Chapter Nine

"How is this possible?"

Sarutobi sighed softly at the question posed by the young man beside him as they watched the interrogation of the two Uchiha found at Danzou's base, the impassive tone giving away more than it should about the younger's emotional state.

After all, Shisui was one of the most expressive Uchiha in the village, second only to his older brother. The lack of emotion in his voice could only mean that his mind was in turmoil…more than he knew how to express.

"Danzou. What little we were able to find says they were revived after the massacre and kept in stasis. Though the reason why is unknown."

Shisui snorted. "Itachi. Even when we were younger, Danzou has feared Itachi, especially after he was made taicho in the ANBU. After all, the only ones that know about what goes on in the village is the ANBU captain, and second to myself, Fugaku-sama was the only sharingan user even close to Itachi's level. Mikoto-sama was probably a way to control them both, though that would've been a foolish move on Danzou's part because she is a kenjutsu specialist, and a very good one."

Sarutobi nodded in agreement, remembering when the young woman had been on the team of a certain jinchuuriki all those years ago, and the hell they'd raised together. Turning the rest of the young Uchiha's words over in his mind, he sighed.

"You said Itachi didn't react to your appearance when he saw you in the forest of Death."

The teen nodded. "He barely acknowledged me, beyond his clone noting that he would be relieved that you were telling the truth." His brow furrowed. "However, when nii-san told him that Sasuke wouldn't go along with whatever he was planning…it was- he just- he shut down."

"And knowing that…how do you think he'll react to this. He watched your death and it was one of the most traumatic things that he's ever gone through, but this- These are his parents. Parents he, himself was forced to kill. I fear what seeing them alive may do to his psyche. Especially if he is already planning something dangerous and is desperate enough to keep that plan in motion even after learning that Sasuke knows the truth."

Shisui swallowed thickly, then took a deep breath. "I wish I could say that I know how he'll react…but he never really does what anyone expects of him."

"I'm aware," The Hokage commented dryly, before turning his gaze back to the room and its occupants. "However, I also know that if anyone can convince that child to let go of this plan of his, it is his family, especially young Sasuke."

*/*

"Satisfied?" Fugaku sneered as he glared at the man in front of him.

Beside him, Mikoto withheld a sigh, really just wanting to see her sons. She didn't want to be here, not in T&I and not in this room watching her husband glare daggers at Ibiki, who only stared back at them with that infuriating smirk on his lips, dark eyes cold.

"Ecstatic." Their interrogator replied in deadpan, before his dark gaze turned toward the window behind him and he nodded, vanishing in a swirl of leaves. Only moments after he was gone, the door to the room opened and in walked the only man she hated worse that she hated Danzou.

The Sandaime Hokage.

Like most of the shinobi in the village, she'd grown up respecting the Sandaime and all that he'd accomplished in his long career. He'd been a good friend of theirs, especially given that his successor had been their eldest son's godfather, and yet-

He'd betrayed them.

Had forced her son, to slay them rather than doing the deed himself.

It was, in a way, worse than Danzou's actions because while they'd never trusted the old war hawk, they had, at one time, trusted their kage.

He stared at them for a moment, gaze dark and pained.

"Do you regret it?" He asked them softly and she sneered at him.

"You forced our son, a thirteen-year-old child to kill his family." She snarled and those soft dark eyes narrowed into a fierce glare, KI briefly flaring in the room before it vanished.

"No," He replied coldly. "You forced your son to kill his family. You, and your clan's planned coup d'état, and Danzou's brash ignorance. Shisui and Itachi were trying to find a way to save your Clan, then you-" he leveled his glare on Fugaku who flinched slightly. "You and your clansmen began to ostracize Itachi, sure in your knowledge that he'd killed Shisui, and Danzou took advantage of this. He planted the idea that you had moved up your plan, and that without Shisui, all attempts to stop you would fail. Itachi, knowing that your coup could lead to a civil war and eventually another great war, still fought to save you. Only after Danzou threatened to kill Sasuke did he even think to follow what the Elder Council ordered." His voice grew colder, glare hardening into something that reminded her that even in his old age he was still one of the most feared shinobi of his generation.

"And when it was finished, he came to my office. He didn't ask to be absolved of your deaths, or for the plans you'd created to be released to clear his name. No, instead he asked that I protect your youngest son until he could protect himself. Even now, knowing that Sasuke knows the truth behind his actions, your son sees himself as a villain, and he is planning something that will likely end with him dead. We are hoping that if nothing else, your presence and Sasuke's can prevent this. Your son is a hero, and he deserves better than being remembered as a power-hungry mass murderer."

Clapping sounded at the end of his words and his dark expression faded into one of exasperated amusement, his gaze flickering to sound and she turned only to gasp in surprise.

"S-Shisui…" She whispered stunned to see her nephew behind her, older than he should've been considering that he'd died before she had. He sent her a blank glance, something dangerous dancing in his gaze before he turned his attention back to the Hokage.

"That has to have been once of the most inspirational tongue-lashings I've ever heard."

The Sandaime snorted. "I thought you were with Team 7."

"Kakashi-sempai dismissed us early...and Sasuke ran off with Naruto to train for the next exam."

Her breath hitched at the mention of her youngest son, even more so when Shisui stated that he was with her godson, but her husband was speaking before she could.

"Did you know that they were going to order our deaths?" He asked solemnly, looking between the two.

Shisui glared at him, sharingan flashing briefly. "Do you really think I would've killed myself if I did? Had I known I would've taken the mission in Itachi's place and smuggled him and Sasuke out of Konoha."

The Clan head blinked as if he'd ben slapped. "You truly committed suicide? Why?"

"Mangekyou."

She frowned at the word, watching as her husband paled then closed his eyes as if pained. While she knew there were levels of the sharingan above what was known to majority of the clan, she'd never bothered to search for them, mostly because she knew that with great power often came great sacrifice. Case in point, jinchuuriki and their struggles. She couldn't help but wonder why the word would cause her husband such anguish...at least until she remembered that Shisui had killed himself in front of her son. Had made him watch his closest friend die.

Oh.

Oh kami, no.

Why couldn't that child catch a break?

For the first time in a long time, she had the urge to pull her eldest son into her arms and hug him, to tell him that everything would be okay.

And yet, she also knew that he wouldn't be in Konoha, and so instead she would settle for holding her other son and hoping that she could save him from watching his older brother fall any further away from them.

"I want to see my son." She cut in, her voice soft but steely and Shisui glanced at the Hokage who nodded.

"The elders are going to be charged before the third exam in two weeks' time. Until then, I would ask that you remain in the Uchiha district until I have informed the village of your revival."

"And Itachi?"

"He will be declared innocent. I can only hope we will be able to save his life in the aftermath."

*/*

He should be more surprised than he is.

Somehow, despite having known that his parents were dead for over half a decade, seeing them sitting in his living room again, especially with Shisui and Obito there, isn't really surprising.

Its not even comforting.

In fact, all he feels…is tired.

He's tired of grieving and hurting, of revelations turning his world on its head, and-

And he's so tired of being angry.

Heaving a soft sigh, he finds himself startled when a gentle hand lands on his shoulder, turning to find his teammate sending him a reassuring smile. Smiling back faintly, he turned back to his family, unsurprised to find all four older Uchiha watching him concerned.

For a long moment, he didn't move, didn't react, then he smiled weakly, allowing some of the parts of him that he'd locked away in the face of his brother's betrayal to hesitantly shine through. The parts of him that were still in some respects, only a child yearning for his family.

"I missed you." He finally admitted, voice almost inaudible and to his surprise it wasn't his mother who embraced him first, but his father, the man who had always seemed so disappointed in him.

"I'm sorry, Sasuke." He replied. "I'm so sorry."

A leaner pair of arms wound around them both, no less familiar in their embrace, and he felt his eyes burn with tears that he tried to keep himself from shedding. However, to his horror, a sob escaped his lips and he shot a terrified glance to the one familiar person in the room.

Blue eyes stared back at him calmly, warm and encouraging even in the face of his pleading.

'Let it go.' The blonde mouthed and he shook his head roughly, only for another sob to escape, then another.

His parents' arms tightened around him.

"It's alright, Sasuke."- His mother whispered.

"We're here." His father added and he-

He shattered.

Great heaving sobs left his lips and he curled further into their embrace, his lungs burning as they fought to get air between his cries. Fingers, calloused from years of service ran through his hair and he was distantly aware of Naruto leaving, and even though he yearned for his friend to stay, there was another presence he yearned for even more, and he wasn't there.

Never had his absence been more apparent.

After all, it had always been Itachi that had comforted him, had dealt with the emotions he hid from their parents, this-

This wasn't something that his family normally did.

But he knew it would be.

They needed it to be.

*/*

Damnit.

Bright crimson eyes simmered in rage as their owner stared down at the form lying before them, having suspected the truth and yet dreading it all the while. He'd known that Danzou had been behind the truth of Madara's defection from Konoha and the subsequent mistrust their clan had been subjected to…but this- this was far from what he'd been expecting.

He'd expected to find something documenting the truth for Madara, something that would prove his ancestor wrong about the person the man had loved but this-

This was much worse than what he'd expected to find.

And yet, at the same time, it may be just what he needed to get his plan to work.

Dark gaze roving over the seals keeping the form in its stasis he nodded to himself and set to work, relieved that they were seals he was somewhat familiar courtesy of his godparents.

It was time for the Nidaime Hokage to return to Konoha.

TBC…