Chapter 1
Downfall
Hiruzen stared at the operative kneeling in front of him. Beside him, his old teammates and his long term rival spoke in grave voices.
"Traitors of the Leaf."
"That fool Fugaku."
The Third Hokage blocked out the voices around him, taking in the… boy in front of him. Not the operative, dressed in ANBU standard apparel, but the young boy who was acting as double agent. The boy wouldn't look up. Couldn't look up to meet their eyes. Hiruzen could hardly blame him, the thirteen year old was far too young for the situation. Then again, he was far too young to be in ANBU, but that hadn't stopped any of them before. He could only imagine the boy's pain, and expectation. After all, traitors only deserved one thing.
"Measures must be taken." Danzō's voice was colored with some sort of emotion. Was it hatred, or joy at a possibility presented by the situation? It was of little surprise, anyone who had spent some time with the aging shinobi would know that he possessed a little too much of Tobirama's feelings towards the Uchiha.
Hiruzen remained silent, closing his eyes and letting the elders speak, allowing them to air themselves out completely. He remained calm externally, but inside his mind raced with emotions.
Bitterness. Betrayal. Anger. Fear.
But most of all, the old Shinobi felt understanding. Hiruzen recalled a conversation he had years ago with Uchiha Kagami, who had spoken of how Madara had tainted the Uchiha name. The Uchiha compound was on the edge of the village, originally intended to be expanded around, and to become a centerpiece for the village. It made sense, allowing the Uchiha Police Force to be in easy reach of most civilians. Once Madara had left, those plans had been scrapped. Uchiha rarely made it above Chuunin, despite their battle capabilities. They were regularly denied access to ANBU by recruiters, who believed them untrustworthy. The honor they had carried before had been warped into arrogance and self-centered pride for the clan, instead of for the village. Hiruzen had watched them change for years, their Sharingan eyes turning jaded against their home.
"Hiruzen, please! We must take action." Hiruzen opened his eyes to stare at his old friend Danzō.
"What would you have done Danzō?" He asked, keeping his voice neutral. His eyes slid to the boy still kneeling in front of them. Were those wet marks on the floor beneath Itachi?
"Execute the Uchiha, they have proven that Madara's traitorous blood flows through each and every one of them." Danzo spat. Hiruzen's eyes snapped to the man, surprised how forthcoming he was about his venom towards the clan, especially in front of a said Uchiha. He turned his gaze back towards Itachi just as quickly, watching the boy's muscles tense, his jaw becoming more pronounced as he clenched his teeth. The Hokage allowed silence to follow Danzō's proclamation. It was important that everyone, Danzō included, truly take in the full scope of what he was saying. Neither Koharu or Homura spoke up, seeming to be in agreement with Danzō.
"How disappointing my old friends. Well, I suppose it's time to be the voice of reason here."
"Itachi-kun, please look up." Hiruzen finally spoke, his voice gentle, grandfatherly towards the young boy. It took half a minute, but finally Itachi gathered himself enough to make eye contact with the wizened Shinobi in front of him. Hiruzen held that eye contact, before standing, slowly walking around the table that separated him from the young Uchiha. Up close, Itachi looked much more like the teenager he really was. He was trembling, the tear ducts under his eyes deeper than any adults had any right to be, let alone a child's. In his eyes, Hiruzen could see the terror gripping the boy's heart. After a few seconds, the Third Hokage, the God of Shinobi himself bowed to the boy.
Behind the wizened shinobi there were gasps as the elder's scrambled to their feet. A strangled sound of anger that sounded almost like Tsume Inuzuka choking on a piece of gristle sounded from Danzō's direction. Behind the Third Hokage, Koharu and Homura bowed deeply, making sure to be beneath Hiruzen.
"Thank you, Uchiha Itachi, for your service to this village." Hiruzen held his position, waiting for Danzō to follow suit. A flex of his chakra, directed pointedly at the old crony finally got the man to bend. After a few seconds, Hiruzen looked up to see the stunned face of Itachi.
"Tell me Itachi. Is what Danzō said true? Does every single Uchiha wish to betray the Leaf?" Itachi's gaze turned from shocked to calculating. Hiruzen almost laughed, the boy looked so much like his mother at that moment.
"No Hokage-Sama." The trembling had left Itachi's features. It was almost as if a crushing weight had been lifted from the boy's slight frame. The Hokage's offer of potential control over the situation allowed Itachi to speak with utmost confidence. And Hiruzen had complete confidence in him. "I believe that the Uchiha elders are pushing their agenda on to the rest of the clan. They hold too much power, and the old clan agreements that Madara signed with the First Hokage prevent anyone from within the clan from disobeying. My father, while he believes that the Uchiha are slighted and denied their true place in the village, does not wish to betray this place. It is our home Hokage-sama."
Hiruzen recalled said clan agreements that had originally been put into place when the village was first founded. A way of keeping tradition. But tradition slowed down Shinobi. Tradition is what prevents progression, or movement. Tradition is what would kill the Leaf if they weren't careful.
The Third Hokage went silent again. There was no way he was going to cripple the leaf, removing one of its greatest military assets due to some old cronies (Was he speaking of his old teammates, Danzō, or the Uchiha elders? Who knew?) pushing their selfish agendas on the new generation.
"We will come to a solution, Itachi-kun. Please give us some time to think. You are dismissed." Itachi froze again, panic setting in once more. Hiruzen gently put his hand on his Shinobi's shoulder, and Itachi looked him in the eye once more. "I will not allow you, or your family to harm Itachi-kun. I promise. You have proved your loyalty to this village. In fact, why don't you invite your family to dinner with this old man tonight?" Hiruzen smiled reassuringly and Itachi relaxed once more, before nodding and vanishing in a Shunshin.
Hiruzen kept his back to his old team mates…. His no longer reliable team mates. And his now obviously racist and conniving old friend. They began to clamor their disapproval, and Hiruzen once again kept quiet as they bickered and yelled at his back, the volume rising in the room. He understood their panic, the coup was a terrifying threat that could cripple the leaf as a whole. But what a tool it had been to show Sarutobi the true colors of his supporters. He thought of his predecessors, how they had fought for the unity in the village. He thought of Hashirama's love for the people, and his desire to protect. He thought of the fairness Hashirama had shown, giving the tailed beasts to the other nations so they could protect themselves. He also thought of the scroll inside the Hokage's Chambers, written by Tobirama, labelled "The Love of the Uchiha."
They were not something he could stand to lose. The Uchiha were far too valuable, and yet his staunchest allies were pushing for them to be exterminated. Kagami's words rang in his head again, oh the unfairness of it all.
Chakra exploded from the Third Hokage. Homura and Koharu dropped to their knees, overwhelmed by the killing intent exuded from The God of Shinobi. Danzō was frozen standing, barely remaining upright by using the table for leverage. The stink of urine permeated the room as someone wet themselves. The Third Hokage turned, expression wrathful, as Anbu agents swarmed the premises. They pointed their swords towards the elders, even as their knees quaked beneath the chakra exuding from their leader.
"I should have you all killed for attempting to betray the Leaf." The Third Hokage's voice was calm, as he took his pipe from his pocket and began packing the tobacco. He ignored the choking gasps of his old teammates as he continued to pour on the pressure. They weren't used to this, both of them out of shape from years of retirement, while he had trained with his ANBU every other day. He lit his pipe, and as he took a long pull from it, he allowed the pressure to fall. Danzō stood up straight, wiping his brow and looking grimly towards his Hokage, while Homura and Koharu struggled to their feet, shaking in fear.
"I won't." A measure of relief showed on their faces, but he was quick to crush it. "You will all announce your retirement tomorrow. It is time you left the Shinobi forces, and became civilians." He raised his hand to stop their protests, leaking a small amount of killing intent just to watch them freeze up again.
"Danzō, you suggested that we execute over 200 of our trained combat specialists. You know that almost all Uchiha shinobi work in the field. The few that don't are some of our best T&I specialists, or work inside the Cryptanalysis team. And please, PLEASE, keep in mind that I haven't even mentioned the Sharingan." He took a long whiff of his pipe as Danzō looked ashamedly at the ground. Say what you will about the man, he still wanted the best for Konoha.
"And you two didn't even have anything to say to stop him. You were in full agreement." Hiruzen locked eyes with Koharu, then Homura. They were almost unrecognizable from their youth. He remembered when there was fire in their eyes, and the desire to protect. Hadn't they all been taught to protect?
"What use do I have for my advisors if they can't even think for themselves? We serve the Leaf, and the Uchiha are part of the Leaf. If we can't save one of our most important clans, what is the future of our village? You are all dismissed." Koharu and Homura staggered out of the room, Danzō turning to follow. Hiruzen dismissed his Anbu as well, before leaving to stroll home. He had a lot to think about, and an important dinner to attend. He would make sure the Leaf stood proud.