Author's note: This is the scene where Kichiro negotiates the treaty between Konoha and Iwa in chapter 30. It continues with some of what happened after.
Sarutobi Hiruzen
I didn't know what I was expecting when I became Iwa's prisoner. Ōnoki was much more pleasant than I anticipated, I was fairly certain that he genuinely wanted the war to end. While he was less concerned about the welfare of his troops than I was about mine, Iwa would have more difficulty funding continued warfare than Konoha.
Luckily, I managed a tentative correspondence with Konoha so the Tsuchikage wouldn't be able to manipulate them into an adverse agreement by threatening me.
I didn't know what I was expecting when they dragged me to the site where the peace treaty would be created. I was not expecting to see Kichiro looking significantly worse for wear. What happened in Konoha while I was gone? The boy was supposed to be faking his death, not parading himself in front of the Tsuchikage!
When Danzō appeared behind him, a small bubble of hope dared to build deep in my chest. I didn't trust him, but he knew what he was doing and would have a plan. When I noticed my son trying to make himself invisible, I realized they were giving in to Iwa's demands. The boy didn't get my message. He was supposed to fight! Take the opportunity to set up a trap. I knew he was perfectly capable—Danzō should have advised him! How had the boy managed to convince Danzō to give in?
I replaced myself with a shadow clone and a genjutsu. Danzō slipped a scroll into Itsuki's pocket moments before I replaced him with a henged shadow clone. It took Itsuki a moment to realize he was in a different location. Luckily, he kept his head and didn't make a sound as he flung himself at me. I pulled the scroll out of his pocket. It was a message from Danzō telling me there was already a plan in place. It summarized my part in it, everything was properly compartmentalized, except a personal note that told me to trust Kichiro. I burned the scroll partially out of anger, partially to prevent Iwa from getting their hands on it.
"I'm so sorry, son," I murmured into his ear, hugging him tightly. I sat down against a tree to pull him into my lap and hid my face from the ANBU crouched several steps away.
Too soon, but long after Itsuki fell still, the ANBU put a hand on my shoulder and signed that the negotiations were almost complete. Itsuki nodded that he was ready to return. I wiped his face and did my best to reduce the swelling on his face from crying. I wasn't adept enough to completely erase the evidence, but I did my best. Real iryo-ninjutsu would forever be beyond me.
When my shadow clone impersonating Itsuki dispelled, I gained a record of the conversation.
"Now, Ryuunosuke-san, you have promised me the Uzumaki boy, where is he?" The Tsuchikage demanded with a smirk. As everyone stood up, I realized The Tsuchikage knew exactly who Kichiro really was, even though he was the only Iwa ninja to notice. Kichiro drew the attention of everyone onto himself as he removed the hitai-ate covering his hair. It was a good intimidation tactic. The tentative disguise Kichiro had worn only worked because Kichiro's description in the Bingo book was inaccurate. His red hair was unmistakable.
"I am Uzumaki Kichiro." Kichiro stated clearly. The Iwa ninja blanched, but quickly recovered, even the Tsuchikage seemed surprised that he wasn't trying to wriggle his way out of the situation.
One of the Tsuchikage's men whistled. "You got balls, kid."
Ōnoki scowled at the man. Kichiro had the upper hand for the first time in the exchange. Danzō signaled for me to appear behind Kichiro. I did. Kichiro didn't seem the slightest bit startled, though everyone else in the vicinity, except Danzō, was properly alarmed, even the Konoha ninja. I had a bad feeling as I activated the ANBU seal on Kichiro's back. There was a long silence. I was safe, why wasn't Danzō or Kichiro signaling for an attack? The boy shifted slightly into a position to take any attack meant for me. It was subtle and completely natural, I almost didn't realize what he was doing. I wasn't entirely sure it was conscious.
"Do not die for me, boy," I hissed at him, making it an order to be enforced by the Shitagau. Only his fingers twitched in acknowledgment. He didn't move, as if he wasn't expecting a fight.
"It's been said I have an extremely poor sense of direction but even I know you're facing the wrong way if you're heading back to Iwa," Kichiro stated.
I turned my full attention onto the Tsuchikage, silently daring him to try and take Kichiro and Itsuki. He just smirked back at me, as if he had already won. Too late, I realized he didn't want Kichiro because he was a medic, Jinchuuriki, or the Spirit of the Triage. I had no idea why they wanted him. The only clue I had to go on was the name Kichiro gave for the negotiations. I knew an Uzumaki Ryuunosuke before Kichiro was born. The more I thought about it, the more I realized how alike Kichiro and my old friend was. Kichiro was the man's spitting image—his son.
"You had a good shinobi in the making." Ōnoki grabbed Kichiro's arm and started to pull him away. No. I couldn't let them take him, I owed the boy's father too much. Kami, what would I tell his sister? Why wasn't anyone attacking? I sensed two Nara, enough to immobilize the entire Iwa force in seconds. There were enough ANBU to slaughter them—
Kichiro jerked free of both of us, his weapons vanishing into hidden seals. "I believe this meeting is over. Iwa has no reason to remain in the Land of Fire and Konoha has no reason to go back on their word." The Kyuubi's chakra flared for an instant and all attention was on Kichiro as his entire body relaxed, daring someone to test him.
No, he wasn't going to fight. Why wouldn't he fight? This close to Konoha, they could have trapped the forest beyond belief.
Danzō grabbed my arms and both sides retreated. Kichiro let the Tsuchikage grab his arm and drag him away. Danzō pulled me back. No, why wasn't anyone fighting?
"Let me go," I ordered Danzō, as an Iwa Jōnin grabbed my son and dragged him away.
"Stand down," he ordered in response.
Kichiro glanced back as I tried to wrench myself free, but one of the ANBU—I belatedly recognized Kagami—had already placed one of the most powerful prisoner containment seals Konoha possessed on my chest, which sealed my chakra and severely restricted my speed and movement.
"They're taking my son!" I hissed. Kichiro signed for me to stand down before the Tsuchikage yanked him on. They left the other clan heads behind, still bound. "My son shouldn't even be here!"
"Kichiro will take care of him and get him back," Danzō assured me.
"Kichiro can't work miracles."
"He can and he will, just like you would in his place."
"He's nine years old, Danzō. He's nine years old, a Jinchuuriki, and has the biggest bounty Iwa has ever issued for a Konoha ninja. I don't care what anyone thinks, he's not his father. He can't even escape Konoha—"
"He just did," Kagami quipped.
"He's loyal," I hissed at him.
"I know he is, you made sure of it. Just trust the kid. You made him your successor before this shitstorm for a reason. Trust yourself, if no one else."
"That is very difficult right now."
"I know, but right now, you have to convince both Danzō and myself that you're fit to retake the Hokage mantle."
"Let me go," I ordered them.
"Only once you convince Kagami you won't tear off after the children," Danzō stated.
It wouldn't be hard for me to convince Danzō, he had a difficult time determining whether I was lying. Kagami, on the other hand, knew me too well. If I went along with them now, I would have more opportunities and freedom to plan a rescue. They were right. Without a Bijū, tearing off after Iwa now would not be in our best interests—Kichiro must have planned the exchange, he might not resist being taken back, but he wouldn't help us either.
Kagami and Danzō were the two strongest shinobi in Konoha, aside from myself. They were strong, they were the only people in the village I could lose to if it came to a fight. Right now, if it came to a fight, I would win.
I looked up at Kagami, who had his Sharingan focused directly at me. I watched as it morphed into a different pattern, the Mangekyō. I knew of two of his abilities. The first, it could distinguish truth from lies, even statements which were a mixture of both could be easily separated. The second was absolute control of memory. Not even the strongest seals could stop him. There were two drawbacks to the second. First, Kagami felt the same emotions as the person whose mind he read, making it impractical in general interrogations. Second, victims with weak minds were slow to recover from the experience and some died shortly after. I suspected he could do more but something prevented him from sharing. I didn't pry.
I felt like someone was slowly crushing my heart as I made my decision. "I won't follow them," I stated as I looked Kagami in the eye. "I'll trust Kichiro."
Kagami nodded at Danzō and he slowly let go of me. The adrenaline faded and the full effects of the prisoner seal started to take its toll. I glanced around at the somber ninja. Luckily, the only person close enough to hear the exchange was a white-faced Sakumo. He was dangerously close to losing his composure at the loss of his student and my breakdown only made things worse. The other ninja surrounded us in a loose circle. Very few of the Konoha ninja taken captive were significantly injured, just shaken from my killing intent and watching Kichiro's negotiations. None of them realized that it was the boy's plan the entire time.
I replaced my killing intent with a soothing burst of chakra. Right now, the most immediate threat was Sakumo inadvertently undermining my authority.
"Kagami, get Sakumo away from here and somewhere safe and secure. Take care of your student."
He wanted to stay, he should have stayed, but I couldn't ignore the fact that Sakumo was a powerful shinobi. He would end up crippled or worse if I was forced to subdue him. Kagami taught him, he knew the man best and could subdue him without injuring him if necessary. Sakumo just endured something I knew I wouldn't survive: losing a student before their time. What made it worse was that I knew he looked up to me, just like every other Konoha shinobi. My confidence and resolve had shattered the moment he needed me the most. He watched his own sensei deny everything he believed in to stop me. He wasn't a child anymore, he couldn't be persuaded that what he saw meant something different.
Kagami hesitated, studying me carefully.
"I can handle this. Take care of him."
Kagami didn't quite believe me, but he turned towards Sakumo anyways and put his hands on either side of the man's head. After a few seconds, Kagami pressed his forehead against Sakumo's and they shunshined away. Danzō put a hand on my chest and removed the seal.
"Saru, I know your mind and emotions are messed up right now, but physically, are you okay?"
"I'm fine," I answered reflexively. A moment later, I realized that Danzō held a fistful of the back of my clothes, keeping me upright. "I need a medic," I amended.
"Tsunade!" Danzō called. She approached from my left and my throat caught.
"Sensei, I can't—I can't do anything!" The ninja wire Iwa had bound everyone with had mangled her hands. Mine were mostly fine, I had reinforced them with chakra and the moment the Tsuchikage turned his back then loosened the wire to minimize the damage. If necessary, I could have escaped at any time, but I stayed because the others couldn't. All of them had fought capture until they were unconscious.
"What about the Strength of a Hundred Seal?"
"It can only fix what I can fix, and I can't fix this."
"Who can?" I demanded. Biwako was just on the edge of my senses, watching Itsuki leave. I flared my chakra to call her back.
Tsunade's answer almost made my heart stop. "Only Kichiro can fix hands with this much damage. He explained the theory to me and I tried, but he's the only one who can do it. The cells are dead, I can't regrow them, only Kichiro can. He adapted one of Tobirama-ji-chan's seals, but no one knows which one. He said it's too dangerous of a seal to share, something about sacrifices and bringing back the dead, but I think I misheard him."
I looked over at Danzō as she slumped against me.
"How did he get his hands on that seal?" I asked Danzō.
He shrugged. "Kid is a genius, probably read about it and reverse-engineered the thing."
"That's not possible, it took Sensei more than a decade to make that seal and he had Mito-sama's help."
"Like I said, the kid is a genius."
"That doesn't solve the problem." I raised my voice so everyone could hear. "Danzō, take the lead back to Konoha. What happened here is an S-ranked secret, no one is to even acknowledge they were here, understood? We're going home, everyone." Danzō let go of my clothes as Biwako ducked under my arm to support my weight. With her gripping my clothes so tightly and frequently turning her face into my chest to wipe away tears, no one would notice my weakness as we made our way back through Konoha.
I didn't hide my exhaustion as the citizens and Genin cheered our return through the main gates. The Chuunin and Jōnin already knew we had lost, they saw the forced smiles and noted the missing people.
Eventually, we made it to the Hokage tower and the rest of the group split off to their own homes. Tsunade muttered something unintelligible and left leaving only me, Biwako and Danzō in my office. Danzō nodded once to me and I pulled Biwako into the room adjacent as he took up a guard position outside the door.
Biwako and I sat down on the old futon.
"Lie down," she murmured, her hands glowing with a medical jutsu.
I let her push me onto my back. An hour later, I was back to full health, though tired. Biwako sat down on the bed beside me.
"That was our son, my baby. Our son is a prisoner of Iwa."
"I know. I messed up, Biwako. I know that."
She didn't say anything. I should have left the others to Iwa's mercy. They understood the risks and volunteered to take them.
(o_o)
When I returned to my office, there were five Genin waiting, kneeling seiza in a circle. They were quiet and didn't notice my entrance. I recognized them all. A strip of green cloth—the same color green as Kichiro's haori—was tied around their left wrists. Two were the Hyuuga twins, the sons of the clan head. One had been blinded, the heir. I was not looking forward to the resulting mess there. Minato and Kushina sat with their backs to me, their distinctive hair giving away their identity. The last member of the group surprised me the most. It was one of the Uchiha, Kagami's grandnephew, Kazuo.
I cleared my throat to get their attention. As one, they stood up, faced me in rank, and bowed. I studied them as they greeted me. Minato was in charge of them. After bowing to me, he was the one who stepped forward.
"Hokage-sama, I take full responsibility for my actions. I believed they were the only option to maintain order in Konoha after Kichiro was incapacitated."
"Minato—" Kushina tried to say, but the Uchiha grabbed her arm and cut her off.
Danzō sat primly on the couch by the wall, just observing.
"Just sit down, all of you, and tell me what happened, starting with the time I left. Shimura-san, please wait outside." Irritation flashed across his face, but he obeyed.
I turned to look at Minato and gestured for them to return to how they were. The Uchiha started. "Several minutes after you left, the Daimyō arrived and Kichiro went to meet him after dismissing the rest of us. I was there, with Hiashi and Hizashi." I noted the lack of honorifics, an odd development between Genin of their various lineages. "The Daimyō threated to kill Kichiro and his family, and when one of the Academy students got mad, the Daimyō tried to kill him, but Kichiro stopped him."
I frowned. That should not have happened, but it was fortunate for me, if Kichiro handled it well.
"Kichiro didn't take the threat seriously, so we organized a guard schedule around their house without him knowing. No one knows what they discussed except Kichiro because they locked themselves in a classroom. Afterwards, Kichiro set up headquarters a few blocks from the main gates in a scary house."
The biggest problem with young Genin was when they stumble onto critical information or are the only witnesses to something. They weren't mature enough to understand politics or subtext, so their reports were frustratingly vague. Kichiro intentionally muddled his reports, but he was fully capable of understanding and clearly conveying the necessary information when pressed. While he often didn't have the answers I needed, he could give enough relevant information for me to extrapolate answers. The group in front of me wouldn't even understand the questions I needed resolved.
Minato picked up the narrative. "After meeting with the Daimyō, Kichiro came to meet Kushina and me at the hospital, then left. He spent the night setting up headquarters, we think. No one saw him until the next meeting. During that meeting, he assigned a bunch of people to find all the Academy students and bring them in for a meeting. Afterwards, Kushina and I put up seals around headquarters, then Kichiro vanished. We have no idea what he did until he showed up to meet the Academy students."
The blind Hyuuga picked up when Minato faltered at my expression. I forced my face to go blank. "During that meeting, the first thing brought up was unknown agents circling the village. Kichiro ordered me, Hizashi, and Kazuo to investigate them as a team. Kichiro also told us to ignore and walk away from the civilian unrest, then dismissed everyone. He gave us an official mission to complete and then sent us off."
Kushina continued. "He told me, Minato, and two other Genin with Fūinjutsu experience to copy a bunch of seals and sent us off so he could talk to a bunch of old retired ninja and then to a bunch of parents to deal with the civilian problems. At least, that's the only thing we know he did."
The Uchiha continued. "Our mission went sour and we got hurt, so we came back and told Kichiro what happened. Kichiro couldn't fix Hiashi's eyes. Kichiro looked really sick but he wouldn't tell us what was wrong, especially after we told him that the ninja circling the village were the Seven Swordsmen."
I had to concentrate to keep my face blank. I had no idea how they were alive after an encounter with that group. They must have let the three go and warn the village or the three worked well enough together to genuinely escape a group of Jōnin.
Minato picked up the report. "A bunch of civilians tried to start rioting outside of headquarters. We tried to stop Kichiro, because he was looking really sick, but he told us to take care of a bunch of Academy students while he stalled the civilians." I noticed that the whole group was pale as the remembered what happened next. "There were so many of them and they were all screaming at Kichiro—horrible things. Kichiro just stood there, shaking. I don't know if it was because he was sick or because the civilians were so scary, but he looked so little and alone. Then a bunch of Genin went to defend him and started shouting back until Kichiro lost it. The Kyuubi's chakra was everywhere and Kichiro was hovering over everyone and scolded them. Afterwards, he vanished. Someone was pretending to be him, but only the five of us realized it."
Kazuo continued. "He never did anything bad, but we couldn't stop him. He made sure everyone was okay, assigned the Academy students to the houses of different retired shinobi, made sure all the Genin had a shinobi house to stay in, and no one was home alone. He did some other stuff too, but taking care of the others was more important than watching him."
I knew one of the ANBU had filled in for Kichiro, so I made a note to summon them the first chance I got.
Kushina continued. "Minato and I next saw Kichiro at home and he looked really, really sick, but since he was acting okay, no one said anything. I should have knocked him out, but before I could get close enough, the person who was impersonating Kichiro appeared, but we couldn't listen in on their conversation before Kichiro sent us away."
Hizashi spoke for the first time. "Kichiro returned to headquarters and finished healing Hiashi, then we all went to the meeting where he told us not to engage with the Seven Swordsmen. Then he went to punish the Genin who defied orders by making them unable to talk. After that, we were told that the Seven Swordsmen were breaking down the gates. We're not sure how Kichiro managed it because we were so scared, but he trapped them in an inn with a quarantine seal."
I blinked, but otherwise withheld my reaction to the absurdity of the statement.
"Then he collapsed." Kushina shivered. "We all thought he was going to die."
"I took control after that," Minato stated, his head bowed. "I had support, but it was entirely by my own initiative. I found the papers you left Kichiro and used those to make sure the village guard, as weak as it was, remained intact. I also kept the Genin and Academy students separate from the civilian population to avoid instigating another riot. Kichiro had told the civilians to leave if they didn't like how Konoha was run, so I let them leave, but I didn't allow them to take children with them because that's not fair and none of the kids wanted to leave."
The authority wasn't his to take. It was a stupid thing to do, it could have gotten him killed as a usurper. The fact that he succeeded for any length of time, with none of the subtle training Kichiro received, was noteworthy. I made a mental note to promote him to Chuunin if he passed the skills requirement.
"I had control for approximately forty hours. The five of us guarded the Swordsmen in shifts, no civilians would go near the area. I don't know what happened to Kichiro after he collapsed. An ANBU appeared and took him. He had the ANBU tattoo and Kushina confirmed it was real, so we told everyone Kichiro was suffering from chakra exhaustion from defeating the Swordsmen. No one questioned it. Someone should have, but no one did. I gave control to Danzō-sama when he arrived."
The group watched me wary of my reaction. "You said Kichiro was incapacitated, correct? Why wasn't he able to regain control later?" Danzō should not have had any power in the village, I explicitly banned him from doing so. He should have remained in Kiri, following orders.
Kushina glanced at the others, who didn't know the answer. "He was sick, really sick. Ise said he was going to die. He fell ill about a day after you left, and I saw him yesterday for the first time since."
That would explain why Kichiro looked so haggard. It also meant Minato had control for longer than Kichiro did. "If no one had contact with Kichiro, how did you know he was sick?"
"Ise told me when he stopped by home to get some seals and change clothes. He couldn't tell me anything else—he didn't know anything else, no one knew what was wrong with Kichiro."
"Is there anything else I should know about that you can't put in a report or needs an immediate answer?"
They exchanged a glance. "What happened to Kichiro?" Minato asked quietly. "He told Kushina and me what he was planning, but I want to know for sure."
"You're not his family," I answered as kindly as I could. "Kushina, if you would like to stay, I can tell you what I know, but I can't share it with the rest of you."
"You mean you won't," Minato corrected neutrally. "You're the Hokage, you share information with whomever you want." It sounded like something Kichiro would say but without the accusation or the blatant attempt to pick a fight or provoke me.
"I know you care about him, Minato. Later we will have to have a discussion about exactly why you broke protocol and took charge when there are three others, just in this room, who are older and more experienced than yourself."
"It wasn't his idea, Hokage-sama." Hizashi lied, earning a sharp look from Minato. "The five of us worked together the entire time, Minato was just the spokesperson for all of us and volunteered to take the blame." That statement was the truth.
"None of you are in trouble, none of you should ever have been involved. You did the best you could with what you had. I still need to have a discussion with Minato later. Is there anything that can't be included in a report?"
They shook their heads.
"Dismissed."
Kushina didn't stay for news about Kichiro. I didn't blame her.
(o_o)
The next day, a troop of former ninja rudely forced their way into my office. There were at least thirty of them. Bewildered, I stared at them, waiting for an explanation.
"We want you to make good on Uzumaki Kichiro's promise," someone demanded from inside the ranks.
"What exactly did the boy promise?" I asked warily.
"Students, for all of us."
Kichiro was very lucky to not be in the village at that moment. If he was, I would have slapped him upside the head and into next week.
"It won't cost the village anything. We'll all use our stipends to fund the training, and we'll only use the Genin grounds."
"This was not part of the boy's orders, you're going to have to tell me what exactly Kichiro did, promised, and his reasoning."
"He asked us for help with the war, someone to train the Academy students and watch them so the active duty ninja didn't have to. We take Academy students, train them, and when they're ready, we'll pass them on to active teams."
I frowned. That was sound reasoning on Kichiro's part. The boy's value just rose by a fraction. If he could offer such a simple solution to problems on a regular basis—
"We'll do right by those kids, we'll teach them what they need to survive. Please, Hokage-sama, we can't stand by and watch what we sacrificed to build begin to crumble and we certainly cannot sit idle while our comrades sacrifice themselves."
"Very well. I'll see what I can—"
"We already have our students, they're enrolled in the Academy, we just want permission to teach them. None of our names will be attached to them, we'll just give them lessons and a safe place to escape the civilians."
Putting the Academy into the hands of the retired ninja would significantly lessen the strain on the active duty resources.
I picked up a blank sheet of paper and scribbled down the situation, resolving to keep a list of the things I needed to thank Kichiro for. Not that I would ever share it, but the reminder would help me keep my patience with him.
"The Academy and all her students will be placed into the hands of the retired ninja. Decide on a leader, organize it however you see fit and present to me the draft and curriculums. I'll make it work if you're willing to compromise."
The retirees cheered and exited my office with a variety of limps and crooked gaits.
I decided to ignore what happened and return to figuring out the best way to determine exactly what Danzō did in my absence.
(o_o)
The following day, my efforts to ensure the village was completely under my control paid off. I sent an ANBU to summon Danzō while Kagami stood behind me, his arms folded and a sour expression on his face.
"You're making a mistake, Hiruzen," he stated for the ninth time.
"Can you honestly tell me that you trust him after the mess you uncovered barely three months ago? Damn it, he even had his claws in your student."
"Sakumo can take care of himself."
"But do you trust Danzō after what he did?"
Kagami gritted his teeth. "Saru, you're asking me to tear through his deepest thoughts—every single one of his secrets."
"I know what I'm asking. You've performed the technique on me."
"I didn't want to—I don't want to know the secrets of my friends."
"None of the Yamanaka have clearance for this. I have no idea how far his reach is, so I can't trust them."
"You're being paranoid. Danzō has turned over a new leaf. Kichiro told him something that completely changed his perspective—"
"I don't trust Kichiro either."
"Do you trust anyone anymore?"
"I trust you, I trust my wife."
"And?"
"And what? I trust the people who haven't betrayed me."
"Kichiro hasn't betrayed you!"
"He handed my son to Iwa."
"He didn't have a choice. Danzō is ten times the strategist and politician Kichiro is and he agreed with the boy! I know this village inside and out and even I agree that even with our resources, we couldn't do any better than Kichiro did!"
"Then why doesn't the boy follow orders?"
"You've hurt that boy more than he can understand. You've meddled in his life since the day he was born and you've ruined his life several times since. He doesn't even know a fraction of what you've done to him. Be grateful, because if he knew…" Kagami left the threat hanging.
"Are you trying to say I should spare Danzō because of Kichiro?"
"Kichiro's fate is your fault, he's your biggest failure. I'm warning you not to make an even bigger mistake with one of your closest friends."
"You don't trust Danzō anymore, Kagami, why should I?"
"People aren't good, Saru. You don't have to see the depths of human depravity."
"Your reasoning is selfish."
"I'm not sure who Danzō is to you, Saru, but he is my friend, a very close friend. If forced to choose between you and him, I will choose you, but I don't want to make that choice because of your stubbornness and pride." Years ago, I had given Kagami a choice. He could return to the general corps as a Jōnin, or disappear into ANBU and lead it. He gave up his very identity for it. I made him think about his decision for weeks, I did everything I could to talk him out of it, I made sure he knew that he would be responsible for taking on the most despicable tasks.
I had only asked him to go through someone's mind twice before. Twice. The first time, he performed it on me, partially so he would be able to impersonate me when the need arose, partially because it was the very first, and one of the only times he refused an order.
"He's here."
"Saru, please!" Kagami begged. I ignored him and opened the door for Danzō, who entered warily, immediately knowing something was off, even though Kagami's expression was properly blank.
"Good afternoon," Danzō stated.
"Sit down." I ordered.
He picked one of the seats in front of my desk and sat. I sat in the other. "What is this about?"
"Several months ago, it was revealed that you had a secret organization that answered only to you."
He gritted his teeth. "It was a mistake, Saru, I understand that now."
"Do you? I gave you explicit, written orders to stay on the Kiri front and not to return to Konoha until I did. You ignored those orders. I gave you explicit, written orders that you were to step down from all positions of authority in the village and not reclaim any of them until I told you otherwise."
"Would you have preferred that I left the village in the hands of a Genin?" He snapped. "It was never about me, it was only to preserve the village—"
"I don't care. Kichiro—"
"Kichiro was as good as dead. He could barely breathe, much less talk. He didn't even sit up when I went in. He was in no condition to lead. He gave up his authority."
"You're not helping your case."
"Then put me on trial, Saru. We're at peace, Konoha can afford—"
"I have a better idea. Kagami."
"A long time ago," Kagami began, "I told you that something had happened to my Sharingan, remember?"
Danzō's grip tightened on the arms of his chair. "I remember."
"There's a level above the regular Sharingan. It's activated under special circumstances and gives the user special abilities."
Danzō glanced between the two of us apprehensively. I folded my hands, leaned back in the chair and studied him carefully. Kagami stood behind me, his hands behind his back, eyes never leaving Danzō.
"I have several abilities, but the relevant one is the ability to see and manipulate all memory, including sealed, erased, suppressed, and forgotten memories."
"All memory? Including your own?" Danzō asked.
"I have not attempted to manipulate my own memories."
Danzō turned his attention to me. "You're condemning me for having too much power," he snarled.
"This is only the third time Saru has approached me about this ability," Kagami defended.
"It doesn't matter—"
"It does, Danzō," Kagami snapped. "I don't agree with Saru's choice, but he is not abusing his power. You abused the freedom he gave you."
Danzō gritted his teeth. "I made a mistake. I acknowledge that and it won't happen again."
"Trust isn't kintsukuroi," Kagami stated.
"I never said—"
"You broke our trust once, Danzō, then you defied orders before the memory even began to fade," I said and activated a barrier seal so he couldn't escape.
He relaxed his grip. "How can I trust you after this?" He asked quietly, slowly releasing his grip on the chair.
I was not obligated to answer that question.
"Very well. If this is what it takes to prove I regret my actions, then so be it."
Slowly, Kagami stepped in front of Danzō, his hands pressed together as if in prayer. "Omoikane."
Thirty seconds later, Kagami relaxed and took a step backwards. Danzō slumped forward in his chair breathing heavily.
Kagami took a moment to collect himself, then knelt in front of Danzō.
"What did you find?" Danzō snapped waspishly, flinching away as Kagami checked his pulse.
Kagami stood up and faced me. "He was telling the truth. There was no attempt made to subvert you while you were gone and Kichiro was incapacitated. He only worked for the betterment of Konoha. Despite everything, he is still loyal to Konoha, to you."
"Danzō, you are dismissed." I lowered the barrier. Danzō stood and marched out, slightly unsteady. The door closed behind him.
"Despite everything, he is still loyal to Konoha, to you." Kagami stated. "You have Kichiro to thank for his loyalty. The boy can work miracles."
"Speaking of Kichiro, do you remember Uzumaki Ryuunosuke?"
Kagami chuckled hollowly. "I don't think I could ever forget him, though it is for reasons much different than yours."
"He was Kichiro's father."
Kagami's mouth fell open. "How did we miss—he's exactly like his father."
"I don't know how we missed it. Iwa wanted Kichiro because of Ryuu. I don't know how he's connected, the man had only been to Iwa once. I need you, and only you, to reconstruct Ryuu's life to determine why Iwa is targeting his son now of all times."
"Ryuu died seven years ago, Saru. Reconstructing his life now is impossible."
"I want you to look into his death especially closely. He died on his way to Konoha and it was your clansmen who investigated."
"Don't expect me to find much. Ryuu was a Jōnin and he had too many reasons to stay under the radar, especially after what happened in Kiri."
"He left his children a legacy. I want you to find it."
"Uzu is nothing but rubble—there's too many traps still active there."
"I have my summons scouring for any information, but I want you to do an independent investigation."
"What about Kushina? She'll know if we start digging into her family history."
"Unless Kichiro told her recently, Kushina doesn't know anything about her parents. If she does cause a problem, tell her the truth: you're trying to figure out why Iwa wanted Kichiro so badly and it has something to do with their parents. I am keeping her in the village until Kichiro returns."
"Understood. Is that all?"
"Dismissed."
