Hurried footsteps paced the wooden hallways of the Hokage mansion in fervent fury, thudding quickly towards the office. Thin lips were scowled into a thin line and her aged eyes glistened in a mix of impatience and anger. Following her closely behind were two men -her colleagues and partners in running the village hidden in the leaves. Their job was to keep the peace within the village -to contain and to bud any threats in the nip.
Konohas council.
Koharu Utatane was her name and following by were her comrades -Danzo and Homaru.
Homaru, the quiet of the the trio was one to draw conclusions based on carefully placed facts and timing, much unlike Danzo and Koharu who preferred to act on the first assumption. His voice always went heard but his opinions on peace keeping rarely considered and as such, had to regularly abide by their judgement; though at times he wished he could speak up. Like right now.
Danzo had always said he was more like Sarutobi; a weak minded leader.
"...Koharu. We should think about this first." he spoke up quietly, but firmly.
"There is nothing to think about." She said acidly, refusing to grace his statement with eye contact. "We let Sarutobi have his way with many affairs and kept our tongues bitten. But this is a matter we cannot let slide!"
"...She's just a girl."
That made her halt in place, almost immediately. "...JUST a girl?" she repeated, her tone low and dangerous. Homaru swallowed lightly, his frown kept intact. "DON'T BE STUPID!" She whipped around with a heavy bark. "That girl...have you any idea how dangerous of a situation we are in right now?!"
"...Its been three full days since their official inauguration as a team. Team photographs and information registered in the list of KONOHA shinobi!" Danzo added to her point, his hand tightening on the staff. "Sakura -her last name unknown has been in Konohagakure for barely a month. She appeared out of nowhere within the outer woodland of the village with severe injuries."
"According to the hospital records...she checked out the day itself. I doubt-"
"SHE FELL FROM THE SKY!" Koharu cut her off with a screech. If the situation wasn't so dire he would've definitely laughed. "Uchiha Itachi wasn't the only one who witnessed that...we have Danzo's men and our own ANBU situation all over Konoha! Her entrance wasn't exactly the most discreet! You expect me to believe that a small child fell from that high and was uninjured?!"
Silence befell upon them and Homaru averted his gaze, unsure of what to say.
"...On top of that...immediately afterwards, Sarutobi decided to entrust her with the UCHIHA of all of people!" She continued, her voice rising, "And just a few days later assigned with the very Uchiha who found and rescued her...AND HIS FRIEND. AND HATAKE KAKASHI! AN ANBU. WITH TWO CHUUNIN AND A STRANGE GIRL! ASSIGNED TO A FAR AWAY MISSION! DO YOU SEE WHATS WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE!?"
"Look...I get that this situation is beyond belief...but Sarutobi never does anything without a good reason. Perhaps she is a young prodigy he sent away to be trained. And maybe this is all planned." He attempted to reason, hoping they'll see his point.
"Cut to the chase." Danzo said impatiently.
"I'm saying...what if shes a spy?" Homaru asked. "...Think about it. She was assigned in a group with two Uchiha...and overlooking them is one of our most trusted ANBU; Hatake Kakashi. And in an official group at that...just as Itachi is steadily climbing ranks."
For once since the news of the formation of the official team reached her ears, Koharu let her guard down. His argument was reasonable...and since Sarutobi was not one to act without a proper reason, it could very well be the case. But then, if it were truly the case, why was she not informed of it? Why were any of them not informed? Why did he execute it out so suddenly?
Hiruzen was clearly a competent Hokage and he had expressed that time and time again -since the day of his first inauguration to the night he had to reclaim his position from the fourth Hokage and all the way to now. If he were truly acting on spying on the Uchiha now, why was he hiding the details from them?
"I still vouch we talk to Hiruzen about this." Danzo's acrid tone of voice snapped her out of her thoughts. "I don't trust him on this."
"He's our friend!" Homaru jumped angrily to defend his teammate, his hands balling into fists. "I definitely trust him-"
"Trust has little power over this Homaru!" The partly lame shinobi reprimanded him caustically. "This issue concerns the entire village! The Uchiha are steadily growing in number -to the point that they could very well take over the government! Are you really going to risk a civil war over the basis of TRUST?!"
Homaru pleadingly glanced at his teammate, hoping she would be more abiding to his side. But the moment she heard Danzo, the doubts were erased from her mind and it was clear in her steely eyes yet again.
"The Hokage may be the leader..." her tone was acidic as she picked up her pace again, "...But we are the council. And the purpose of the council is to make sure each and every important decision made by the Hokage is passed with our approval. Because Hiruzen is generally cautious we always keep our hands off his choices. But on this...he overstepped his boundaries on this one!"
"So what are you planning to do exactly?!" Homaru called after her, annoyance lacing his voice.
"Demand to know his true plans." she hissed, her eyes narrowing, "And our involvement in it. The Uchiha cannot be trusted."
"The council and the Hokage cannot be trusted."
Unknown to them, the heads of the Uchiha clan had gathered in an emergency meeting in their usual underground facility -in midday to highlight the emergency. And unknown to them, their emergency issue was the same exact one.
Within the crowd sat Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Itachi -both who listened intently with the rest. While they usually sat in the back, this meeting required for them to be at the very front.
Why?
Because of their deadpan humored pink haired teammate.
"I'm telling you, leaf placed her with the Uchiha as a spy! Just think about it! She's barely been in Konoha for one month and shes been assigned as an official teammate to the very two shinobi who's the closest to you, Fugaku-san." the current speaker spoke hastily, turning to his right. "They didn't entrust her with us! She's a sign that we are not trusted!"
Oh if only they knew the truth...
"Fugaku sama if I may..." Shisui raised his hand and upon receiving approval, stood up to voice his thoughts.
He had been defending Sakura the best he could since the meeting began whilst trying to keep his loyalty intact, while Itachi hasn't said an entire word. During all meetings like this, he always kept his words to himself.
Unlike Shisui...he didn't really have the courage to speak up on his own values; especially since no one really understood his ideals.
"THEY'RE TRYING TO START A WAR!"
"WE HAVE TO FIGHT!"
"THE UCHIHA WILL BE CRUSHED AT THIS RATE!"
"Order!" His father's voice broke up the worried chatters that broke out within the clan elders and Itachi bit the insides of his cheek. Shisui was attempting his best to explain to them the situation but they both knew it was futile. The clan wouldn't listen. And without their knowledge of the bigger picture Sakura gave over to them...it was near useless. "Let Shisui express his opinion! You say that she could very well be entrusted to us. Why do you think so?"
They still had to try.
"Think about it! A girl appeared out of nowhere one day with bruises and the Hokage immediately takes her under his wing to protect her! Going as far as to not consult the village council, he immediately entrusted her to Itachi! AND confided that we were the only ones who can keep her safe!" He explained fervently, hardly pausing to take a breath should someone interrupt once again. "Fugaku San! Wasn't it an ANBU of Sarutobi sama who informed you that?!"
"And why do you not think that this could just be a mere plot!?" The speaker upon the small stage demanded with a hiss as he noticed a visible look of doubt over the face of their leader. The last thing they needed was their leader giving room for doubt about their mission. "The hokage could very well be planning this with the council!"
"THE HOKAGE WOULD NEVER AGREE TO SUCH A THING!" He burst, balling his hands into fists. "Think about it! The only person who had kept us out of the councils harm was Hokage sama! Since the second hokage we had been downgraded yes, but the moment he took rule things became easier for us! We're Konoha's peacekeepers! The Uchiha Police!" And then he stopped in place. At this rate they wouldn't listen. There was just one option left. "Itachi. Explain!"
The young boys head snapped up immediately, his eyes wide at having been called out by his best friend.
"You were the link between Hokage and the girl in that room. Why dont you explain to us?" Shisui asked.
Hesitantly, he stood up. He didn't really want to get involved but the look in Shisui's eyes made sense. She was their teammate. And she was here with a crucial mission. He had to do something to protect her. 'And the future of Konoha.' he thought with gritted teeth as he remembered her words about the war.
The eyes of everyone in the room were on him as he stood rigidly with a neutral expression. It was only to be expected. He was the son of their leader. His opinion mattered.
"...Shisui...is right." he began quietly. "...As far as I know, she was entrusted with us. My father had explained whatever backstory she had given us. For some reason, the Hokage sent her with me immediately without consulting the council. We know he didn't because they weren't present with him when he visited the hospital room...nor did they days later. Which meant he had covered up the story as best as he could. Its common knowledge to most high ranking shinobi that the council are wary of us. Particularly Danzo."
The mention of his name made everyone's expressions to sour with agreeable nods. And for a good reason.
If anything that man made his doubts of the Uchiha public whenever he could. He was the main problem within the government along with Koharu. Not Hiruzen. Not really.
"...Considering how they loathe us...and considering how the Hokage covered her away from them when entrusting to us..." he continued with a calm tenor, "...I think its safe to assume that the Hokage doesn't trust his own council with her. She must be something special if he's going to go that far."
Special indeed. She was a timetraveller who was trying to prevent a great war in the future that was partly the fault of the Uchiha clan.
She had not entrusted them with the full details yet but over the course of the past few days after being enlisted together as an official team, she had explained most of the details in the presence of the hokage. There was miscommunication between the government and his clan -and a coup resulted. She had yet to tell them what happened to the Uchiha after the coup considering there were so many important details they had to match.
But he had a feeling they weren't good ones.
...they had rushed things. Perhaps if she had stayed down for a couple of days this wouldn't have arisen this far but then again...they couldn't afford to be sitting around. The mission from earlier revealed Orochimaru's involvement and according to Sakura, he was a dangerous man whose actions contributed greatly to the upcoming war. Their main focus right now should be tracking him...but then this issue couldn't go unresolved.
'For Sasuke's sake...' he reminded himself as he stood alone in the room, ignoring all the murmurs throughout the crowd at his explanation. '...I have to do this for my little brother.'
"...Fugaku San. If I may..." A hand rose and a troubled Fugaku nodded slowly to allow the shinobi's input. "...I agree with Itachi kun and Shisui kun." the man stood up, "...The Uchiha have been getting more missions lately...and those two have been getting more audiences with the Hokage. Her presence may indeed be useful to us. Besides...she's just a kid."
"A kid who rivals Itachi!" The speaker spat. "How do we not know that his intention is to take the boys life!?"
"THE HOKAGE WOULD NEVER DO THAT!" Another rose up, furiously defending him. "IN CASE YOU'VE FORGOTTEN HE'S THE ONE WHO MADE LIFE BETTER FOR US SINCE THE SECOND!"
Several more rose up, arguing amongst one another in fervent heat. Even from the jumbled caustic words tossed around, Itachi could make out that majority of those in the room were defending the Hokage against two or three paranoid elders.
"ENOUGH! I WILL NOT HEAR ANOTHER WORD AGAINST THE HOKAGE!" Fugaku's yell hushed the room into silence almost immediately. Sitting beside him were the aged Uchiha council who shot him disapproving glances. But he had heard enough for now and a headache was already on its way. "..I think at least up to this point, Sakura can be considered our alley who ties us to Sarutobi sama. The day she was bought, the ANBU entrusted with her informed me that the council indeed was unaware of her presence. The fact that he entrusted us of all of people and not the council is a sign that something big is going on."
He paused.
"...Furthermore...we can take this as a sign that Sarutobi Sama indeed did not suspect us of the nine tailed beast attack." he added gravely, noting how the atmosphere in the room grew heavy with the mention of the incident. "In case you haven't noticed...its also a recent noticeable fact that my youngest son is now allowed to openly play with the host of the kyuubi and the ANBU takes in no measures in keeping the child away from our vicinity."
"...Is that true..?" A hushed voice spoke up.
"...I've seen that boy inside our compound actually..."
More murmurs rose up within the crowd and Fugaku focused his eyes upon the two boys who still stood rigid with neutral expressions. "...Itachi. Shisui. I accept that Sakura is, so far a symbol of trust from the Hokage. But this begs the question of who she is and why she's so important as to have been hidden away from the elders. I do realize that you're her teammates...but to reassure some select members of our clan...I would like to entrust you with a task."
...Itachi didn't like one bit where this was headed.
"Keep an eye on her. Just in case. She seems to trust you especially, Itachi. Considering you were the one who took her to safety."
...ah well. It was better than nothing. At least she was mostly off the radar for now. "Yes father." he and Shisui bowed respectfully.
"Meeting dismissed."
"..'She seems to trust you especially Itachi'. BAH. What about me?! The hell does she see in a pony-tailed shemale!? Sakura chan definitely likes me better!"
"..I'm sure she does." Itachi laughed lightly, amused at his best friend's sulking tone as they walked into the training grounds. "You seem to earn a lot on her bad side of things though."
"A few remarks never hurt anyone..." he grumbled petulantly.
"...It does to you." The long haired Uchiha said dryly, remembering all the times his friend had earned enough of her wrath to be pummeled either into the ground or tossed high into the sky. He was the living example of how backhanded insults and bad jokes can backfire badly and it seemed that he still refused to learn.
"Forget that! You were great at the meeting today!" Shisui cheerfully flung an arm over his shoulder. "You were so cool! Everyone turned to listen to you straight away. Handling things like a boss -Itachi style!" He said dramatically, extending his arm forward with a half-serious expression.
"Shisui. Stop." Itachi laughed as he escaped his friends grasp before his smile faltered. "...What are we going to do?"
"...Tell Sakura I guess." Shisui said in an as-a-matter-of-factly tone of voice as he rested his arms behind his head. "...She needs to know. So does the Hokage. At this rate we'll need to carry messages back and forth." At the look on Itachi's face, he smiled wryly. "Yeah I know. I don't like it either."
"No..uh..." Itachi said lamely as he hesitantly pulled his hand up to point.
But a pair of claws had already dug into his shoulder and all the color promptly drained itself off Shisui's face as he began praying to be spared. "...Tell Sakura what exactly?" Asked a low voice as glistening emerald eyes peeked out dangerously from the darkened shadow under her bangs. "Are you keeping secrets from me now... Shisui kun?"
"BUDDHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
Itachi smiled awkwardly as his friend shrieked in a high pitched voice, attempting to escape from the vice-like grip around his neck by flailing around in comical fashion. "...well you see Sakura...we've been asked to spy on you." He said in a straight forward tone. Shisui shot him a look that silently asked if he had lost his mind while Sakura silently scrutinized his expression.
For some reason she didn't seem surprised by the least. Perhaps she was already suspecting it?
"...Spy eh?" She let go of the Uchiha who landed on the ground with a thud. "...Funny. Because I just returned from the Hokage mansion and he said the council demands I be under observation by the ANBU as well."
...Even the council?
Shisui and Itachi exchanged worried glances. "...they found out?" Shisui asked quietly as he stood up and Sakura shot him a deadpanned look.
"We've been on a A-rank mission and got assigned to an official team in less than a month we met. So yeah. I think someone is bound to notice." Her tone was dryly humorous. Itachi couldn't help but note that there were bags under her eyes -a clear sign that she wasn't getting enough sleep.
She was with the hokage more often these days -possibly because they were discussing about Orochimaru. It was likely.
The first day following the team listing, they had sparred together for a good deal of the day to learn more about each other. It was Shisui's idea which they all mutually agreed upon. Even though their teamwork was impeccable during the mission with the Kingdom, they weren't fully aware of each others fighting styles yet and so, devoted an entire day to noting it down.
Whereas Shisui focused almost completely on ninjutsu, both Itachi and Kakashi used them evenly. While Itachi specialized in casting realistic genjutsu, Sakura was proficient at breaking them -no matter how good it was. She knew almost no ninjutsu save medical types but gracefully made it up with monstrous strength and terrifying temper.
And then the very next day...she caught a wind of the news that they got a lead on Orochimaru and she had run to the office. Only to return hours later with a glum expression. Whatever the reason, the Hokage appeared to be attempting his level best to keep Sakura away from his ex-student. Itachi knew it was for a good one -after all, Orochimaru was rumored to be an extremely dangerous shinobi. Having being labeled a sannin he was definitely not one to face off against alone.
And yet she took off again yesterday. And now...
"..Kaasan wants me to tell you that she's not happy you skipped breakfast today. And lunch and dinner yesterday." Itachi said quietly and she stuffed her hands into her pocket, "...Did you even come home last night?"
"...The situation is turning needlessly complicated. I can't sleep with this biting my rear end." she grumbled.
"...Maa...she's got a point." Agreed an all too familiar voice and Itachi lifted his face to see Kakashi appear upon a tree branch, fully clad in ANBU gear. To see him approach them in his usual army outfit wasn't common and the fact that he was hinted at the possibility that he had to attend ANBU duty despite being officially off.
"What are you doing sneaking around Hatake?" Shisui raised an eyebrow. "...You look terrible by the way."
Shooting him a wary look, he jumped down, landing noiselessly upon the soft grass. "Guess who's going to be keeping an eye on you all for a while." he said quietly, glancing at the girl who blanched immediately.
"Splendid. Just...perfect ain't that?" If it were possible, Sakura's tone got even drier. "Gentlemen. This is impeccable timing. Don't you think?"
"...Let me guess. Danzo." It wasn't even a question and Kakashi nodded slowly in answer to Shisui. "...Great. He convinced the old farts. They should listen to the Hokage for once..."
"...To say this is bad would be an understatement." Kakashi stuffed his hands into his pocket. "Neither side trusts you Sakura. And both believes you're spying for each other."
"...Not...quite." Itachi rebuffed quietly and Kakashi glanced at him curiously.
"No?"
"No...Most of the Uchiha clan believes in Hokage sama's efforts to rekindle the damaged ties between the village and the clan. Its just a select few as you said..." he glanced at Sakura who now donned a worried look. "During the meeting otousama firmly said that seeing how important your status was...he believed that entrusting you to them was a sign that the Hokage believed them to not be at fault for the...attack. But for the sake of reassuring those few doubtful ones I'm being ordered to spy on you."
"...Like I said...its those select few troublemakers that destroyed the alliance." Sakura met his eyes, her brows furrowed together. "...'A single grain of rice can tip the scale'. Danzo himself proved capable of overthrowing the Hokage by finding loopholes in the law time and time again. If we don't do something he'll find a way to exploit us and remember...hes not one to leave behind any evidence."
The boys stared at her silently for a long time, unable to say anything before lowering their gazes. "...we need to do something to prove that you're...good. And fast." Shisui muttered.
"Good with which side is the question." The copy nin grumbled in annoyance. "If she picks the Uchiha side then it'll be evident that the Hokage doesn't trust the council. They'll hate you even more if thats possible. If she picks the council..."
"Good lord my brain hurts." Shisui groaned loudly falling to the ground with his legs crossed. Everyone silently agreed with him as they stood around glumly, not liking how things were turning out one bit. "...maybe we should relocate you somewhere else."
"No." She responded firmly. "...If we relocate me now after all this, the Uchiha will decide that the Hokage no longer trusts them."
"...So. What do we do...?"
Sakura met Itachi's eyes again and for an instant, her heart felt heavier. She knew why his eyes held panic. His brother was at stake here. His clan. And his family.
His clan might be the Uchiha's but his home was Konoha. During the massacre he had to make the ultimate sacrifice and kill off everyone he loved. As she read from the official report that day, she realized that Itachi's desire to protect Sasuke was what kept him sane through it all. But it all didn't work.
Sasuke perished in the end even know Itachi's wish was for him to live on as a hero.
...There was no way she could let that happen again.
"I'd choose Konoha."
It wasn't just Itachi whose eyes widened in shock at his friend's response -both Kakashi and Sakura stared down intently at the master of the body flicker jutsu with questionable looks. "Why?" She asked, "...Your first and foremost responsibility is to-"
"My home." Shisui finished for her. His eyes which usually held mischievous mirth was now replaced with a rare, serious glint. For a split second Sakura swore his dark obsidian eyes flashed a bit blue. His words reminded her of a certain blond teammate of hers. "...To be a shinobi means to protect your village at all costs. The moment we enrolled in the academy we lost our background status. We were no longer just an Uchiha, Hyuga or any other clan."
Kakashi nodded in rare agreement to the boys statement. "Maa...obviously this is bound to create some conflict..."
"But Shisui...what about your clan?" Itachi asked, a bit confused and the older boy smiled up at him.
"Itachi. You'll realize it fully one day. Shinobi...despite all differences have to have one main goal."
To protect the younger generation. The children. The smiling youth of their village.
It was a sacrifice they had to take. One to engrave in their hearts. To be ready to die to protect their village at all costs. After enduring so many deaths, it was something Sakura came to realize.
...perhaps...shinobi would never realize it unless they've lost so much there was nothing else to live for.
Such was their reality.
As Sakura stared between the two boys she came to a sudden realization. Itachi's actions that night...the one that spurred to protect his village from a civil war...could it have stemmed from Shisui?
The pink haired girl didn't really know Shisui's background story and official reports stated he committed suicide one day out of the blue. He was often seen with Uchiha Itachi and went frequently on missions together. In a way...it could be said that the reason Itachi learned to love and cherish his little brother so much ...was because of his own big brother.
'Uchiha Shisui huh...?' She thought as a hint of a smile began to make its way to her face. 'Itachi kun. I could be wrong...but did your ideals stem from him?'
"Right now...even though we have been ordered to spy on Sakura chan, we haven't been ordered to stay away have we? Both sides have cloaked a near false aura of trust towards each other." Shisui explained, "We will continue to take messages back and forth while trying to solve this delicate issue. While I'm definitely against the council, my heart lies with the village. And I'll do anything in my power to protect it."
"...I think you just earned my respect Shisui." Sakura cut him off with a coy smile and the boy blinked owlishly.
"MAA~ REALLY~?" He shot up immediately then without warning he had shed his serious aura. As did he strip the seriousness of the entire conversation. Kakashi's expression grew deadpanned.
"...just when I was starting to think you possessed above average intelligence..."
"Don't be a jackass Kakashi. My flower just complimented me."
"That aside..." the copy ninja rolled his visible eye, "...we're going to go with your idea. Keep taking the information back to our respective sources. But what kind of information do we to relay?"
"...If I may interject..." The pinkette raised her hands, mildly annoyed that they were discussing about her without letting her choose. "...I vouch to be on the Uchiha's good side."
Everyone stared at her with a mix of expressions and she raised an eyebrow as Itachi stared between her and Shisui. "...I'm not sure which on of you both to listen to." he admitted quietly.
"...Shisui. I understand where you're coming from. But the wisest decision right now to be trusting your clan. If I trust your clan...then I'll have saved Konoha. You'll know fully once I explain what happened to the Uchiha our duty is to our village. And there are stubborn people within the Uchiha...but the cause of that is the council. Just do as I say." She paused, "...please. Shisui."
"..."
"...I understand why Sarutobi sama chose this decision. I've already explained most of the story to him...and he's not taking me out of your clans care is because he knew this was the correct decision. To show that he doesn't trust the elders...especially Danzo." This would be so much easier if she knew more details. But Naruto and Sasuke were the ones who got involved the most. And she couldn't ask dead men how to make her choices.
"But to openly express that..." Kakashi interjected with a frown, "...its not exactly wise."
"There is no choice." Sakura muttered. '...They were the ones who ordered Itachi to massacre his clan.' she thought bitterly.
"I still don't understand how sticking with the Uchiha will be the same thing as protecting Konoha...but alright. You're the leader in this operation." The short haired Uchiha sighed, finally relenting. "...so what should we do?"
"I'm not sure how to proceed completely..." she admitted hesitantly, knowing very well that hastiness might lead to their downfall. "But for now keep reporting our missions and how I act around to both. Normal day to day activities." she waved her hand around with a grin."You know."
"Like what?" Itachi inquired curiously and her grin widened.
"Like...this." she reached out to pull his cheeks as wide as it could go and Shisui burst out laughing at his flustered expression. If it were one thing, he always enjoyed people like Sakura teasing his quiet friend.
"Day one. The suspect pulls Itachi Uchiha's cheeks." Kakashi narrated quietly in all seriousness. "Itachi responds by timidly freezing in place as usual and all the blood in his body rushing to his face. Mainly because he's the only one being teased at the moment."
"...You guys..."
"Lighten up 'Tachi kun." She sneered as she released his cheeks, only to bring her palms together to squish them together and he stared at her, half bemused that she could so easily entertain herself by playing with his face. He didn't really have the heart to tell her to stop either, considering she looked utterly worn out under her mischievous grin. He swore if she did this in front of his father...
All of a sudden, Kakashi jerked his head sideways and everyone turned to him. "Someone is coming."
On cue, a masked shinobi landed in front of them and Sakura squinted at him. He was clearly an ANBU of the Hokage. There was something about his brown hair that caught her interest. "Taichou." He addressed respectfully. His deep voice sounded rather familiar to her as well. "...The hokage requests all your presence at the mansion right now."
"Thank you. We'll be right there."
The ANBU raised his head and then, faltered in place. "Uhm..." he focused his gaze towards the scene between the long haired Uchiha and the pinkette. She was now pulling and pushing his cheeks into weird expressions while he stood wordlessly -both of them ignoring his very presence. "...Am I interrupting something?"
Hiruzen had a migraine.
A severe migraine steeping in with annoyance.
The council was officially on his bad side and vice versa. He knew that sooner or later they'd arrive with a storm but all the same, he felt annoyed at the thought at they'd interfere. 'It can't be helped though I suppose...' he thought as he sat silently in his office, his hands folded in front of his face. 'After all...I'm not known for taking brash decisions.'
Soon after he had denied that she go after Orochimaru, she had approached him yet again. Only to be turned out again. Finally around midnight last night she popped in unannounced -this time to complete her tale. And for the second time in his life, he was gripped with helplessness and fear through it. She was a medic nin, but it was now blatantly obvious why she was anxious.
The Uchiha massacre.
At the hands of the ever so gentle and kind boy -Uchiha Itachi.
'...All because I was unable to do anything...' he squeezed his eyes shut as he recalled her full tale. He was determined to prevent the massacre at all costs this time and his resolve to work with the Uchiha was stronger. Koharu and Homaru may be his friends, and Danzo his teammate, but there was a place where he had to draw the line. He couldn't sit by and wait anymore.
Not after he heard how Danzo reportedly harvested several sharingans after the massacre and even stole Shisui's eye while he was still alive -forcing him to entrust his remaining sharingan to his friend before jumping down a gushing waterfall and being crushed by the rocks.
These were crimes he couldn't accuse Danzo of -they haven't happened yet.
And they couldn't.
Tsunade had sent her prized pupil back in time to prevent a major catastrophe from gripping the world. 'But then...not everything matches up. Why didn't Tsunade use it herself?' The doubt plagued his mind. Ever since the loss of her lover and brother, all she's wanted was to bring them back. So why didn't she use the opportunity to turn herself back in time?
He began to think through her explanation carefully.
According to Sakura, both Naruto and Sasuke died but Konoha was somewhat peaceful after that. Suna remained a close alley of Konohas but other villages weren't so relenting. With Naruto's death, the kyuubi had to be extracted yet again and sealed in another person -this time in a near vegetative young kunoichi who couldn't speak nor respond due to the war trauma. And was locked in a sealed fortress underground.
It was an emergency sealing and done without much thought.
The knowledge that the kyuubi was now sealed in a defenseless child somehow spread and there were constant attacks on leaf nin and the village to try stealing the kyuubi for themselves. Tsunade being as kind as she was, was unwilling to extract the kyuubi and seal it in another person for it would result in the death of the young girl.
'Perhaps..perhaps she stayed back to overlook the village while Sakura attempted to change things around...' he reasoned. But there was still a nagging doubt in his mind. There was something she was hiding -or was it that she told him everything Tsunade made her see? 'No...she wouldn't manipulate anyone like that...'
With a heavy sigh, he ran his hands through his hair.
...He was becoming heavily paranoid with all this. It was hard not to -considering the fact that ever since the pink haired girl unceremoniously fell from the sky, his entire head had been messier than usual. "I'm too old for this..." he grumbled as he reached for the cup of tea beside him. It had been comfortably hot when his assistant delivered it to him. He cringed as he took a sip. It was lukewarm. Again.
He needed to call his assistant for a refill once more.
Before he could even think of calling however, the door to the office opened and the boy stepped in again. "...Well you're getting good." he mumbled. The shinobi blinked, confused momentarily before straightening his posture.
"Team Heiwa has arrived."
...couldn't they have arrived after he got his dose of caffeine?
"...send them in." he let out a petulant sigh.
The children shuffled in noiselessly and he sat wordlessly as they arranged themselves in an orderly line -something he was grateful for. His headache was already off the charts. "Fuiji. Please leave." he uttered quietly, motioning the assistant to leave the room. As the door closed behind him, he stood up, his robe gently scraping the edges of the chair. "...I have called you in here for something very important."
"A mission?" Shisui asked.
"...Yes. But before that I need to tell you all something." Folding his arms behind his back, he walked around the edge of the table. "Sakura. I'm aware that you informed Fugaku san that you trained under Tsunade Senju."
"Yes. She makes no appearances in Konoha until...well...Sasuke of this world turned 13. So I presumed it would be safe to reveal that information." she paused in place as a sudden realization struck her. "...is there a problem?" she asked hesitantly. Perhaps she should've kept that information hidden?
"...Quite." he said quietly, "...The council demands to know your origins."
"...Make up a cover story." She frowned. She couldn't see what was wrong with that. The government covered up plenty of stories here and there with good cover ups -why should they make an exception for this one? "They'll have to accept that right?"
"No. I've decided that we need to give you a stable footing." The four glanced at each other, confused, "...Which brings us to your mission. I want you to track down Tsunade and convince her to return to Konoha as your teacher."
Sakura's eyes widened imperceptibly at his proclamation. "What?!"
Averting his eyes from the shellshocked girl was now demanding explanations to Kakashi's blank expression, he conveyed a silent message in remainder of the talk between him and Sakura the night before.
-Flashback-
"...Conceal it from him?"
"Please. He cannot know of it." She spoke quietly, her face marred with a worried frown. "...If we're going to prevent the massacre then its better if we don't tell him. He's as you said...an extremely gentle and kind soul. I cannot bear to tell him. And I request you hide it too."
With a heavy sigh, Sarutobi moved to the other side of his bedroom, glancing out the window. "...You put me in a difficult position Sakura. Itachi is your teammate. And although he was not responsible for the massacre in any way...he played a significant role in the war. If we don't tell him that, then what shall we tell him?" he glanced back to her, "There will be questions forming in his head child. Though just a child he has the intuition of a Hokage. Why do you think hes already a chuunin?"
"...Leave the cover up to me Hokage sama." She pleaded, "All I ask is that we proceed without telling the boys who did it. We're going to tell Itachi and Shisui that everyone they knew and loved died. They don't need to know that it was their hands-"
"...Sakura. You're forgetting that without telling him who it was is going to put you in a fix. Sasuke was spared. But why? He won't take mere mockery for an answer and even if he does, he'll burn with rage." He rebutted with a mild glare. "You'll need a pretty good cover up to fix that up. What about the fact that not only was his life spared, the faceless man continued to edge him on until the child grows up to kill him? And that after murdering the man in cold blood he turned his focus to destroying Konoha?!"
She bit her lip, thinking hard for a long time.
He was right. By excluding Itachi's prominent role out of her tale, there were several loopholes they couldn't fill in. But she couldn't tell him all the same. He didn't need to be put through the torture again.
"...We will exclude that he tried to crush Konoha." she finally decided. "...Sasuke wasn't spared. He was miscalculated that night by the shinobi who murdered everyone."
"...Miscalculated?"
"...Sasuke went to a friends house after academy instead of going straight home against his fathers wishes." Sakura spoke quickly, "...And he ended up sleeping there instead and it was dark out when he woke up. Upon rushing home...he saw the massacre and rushed home where he saw his mother...father...and brother..." She swallowed hard. "...Lying in a pool of blood."
"...So. You want me to tell him that he died that night."
"...Yes. He died under interrogation. After he told the man that there were no survivors left to protect Sasuke." she lowered her gaze to the ground, "...it isn't a half lie."
"But it isn't the truth."
"Would you rather that cheerful boy lose his sanity?" her emerald eyes darkened as she raised them to meet his. "According to you...the deaths he had witnessed as a young baby was what turned him like this. I have witnessed what Sasuke went through. I want him to grow up with his kind big brother."
"..."
"Please."
There was no choice. He hadn't seen the future as she had. With a heavy sigh, he nodded slowly in agreement.
"...Then...I leave this to you Sakura..." his gaze wandered to the wordless shinobi standing in the dark corner. "...And Kakashi. Do you agree with this adjustment?"
His crimson pupil gleamed brightly in the blue moonlight and Sakura turned around slowly, meeting his narrowed eyes with a blank yet forceful expression. Hardened emerald eyes met a striking sharingan and he unfolded his arms from his chest, standing up straight. "...Yes, Hokage sama."
Q&A section/Authors notes.
Is it a trick? A genjutsu? A LAPSE OF INSANITY?!
Nope. It's just me -updating on time for once. Now pigs can fly, Shino is happy to go lucky and Sasuke hates tomatoes.
There are a few questions that have been imposed on me since the last chapter and I'd like to devote this section to mostly answering them.
~First of all, the name (Heiwa) I gave to the new team literally translates as 'Peace'. I'm aware that I could've done better but I reckoned it was better than giving them a numbered team. Besides...Shisui would've never allowed an uninteresting name. Considering the role they are taking on, I saw it as fitting.
This one is rather popular. Several of you inbox me constantly by saying that I made Itachi's character OOC. Quite wrong. He's the only character in this story who retains most of his original personality. Itachi as a child was known to be a quiet yet well mannered, kind hearted and gentle child. Even Kishimoto had informed us in an official statement that Itachi's character was considered too kind to be a shinobi.
In the flashbacks Sasuke got during the manga AND anime series, Itachi was shown to be a mirthful character though not in the bubbly way. He smiled a lot and even occasionally laughed. And for those arguments that go, 'But thats only with Sasuke!' I suggest you refer to the shippuden arcs which reveal the full story behind the massacre. The scene of the meeting in this story is a direct reference to the anime episode where Itachi does the same exact thing and gets praised by Shisui to which he smiles. In another episode where he attends an ANBU mission with Kakashi, when the latter instructed him to eat a soldier pill and reminds him of the difference between a normal shinobi and an ANBU he replies, "Its okay. I really don't mind." with a smile.
In another flashback showed an academy aged Itachi coming home and Sasuke pouncing on him, demanding that he plays with him. When Mikoto reprimanded her eldest son he protested with her with a grin and promised to do it after playtime. After which the two brothers shared a mischievous smile.
In fact, Itachi's character was shown to be smiling a lot throughout the entire anime and manga -a lot more than any other Uchiha character.
And in another depiction in the manga, during the final fight the Uchiha brothers did with Kabuto, Itachi was shown making jokes which further hint on his playful nature. For those who haven't read it yet, he called Sasuke "Dr. Snakes" because of his knowledge on snake nature.
All this combined I came to the conclusion that Itachi's true nature is as depicted here. Now on the topic of him letting Sakura constantly tease him, I'll have to refer to Shisui. During the anime, Itachi remarked that Naruto was alike to his best friend. While it could be a reference to his ideals and not his personality, I still saw it fitting to give him one opposite of Itachi's. In the Naruto anime/manga, its commonplace that friends should be polar opposites.
Hence when Sakura teases him on and off he simply goes with it because 1) He's a playful child 2) he's probably used to Shisui's antics and 3) He's just a kid.
Yes, yes I know the thing about being raised from the cradle to be a highly analytical and a genius shinobi, but don't forget that just because he's smarter than your average kid doesn't mean he can't laugh and have fun like any other child.
THAT established, we move to Sakura.
~ A lot is confused by Sakura's constant changes in personality. Is she a playful imp or an unforgiving murderous kunochi?
Let's consider how Itachi behaved before and after the massacre. His true personality was hidden behind a blank face because he couldn't find himself to be happy. He had no true friends. He was alone and dying. And yet when he met Sasuke he smiled again. His revealing of personality depended on the situation and the person he was with.
I bought in Sakura during the exact time the elders were forcing her to become Hokage. In Sakura's heart, she firmly believed that Naruto was the one who should take on the role of the Hokage. Not her. She had not gotten over the death of her teammates even years after and still hasn't. And so when this impossible request was placed upon her she simply burst. Even a gentle person will erupt given circumstances. Goading a person to a corner does that.
Now in various parts of the story I have comically displayed some sadistic tendencies of our pink haired heroine. Trauma's affect people differently -in Sakura's case, I turned her cynical. Why? Simply because of the fact that she had always tried to catch up to her teammates but in the end they ended up slipping from her fingers forever. Even Kakashi was cynical following the death of his father. Besides...with the constant attacks on Konoha she couldn't afford to slip up.
Given her quick temper and alike, its only fitting she snaps one way or another.
Now that she has new friends she's allowing herself to be playful in one way or another. Remember -Sakura is mostly just a female version of Naruto with a higher temper. Refer to the times she internally enjoyed Naruto's pranks and tendencies to fool around throughout the anime. But she doesn't share Naruto's quickly forgiving nature. She's kind, yes, but she's not as easily forgiving as Naruto.
While Naruto would've forgiven the character who killed his friends/teacher (hearing their backstory of course), Sakura would most definitely not. She said it herself that she's not so easily forgiving. So despite that she's starting to enjoy frolicking around with her new teammates, she still has her goal in mind. She'd prevent the massacre and the bad guy from achieving his goals. Sasuke would not leave Konoha. Naruto would have a family.
These are the ideals she currently has.
The ending of this chapter was a reminder of her resolve. She is not willing to bend it. Right now, Sakura considers herself as a shinobi of the leaf first, before she considers herself a person.
I hope that I've covered most of your doubts personality-wise. Feel free to inbox me again to clarify~
Your reviews encourage me to keep writing~
Owari~