Chapter 25:

Obito Uchiha was irritated. And that was not a good thing. He was irritated because his well-thought out plans were just derailed by what can only be called an enigma of a person.

He cursed under his breath. He had planned to sneak into Konoha and finish what he had started by planting the seeds of rebellion in the minds of his fellow clansmen the Uchiha. It was supposed to be cut and dry; but that person had to appear and ruin everything!

Flashback: Last Night...

Obito grinned as he quietly slipped away from a meeting in the Hokage's Tower. He had eavesdropped on a top-secret discussion about what to do about the impending rebellion of the Uchiha Clan. He watched with ill-disguised mirth as the Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi tried and failed to convince his advisors to continue to take a diplomatic approach to the situation.

'The old fool!' Obito thought. 'Doesn't he realize that it's pointless?'

He also watched with satisfaction as his fellow clansmen, Itachi tried to remain completely indifferent throughout the discussion about his family. Obito knew the boy must be torn inside, listening helplessly as the fate of his clan was argued over in committee. Itachi's indecision was key to his plans, the more helpless he felt: the better.

Obito made his way to the forests outside Konoha's walls, where he was to rendezvous with Zetsu, who was currently spying on the Uchiha Clan's head: Fugaku.

After several long minutes, the plant-like man appeared, phasing through the ground silently.

Zetsu was Obito's right-hand man. He was also the strangest looking being that Obito had ever seen. He had a human head with short green hair, and a face that was divided down the middle. One half was white, with a yellow iris, while the other half was completely black, with a yellow eye. He was easily recognizable by the two Venus flytrap extensions that emerged from his sides, enveloping his body like a shell, which he was able to retract and close at will. He wore a plain black cloak and both of his legs were wrapped in bandages. To finish off his attire, he wore black sandals.

The white side of his face had a more playful personality, while the black half was much more solemn and blunt. Obito was somewhat unnerved by the man, but he had seen stranger things in his experiences.

"What news, Zetsu?" Obito asked.

Zetsu was silent for a moment before replying:

"Fugaku is going to finalize the rebellion plans tonight!" Said Zetsu's white half with glee. The other half of Zetsu's body, the black half added: "The stage is set. Everything is in place."

Obito grinned underneath his mask and chuckled.

"All that's needed is to convince Itachi to take part in exterminating his clan," Obito said. "And then, we can set our other plans in motion..."

"Oh, I wouldn't do that if I were you..." Replied a sweet voice from nearby.

Instantly, Obito fell into a defensive stance and activated his sharingan, trying to pinpoint the intruder's location.

"Come out!" Obito commanded.

There was a pause, and then a woman who Obito recognized, stepped into the clearing.

"Anko Mitarashi?" Asked Obito in surprise. What was she of all people, doing here?

"Wow!" replied 'Anko'. "I'm flattered! I guess the sharingan isn't all that it's cut out to be if you think I'm actually the real Anko!"

Obito narrowed his eye at her.

Looking more closely, he noticed that the figure before him was...odd. In all respects, it appeared to be Anko Mitarashi, but his sharingan was picking up a strange fluctuation in her chakra that wasn't normal. It was as if she was there, but not entirely.

"Who are you, then?" Obito hissed dangerously.

Anko giggled and then began to melt. Her color faded, and her form elongated and stretched into a humanoid shadow. It had no facial features, just darkness for a face.

"Who I am isn't really important: but for the sake of conversation, you can call me: Kage." said the apparition.

Obito snorted derisively underneath his mask in amusement.

" 'Shadow' huh?" Obito said. "What do you want?"

Kage stretched and tilted it's head to side, as if appraising Obito critically.

"It's not so much what I want, as what my Master wants," Kage said casually with a shrug. "For example: you aren't going to do anything concerning the Uchiha."

Obito was silent for a moment, before he burst into laughter.

"Are you serious !?" He cackled disbelievingly. Who did this 'Kage' think it was talking to?! "I'm Madara Uchiha, Patriarch of the Uchiha Clan! I can do whatever I wish concerning my clan!"

Kage didn't say anything for a moment before it shook it's head slowly.

"I think we both know that you're not Madara, Obito." Replied Kage simply.

Obito felt himself freeze up. How in the world did this thing know who he really was? Then, he realized that it didn't matter. His secret couldn't be revealed. Therefore: this 'Kage' had to be dealt with, now.

Obito lunged forward at blinding speed, kunai in hand, hoping to take Kage by surprise. He was momentarily stunned when he discovered that his attack went straight through the shadowy figure: much like his own Kamui technique.

Not to be deterred, Obito flashed through a series of handsigns and blew out a stream of flame that surrounded the shadow on all sides. There was a scream of pain, and Obito smirked as he watched his technique deal with the interloper.

"Just kidding!" Came the voice of Kage to his right, who was standing completely unharmed next to Zetsu, who aimed a kick kick at Kage's head, only for it to phase straight through.

"What in the world are you?" Asked Black Zetsu in awe. Kage chuckled as it examined Zetsu in great interest.

"You know," said Kage gleefully. "I could ask you the exact same question!"

Obito clenched his fists in outrage.

"ENOUGH OF THIS!" He spat. "WHAT DO YOU WANT!?"

Kage turned from Zetsu and looked at Obito. At least, Obito thought Kage was looking at him.

"I already told you," Kage replied. "My Master wants you to leave the Uchiha Clan alone. He already has plans for them, and you will only complicate them."

Obito couldn't believe what he was hearing! He then asked the question that he was dying to know.

"Who is your Master then," he hissed. "And why in the world should I give a damn what he wants!?"

Suddenly, like a gentle breeze, a name was whispered into Obito's ear and he froze in disbelief.

"There's no way." He gasped.

Kage chucked and nodded.

"That's him," Kage replied happily. "So unless you want to make him your enemy, I would suggest doing as he asks!"

Obito fell to his knees in shock. If Kage's master was really who it said it was, then he had no choice but to back off: he couldn't face a foe of that magnitude.

"Oh, and one more thing," Kage added, making Obito look up at the shadow. "Any plans that you have concerning Naruto Uzumaki: forget them."

Obito growled, but said nothing. At this rate: everything that he had planned would have to be completely scrapped! Kage began to disappear in a swirl of shadows.

"That's all!" Kage said. "Remember what I said, and you probably won't see me again!"

And with that, Kage vanished completely, leaving no indication that it was ever in the clearing in the first place.

There was a poignant silence that lasted several minutes before White Zetsu asked:

"What do we do, Boss?"

Obito took several deep breaths before he stood up and adjusted his mask.

"We do nothing as of right now," Obito said bitterly. "I'm not match for that man. In fact, I don't even think Madara could face him in a battle. We'll have to scrap our plans for the Uchiha..."

Zetsu nodded and then added:

"What of the Nine-Tails Jinchuuriki then?" Asked Black Zetsu curiously. "We need it to complete our ultimate goal; are we going to leave it alone as well?"

Obito said nothing for a moment as he thought about his options.

One the one hand, he could simply try and take the boy now, but from what he had gathered in his time spying on the village, the boy was very well guarded. Also, there was the fact that he would be going against Kage's warning. He didn't want to face the consequences of that just yet. Once he had gathered more to his cause, he might consider going for it, but not at the moment. Then, on the other hand, if he didn't do anything, that allowed Kage's master to control the playing field, which Obito couldn't have happen.

"I'll have to think about it more," Obito said at last. "We'll complete the Moon's Eye Plan one way or another; regardless of that man's influence or not!"

Zetsu nodded silently in understanding.

Obito activated his Kamui and swirled out of sight, Zetsu soon phasing into the ground after.

End Flashback

Obito was at a loss for what to do now. If he acted without thinking things through, everything that he worked so hard to put in place could come falling down all around him. He needed to be patient. And he also needed to find an advantage over his new enemy. The question was: How?

Naruto yawned loudly as he sat in his seat. He was still tired from having to wake up so early to meet with the Old Man. He was glad that they discussed the matter of Kurama however. One of the many things that was bothering him was the fact that he had kept it a secret from him for so long. He trusted the Old Man completely, and couldn't find it in him to be mad at the Old Man for not telling him that he was a Jinchuuriki. Sure, he was upset at the time it was discussed, but now that he had some time to think it over, he realized that he was right to keep it a secret. If Naruto hadn't met Kurama when he did, and still remained oblivious to the matter, being told about it would've completely destroyed him. He would've been happy to know why the villagers treated him the way they did, but at the same time, he would be completely at a loss as to how to deal with the information. Luckily, he had Kurama, Anko, and now the Old Man as support; even if the former didn't really count, because he was the one being discussed.

Naruto chanced a glance at Sasuke to see him brooding even more than usual. He had a good mind to ask his friend what was wrong earlier, as no one knew how to throw up a mask better than he did. Naruto was able to easily see that on their walk to class, Sasuke was forcing himself to smile. It was obvious that something was eating at Sasuke, but Naruto remembered his promise to himself not to pry unless Sasuke talked about it first.

Naruto's thoughts were interrupted when he noticed Iruka walk into the room and stand at the podium.

Naruto plugged his ears, as he already knew what was surely coming in the next few seconds. And come it did. Even with his fingers muffling the sound, Naruto could still clearly hear Iruka command the class to 'SHUT UP AND SIT DOWN!' Naruto waited until Iruka's head returned to it's normal size before taking his fingers out of his ears.

Iruka cleared his throat and then addressed the class.

"Today, we have two new students joining us," He began, to the delight and curious of many in the room. Naruto groaned at all of the chatter. He knew that Iruka was most likely about to go big-head again at any moment. Surprisingly, Iruka didn't.

"Okay, settle down!" Iruka yelled as he walked over to the door. "I hope that you will treat your new classmates kindly and help them adjust. You both can come in now!"

Sasame was dropped off at the Academy by Anko who insisted on taking her time strolling through the streets, instead of transporting the both of them via shunshin. This was fine with Sasame, however. She didn't mind getting to get her real first look at Konoha, although the nagging soreness of her ankle was getting on her nerves. She currently was wearing the same outfit that she was found in. Her nurse at the hospital had washed her clothes and folded them on a dresser in the hospital room, and Anko commented how glad she was that she didn't have to dip into her dango and sake money to buy some brat clothes.

Sasame wasn't sure what to make of the woman. Anko was nice enough, if not a tad standoffish. She was crude and blunt, but Sasame kind of liked that about her. Sasame noticed as they walked down the street that many of the villagers they passed looked at her with curiosity and interest, but when they saw who she was traveling with scowled and quickly turned away.

"Anko-san?" Sasame asked meekly as they strolled down the street. Anko raised an eyebrow to show that she was listening.

"Why are people scowling at you? Did you do something wrong?"

Anko started to laugh, which greatly surprised Sasame. When Anko calmed down she replied:

"Kiddo, I haven't done anything wrong," she said with a carefree smile. "The villagers are just a bunch of uptight ass-wads."

Sasame blinked at Anko's answer and then asked:

"Really? Then why-?"

"Look kiddo," Anko said, in a more solemn tone. "Let's just say that my sensei was a bit of a bad guy. Therefore, his reputation kind of got passed down to me, even though I'm nothing like him. Understand?"

Sasame nodded. From Anko's tone she understood that it was most likely a touchy subject. She decided to drop it, and they both continued walking in a somewhat uncomfortable silence.

When the two of them arrived at the Academy, Sasame noticed that no one was in the school-yard, which probably meant that classes had already started. She turned to look at Anko.

"Are we late?" She asked in worry.

Anko chuckled in response.

"Nah!" She said, which Sasame could tell was obviously not true. Anko noticed the frown on the young girl's face. "Okay, just a tad: but not by that much!"

Sasame didn't answer as the two of them walked into the building.

Anko led Sasame down a long hallway and up a flight of stairs. They went halfway down another hallway leading in the opposite direction before they stopped outside a door, where another boy was waiting.

"Who's that?" Whispered Sasame to Anko, who shrugged.

"Beats me," murmured Anko in reply. "I don't make a habit of learning the names of every brat I run into."

Sasame rolled her eyes at Anko's dismissive answer and observed the boy.

He was fairly tall and had pale skin and eyes that matched his jet-black hair. He was dressed in a high-collared midriff shirt, black pants, shinobi sandals and gloves that exposed his index finger and thumb. He had a tanto strapped to his back as well. Sasame's first thought about the boy was how...odd he seemed. His face was completely devoid of all emotion. She thought that he would at least be nervous, if he was in the same situation as her. Maybe he wasn't. Maybe he was standing out here to greet them?

"Hi," said Sasame, taking the initiative. "I'm Sasame Fuma. I'm new to the Academy. Who are you?"

The boy turned his eyes on her, and Sasame couldn't repress the thought that he was analyzing her.

"I am Sai," he replied with a smile. "I am also new to the Academy, it nice to meet you."

Sasame smiled and nodded, but on the inside: she frowned. Sai's smile wasn't right. It was almost as if he didn't know how to really do it. Like he copied the expression from a book.

Anko chose that time to speak up.

"Well," she began, stretching. "Since you two brats seem to be getting along just fine, I'm gonna head out! See you around kiddo!"

She ruffled Sasame's head, which made the girl swat her hand. Sasame then turned to Anko and bowed.

"Thanks for all of your help today, Anko-san." She said politely.

Anko waved her off.

"Just call me Anko-chan," Anko replied. "Anko-san makes me feel like I'm old or something!"

Sasame and Anko both laughed.

"You do look kind of old though." Said Sai, which made Anko stop laughing at once. She narrowed her eyes and took a step closer to the pale boy.

"What did you just say, brat?" Anko hissed in growing anger.

Sai was completely unaffected.

"I said: you do look kind of old. Am I wrong?"

Anko snatched Sai by the collar of his shirt and hefted him into the air, much to Sasame's shock. She pulled his face close to hers and snarled:

"Listen kid," she growled venomously. "Never, never talk like that to me again, GOT IT!?"

Sai said and did nothing except stare impassively back at Anko, which seemed to make her even angrier.

"WELL!?" Anko snarled, shaking Sai for emphasis.

Much to Sasame's relief, the door to the classroom opened at that moment.

"You can both come in now!" Said a kind voice.

A man stepped out and looked at the scene before him in surprise. His surprise quickly faded and he grabbed Anko's wrist.

"Anko-san," he yelled. "Put him down!"

Anko flushed pink and set Sai down on the ground. Sai did nothing to fix his ruffled shirt and just stared at the man blankly.

"Sorry Iruka," Anko said shyly. "I got a bit carried away, I guess."

Sasame watched the exchange between the two of them with interest. She didn't know that Anko, who always seemed brash and confident, could possibly have a demure side!

The man called Iruka sighed and shook his head.

"It's fine, Anko-san," he replied. "But, I need to get these two inside and continue with my class..."

Anko blushed again and laughed nervously.

"O-oh! R-right!" She stammered as she scratched the back of her head awkwardly. "Your class! I-I'll just be going now!"

Anko vanished in a swirl of leaves leaving Sasame, Sai, and Iruka standing in the hallway.

Iruka smiled at the two of them.

"Come on in, you two!" He said kindly, gesturing at the open classroom door.

Sai strode forward at once into the classroom, whereas Sasame hesitated for a moment before following after him.

The first thing Sasame noticed when she walked into the classroom was all of the various pairs of eyes that were fixed on her as she strode over to the podium where Iruka was waiting. It made her extremely uncomfortable, and she would have given anything to be able to vanish in a shunshin like Anko had done only moments ago. She chanced a look at Sai, who was regarding everyone in the class curiously, without the slightest bit of discomfort.

Sasame's thoughts were stirred when Iruka spoke up.

"Alright!" He said. "Why don't you two introduce yourselves? Just your names will do."

Sasame let out a barely visible sigh of relief. She was thankful that Iruka wasn't asking them to say more. She was so nervous she was positive that she'd simply stumble over her words.

"I am Sai." Said Sai simply. "Nice to meet all of you."

Sai did his creepy smile thing again, and it was all Sasame could do not to shudder. Something about that boy really put her off. Sasame blinked when she noticed that everyone, including Sai, was now focused on her. She blushed, hating herself for getting distracted, and introduced herself.

"M-my name is Sasame Fuma." She said meekly. She wanted to kick herself for fumbling over her words.

Iruka smiled and nodded.

"Alright you two," he said. "Find an open seat and sit down. Don't worry about your books for now, just share with someone!"

Sasame made her way up the stairs very aware of everyone watching her and Sai as they did so. She passed a feral looking boy who had an open seat by him, but after she witnessed him growl at Sai decided not to sit there.

Finally, she found an open seat near the back where two boys were sitting. One had his head down on the desk lazily, while the other boy was glancing out the window indifferently. They seemed okay, so Sasame tried her luck.

"Hey," she began. Both boys turned to look at her, making her blush slightly. "D-do you mind if I sit here?"

The boy who was looking out the window just grunted and resumed looking out the window again. Sasame wasn't sure what that meant, so she looked down at the other boy who turned to look at her.

He had spiky yellow hair, and bright cerulean colored eyes. For some odd reason, he had what appeared to look like three whisker marks on either cheek. He was dressed in an orange v-neck shirt, with a black vest over it. His arms were covered in wrappings that started at his elbows and went all the way down to his hands, that were covered with black shinobi-style gloves. He wore black pants and matching shinobi sandals.

The boy grinned widely at her, and she was surprised by how happy he seemed to be.

"Sure!" the boy cried loudly, making Sasame wince slightly. "The more the merrier! Right, Sasuke!"

The boy named Sasuke simply grunted again, not even bothering to look at them.

The blonde boy turned back to Sasame and grinned again.

"That means, 'yes' in Sasuke." He said cheerfully. "I'm Naruto, by the way! Naruto Uzumaki!"

Sasame nodded as she took a seat next to Naruto, who gestured to Sasuke with a thumb.

"The broody kid over there is my friend, Sasuke Uchiha." Naruto continued as he scowled at him. "Don't worry about him. He'll warm up to you once he gets to know you! Well: as long as you don't become one of his fangirls!"

Before Sasame could respond or even ask what a 'fan-girl' was, Iruka yelled at them.

"Quiet down Naruto," he admonished. "I'm trying to teach a lesson here!"

Naruto stuck his tongue out at Iruka in return, which made Sasame giggle softly. At the sound of her laughter, Naruto turned to her and grinned.

"Hey, Sasame-chan!" Whispered Naruto.

Sasame was a bit taken aback that Naruto was being so familiar with her. After all, she had only just met him seconds ago. But for some reason, she didn't really mind that he called her that. He seemed like the type of person who eschewed formalities, if his bold way of speaking were any indication.

"What is it?" Sasame whispered back. Naruto grabbed her hands and brought his face uncomfortably close to hers and said:

"Do you wanna be friends?"

Sasame blinked. Firstly, she had never met someone who had such a disregard for people's personal space. But secondly, and more strange to her: she had never heard someone ask such a question with such sincerity and hopefulness.

Sasame smiled and nodded.

Naruto whooped, only to be yelled at by Iruka again, making Sasame burst into a quiet fit of giggles all over again.

She was beginning to think that life in Konoha wouldn't be that bad after all.

Sai silently watched the exchange between the new girl Sasame and his target: Naruto Uzumaki.

He wasn't sure why Lord Danzo had seemed so interested in the boy. He seemed like a buffoon. He was loud and somewhat obnoxious from what Sai could discern of him. However, none of that mattered: if Lord Danzo wanted him to observe the boy then that was what Sai would do.

He was currently seated next to who he assumed was a civilian girl, who was sneaking furtive glances at him for some reason. He had no idea why this was and turned to look at her, making the girl blush pink.

"Can I help you with something?" Sai asked flatly.

The girl shook her head furiously and stammered:

"N-no!"

Sai nodded blankly at her and continued to observe the class, only to be interrupted by the girl once more who whispered:

"I'm A-Akiko. It's n-nice to m-meet you Sai-san..."

Sai stared at her for a full ten seconds before he smiled and nodded. Akiko blushed again and went back to watching Iruka, although Sai caught her continuing to sneak occasional glances at him when she thought he wasn't paying attention.

Sai ignored Akiko in favor of observing his class. It was essential that he become familiar with the children of note here. It would make his mission easier.

He noticed a few rows down from him a boy sleeping and snoring softly who had to be a Nara. Nara's were known for their laziness, but were also deceptively intelligent. Sai made a mental note to be wary of the boy. Next to the Nara was a chubby boy whom Sai could only assume was an Akimichi. The boy was watching Iruka while munching on a bag of chips. Sai turned his attention to the bottom of the classroom where he noticed a girl with long platinum blonde hair who was listening to the teacher's lecture in obvious boredom. Sai supposed she was a Yamanaka, the clan that was known for being able to use mind jutsu. Sai knew of only one other Yamanaka: his mentor in Root training, Fu. However, unlike Fu who was a model example of what a shinobi should strive to be, this Yamanaka girl clearly wasn't interested in taking the path of a shinobi seriously. Sai observed from her flashy dress style that she must be one of those types of girls that care more about their appearance than their aptitude in the ninja arts. Sai moved his focus to the girl seated next to her and blinked twice, as if his eyes were deceiving him. Did that girl have pink hair? It made him wonder what the girl possibly hoped to accomplish in her career with such a blatant hair color. How would she possibly be able to move stealthily when her enemies could see her coming from a mile away?

Sai's thoughts were once again interrupted by Akiko who tapped him on the shoulder. He turned to look at her again, only to watch as her face took on a rosy hue once more.

'How very strange.' Sai thought. He wondered why she kept reacting this way. He would have to read up on female body language when he got a chance.

"Yes?" Asked Sai flatly.

Akiko demurely pushed her Konoha history textbook towards him.

"Y-you can share my textbook i-if you w-want..." She whispered, averting her eyes from him.

Sai stared at Akiko again for another long span of time before replying:

"Thank you."

Akiko nodded and smiled brightly at him. Sai gave a smile in return, but quickly went back to observing the classroom again.

He turned slightly in his chair to scout out other key students. He noticed a feral-looking boy that he easily identified as an Inuzuka. He knew this already however. The boy had growled at him as he ascended the stairs, obviously trying to assert himself as an Alpha. Sai moved on from the Inuzuka boy and noticed two more students of note sitting near the very back of the classroom.

There was a boy wearing sunglasses and a collar-high jacket, and a smaller girl with white eyes and blue hair. He immediately recognized both as being an Aburame and Hyuga respectively. While he wasn't sure of the Aburame, he was positive that the Hyuga girl must be of the Main House of her clan, since she did not have a seal on her forehead. Sai mentally noted that as something to look into further. There were not any Hyuga in Root, although Sai knew that Lord Danzo was very interested in recruiting one. Perhaps if Sai played his cards right, he might be able to convince this girl to meet with his master.

The Aburame boy turned his head to stare directly at Sai. Apparently, he kept his gaze on the two of them long enough to be noticed. Sai smiled at him and quickly looked elsewhere.

His eyes finally rested on his target again: Naruto Uzumaki. Glancing past the blonde haired boy, who was currently whispering something to the new girl, Sasame, Sai suddenly noticed the boy who was glancing out the window, and almost kicked himself for almost missing him.

The boy was of the Uchiha Clan. Sai did not have to speculate upon this, as the fan emblem on the back of the boy's shirt made this fact glaringly obvious. The Uchiha were another clan that Lord Danzo was immensely interested in. Sai knew the reason why, of course. Lord Danzo was interested in obtaining a shinobi capable of using the famed eyes of the Uchiha: the sharingan. Sai was well versed in the workings of the eye thanks to Lord Danzo's instruction, but assumed the Uchiha boy in his class had yet to awaken his. He made a mental note to watch the Uchiha carefully. If the boy was to unlock his sharingan while at the Academy, he might very well be a prime candidate to join Root.

"Sai!" Called the voice of Iruka.

Sai turned his attention away from the Uchiha boy and stared impassively down at Iruka, who was scowling.

"Please stop daydreaming and pay attention please!"

There was an outburst of laughter that Sai ignored, mostly because he did not understand what was so funny. He was just reprimanded, was he not? Why would that be a source of humor to others?

Sai frowned as he took up Akiko on her offer to share a textbook, so he could pay attention.

His first day of his mission left him with only one thought:

He had a lot of reading about normal human interactions to do after class.

Itachi sat on a dock overlooking a lake in the Uchiha District. It held a lot of sentimental value to him, as it was the place where he had learned his first fire jutsu: the Gokakyu no Jutsu (Great Fireball Technique). It was also where he and his younger brother would spend a lot of time together, simply talking.

The thought of Sasuke filled Itachi with sadness.

He had gone to the secret meeting his father had held last night and his worst fears were confirmed: the Uchiha would be staging a revolt. Naturally, he went to the Hokage immediately after the meeting and informed of such. To say Sarutobi was disappointed by the end decision was an understatement. Itachi respected the Third so much because the man hated violence, just as he did. He would much rather try and settle things peacefully than use force. That was what separated Sarutobi and Danzo.

Speaking of Danzo, Itachi had been pulled aside by the mummified man and asked to do a top-secret mission for him. Danzo had tried to convince Itachi that the uprising could be stopped, and at a smaller cost of Uchiha and Konoha ninja lives, if Itachi would lead a Root contingent into the Uchiha District under the cover of darkness, and assassinate the ones involved. Itachi had staunchly refused Danzo's idea. He was not so desperate about the situation to go behind his actual leader's back! On top of that: Itachi didn't trust Danzo one bit. He sensed some form of duplicity in the man's actions. Danzo was not someone who normally cared about saving lives, he was ruthless. That only made Itachi feel even more justified at turning the man's offer down.

But the fact remained that the coup was still set to happen. Itachi's father had set the date for the revolt in three days. That gave the Hokage and his advisors plenty of time to set up a counter of course, but Itachi felt as if he was the lynchpin of the whole situation. His father had become more aggressive as of late, demanding to know if Itachi planned to side with him or not. Itachi had declared that his father should already know which side he was on, and things between the two of them had gotten even more tense.

Itachi sighed again and glanced up at the clear blue sky. He smiled as a crow flew by overhead. He had always liked those birds.

"I thought I would find you here." Said a soft voice from behind him.

Itachi didn't have to look to know it was his mother, Mikoto.

"Hello, mother." Itachi replied softly, continuing to gaze at the sky.

Mikoto walked over and sat next to her son and regarded him with concern.

"Are you alright, Itachi?" She asked, fixing her gaze on his face.

Itachi sighed and returned her gaze. His mother was so beautiful. He wished he took more after her than his father in terms of looks.

"I'm just stressed..." Itachi said at last.

Mikoto frowned.

"Itachi," she began sternly. "I can tell that it's more than that. You're worried about what your father is planning, aren't you?"

Itachi lowered his gaze.

"of course I am," he replied quietly. "Doesn't father understand that he's making a terrible mistake? Are the lives of our clansmen, our status as Konoha citizens nothing to him?"

Mikoto reached out a hand and gently raised Itachi's face so their eyes met.

"Itachi, your father is doing what he thinks is best for the clan," she said with obvious displeasure. "What's important is what youthink is best for the clan. You are the heir after all."

Itachi narrowed his eyes at his now smiling mother.

"Mother, what are you hinting at?" Said Itachi slowly.

Mikoto continued to smile at him before she replied:

"I know of a way that we can stop the coup before it even happens..."

Itachi's eyes widened, and he felt like he was just hit point blank by one of Gai's punches. Of course! The answer was right in front of him the whole time! How could he have missed it!?

Mikoto's face lit up in delight when she saw that her eldest soon had finally cottoned on to what she was talking about.

"Come on Itachi," Mikoto said as she stood up and offered her son a hand. "We've got work to do."

Itachi smiled. He had forgotten how good it felt. For the first time in several weeks, he could say that he was genuinely excited and happy about something.

If their plan worked, his hope of finding a peaceful solution to his father's revolt against the village didn't seem so impossible after all!

Itachi took the proffered hand his mother provided, and got to his feet, finally feeling hopeful again.

AN: Woo! Longest chapter so far folks! Almost 6000 words! Let me know what you're thinking about the story! Afroman007 signing out until next time!