Chapter 8: The Murders

Warning: This chapter will have some gore in it. It is entitled The Murders after all. The violence will be clearly marked and easily skippable. There shouldn't be any real plot in there, maybe some ruminations but overall it won't be anything of great import.

Mumei awoke to a child already in his ninja gear jumping excitedly on his bed.

"Nii-chan~," Naruto whined.

"Hn~ what, Naru?" he muttered half-asleep.

"Kakashi-sensei says he'll train me today! Can I? Please?" the boy begged.

The man in question stood by the doorway looking quite bemused at the whole situation. When he told the boy that he would train him to give his uncle the day off, he wasn't expecting the child to take off and immediately wake his sleeping uncle up.

"Sure, go have fun," Mumei finally answered.

Naruto took off, grabbed Kakashi by the hand and dragged him downstairs and out to the training field. He was quite excited to do something besides coping kanji and reading. Sure, they did other things like target practice, but he wanted to do something cool! Maybe even learn a jutsu! Naruto talked animatedly to his sensei, begging him for new techniques. Kakashi simply eye-smiled and replied that he would one day know plenty of jutsu but today was not that day.

Mumei rolled out of bed and changed out of his awesome onesie. Today he would do a little bit of recon and strike at night. That was the plan, anyways. He was lucky that Kakashi had offered to take Naruto off his hands for the day. He had planned on leaving a clone in his place, but Naruto could always tell and hated when he did that.

Now in his typical jounin attire, the time traveler set off for Danzou's home. It was early enough in the morning that the geezer should still be in bed.

With a shunshin, Mumei appeared just a short ways away from Danzou. The man counted the Root operatives that were guarding the house. There were three on the roof, five in the house itself and five around the perimeter. Pretty well guarded, but nothing that Mumei couldn't deal with. He was the master of subterfuge, after all, capable of avoiding ANBU while defacing the Hokage monument, dressed in bright orange.

Mumei spent his day taking note of Danzou's actions. The man did not do very much. Root came and went from his home, presumably accepting missions and going off to take care of them. It was somewhat boring and he flipped through a book while keeping his an eye on the traitor in his peripheral vision.

He noted eleven bathroom breaks. The old man should probably visit a doctor about that. Well, maybe not. A weak bladder wouldn't be a problem for him after tonight.

Getting slightly bored, Mumei considered testing their response times by flipping a kunai their way but thought better of it. An attack, no matter how weak, would increase security around the house that night. He could probably handle it, but the less deaths the better, in his opinion. Many members of Root were orphans who had nobody. They did not deserve to die in vain.

Quietly, dusk settled over Konoha. The sleepy yellow sun gave a final yawn and dipped beneath the horizon. Long spindly shadows were cast over every surface. Mumei yawned. It was nearly time.

The world got darker and darker, shadows consumed the village. Street lights hummed quietly, their pale glow the only source of light. Not even the moon was out tonight, as if it didn't want to see the horrors that were to come. No stars twinkled, clouds consumed the sky.

~~~~~~~GORE/VIOLENCE~~~~~~~

Mumei made his move. Channeling chakra to his feet, he bounded silently towards the house and appeared on the roof like a flash of lightning. He shadowed one Root, took a kunai from his sleeve and slid it across the ANBU's neck. The slice went clean through the skin and muscle and pierced the carotid arteries on either side of his throat. A warm arterial spray burst outwards from the wound in two directions. Deep red misted the air. Mumei was thankful that the masks that ANBU wore dulled their sense of smell. Fresh copper scent was on the wind.

With bloody hands, Mumei caught the guard's body gently and dragged it towards the center of the roof. Blood continued to spurt from the dual wounds, quickly pushing out liter after liter of blood. He wiped his bloody kunai on the bandages on his right leg and deposited the weapon back in a pouch. He swiftly moved behind another Root. With the scent of blood on his person, the ANBU turned in confusion once the aroma got near enough. Mumei already stood a foot away and he reached out, placing one hand on the back of the ninja's head, the other on his jaw and ripped his head to the right. The vertebrae cracked sharply in response. The force of the twist was too much and the shinobi collapsed, dead as a doornail.

This time, Mumei did not catch the fresh corpse. Instead, he vanished yet again, appearing behind a smoke stack near the last roof guard. The body made a solid thump as it slumped to the ground. The remaining Root stepped forward to investigate, eyes squinting in the darkness. Out from behind the smoke stack, Mumei stepped. This Root was shorter than the others. Young, fresh to this command. He would be spared and sealed.

Mumei slipped his left arm around the ninja's throat, cradling his delicate neck in the corner of his elbow. The cold bite of metal on his throat is what the Root noticed first. His mouth opened to shout, but he was too slow. His gloved right hand slid underneath the Root's mask and covered his mouth so no scream of warning could escape.

The Root nin lost his sense of color vision at 4 seconds, black and white at 6, frontal cortex was out at 8 and at 9 seconds, sweet unconsciousness. The nin struggled the whole time, kicking, elbowing, stomping, but Mumei was like a rock, he showed no sense of pain or impairment as the man fell unconscious.

Mumei bound the Root shinobi with ninja wire, behind his back, palms facing outwards to prevent any hand seals should he regain consciousness while his cohorts were being taken care of. The legs were next. He did not bind only the ankles, but knees and thighs as well, each separately to prevent escape. Next, he removed all weapons from the shinobi including a tanto, kunai, shuriken and several poisoned senbons. He sealed the weapons away for later disposal and went back to the two corpses to remove their weapons and look through their belongings. He sat on the roof pondering the location of the Root hideout. It was no matter, he could probably track back to it later.

Standing, he moved to the portion of the roof that overlooked the backyard. Two ninja were stationed there. Removing two shuriken, he grasped them both in one hand and sent them flying, each on their own mission. Both found their target with ease, embedding themselves just below the skull above the C1 vertebrae. The medulla portion of the brain stem was severed and both bodies flopped to the grass like dolls. Blood sprayed from the vertebral arteries as they were severed, creating a small fountain of red from each corpse.

The guards at the front of the house exchanged looks. One Root would remain to guard the front while the other two went to investigate the noise. The two guards split around each side of the house, each taking their own wall. They crouched low, not bothering to look skyward as they believed three guards to be there. Mumei took another shuriken in hand and sent it spiraling downwards at the left guard. It imbedded in the guard's right temple with a thunk. The impact to the brain killed him almost instantly.

Pulling out some ninja wire, Mumei jumped silently down behind the other approaching guard. Channeling chakra into the wire, he quickly wrapped it around the Root ninja's neck right below the jaw. He jerked it smoothly backwards. It slid between the C4 and C5 vertebrae, offering absolutely no resistance. The chakra-infused wire cut through like a warm knife through butter. Blood gushed upwards, spraying the Mumei in the face. The sticky warmth dripped down his skin.

Mumei wiped his eyes, nose and mouth of the sticky solution on his sleeve. His face was fully coated red, blond locks flecked with the gory remains. It dripped down his chin, adding more red dots to his clothing. Maybe he should start wearing red, it would be a lot easier to disguise the blood, he thought blankly.

Around to the front of the house he went to dispose of the last outdoors Root. Slinking along the wall, he dodged the windows just in case someone were watching, although unlikely. Those stationed indoors typically faced inward, letting their outside companions take care of outward threats. On the lower floor there were two guards, on the second floor there were three more, one in Danzou's room, the other two in the hallway.

Mumei would enter through the bottom floor first, take out the guards, exit, reenter through a window on the top floor and finally enter Danzou's room. He slipped into the backyard again and through the back door. Drawing the Hakkō Chakura Tō that he had not yet been able to use in Konoha, he charged it with chakra, making the blade glow. The guard stationed at the back of the house noticed the light and turned towards it.

He drew his own blunt-nosed tanto. The Root tantos were only meant for cutting and defense so Mumei was at an advantage in this fight. Mumei raised his tanto, striking first with a thrust. The Root soldier blocked, but the chakra-infused blade slid through it with ease, cutting the opposing tanto in half. Mumei pulled back the blade and plunged it into the unguarded man's aorta. The still alive flesh sizzled from the lightning chakra. He tugged the blade from the man's chest, the blood gushed out like a waterfall, drenching Mumei's chest and dotting his already soaked face.

The other guard, Kanoe, alerted to the sound of battle and rounded the corner. He drew his sword and took up an offensive pose. He lunged forward, performing an overhead strike. Mumei defended tanto in one hand. With a kunai in the other, he jabbed for the trachea. Kanoe tried to block, but the Hakkō Chakura Tō drew the blade further away. The kunai made contact with the ribbed tube and went through to the vertebrae and lodged there.

Kanoe gasped for breath that never came. He dropped the sword and gripped the kunai with both hands. He ripped it from where it was stuck in bone. Blood filled the wound and dripped down into the trachea and esophagus, filling his lungs and stomach. He coughed again and again trying to expel the blood, but it simply spurted out of the wounded tubes. Seconds passed and Kanoe fell to the ground gasping for air, fingers still digging wildly into his throat. 15 seconds in, he was unconscious. In minutes he would be dead, his brain suffering from hypoxia.

Only three guards left. The guards were on either side of the stairwell. He could probably take them both on at once but didn't want to alert Danzou to his presence quite yet. A creak from the stairs alerted his attention. One of the guards must be coming to check out the coughing.

He crept over the body and pool of blood on the floor, crouching next to the stairwell. He looked upwards and prepared his kunai. The guard peeked over the railing and was rewarded with a kunai stabbed through his eye, making contact with his frontal cortex. The guard slumped over the railing. Luckily his body was pretty stationary.

Mumei crept over the body and up the stairs. With chakra applied to his feet, he was able to avoid creating noise on the stairs. The last guard that stood between him and Danzou's room. From a pouch he removed a senbon and a bottle of fast-acting poison. He dabbed the senbon into the poison and capped the bottle. With a flick of his wrist, he send the senbon flying into the remaining guard's left carotid artery.

The Root nin stumbled backwards, the poison quickly flowing into his brain. It flowed through the jugular and into the heart, then flowing into the rest of the body. Through the course of a couple seconds, the poison had coursed throughout the entire body. First the convulsions came. The guard dropped to the ground and flopped like a fish. The noise drew out the final guard.

Mumei launched himself forward, grabbing the ANBU by the neck. The metal bracer cut into his throat. The ANBU growled in response. It was Terai. He was one of Danzou's most loyal soldiers. He would have to die. He dug the bracer in further, cutting off all oxygen. Slowly, Terai lost consciousness. Mumei finished him off with a kunai to the throat.

Now it was Danzou's turn. When Mumei entered the old geezer's room, the man of the hour was standing there waiting for him.

"Shimura Danzou. For your acts of treason, you are to be terminated," Mumei growled.

Danzou had been waiting for him; probably since he first entered the house. The man stood, kunai enhanced with Fūton: Shinkūjin. The blade glowed light green and was the length of a scimitar. Danzou gave a slight smirk, amused at this blood-covered stranger's declaration

"Show me what you've got," Shimura challenged, entering into a battle stance.

Mumei drew the Hakkō Chakura Tō in his right hand, a kunai held loosely in his left. A white glow took to the chakra enhanced blade as slow lighting fire. He took on a defensive pose, tanto raised diagonally in front of his body.

Danzou shot forward, enhanced kunai coming downward in an arching overhead swing. Mumei blocked the slice with ease. White and light green chakras sizzling as they made contact with each other. The time traveler shoved his tanto forward, overpowering the older man and forcing him to take several steps back.

With his kunai, Mumei stabbed outwards, aiming for his opponent's exposed stomach. Shimura blocked in kind with another kunai of his own. With both hands occupied, Danzou finally finished molding the chakra he needed for a special jutsu.

He had first begun molding his chakra without hand seals when the Namikaze had entered the room. His mastery over this technique allowed him to get away with no hand seals as long as he took enough time to properly mold the chakra.

"Fūton: Shinkū Renpa," he shouted.

Danzou took in a deep breath and exhaled several blades of piercing sharp wind directly into the Namikaze's face. Mumei dodged to the left, disengaging both his tanto and kunai from the battle. While mid-dodge, he reached into his pouch and removed several more kunai. With a flip of his wrist the four kunai went flying towards Shimura, forcing the man to parry and not giving him enough time to use Fūton: Shinkūjin on his other kunai.

Danzou dodged to his left, dancing away from the kunai easily. Mumei took that opportunity to lunge forward, engaging with both his kunai and the tanto. The men locked together and a bead of sweat dribbled down Danzou's forehead. The man before him was a sight to behold, covered in blood and ready to do more damage. They locked eyes and a staring contest began. Mumei's normally bright cerulean eyes appeared particularly dark. Danzo's one-eyed gaze narrowed.

This felt awful like a trap. But it was too late. A shadow clone with a Rasengan in hand appeared behind Danzou. It wasted little time plunging the orb into the man's back. Shimura tried to move out of the way but found himself trapped by ninja wire extending to both his left and right.

When Mumei had sent the kunai as a distraction, he had chosen kunai with ninja wire attached to them. When the kunai embedded in the walls, the Namikaze let the strings go slack until he had readied the trap. The shadow clone was a pre-prepared measure, one that Mumei had created when he was still observing the man's abode. He had created multiple shadow clones and sent them around the house to observe and watch for ANBU. Once Mumei had moved into the upper level of the house, the shadow clones moved in, protecting them from being interrupted as well as providing backup.

The ball of wind chakra drilled halfway through the man's body, bursting through the ribs and destroying the bottom part of his lungs and his liver. Danzou coughed up blood, his eye draining of life.

"Uchiha… coup," he rasped.

"Killing them all isn't the answer," he answered before pulling up his tanto and inserting it in the center of the man's forehead. It entered with a schlick and a crunch of bones. The rest of the light faded from the traitor's eye. Mumei ripped the tanto back out of his skull, brain matter came out along with the blade.

Now it was time for a little slaughter-rescue mayhem. Danzou was so confident that he would win without any difficulties that he didn't even call for backup. That would make it a little complicated trying to find the main headquarters, but certainly more fun.

But first, he would do a little rummaging. Stepping over a pool of blood and brain matter, he poked around in Danzou's belongings. He wasn't a bandit, per say, but he had a tendency to look around and see if he could find anything of value. Aah, see? He found some Fūton scrolls, several of which were of great interest.

He noted two scrolls with familiar names, Fūton: Shinkūjin and Fūton: Shinkū Renpa, two jutsu that Danzou had used earlier. Along with those were Fūton: Shinkū Taigyoku, Fūton: Shinkūgyoku, Fūton: Shinkūha and Kazanami. They were interesting techniques, he was looking forward to learning them later as well as teaching them to Naruto. The boy would need more techniques in his arsenal than Rasengan. Granted, he did just use the technique to defeat Danzou but it was more because of the element of surprise than it being his only attack.

Still soaked in blood, he took to the roof to check on his single young captive. The child struggled in his bindings but was unable to move. Mumei hefted the boy over his shoulder and decided to take him along until he found a suitable holding area to deprogram him.

He raised his head to the wind and scented the air. Mumei hopped to the next roof then the next, following the scent of Root. They had a distinct scent once you smelled enough of them. It was like dirt and tanto steel, shadows and darkness. He was quite the sight to see, hair bloodied and face and clothes covered in the sticky red substance. He hopped from rooftop to rooftop, approaching the hive.

He propped open a manhole cover and dropped down into the sewer that reminded him so much of his mindscape. The smell of sewage began to overwhelm his senses but the smell of Root was stronger. Mumei pushed forwards, following the scent. He followed the odor up to the wall. He dropped the Root boy like a sack of potatoes and swiftly knocked him out. His hands strafed the wall. The blood had dried on his gloves and hands and red flakes chipped from his palms.

He channeled chakra into the wall and a seal appeared. Gofuu Kekkai. He summoned several clones and dispersed them to the other four points where the seal was placed. Each clone found their seal and simultaneously they pulled all five off. The brick wall collapsed in on itself and Mumei stepped over the rubble, the shadow clones flanking him on either side.

Aburame Torune and Yamanaka Fū raced towards the 5 Mumeis. Torune put his hands together, shouting Dokujin no Jutsu, creating a poisonous smokescreen from his rinkaichū. Rinkaichū were very rare even in the Aburame clan as they destroy the cells of their enemies as well as their hosts' bodies. Only two Aburame were known to have antibodies to counteract the destruction, Torune and Shikuro. Torune was truly a valuable asset to the village and still salvageable because of his relationship with Shino. Fū was a little more tricky but his dedication to Torune would hopefully overcome his loyalty to Danzou.

Mumei decided to spare them and give them adequate deprogramming. The poison mist enveloped him but not a single wisp touched him. Fū threw his Kama into the mist. He pushed chakra out of every pore, pushing the mist away from his body. The poison disappeared as the chakra burst outwards. He sidestepped the Kama with ease and it clinged into the brick wall behind him.

Both Torune and Fū leaped towards Mumei, wielding their tantos and using Ansatsu Jutsu. They attacked with a series of swift slashes, but Mumei's eyes were well-weathered with battle and saw through the slices with ease. He dipped and dodged while the shadow clones circled around the Root operatives. The clones took advantage of a brief opening and subdued the two enemies. Mumei crouched before them, soaked in the blood of their brethren.

~~~~~~~~END GORE/VIOLENCE~~~~~~~

"Worry not, you will continue to be shinobi of Konoha, working so that the Hi no Kuni can live on," he encouraged the two. Fū seemed unimpressed but Torune lent an interested ear.

"You will see your brother, Torune. I entrust his life to you," he added with a smile and a wink. He ruffled the 8-year-old's hair and gave the two boys swift chops to the neck, rendering them unconscious. The clones went about restraining the Root operatives and put them with the other Root boy. The four clones remained with the prisoners while Mumei went onward.

The man created more shadow clones and pushed forward, taking more and more ground. He slaughtered a number of loyal adults while capturing children who could be helped. The clones took back an additional three girls and two boys. Mumei kept onward to the center of the compound. It was an open space with high walls and several bridges.

Mumei weaved his way through the many tunnels that lead under Konoha. He finally stumbled upon the housing chamber where the Root members lived, far removed from society and under Danzou's thumb. There, he killed another seven and saved five more children.

He searched high and low for Sai and his brother Shin. The duo were 7 and 9 respectively and did not yet have complete loyalties to Danzou. Shin never truly submitted to the Root rules and Sai would do anything for his pseudo-brother.

Mumei discovered what appeared to be a torture chamber. He opened each door, expecting to see enemy shinobi. Instead, he found small children ranging from three to ten. They were obviously new recruits, not even Root quite yet. They seemed to be in the process of reprogramming, turning them into loyal soldiers. 10 children in all were in cells. He summoned a shadow clone to tend to each child and forced himself onward to find Sai and Shin. They must be here somewhere.

At the end of the torture chamber, he found small dog crates. He approached them apprehensively, wary of what may be contained inside. He knelt near the crates. Several were empty but narrowed eyes shone out of the darkness in two. The bloodied man soothed the creatures, slowly opening the cages. Twin growls echoed from the back corners, teeth glistening. The larger of the beasts lunged towards Mumei.

It… was a boy. It was Shin. The boy crouched on all fours, completely unarmed except for his hands and teeth. Mumei used a little Talk no Jutsu, whispering gently to the boy.

"I know you're just protecting your brother from Danzou. He's dead, he can't hurt either of you anymore," he said, reaching a hand out. The boy's growl lessened.

"Gentle now, I'm not going to hurt you. Would you like to protect Konoha in the light instead of the shadows?"

The boy quieted and stilled. He was loyal to his village, he just didn't believe in Danzou and his way of running things. Shin nodded slowly and turned to Sai who was still crouching in his cage. The boy took the outstretched hand in his own and crawled forward. He looked at the bloody stranger warily but trusted his brother.

He held out a bloodied hand and the older child took it. Mumei created several shadow clones to clean up the remains of the Root headquarters, looking through their belongings and ledgers. Mumei led the two boys out into the center of the Root headquarters. He instructed the shadow clones to bring the other children to begin the deprogramming, unsealing and memory removal.

Each child was placed in a circle. There were 28 kids saved in all with a death count of 26, not including Danzou himself. All-in-all, it wasn't a bad rate. He had suffered much worse losses. At least he was able to save more than half. It wasn't their fault that Danzou chose them out of the other orphans to brainwash.

Mumei went from child to child ensuring that the Zekka Konzetsu no In had disappeared from each of them upon Danzou's death. None of them had the seal on their tongues which was a relief. All he had left to do was seal the memories of Danzou and ensure that they were loyal to the Hokage and not their deceased leader.

He started with Shin and Sai, drawing out intricate seals on their foreheads. Danzou became a distant memory, one replaced with happy memories of brotherhood and love. There were no dog crates, only small hidey holes in the forest where they played hide and seek. The children would have their own choice whether or not they enrolled in the ninja academy or not. They would not be forced to live in the darkness, serving from the shadows. They could become shinobi of the light.

Mumei moved on to the next child, removing their negative memories. So on he went, replacing their first kills, the deaths of their loved ones with affection and friends. The children were unconscious because of the sealing and he sent clones to take them back to the orphanage and tuck them into bed.

The time traveler molded his chakra into a shunshin and appeared outside the Namikaze compound. He slunk inside and entered through the front door. He sent out chakra feelers to ensure that Naruto and Kakashi were safely in bed.

Naruto was fast asleep but Kakashi was a different story. The man had apparently stayed up all night awaiting his return on the couch. It was surprising that the copy nin had decided to stay up based on his previous behavior around the man from the future.

Mumei crept along the wall hoping not to be seen. Kakashi glimpsed at the blood-soaked man before him. He narrowed his visible eye, wondering who the man had killed.

"Root," Mumei said simply before heading up the stairs and into the master, shutting the door tightly and locking it. He retreated to the bathroom, shucking his clothing and hopping into the shower. He scrubbed every inch of his skin until it was raw and bleeding in some places. He wanted to feel pain, to force himself to feel even a fraction of the pain of those he had cut down.

Mumei had not suffered many wounds, only a cut here or there. He slipped on a pair of boxers and set about cleaning the wounds.

Kakashi appeared in the doorway, looming. He had easily passed through the simple lock on the door. The gray-haired nin took a step onto the cool tile floor and picked up the rubbing alcohol and dabbed a cotton ball in the smelly liquid. Grabbing the time traveler by the shoulders he forced him to sit on the counter. He dabbed the ball gently on the cuts, disinfecting them thoroughly. He grabbed several pieces of gauze and placed them over each wound, securing them with bandages.

Mumei kicked his legs gently from where he was sat on the counter. This was too reminiscent of the Kakashi that he once knew; his Kakashi. The man always tended to his wounds with a gentle hand after Sakura died. He healed quickly but the injuries still stung. A caring medic, well-trained or not, took the pain out of the wound.

"You could have asked for help," Kakashi said even-toned.

"You had Naruto today. I figured it was a good use of my time off," Mumei responded.

He never would have told Kakashi what he was doing. He refused to bring the man back to the place where Danzou had attempted to brainwash him. He would not bring him back to a place that had inflicted trauma on him.

Kakashi shook his head in amazement. What a goofy man. He could tell that there was more that remained unsaid and decided not to push it. One he was finished with his work, he stepped back. He was impressed that the man has managed to take on so many Root and come out relatively unscathed. There was definitely more than met the eye.

"The Uchiha are planning a coup." Mumei said bluntly.

This was a relatively simple mission. By killing off the leaders of the Uchiha who planned the coup, they could simply cut off the head of the snake. There would be no child casualties, no innocent blood spilled, only traitors to Konoha.

"You can't go alone," Kakashi returned.

"I can and I will," he turned up his nose in indignation.

"You are not familiar with Sharingan techniques, you need the help."

"You'd be surprised," Mumei muttered under his breath.

"What does that mean?" Kakashi asked, eyes narrowed.

"Just that I've fought a Sharingan wielder once or twice in my time," Mumei's mouth flicked upwards in a smirk, his mind awash with memories.

"Does the Hokage allow you to go by yourself?"

"Yes."

"Well I refuse to let you go alone, you need the backup and Naruto doesn't need to lose his uncle."

That shut Mumei up. Kakashi was right, he needn't take unnecessary risks in order to save the future. Kakashi was offering his help. Help that he didn't really need, but appreciated nonetheless. He really didn't want Kakashi putting himself in danger, but he understood why he was extending the offer. He had been placed in a position of value in Kakashi's eyes as Naruto's family member. If there was one thing that Naruto knew about Kakashi, it was that he wouldn't let his comrades die.

"Fine," Mumei acquiesced. "Call Itachi, we have some business to discuss."

Kakashi looked at the man oddly. Itachi was his kouhai in ANBU and it was not a publicly known fact that boy was on his team or even in the secretive organization. He placed his palm over the ANBU tattoo on his left arm and channeled chakra into it. It glowed a pale red through his sleeve. The tattoo doubled as an ANBU identification mark and a communication seal, making it easy for the operatives to speak to each other throughout Konoha, coordinating their efforts to keep the village safe.

Mumei clothed himself and with Kakashi by his side, they made their way to the main gate, unlocking it to wait for the young ANBU. Crow appeared shortly after they arrived. He was dressed in the typical ANBU garb and bowed at the waist upon arrival.

"Taichou, Mumei-san" the raven-haired boy greeted.

"Maa, it's just Kakashi now," he returned.

"Kakashi-senpai," Itachi adjusted.

Kakashi sighed. All his little kouhais insisted on calling him such respectful names, it was such a pain.

"Come Itachi-san, we have much to discuss," Mumei interrupted. He made a wide sweeping motion with his hand, welcoming the Uchiha into the Namikaze compound.

Itachi narrowed his eyes in suspicion. It was odd that this new shinobi knew his name despite his mask. He stepped inside the gates anyways, trusting in Kakashi and his judgement. The three made their way inside the house, Kakashi locking the gates behind them. Mumei ensured that Naruto was still sleeping with a small wash of chakra; they did not need the youngster interrupting this conversation.

Mumei led the Uchiha into the Fuuinjutsu room which doubled as an office. He settled behind the desk and Kakashi stood to the side of him. Itachi was hesitant; it felt like he was in trouble, much like a mischievous child in the principal's office. He removed his crow mask and placed it on the desk in front of him.

"We know about the coup," Mumei stated bluntly.

"I-," Itachi started but Mumei cut him off.

"We also know you are opposed to it. We need to know the key players, who is a supporter of the plan and who is simply trying to avoid being killed for insubordination."

Itachi glanced at Kakashi who gave him a reassuring nod. The boy-turned-man listed the members in charge of the coup. He gave the locations of their houses, the family members inside to be spared, and their timetables for work in the Konoha Police if applicable.

Mumei took careful notes and plotted out a map of the city. Itachi hesitated on the last name. Fugaku. His father was complicit in the plan to overthrow the Hokage. His mother, on the other hand, wanted nothing to do with it, only siding with her husband because of loyalty. Itachi did not want his father to die, but knew that he had to for the safety of the village.

Finally, he named his father.

Mumei's list was surprisingly short. It was mostly members of the Uchiha council and high-ranking members of the Police. By slicing out the necrotic flesh, the limb could be saved; the Uchiha could be saved. The Namikaze rounded the table and ruffled raven locks.

"You did well, young Uchiha. You are saving your clan," he reassured.

"I want to come," Itachi blurted before he could stop himself. "I have to be the one to kill my father."

Mumei paused. It was not entirely unexpected but he was unsure what would happen to the Uchiha if he were to kill part of his clan. He was still young, innocent even. Spilling the blood of his own father would change him. Not nearly as much as slaughtering his whole clan and scarring Sasuke, but it would definitely irreversibly change him. On the other hand, this was his family. It was only right to give him the opportunity to kill the traitors in his own clan. Mumei made eye contact with Kakashi. The two had a short but silent conversation. Kakashi agreed, he shouldn't be involved but it was his right.

"Very well," the blond-haired man answered. "Kakashi will take the police, I will take the civilians, and Itachi will take Fugaku."

Both the ANBU and former captain nodded their consent.

"Tomorrow night we strike. The police will be investigating the identities of Danzou's deceased guards. They will either be looking through ninja records or at the station, making them easy targets."

It had been a while since Mumei had worked in a team. He felt like a bike taken out of winter storage, wheels not quite full of air, handles dusty and pieces of paint chipped and rusty. It felt exhilarating to be taken out for a ride but at the same time so very wrong.

A creak of a door caught his attention. Naruto had awoken. The boy dashed down the hallway and into the master suite, obviously expecting his uncle to be there. His absence perplexed the child and he threw himself down the stairs in search.

Kitchen? Nope. Basement? Nope. Training field? Nope. Suddenly he heard low voices coming from the weird office that nobody ever went in. He crept to the doorway and pressed his ear to the wood. He could hear his uncle and Kakashi-sensei and another voice but couldn't make out what they were saying.

"Naruto," Mumei called loudly.

Naruto jumped at the sound of his name and slowly opened the door. His face was bright red with embarrassment over being caught eavesdropping. He stuck a hand in his sunny hair and scratched the back of his head, smiling guiltily. There was a raven-haired boy in the attire of the masked people that protected the village. He didn't look much older than him! He must be really strong, Naruto thought, I'll be that strong one day!

"Hello, Naruto-kun," Itachi smiled kindly.

Naruto was the same age as his baby brother Sasuke. That… actually gave him an idea.

"How would you like to have my little brother Sasuke to come over to play and sleep over?"

Naruto was somewhat hesitant. He was so used to children not being allowed to play with him that he had never had any friends. He shrunk to his uncle's side and tugged on his sleeve.

"Is that ok nii-chan?" he asked gently as if afraid of the answer.

"I think that's a great idea," Mumei answered, placing his hand affectionately on the boy's head.

Naruto smiled shyly at the strange older boy.

"Well, let's walk you out, Itachi-san."

Itachi nodded and politely waited for one of the gentlemen to open the door. Mumei obliged, holding it open for their guest. The Uchiha nodded to the Namikaze, ensuring the completion of their plot. He and Itachi left for the front gate while Kakashi took Naruto to the back yard for more training and writing.

Once they reached the front gate, Itachi and Mumei exchanged a few more words.

"Once your father is dead you will be clan leader."

"Yes," he sighed, revealing his worry.

"You are young but you will be a great leader," he reassured the young man.

"Thank you, Mumei-san," he smiled gently at the older man.

Mumei unlocked the gate for the Uchiha who donned his mask and waved goodbye before disappearing in a murder of crows. Mumei relocked the gate and went back to the Fuuinjutsu office. He began to prepare several silencing seals for the police stations, the Uchiha houses and Fugaku's house.

The barriers were pretty simple to use but a bit complicated to make. He added in an extra matrix to prevent chakra spikes from escaping the barrier and alerting ANBU. Humming as he worked, the brush seemed to move of its own volition, painting beautifully intricate designs on the page.

He finished the batch of seals and put them in a drawer in the desk.

It would certainly be an eventful couple of days.

Translation Time

Fūton: Shinkūjin = Wind Release: Vacuum Blade

Fūton: Shinkū Renpa= Wind Release: Vacuum Serial Waves

Fūton: Shinkū Taigyoku = Wind Release: Vacuum Great Sphere

Fūton: Shinkūgyoku = Wind Release: Vacuum Sphere

Kazanami = Wind Waves

Gofuu Kekkai = Five Seal Barrier

Dokujin no Jutsu = Poison Cloud Technique

Rinkaichū = Phosphorus Destruction Insect

Kama = Sickle

Ansatsu Jutsu = Assassination Technique

Zekka Konzetsu no In = Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal

Shimura's arm here is completely normal. Uchiha Shin is not dead so Danzou doesn't have his arm nor Hashirama's DNA. Therefore, he is a way easier enemy to take down. He also doesn't have the Sharingans because the Uchiha Massacre still hasn't happened. Granted, he is a high-level shinobi that was being considered for a Kage position that Sarutobi beat him to. However, he is caught off-guard by the Rasengan as he believed that Kakashi and Jiraiya are the only two alive with the capability to perform the jutsu.

Also, yes I know Naruto is not an assassin. However, with his stealth he would make a great one. I have Mumei acting as an assassin in this chapter because he is a darker version of Naruto, one that has realized that he will do anything that it takes to ensure the safety of his precious people.

I know nobody seems concerned that Sarutobi doesn't really know what's going on but to be honest I don't like the guy very much. He never knew what was going on in his village other than his strange orb. Besides, let's just infer that he's watching Naruto/Mumei some of the time and sees what he's doing.

Thank you guys for waiting so long for the last chapter. I'm going to try to get them out every month but I'm also working on my thesis so my tine for writing is a little occupied.

Sorry about the coding issue! It should be fixed now.