A/N: Pardon the delay. Busy busy recently XD
The elder visits the Uchiha compound early in the morning on the same day of each month, but until now, Sakumo has not seen it with his own eyes. Curiousity has the two ghosts trailing after Danzou, wondering what could possibly motivate such an unsentimental man to make a trip like this.
It is early enough that the sun is barely risen, and the streets empty. The only ones to see his arrival in the compound are the Uchiha Police posted at the gates. They do not acknowledge each other; each turning their gaze away from the other as if in mutual distaste. It might not be too far from the truth, Sakumo thinks, which only deepens his bewilderment.
They enter the Uchiha shrine by the time dawn breaks outside, leaving the tiles painted in reds and oranges but the rest of the hulking butsudan shrouded in shadow. The cold of the night still lingering in the stonework, and Rin shivers.
Even Danzou makes a sound of disapproval. "Tsk." A few hand seals and a quick breath of flame light up the doused candles, brightening up the large room considerably. The old ancestral plaques, their carved names well protected with a layer of lacquer, sit on the butsudan in towering tiers like the thousand hands of kannon, goddess of mercy.
"You shouldn't have come, old friend," murmurs a weary voice, and the ghosts startle badly. From the upper shelves of the butsudan, Kagami sits with his legs dangling— a terribly disrespectful posture, if not for the fact that he is one of those enshrined here. The Uchiha ghost smiles faintly at Sakumo and Rin. "And you two, either."
"I-I apologise," Sakumo stutters, and Rin squeaks the same.
Kagami shakes his head, turning back to Danzou, who has lighted a few sticks of incense. Feeling like an intruder, Sakumo backs out of the shrine and back into the sun, Rin close on his heels. If the rumours Shikaku had mentioned holds any truth, Sakumo does not want to know what they may have to say to one another.
Conflicted and confused, Sakumo and Rin take a seat on the stone steps outside. Having been built on a raised part of land, the shrine overlooks most of the Uchiha compound. The place has a certain kind of charm to it, like a village within a village.
There are children sprinting down the streets already, their backpacks bumping against the back of their knees as they race each other towards the Academy. The police from the night shift have handed over their posts to the next shift, yawning as they duck into one of the stalls for breakfast before heading home. The stall-owner greets them energetically, and opposite the street, the grocer's first customers have arrived. A kunoichi titters with her friend as she picks out some ripened tomatoes, and—
It is peaceful.
They watch the clouds pass by, admiring in low murmurs how the remaining shades of pink are blending into the usual grey-blues of the sky. Kakashi would be doing his morning exercises with his team by now, and hopefully enjoying the same crisp morning air.
"Caw, caw!" A large crow, big enough to fit into both of Sakumo's hands, announces its arrival as it lands on the steps. It bounces up a few more steps before peerinig down, its claws tip-tapping impatiently against marble as it caws again. Sakumo glances over as well and smiles.
The curly-haired Uchiha boy walking up the steps is Uchiha Shisui, another genius who had been through the Third War as well, at an age even younger than Kakashi. He has grown up well in the time since, but he is still yet a boy. "Be patient!" he scolds his summon, a grin on his face.
"Caw." The crow cocks its head, fixing a beady eye on the Uchiha. You're slow.
The boy laughs softly under his breath and passes by Sakumo, scooping up his crow into his arms as he does. The ghost would have warned him of Danzou if he could, but it soon turns out that he needn't have worried.
"Shisui," Danzou greets in a startlingly warm voice as he emerges from the shrine. Kagami is nowhere to be seen.
"Danzou-sama," Kagami's grandson says with a bow. "Thank you for visiting Grandpa."
"He is a good friend. How is your mother?"
"As always. Still grieving over Father."
Danzou pats Shisui's head, even though the boy is already a jounin. "You're better than your father."
"Thank you, Danzou-sama. But it is alright, I understand Mother's feelings."
The elder sighs. "If you say so. If you need anything, you know where you can find me."
Shisui shuffles his feet. "Actually, I do have a request."
"Oh?"
"Would you make me an ANBU?"
Danzou's forehead creases. "That would be difficult, Shisui. You are far too young."
The boy is undeterred. "If I'm old enough to fight in the Third War, then I am old enough to be in ANBU. The tensions between the Uchiha clan and the rest of Konoha are not good for anyone— but if I can take up a position in ANBU, maybe I can help with that. Fugaku-sama and the elders have been worried about Uchiha representation in ANBU. I know many people don't trust the Uchiha, but at least you can trust me, right?"
The elder's face softens. "I can trust you. But I can't trust that the others won't try to use you. I don't want you to be caught in between."
"I'm an Uchiha and I'm a Konoha-nin. I won't be able to escape it even if I tried." There's a thread of despair in his voice. "Please, Danzou-sama? Consider it?"
"No. Stay out of this and stay low. If you get involved, I don't know if I can protect you."
"Protect me...?" Shisui's large eyes grow wider. "Danzou-sama... what's going to happen?"
The elder's expression darkens. "Only what is inevitable."
"Danzou-sama..."
The conversation is over. "Take care of your mother," Danzou advises, already heading down the steps. "And take as many missions out of Konoha as you can. I will consider making you ANBU if things are better in a few years."
"...understood," Shisui murmured, hanging his head. His crow preens at his hair, cawing softly at him as it does. With a dejected sigh, he strokes his summon's head and disappears using the Shunshin that he's famous for.
Sakumo and Rin stare at the single black feather left behind, wondering what all this means.
"The Hokage has been attacked!" Gazelle reports in a shout as she bursts into Danzou's office and falls to one knee.
Kakashi shoots to his feet, shock written all over his face. "What?!" A page of his research flutters to the ground, but he doesn't even glance at it.
"Report," Danzou commands, setting down the upcoming meeting's agenda. There's a glint in his eye.
"Six attackers of unidentified allegiance ambushed the Hokage on the way to the Daimyo, sir. None of them were caught."
"Injuries and losses?"
"One dead, sir. Most are injured. The Hokage suffered a non-fatal injury but is unconscious and being treated."
Rin's hand flies to her mouth. "Sage...!"
With a nod, Danzou stands and begins to gather his things. "Very well. Then it is just as well that we are proceeding with the clan heads' meeting. We will address this matter then, so meet us there."
"Yes sir!" Gazelle flashes away and Danzou pauses by the doorway.
"Hmm."
"Sir?" Kakashi asks urgently. "Should we send a team to investigate?"
"I'm sure the jounin commander has already done so." The elder turns to Kakashi, his expression severe. "Kakashi, if you're still loyal to ROOT despite the... interesting things you have been saying to my shinobi, I will need your cooperation today."
"...sir?"
"There are two great threats to Konoha's progress. One is Hiruzen's incompetence and pacifism. The other is the Uchihas' arrogance. Both of them must be dealt with. Today, we will not waste time pandering to them."
"This is completely ridiculous!" Fugaku snarls, his palm coming down hard on the table. Kakashi flinches in his seat. "What evidence do you have that my clan had anything to do with the incident?"
"Other than the fact that the same Mokuton that was used during the Kyuubi attack appeared again during this one?" Danzou narrows his eyes. "There was an Uchiha ANBU on the team, too. The only one uninjured."
"Bullshit," Fugaku growls, a vein at his temple throbbing as the colour of his irises pulsed. The other clan heads, as well as Gazelle and the jounin commander, carefully avoid his angry glare. "In case you didn't know, Uchihas don't have Mokuton. This is a set up."
"Uchiha-dono, please calm yourself," Chouza says warily.
Still trembling with rage, Fugaku drops back into his seat, his hand coming up to massage his forehead as he squeezes his eyes shut. Knowing how it can feel to be the target of everyone's disapprobation, Sakumo grimaces in sympathy.
With the appearance of Mokuton, which is surely Kinoe's, Sakumo is certain that the attack on the Hokage is Danzou's doing. However, Fugaku's temper is not helping him.
"Inevitable," Danzou had said to Shisui. But what is his end game? Nothing good can come out of fanning tensions like this, not unless Danzou wants civil war.
But surely that cannot be it. Despite Danzou's own personal prejudices, he would never weaken Konoha like that. Both Rin and himself agree.
If his aim is to weaken the Uchiha, then he is taking this too far.
"We will have to take precautions," the elder declares. "Before investigations are completed and suspicions are cleared against the Uchiha clan, it is only right to suspend all Uchiha ANBU."
Fugaku's grip on the edge of the table becomes white-knuckled. "I object. There is no need to take such drastic measures when we are not even certain whether the suspicions are founded."
"You are putting the cart before the horse, Fugaku-dono," Danzou retorts snappily. "If we have to determine whether these suspicions are well-founded before acting, then these investigations are necessary anyway."
'Not necessarily,' Sakumo muses, even though he can see the other people wavering in the face of Danzou's twisting words. 'Fugaku is just asking for better reasons than a jutsu that isn't even his clan's and an uninjured clan member.' It should be up to Danzou to prove his accusations, not for Fugaku to prove his clansmen's innocence in the face of any random accusation that is thrown at them. Presumption of innocence, or something like that— but the people have since grown fearful of the Uchiha.
"Does Hokage-sama have anything to say about this?" Hiashi asks, frowning at Gazelle.
"He is in the hospital, sir. He is not available to make comment."
"Ibiki and I have a joint team travelling to the site now," Inoichi offers, his fingers clasped before him. "Perhaps we should wait for their return before making any hasty decisions."
"Time is of the essence," jounin commander Shikane advises. "Your team will not be back before tomorrow afternoon. Furthermore, there is no reason why internal investigations cannot proceed in parallel." Shikaku gives his older cousin a frown, but Shikane ignores him and continues. "Pardon me, Fugaku-sama. I have spoken to ANBU Commander Ox and we have agreed a temporary suspension is necessary for us to carry out investigations effectively. Please rest assured that once your clan's name has been cleared, your clansmen will be restored to their positions. With your permission, sir."
Of course, this is but a courtesy. It does not really matter whether Fugaku gives his permission or not; ANBU is under the Hokage's sole jurisdiction. They are his personal forces, after all. In the Hokage's absence, the jounin and ANBU commanders have the authority to make decisions on Hiruzen's behalf.
Fugaku knows this.
"Fine," he grinds between clenched teeth, his chair clattering back as he stands and stalks out of the room. "Do what you will."