Barely an hour after being returned to the village, Uzu and Itachi both found themselves standing outside of the village hospital with the Hokage's back still to them as Itachi suddenly understood (or at the very least thought he did) what the elder had meant earlier when he had tried to send him away from them.

The man had intended all along to bring Uzu here. But for what exactly? She wasn't injured. At least, he thought as he cast a worried glance her way, not that he could visibly see anyways. Was that what was going on here? Did the old man really intend to have her looked at?

Here of all places?

Part of Itachi wanted to believe that the village leader meant well, but the more cynical side of his personality wouldn't allow him to fall for any shit. Not now. Not after everything that had been done to Uzu. Not after his pitiful attempts to protect her had nearly had him labeled a traitor to the village and almost gotten him, his little brother and everyone else in his clan murdered.

No- the cynical side of him didn't truly believe anything that the old man did was for Uzu.

Not when one of the last times Itachi had seen her in a hospital it had been when some 'surgeon's' hand picked by the council had dragged the five year old from her cell at Anbu headquarters in the dead of the night and strapped her down to one of the steel tables and while she was still conscious enough to feel pain- to even scream- had began to carve her up and pull out various organs.

Just to see what made her tick.

The sights, sounds and smells of various bodily fluids from that night still turned Itachi's stomach and made him violently ill. And why wouldn't it? It was the night she had earned several of the scars that marred her small and otherwise flawless body.

Scared but unable to move, Uzu stood shaking next to him as he reached out and grasped her thin shoulders and pulled her against his body as he looked at the elder and stammered out, "W-We c-can't b-be h-here." Causing the Hokage to turn and look at him for a moment, his expression curious as Itachi pulled Uzu tighter against him and felt her bury her face against his uniform in an effort to hide her steadily mounting fear as he said more fiercely. "We need to leave."

"Itachi, I only brought Uzu here for a physical. I know neither of you like it, but it has to be done." Sarutobi said, coaxingly- in a gentle tone that he hoped would sooth both of the children. However his words only served to anger and frustrate Itachi even more.

The boy shot him a dark glare and slowly shook his head no as he held onto little Uzu as tightly as she was holding onto him. "You're not fucking listening!" Itachi shouted at him, all effort, patience and control now lost to his rage as he let his chakra flair in warning. "I will kill you- before I let you take her in there for any reason." Itachi was practically screaming at him now.

His sharigan was activated again and he was so angry that Sarutobi felt an actual sliver of fear... That the boy actually meant what he said. That he really would make an attempt to kill him to prevent him from taking Uzu into the hospital.

Worried about the boy's mental state, Sarutobi turned to completely face the boy and Uzu and sat down with his legs crossed right there on the hospital walk way and took a moment to think carefully. After all, Itachi was a bright, rational and passionate child. He wouldn't be acting this way without a very good reason.

Sensing that the Hokage had something to say and wishing to spare Uzu from whatever was to be said, Itachi took a moment or so to pry Uzu from against him and used his gloved finger tips to tip her head back so that he could look at her angelic little face.

She was ashen, her eyes red rimmed and shimmering with unshed tears as he kissed her forehead and quickly told her that he was going to put her to sleep for a little while. He would wake her when he was done with the old man.

Strangely enough, for once, she didn't bother to fight him as he used his sharigan to place her in a nice, calming, non threatening genjutsu. And then once he was completely sure that she was totally out of it and had fallen asleep without any issues- he gently lowered her small body to the ground and then once again faced the Hokage.

His dark eyes angry and wary all at once.

After all the man wasn't known as the most brilliant tactician in the village for just any old reason. And as intelligent as Itachi was, he didn't have quite so much experience. So he was pretty sure that if he actually tangled with the man- he'd wipe the floor with him.

But dammit! He was at least going to break a few of his bones before he was taken out.

It wasn't the best that he could do, but considering who his opponent was and who he was fighting for the sake of- he didn't think it was all that bad. Not once one factored in age, skill, and other various stuff...

Not really anyways.

As long as he aimed well.

"Itachi," The boy looked at the elder for a moment before the man asked, "Why do you and Uzu feel so threatened here? The hospital is a place of healing and renewal. You know that right?"

"This place is not a place of healing," Itachi spat at him in a growling tone that would have impressed Kakashi and his brood of ninja pups. Hell, the growling rumble quality of the boy's voice impressed him. "This isn't a place of healing at all. Not for us. This place is a joke! A travesty that should be burned to the ground." Itachi continued to growl.

Sarutobi blinked at the boy and then glanced over his shoulder at the stone and glass building and then back at Itachi and frowned for a moment before asking, "Why do you feel that way? What was so terrible that both you and Uzu fear this place so strongly?"

Itachi looked at him for a second, his expression changing rapidly from rage to puzzled then back again.

"Why do you care? You didn't before." He snapped in a harsh tone, causing Sarutobi to tilt his head to the side a bit as he considered the child for a second.

"Do you mean the past few month?"

"Of course that's what I mean! Are you senile?!"

"No. Nor am I stupid. I am well aware that something has been going on within the village while I was gone these past few months. That is why I wanted to bring Uzu here. Because I need to know what was done." He had to know so that he could hopefully repair some of the damage that the council had created. But he also needed to know so that he could give them an more accurate punishment.

Like the saying said; let the punishment fit the crime.

Itachi was silent as his mind turned the man's words over as if trying to understand how that could be. Every order he and others had gotten for the past few months- everyone knew that they came from the Hokage. So if the Kage had been gone...then who did that leave to give orders?

The question was simple.

The words flashed though his mind like a neon sign. The council. And for one of the first time's in his life, Itachi wished to see each of them drowning in their own blood.

His rage and anger towards those puffed up, self important cunts, was so great.

Now everything made sense. Uzu's imprisonment, her torture, the missions, the threats on his life and the lives of his family and clan if he didn't do exactly what they said.

They had abused their authority and power outrageously. And as a result had wounded more than one person so that they could further their own agenda's. Someone's going to fucking die for this! He thought as his chakra flared dangerously around him as he finally managed to put the pieces of the puzzle together.

He felt something heavy on his shoulder and slowly reigned in his chakra to find the old man standing there with a slightly pained look on his face before he thought to look down at the hand laying on his shoulder.

His chakra had burned some of the skin right off the old man. And as bad about that as he felt right then, all he could do was grab the elder by his shirt and grip the material tightly in his small fist as he choked out, "Please... Tell me you plan to kill them for what they've done."

At a loss as to what to say, Sarutobi stared into Itachi's grief filled eyes and gently covered the hand gripping his shirt and said. "I can only do so if what they have done is a crime against humanity." Which was true. He couldn't kill them for anything less.

Abuse of power and some other things only got them stripped of their power and lands and got them exiled from the village. And only a few more things could get them imprisoned.

So unless what they had done was considered a crime against humanity- his hands were technically tied. Which made him wonder, if Itachi was begging him to kill them, just what the fuck had they done?