Although the hour was late, and although the neon lights of Amegakure city cast harsh shadows into the Hattori family dining room, the compound shook with activity from the footsteps of countless shinobi, both resident and alien, though none so alien as the enigmatic anbu commander standing before him. Just a few days ago, Hanzo would never consider partnering with such a shady character and his crew. But recent events had turned his world on its head, and he would sign a pack with the devil himself to set things to rights. "Is it finished?"
"Yes, my lord," Danzo bowed respectfully and, with Hanzo's wave of permission, took his seat opposite the Village Head at the dining room table. "With the help of your son, I was able to ferret out the Akatsuki's city headquarters. I had hoped that your subordinate would meet with them to lend our scheme credibility, but he seemed strangely unwilling. I took his place and spoke to them myself."
"I will deal with him later," Hanzo said, his brows furrowing in anger. Kanzo's refusal to participate in this plan frustrated him. The situation called for a swift and devastating response, not the slow, bureaucratic approach Kanzo felt was necessary. Terrorists like the Akatsuki did not deserve the protection of the justice system; they deserved their own private ring in hell. Kanzo did not understand. And his sudden insubordination when Hanzo needed him the most tarnished their thirty-year partnership enough to make him wonder if perhaps it was time to select a new right hand. It was a question for another time. For now, Hanzo had greater enemies to deal with first. "The Akatsuki, what did you tell them?"
"I gave them your message," Danzo continued, "that you would like them to handle the peace negotiations between Amegakure and surrounding nations."
"The brats aren't suspicious at all, are they?"
"Of course not," Danzo reassured him. "Their leader was overjoyed by the prospect. He was proclaiming the good news to his men as I left. After meeting them in person, it's clear to me that their leader is the lynchpin of the organization. I am certain of this: if the one called Yahiko is killed, the Akatsuki will naturally die off." Truthfully, Danzo was relieved that the organization was no more than a cult of personality. After his altercation with Shiori, he had increased surveillance over the Akatsuki only to discover that several members of the group possessed frightening abilities, the likes of which posed a true threat to Konohagakure. With the leader eliminated, however, it would be more difficult to mobilize the remaining members. Disorganized, they would be easy targets for Hanzo. Or better yet, perhaps they would destroy each other. After this partnership, Danzo would no longer have need of Amegakure's Village Head, and death seemed like a suitable punishment for turning Shiori against her homeland. "What of your plans, my lord?"
"No need to worry. Hatsuharu's men should be securing the hostage right about now." Thanks to his son's intelligence, they had been able to determine that a crucial member of the organization was alone on patrol. Hanzo could not have asked for better bait for his trap.
"Excellent," Danzo feigned a pleasant smile. "With this, that lawless gang that threatens the village will disappear, and the Hidden Rain will fully be yours at last."
A knock at the door signaled their conversation had come to an end. "Lord Hanzo," his guard interrupted, "your father is here to see you."
"Send him in," Hanzo ordered. "If you'll excuse us, Danzo."
"Of course," the Konohagakure shinobi stood, realizing it was time to leave. Behind him, an elderly man appeared at the doorway with a small boy by his side. Recognizing the child's blonde hair and violet eyes, Danzo frowned inwardly in annoyance.
"Forgive our disruption," Hanzo's father, Susumu said, "but I am here to drop Kyo off since you have returned home." With a gently pat, Susumu urged his grandson into the room. Ashamed to show his red, puffy face, Kyo's eyes remained locked on his feet.
"My condolences, young master," Danzo said, patting the boy's shoulders in sympathy.
Alarmed by the foreign voice, Kyo looked up in surprise. He had never encountered a stranger in this family room before. After a moment of studying the gentlemen, recognition dawned on his face. "You're- "
"Danzo Shimura, that's right. We met in the Land of Iron. It has been quite some time, little lord. I see you've grown much stronger. Your mother, I am sure, was very proud of you."
As memory returned to Kyo, his skin prickled in unease. He did not recall much about this stranger, but what he did remember was that his mother disliked him immensely. "What happened to your eye?" Kyo asked. Had it not been for the thick bandages encircling the man's head, Kyo would have recognized him sooner.
"A small trifle," Danzo said with a curious smile. "One day if you become village head, little one, you will learn that sometimes we must make sacrifices for justice. Fortunately, I did not need that eye to see the truth, so it was a sacrifice I was willing to make," he said cryptically, giving the boy's shoulder one final pat as he exited the room.
"Hanzo," Susumu said as soon as Danzo was out of earshot, "you know what you need to do." Giving his son a final, reproachful look, the older gentleman took his leave.
Hanzo knew he deserved it. He had barely seen or spoken to Kyo since . . . the incident, but that was by his design. In solitude, Hanzo could strengthen himself with anger. He could bury his despair in wrath and his plot for vengeance. But just one look at his sad, little son penetrated the steel fortress he had erected around his heart as he feared it would. While this encounter was inevitable, he had postponed it as long as he could simply because he could not bear the thought of showing his son how weak he truly was.
"Father, what was that man doing here?" Kyo asked, anger tinging his voice. He did not understand why his father would entertain visitors in their home and ignore him completely.
"These are strange times, Kyo, which call for strange bedfellows. Come, my son," he said, anxious to change the subject. Obediently, Kyo walked into Hanzo's outstretched arms. For a few precious moments, Hanzo held his son in silence, treasuring the last, most perfect gift Shiori had given him. "I'm sorry, Kyo," he said at length. "I pushed you away when you needed me the most. Forgive me."
Kyo choked and nodded his head in response. "Where did you take Mother?" he asked, his voice barely more than a shaky whisper.
"Somewhere safe, where no one with bother her."
"May I see her?"
"One day," he promised.
Kyo nodded again and lapsed into silence for a few moments more. "Is it true that you know who . . . who did it?"
"Yes," Hanzo's arms tightened protectively around him. "I will handle them. Tomorrow, I will take care of those responsible once and for all."
"But that won't bring Mother back," Kyo whispered, burrowing against his father's vest to hide the large tears that now slid down his cheeks.
"No, it won't," Hanzo acknowledged. He could destroy the Akatsuki a thousand times over, but it would do nothing to assuage the grief of this motherless child. Shiori was lost forever. Final acceptance of that fact wounded him far deeper than any blade ever could. Suddenly, Hanzo was grateful that Kyo hid his face so as not to see that his father wept.
"No way," Nora shook her head in disbelief as she trailed Hatsuharu and Yemon downstairs to Amegakure's maximum security detention center. "The Akatsuki can't be behind this. They've worked for us for months now. Why would they suddenly turn around and betray us?"
Yemon nodded. "It doesn't make sense. There's still much we need to investigate, so why is your father going through with this so suddenly? What about evidence? A trial?"
"You're supposed to be a doctor, not a lawyer," Hatsuharu rolled his eyes, "but if you're so concerned, Statute 609.066: Authorized use of deadly force by peace officers. 'The use of deadly force by a peace officer in the line of duty is justified only when necessary to effect the arrest or capture, or prevent the escape, of a person whom the peace officer knows or has reasonable grounds to believe has committed or attempted to commit a felony involving the use or threatened use of deadly force.' Look it up."
"I don't think your mother intended that law to cover kidnapping people to lure suspected criminals into a trap," Yemon said, unconvinced.
"I did not call you both here to question me," Hatsuharu sighed in annoyance. "I want you just to stand guard while I interrogate the prisoner. You-" he called to the shinobi guards below as Cellblock D came into sight, "I require a private audience with the prisoner. These two will stand guard in your stead."
"Yes, General," the two shinobi saluted and left.
"Wait, we don't even get to go inside?!" Nora shouted. "Why the hell did you even bring us?"
"Because afterwards, we have preparations to see to for tomorrow. Don't worry, cupcake," he patted her head, "this will only take a moment. Just, whatever you do, make sure no one intrudes. Understood?"
"Yes sir," the siblings mumbled, exchanging wary glances.
"Good. Now if you'll excuse me," Hatsuharu said, disappearing through the cell door. Inside was a long, harshly lit florescent hallway lined with empty cells.
As soon as she heard footsteps, the prisoner in cell number seven called out to him from down the hall. "Excuse me! Excuse me! I need to speak to a lawyer, to Lord Hanzo, to anyone!" Konan shouted in desperation. "General!" she gasped in relief as Hatsuharu's figure appeared before her cell, "thank god!" the blue haired kunoichi raced to the cell door. "There's been some mistake. I believe the Akatsuki has been framed for Lady Shiori's murder."
"It does appear that way," Hatsuharu smiled sympathetically. "I suspect you may have ruffled a few feathers during your seal investigations."
"I suspected that as well. I firmly believe that whoever is behind the spy network in Amegakure also had something to do with your mother's death. I am so sorry we did not uncover their identity in time. What are we going to do?"
"Nothing."
"Nothing?" Konan asked, confused. "I don't understand. You have to tell your father that we're not behind this; that someone is deceiving him!"
"Have you ever seen my father?" Hatsuharu asked abruptly. "If you've only seen him from a distance, you may not have noticed. He has a rather unsightly scar that runs from here to here," he said, tracing a line from beneath his eyelid to his jaw. "It's ghastly, really. Do you want to know how he got it? One day, when I was ten years old, the two of us were ambushed. I thought I could handle them myself, but I made a miscalculation that nearly cost me my life. My father intervened to save me, earning him that scar in the process. You see, my father bore the cost for my mistake. I vowed to never let that happen again, and yet, look what's happened. I stuck my head where it didn't belong, and my mother paid the price."
Konan blanched as she begun to understand his logic. "What are you saying . . . that you're going to let him kill us, just to cover your mistake?"
"Not just mine," Hatsuharu's face hardened malevolently. "As far as I'm concerned, you're to blame as well. Your carelessness called attention to your organization."
"Idiot!" she shouted. "Then you're just playing into the real culprit's hands! They want us to take the fall! What about true justice for Lady Shiori?"
"She will have it, in time. Don't fret; the investigation will continue after you're gone." With the Akatsuki out of the way, the realinvestigation could begin in earnest. While there was no doubt that the Konohagakure anbu leader was somehow implicated, he was untouchable until Hatsuharu gathered real evidence. Any move on him now threatened to break the fragile peace between Amegakure and Konohagakure. And besides, eliminating the Akatsuki had other benefits as well. Hatsuharu would no longer be beholden to them; his promise to legitimize the organization could fall by the wayside. He was surprised and frankly alarmed by how useful the organization had been to him. A group that powerful and popular was not only expensive to buy, but also a potential rival to his father's regime. Their existence added a complexity to Amegakure's civil war that needed to end if his father was ever to unite the country's hearts under one leader.
"You bastard," she bared her teeth at him in rage. "We helped you, and this is how you repay our kindness. You lied to us."
"Guilty," he nodded sadly in mock contrition. "It appears that I did. But thank you for your service. I'm sorry things have to end this way. Working with you all was a true pleasure. Now, I'm afraid I have to leave to prepare for my meeting with your little friends tomorrow," he bowed. "I wish you a good day."
"Don't think this is the end!" Konan shouted down the hall as Hatsuharu's footsteps headed towards the door. "You won't get away with this!"
Hatsuharu's laugh echoed down the hallway. "I'm the son of Sanshouo no Hanzo; I can get away with anything."