Burdened Slave

Chapter 19


Shimura Danzo glanced into the mirror at right arm and frowned. He leaned down and splashed cold water onto his face from the running faucet. He paused before standing up and braced himself on the sink. His hands clasped on its edges, so tightly he had to stop himself from breaking the sink on accident.

He closed his eyes and took a deep inhale of air. He paused for a moment, then exhaled. He stood up straight and opened his eyes only for his heart to nearly jump out of his throat. His eyes widened.

"Boo!"

The upper half of the oranged-masked man stuck out from the mirror in front of Danzo.

Danzo inhaled deeply again, then exhaled, forcing himself into a controlled calm. Not a calmness he knew from battle, but more of a deep resignation that even if he wanted to fight, he wouldn't be able to. How can you fight someone incorporeal?

The man in front of him, the very man who orchestrated the Kyuubi attack, stared back at him through the single eye hole in masked and waved. This man who had come to Danzo not long after Uchiha Fugaku became Hokage and offered him the death of the Uchiha and the Hokage seat.

Taking a few steps back, Danzo reached for a fresh bandage for his head. Before staring at the masked-man before him.

"Uchiha Obito, I presume," Danzo said and began to wrap his head.

A deathly silence followed the statement and the masked-man stepped out from Danzo's mirror.

"I guess it wasn't that hard to figure out," Uchiha Obito replied.

Finishing wrapping his head, Danzo let his arms come to his side.

"Your identity puts your offer into perspective," Danzo said. "And the Kyuubi Attack. What I do not understand is why the Hatake boy is alive."

Obito, who had not taken off his mask, tilted his head. "If you think revenge is the only thing I am looking for, then you're not as smart as you want to think yourself to be."

Danzo raised an eyebrow, but otherwise was unphased.

"You're no fun," Obito said.

"What guarantee do I have that you or your Akatsuki will not harm Konoha once I am Hokage?" Danzo asked.

Obito hummed and took a thoughtful pose before replying.

"Well, only the Uchiha will be a thorn in my side, but Konoha's existence won't affect my plans."

"And just what are your plans?" Danzo asked.

Obito raised a finger and put it on his mask where his mouth would be. "That's a secret."

Silence fell as they stared at each other.

"What if I say I like an Uchiha as Hokage? What if I say I have revised my stance on the Uchiha clan's existence?" Danzo questioned.

"Then I'd say," Obito began and exuded an air of silliness. "Wow! So you can teach an old dog new tricks."

Then the air chilled and obito continued. "Then I'd take away everything that old dog loves before killing it."

The words hung in the air for a moment.

"Very well," Danzo said. "I accept your offer."

"Good," Obito said. "I guess you never did see the Uchiha as part of the village."

"I will only need one thing from you," Danzo said.

"Name it," Obito replied.

"Tell me the location of Orochimaru."

"If I knew that, I'd make sure the Akatsuki recruited him already."

"I see," Danzo frowned.

"Well, then. Bye." Obito waved and sunk into the floor.

Danzo brought his hand up and messaged his temple.

"Oh, one more thing!" Obito chirped loudly as the upper half of his body came out of the ceiling.

"What?" Danzo bit out.

"A bit testy are we," Obito said, affecting a hurt tone. "Fine, be that way. I guess I'll keep this really juicy intel to myself."

Obito began to slowly sink into the ceiling.

Danzo took a deep breath, then exhaled. The old man turned around and reached out to put on his white shirt.

"Psst," a whisper came from above him.

Danzo looked back up at Obito.

"I heard the Raikage's sending his men to kidnap a Hyuuga."

Danzo considered the information for a moment, before turning away. "So be it."

Despite his words, Danzo's mind was a whirlwind of calculation.


The mirror slipped from Itachi's slackened hand and fell on his futon. His hand trembled and tears fell from his eyes as he deactivated his sharingan. He succeeded. He succeeded in casting the genjutsu on himself. The genjutsu his father ordered him to learn. He succeeded in taking the very experience of his team's failed mission, into a reality that does not have to stay in his mind. But to hone the skill, he only had himself to practice on and it was agony.

Closing his eyes, he got control of himself and wiped the tears away from his face. He glanced towards his window and saw it was evening. He got up and looked to see Haru in the garden. Itachi blinked as he saw cousin crouched and unmoving. His back was facing Itachi so the older boy had no idea what he was doing.

Within one blink and another, Itachi made his decision and left his house into their garden.

"What are you doing Haru?" Itachi asked curiously as he walked up to him.

"I am merely observing this flower. The last one died a few weeks ago," Haru said pointing. "I keep forgetting to find out its name."

Itachi came to crouch next to Haru and looked at the flower the younger boy was pointing at.

"I also don't know what it's called," Itachi admitted.

Itachi glanced at Haru's face and froze.

"You're eyes," Itachi gasped. "You have them too!"

Haru looked up at Itachi and tilted his head with a curious glint. Because Haru was looking directly at him now, Itachi realised something else that made him even more baffled. The younger boy's sharingan was fully matured and had three tomoe, which suggested Haru had it for a while. For a moment, Itachi felt a pang of betrayal, but it was suddenly smothered by a feeling of regret at having a negative feeling towards his cousin. That feeling of regret was further smothered by an intense grief for what he imagined Haru must have experienced.

"I hate these eyes," Itachi whispered and turned his face away from his cousin.

A long silence ensued where Haru looked down at the ground from his position and Itachi's emptily gazed into space.

"I hate what these eyes can be used for," Haru finally said. "But we have been given what we have as a test for whether we will choose to be good or choose to be evil. Everything sentient that has free will is tested."

Itachi slowly nods and accepts his cousin's words. "Yes, Haru."

Haru looked at the slowly darkening sky. He moved slightly and laid down on his back. A far away look in his eyes. Itachi moves and lays down on the grass as well.

The two waited silently for the stars to appear. For the first time since his failed mission, Itachi felt happiness pierce the darkness of his thoughts and feelings. Itachi glanced over at Haru and saw his cousin had reactivated his Sharingan. Itachi turned back to the sky and activated his Sharingan. He would record this moment, this experience, to cherish forever. One moment in the start of many, to offset the darkness his Sharingan will come to see. He resolved to record his moments with Haru, with Sasuke, with his parents, and with Shisui for times he will need it.

Haru is strange.

A content smile pulled on Itachi's lips.


She opened her clear lilac eyes that reflected the moon. She sat up and was startled when she found her surroundings different. She gasped when she realised two people with white masks were behind her, kneeling with their fists on the ground and heads bowed. Next to her was the sleeping body of the man that had come into her room while she was sleeping and took her away from her family's compound.

The sound of a cane striking the ground made her whip her head around as she let out a squeak.

There in front of her was an old man. He looked down at her and she tried to say something, but no words came out.

"Welcome. We are the foundation of Konoha. The roots that support the great tree. In time, you will serve Konoha and protect it from its enemies." The old man looked at the body of the Kumo ninja. "Enemies that would kidnap innocents such as yourself while they are sleeping."

Danzo looked back at her. "You are no longer Hyuuga. You are no longer Hinata. You have no clan. No name. From now on, your training begins."