"The effort to understand the universe is one of the very few things that lifts human life a little above the level of farce, and gives it some of the grace of tragedy. " ~Steven Weinberg

The Cloudless Sky

Placing Blame,Death of Duty

.3

A tired sigh falls from her lips as she walks slowly down the street. Yesterday had been a much longer day than she had actually been prepared to deal with. It was probably her own fault for assuming that transitioning back to village life would have gone easily. How could she have known all that had gone wrong in her absence.

The easy answer was that she could not have. But that didn't change the fact that it all was absolution infuriating. As was the warning she received from the Sandaime about her tone. Shimari took it with a grain of salt. Because right now as far as she was concerned that man could go and shove it. There was absolutely no excuse for negligence.

Shimari shook her head softly and kept on her way. On to the next task she'd been given. At least this one would serve a purpose for herself. A lovely little gain for her pantry. Tomato jelly. She'd surely missed it in her travels.

Finally something to be happy about since returning. Shimari continued in the direction of the secluded Uchiha district. Not where it had once been, pushed off to the side away from the rest of the village. Which meant Shimari had a long walk from her apartment which she'd run back by to change before heading to the Uchiha district.

The obvious signs of resentment from the village to the Uchiha clan growing ever more apparent by the second. It wouldn't have taken a genius to figure out that they'd eventually grow disdain and want to revolt. Why it took a fifthteen year old boy confessing a crime he had not yet committed and a very tired ANBU agent to prove it was beyond her.

Shimari reminded herself of the tomato jelly she was finally going to get to eat to keep her own emotions and feelings in check. She might have been a Nara by birth and blood but the Uchiha were practically her second family. This whole ridiculous thing was making her irrationally angry. To see them treated with such mistrust and ill will, well obviously it hadn't made her happy in the slightest.

"Stop." Shimari couldn't help but raise her brow at the voice. A rather young boy, probably twelve, maybe a little older but still young and still a boy. He has a serious demeanor.

"Excuse me?"

"I said stop, you can't just waltz into the Uchiha district. You have to sign in at the entry point." He motions to the small kiosk set behind them. Ah.. well his seriousness made sense.

But sign in? Seriously? Shimari had never in her entire life had to sign in.

"Ah… and what if I say no?" The preteen flailed his arms at her. He pointed a finger at her face.

"Look lady, random villagers can't just come waltzing in here and all willy nilly. You could get lost. So we need to know who to be on the lookout for." Shimari chuckled, patting his head in what might have been a patronizing manner. But she herself didn't consider it to be one.

"That's a good policy for villagers. But I think i'll be okay, it would be a terrible shame if a jonin couldn't find their way around a single district." The kid deflated, still glaring at her intensely.

"You still have to sign in jonin or not." He crossed his arms pouting almost.

"Yeah, I really don't. Signing my location point could really infringe upon my personal safety. What if an enemy assassin got inside the village and was tracking me, he'd have a written record of where I had been. Now if you are so inclined could possibly point me in the direction of Kasari's produce stall?" Shimari watched as he tried to come up with a possible argument, fail and then reluctantly point.

"All vendors are that way, Oba-kasari's stall is in the middle. If you get lost, lady it's on you." Shimari just smiled.

"I'll take my chances, thank you."

…

One semi-tearful reunion and two jars of tomato jelly later Shimari was headed towards the direction of the main house. As she walked up to the gate what she would consider a loud commotion, lots of yelling and harsh tones came to an abrupt stop. Two men hastily exit the property followed by who she could only guess was the young man Itachi had grown into.

"Well they didn't seem very nice." She points out dryly, Shimai could probably guess what that was all about. He gives her a quizzical look. But is saved from having to interact by his mother who steps out, takes one look at her and offers her a giant smile.

"Shimari! I can't believe it's you! It's so good to see you." The Uchiha matron throws her arms around the other woman. Shimari smiles into Mikoto's shoulders.

Knowing that in a few short minutes she would not be this happy about her return. Shimari didn't want to be the devil's advocate, but unfortunately she just did not have a choice. "It's good to see you as well Mikoto." They pull away from one another, the smile on Shimari's face slowly fading.

"What brings you here Shimari?" Mikoto finally asks.

"I have an urgent message from the Hokage for both you and Fugaku. Is there somewhere we can speak more privately than the middle of the street?" It was as tactful as she could manage given the situation. Shimari felt sick with herself for having to do this to them.

"The Hokage? Of course, luckily Fugaku is home now. Itachi, why don't you take Sasuke and go to the training field." The teen nods, heading in front of the two women to retrieve his brother as told.

"Come now Shimari follow me." Shimari follows easily, shoving a hand in her pocket casually.

They catch Fugaku in the midst of heading back out. Shimari offers him a small smile. "Sorry to interrupt your day Fugaku-sama but I have urgent matters to discuss with you on behalf of the Hokage. It should only take a moment or two." He sighs but nods motioning for her to come inside. They settle quickly in his study, Fugaku at his desk Mikoto beside him and Shimari standing opposite of her friends.

"Well what is this urgent message?" Impatience and slight upset lingering on his tongue. Shimari pulls the scroll from her pack. Her throat catches,she clears it before speaking.

These people before her are her friends. And what is happening is horrible. And there was no nice and tactful way to go about what she must do now. In order for justice to reside in this village and peace to remain it was what had to be done. The worst part of all was that she knew they would hate her for the role she played here. Shimari prayed that one day they would forgive her.

"The Sandaime is requesting your presence tomorrow to discuss the information ANBU received in regards to a plan in the making for the Uchiha clan to turn and revolt against the Leaf village. ANBU will be stationed all around the compound until the foreseeable future, you two will both receive your own guard until the Hokage determines it is unneeded. In the events that any member of your clan tries to see through with what plans are in the making all hopes of a better tomorrow die. Until further notice you are both being treated as guilty, it is within your best interest to comply with the changes that are being set in place for now." Fugaku threw the scroll across the room, his eyes wild. Mikoto lays a hand on his shoulder,gentle, reassuring.

"We will comply with these terms, and pray that our meeting in the morning clears the air. Thank you Shimari. I'm glad that it was you." Fugaku clears his throat, leveling his mind of anger.

Rational thought comes back,clear mind. He sighs before nodding his head in agreement to his wife's statement. "Is there anything else for us Nara-san?" But the ice is still dancing on his tongue and Shimari knows he will ever fully forgive her.

"One more thing, despite the current situation starting tonight if you wish you may go retrieve Uzumaki Naruto from the orphanage to care for, as his godparents. I should say that this is the village showing good faith or whatever, but it's not. This me, saying that I know, and I am so sorry that this is happening to you both. To your clan. I am so very sorry. Uzumak Naruto belongs with his godmother if she still wants to claim him." The look of pure sorrowful joy that encases Mikoto's face absolutely breaks Shimari's heart.

"Yes, yes, a million times yes. He belongs here with us, it's what Kushina and Minato would have wanted. We would never hurt him." Shimari just nods in agreement, watching Fugakuas he squeezes his wife's hand silently. Even in the midst of inner conflict he still loved her.

They still remembered their fallen friends. It was their love of their comrades that would ultimately save their clan. Love could become a great healer. Shimari left quietly, her job and message delivered.

Love reminding her of all the good things that could be. And yet she stalled just outside the gate of the Uchiha district. Thinking too hard about what love really could do. The not so nice things that happened because of love. What it did to people like her.

Love,for the people, for her friends, her family, love suddenly became the death of duty.

She would never trust the Sandaime again. Could never. How would it even be possible? With everything that he had and hadn't done.

Why had they made them suffer like this? When all the Uchiha ever wanted was to help this village. She would never understand why this had all been allowed to happen. And she would never forgive the third for letting it.

This was his fault.

XOXOX

Not much to say on this chapter, other than Thank you for reading!

I hope you all have a wonderful day!

Sincerely, LaRae