Last week Aya was given safe haven by Madara and Itachi took out a crooked administrator.

I went back and corrected chapters 5 – 10 for grammar and spelling. I'm hoping to get a lot more than 5 chapters corrected in the next week… really, I should have done this a long time ago.

Thanks for all the reviews! More are always welcomed xD

Disclaimer: oturaN snwo otomihsiK

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Chapter 55 – One Day in September

"He brought back the wrong head." Danzou was in his office, the two elders Homura and Koharu were sitting across from him.

"You are sure the assassin was Aya Uchiha then? The head he brought back came from a woman who is a known assassin and is also in the Bingo books." Koharu said in her usual biting voice.

"Positive."

"So now what? Should we call him on it?" Homura asked sternly.

Danzou had been wondering the same thing. While Itachi had been passing small bits of information to him now and then, none of it ever added up to anything big. It was disappointing. He had hopes for the boy; he had wanted to turn him against his clan, to create an Uchiha ninja that was loyal to the village, loyal to him.

The silence in the room seemed to mask everyone's thoughts as they sat

contemplatively and waited, unhurried. Time had favored them with old age and they in turn accepted the pauses that time handed out.

The two elders were Sarutobi's teammates back when he was a Genin. This meant Danzou had to be careful how he handled them. While they may not agree with everything the Hokage did, they would not break their old bond with him by rebelling. The only way to get the two on his side fully and completely would be to take out Sarutobi. And Fugaku was the only person in Konoha who could accomplish that. Unfortunately, Danzou couldn't allow things go that far.

"Hmm. Aya is no longer in the village. She just up and disappeared a month ago. However, the assassinations have continued. Two more people have died. And this assassin we have not been able to discover the identity of. I am sure it is an Uchiha, though." Danzou spoke in his usual calm voice, his one un-bandaged eye half open.

"Could it be Itachi?" Homura asked.

"Possibly." Danzou nodded once. "He is that good. But… another possibility is that it is Mikoto. His mother. Aya spent a lot of time with her in the last few months. I pulled her file and she was a top rated assassin when she was in her late teens and early twenties and in the Bingo books of the four other big shinobi nations."

Koharu snorted. "So we have her arrested."

Danzou's tone turned sarcastic, "The wife of a clan chief? How? Our only chance of stopping her would be if we assassinated her. But none of my ANBU, regular and ROOT would be able to get close to her. I don't know if Itachi could even do it." He had read through Mikoto's file twice. He remembered her as a jounin, but because his focus had always been on Fugaku he had not paid much attention to her abilities. What he did remember was a woman the Hokage would send on difficult missions that he didn't want to hand over to ANBU. She had a one-hundred percent success rate and about one in five of her assassination missions were solo. This was not a woman to be trifled with; no wonder she had been selected as the clan chief's wife.

"If this happened in July, why did you wait until September to discuss it with us?" Koharu asked.

Danzou folded his hands and placed them on top of the desk, "I was hoping he would come to me. However, that never happened. So instead I will be going to him. In another hour I am planning on confronting Itachi about his clan's suspected coup."

"Humph." Homura folded his arms in front of him. "That's a daring move."

Danzou smiled, "The coup needs to be stopped."

Koharu and Homura stood up and walked to the door.

"We will be awaiting your report, then." Koharu said as they left the room.

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Itachi sensed something was wrong as soon as he entered Danzou's office. He got a faint whiff of Koharu's perfume and knew that where she was Homura was never far behind. Recently, probably within the last hour, the two council members had met with Danzou.

"Have a seat. I have something to discuss with you." He pointed to a cushion opposite his desk and watched closely as Itachi sat cross-legged, his hands on his knees. "Itachi, I'm going to get right to the point. It has been suspected for a long time now that Fugaku Uchiha is in the process of planning a revolt against the Hokage. What do you know about it?"

"What do I know?" Itachi said quietly. He was not expecting this when he was summoned and was at a loss as to what he should say or do. He hadn't planned on revealing that particular clan secret to the ROOT division commander, or at least not yet.

"Thousands of people could be killed if this comes to pass, Itachi. Surely you have already realized that." Danzou's calm voice had a hint of sorrow in it. He knew the teenager loved Konoha and would be upset if anything happened to it. He also had read through the report Aki Nojima had written concerning Itachi's reaction to the valley of corpses they had encountered in Water country. Death was not something Itachi liked to see and coupled with his nightmares Danzou was sure a course of "emotional blackmail" would sway the boy against his father.

"Yes. I know." Itachi bowed his head. "I…"

Danzou frowned, but inside he was triumphant. Itachi had just admitted the coup was real. As expected, he had the boy eating out of his hand. He began to think that perhaps it would be easier to dig into Itachi's head than he first suspected.

"I was going to take care of it myself without involving anyone else." Itachi's words were stated with conviction as he raised his head and looked Danzou in the eye.

"By yourself? What are you planning on doing?" Danzou was a little surprised. He knew Itachi tended to internalize, but this was going a bit far.

"Taking out the leaders and putting myself in their place. Then I order the rest to stand down." Itachi was taken aback when Danzou started laughing. It was something he had never seen him do before. The sound was a little creepy, as if an old door with rusty hinges that hadn't been used in decades was suddenly opened.

"Itachi, Itachi, Itachi. You never cease to amaze me. I guess for a second there I forgot you were only twelve years old." Danzou stopped laughing and smiled condescendingly at the boy in front of him.

"Nevertheless, that is what I am going to do. This is a clan issue and as its heir it is my duty to keep it on track." Itachi was not amused at Danzou's mirth, and his declaration was edged with anger. "I know for a fact that none of your ANBU is a match for us."

"True. I can't argue you there. Well, good luck, Itachi. I really don't see how such a ploy would work. If you die then who would take your place?"

"If we sat around worrying about whether we will die or not then all we will become is nothing more than dried up old men who sit behind desks all day afraid to stick our necks out." Itachi's sarcasm was not lost on Danzou, but he refused to react. Instead he continued to show a small smile.

"Keep me updated, Itachi. The village is our first priority. Tens of thousands of lives depend on us everyday."

Itachi stood up and walked to the door. He had enough of this conversation and didn't like having his plans questioned by an outsider. "I realize that. And I will protect them with my life."

As he reached for the door Danzou spoke again, in a cheerful voice, "Give my regards to Aya when you see her next. And your mother is quite a kunoichi, is she not?"

Itachi dropped his hand back to his side as his heart dropped down into his stomach. "You know."

Danzou smirked, then became serious. "Who are her next targets? And, Itachi, no more lies."

His voice was little more than a whisper, "There are no more. They got them all."

Danzou dropped his voice, and when he spoke it was filled with sorrow, "Itachi, their blood is on your hands. You knew and yet you did not warn me. I could have protected them. I realize we are talking about your fiancé's sister and your mother, but remember what I have taught you about personal bonds. They do not get in the way of being ROOT, because if they do it will weaken you. Make you unable to protect Konoha. In ROOT we exist to protect Konoha. In ROOT, you have no name, no past, no future. If you are going against that you cannot protect Konoha."

"I realize that." Itachi said, still whispering as he slowly slid open the door and left the room.

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"Kakashi. You sure spend a lot of time here." Itachi greeted the silver-haired jounin as he approached the memorial stone. The man was sitting cross-legged on the ground.

"Yeah." He paused and looked up at Itachi, smiling, "Your voice has changed. A little early, huh?"

Itachi sighed in frustration. "Really? I hadn't noticed. It's a good thing half the village keeps telling me or I'd never figure it out."

"Ha! You're a comedian too. It's okay, when people get used to it they'll stop saying things to you about it."

"Most everyone has, it's just a few stragglers now. So how is Obito today?" Itachi changed the subject.

Kakashi looked back to the stone. "I wish I knew. He doesn't talk much. Are you here to see Yota?"

"I was just walking and ended up here." Itachi said truthfully.

"Yota was a brave young man, Itachi. Maybe you were drawn here subconsciously." Kakashi offered.

Itachi frowned and shook his head. "Kakashi, the truth is that Yota hated Konoha with every fiber of his being. He wanted nothing more than to see it destroyed."

Kakashi looked up at Itachi in shock. "You can't be serious!"

"His family was abused badly by the Hyuuga and he blamed Konoha for it. It was a good thing he died back then." Itachi was silent for a minute. "I don't really know why I felt like telling you that. But I guess… it bothers me to hear him called a hero just because he was a ninja in service to Konoha and died."

"I see your point." Kakashi leaned back on his hands and looked up at the sky. "I love it here so much, I can't imagine anyone hating it. Even with the bad treatment my father received that drove him to suicide, I still can't bring myself to hate it here."

Itachi sat down on the ground a couple feet from Kakashi. "Me too. I don't want to see anyone get hurt."

They were silent for a while, both lost in their own thoughts. Kakashi wondered why Itachi was being so talkative. He did tend to seek him out though, when he had things on his mind. And today it was obvious that something big was eating him up. However, the boy never opened up to him. He would usually just show up, make small talk, then leave.

"They want me to become a sensei." Kakashi finally broke the silence.

"Hmm. Well, I think you should be Sasuke's sensei." Itachi grinned.

"That boys a handful. I'll pass." Kakashi laughed. "I walked by the park the other day and he and Naruto were having a 'my dad is better than your dad' argument. The Fourth being compared to the head of the most powerful clan in Konoha."

"Who won?" Itachi was amused. He already knew that the two boys fought a lot. Naruto wanted to be powerful and decided that constantly challenging the smartest boy in his class was the best way to do it. Of course, Sasuke never backed down from a fight and would accept all of Naruto's challenges. His little brother always won, but after watching one fight a few months ago he had to admit that it wasn't so much that Sasuke was a good fighter as it was that Naruto, who was last in all his Academy subjects, was very bad. It was a shame, really, considering who his parents were. Itachi wondered at the time if perhaps the young blond was a late-bloomer, or the Kyuubi inside of him was affecting his growth somehow. By all rights, Naruto and Sasuke should be closer in their abilities, especially since Sasuke had not yet attained his Sharingan.

"Neither. Iruka-sensai was also passing by and told both boys to break it up and go home. They parted ways pouting." Kakashi laughed again.

"Then I think you should get both Sasuke and Naruto. It'll keep you on your toes." Itachi teased.

Kakashi shook his head, "It'll lead to an early grave. Mine or theirs, take your pick."

"Oh, I get to choose?" Itachi smirked.

Kakashi laughed, "You're in an interesting mood today, Itachi."

"Yeah. Maybe. I have a lot to think about." He looked back at the memorial. "Obito was only a year older than I am now when he died. It's hard to imagine him my age. When I was younger… he seemed so grown up to me. But now that I'm his age… he doesn't seem all that grown up at all."

Kakashi looked at Itachi. He remembered the memorial service, so many years ago. Itachi was four-years-old and very small. He remembered how easily the boy had fit in his mother's arms, how he had jumped down to the ground to give Rin a hug. Later she had told him how cute she thought the boy was, but she found him uncharacteristically solemn and serious. Even when she had seen him playing with Obito and Shisui, muddy from the spring rains that had dampened the earth, he had seemed "different" from the other two boys. When Kakashi had pressed her for a definition of "different" she had been unable to explain. It was just a feeling she had. He wondered what she would say about him now, if… she was still alive.

Kakashi hadn't understood what Rin saw. He saw Itachi over the years around the village and in the Uchiha compound when he would visit Obito's parents, and later, Fugaku. The boy was serious on missions or when training, but seemed to relax around his friends. He wasn't like his cousin Shisui, and certainly not like Obito, but… 'He has been through a lot.' Kakashi thought to himself, 'Like me, he has lost his sensei, teammates and friends. But he was younger than I was when all this happened. He is mature enough to be a ninja, but as a human being, is he mature enough to deal with the loss?'

Something was definitely eating at the boy. The older jounin watched as Itachi held his body rigid, hands clenched into fists. His emotionless face stared straight at the memorial as if daring the dead to show themselves. He was so different from the young child Kakashi had met that day, so long ago.

'He looks almost like an old man.' Kakashi thought to himself.

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"Where is Sasuke?" Itachi asked as he entered the kitchen. Usually, if Fugaku was going to be late she would feed Sasuke his dinner as soon as he returned from school. He had spied his little brother at his usual after-school location, throwing kunai at defenseless targets in the Academy's practice grounds. That was three hours ago, which meant he should be sitting at the table eating right now.

"I have a mission so I'll be leaving town for a few days. Auntie is looking after him during that time. You and Fugaku are too busy and he's much more of a handful than you were at that age." Mikoto was dressed in black pants and a black short sleeve shirt. Her hair was pulled up in a bun on her head. "Although, if I remember right, Fugaku had to use an alarm clock to remind you to eat when he was at work." She laughed. "No one has to remind Sasuke when to eat."

"Will you be back by the end of the month?" Itachi gave his mother a small smile.

"Yes, definitely. Rumiko is having her baby then and I won't miss it for the world. I should only be gone three or four days. It's too bad you missed her wedding. It was a huge party."

"It was unfortunate." Itachi remembered he had been with Akatsuki during that time.

"Just make sure you don't miss your own wedding, Itachi. That would be very unfortunate." Mikoto smiled at her son.

"What is your mission?" Itachi changed the subject.

Mikoto finished putting the glasses in the cupboard and closed it. "I have some assassinations in the capital to take care of."

Itachi was struck with the carefree attitude she had toward the people she was about to kill. He remembered Danzou's words about how the blood of the past targets was on his hands. How many people had died so far? How many were going to die in the future? The coup hadn't even started yet and already the streets were running red with blood.

'Even if I get the names now there is no way I could warn the targets before mother could kill them.' Itachi realized.

"Short notice." The boy commented.

"Tell me about it. Sometimes I just don't understand how your father's mind works. Well, I better get going. I'll see you soon." She left the kitchen and a couple minutes later he heard her leave the house.

Itachi sat down at the table and buried his head in his arms. How long was he supposed to wait before attacking his father? Or for that matter, how would he know when he was strong enough to do so? He would have to use his Mangekyou Sharingan but he would need something more powerful that Tsukiyomi. Madara had hinted at other powers.

He lifted his head off the table. The secret scrolls of the Uchiha clan were kept at the Hideout. That would be the first place to look. Somewhere in the old volumes must be a description of the eye-jutsu's powers. But then again, Madara also said he might be able to make his own jutsus.

"That could take years to develop, though." Itachi put his head back down on the table. He didn't have time right now to go to the Hideout anyway. He was on call with ANBU and had to stay nearby for missions.

"I wonder…" Itachi suddenly sat back up again, then jumped up from the table and ran down the hall to his parent's room. His father might have brought the scrolls to the house so he could read them himself. If that was so then they would be in the one of the many secret compartments located inside the house.

Entering his parent's room he made his way to the wall next to the wardrobe. After forming several seals with his hands he placed his palms flat on the smooth wall. It glowed for a second then disappeared. Smiling he reached in a pulled out the four scrolls he saw laying inside. Looking them over, though, revealed nothing useful. He put them back and re-sealed the wall. Only ten more secret compartments to look through.

An hour later found Itachi laying on his bed staring at the ceiling. He hadn't found anything. Well, he did find his father's collection of erotic prints, but that didn't really occupy him for very long either. Most of the pictures were kind of gross and he had stuck them back where he found them.

"Am I really looking for something to help me or am I just bored?" Itachi spoke to the ceiling. Danzou's laughter had shaken his resolve. He had spent the day wandering around, thinking, worrying, and wondering if he had been acting like a child instead of an adult. He thought he had a good plan, he felt it had a chance of working, but the mechanics of pulling it off eluded him. "Maybe Danzou's right."

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"Itachi is against the coup, then." Sarutobi sat back in his chair and stared across his desk at Danzou.

"Yes. He is, in fact, planning his own little coup. He believes that in killing his father he will be able to place himself in command and order the others to 'stand down', as he put it." Danzou stood calmly in the Hokage's office, both hands resting firmly on the cane in front of him.

"This is my fault. I knew they were treated poorly, yet I did little to help." The Third closed his eyes and sighed.

"It is not." Danzou said firmly. "It is their fault. That arrogant clan should never have been allowed into Konoha. This isn't the first time something like this has happened, however, it is the largest, most organized effort. And this time the whole clan is supporting it."

Sarutobi spoke firmly, "The whole clan does not support it. The clan leader supports it, meaning no one is going to openly disagree with him. Especially when that man is Fugaku. He demands complete loyalty and punishes those who do not give it. Itachi's plan has merit, Danzou. With the boy as clan leader instead of Fugaku I do believe the villagers might back off some. He is already on my short list of candidates for Fifth Hokage."

Danzou pursed his lips in anger. "I would hardly consider the boy suitable for clan leader or Hokage."

"Your hatred of the Uchiha is noted, Danzou. It is also unwarranted."

"Unwarranted?" Danzou said, disbelief and anger rising in his voice, "You dare call my concern about a coup to murder you and thousands of villagers and take control of the government 'unwarranted'?"

"I will speak with Fugaku and seek a peaceful resolution to this crisis. You may leave." Sarutobi watched as Danzou pivoted around and left the office.

The Hokage's thoughts turned to seven years ago when the Kyuubi had attacked Konoha. It was a confusing night, full of death. The Uchiha clan, though, had risked their lives to protect the village with Fugaku at the forefront. He had been the last person to speak to the Fourth. Yet they were never thanked for their sacrifice and endured years of accusations and hatred from people who believed they had caused the disaster.

"When my people stumble, it is I who fall." Sarutobi turned his chair around to look out at the village. In the distance he could see the Uchiha clan compound. Isolated and alone, from the height of the Hokage tower it looked almost like a separate village. "I have made many, many mistakes, Fugaku, but hopefully I can keep you from making an even bigger one."

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"Humph. Itachi usually isn't this careless." Fugaku was re-sorting his prints. They were antique wood block prints of erotica from five-hundred years ago. They were out of order and it was pretty obvious to the father of a teenage boy that said teenager had been the one to find them. He gave a short laugh. He was probably looking for something else. Well, the hidden compartments were never a secret to the curious boy anyway and Fugaku had learned a long time ago not to keep anything truly secret in them. He had only put them in the compartment because they were antiques and very valuable, not to keep them "secret".

"Father, there is a man from the Hokage's office to see you." Itachi stuck his head in the library. He quickly noted the prints that his father was sorting.

Fugaku smirked, "Next time, put them back in their proper order." He put the prints and scrolls back in the compartment and sealed it, then walked out of the room.

Itachi continued to stand in the doorway, staring at the now empty wall. "They were out of order?" He wondered who had been in the compartment before him. He smiled when he thought of Sasuke playing a game of "open the hidden compartment" and finding something he hadn't expected.

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Fugaku walked into the Hokage's office without knocking and sat down in a chair in front of the large desk. It was late evening and the room was lit with only one lamp, set on the edge of the desk.

Sarutobi gazed intently at the clan leader, "Glad you could make it."

"What is this about, Sarutobi?" He didn't bother to use the man's title.

"Well, let's get down to business then." Sarutobi steepled his fingers and leaned forward on his desk. "What can I do to make Uchiha happy again?"

Fugaku didn't attempt to hide his sarcasm, "Do you have twelve hours?"

"I have forty-eight hours if that's what it'll take." Sarutobi spoke calmly and continued to look Fugaku in the eye.

Fugaku stood up, prepared to leave.

"Sit down, Fugaku." Sarutobi's angry voice echoed in the room. "I didn't call you here to be patronizing or misleading. I am serious this time."

Standing with his back to the Hokage Fugaku snorted, "I have heard that one too many times from you, Sarutobi. Each time you are 'serious', yet each time Uchiha finds itself pulled back further and further. Now, we are confined to the compound with twenty-four hour ANBU watching our every move. You have placed me in a very bad position."

The Third looked up the Fugaku's back. It seemed as if he had just admitted he was planning a coup.

"Fugaku, sit down. We are both in a bad position right now and we both need to talk."

Fugaku sighed and sat back down. "I'm listening."

Sarutobi smiled, "The first thing we have to do is develop some measure of trust between us. The Second Hokage placed Uchiha in charge of the police-station to keep an eye on them, that much we both know. Yet, despite that the Uchiha have consistently protected Konoha during war and peace. There has never been a time when a request for back-up was refused. That dedication was rewarded by allowing the clan to keep control of their authority. Can you deny this?"

"No." Fugaku was wondering what the Third was getting at. He had always endeavored to protect the village from criminals and had spent many sleepless nights investigating crimes. He had never considered his work a "privilege" but an "obligation" he paid to protect his home. He even enjoyed it.

"The station is the last thing we can remove from your control."

"Are you here to talk or threaten?" Fugaku was beginning to feel like he was being baited.

"Talk." Sarutobi continued to hold Fugaku's gaze. "I will use your excellent record of support to convince the council to back off on the ANBU guards, then we can work on getting the clan's forced residency in the compound rescinded."

"The council? You mean Danzou's cronies Homura and Koharu? I realize you personally do not hate us, Sarutobi, but they do. Vehemently." Fugaku's tone lightened slightly.

"Nevertheless, I was wrong to let them take control of this situation and I plan on doing everything I can to back them down."

Fugaku crossed his arms across his chest. "It will have to be a major concession your part, a real and lasting show of trust."

"I realize that. I promise you Fugaku, I will resolve this." Sarutobi stood up and walked around the desk. His long white robe brushed across the ground as he made his way over to Fugaku.

Standing up, Fugaku looked down at the Hokage. "For what its worth, Sarutobi, I hope it can be resolved. We have shown patience for over eighty years and it is getting difficult…" He let his words trail off as he looked out the window and sighed. Due of the low light in the room there were few reflections in the glass and he could see the village spread out below them. A peaceful scene full of sleepy citizens preparing for bed. Even as he watched he could see a couple lights blink off.

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Danzou slammed his hand down on his desk in anger. "How dare he!"

The old man had a listening device placed surreptitiously in the Hokage's office and had listened in on the whole conversation. He was not pleased. If Sarutobi and Fugaku reached a mutually acceptable agreement his own plans would go up in smoke.

"That man's weakness sickens me. I can't believe the First and Second chose him over me. The village has been put into danger so many times since he put on his robes. It is nothing short of disgraceful." Danzou banged his hand down on his desk again exhaled loudly to calm himself.

"I will be walking a fine line for a while, but no matter what, I will see to the extermination of that cursed clan." Danzou paused and smiled, "And Itachi will help me."

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Next week: Itachi returns to the hideout to search for information about the Mangekyou Sharingan and Sheeta runs into some trouble.

Kakashi!!!!! Okay – everyone repeat: "Plot no Jutsu, Kakashi revival technique!"

Konohamaru has me worried too, I like the kid xD He's kind of like a less annoying, slightly smarter version of Naruto (if that makes any sense… he and Naruto are like brothers and I think that's cute since Naruto seems to enjoy playing "big brother", it suits him somehow).

Please review!