One year ago...
"Give me back my clan, then I'll stop!" the adolescent spat at the top of his lungs, not even pretending to control the ire within him. He strained against leather straps on his wrists that held him to the bed for the duration of the visit. But soon he must have realized the struggles wouldn't help him. Instead he chose to shot baleful glares at his guest, who dare to disturb his solace in the detention centre. Teen's whole body was trembling, be it from exhaustion, recent wounds or burning emotions; faced contorted in strange grimace under the dark seals. "Justice, is it so much to want?!"
"Vengeance, you mean vengeance, Sasuke." Kakashi corrected him from the other side of the cell. To jounin's eyes the raven boy looked like a chained dog, being in full cry at everything the man had said today. The feral impression wasn't eased by the fact that he was half sitting-half laying on his bed, put into hospital gown, healing from the battle and from... from what the Root had done to him... No, his disarray hair and crumpled sheets only completed the image. The life kept coming back to the wretched boy, but so rose his burning despair that promised to sweep everything on its way if not stopped.
The man leant against the wall with his arms crossed. He was wondering if it was a good idea to meet his ex-student, but how could he not to? He needed to see himself what had left of Team Seven. As expected (or as feared, he'd rather say), he hadn't managed to talk any sense into this thick head and the emotions re-awoken in Sasuke by the visit weren't particularly healthy for recuperation. Nor for civil rehabilitation. Nor for their flimsy bond.
"And even so?! Is it so wrong to want it?!" the raven continued.
"To destroy the peace and bring harm to other people just for a selfish desire to feel better for a moment," Kakashi's only visible brew traveled high, "yes, it is so very wrong! We have all bear loses, Sasuke! As much as it is comforting to feel special, the amount of suffering neither makes anyone better than others nor it justifies anyone's actions. You need to turn your back on the past or nothing will change."
"This soil is stained in the blood of my family, the people responsible for it walk freely and laugh! These men are guilty of unaccountable crimes against people of Konoha, and you're telling me it's ok to leave it like that, ha?!"
"And what are you going to do? Kill them?" he walked to the bedpost." I'm curious how, because right now you can't even save yourself." he was sneering - he realized in shame. He was just at his wits end, getting bitter. His presence here was useless. But... no, frustration isn't an excuse.
"This land is stained. And you'd better not stand in my way!" the boy again yanked against his restrains, maybe trying to reach his senei, to make sure the man finally realize the truth.
Kakashi shook his head and turned on his heel to the exit. He had already heard it multiple times. Was anything else left to say between them? He was just drained of words, of energy, and of hope.
"How can I expect you to understand, you, whose father was pushed to death by this sick system, and you did as much as nothing about it!" Sasuke's words caught him with his hand on the door. He turned back in an instant.
The kid had no idea. No fucking idea what his father was through and why, but it didn't stop the teen from lumping every catastrophe together and using them for his own justification. White Fang stood between the hardest choice in shinobi's life, where no option led to victory. It was a personal tragedy, not political. And the most important different was that his father died because he wanted to protect what was precious for him!
"Your brother Itachi chose Konoha. You know that. Will you fight against him, will you try to kill him for your ambition as well?" he wasn't sure if still was telling it for Sasuke's sake or just to spite the teen. Shit, who was Kakashi turning into?
"Then he too is wrong! And don't you dare to speak about him to me!"
If his former student just gave him a slightest reason for trust, Kakashi would clutch to it like a drowning man to a straw and move heaven and earth to convince the council to Sasuke's release. Yes, the man yearned for a stupid happy ending. The war gave them a chance to face their traumas and move forward with their lives. Or to die in peace. Even Obito could change.
But young Uchiha didn't even care to pretend he understood something. His all existence was still imbued in vengeance. There was no way he, Hatake Kakashi - in accordance with his ninja's responsibility and conscious- could draw up a positive opinion on the arrestee.
"You know why I am here" the man said with a resignation in his voice.
"I'm not stupid" the boy too seemed to give up his anger for now. He hunched and stared at the white sheet covering his knees.
"Sometimes I think you are. Telling me so openly about your vengeance."
"Do you want me to come up with a touchy story of my change of heart? I won't lie to you, "sensei", and IT'S KONOHA THAT HAVE TO CHANGE, not me!" he was back to shouting.
Maybe it was true that Sasuke was a lost cause and it was high time to accept it. His recent battle with Naruto should be enough proof. Maybe they lost him a long time ago, when he chose Orochimaru. All the reasoning and pleading had been falling on deaf ears throughout the years, all the support and sacrifices weren't enough to show the young Uchiha that there was another path to choose, that Team 7 could be his home... As if half-an-hour-long talk would change the years of hate.
It was never about Naruto, Sakura and Kakashi, jounin realized. They would never be able to replace Sasuke's family, and the man couldn't really condemn this part of the boy's feeling. However he could and he did blame him for ruthlessly hurting others along the way.
"After the Third Shinobi War ninjas that discarded their loyalties to their villages were executed on spot. Rethink your words before the Council summons you."
"How can you expect me to be loyal to the sato that was never loyal to me or to my family" the boy sneered.
"I can't. And that is the problem here. But I hoped you would let it go, if not for your friends - I mean if you consider anybody here a friend - then for your brother's sake."
"Don't you dare- " he growled threatening.
"Don't you dare to speak about him? And how are you going to stop me? Aren't you even curious how is he?" Kakashi cut in, but Sasuke turned back in his bed, as much as the straps allowed him, signalizing the end of the visit.
When Hatake was leaving the hospital ward in the detention centre, he couldn't help hearing wild yells of frustration coming from the boy's cell.
[***]
"Thank you for coming. I asked for your presence because I know I could trust you." Tsunade's voice echoed on the stone walls. She quietly thanked her grandparents not to forget to dig out a labyrinth of cellars under their mansion. A little bit damp, too cold for her likings, but you could enjoy other kind of comfort here: a privacy. "We don't have time to beat about the bush and you probably all know what is it about. The Uchihas. I want to hear you opinion on the matter."
Six jounins exchanged uncertain looks, well, four of them - Kakashi wasn't as much surprised as the others, being caught in the whirlwind of events, either was Nara Shikaku - Konoha strategist number one. The whole idea of secret meeting in the middle of a night was odd, but strangely flattering, especially in the noticeable absence of the big clans members. Kakashi was sitting on the bench with Yamanaka Inoichi and Maito Gai and on the chairs opposite to them were Nara, Inuzuka Tsume and Yamashiro Aoba. Tsunade rested on the barrel at the top of the small room lit with a few flickering torches.
"Soon we will have to decide. The question is whether you think the Uchihas pose a real threat to the village and how to prevent it. I wish to work out a solution that will be acceptable for the majority of us. The old council - Homura and Koharu - demanded both of them to be executed without trial." Kakashi suspected such move, but waited for his superior to explain further."I trust that you can understand the expectations of shinobis, loyal clans and civilians better. Please speak your mind."
"Forgive me, Godaime-sama, but I want to hear it from you what really happened. We read the reports but truth is that I was on the different front during the war and there is so much gossips around that I am no longer sure in what I should believe." Inuzuka Tsume started.
"Kakashi-san, you participated in the crucial events," Hokage left the explanation to silver-hair joinin.
"I can admit that both Uchihas help in the war." he confirmed. "No, help is not a good word here, they played a major part in it. Itachi and Sasuke first stopped edo-tensei and apparently Sasuke and Taka Team revived Hokages, them he fought side by side with Naruto. I was there on the front with my genin team. And later my search team met and seized Itachi and investigated the battle scene with edo-tensei caster - Kabuto - in the southern part of Amae forest."
"Yes, when we finally got Kabuto's body, we were able to extract memories about casting the jutsu, several meetings with Madara, I mean, Obito, and the last memory is the fight against the both Uchihas." Yamanaka Inoichi reported.
"My knowledge is based on the research and on what I was told by Kakashi who witnessed these events. Of course I trust his words and judgment. There's Naruto's testimony how he encountered Itachi and then a lot of witnesses who saw Sasuke in the main battle. They all gave pretty much the same story." Tsunade said.
"And later this hero-of-the-war Uchiha Sasuke went after Naruto and almost killed him, didn't he?" Yamanaka said grimly.
"Yes, a serious battle between them broke off. I'm not really sure though who started it. I think it wasn't as much about Konoha, but about them wanting to prove something to each other" admitted Kakashi. Despite his personal disappointment in Sasuke, he wasn't going to make the boy's situation even worse.
"And Naruto of course protects his ex-teammate and isn't really helpful here, is he?" Gai cut in.
"I can't imagine Sasuke just walks freely among us. One day he is your ally, the second -your enemy. Even you, Kakashi-san, have written in your report that he doesn't hide his hatred. He almost killed Naruto-kun and doesn't show any remorse. I don't care if that was "just" about their rivalry. This is serious!" Inuzuka said. "If he fought against my Kiba, without any valid reason, just to prove he's right over something, or against your daughter, Yamanaka-san, against Lee or Shikamaru-kun? It's not a matter you could turn a blind eye on." she reasoned further.
"With whom is he going to fight? Haven't Root sealed his chakra?" asked Aoba.
"You don't only fight with your chakra, words and ideas could be as dangerous as physical strength," noticed Shikaku, who was silent up till now. "And the feeling of injustice, whether on Sasuke's side or villagers' can grow into something really troublesome".
"As he is now, no, nobody could really trust him." Gai spoke. " You are right to be angry with him Tsume-san. There is a lot he needs to understand first."
"I don't say to trust him, to let him out, but he deserves a chance ..." said silver-haired jounin.
"Can you afford unbiased opinion, Kakashi-san? He was your student after all." inquired Inoichi.
"Can you?" he retorted, suddenly angry. "Maybe because he was mine, I know him the best?"
"But would you be able to sentence him for death, if needed?" asked Inuzuka.
"I already have. I, my whole team have fought against him with the intend of taking him down! However I don't think there is a need for it now. But would you, Tsume -san, Inozuki-san, be able to fight against your children? Then, don't educate me on keeping unbiased." he growled. "and for your information. I am not sure at all if he makes the best use of a chance, but still we are oblige to give him one!"
"Executing war heroes?! Are we really discussing it? What would other villages think about us?" Aobe added.
"Ease!" Tsunade scolded them "But that way I guess we all know our standings about Sasuke. Please, let's get back to Itachi."
"During the war, everybody just wanted to survive and his help doesn't prove anything." Inuzuka said, crossing her arms defensively. "The Uchihas helped to win the war, yes but it doesn't immediately make them Konoha's friends. Even Orochimaru helped us!"
"But what if he had a change of heart? Many people did and I can see that we are accepting many of them back." said Gai.
"Kakashi-san, you have written in your report that Uchiha Itachi would have died if not for your intervention. Do you think that he would resist or fight back if he was in better condition?" inquired Shikaku. Hatake knew he wanted to bring something positive about the older Uchiha.
"Mhm, it's true that he was in a really bad shape, he still is. But what would he do? If I were him, I would flee and try to reach my brother. O yes, he was very concerned about Sasuke back then. But if you imply that he would want to go against us like Sasuke, I highly doubt it. You know how the encounter with Naruto and Killer B.- san looked like - how he set himself free from a binding justu to protect Konoha. You have it in the reports..."
"I think that Iwagakure reported similar cases with their shinobis that had gone missing before the war. Some died the moment edo-tensei was released so it is believed that the jutsus were connected." added Yamanaka.
"Are you really saying that Itachi, even before the war, was on our side? That he handed over means to defeat his brother, he now claims he loves so much, for Konoha's sake? Come on, I have fought with him! I.. I saw how he massacred his "beloved" Sasuke when we encountered him five years ago" Gai exclaimed.
"It's a possible explanation and we need to take it into consideration."Shikaku didn't reveal much emotions on the matter. Neither now nor when he first learned about the news."Yet it creates even more questions. The encounters with him were always kind of enigmatic. I cannot shake off the feeling that he could have done a lot more harm than he actually did. We took his tactics as a sigh of his boldness, a way to terrorize us, to torment his brother. " Nara frowned. "Because there was no evidence to anything, our assumption were based only profiling him as a psychopath..."
Tsunade gestured toward Yamanaka-san.
"Yes, my lady, as you asked, I checked the restricted archives and Konoha must have had a spy in Akatsuki in a time correlating with Itachi's active part in their organization, that is to his supposed dead. We have pretty inside information, so a spy must have been close to the leaders. Unfortunately I cannot establish the exact source. I am afraid many people took their secrets to the grave and we will never know. We can't say anything about their motives either. Maybe Akatsuki's members followed their own agenda, digging holes under each other? he shrugged his shoulder.
"What's that supposed to mean? Hokage-sama?"
"Recent revelations make me, well, maybe not believe, but consider that Uchiha Itachi has spied on Akatsuki and could even undertook his own actions against them. If he cooperated through the Root he probably promised to keep the spy network secret, so he doesn't talk much about it. I'll need to work on squeezing it from Homura. But taking "Itachi on our side" into equation just solves so many unknowns.
"The next thing is that you all know that younger Uchiha holds a grudge against Konoha. A smoke?"
Tsunade passed the cigarettes around. They all joined and when the heavy fumes filled the room, she continued.
"There is no way we could keep it from public forever. Uchiha Sasuke accuses Konoha of having issued the order for Itachi to kill their clansmen. He claims Danzo ordered so, because the Uchihas were planning a coup. Itachi was loyal to Konoha and carried out the mission only he had a chance to succeed - his relatives wouldn't really fight him back - and then he joined Akatsuki. In return he was allowed to spare Sasuke's life. Somehow Obito got to knew about it and helped Itachi to eradicate the Uchihas."
"My lady, forgive me my boldness, but... is it true?" asked Gai.
"These accusations... they could... cause serious problems for Konoha credibility..." added Yamanaka.
"Does anyone believe this crazy kid?"Inuzuka cut in.
"Kakashi?"
"Yes, my lady. I was the one to first bring the news about these allegations." he sighed and told them how he learned this information. " Generally Tobi aka Obito was the one who told Sasuke about it. Just after he made him believe he killed Itachi."
"So there was just yet another Uchiha who sawed chaos, who had a clear motive to see Konoha in the internal struggle, and who wanted to manipulate some traumatized teen to win him over" Inuzuka commented.
"Then you understand why I had to keep the matter secret for further verification" Tsunade explained. "I've done my investigation but unfortunately my people couldn't obtain any proof confirming or excluding it. It seems Third has taken many secrets to the grave."
"Later on, during the war and Obito's change of heart he confessed to many crimes." Kakashi continued his story. "He mentioned that he wiped out Konoha Police Force that night, wanting revenge as Uchihas didn't share Madara's vision. According to him Itachi loved peace and sacrificed himself for Konoha's sake, but didn't say what he really meant by it or what was Itachi's role in the massacre. He was dying, trying to atone for his sins so I don't think he was lying." Hatake thanked Kami that he still wore the mask and they met in such a dark place. He wasn't sure anymore if his face didn't turn red. These were not lies, it all really happened, but it too well tasted like treason to his ideals. Obito didn't need to mention Itachi killing his clansmen, because he knew Kakashi understood to what he referred. But who needs such truths now, not Hokage because she didn't really believe it, not Konoha, because it would fall into chaos, not Itachi, because he would only suffer more, not even Sasuke. Mere faith is not the proof, he told himself.
"Madara, I mean Obito killing the Uchihas ..."said Gai."That is an easy explanation I would like to believe. Surely they had a motive. The Uchihas, I bet, were the major obstacle in the whole Eye of the Moon plan. They were powerful shinobis who knew the best the Sharingan secrets... "
"Still there is a lot of possible scenarios involving Itachi. For example Madara could frame him so he had nowhere to go except Akatsuki, where he hoped to win Itachi over " explained Shikaku. "Itachi himself could trade his and Sasuke lives for taking all the blame to cover Madara's involvement. He saw his salvation in joining the Akatsuki, but at some point he was ravaged with guilt and started to spy on them, if that was him-"
"But he was seen!"
"It's easy to trick the mind into seeing things you believe should be true." commented Yamanaka.
"Then, I could even imagine a situation where the Hokage or elders ordered Itachi to find the killer, to pretend he shares Madara's vision and join the Akatsuki for intel," Shikaku speculated further.
"And what does Itachi say about it?" asked Inuzuka
"The problem is that he doesn't say anything. When it comes down to Uchiha massacre, he goes silent or say that it was all his fault. I..."Kakashi said.
"We made our previous judgment on the assumption that Uchiha Itachi is a heartless sadist. He's definitely not. I talked with him and he seems reasonable and quite concerned about his brother," said Tsunade. "The proven facts are: Madara-Obito participated in Uchiha massacre. Itachi placed Kotoamatsukami on Naruto to - literally - protect Konoha. Itachi and Sasuke helped in the war. We have no means to discover Itachi's true part in Uchiha massacre. But I can accept the doubts about the past, because the most recent events shows at least that he has been good-willed towards us."
"Are you saying all of this because you'd like to save him, Hokage-sama?"
"Yes, save both of them. It's either two Uchihas or none. Even the old fuckers seems to realize one Uchiha is another's safekeeper. They had Sasuke in their grab, but did only a sealing, something Itachi could forgive them, because we would probably do the same. If the brat was assassinated, I cannot guarantee Itachi wouldn't snap for real this time. If Itachi was to die, I'm sure Sasuke would reassure himself in his vengeance and potentially gather support for his allegations inside Konoha. So I keep them separate now, just in case. Despite the demands I wouldn't like to have any of war heroes executed. Firstly they don't really deserve it, secondly I don't think - correct me if I'm wrong - shinobis and civilians would accept it. On the international level it would also mean a loss our credibility. Thirdly if the old geezers want something I've learned there is some hidden agenda, fourthly I count that Itachi could become a powerful ally in the future.
"Theoretically, because he is licking his wounds."
"Then, letting them go is not an option either. There is still so many ifs. We cannot allow ourselves to lose sight of them." added Shikaku. "And Sasuke - as long as Konoha has him, Itachi doesn't have a reason to rebel".
"So, my lady and lords, "Tsunade summarized "we are moving within the framework of detention and creating them opportunities to stay in Konoha."
A few hour later Hokage finally asked:
"Who vote for that option?" Seeing the reactions, she said "Good, now there's only one thing left: convince everybody else".
AN: Released on 03012019. I was unsure how to procede with the future, so I turned to the past. I hope it is a plausibe explanation for the present situation, but if you spot any incosistency, please let me know. Good news is that the next chapter (part 2.) will follow soon. As to the participants of the meeting - well, Kakashi was almost a Hokage, Shikaku is the main strategist and Inoichi I guess he is the head of the Intel Division - so they're clearly important in Naruto universe. The other two - well I need somebody to be here to represent "normal" shinobis.
Thanks for the read and feedback, all your favs or follows make me very happy. Special thanks for ystv, yara9292, tutul, Rey Bee for sacrificing your time to review!
Happy New Year!
[02022019]