One year and four months have passed since the Uchiha massacre.

Second year part 2

-Shisui-

Ambivalence was the best way to explain the way he felt about his life in hiding.

He loathed being still, doing nothing, caring for whining brats…. yet missed it all whenever he was away. Jiraiya had kept true to his word and taught him much about the ways of a spymaster, and Shisui eased into the role well. He had charm, could talk his way out of any situation, and when nothing else worked, his genjutsu was subtle and efficient. But being away from the okiya for more than a few days at a time made him nervous. Any time an Akatsuki member could walk in and see the kids, or maybe one of Danzo's countless spies and trackers would catch a rumour about them and come to finish decimating the Uchiha clan. And yet, he loved being out in the field, loved being away from all the silks, the giggles, the many beautiful women he could not bed.

Shisui sighed.

"Something on your mind?"

Shisui gave Jiraiya a long look. "Many things, but lately something's been bothering me. The kids… how safe are they there, really?"

"For now, as safe as they can be."

"Still, I can't keep them locked like that. They are shinobi children, they are Uchiha. I can already see the older ones itching to release their pent-up energy. They pick fights and it's only a matter of time until they hurt themselves because they have no idea how to fight."

"Then, teach them."

Shisui rubbed a hand through his lengthening, messy hair. A long fringe was now covering his sealed eye. "It's not so simple. I don't want them to attract any attention. It's too dangerous."

"You'll figure something out. Tell Haruka to give them some chores, it will burn some of that energy. Let them be kids for a while longer, no need to teach them how to kill so young."

"You think that's what I want?"

"I think you're jumping to conclusions. Kids have energy and they need to use it, otherwise they do stupid things. Direct their energy, make up something fun that keeps them busy, or give them chores. I'm not an expert at these things, but pointing them to weapons when there's no need for them to wield them is not the way to go."

They stopped at a tea shop, and Shisui slumped in the chair. He was right, of course he was. "Still, they're not safe there," he pushed, intent on having the last word.

Jiraiya smiled.

Minutes passed until the informant, or rather a clone, sat down at their table. He wore a simple dark shirt and pants, his headband absent. Itachi looked young. Shisui sometimes had to remind himself that his cousin was young, barely fifteen.

Jiraiya nodded and Itachi picked up the freshly poured cup of tea, closing his eyes to savour it. Shisui wondered when he'd last had a good night's sleep, or a proper meal.

"Anything new?" asked Jiraiya with little preamble.

"Orochimaru left last week," said Itachi.

He was never much of a talker, but even Shisui could see that his willingness to say more than a few sentences had dwindled. Maybe it was time Itachi paid them another visit, something to remind him that what they did, what he sacrificed, was not in vain. The kids adored him last time, with Mara shoving her sticky fingers through his hair and tying it in knots.

"Future movements?" pressed Jiraiya.

Itachi tilted his head to the side. "They're looking for a recruit, other than that it's the same." He paused, thinking. "The progress in Ame is astonishing. Pein filters money from missions to pump into infrastructure, schools, hospitals. The people revel him as a God, a saviour sent from the heavens."

Jiraiya's eyes narrowed. "Feeling sympathetic?"

"His endgame is so far unknown, and they could still prove to be a problem, but so far Pein keeps his plans to his inner circle. If the man calling himself Madara knows something, he does not slip."

Shisui tapped a finger on his clay cup. "I know believing that this man is Madara is… insane, but what makes you think he's not?"

"It's not something in particular," said Itachi, his attention fixing on Shisui for the first time. His eyes were hollow. "The way he speaks, his attitude, his stories. He sounds like a man that saw a lot in his life, but…. something is missing. He lacks the pride, the arrogance, everything history painted Uchiha Madara to be. This man is a planner, but not a general. Madara commanded troops, a warrior clan that had known only war and bloodshed for generations. This man is different. Maybe that is why he lets Pein lead."

Jiraiya nodded, deep in thought. Shisui wondered how close Itachi was to this fake Madara that he made such observations. He spoke in one breath more than the entire meeting, his eyes sparking with life.

"Konoha appreciates what you do, Itachi," said Jiraiya, his voice a near whisper. "Even if they don't know, it is you who does it. But be careful. The life of a spy is lonely,, and it is only human to get close to other people. Still, you must never let them see who you are."

The emptiness returned to Itachi's eyes. "I appreciate the concern, Jiraiya-sama, but you mustn't worry. I know who I am doing this for, I will not forget." The implication that this was not for Konoha hung between them, thick like a wool blanket, suffocating them.

Shisui had the urge to squirm in his seat, feeling more and more like dangling bait before Itachi. Him, the kids, Sasuke. He gave Jiraiya a pointed look, but the Sannin was immune to scorn. He pulled a scroll from his pouch instead and handed it to Itachi.

"My connection in Konoha said he's doing well. He made friends with Naruto, has good grades in the academy, and stopped his weekly visits to the compound. He's healthy and as happy as he can be."

A knot of tension unravelled in Itachi, his shoulders slumping. "Thank you," he whispered.

Shisui ached to pull him aside, talk to him more, tell him more. But Itachi's eyes were already guarded, his mask sliding into place. It was time to return to his partner. Shisui waited until Itachi's dark hair was just a speck in the midday sun, then placed his cup on the table.

"You mentioned nothing about what I asked you to check. Why?" asked Shisui.

"I wanted to bring it by you first. The information is… delicate."

Shisui stilled. "What happened to her?"

"My sources have confirmed that Uzumaki Yahizui is dead," said Jiraiya with a sigh. "Apparently she died in the Uchiha Compound during the massacre."

Shisui was speechless. His heart constricted, a knot forming in his throat. How could that be? Itachi had told him everything that happened that night, how he had to injure her to avoid suspicion and to further protect her from the man calling himself Madara, but the wound was not supposed to be fatal. ANBU had surely arrived at the scene shortly after and found her… found her dead. Yahizui was dead. She had saved his life, risked her safety and given them her love, and she was now dead.

"I am sorry," murmured Jiraiya.

"You did well to keep it to yourself," said Shisui when he was certain that his voice would not crack. "Such news would devastate him. It's maybe best if we keep it to ourselves."

Itachi's mental and emotional state was still precarious, and even as he hated himself for thinking of his cousin in terms of usefulness, they needed him focused. The grief of being the instrument which killed their family was heavy enough. To be the one that killed her… Shisui wasn't sure Itachi's heart could take that blow.

-Yahizui-

From the moment she saw him, Yahizui knew deep in her bones that she knew this boy, this child. His hair was sunflower-yellow, his eyes sky-blue and his smile as bright as the sun. He was walking through the Shodai forest together with other children and their academy instructor, jumping through the low bushes and teeming with energy. He was small, shorter than the rest, but filled with restlessness and a joy that radiated up to her perch up in the trees.

Who was this boy, how had she known him? Had he been a friend of hers, a neighbour… or dare she hope, a relative? There was a connection there, something deep that spoke to her, told her she knew him, cared for him. It tugged at her in the same way she felt toward Tarou… yet warmer, deeper.

She trailed him the entire afternoon, content to watch and bask in his presence. She saw him talk to his dark-haired friend, look at plants and try, then fail to pay attention to the lecture his teacher tried to impart. He looked happy, and although she could not remember him, Yahizui was glad. Maybe one day her memories will return and she will know who the boy was, and why she left him.

Until then, Yahizui hoped they would have more field trips.

-Kaito-

Time faded many things, the pain of loss included. What at first stung and burned was now but a memory, buried under the day-to-day routine. He took few missions outside the village, choosing to spend his days in the underground tunnels of the T&I where he was left alone. Peaceful times meant less work for his department, but lacking a direct enemy was not synonymous with no enemy at all, just that its nature was more insidious, closer to home.

Their current focus was on Danzo and his troops. It did not sit well with the Hokage. Kaito could understand why what he found curious was why now. Danzo had kept total control of Root — whose real numbers and doings were known to none but their leader — for years with no one to question him. Yet now the Hokage had changed his opinion.

Was it because they had peace and such a force was no longer necessary? Or something else? The proximity to the Uchiha massacre was curious, if not outright suspicious.

Still, Kaito was a soldier, and it was not his place to question the Hokage's orders.

-Yahizui-

It was during her first solo mission that she saw him again. The feeling struck her as she ran through thick branches, a tug that she could not ignore. She stretched her senses, feeling the controlled shimmer of his chakra, and didn't think twice before turning in his direction.

"Interesting to see you so far away from home. What could bring a Konoha shinobi to these parts?" Flames illuminated him, casting warm shadows over his features, his inky hair spilling behind him like living shadows.

"Can't say."

"And you have a new mask, congratulations." Yahizui almost thought she could detect a note of sarcasm in his voice.

"What of you?" She asked, moving into the fire's light. In one smooth move she removed the mask from her face and pulled down the hood which concealed her recognisable hair.

"Can't say," said Tarou.

Is it because you're a shinobi? She wanted to ask, but did not voice her doubts. It was daunting to think that the one person with whom she could speak the truth to was a spy, or a missing nin she would have to hunt down. Silence stretched between them, leaving the crackling of wood to fill the night. And yet, Yahizui felt anything but uncomfortable.

"I am remembering things, about my life," she said. The admission had been burning in the back of her throat for months now, waiting to find someone to whom she could say that she was putting back the puzzle pieces of her life and memories together.

He said nothing for a long time, did not remark on the fact that she had lost her memories at all.

"Remembering who we were is important, it defines who we are. And, who are you?"

"I'm not yet sure. I know my name, and that I have cared for the people in my life. But to be honest, I'm not sure how I came to…"

"Be yet another nameless soldier?"

She clutched the horned mask, green eyes fixed on its eerie grin. "Who knows, maybe they will find out soon and I will forget who I am." The implied again hung in the air.

A log cracked, sending sparks up into the night's air. "I'll know if you do," said Tarou, his voice filled with certainty.

"And? What could you do about it?"

"Help you remember."

A shiver ran down Yahizui's spine, quaking her with its intensity. Something had changed in her mysterious acquaintance, as a tendril of his hidden chakra escaped from its cage and rammed against her senses. It was deep, cold, and sinister. Enough to cement the idea that Tarou was no simple traveller, and that whoever he was and whomever he worked for meant trouble. And yet, why didn't that realisation make her run, or panic? None of the expected logical thoughts and feelings filled Yahizui, her mind choosing instead to latch onto something else. "Why would you care? We're strangers."

Tarou nodded, his onyx eyes flickering with unknown shadows. "And yet, I feel like I've known you my entire life. Strange…" he mused.

Strange indeed. Who was this man? He looked familiar, yet so far his face did not appear in her memories. Were they really just strangers talking over a fire?

"You're not a traveller, not really," she said, embolden by his confession. She also felt an odd connection to this stranger, enough to push the apprehension away.

"No, I am not."

"What village do you come from?"

Tarou narrowed his eyes at her and this time Yahizui tensed, aware that whoever this person was, he was stronger than her.

"I am tied to no village, so don't worry, I don't want to spy on your precious Konoha."

"Missing nin then?"

"That would imply me being part of a village at some point, being under the thumb of some Kage or another. No, I am no missing nin."

His answer gave her a strange satisfaction. "Then, show me what you can do. I know you're hiding your chakra."

Tarou's lips tilted in a sad smile that made him look ancient. "In time, but not today."