A/N: I humbly present: Chapter 41. I think a monthly update schedule might be easier for me to maintain. It gives me time to keep the ball rolling while I work on other stuff, as well. Thank you for your patience!

I don't own Naruto.


Chapter XLI: Long Shadow

"Captain Yamato, are you certain this is the right location?" the Hokage prompted.

A group of ANBU accompanied the Hokage, Yamato, and a couple of Hyūga members to the base of the Great Stone Faces. Among the Hyūga was Neji, who was still largely in the dark as to why he was summoned. The group stood before a seemingly empty part of the cliff face, waiting for their next orders while Yamato double checked a sheet of paper.

"I'm positive, Lady Hokage." He walked along the wall, his hand running across the warm rock as he did so. "It should be right…" The wood user stopped, his palm flat against the stone. "Here." He channeled chakra into the cliff face. Before their eyes, the stone opened like a door, revealing another door behind it, this one made of metal.

Tsunade's brow furrowed. "Get that door open. Now," she ordered. The blonde turned to the group of shinobi that accompanied them. "Once we're inside, search for any clues or documents that could contain even the smallest iota of evidence of any treason or sedition. Be thorough and be careful. We don't fully know what we've got here."

Just as she finished, the door creaked open. The ANBU squad flooded inside, immediately fanning out and scouring the underground bunker for any shred of evidence that could incriminate Danzō. The Hokage turned to the attaché of Hyūga. "You two are to assist the ANBU. Look for anything that could be hidden, in plain sight or otherwise."

Neji and the other Hyūga nodded wordlessly, following after the ANBU with their Byakugan activated.

"We have a team searching his home?" Tsunade asked Yamato.

"Yes, ma'am."

She heaved a sigh. "To think it would come to this…"


With his dōjutsu activated, Neji scanned the area for any evidence of hidden pathways, compartments, or rooms. The ROOT compound was larger than anyone expected. Despite it being nestled into the cliffside and mostly underground, there was a training ground, a mess hall, and a barracks large enough to house an entire company. There was also a section separated from the common rabble, presumably for officers and the organization's head.

The briefing said to be prepared for contact with potential hostiles, but the compound was essentially abandoned. Neji searched the mess hall and the living quarters but found nothing, not even personal effects. There were no signs of any struggles, either. What was most curious of all was the fact that many a locker and cabinet were left open. Whoever was here before clearly left in a hurry.

After searching the training grounds, Neji joined his kinsman in searching through the officers' area. Captain Yamato was close by, as were the ANBU, who were combing every square inch of the ROOT compound. Unfortunately, there wasn't much in the officers' quarters, either. Just like the barracks, there weren't even any personal items. Tsunade wasn't far behind Yamato; her brow seemed to be perpetually furrowed as she observed the fruitless search.

Finally, they entered what appeared to be the leader's personal quarters and office. Tsunade marched to the front of the group, turning and facing the ANBU and Hyūga with her intense honey eyes.

"Search every square inch of this place. No stone unturned. Clear?"

"Yes, ma'am!" The group said in unison.

With a conclusive nod of her head, she and the rest of the search party got to work, scouring the area. Unlike the previous locations, there were still items left in the office. The Hokage volunteered herself to enter the personal quarters first.

The room itself wasn't lavish by any means, but it was spacious enough that it was distinct from even the officers' quarters. There was a bed, a table, and a single chair. The only decoration in the room was a framed emblem of Konohagakure.

As Tsunade scanned the room, one thing caught her eye: the glint of a glass bottle on the table. She immediately zeroed in on it, swearing she recognized it from somewhere. She shuffled over, picking up the nearly empty bottle and examining it. The spirit it contained was golden, no doubt some type of plum wine or distilled grain spirit.

"Thunderhead Special Reserve," Tsunade read off the cream-colored label. Her brow furrowed as she examined the rest of the label. "Distilled by Rainwater Distillery…" She popped off the cork, taking a whiff of the liquor. The smell was instantly recognizable. Her eyes widened. "Captain!"

Yamato rushed in. "Lady Hokage?"

The blonde replaced the cork, presenting the bottle to the wood user. "This is a bottle of specialty rye whiskey."

The brunet shinobi blinked. "Y-yes?"

"More specifically, it's a whiskey that's distilled and bottled in one place only: the Land of Lightning."

Yamato nodded, a silence settling between them. After a tense moment, he finally found his voice. "Lady Tsunade, forgive me, but I'm not sure what significance this po—"

"This whiskey," she continued, shaking the bottle slightly, "is not cheap. It's not exported anywhere, at least not wholesale. Even if you were to have it imported, you'd need to special order it from the Land of Lightning. As a matter of fact, one of the only ways to get a bottle of this for yourself is to shell out the cash and special order it." Tsunade set the bottle back on the table, never breaking eye contact with Yamato. "Or…you receive it as a gift."

The gears in his head began turning, trying to piece together where the Hokage was going with this. After another moment of silence, Tsunade opted to try and nudge him in the right direction.

"Do you recall the events that took place during the reign of the late Third Hokage? Certain events that involved a ninja village who happened to be from the Land of Lightning?"

Realization finally hit the wood user. "You don't mean…"

"The Hyūga Affair."

"And that bottle?"

The Hokage sighed through her nose. "It's not solid proof, but it's at the very least enough to make me wonder if that old bag of bones had anything to do with the attempted kidnapping of Hinata and the death of Neji's father as a result."

"I suppose at this point we shouldn't put anything past him, should we?" Yamato mused.

"Apparently not," Tsunade muttered. "Keep searching. There's got to be something."

Just around the corner, Neji couldn't help but overhear a little bit of the conversation that the Hokage had with Captain Yamato. He'd perked up when she mentioned the Hyūga Affair, but nearly keeled over when she dropped the bombshell revelation. With renewed resolve, the pale-eyed prodigy scanned the office.

There were clearly signs of someone trying to leave in a hurry. The fireplace was recently used, judging by the fresh ash that littered the hearth. However, amongst the ash were what looked to be burnt scraps of paper. That meant burnt documents. Burnt documents meant destroyed evidence. Destroyed evidence meant there was something that someone was trying to hide.

He finally came to the large, solid wooden desk. It seemed inconspicuous enough, but Neji knew better than to simply gloss over something that looked otherwise plain. With his Byakugan active, he examined the desk for any signs of a hidden compartment, key, or chakra seal.

At first, Neji thought his search would prove fruitless, but something caught his eye when he glanced back at the desk. He turned on his heel, zeroing in on what appeared to be a tiny chakra seal. The seal was small enough that it would only require applying chakra to the tip of a pinky finger. Neji knelt, craning his head underneath the writing surface and staring at the seal, which was located on the inner side of the right file drawer.

With great care, Neji channeled chakra into his pinky and pressed it against the seal. Luckily, the seal was simple enough that it didn't have much in the way of security measures. It seemed that whoever put it there relied more on the simplicity of it being hidden rather than any elaborate jutsu formulas.

Just as he applied chakra to the seal, there was a small pop. Neji reemerged from under the desk, deactivating his Byakugan and discovering a leather-bound book now sitting on the desk. The cover was plain brown leather, and bore no markings save for a name: Danzō Shimura. Neji wasted no time.

"Lady Tsunade! Captain Yamato!"

The Hokage and the wood user rushed in, expectant looks on their faces. Neji gestured towards the book, and their eyes widened.

"Where did you find this?" Tsunade questioned, turning to the Hyūga.

"It appeared here after I channeled chakra into a hidden seal on the desk," Neji answered.

The Hokage hummed, shooting a glance at Yamato. The captain nodded, retrieving the book.

Tsunade turned back to Neji. "Good work. Keep searching. Maybe we'll find something else."

Neji nodded, reactivating his dōjutsu and returning to his duties.


The sun had nearly reached its high point for the day. Naruto was busy practicing Hiraishin some more while trying to refine his technique to be able to use it more effectively in combat. Meanwhile, Sasuke was running through a few kenjutsu kata before working on manifesting his Susanoo on command.

The day was normal enough by shinobi standards, but Sasuke couldn't help feeling like something was off. Maybe it was just his restless sleep from the night before. He had, after all, had a few strange and intense dreams about his past. They weren't nightmares, but they weren't exactly pleasant dreams, either.

Just as Sasuke sheathed his blade, an ANBU wearing a bird mask flickered in front of him.

"Sasuke Uchiha, your presence is urgently requested by the Hokage."

The ANBU flickered away. Sasuke took a deep breath, feeling a weight settle in the pit of his stomach. He jogged over to Naruto, who was collecting his kunai from the ground and a few trees.

"I'm needed at the Hokage tower. I'll meet you at home," Sasuke stated.

His roommate's face twisted in confusion. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, should be. I'd better get going. The ANBU agent said it was urgent."

"Alright, see you later, Sasuke."


To Sasuke's surprise, Shizune was waiting for him just outside the Hokage's office. After a short and polite greeting, she poked her head in to see if Tsunade was ready for him. After a moment and a muffled exchange, she ushered him in.

He was once again surprised to see Neji waiting in the office along with Tsunade, who was standing behind her desk. Sasuke noticed a small leather-bound book on her desk, along with a couple of folders. The Uchiha swallowed the lump in his throat, stopping to bow.

Tsunade cleared her throat and picked up the book. "This is a collection of diary entries and memoirs written by Danzō Shimura. It was found in a simple but hidden storage seal in his desk, which is in his office at the underground headquarters for his organization, ROOT. This, along with a piece of circumstantial evidence, seems to indicate he is guilty of treason and conspiracy against Konohagakure, as well as sedition."

Sasuke clenched his jaw to keep it from hitting the floor. Neji pressed his mouth into a tight line.

"The book and its contents were analyzed and cross-referenced with his handwriting found on some official documents. The handwriting was a match, which means everything in here was written by Danzō himself." She held up the book for emphasis before setting it back down. "The memoirs and diary entries confirm that Danzō…" She sighed. "…was indeed not only involved in the events of the Hyūga Affair, but also responsible for the massacre of the Uchiha clan."

A thick silence settled over the office. The two young men could only stare at the Hokage, who met their gazes with slightly softened eyes.

"But…how?" Neji asked, finally breaking the silence.

Tsunade let out another sigh. "Though some of the entries are a bit cryptic, Danzō does mention some dealings he had with people from the Land of Lightning. In particular, someone from Kumogakure. He mentions something about plans, and how 'sacrifices must be made for the sake of knowledge.'" She massaged her forehead. "To be honest, I don't think I even want to know what those supposed plans could have been."

"I…I don't understand. Does this mean that Danzō was responsible for what happened to Lady Hinata entirely? Or that he only hade a hand in what happened that night?" Neji pleaded.

"It's…hard to say for certain, Neji," the Hokage offered sympathetically. "We can't be entirely certain whether or not he was the one who set things into motion. It's possible he recruited Kumo's Head Ninja from the get-go; however, it's also likely that he caught wind of the plot and decided to involve himself after the fact."

Neji closed his eyes and nodded somberly.

Sasuke tried to speak, but his mouth felt as dry as the desert surrounding Sunagakure. Tsunade took notice, meeting his eyes. "I know this is a lot to process, Sasuke, and I'm truly sorry. But, it would appear Itachi was telling the truth in that regard, at least." She tapped on the book. "The entries in here corroborate his testimony. Danzō was a bit less…restrained when it came to his entries regarding that entire affair."

"Wh-what do you mean?" Sasuke stammered.

Yet another sigh escaped the blonde. "He was very vocal about his dissatisfaction with how Sarutobi-sensei handled things. From what we could tell, Danzō felt sensei was being too soft."

The Uchiha swallowed the lump in his throat. "S-so he…" He stared at the ground, his words dying in his throat.

Tsunade only offered a single, somber nod. She took a breath. "We went to make an arrest. However, Danzō is nowhere to be found. We suspect he's fled and gone rogue."

Sasuke and Neji's eyes widened.

"That would also explain why the compound was found essentially abandoned," the Hokage continued. "As such, since he's gone rogue in addition to being charged with treason and sedition, we'll have to mount a search for him."

"I'd like to volunteer." Sasuke blurted. Realizing how sudden his outburst was, the Uchiha threw himself into a bow, lowering his volume. "I volunteer, Lady Tsunade."

Another tense silence made its home in the office. Tsunade eyed the bowing shinobi.

"Rise," she ordered.

Sasuke did as he was told, still not meeting her honey gaze.

"I had a feeling you'd want to volunteer, especially given the circumstances. I'll allow it," Tsunade declared.

Sasuke bowed once more. As he straightened, he opened his mouth to make another request, but was silenced by the Hokage raising a hand.

"Before you ask; yes, I'll allow Naruto to join you. I know how close you two are."

The Uchiha bowed deeply. "Th-thank you, Lady Tsunade."

The Hokage hummed. Just as she was about to dismiss the two young men, Neji bowed.

"Lady Tsunade, I would also like to volunteer."

The blonde arched an eyebrow, eyeing the Hyūga prodigy, who maintained his bow. She asked him to rise. Unlike Sasuke, Neji met the Hokage's eyes.

"In light of the circumstances, I will allow you to accompany Sasuke and Naruto." She glanced between the two young men. "We already have teams searching for a trail. Once we have a lead, you three will hunt Danzō down and execute him on sight with extreme prejudice. Do not try and capture him alive." She turned to Sasuke. "As far as the rest of the testimony goes, we're going to do some more digging and see if we can find anything that disproves or corroborates it."

Tsunade took a breath. "Now, you're both dismissed. Go get some rest, and please take time to process all of this." There were undertones of motherly concern.

The two shinobi bowed and excused themselves, quietly shuffling out of the office. They walked alongside one another in silence. Just as they stepped outside, Neji turned to his raven-haired comrade.

"Sasuke, may I speak with you?"

The Uchiha let out a hum, pausing underneath a tree.

"I don't want to be rude, but are you alright? You look as though you've seen a ghost," Neji said.

Sasuke blinked, finding it difficult to focus. "I…I'm fine. That was just a lot to take in." His own voice sounded far off.

"I understand," Neji sympathized. "I did want to apologize if my volunteering to join you and Naruto was a bit abrupt."

"No, I understand. If I were in your position, I would probably have done the same thing," Sasuke reassured.

"Well, we are in a similar position, in a manner of speaking," the Hyūga pointed out.

A dry chuckle escaped the Uchiha. "I suppose so."

"For what it's worth, I understand the desire for revenge," Neji began. "For many years after my father died, I fought to prove that my existence was more than servitude to the main family. In a way, I wanted to avenge my father in that sense. Unfortunately, I lost myself along the way."

"I know what you mean," Sasuke said.

"Forgive me, but could I ask if this 'Itachi' person that Lady Tsunade mentioned is the one that…?" Neji was careful not to directly ask, lest he offend the Uchiha heir.

"He's the one, yes. I'm sure you heard about it when we were younger. He's the one that slaughtered every last one of the Uchiha. Except for me."

"I suppose we have that in common, then," Neji surmised.

"What do you mean?"

"Believe it or not, I was an orphan, too. My mother died when I was a baby, and my father died when I was four. I may not have lost my entire clan, but I at least know what it feels like to lose both parents."

Sasuke let out a low hum. He hadn't spoken much to Neji, but after their spar and his assistance in locating the Akatsuki during the Chūnin Exams, Sasuke held a degree of respect for the Hyūga prodigy. The common ground of being orphaned at a young age served to strengthen the bridge between them.

The Uchiha took a deep breath. "I found them dead," he said quietly, turning to his pale eyed comrade. "I found my brother shortly afterwards. That's when he told me that he was the one responsible for everything that happened that night."

"I imagine this evidence that we've recovered must change things, then," Neji surmised.

"That's a bit of an understatement," Sasuke muttered.

"My apologies," the brunet said, bowing slightly. He straightened, meeting Sasuke's onyx gaze. "I won't pretend to fully understand your situation, nor will I waste your time with empty words. Despite us not being terribly acquainted, you're Naruto's best friend, and Naruto is one of my friends. Whatever happens, know that I'll do my best to support you. I count you among one of my friends, as well." Neji extended a hand.

The Uchiha paused, eyeing his cohort and the extended hand. With a nod, Sasuke firmly shook Neji's hand. "Thanks, Neji. I appreciate that." He tried his best to sound as sincere as he felt. "I'd better get home. Naruto's probably wondering what's up. Take care, Neji."

"You, too, Sasuke."


A/N: This was an interesting chapter to write, in a good way. Kinda satisfying to have official approval from the Hokage to go after the guy responsible, I think. Also, I know it's a bit of a stretch to have Danzō involved in the Hyūga Affair in any capacity, but it makes sense that he would get involved in some clandestine stuff. He strikes me as that type of guy. I really like the idea of Sasuke and Neji being friends, or at least being able to sympathize/empathize with each other about their situations. This is something I just might have to explore and write more of. Thank you so much for reading!