"Tsunade, what have you done!" shouted Homura Mitokado as he burst into the Hokage's office unannounced and uninvited. Behind him walked an older woman, Koharu Utatane.
"Tsunade, that was extremely irresponsible of you and we demand an immediate retraction!" added Koharu.
Tsunade, who was in her office with Shizune and Tonton, simply looked up at the obviously flustered and stressed elders. She didn't say a word at first, which made the two intruders a tad bit nervous. After all, intimidation and making demands had always worked for them in the past, even with this Hokage.
"Why should I retract the truth?" Tsunade asked only that one simple question.
"Well, it isn't the truth!" replied Koharu. "That isn't the way it happened at all!"
"Says who? You?" asked Tsunade.
"You are talking about an incident that happened over a decade ago, Princess Tsunade. I can barely remember what happened that day. You weren't even there. Besides the Uchiha, there were only four of us there and of that four, two are dead. You are looking at the only two people who could possibly know…," said Homura. Tsunade sensed his desperation.
"Because!" Tsunade shouted, interrupting the elder. She stood up and banged her fist on the desk as she spoke. She then calmed down to finish her sentence, trying to keep her composure. "Because, Itachi didn't die that day," she answered, trying not to tell them about the Hokage's secret records. She would tell them if she had to, but the less people who knew, the better.
"What do you mean?" asked Koharu.
"It has come to my attention through other means, namely several active and highly decorated shinobi of the Leaf, that Itachi himself admitted to following orders that day," answered Tsunade.
"Who?" asked Koharu. "Who dares make that accusation?"
Homura laughed to himself. "And you'd let hearsay from a criminal who killed his entire clan sway your opinion?"
"I am not at liberty to tell you my exact methods of knowing," said Tsunade.
"I highly suggest that you retract your declaration, Princess Tsunade. It will only bring you great misfortune if you do not," said Homura.
"How dare you threaten me!" said Tsunade. "I am the Fifth Hokage of the Leaf! You two archaic pieces of waste should know that I do not make these types of announcements lightly! Would you really like to know my primary source of intel? Well, I'll tell you…," said Tsunade. She had lost all semblance of control. These two had really made her angry and her mouth was almost moving on its own. "It was Hiruzen Sarutobi!"
Koharu gasped.
"Yes, the Third Hokage himself!" she threw at them. "You two think you are so critical to this village when all you do is get in the way! You support secret infiltrations and make deals for this country without it's leadership's knowledge! I know you love this village...and you think you are doing what's best, but enough is enough!"
"How…? How could he have told you? You didn't even talk to him during the last years of his life," asked Homura.
"Stupid," she said to herself. "Do you honestly think that records are not kept? There are some secrets in Konoha that only the Hokage has access to!"
"Dear God," said Koharu, falling to her knees.
Realization and horror came over Homura's face. There was no way to get out of it. For this one time in his life, he was cornered with no means of escape.
Koharu looked up at her furious leader. "What do you intend to do with us? We only had the best interests of the village at heart."
"I realize that, but you cannot subvert the proper hierarchy whenever you choose," answered Tsunade. "There is no punishment, because technically, no crime was committed."
"But - ," started Homura. "The declaration…"
"Yes, I did release the truth and it is up the citizens of Konoha how they wish to view what has happened. You needn't fear any personal vendettas either…I have personally seen to that," said Tsunade, obviously referring to the last surviving Uchiha.
Koharu rose from her knees. Her shoulders were sunk in defeat and she turned to leave the office. "Come, Homura," she beckoned.
"But…," he answered her.
"No, there is nothing we can do," she replied. "We must discuss our next steps…alone."
Homura gave one last scowl to the Hokage before turning and leaving her office behind his lifelong friend and teammate. Shizune walked to the door and gently closed it behind them.
Tsunade flopped back into her chair and exhaled loudly. The expected confrontation was finally over.
OlOlOlOlOlO
Kakashi was on his way to report to the Hokage when he spied the two elders of the village exiting her tower. They looked flustered and were quite animated – Homura seemed to be screaming at Koharu, though Kakashi was still far enough away that he could not hear the content of the conversation.
So they met with Lady Tsunade? I can only imagine what happened in that office of hers, he thought to himself.
"Hey, you are Homura Mitokado!" noted an older man passing by the two elders.
"You must be Koharu Utatane!" said a woman who was with him, presumably his wife. "How could you two be so low as to order a boy to kill his entire family?!"
"Disgraceful!" shouted the man.
Another man and his family walked up to see what the sudden uproar was.
"These two are Homura and Koharu, the elders of the village," said the older man explaining what was going on.
"Two of the elders?" said the man. Then he started in on them as well.
Kakashi kept his distance as he saw the elders start to cower and hurry though the small crowd of shouting people. After elders had hurried away from Hokage tower, he continued towards his original destination.
He passed Shizune in the hallway right outside Tsunade's office.
"Kakashi-sensei," said Shizune. "She's just been through a lot. So take it easy on her for now. She's expecting you, so go on in."
"Thanks," he replied. Then he opened the door.
Tsunade looked up from her desk.
"Rough afternoon?" asked Kakashi.
"You have no idea," she answered.
"I think I might," said Kakashi. "There were villagers outside yelling at Koharu and Homura."
"That was fast," she noted. "It didn't take them long to figure out who was partially at fault."
"They may be only partially at fault, but they are the only two left alive…," noted Kakashi.
"I don't envy them one bit," added Tsunade.
"Are you ready to go?" asked Kakashi.
"Yes. I guess it is getting rather late, isn't it?" she asked.
"Dusk is what you said. But I'm sure they won't start without you," said Kakashi.
"I'm the first speaker," noted Tsunade.
"Exactly," answered Kakashi, obviously teasing the Hokage.
Tsunade rolled her eyes and they left for the cemetery.
OlOlOlOlOlO
Tsunade walked quietly next to Kakashi. As she approached the cemetery, she noted the complete lack of sound. Her immediate assumption was that the announcement had not been received as she had expected. I'm sorry Itachi...for the order, for you being ousted from the Leaf, for you joining the Akatsuki...even now, your funeral seems to be poorly attended.
The large cemetery was in a low-lying area, with small hills of grass surrounding it on all sides. As Tsunade crested the grassy hill and got closer to Itachi's final resting place, she was taken aback by the sheer number of people that stood there in perfect silence waiting for her arrival. She had been wrong. The silence was not indicative of the number of people attending after all.
Her eyes met with many others as she was escorted by Kakashi to the speaking platform next to the casket that contained one of the last Uchiha in the world. She stood there quietly for a few seconds, taking in the site of all the people who had chosen to attend. It literally looked like most of the shinobi corps was present as well as quite a few villagers. Usually, it took the death of a Hokage to garner this much attention.
"Shinobi and villagers of Konoha. I am not here to tell you the story of a man who was a victim. 'Victim' implies too many negative connotations - one who fell for a hoax...one who is ignorant...or one who was cheated. I admit that Itachi Uchiha did not have the most pleasant life. But there is something that is more important here to discuss. There is something that Itachi Uchiha had that everyone needs to understand and learn from. It is called the Will of Fire.
Itachi Uchiha knew what it meant when he agreed to be called a shinobi. He could have been killed on his first mission, or he could have lived to reach a ripe old age. He may have spent most of his time as a spy, or a guard...he could have been home or traveling most of his life. There was no way to know, but he agreed to the terms laid out before him before taking his oath. For him, the greatest thing in the world was this village, its people and his duty to them.
With the Will of Fire, a shinobi believes that anything is possible. Hi strength of character is unmatched...and he does not give up easily. This is what defined Itachi Uchiha. Even against some of the worst odds any shinobi has ever been given - an entire village that had turned his back on him for following orders that nobody knew even existed - he still did what he could to protect both this village and his younger brother. It was a thankless and dangerous existence that lasted for years.
Now, all I have left to say to Itachi Uchiha is "thank you". We are indebted to you and we promise that we will take your lead and continue to protect Konoha to the best of our ability."
Tsunade stepped down from the speaking platform as soon as her speech was over. At first, nothing happened. Everyone stayed quiet and no one took the platform after the Hokage. Then, movement could be seen from among the guests. A large man stepped forward and took the stage.
His speech was not as formal as the Hokage's. He told of how he was a classmate of Itachi and how he respected him and his abilities back in their academy days. He then went on to apologize to Itachi for even thinking he could be a traitor to the village he obviously loved so much.
After the large man, a smaller woman decided to speak. She was in ANBU with Itachi and they had been assigned a few missions together.
This went on for a couple of hours - people who grew up with Itachi, knew him from the academy, or served as a shinobi with him all spoke to the crowd. Most had fond memories of him and either apologized or said thank you.
Finally, the speaking platform stayed empty for over a minute waiting for the next volunteer to make him or herself known. It seemed that just about everyone who was going to speak had already done so. Then, from off to one side, people started moving. Sasuke emerged from the crowd and took the platform. He hadn't been crying, but his expression showed something that wasn't often seen...appreciation. It was as if his burden was now being shared with the entire village and suddenly, it wasn't quite so heavy. He was no longer the sole believer in his brother.
"For those of you who don't know who I am, my name is Sasuke Uchiha. I am Itachi Uchiha's brother. Believe me, for all of you who apologized for thinking that he had betrayed us, you are not alone. His supposed betrayal and murder of our clan made me act foolishly and I even turned my back on this village once just so I could be stronger with the sole purpose of killing him. I did many stupid things and made many stupid decisions, all stemming from my belief that Itachi had betrayed me and the Uchiha clan.
I have learned many things about myself, my brother, our family, and this village since that day so long ago. I want to tell you that, as a result of being reunited with Itachi, I have now inherited his Will of Fire, something I never possessed in the past. He was a good - no, he was a great man whose life was cut short. He did not have the experiences that many of you will get to have - love, children, happiness, and contentment. He has taught me that I need to cherish my life and my village and I intend to with the utmost of my ability. I hope you all not only consider him a great shinobi, but also learn a little from his life just as I did. Always be thankful for what you are and what you have. Long live Konoha."
Sasuke stopped speaking and looked out over the crowd. He took a mental picture of all the people who were thinking about his brother, all at the same time. It made him feel...happy, like he could finally move on. He would always love his brother, but it was time to live his life now.
He stepped off the speaking platform and was met by a hug from Sakura. Kakashi quickly took the stage. "Thank you all for coming today. Sasuke Uchiha is greatful to you all for your kind thoughts and words."
Upon hearing that, the crowd started to disperse.