Ch. 18: Hate vs Love
Two of Danzo's sharingans were now permanently closed. Miyuki was more skilled than even he anticipated. She wielded her ice glaive with the same expertise Guy did his fists. While Guy's taijutsu focused on strength and power. Miyuki's was more about her agility and speed. Her weapon was an extension of her own body and moved as fluidly with her movements as her arms and legs. It was no wonder she'd been capable of killing an Anbu level foundation member like Kenta Shimizu at nineteen years old. She'd nearly killed him twice, forcing him to use the Izanagi twice already.
Ice ran through Miyuki's blood. Danzo was going to pay. No matter what she had to do, he was not leaving this forest alive. First thing first. Those sharingan had to go. Finding the weakness in the Izanagi wasn't too difficult. At least, it was a weakness in Danzo's use of it. Which was all that really mattered. She changed her glaive into a sword and slashed downward at him with one hand. Danzo blocked it with his own ice sword. Miyuki smirked. In her free hand, she summoned a second ice sword and slashed up at Danzo's right shoulder. Blood spilled everywhere as the sharingan covered arm fell to the ground. Danzo yelled in pain as he stumbled back, dropping the ice sword he'd been using.
Miyuki let one of her swords evaporate and turned the other back into a glaive. "No more Sharingan's to save you." She lunged at him only to have someone appear behind her and grab her hands, holding her back. Letting out a snarl of frustration, she ordered, "Let me go, Kakashi."
"Not this time, Miyuki." His hands tightened over hers as he pulled her back against him.
"He is responsible for it all."
"Yes." Her pain reflected in Kakashi's tone. "But I can't let you kill him like this."
She struggled against his hold.
Sasuke moved to stand between her and Danzo. "No, Miyuki."
"But I have him. He can't escape now."
"I know that," Kakashi agreed. She could feel his body shaking behind her, whether from effort or something else she couldn't say. "But we can't let you do this. Not like this."
"Miyuki, you saved me from my hate. What kind of friend would I be if I didn't save you from yours," Sasuke pointed out, keeping his body between her and Danzo. The look in her eyes scared him. This look. This is what he almost became. Had this hate lurked deep in her all this time? How could he have missed it?
"I don't need saving." Her eyes didn't leave Danzo. "I need you to get out of my way."
"No. I won't let this hate get the better of you. You're stronger than that," Sasuke snapped out, angry she would give in to it so easily after fighting it for so long.
"Even if he would, I won't," Kakashi informed her bluntly. "I won't let your hate take you from me a second time, Miyuki. Unfortunately, I love you too much for that now."
She froze. He rarely said it anymore than she did. That word was big for them both after all they'd lost. She felt her eyes sting. Rage battled love inside her. "He took them from me."
"I know."
"He hurt Sasuke." She began to shake.
"I know." Kakashi's grip gentled.
"He would have killed you." She was crying now.
Kakashi wished she'd let the glaive go so he could comfort her properly. Damn her stubborn nature. "I know."
"Miyuki, put the glaive down," Sasuke told her, half pleading half ordering. "Danzo isn't going to get away with it. I promise you that."
"Miyuki, please," Kakashi asked one more time. "Don't leave me again."
She couldn't. Not after all Kakashi lost already. She couldn't hurt him like that. The fight left her. Her arms dropped down. The glaive evaporated before it touched the ground. Kakashi spun her around and pulled her into a tight hug, thanking any listening god that she finally gave in. Her arms came up and gripped his shirt in tight fists as she cried into his chest.
While Sasuke and Kakashi had been busy talking Miyuki down, Danzo grabbed his discarded ice sword. The sword was an inch from Sasuke's back when it stopped. Everyone looked on with wide eyes as Kisame withdrew his own sword from Danzo. Danzo crumpled to the ground.
The shark man grinned widely. "I will say this for him. He fought until the end." He shrugged at everyone's shocked expressions. "What? I don't hate him so killing him was fine for me."
"Kisame, what are you doing here?" Itachi asked him with what sounded like exasperation. "I thought we agreed that this was my fight."
"We did. But I couldn't help being nosy." Kisame let out a forlorn sigh. "I was hoping to get a rematch with the Ice Queen, but it seems that won't be happening any time soon."
Miyuki couldn't help the startled chuckle that escaped her. "I'm afraid I'm not up to a fight right now. How about a rain check?"
"Ooh. Does that mean I will get a rematch?"
"Sure." Miyuki winced when she stepped away from Kakashi. At some point in her rage infused state, she'd suffered several injuries she hadn't noticed until now. "It's the least I can do after you took care of Danzo."
"We should get back and report to Lady Tsunade," Sakura pointed out when everyone fell silent. "And Itachi and Kisame should not come just yet. Not until we have a chance to explain things to the Hokage."
Tsunade was understandably surprised by everything they told her. Mentally, she cursed her old Sensei for not cluing someone in on what Danzo had been doing all this time. Acting quickly, the pardoned Itachi and welcomed Kisame into the village. Explanations were given to all about Danzo's schemes, which upon questioning of Itachi revealed was connected to nearly every tragedy that had befallen Konoha in recent years. His plans had turned Nagato into Pain. He ordered the deaths of two whole clans. Stealing Shisui's eye had led to his suicide. He framed Itachi for the slaughter of his clan. Kenta had not been framed. Danzo simply took advantage of Kenta's jealousy of his older brother and manipulated him into joining the foundation and killing his clan as traitors. Danzo had wanted the kekkei genkai of the Shimizu as it was one of the more versatile of jutsues in the village. Setsuna, Miyuki's father, had refused to let him have even one member of the Shimizu clan for the Foundation. So, Danzo simply took the ice release from the Shimizu clan. He'd even been the one to create Kabuto, takign him from the orphanage and having him kill his own adoptive mother.
Miyuki listened to Itachi's explanation for all of Danzo's action silently. She didn't even look at anyone through the entire conversation.
"How do you know all of this?" Tsunade asked him. "You weren't even born when the Shimizu were killed."
"I did a lot of research into Danzo's plans after he framed me. And Lord Third told me some of this himself. Things he knew but could never do anything about because there was no proof. Some Orochimaru let slip while we worked together in the Akatsuki."
Sasuke couldn't look Itachi in the eyes. "He tried to have me kill you."
Itachi nodded solemnly. "He wanted our mangekyo sharingans. Well, mine. You didn't have one at the time."
"I can't say I'm not glad he's dead," Sakura said as she slid an arm around Sasuke in silent comfort. "He wouldn't have only continued to be trouble."
Tsunade sat back with a sigh. "I'm going to be dealing with this mess for weeks." Looking at the emotionally drained and exhausted team in front of her, she shooed them out. "Go, get some rest. You all have a lot to deal with yourselves I'm sure."
As they left, Sasuke hesitantly invited Itachi back to Sakura's with the two of them. Surprised, Itachi looked at Sakura who simply nodded in agreement. The three of them walked away with Sakura helping the two Uchiha's communicate with the other. Naruto told Kisame he was welcome to stay at his place for the night. At least until something better could be figured out. Kisame took the boy up on the offer.
Kakashi looked over at Miyuki, concern in his single eye. "Miyuki, you've barely said a word?"
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be sorry, just tell me what's wrong."
"Not what I meant. I am sorry, Kakashi. For losing myself again." She still wouldn't look at him. "All these years and I went backwards in just a few seconds."
He took her face in his hands to lift her eyes to his. "But you came back."
She sighed. "I thought the hate was gone or at least under control."
"Miyuki, you expect too much of yourself if you think it should be easy not to feel the way you do about the people who slaughtered your clan. I never expected you not to be enraged. In fact, I should have realized sooner how you'd respond and stopped you before the fight even began." He rested his forehead against hers. "What I consider a mark that you have changed is that this time you put down the weapon. You put us first and the hate second."
"I almost didn't."
"Almost only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades."
That startled a chuckle out of her. She covered his hands with hers. "Thank you."
"Now, how about we go home and get some rest?" he suggested with a glint in his eye that suggested rest was not what was on his mind. "Later, we'll meet everyone for dinner and get on with the rest of our lives."
She nodded in agreement, letting her lead her home.