7th Year of Danzo's Rule
Sasuke watched as the Root shinobi marched the members of the Uchiha Police Force out of the compound. His mother's trembling hand gripped his shoulder and shoved him behind her. His cousins, uncles, the men that greeted him every time he use to visit his father at the station, who helped him with his training and homework, who told him jokes and stories were all leaving. The looked haggard and wary, but kept their postures strong. He saw his cousin Shisui turn and give him a gentle smile and a wink as he walked by, but Sasuke could only stare and try not to cry. Itachi was further down the road, nodding to each former police member as they passed, his face for once not emotionless, but solemn and determined.
Uchiha civilians and the remaining shinobi had all lined the street leading outside the compound to hail goodbye to the police force. Seven years of fighting and losing kept them from revolting now. Late last night, he had heard Itachi telling their mother that across the village, other members of the resistance were being torn from their homes and sent to the Root training camp also. Then he'd been quickly caught in his eavesdropping.
Instead of reprimanding him though, Kaa-san just said, "Sasuke, you will attend a special meeting with me three nights from now. But you mustn't share what you hear with anyone. I'm sure you've learned the importance of secrecy at the academy?"
Itachi had been surprised and slightly angry. "Kaa-san, please, don't involve Sasuke."
"I can do it!" Sasuke yelled at his brother before being shushed. "I'm not a baby, Itachi. We work hard at the academy."
Their mother stopped them from starting an argument. "Itachi, with Fugaku leaving, Sasuke is going to need to help. I can't keep it a secret from him for too much longer, he already knows something is going on. Sasuke, you're going to be given an important job. At this meeting, I want you to memorize everyone's face; you'll be running messages between us."
It was then that Sasuke's father arrived. His eyes dimmed as Kaa-san informed him of Sasuke's new task, but he smiled sadly and ruffled his hair. "You're going to be a brave shinobi, Sasuke. You're quick, and nimble and keen, but please be careful too."
Sasuke had felt his breath catch. His father rarely gave praise. Fugaku had then lifted Sasuke on his hip like he used to before Sasuke attended the academy and went to take him upstairs to his room. As he leaned over him in the dark to pull the blankets up, Sasuke felt something warm and wet drip onto his face, and in a fit of childish fear he grabbed his father's sleeve.
"Tou-san, don't leave."
But Fugaku just gently kissed his forehead and cracked the bedroom door behind him.
Sasuke finally spotted his father in the rows of the former police. He looked as proud and solemn as always, and he didn't turn toward him or his mother as he passed. He didn't look toward Itachi either. He just left. Head held high, footsteps firm, and only the memory of the previous night to remind Sasuke that Fugaku loved his family.
Itachi finally joined them and Sasuke realized that he wasn't even as tall as their mother yet. He stepped closer to his brother. "Do you have time to train with me, nii-san? Before you get too busy with the clan?"
"A half-hour, Sasuke." He poked him in the forehead with two fingers and guided Sasuke to the training fields. "We'll be back soon, Kaa-san."
When Sasuke arrived the next day at the academy, his peers were all staring at him. He took off his curfew-exemption card and placed it on a hook with his backpack. Today's extracurricular study was strategy. Which really meant they all played games. Sasuke started to make his way across from Shino and his Go board, knowing that the other boy wouldn't question him too much, but Ino stopped him.
"Sasuke, I think we all need to discuss what happened over the weekend."
Sasuke scowled. "The members of the Uchiha Police Force were sent to the Root training camp. That's all."
"No, its not!" Ino's voice was shrill. "My father was taken as well. And Kiba's sister. You already know that Shikamaru's father and Hinata's uncle were arrested a long time ago. I think we all need to share what we know, figure out what's going on, and do something about it!"
Shikamaru groaned. "Ino, whatever we do about it, if we can do anything, is going to have to be subtle. We're still academy students. Besides, this persecution has been going on at least since we were born."
"Still," Kiba interjected. "Ino's right, we should share what we know. Get all the information we can, right? My Kaa-san said more arrests are going to be made, we need to be prepared."
The eight of them stared at each other in the lamplight before shuffling closer at the large table. Surprisingly it was Hinata that started.
"I know th-that Root steals shinobi and orphaned children. The Hyuuga's have reports of Root members with the Byakugan that are speculated to be various orphans from the wars or the Kyuubi attack."
Hinata was not only referring to the shinobi wars before they were born, but the short-lived resistance, not quite a civil war, that occurred four years ago. Sasuke and his classmates were too young to remember, but Hinata's father, Choji's father, and many other various shinobi all died in the brief rebellion.
"I can attest to this," Shino shared. "The Aburame's have similar records of missing orphaned children and even two genin members that went MIA on separate missions, and investigations never found another hidden village or missing nin to be at fault. I assume that when we graduate from the academy and become genin we will have to be careful not to meet the same fate."
Sakura wrinkled her nose. "Hokage-sama is not trying to be subtle anymore. Root is so large now. Even my tou-san commented on how many 'white-faced bastards' have been roaming the village these days."
Choji glanced at Sakura. "Your tou-san shouldn't speak so poorly of the Root shinobi. Any village member, shinobi or civilian, will be severely punished for treasonous acts. I've seen it happen to several clan members. Upmost loyalty to the Hokage and the government is required...We should get back to strategy practice before Iruka-sensei arrives."
Sasuke watched his classmates stand to reorganize themselves around the games. He hesitated for a half-second before saying, "Wait. I should let you know I've been asked to attend a secret meeting two nights from tonight. I'm not sure it has much to do with this, but with all the precaution and secrecy for it, it is nothing small. I'm to run messages between its members eventually, and I can guess I'll pick up information while doing so."
With that, they split up, and Sasuke headed toward Shino and the Go board.
Kakashi was in the kitchen with Kisame. Of all the Akatsuki members, Kisame was the most entertaining, especially in the kitchen. He was currently trying to cook fish, but if the burnt scent wafting across the counter top and through Kakashi's mask was any indication, Kisame was failing.
"Maybe you should stick to seaweed and salads, Kisame-san. The cannibalistic diet doesn't seem to be working out."
Kisame growled. "I'm not a fish, you masked-bastard. Besides, anything I cook will be ten times better than what you cook, and I don't want to be eating ration bars the entire mission."
Kakashi just hummed and turned the page of his book. "Ooh!" He lifted his scratched hitai-ate away from Obito's eye to study the picture in the book closer. The book had a special seal on it that allowed for Jiraiya to contact him. Words only visible to a sharingan appeared on top of the picture. Uchiha police disbanded. Former members and suspects of Old Konoha sent to Root camp.
Well that was unfortunate news. At this rate Danzo's empire would eradicate Old Konoha. Four years ago, after the first and only rebellion and civil war against Danzo, too many members were lost. Jiraiya could no longer head the meetings and had to flee Konoha, leaving the sparse members to gradually regroup. Kakashi knew that his old friend, Gai, was a strong leader of Old Konoha, and he wondered if Uchiha Mikoto would take over her husband's place. He wished them strength and bravery. Though he longed to help his village, Kakashi knew that he would be more useful by waiting outside the walls as a criminal rather than in prison. A small part of him also wondered if he could ever live life as a normal, loyal-nin again though. All he had been through for Konoha, and both the freedoms and hardships he experienced as a missing-nin, the thought of such a regulated and settled lifestyle made his stomach churn. Kakashi abruptly shut his book and turned to his partner.
"Well, Kisame-san. Let's go find Deidara-san and persuade him to join our merry band of vicious outlaws. Maybe when we return, Tobi will have prepared us a proper meal."
Kakashi winked at the orange-masked nin entering the kitchen before hefting up his pack and following Kisame out the window.
