Ch. 17: Truths
The next day, Naruto and Sakura waited outside a hospital room. Both fidgeted and paced restlessly every now and then. Quick glances at the clock only told them they were being impatient. Miyuki sat in a chair, her anxiety only given away by the restless tapping of her fingers against her thigh. Kakashi eventually just took her hand to hold in his own. She gave it a squeeze as she stared at the door as if she'd develop x-ray vision at any moment. On the other side, Tsunade performed a medical ninjutsu that would hopefully rid Sasuke of the curse mark. The procedure was risky as it would affect his entire body. The research they'd uncovered in the Hidden Sound Village had given Tsunade the information she needed. She just wasn't sure if his body could handle the removal of the enzymes Orochimaru had used to create the mark in the first place. Their injection had nearly killed him and now his body was used to them. Having them pulled out may be just as hazardous after all these years with them.
Only an hour passed before the door opened and Shizune came out. Looking at the four worried expressions looking at her, she smiled. "He's going to be okay. Lady Tsunade says he'll be a little weakened for a bit while his body adjusts, but then he'll be fine."
They let out a collective breath of relief.
"When can I see him?" Sakura asked. The only reason she hadn't been in the room is Tsunade wouldn't let her. The Hokage had stated bluntly that because Sakura cared too much about Sasuke her focus wouldn't be what it needed to be.
"As long as you let him sleep, you can go in now," Tsunade spoke from the doorway. She leaned heavily on it. The procedure had clearly taken a lot out of her. They didn't know where he came from, but Jiraiya was there, helping hold Tsunade up as he guided her down the hall to get rest.
Sakura hurried inside the room. Sasuke lay on the bed sleeping. She wanted to touch him and reassure herself he was okay but didn't want to risk waking him. Instead, she sat in the chair next to his bed to wait for him to wake up.
The others checked on him themselves then left Sakura alone with him, knowing she wouldn't budge until he opened his eyes. Hours of waiting later, Sakura's stomach reminded her that she still had to eat. Hating that she had to leave him, Sakura stood and gently kissed his forehead. "I'll be right back."
With that promise, she hurried away to get food and be back as quickly as she was able. She made it to the stairwell before realizing her wallet wasn't in her pocket. Maybe it fell out in the room. Turning, she ran back to the room. When she stepped into the doorway, the sight that greeted her made her blood run cold. Lord Danzo stood over Sasuke holding a kunai. Sakura moved before she had time to thing about what she was doing. Her fist struck Danzo with enough force to make him break through the hospital wall and going outside. Standing in the hole she created, she clenched her now bleeding knuckles. And this was why she wore gloves when she did that, she reminded herself.
"Don't lay a hand on Sasuke," she ordered in a deadly calm voice. Emerald eyes burned with anger.
It was the explosion that got the attention of everyone else. Someone going through a wall was a bit obvious after all. Miyuki, Kakashi, and Naruto raced back to the hospital. Once they arrived, Miyuki stared wide eyed as the hole in the wall and the murderous look in Sakura's eyes. The medic was not feeling her usual kind self at the moment apparently. Miyuki looked over at Danzo as he stood and dusted himself off.
"That was uncalled for," he commented almost peacefully. "I was merely checking how things went."
"With a kunai in your hand?" Sakura shouted, her temper rearing it's head. Somethings never changed and her temperament was one of them.
"Lord Danzo, what is going on here?" Miyuki demanded with fists on her hips. She fully believed he'd be willing to kill Sasuke. Not only did he send Sai to do just that originally, but he had once sent someone to kill Kakashi. Danzo was ruthless and didn't care if it was ally or foe. He would destroy anyone that got between him and what he wanted.
"She simply misunderstood my intentions," Danzo answered, his attention moving to Miyuki.
"Somehow, I doubt that," Miyuki responded coldly.
"Believe what you want," Danzo answered as he walked by them.
Miyuki glowered after him in a rare show of open emotion.
"Careful, Miyuki," Kakashi warned her with an indulgent smile. "Your mask is slipping."
She sighed, blowing her bangs off her forehead. "I really don't like him."
After that each member of the team took turns watching over Sasuke until he woke up the next day. For the first time in his memory, he woke after serious injury or surgery to see emerald eyes watching him and there weren't any tears. It registered to him just how often he made her cry before. It warmed him to see her smile instead this time.
"You're awake," she cheered, gently brushing fingers through his hair.
"How long have I been out?"
"Just over a day," she answered. Hesitating a moment, she added, "We've all been taking turns keeping watch over you. I think Lord Danzo tried to kill you while you were unconscious."
He frowned. "Why?"
"We don't know." Worry clouded her expression, robbing him of the smile he'd enjoyed just moments before.
Sasuke pushed himself up. Surprisingly, he felt fine. He'd expected to feel weaker for a while after the curse mark's removal. Reaching up, he cupped her head to pull her in for a kiss. Sakura melted into him as she always did, and he thanked whatever gods existed that he hadn't messed this up. Even if Itachi lived a full life, Sasuke couldn't care less at this moment. Just so long as she was by his side anything was fine by him. When he pulled away, she blinked at him with pink dusting her cheeks. He allowed his mask to slip and smiled softly at her.
"Whatever he's planning, we'll deal with it together. So don't let it stress you out."
"But, Sasuke, if I hadn't forgotten something and come back to the room he would have…" She couldn't bring herself to say it.
"But it didn't happen and it's too late to stress that now." He hugged her close and whispered in her ear. "If you like, I can kill him then he won't make you frown so much anymore."
That surprised a chuckle out of her. "That wouldn't work because then the village would brand you a traitor." She pulled away to smile at him. "But I get the point."
Satisfied she wasn't stressed anymore, Sasuke released her.
"We should let the others know you're awake." Sakura took his hand in her own. "Can you walk?"
He nodded and pushed to his feet. Letting her tug him along, he followed her to find their friends. They were greeted exuberantly by Naruto. Hinata was giving the blond an amused smile. Miyuki reached up and ruffled his hair. Kakashi placed a hand on his shoulder. For the first time in years, Sasuke felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. The mark was gone and no longer had the power to control his life. He was free of the final chain Orochimaru had placed on him.
"How do you feel?" Naruto asked. "Granny Tsunade said you might feel off after the mark was removed because it had a physical effect on you."
"Surprisingly, I feel fine." Sasuke looked at his hands and activated his sharingan. "I thought that it would take time to adjust too but it's like instead it's only made me stronger to have it removed. As if all that power has been lying dormant all this time because of that mark."
"That might be true," Kakashi commented, crossing his arms and looking thoughtful. "It wouldn't make much sense for Orochimaru to let you access all your strength. You might beat him then. This way, he could control how much of it you could use at a time."
Nodding, Sasuke's eyes returned to their normal onyx. Deciding it would be a good idea to know his new limits, he asked if they could go train.
"You just woke up," Sakura objected in exasperation.
"Honestly, I feel fine. I promise if I start to feel otherwise, I'll take a break."
Sighing, she nodded. "Fine, but you better keep that promise or I will hurt you."
They set off for the training ground. Sasuke worked up a good sweat sparing with Naruto and quickly learned that he was indeed stronger than before. And the mangekyo sharingan wasn't as much of a drain on him as it once was. He grinned. To think Orochimaru lied to him about being stronger with the curse mark. What a surprise, he thought sarcastically.
The training came to an abrupt halt when Sai stumbled out of the trees. "There's trouble."
Naruto ran to his side to catch him before he hit the ground. "Sai!"
Sakura knelt next to them and began healing him immediately.
Slowly, he returned to consciousness.
"What happened?" Sasuke demanded. He didn't know Sai well, but Naruto had told him that Sai had been instrumental in saving him from the sound village. That was enough for him.
"We were attacked by Itachi and Kisame. They took Lord Danzo."
"Why?"
"I don't know."
Sakura lifted him. "I'll take him to the hospital so they can finish his treatment and meet you at the Hokage's office."
The others nodded and hurried off. They updated Tsunade who sent Anbu shinobi to check on the Foundation. Sakura had joined them by the time the Anbu returned with their report. The foundation was in chaos. Several shinobi had been severely injured, though amazingly none had been killed. Lord Danzo had been nowhere to be found.
"I hate to ask your team to do this Kakashi, but do you mind going to look for Danzo?" Tsunade asked him. "You are one of the best at tracking others thanks to your hounds."
Kakashi nodded. "My opinion of Danzo doesn't effect my ability to do my job. We'll find him."
Team Kakashi headed to The Foundation headquarters. Kakashi summoned his hounds and sent them on the hunt for Danzo. While they waited, the five of them examined their surroundings. Rubble covered the ground and walls were broken and bridges collapsed. Blood stained several areas where the injured had been before being relocated to the hospital. Miyuki frowned as she walked up a wall to examine a hole in it.
"I wonder what Itachi is thinking?" Sakura wondered out loud as she looked at the chaos he'd left in his wake.
"I haven't known that since the day he slaughtered our clan," Sasuke answered tersely. His entire body was tight with restlessness energy. Itachi had been here. He'd been right under his nose.
"Are you up for this, Sasuke?" Naruto asked him with only a hint of his concern in his tone.
Sasuke started to answer with an of course he was, before biting back the words. Taking an honest assessment of himself, he nodded. "Especially with the rest of you here to help."
Pakkun returned. "We found the trail."
They headed out with Pakkun in the lead. Once they were closer, they made sure to approach carefully and quietly. They still had no idea what they were walking into so caution was definitely advised. Finally, Itachi and Danzo came into view. Based on the scorch marks on the ground, Danzo was putting up a fight, though now the two merely stood across from each other. They could just make out the conversation now and Itachi's words made them all freeze in shock.
"Did you think I wouldn't find out you tried to have Sasuke killed?" Itachi's cold tone spoke volumes about his thoughts on that matter.
"The Uchiha are a threat and always have been," Danzo stated with a shrug.
Itachi's red eyes narrowed as he held his hands up, ready to cast a jutsu. "You are not leaving here alive, Lord Danzo. It is long past time I make sure you are not a threat to my brother anymore."
"And it is long past time I got you out of the way." Danzo crouched, ready for a fight. "Though, honestly the biggest thorn hasn't even been you."
"Miyuki Shimizu," Itachi spoke with a smirk. "I know. I was the one that suggested her to Lord Third."
"I should have known." Danzo's eyes bore into Itachi's with anger and frustration. He made hand gestures that had Miyuki stiffening in shock. Water condensed into a sword shape in his hands then solidified into ice. "I will at least be able to deal with one nuisance now, then the others."
Itachi looked at the ice sword without surprise. "I always suspected you had been responsible for the Shimizu massacre. Now here is the proof. You spliced their DNA with your own."
"Orochimaru discovering that such things could be done using the First Hokage's DNA opened all sorts of possibilities. Now even a kekkei genkai is possible for others to use." Danzo denied nothing of Itachi's accusation. "Kenta went against his brother's command and joined the foundation out of jealousy and spite. Thanks to him, I now can use Setsuna Shimizu's ice release."
Before Itachi could say or do anything, Danzo was forced to defend himself against an ice glaive wielded by an enraged Miyuki. Her violet eyes burned with rage as she shifted along his sword so she could use the staff end of her glaive to jab him in the gut. Danzo jumped back. She left him no time or room to adjust. The rest of her team stared in shock. They hadn't even realized she'd moved until she was down there attacking. The blade of her glaive sliced into Danzo's chest.
"You rat bastard," Miyuki growled as she shifted to strike again. "My clan was loyal to Konoha."
Suddenly, Danzo disappeared. He reappeared a moment later, all signs of his injury gone. "Not entirely. Your father, Setsuna refused to allow any member of his clan to join the foundation after I assisted Hanzo in the Land of Rain with an issue he was having."
Naruto clenched his fists as he put two and two together. Nagato. Danzo was talking about Nagato. He'd been the one to kill Yahiko. The fact that all of the dominos that happened over the last several years had started with Danzo. Every tragedy always seemed to lead back to him. Except the Uchiha massacre and now Naruto had to wonder just how much of that night they didn't know.
Miyuki narrowed her eyes as she puzzled through how Danzo had healed so quickly. No. Not just healed. The tear in his clothes was gone as well. A thought occurred to her. She went on the attack again. The blade of her glaive eventually caught the end of his right sleeve, tearing through the cloth up to his shoulder. She stared in horror at the sharingan eyes embedded in an arm clearly not originally Danzo's. The rage already burning her flared into an inferno. Those eyes were proof that he had a hand in destroying not just her clan but Sasuke's too. Everything they had all believed about both massacres was a lie.
Her expression cleared until only her eyes gave away what she was thinking. She didn't speak. Didn't let out a single sound. Her eyes merely looked into his single visible eye. In her violet gaze, he saw death. That was the only warning Danzo received before she went on the attack again.
"Miyuki!" Sasuke shouted out as she disappeared into the forest, chasing after Danzo. He'd seen the arm and the eyes. Like her, he knew what it meant. Landing next to Itachi, he grabbed his brother's shirt. "What the hell is going on, Itachi? For once give me some damn answers."
The older Uchiha met his brother's angry red eyes then sighed. "Danzo is responsible for the massacres of both the Uchiha and the Shimizu clans."
"So all this time, he's been a puppet master of everything?"
"Yes. Lord Third knew the truth but couldn't prove it. So, he was forced to label me a missing-nin."
Sakura reached out and gently took hold of one of Sasuke's hands still fisted in Itachi's shirt. He looked over to meet her worried emerald eyes. Forcing his hate back into the box it belonged in, he drew in a deep breath and slowly let it back out. "The rest of the answers will have to wait. We need to stop Miyuki. If she kills Danzo in the state she's in, she may not come out of her hate this time."
Kakashi nodded in agreement as he pushed his headband up to expose his sharingan eye. "I failed to save her from herself once. I won't fail again."
"We'll stop Danzo while we're at it," Naruto promised punching a fist into his palm. "Just because you and Miyuki shouldn't kill him, doesn't mean he should get away with what he's done."
Sakura pulled on her gloves. "Right. No one hurts Sasuke and gets to walk away without suffering first."
Itachi looked at Sasuke's team with a small smile. It relieved him to see that Lord Third had kept his promise to make sure Sasuke was taken care of so well. Nodding at them, he activated his own sharingan eyes.