Chapter Twelve
That morning Sakura found herself in one of the hardest sparring matches of her life.
Dried blood flaked off above her lip. Its metallic scent still lingered in her nose and coated her tongue. It was fortunate Tsunade had bestowed upon her a single moment of restraint. A normal blow would have knocked Sakura out cold. Or worse.
It had been Tsunade's only warning. A clear reminder that even though there were many things to distract the mind, in a fight she had to give her full focus. And Sakura did.
They used the large arena Sakura had passed her Chunin Exams in. The wide, dust battlefield was the perfect location for the two women to spar - to unleash their full strength. The far side was already a mess of shattered earth and cracked walls. Under Sakura's feet, the ground rumbled again as Tsunade lunged and attempted to knock her off-balance.
Sakura held her ground. She raised her arms, blocking the blow intended for her face just in time. Even with her chakra, the hit jarred the bones in her forearm. Someone without her training would have suffered a broken arm in the single strike, but Sakura had been studying with her master for near that of a decade and she merely ducked under the Hokage's arm, attempting to land her own punch.
Tsunade dodged it without so much as blinking. Her ageless face was calm but there was a steel behind her hazel eyes Sakura recognized. Her mentor was trying to teach her something. But what, she didn't yet know.
They battled back and forth in a purely taijutsu spar. Every step taken made the earth beneath them groan, every throw rippled the still, morning air. Sakura ducked and evaded everything Tsunade threw at her, even throwing in her own blow or two, but Tsunade kept taking more ground. She pushed Sakura back and back, never once letting up. Every punch Sakura threw, Tsunade did two.
It wasn't until Sakura's back was nearly against the edge of the high, high walls that she realized she was being caged. Tsunade cocked her fist back, but Sakura saw it coming. She jumped up and out of the way an instant before Tsunade caught her. Instead, the older woman's fist connected with the arena wall. The concrete groaned in protest before large, spider web-like cracks began to appear.
Sakura retreated just in time before a piece from the top of the wall crashed into the ground where she had been standing only a second before. It provided just enough of distraction to land a hard kick to Tsunade's flank, sending her skidding a few yards back.
Immediately Sakura readied to strike again. Only Tsunade straightened, the fight gone from her body and a smile playing on her red lips. "Good to see all that time spent in the hospital hasn't ruined all my work."
It was a compliment. Even if it didn't sound like one. Sakura relaxed her fighting stance, a smile of her own on her face. "It'll take more than just a few days of being inside to forget your training."
The Hokage's smile softened minutely but the look was gone a moment later as Tsunade turned away to head towards the stairs that would take them out of the arena. Her pace was slow, allowing Sakura to catch up easily, and together they walked side-by-side.
They were halfway across the arena when Sakura finally spoke, "You didn't invite me out here just to spar, did you?"
Tsunade glanced at her young pupil. Her face was unreadable but the corner of her mouth was turned up. Amused or proud or both that Sakura had read through her. After all, it wasn't often that Tsunade called upon Sakura to train. In fact, it had been nearly a year since they had stood across from one another on a training ground.
"You've been my student for eight years now, Sakura. I have seen the progress you have made and I am proud to say that I shaped you into the kunoichi and medic that you are today," Tsunade said.
Sakura stopped, in turn causing her teacher to round to face her. "You're not dying, are you?" Sakura asked, eyeing her.
Tsunade scoffed and muttered something under her breath before she kept walking. Sakura bit back her smile before she followed.
"There is a lot going on in the village right now," the blonde woman continued softly. "I need you and Shizune more than ever. This poison is dangerous and has the potential to wipe of the majority of the village. I need to know if your plan is going to work."
Tsunade turned to face her when they reached the stairs. There was an intensity behind her hazel eyes that made a heavy feeling settle in the pit of Sakura's stomach. Her mentor had never looked so exhausted, so worn down. Like this threat had been eating away at her little by little for weeks, perhaps even months. And it very likely had, Sakura realized.
"It'll work," Sakura said, her voice unwavering. The last step had already begun.
That single answer seemed to melt at least some of the stress away.
A team of black ops guards appeared when they ascended the stairs. They bowed politely to the Hokage before they slipped inside the arena. Sakura drank from her water bottle as she watched the shinobi split up into pairs. Their hands flew through hand seals, performing jutsus to level the dusty, cracked earth and seal the broken, concrete walls. Sakura's mind drifted as they worked, her thoughts flashing back to the last few days she had spent in the hospital.
The entire first day and well into the night had been spent pouring over textbooks with Shizune. Genma had been kind enough to stop by periodically to feed them and other than a handful of naps, the two women had worked continuously. Sakura hadn't even known if what she had suggested was possible. As it turns out, it was.
Last night was the first night Sakura could remember sleeping soundly. Without the heavy burden of 'what if' invading her dreams and waking her in the dead of night. They were finally ahead of their enemy. And it felt amazing. Gratifying. And a million other things that made her nearly hum with delight.
Now, if only Sakura could help Itachi. That unstoppable feeling vanished, like hitting a brick wall.
Upon learning the truth, Shizune had been understandably shocked. Followed by angry. Also understandably. But patient confidentiality was something medics took seriously, especially for the clans within their village. That was something even Shizune couldn't fault her for.
The one thing Sakura hadn't expected upon having Shizune learn the truth was the relief that came. She had been holding Itachi's secret for so long, covering for him and leaving out important information in his patient file that Sakura had become accustomed to the constant stress. On top of that, there were her own concerns that she couldn't share with Itachi. Her frustration at hitting dead end after dead end, and her disappointment at feeling like she was failing him every time. His disease was always on her mind, always lingering in the back like a radio left on at low volume.
Sakura thought having someone else learn the truth would bring her more stress. When in fact it had become the opposite. Shizune had lifted some of the burden, and Sakura felt lighter for it.
The only downside was Shizune was just as lost as she was. The older, more experienced medic had never seen heard of, much less seen such a disease. Sakura was exactly where she had been when she had first learned of Itachi's disease. She was running out of theories. Running out of options. There was only one other medic in the village that could possibly be of any help now.
Sakura glanced at Tsunade.
The blonde was observing the elite shinobi still working inside the arena, but her eyes were staring unseeing, lost in her own thoughts. Sakura frowned. The last thing her master needed at that moment was another issue to stress over. To learn her most faithful and skilled shinobi was constantly fighting a battle with a disease even her most trusted medics couldn't identify would only be the rotten cherry on top of the worst cake ever made.
Unless Sakura didn't tell her that part.
"Can I ask for your thoughts on something?" Sakura asked slowly.
Tsunade's eyes refocused before she gazed upon her apprentice curiously. It was all the permission Sakura needed.
Without pause, Sakura told her everything. What she had first seen during that initial surgery, the weakened lining of the lungs, how specific jutsus seemed to accelerate the damage. The only thing she left out was Itachi's name. And all other information that may identify him. She stuck to just the medicine.
When Sakura finished, the black ops guards had completed their work and were standing a respectable distance away. Tsunade pursed her lips, her eyes distant again as she thought.
"Hm...that is most unusual," the older woman eventually said. "And you said you spoke to Shizune about the case as well?"
Sakura nodded, ignoring the way her stomach twisted with guilt. She had promised Itachi she would keep his secret and though she wasn't technically telling the Hokage it was him, it still felt as if she were betraying his trust.
"You've run all the tests and done all the exams?" Tsunade asked. When Sakura nodded, the older woman fell quiet again. Some moments passed before she spoke again, "Does your patient have faster breath sounds than what's considered the normal range?"
Sakura frowned thoughtfully. Patients tended to breathe quicker and have an accelerated heart rate when in the hospital as a result of stress. It wasn't that terribly unusual. She didn't recall Itachi being outside that norm.
"Not that I've particularly noticed, but it's possible," Sakura told her.
Tsunade hummed. "Have you spent much time in the research library in the Hokage's Tower recently?"
"No more than usual."
"Perhaps you should," Tsunade said not unkindly. Sakura's brows furrowed in confusion but before she could ask, her mentor continued, "There's a text along the far wall towards the bottom that discusses a number of conditions often seen by civilians and shinobi living in the North. It might be worth your wild to take a look."
Her vagueness made Sakura frown. If Tsunade knew something, Sakura didn't know why she didn't outright say it. But she supposed her mentor was yet again trying to teach her another lesson. That made two things now Sakura had to figure out on her own.
"I will," Sakura said. She collected her vest where she had left in on one of the spectator seats and draped in over her arm before she headed up the concrete stairs to make her leave.
"Sakura," Tsunade called, stopping her retreat. The older woman was half-turned towards her, her arms crossed over her large bust. Her eyebrow was arched curiously. "Which Uchiha is sick?"
Sakura didn't immediately answer. She wondered how her mentor had put that together, but in hindsight it suddenly seemed obvious. A katon-jutsu user and the utmost desire for it to remain unknown. Who else could it possibly be?
However, Sakura merely held her gaze. "I'm sorry, Hokage-sama, but I cannot release that information. Patient confidentiality."
Tsunade didn't reply. But the corner of her mouth twitched like she was quite pleased with Sakura's answer. Then she turned away. Sakura took that as her dismissal.
She left the arena and headed towards home. She needed a shower and breakfast before she checked on how things at the hospital were going. And if all was well, then she would heed Tsunade's advice and search out that book.
Sakura was already itching to get her hands on it. To know what information may be inside that Tsunade thought may help her. Sakura tried to think of what conditions were prevalent in the North. Both the Village Hidden in the Rocks and the Village Hidden in the Clouds lay north of Konoha. She didn't know terribly much about either village, except that shinobi doing missions in Cloud ran the risk of suffering from high elevation sickness. Which those symptoms ranged from anywhere from muscles soreness and nausea to more extreme cases like a build up of fluid in the brain or lungs-
Oh...of course!
That revelation hit her like a blow. Literally.
Sakura was so lost in her wild thoughts that she crashed straight into another person. She nearly tripped and likely would have fallen had they not caught her.
Her eyes widened. "Shisui? Hi! Sorry!"
The Uchiha descendant grinned down at her, his hands still gripping her upper arms. "If you wanted a hug all you had to do was ask, Sakura."
She laughed before she gestured down at herself, still covered in sweat and dirt. "I'm hardly huggable right now."
"I'd still do it," he winked. But he released her nonetheless before he looked her over once. "You reek of blood. What happened? Finally kill your teammates?"
"Don't joke. It may still happen one day," Sakura teased.
Shisui laughed with her but it faded a moment later. It was then that she noticed his smile didn't quite reach his eyes. Unusual for the cheerful male. He was more withdrawn than she could ever remember seeing him, more like just another member of his clan. She eyed him with a mix of concern and confusion.
It didn't immediately occur to her what could have put him in such a mood. Until she realized they were being watched. By a majority of the civilians and shinobi passing by.
Of course, she thought. How could she forget? Things must have been even worse than she thought if it was weighing on Shisui too. She didn't think anything could ever affect him.
"How are you doing?" Sakura asked gently.
He flashed her a smile that was only a shadow of his true one. "I'm fine," he said. Then he added when she shot him a disbelieving look, "I'll just be happy when everything clears up."
"I'm sorry. I wish there was something I could do to help," she told him sincerely.
Shisui merely shrugged, his hands going into his pockets. "I'm not really sure there's anything anyone can do at this point."
"Well...maybe you'll let me buy you a drink soon then, huh?" she said with a small smile. "I still owe you from last time."
He seemed to think for a minute. Then the corner of his mouth turned up in that familiar smile. "Fine, but only if you promise to heal my hangover. My head hurt for like two days after that."
"Alright, we have a deal," she grinned.
"What deal is this?"
Sakura looked at Itachi as he suddenly joined them. Her heart beat a little harder at the sight of him and she had to consciously bite back the wide smile threatening to break across her face. Instead, she inclined her head towards Shisui. "Your cousin made me promise to heal his hangover after I drink him under the table again."
"What do you mean 'again'?" Shisui asked before Itachi could speak.
She openly smirked. "Oh come on. You were totally smashed."
"I'm not the one who walked home barefoot."
"That had nothing to do with the liquor! They were four-inch heels."
"Oh, good excuse."
"I'd like to see you try it."
"I'm black ops. I can do anything-"
"Please do not," Itachi said, interrupting their banter.
Sakura laughed anyway, already imagining Shisui walking down the street in her heels and the jumpsuit she had worn that night. It would definitely be something else. And by the way Itachi was smirking, she knew he was thinking the very same thing.
He caught her gaze out of the corner of his eye, his smile briefly widening. It made her stomach burst into butterflies. She wanted to lean into him then, to feel that closeness again but she suppressed the desire. Instead, she glanced at Shisui. Anything to keep her from remembering how Itachi had pushed her into an abandoned room in the Hokage's Tower and kissed her until her head spun.
"Anyway, what are you two up to today?" she asked.
"Pretty much what everyone else is doing. Just...preparing," Shisui told her, his tone suddenly flat.
Sakura's mood sombered immediately. "Yeah…"
Around them, the village was bustling with activity. Not unusual for such a nice summer day when the air was warm but not quite stifling. Only it was thick with tension.
Shinobi passed by, their faces solemn and their eyes alert and watchful. The few civilians that had ventured outside were walking at a clipped pace and oddly quiet. The lack of small talk and ring of children's laughter gave the village such a different feel. Like the holding of breath before the plunge. The pressure made Sakura feel as if she was being suffocated.
She glanced at Itachi again. She knew she wasn't the only one who felt this way. He had his own troubles. Ones that made her own feel superfluous. The desire to help tugged on her, but there was nothing she could do. It had been a long time since she had felt this useless. She couldn't even offer him comfort. Not because she didn't want to. But because she didn't want to make the situation between the village and the Uchiha Clan worse. It was all very political. One wrong misstep could send everything up in flames.
Itachi just met her gaze, an unspoken understanding passing between them. A promise to see each other again soon. The corner of her mouth twitched in the barest on smiles.
Then she looked away as she pulled her sweaty shirt off her skin in an attempt to cool herself. "Anyway, I'm headed home to shower. I'm gross."
"Make sure you heal your arm," Itachi said.
Confused, Sakura followed his gesture to the sore spot on her forearm. Sure enough, a dark bruise was already forming where Tsunade had nearly fractured her radius. She was so used to the aches that came with training with her mentor that she had already forgotten about it.
"Oh, that's nothing," Sakura said. With little effort, she flooded chakra to her fingertips to soothe and heal the damage. She then held her arm out to Itachi with a smile. "See?"
He smiled faintly, satisfied it wasn't a serious injury.
With a wave, Sakura left.
Both Itachi and Shisui watched her disappear into the crowd. It wasn't until she was out of sight that Shisui arounded on his younger cousin. "You going to tell me what that was about?"
Itachi didn't bother to pretend to be ignorant. He already knew he was caught. Surprisingly that didn't bother him as much as he thought it would. It was all so easy with Sakura. Like he didn't need to be the Uchiha Heir. He could just be Itachi.
"We have been...getting to know each other," Itachi said slowly.
A look of confusion passed over Shisui's face. "Since when? The party?"
"Before that."
"What?" Shisui asked. He looked stuck somewhere between amazed and baffled. "I thought she didn't even like you. Didn't she call you an ass like only last week?"
"That was months ago." Itachi chuckled lightly as he continued down the road towards ANBU Headquarters. Shisui was quick to follow.
"Wait, is that why you were so short with her on the mission?" he asked. "Were you concerned about her? Did you tell her that? You know Sakura can handle herself. Oh, I bet she was pissed about that. What did she say?"
Shisui stopped his endless questions when Itachi shot him a look but the older cousin retained his wide, expectant grin. Itachi suppressed his sigh when it didn't fade.
"She is not upset with me," Itachi finally said.
"Well I can see that." Itachi chose to ignore the positively beaming smile on Shisui's face. "So what? How far have you guys gone? Are you dating? Or are you planning to court her? I wonder what Sasuke's going to say. Or your mother! I bet Mikoto will be over the moon-"
"Shisui," Itachi said, abruptly cutting his cousin off. He stopped on the dusty road. This close to ANBU there was less traffic but Itachi still checked to make they weren't overhear before speaking, "We have kissed a couple of times. I enjoy her company greatly, but it is all very complicated right now. And I do not want to put her in a difficult position."
The wide grin on Shisui's face slowly faded. Itachi may be considered the genius of their clan but Shisui was not dumb by any means. He understood politics just as well as his cousin.
"She's the Godaime's apprentice," Shisui said. "I doubt a relationship with you will harm her reputation, even with things between the clan and village as they are. You never know. It may even help things."
"I fully expect that it would," Itachi agreed. Then his expression hardened. "But I will not use her in such a way. Sakura deserves more respect than that."
Shisui frowned but he readily agreed. They fell quiet for a long minute before Shisui met his younger cousin's gaze again, a genuine smile forming on his face. "I'm happy for you, Itachi. I think she'd be good for you."
A feeling Itachi hadn't felt in a long time bloomed in his chest at the mere memory of Sakura's smile. Her kindness and patience and warmth was something that he would not long forget. She had done so much for him already. He only wished he could return the favor in kind.
"She is," Itachi agreed.
##
After her spar, the rest of Sakura's morning was rather uneventful. She showered and headed to the hospital. Only to find that the staff had kept everything moving smoothly. Even Shizune had decided to spend her day helping out in the Hokage Tower.
It was a good thing. But at the same time, left Sakura feeling a little off. She had spent the last three days back-to-back in the hospital. To not be there working made her feel...lazy. Not that she had a choice. As soon as the Head Nurse, Oyone, saw her, she promptly chased Sakura off the surgical floor, telling her that if the staff needed her they would send for her.
It left Sakura with a lot of free time. Time to research. Tsunade's vague words and Sakura's own theories were still fresh in her mind. And though short, her conversation with Itachi had left her in a good mood. It was the perfect opportunity for her to head down to the library in the bowels of the Tower. While there were still no worries, no concerns, no distractions to interrupt her focus.
Sakura sat in the back of the library, in a nearly forgotten section filled with dusty medical texts. Most hadn't been touched since they had been placed on the shelves when Hashirama had been appointed Hokage. She located the textbook Tsunade had described on the last shelf shoved in the corner. It was old and nearly seven inches thick bound in a green cover. The gold letters had long ago faded to a rusted yellow, but the passages inside were still readable. For the most part.
For hours, Sakura read. Studying the conditions those living in the North primarily suffer from. Most of which she knew. She skimmed over a majority of diseases and illnesses, only slowing down to read the ones she was less familiar with. None were even remotely similar to Itachi's condition.
Until she reached one chapter in particular. It was the one she had been searching for. The one on altitude sickness.
Sakura had seen the illness a handful of times. When Konoha shinobi spent an extended amount of time in Cloud. They usually came back in rough shape, requiring at least a week's worth of rest, and possibly even spending a night or two in the hospital for observation, before resuming duties.
Somehow Cloud ninjas had adapted to the higher elevation. They had a larger lung capacity, increased breath and heart rates that allowed them to keep up their physically demanding environment without being worn down. According to the research, even their blood vessels had mutated to permanently widen the cells. Which if Sakura was reading correctly allowed for oxygen to move through the bloodstream more easily so it could reach the organs that needed it most. Like the kidneys and intestines and heart and...lungs.
The breath left Sakura's body as her eyes widened. Her theory had been right!
She'd have to examine Itachi again, but if her suspicions were correct - and the more she read, the more she thought they were - he suffered from this very condition. In the Village Hidden in the Clouds where they had higher atmospheric pressure, dilated blood vessels were needed to survive. But here in Fire country with the oxygen so close to the surface, it was easier for the walls of his cells to tear open. Itachi's Katon jutsu would only exacerbate the condition by literally ripping the oxygen from his lungs.
It all made sense. Like pieces of a puzzle setting into place.
Lowering the book down, Sakura sunk back into her chair. She was nearly shaking with an adrenaline high. Amazed and excited and relieved to finally learn what disease had been plaguing Itachi for years now.
The urge to drop everything and run to find him nearly overcame her. But all she had was a name. She didn't have a cure. And what good would it do to tell him if she didn't yet know how to reverse it.
Frowning to herself, Sakura peered across to the bookshelf in the corner. She read the various titles - the ones that still had visible names printed on the spines that hadn't been worn away by time or use. Maybe one of these would provide her the answer she was looking for-
A sudden, thundering explosion jolted Sakura from her thoughts. The walls and floor under her chair shook, knocking a half dozen books from their shelves. They hit the ground hard, their thumps muted by the noise that seemed to come from everywhere at once.
An instant later, a loud siren filled the air. Unique and demanding in a way that could only mean one thing:
They were here. The war had finally come…
##
Sakura bolted out of her chair, adrenaline pulsing through her system and shocking her body into overdrive. This attack had been so long in the coming that she had almost begun to believe it would never happen. And now it was here. Finally.
Her first thought was for her friends and teammates. If they were ready. If she was ready. She doubted anyone could ever be fully prepared for this but they had done the best they could. There wasn't much she could do now, except get to the hospital. It would soon be overflowing with the critically injured and dying. As much as she wanted to help on the front, the hospital was where she was needed most.
Sakura sprinted out of the library. The alarm was still blaring loudly, but just beyond that piercing ring, the sounds of panic and battle could be heard. Frantic cries and hurried footsteps pounded above her while in the far distance, beyond the stone walls another explosion rumbled. It was already unfolding so quickly.
Sakura took the stairs two at a time. She was almost on the ground level when the entire Tower suddenly shook again. Enough that she stumbled and had to brace her hand again the wall. It felt like a bolt of lightning had struck the top of the tower. Only not a lightning bolt. Because Sakura recognized that tremor as if she had created it herself.
Tsunade.
Sakura knew her mentor well. Knew that Tsunade wouldn't risk using her chakra within the walls of the Tower and potentially bringing harm to those inside. So what the hell was happening upstairs? Dread settled like a stone in Sakura's chest. She passed the main floor and continued up the stairs, rapidly weaving through the people that were fleeing in the opposite direction.
The crowd thinned out the higher she climbed. Dwindling, until she was the only one left. She slowed when the alarm abruptly silenced. Her footsteps seemed to echo loudly in the quiet. It was strange, eerie for a building that was usually so bustling and busy with life. Like the entire place had been abandoned.
Something was terribly wrong. A fact Sakura confirmed when she finally reached the highest floor. The two masked guards that were normally stationed on either side of the Hokage's door were sagged on the floor. Two large pools of blood staining the carpet and smeared against the wall behind them.
Sakura resisted the urge to immediately go to them. Down the opposite end of the hall, she heard the approach of footsteps. A moment later, two men appeared around the corner, both wearing Military Police uniforms with the familiar Uchiha Fan embroidered boldly on their shoulders and back.
Heavy relief swept through her. Only to be replaced an instant later when they bent down to grab one of the slain guards. They dragged him around the very corner they had come from, a trail of blood left in his wake.
The breath left Sakura's body. She froze, unable to move, unable to breathe. Unable to think. Like a hand had reached into her chest and was squeezing her heart with all its strength.
The Uchiha Clan was behind the attacks? That wasn't possible. Sasuke, Shisui, Itachi...none of them would do this. None of them would betray the village. Betray her.
A few minutes later, the same men returned to retrieve the second body. She studied them closely, only to realize an instant later something was off. These men weren't of Uchiha descent. They couldn't possibly be military police. These uniforms had to have been stolen.
Relief nearly made Sakura's knees buckle. But also brought so many questions. Who were they? How did they obtain these uniforms? Had they killed for them?
A moment too late, Sakura realized she was no longer alone. She had been so lost in her thoughts she hadn't realized the two men had been gone longer than they should have. She caught movement out of the corner of her eye before she was swiftly grabbed from behind. The two imposters each took an arm and twisted it behind her back before they abruptly pushed her forward and through the heavy, double doors of the Hokage's Office, kicking and cussing.
"Let me go, assholes," she snarled as they forced her onto her knees.
Inside, the room was a mess. The far wall where a wide window had once provided a stunning view of the city was gone. Not just the window, but the entire wall itself. A gaping hole was left in its place, allowing the late evening breeze and the screams of terrified people below to sweep into the room. The bookshelves on the left side of the room were smashed. Likely from the two dead shinobi slumped at the foot of it. It looked as if Tsunade had managed to take out at least some of the attackers.
But there were still plenty more. Two guarded the door on either side while three shinobi lined both walls. Most were dressed similarly to the men holding Sakura, the Uchiha symbol displayed boldly on each shoulder. But just like her captives, none were a part of the Uchiha Clan. They were all spies. The only one that stood out from the rest was someone Sakura never expected to find:
Danzo.
He stood beside the large desk, his flowing, white robe flapping lightly in the breeze flowing in from the hole in the wall. His back was to her, but he turned sharply when Sakura spoke. A displeased frown crossed his face upon sight of her. "What is this?"
"We found her outside the door, sir."
He eyed her with his uncovered eye, an air of boredom surrounding him. "Is that so? That's annoying."
His nonchalance stunned her. Why wasn't he more concerned with what was currently happening within the village? And what was he doing with these men? A deep, sinking feeling twisted in her gut as the everything began falling into place one by one.
"It was you," Sakura said slowly. Like saying the words out loud made it all real. "All along, it was you."
Danzo looked down at her with his visible eye, his expression irritated like she had just asked him the dumbest question he'd ever heard. "It took you all long enough to figure it out. Honestly, it's been months. Just proves how poor of a Hokage Tsunade truly was."
Was? Sakura's heart sank. "Where is she?"
"Long beyond saving now."
He sidestepped then, revealing the slumped form of Tsunade. She was sprawled on the floor beside her desk at his feet, previously hidden behind his flowing robes. Blood had darken her green robe in some places. Even from this distance, Sakura could see how pale her skin was, how unmoving she laid. Her chakra signature was weak and flickering. Even the seal of her forehead was missing. She was in critical condition.
"No!" Sakura said. She attempted to go to her fallen master, but the hands on her shoulders pushed her back down, keeping her in place.
"Tsunade," Danzo spat her name, "was a poor leader. The village has become weak under her guidance, much like it did under the Sandaime. With her out of the way, I will resurrect this city back to its former glory."
But Sakura was still staring at Tsunade's still form. She fought to find her words, to formulate a coherent thought. Worry and concern and fear swirled within her. But so did anger and hate.
Her eyes were burning with fury when she gazed up at Danzo again. "You'll never be my Hokage! You're a traitor. To Tsunade-shishou and every person in this village. You killed that civilian!"
"I needed to test my poison one last time. And I needed to ensure you hadn't secretly created an antidote," Danzo told her. There was the start of a smile curling in the corner of his mouth, like he was pleased with that fact.
Sakura bit back her snarl. "You made the village blame the Uchiha Clan for your murder."
"Letting the Uchiha take the blame was more of a happy, little accident. I needed a distraction and having the Uchiha become the prime suspects was...only too convenient."
"And what better way to exacerbate the tension than by dressing your men up as the Military Police and turning on the village."
"Don't kid yourself," Danzo sneered. "The village has distrusted the Uchihas long before you were born. They caused the Ninetails' attack and nearly destroyed the entire village, and yet they were never punished for their crimes."
"So you're punishing them now? By taking the fall for your treason." She didn't bother to hide her distain.
"I'm protecting this village by getting rid of them. It's only a matter of time before they turn against us," he told her.
The worst part was Sakura got the impression he truly believed his words. That by essentially executing the Uchiha clan, he was - in a sick and twisted sense - saving the village from being ripped in half. It made her blood turn to ice. Made her feel nauseous with horror and disgust.
"You'll never get away with this," Sakura said. "Tsunade won't let you."
"Tsunade will soon be the least of my concerns," he retorted.
"You're as stupid as you look if you believe that."
That's when Sakura made her move. She flooded chakra to her hands, using her greater strength to twist out of the grasps of the two men holding her before she flung them at their comrades along either wall. They hit each other hard. Not enough to cause serious injury but with enough force to make them topple into a pile on the floor. Danzo glanced away for a split second.
It was all the distraction Sakura needed.
In one heartbeat she was beside Tsunade, her hands already through the necessary hand seals. And the next, they were both gone. A stain of blood the only evidence they had ever been there.
##
This part of the compound was quiet. Odd, considering the clash of battle could be heard just the next block over. Another explosion shook the ground under Sakura's feet, threatening to throw her off-balance. Somewhere nearby, someone shouted, their voice loud in the stillness. She looked over her shoulder sharply, only relaxing minutely when she found the street empty.
Tsunade was deadweight over Sakura's shoulder. She had teleported far away from the Tower. To the only place she thought might offer some safety from the madness that was unfolding through the village, like poison circulating through veins. Sakura blended in with the shadows. She checked again to ensure she was in fact alone before she knocked on the door of a lonely, looming household. The rap of her knuckles seemed to echo through the courtyard.
There was no answer. The first or the second time she knocked. She was just beginning to believe that perhaps no one was home, that they were out helping with the fight, when she heard the soft slide of the deadbolt out of place.
In the semi-darkness, Sakura came face-to-face with Uchiha Fugaku. There was dust on his face and dried blood along his cheekbone from a shallow cut. Like he had already been in battle and had only just returned home to get his affairs in order. He stared down at her, his dark eyes piercing even in this lighting.
"I'm sorry. I didn't...I didn't know where else to go," Sakura said quickly before he could send her away.
He looked at her first. Then Tsunade. The corners of his mouth turned down but his expression was otherwise utterly unreadable. Sakura held her breath. Waiting, hoping. Each second that ticked by seeming to stretch into a lifetime.
Then Fugaku stepped aside, his eyes scanning the empty road behind her. "Get in quick. Before someone sees you."
The instant she was through the door, he shut it behind her. Mikoto poked her head around the corner. "Fugaku, what's going on-." Her eyes widened when she spotted the young kunoichi. "Sakura?"
"He tried to kill her," was the first thing out of Sakura's mouth.
Mikoto looked at the slumped form over Sakura's shoulder. Her eyes widened before she turned to Fugaku. "Get them to the dining room," she said. "Quickly."
With Fugaku's help, he and Sakura carried Tsunade to the large sitting room beside the kitchen. They set her on top of the large, oak table as Mikoto left to collect some supplies. She returned only a few minutes later with some pillows and blankets.
The room was utterly still with the exception of Sakura as chakra flickered to life in her hands. She checked over Tsunade thoroughly. It seemed her mentor had managed to heal the worst of her wounds before succumbing to her injuries but they were still extensive. Tsunade had lost so much blood and used so much chakra...she had slipped into a coma long before Sakura had reached her.
Still, Sakura worked. Her entire concentration focused upon healing as much as she could for the woman that had become like a surrogate mother to her. Sakura hadn't had time to take notice in the Hokage's Tower, but here in this room with the danger at bay - at least for right now - she could see just how frail her mentor was. In her weakened state, the youthful appearance she had maintained for so long was gone. Melted away and leaving in its place graying blonde hair and age lines. Even wary after battle, Sakura had never seen her shishou in such a state. It was enough that it nearly sprung tears to her eyes, but she blinked them back fiercely.
"It's Danzo. He did this," Sakura eventually said, breaking the silence. As soon as the first word left her mouth, she couldn't stop. Like word vomit. "He tried to assassinate Tsunade. He tried to kill Itachi all those months ago. He kidnapped and murdered Izumi. And that civilian, then let the Uchiha take the fall. He's behind this. Behind it all. He still blames the Uchiha Clan for the Ninetails' attack. He thinks you're the blame for everything-"
"It's okay, Sakura," Mikoto said from where she sat across from her. The older woman placed a gentle but firm hand over Sakura's trembling fingers as her chakra faded. A source of strength in the chaos.
But her acceptance only made Sakura angry. Not at her. But for her. "It's not okay!" Sakura said, her head snapping up. "You don't deserve this! None of you deserves this! We have to do something!"
"And we will," Mikoto said, grabbing Sakura's face with a mother's caress.
It was then that Sakura realized she had been crying. In anger and fear - both for Tsunade and the village. Warm wetness smeared where Mikoto's fingers rested on her cheek. But there was no judgment in the woman's eyes. Only calm understanding.
"We will do something, Sakura," Mikoto repeated. "He won't get away with this."
Her voice was so sure, so certain Sakura couldn't help but believe her. "Danzo dressed his men up as military police," Sakura said after she calmed herself. "He has them parading around the village, attacking our own people. Our own shinobi."
"We know," Mikoto said.
Sakura's eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean 'you know'?"
Mikoto didn't answer. Instead, she glanced at her husband. Sakura followed her gaze to find there was a deep frown upon Fugaku's face. He stared at Mikoto for a moment that stretched on before he finally relented, "We found a number of our uniforms missing some days ago. We suspected they were going to be used in the attack to impersonate those in our clan. We spoke to the Hokage and she issued a clan-wide order that none of our kin are to bear the Uchiha symbol," Fugaku said.
Sakura blinked. Only just realizing that neither of them were wearing the clan symbol they were both so proud of. She was a little amazed. And relieved. "You knew," she breathed.
So much had happened in such a short time, it felt like she was being weighed down under the burden of feeling so helpless, knowing there were so many lives in danger and so little she could do. But this helped lift some of that weight. Alleviate some of that helplessness. The village had seen this coming and had prepared for it.
"If Danzo's men are impersonating the Military Police, we need to issue an order to cease their advance," the Uchiha Head continued. "By any means necessary."
Something unspoken passed between the two Sakura didn't quite understand. "Go. I'll stay with the Hokage," Mikoto said.
Fugaku held his wife's gaze a fraction longer before he nodded and left.
As soon as he was gone, Mikoto turned back to Sakura. "You need to go too."
Sakura stared, bewildered. "I can't just leave her!"
"You have to," the older woman told her. "The hospital is going to be overrun with the injured soon, if it isn't already. You are needed there."
Sakura glanced back down at Tsunade's unconscious form. She looked so vulnerable, so small amongst the blankets. Sakura feared that if she left now, she would never see her mentor alive again.
"I can't leave her alone," Sakura said quietly.
Mikoto slipped her hand under Sakura's chin and gently urged her to look up. She pressed a wet washcloth to Sakura's cheek then, carefully dabbing it against her skin with a mother's tenderness. It was only once she pulled it away that Sakura realized she was wiping blood from her face.
"You won't. I will watch over her," Mikoto said. Her voice was soft but unwavering. "Trust me."
Her once-black eyes shifted then. They bled crimson until it was no longer the warm, sweet mother of her teammate before her. But rather the strong, fierce Matriarch of the Uchiha Clan. Her sharingan blazed brightly in the semi-darkness, bold and intense. Any of Sakura's remaining doubts faded. Tsunade would remain safe under the dangerous eyes of Mikoto.
With one last lingering glance, Sakura pushed herself to her feet and left the house to return to the battle.
It seemed enemy nin were everywhere. Every street Sakura turned down, she caught glimpses of the familiar Uchiha fan. From a distance, it looked bad. A complete and total civil war. Military police verse black ops and shinobi of every rank and even civilians.
Sakura caught sight of one of Danzo's men cornering a Genin. The young boy was dropped into a defensive crouch, a kunai in hand, but the weapon was shaking, betraying his nerves. She didn't give the enemy nin the chance to attack. She threw herself at him, landing a roundhouse kick to his flank. It launched him through the air and into the house across the street where he fell and didn't get up again.
The Genin's eyes were wide when Sakura turned back to him. Physically, he looked fine. Emotionally, not so much.
Still, she bent down to take a look at him. "Are you alright?" she asked. He stared at her with fear-filled eyes but he managed a faint nod. Sakura smiled, "Good. Get yourself somewhere safe. And whatever you do, do not open the door for the military police."
The words physically pained Sakura as she said them, like she was driving another nail into the Uchiha Clan's coffin. But it was necessary. Hopefully everything would clear up once all of this was over. And if not...well Sakura was willing to use her reputation and all of her influence to make this right. She wouldn't allow the Uchiha to take the fall.
As soon as the boy was gone, Sakura pressed forward towards the hospital. A mix of explosion and jutsu light up the night sky. She skirted around battles, dodging falling debris and stray kunai. She was only a block away from the hospital when she suddenly found her path blocked. The Uchiha Fan only too visible.
"Haruno Sakura, you will come with me."
She didn't have to ask. She already knew what he wanted. But if Danzo thought she was going to come obediently, he had another thing coming.
Sakura's eyes narrowed into a glare as she dropped into a defensive crouch. "Tell that traitor he can go screw himself."
It seemed they had expected her answer. An instant later, two squads appeared, blocking every exit. She was surrounded. Those Military Police uniforms once a symbol of help and protection. Now an omen of death. But if she was going to die, she refused to go alone.
That was her last thought before Sakura flooded chakra into her hands and launched herself at the nearest enemy.
##
Blood splattered across the ground, leaving brown spots in the dust. A gurgled sound came from the slit throat of the man under Itachi before he convulsed and didn't move again. His sharingan cut through the darkness of the night and made the ever-growing path of destruction more prevalent. Beside him, Itachi heard the familiar choking groan of another fallen enemy. He glanced over just in time to catch Shisui finishing off his own attacker before the man fell lifelessly to the ground. The Uchiha Heir stared at that familiar fan stitched onto the dead man's shoulder before he met his cousin's gaze.
The pair said nothing. Only pressed on, jumping over a half-destroyed building and landing the next street over.
They found Kakashi and Genma engaged in battle with the mysterious impersonators. The street was in ruins as jutsu attempted to overpower jutsu.
Itachi placed his hands together, running through the familiar hand signs before a ball of fire burst from his mouth. The katon jutsu threw one of the few standing buildings left up in flames. It was just enough of a distraction for Shisui to flicker in and run his blade through an entire platoon of unawares enemy. They all hit the floor before they even knew he was on them.
"Uchiha!"
But Itachi had already sensed the incoming attacker. The tomoes in his eyes spun slowly, the genjutsu falling over the street softly like freshly fallen snow. The remaining enemies hit the dirt, their eyes wide and their fingers twitching as they fought illusionary shadows.
Kakashi was the first to appear beside him, Genma only a step behind. "What the hell is going on? Your father just put out an order to eliminate all Military Police."
Itachi had heard the order as well. It was a terrible thing his father had been forced to do but it was necessary. For the clan and the village. "The enemy has infiltrated the village by impersonating as them," Itachi informed them.
Genma's eyes widened. "What? How is that possible?"
"With very careful planning," Itachi said. "I believe someone within the village was attempting to build tension with the Uchiha Clan before the attack so ANBU would be more willing to eliminate the Military Police. However, we noticed a large store of our uniforms went missing. The Hokage issued a private order to remove the Military Police uniforms some days ago."
"So there aren't any Uchiha in Military Police clothing," Genma said. He sounded half-relieved, half-disturbed.
A sudden explosion nearby made their heads turn. Smoke began to rise some blocks away as screams and shouts joined the chaos already flooding the streets. How much damage had already been caused? How many lives lost in this battle?
Itachi was the first to speak, his mouth set in a grim line. "If this is a plot to overthrow the Hokage and take over the village, the Hokage is our number one priority right now. We need to get to the Tower."
It was three blocks away, but it stood tall over the rest of the village. One side was crumbled and smoking but the majority was still intact. Even from here, Itachi could see there was a large hole where the window into the Hokage's Office had once been. A single shadow stood before it now. One Itachi recognized. And he wasn't the only one.
"Is that...is that Danzo?" Shisui asked, his voice full of disbelief and growing rage.
Genma glanced at him, his eyes not able to see as clearly as the sharingan. "The village elder?"
"Of course," Kakashi murmured. Like it was only too obvious. "It would make sense. He's been after the Hokage's job for years and he was in charge of Root."
"What's Root?" the brown-haired male asked.
"It's a classified subdivision of black ops," Itachi answered. "It was supposed to have been dismantled years ago. But…" He looked again at the ninja on the ground. Most had already fallen victim to his genjutsu, their eyes staring sightlessly up at the sky. "It appears that Danzo has kept his operation up and running."
"So he sends his little minions out to pose as Military Police to take out as many of our shinobi as possible while he likely assassinates the Hokage," Shisui said.
"Even if he does, it isn't a guarantee that he'll become Hokage," Kakashi pointed out. "In the event that the Hokage is killed, an interim is elected until the Fire Daimyo can appoint a new-"
"The Fire Daimyo is dead."
All eyes turned to Itachi. Varying levels of shock reflected back at him. Less upset about his death and more concerned with what his absence meant.
"Then there's nothing stopping Danzo from becoming Hokage if Tsunade-sama is dead," Genma finally said, voicing the very thought they were all thinking.
Itachi turned back to the Tower, his jaw set and his eyes determined. "We need to find the Hokage. Now."
##
It was easy enough for the four of them to infiltrate the Tower. With each sporting a henge and stolen Military Police uniforms taken off the very men Itachi had killed, and a triple-layered genjutsu cast by both Itachi and Shisui's sharingan, they weren't even looked at as they passed. In fact, they appeared as nothing more than any other Root team. Just another four-man cell.
They slipped inside the Hokage's Office just as another team gave Danzo their report. He and Shisui relieved the two guards on one side of the door while Kakashi and Genma did the same on the other. It was all so smooth, no one even blinked.
"All exits out of the village have been closed off," the Root agent reported. "We have overtaken over a majority of the east and secured ANBU Headquarters, but it seems most of Konoha's shinobi are battling downtown. We have dispatched more agents to handle them."
"And the Hokage?" Danzo asked, the frown on his face fixed in place.
The Root member briefly hesitated. "We are scouring the village. But there is still no word."
Itachi's interest piqued. So the Hokage did escape. That news brought him relief, if only some.
Lady Tsunade was incredibly loyal towards her village. She wouldn't just let Konoha fall. Wherever she went, she wouldn't have gone far. Itachi and his team needed to bring Danzo down and allow Tsunade to gain control back over her city.
And with Danzo distracted, now was the perfect time.
Itachi made ready, about to give the silent signal to move when the door burst open again. Another squadron of Root agents walked in, dragging a limp figure between them. Itachi's heart stopped in his chest.
It was Sakura.
to be continued...
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Thank you.