Chapter Twenty Three: Shades of Greed

Everyday, they felt like they were living in a ticking time bomb. Like the peace could shatter at any moment.

"Concessions" were made, in the sense that the Third was forced to call off the Anbu watching the police force, lie to the public that they found the killer, pawn off the blame to Orochimaru - which wasn't that far fetched to believe-, and restore the Uchiha's authority as Konoha's police force.

None of Team Ro particularly liked the solution. Danzo and the Elders hated it especially, but it managed to placate the Uchiha clan.

Only marginally, according to both Itachi and Shisui.

At the moment, it felt like all of them were still living under borrowed time. Itachi and Shisui had officially submitted a request for indefinite leave from the Anbu and were placed back into the regular jonin ranks, under the continual pressure of their clan. The implication of that move wasn't missed by Kakashi and Rin; it kept them in the village more often as jonin missions were nowhere as frequent as Anbu missions.

On the other hand, it allowed Itachi and Shisui the opportunity to get closer to the clan. As two of the strongest shinobis in the Uchiha clan, it was impossible that they would be left out of the clan's plans. The question was whether or not they would follow through with it.

Even Izumi wasn't sure what was going on through the Uchiha cousins' heads. If anything, they would have informed her of their plan, but as Izumi tried to approach them on the matter, she was blindsided again and again.

When Shisui declared that he was going to train Rin and Kakashi how to fight against the Sharingan, both of them knew something was seriously wrong. Just after spilling all of the ways to counter the Sharingan, Itachi pulled Shisui away for an "urgent clan matter." The two of them spent the rest of the training session sparring, with Rin practicing looking at Kakashi's feet and using her sensory skills to prevent his movements.

The copious amount of time that Sasuke spent at Rin's apartment was exceeding the amount of time he actually spent at home. Rin suspected that he didn't want his brother to be aware of what was going on, despite being a kid, he was surprisingly analytical. Sasuke didn't think the same way and often whined to go home and see his brother. Spending time with Naruto only served to distract Sasuke for a couple of hours before he would whine to see his brother again.

Rin wasn't sure how long she could make up excuses to why she couldn't let him go home.

"It's getting worse," Shisui told the four member council, consisting of the Hokage, two Elders, and Danzo. "I believe that they will make their move soon."

Hiruzen looked alarmed at the news. "Is there anything that we can do to stop it?"

Shisui shook his head sadly. "The seeds of resentment and hatred had been sown since the era of Madara Uchiha. It won't be easy to stop the coup altogether." At this, Shisui pressed two fingers against his closed left eye. "I believe I can stall for time, but I am not sure for how long."

"You intend to use your dojutsu against your own clansmen?" Danzo questioned.

"Yes."

Hiruzen wasn't as accepting of the solution as the other three had been. "Are you sure, Shisui? Is there no other way to work out another peace negotiation or even-"

"With all due respect, Hokage sama," Shisui interjected. "We are beyond negotiations. I may be of the Uchiha clan, but I am also a Konoha shinobi. I will do what I must in order to preserve the peace."

With that resolve in mind, Shisui took his leave from the council room. A heavy burden weighed on his heart, as he recalled Itachi's words. Even without the support of their clan head, it was likely that the coup will still be carried out. Very few would yield at Fugaku's request...but a smaller force against Konoha would mean the Uchiha's demise.

Yet Shisui couldn't imagine his clan being at war with Konoha. He couldn't imagine having to be on the battlefield, fighting against Kakashi and Rin. He couldn't imagine being put in the situation to kill or be killed by those who he had grown up with.

He didn't want to imagine it.

He didn't want to see it turn into reality.

So he was going to try to do everything to stop it.

His trek home was interrupted when he felt multiple foreign chakra signatures close in around him. With his tanto already unsheathed, Shisui whirled around to face many masked Anbu. The Anbu parted down the middle for their leader, Danzo.

Danzo tapped his cane against the ground twice. "Do you really think you will achieve peace that way?"

"Better than nothing at all," Shisui responded evenly, wary of the man's intentions.

"I think you know better than I do that the Uchiha won't stop unless they are dead."

Was Danzo implying…?

"My method is less violent."

"But your method will fail, just like any other peaceful form of negotiation. The end will be inevitable, either the Uchiha falls or Konoha falls. I believe that deep down in your heart, you care for Konoha more than your own clan."

"That is none of your concern, Danzo sama."

Shisui spun on the heels of his feet, turning to leave once more when he felt a spike of chakra in the air. Danzo flashed in front of him, his hand reaching out towards Shisui's face. As his Sharingan spun to life, Shisui intercepted Danzo's hand by the wrist, casting a genjutsu on the man. The man's body went limp as he was captured in the genjutsu.

"I'm afraid I cannot do as you-"

Shisui froze as he saw Danzo fade from his vision. Danzo's chakra now appeared behind him and Shisui could barely crane his head back when he saw two fingers heading straight towards his left eye…

Danzo's hand was forcibly jerked away from his eye. Shisui's Sharingan allowed him to register the two senbon that embedded itself into Danzo's hand. Performing the hand seals for his go to jutsu, Shisui launched an enormous fireball in the direction of the Root Anbu, who had rushed to their leader's aid. As a row of Anbu performed water jutsu to counter his massive fireball, Shisui used shunshin to flicker out of the area.

He found himself at Training Ground 6. This time, a familiar chakra signature was one to join him.

"Thank you," Shisui said, knowing that he would be down one eye if it hadn't been for her interference. Rin took off her cat mask, clipping it to her waist.

"Kakashi and I have felt that Danzo has been up to no good lately. We even suspect it was one of his underlings who killed Hyuga to cast suspicions on the Uchiha. It was a good thing I decided to tail him, ne?"

"I see."

"We need to kill him," Rin stated, reaching into her weapons pouch to pull out her trusty senbons. Poison dripped down from the tips. "I feel Danzo's chakra signature heading our way, along with six others. I managed to poison him, but I'm not sure how he is still moving…"

They stood back to back in the clearing as the Anbu caught up with the two of them. Shisui was the first to move, leaving a trail of his afterimages as he viciously cut through the throat of the first Anbu before flickering out of sight. A fireball appeared from her left side. Sending a wall of ice up to keep it at bay, Rin ran towards the Anbu who had ducked to take cover, catching him right as he was getting back onto his feet.

A senbon to his jugular kept him down for good.

The one with the white cloak was onto her in the next moment, raining a water jutsu down at her. Rin easily countered with one of her own, the two jutsus clashing against each other, splashing water all over the ground.

Channelling chakra to the soles of her feet, she kept herself from sliding as she landed. A wall of ice covered her back as two Anbu tried to sneak up to her. The Anbu captain saw through her trick, flashing to meet her head on. He engaged in hand to hand combat with her, keeping her from moving her hands to perform jutsus.

Well it was no matter to her as Rin formed chakra scalpels in both of her hands. A slight mistake and she sliced through the cloak of the captain, sending it fluttering to the ground. Ducking to avoid the punch from the Anbu from behind, Rin took advantage of his momentum and sliced through the tendons in his thighs. The Anbu emitted a strangled cry as he landed into the puddle.

Fighting two opponents in hand to hand combat kept Rin busy. Too busy to help Shisui, who was engaging Danzo at the moment, who happened to evade his every attack. When Rin felt ten more chakra signatures in the clearing, she knew that they were borderline screwed.

Only borderline because she knew what was coming.

Her foot swung out in an arc, making both Anbu members jump into the air. For a good measure, Rin kept them occupied by throwing two kunais at them, which they easily deflected. A mere second before their feet were due to touch the puddle on the ground, a flash of white appeared, electrifying the water just as they landed.

Two cuts to the throat later, both bodies crumpled to the ground.

"You're late," Rin told Kakashi. Kakashi merely shrugged as they rushed to rejoin Shisui. The three of them stood back to back as the new Anbu force poured into the clearing.

"His arm," Shisui said through his pants. "Izanagi. It makes reality turn into an illusion. That was how he evaded my genjutsu and negated your poison earlier."

The new Anbu force surrounded them from all sides. Danzo stood among them, the bandages already off his arm and revealing his collection of stolen Sharingans. Bile rose in Rin's throat upon seeing all of those eyes, thinking of all of the Uchihas he must have killed to obtain those Sharingans.

Four of the eyes were now closed.

"So what's the plan, taichou?"

It was Shisui who answered. "I'm going to use that…it'll take out the entire Anbu force. Cover for me Rin."

Nodding, Rin immediately activated her strength of hundred sealings. Slapping her hands onto Shisui's back, the black marks made their way onto his body right as Shisui activated his Mangekyo Sharingan. A full armored version of the green mass of chakra appeared in front of their eyes. One of its hands grabbed Kakashi, keeping him out of the way as the other swung its large spear in the clearing, knocking over the Anbu that had been slow to react.

Retreating back into the trees, green beams of chakra began to shoot out from the chest, taking down the remaining Anbu and Danzo. But of course, Danzo used Izanagi, to escape death. Another eye closed as Shisui released his Susanoo. All three of them landed on the branch in front of Danzo.

"To have found a way around the blindness from using the Mangekyo…" Danzo sounded like he was actually impressed. And hearing those words from such a renown shinobi would have done wonders to her ego, if she ignored the convenient fact that he was trying to kill them.

Tendrils of ice rose from the ground, attempting to restrain Danzo's limbs. For an old man, he moved quickly, jumping out of their reach and launching a fire jutsu followed by a wind jutsu. The ice retreated back to the ground.

Shisui flashed behind Danzo, who was still in mid air. Danzo attempted to use another Sharingan to escape his death, but Shisui's tanto sliced cleanly through his Sharingan filled arm. The arm flew through the air, landing many meters away from the two of them. Clutching his bleeding stump, Danzo stumbled back from the Uchiha.

Only for Kakashi to ram a chidori straight through his chest from behind.

Danzo made a gurgling noise, hacking out blood. Kakashi pulled his arm out of Danzo's chest, letting the man's body hit the ground with a loud thump.

Despite the fact that their leader was dead, the remaining forces of Root surrounded the three shinobis. There were a lot, over a hundred Anbu class shinobis against the three of them. Four of them now, as Itachi jumped into the fray, bulldozing straight through at least ten Anbu to reach them.

The four of them stood back to back, three of them with their swords drawn, while the fourth had her flute.

"Eh, the odds could be worse," Kakashi commented offhandedly.

And that was their cue to attack. Shisui, Itachi, and Kakashi worked to execute what they dubbed as their "combo five," while Rin went off on her own, sending a large wave of water crashing into the Anbu. Immediately upon executing the technique, she changed her chakra mix, making the water turn into ice, keeping the Anbu who had been too slow to escape rooted to their place. From there it was easy pickings.

Combo five consisted of both Uchiha cousins launching their strongest fire jutsus, augmented by Kakashi's wind jutsu. From there, Kakashi would disappear underground, tunneling through and pulling as many enemies down into the earth, save for their heads.

The four of them regrouped, standing back to back while the Anbu attempted to perform water jutsu to put out the massive fire. Evaporation mist exploded into the entire area. Shisui proceeded to douse the entire area in genjutsu.

Activating his Sharingan, Itachi tore through the mist, downing the Anbu who hadn't fallen for the genjutsu. From her position, Rin pinpointed the standing Anbu with her sensory skills, downing them one by one with a poisoned senbon. Kakashi followed Itachi's lead, only the sound of lightning crackling on his sword was any indication that he was coming. Yet he moved too fast, downing the Anbu before they even had a chance to react.

When the mist cleared, dozens of bodies laid scattered across the clearing. Some were still breathing while others laid frozen stiff.

And that was how the Third Hokage found Team Ro, with a team of non Root Anbu members behind him.

"What is the meaning of this?" the Third demanded, his eyes sweeping the clearing. When he spotted Danzo's prone body hanging from a branch, Hiruzen's eyes narrowed.

"With all due respect Hokage sama," Rin interjected before the Third could accuse them of treason. "Danzo attacked us first. All of the Anbu are loyal to him, part of his Foundation. And if that's not enough for you, you can look at his arm. Full of stolen Sharingans."

Said arm was lying in the forest ground. One of the Anbu retrieved it for Hiruzen's viewing. Hiruzen nodded grimly, gesturing for the Anbu to take the arm away.

"And why did Danzo attack you?"

"He wanted to steal my eye," Shisui answered. "He believes what I plan to do will not maintain peace."

"Clear the bodies away. All those who are still alive are to be thrown into the holding cells," Hiruzen ordered his Anbu force. "As for the four of you, you will be suspended from active duty until further notice."

Like Kakashi said...it could have been worse.

A/N: Hi :)

So you've finished reading and you're probably wondering "what the hell was that?" Yes, I know, this chapter is probably the worst one in the entire story (in my opinion of course). The vision in my head when translated onto paper didn't do this scene any justice and I'm sorry that you got stuck with this. Hence, why I am posting in the middle of the week so you can actually have a decent chapter on Friday lol.

I actually debated just cutting out the chapter entirely, but it was an important transition to the next chapter. And plus important things happened, like Shisui is alive and Danzo is dead. Even if you don't like Sasuke as a character, can we all agree killing Danzo was the best thing that he ever did?

So in case there is any confusion: at this point, Danzo only has Sharingans on his arm. His eye socket is empty (because he planned to implant Shisui's eye). And honestly, wished that Shisui had a better death than he did in canon. I can get how Shisui was caught off guard by the Izanagi, but when I went to write the actual fight against Danzo, I can't imagine Shisui having a hard time against him. Especially with his speed and superior genjutsu, it would have been super easy to kill Danzo. Hence the short and sort of trashy fight scene. I WILL edit this...eventually and make it better.

Anyways, main points to get from this chapter: Danzo is dead, Root is basically abolished (the rest of it will be cleaned up by the Third), Shisui is alive.

Oh! A couple of people predicted that Danzo was the one behind the murder of the Hyuga - I guess it was never actually confirmed in the story, but in my mind, it was one of the Root operatives who did it under Danzo's directives.

Next chapter is called Dawn of the Dark Night. Will be coming to you shortly...in about 2 days :)

Thanks for reading and powering through this chapter haha. Until next time!

-MM