as the kunai scored a shallow cut along his ribs, instinctively kicking out and landing a solid hit that flung Naruto backwards several feet. He barely managed to alter the direction of the kick so that it didn't crush Naruto's windpipe, instead catching him across the chest. Naruto pulled himself to his feet, grinning widely even as he spat out a mouthful of blood.
That was another oddity. Despite what their relative skill levels should be, Itachi had to consciously stop himself from reacting as if Naruto was a serious threat and striking fatal blows. Several times he had barely stopped himself from snapping Naruto's neck or stabbing a kunai into vital organs. Further, he was certain that Naruto knew what he had been about to do, and the child just smiled that wide grin of his as if he found it all terribly amusing.
"You shouldn't get distracted, ANBU-san," Naruto said mockingly. "It's always the insignificant ones who catch you in the end." Itachi had that odd sense that Naruto was speaking from experience, even though that should be impossible. He knew that Naruto behaved differently in these sessions than he did in his other activities, but statements like that made his instincts scream at him even louder. It disturbed him that after years of observing Naruto he still couldn't pin down why he instinctively knew that Naruto was dangerous.
-February 13th, 342 NE-
-A Small Tavern in the Land of Water-
"They're trying to keep it quiet for the moment, but some of the Seven Swordsman have gone missing."
Jiraiya groaned. "Again? Kami, what is going on in Kiri?" He shook his head. "Is this like the old Mizukage? They just up and disappeared?"
"No, there was definitely a fight this time, and at least one of them was killed. Kisame Hoshigaki apparently did the deed, from the rumors I heard. He's one of the ones who left, and he took his sword with him."
"Oh, that's gotta hurt."
"Yeah… they've already dispatched several hunter-nin squads after him."
"What's the new Mizukage doing?"
"She's the one who drove him off in the end, apparently. She may have killed or captured another of the defectors… the rumors are all over the place on that. The rumors also can't agree on who lived, who died, and who fled, outside of Kisame."
Jiraiya frowned thoughtfully. It was useful to hear about the unrest in Kiri, but he never liked working with such vague information.
His informant brought up another topic, his new knowledge on Kiri exhausted for the moment. "Hey, did you hear about-"
"Sword and Hammer, Wave, yes, I know."
"Did you hear that they supposedly made off with most of Gato's fortune?"
Jiraiya whistled appreciatively. "That's gotta be… over fifty million ryo."
"More than that, if you believed Gato. However much it is, that's still some serious cash. And speaking of cash…"
Jiraiya snorted then reached into his pouch. Instead of money, however, he pulled out an orange book.
"Is that…"
"Yep, the latest in the series, first edition, hot off the presses, autographed by yours truly. Of course, if you still want your money…"
"No! I mean… such a collector's item should go to those who truly appreciate it. A true fan of your genius, such as myself."
Jiraiya chuckled to himself as he left the tavern. That got 'em every time.
-July 23rd , 342 NE-
-1:00 AM-
-ANBU Archives-
Itachi flipped to the beginning of Naruto's file again. With his recent promotion to ANBU Captain, he had access to nearly all restricted files, which fortunately for him included the vast majority of the information available on Naruto Uzumaki. He had already read through the entire file four times, learning nothing truly new, but his instincts – those same instincts that insisted Naruto was dangerous – insisted that he held the answer in his hands.
He skimmed through the file again; ANBU HQ at one week old, orphanage at one year, genius intellect, rapid learning, incredible test scores, attempted assassination, moved to Yamanaka household, Kumo incident… other than the details on when and how the tailed beast's chakra had been used, he had already known all of this. What was he missing?
"Captain? You pulling another all-nighter?" Rabbit asked.
Itachi grunted his response, waving off his fellow ANBU distractedly. As the other ninja departed, Itachi dropped the file to the table in disgust. He stood up and began to pace back and forth, his nerves jangling. Kami, he was so close he could taste it, but the answer just refused to come.
Perhaps if he looked at it from a different perspective; instead of beginning with Naruto and explaining the oddities, start with the oddities themselves.
Naruto – no, that clouded the issue, evoked an emotional response – the subject was highly intelligent for a child. The subject was unable to bond with peers for several years, but later easily formed powerful bonds with the children of ninja families. The subject dismisses personal injury as irrelevant. The subject is incredibly focused on learning, absorbs knowledge on any and all topics like a sponge, with a recent focus on the healing arts.
The subject was capable of deliberate murderous intent before the age of four.
Itachi's breathing began to quicken. He was getting closer now, he could feel it. What other oddities did the subject demonstrate? The subject was used as the vessel for sealing a tailed beast, a nine-tailed beast specifically. The tailed beast's chakra is constantly circulating throughout the subject's body. However, that was assumed to be – no, no explanations; just list.
Itachi had stopped moving now, his fists rapidly clenching and unclenching and his body trembling.
The subject has only shown external evidence of the presence of the tailed beast sealed within him on two occasions: once immediately after the sealing, and once during the attempted assassination – but that was because- no! List! His breath was coming in gasps now, his eyes wide. He had unknowingly activated his sharingan, the three tomoe spinning wildly as they stared at nothing.
He didn't even notice Rabbit returning to the room carrying a tray of snacks, intent on doing a small favor for the ANBU Captain. He didn't hear the tray drop to the floor or Rabbit dash out of the room, seeking a med-nin to help the ANBU Captain who appeared to be having some sort of seizure.
Itachi's mind continued to turn. A little more than a week later the subject took similarly life-threatening wounds, but the tailed beast's chakra was not used. This, this needed to be explained. This was an oddity among oddities. Why? Why was the chakra not used? Why a week before but not then? The Hokage and the other ninja had been relieved at the change, of course, but–
And there it was.
His body stilled and his breathing slowed as everything began to fall into place. A look of stunned admiration crossed his face at the sheer beauty of the answer. It was so obvious, so blindingly obvious, that he couldn't believe he hadn't seen it before, that no one had seen it before. As he began to laugh – a choked, brittle sound that frightened Rabbit and the med-nin as they entered the room – he realized that his prior ignorance was his own fault; he had forgotten the first lesson he ever learned, the single most important lesson of his entire life.
He turned to look at Rabbit and the med-nin, a wide smile on his face.
"Never trust your eyes," he said, and vanished.
A/N: I probably shouldn't have enjoyed ending the chapter there as much as I did.
This has been coming for quite a while; I hinted at it during the first scene with Itachi, and finally it has happened.
The Council has finally been smacked down. This will probably be the last scene dealing with that aspect of the Council, although the Council as a whole will be involved whenever the politicking gets heavy. It serves more as a background / motivation scene than something to drive the plot forward anyway.
I'm curious... assuming you figured out what happened when Kuushou tried to use that fireball technique, how long did it take you? The problem was laid out in the early chapters, though it hasn't been brought up much since then. This just served as a reminder that it won't just go away, and will continue to hinder Kuushou for the foreseeable future. He understands that now, however, and will learn to compensate in other ways. Coming up with new abilities or finding ways to spin old ones is actually a lot of fun.
Also, Gato got killed off, so no Wave arc. I understand that it's the first major arc in canon, but I've seen it done over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and- yeah. Sometimes the author will mix it up, but sadly despite whatever radical changes they've introduced to the story it almost always goes down exactly the same way, every time. Given the changes I've introduced elsewhere there was no possible way I could justify that chain of events here, so I just cut it out entirely. Now I have to come up with something original to fill the gap between graduation and the Chuunin Exams...
*panics*