If Itachi was begging him to kill them, just what the fuck had they done? Sarutobi wondered as he tried as best as he could to comfort the distraught boy.

Unfortunately, Itachi didn't feel comforted in the least by the man's touch.

In fact the moment he went to try and sooth him by rubbing his back like he used to do for his own son when he had been the same age and he'd been upset- the boy practically jerked himself away from him and made his way back over to Uzu.

And then scooped her up in his arm and sat down like the Kage had several minutes before, and carefully situated the little girl in his lap and began to use his gloved hand to finger comb the shoulder length silky tresses as he slowly began rocking back and forth and whispering to Uzu despite the fact that Sarutobi was fairly sure that the girl was so deeply under his genjutsu that she couldn't hear him speak.

Much less know or understand what they had been speaking about and the reason for Itachi's more than apparent distress.

It would seem that my council have much to answer for. Sarutobi thought angrily to himself before kneeling down in front of Itachi and saying in a very firm tone, "I know that you don't want to be here- And I know that both you and Uzu fear this place for a reason, but I'm afraid that I must insist on the exam if I am to punish the council for abusing their power while I was gone."

Itachi looked at him, his eyes wide and horrified by the very thought of them being in that place again. So just to assure the boy that everything would be fine, the elder pressed on and said very carefully, "All of us will go in," Against Itachi looked utterly horrified and shook his head no, causing the Kage to reach out and stop the boy's head movement by framing his face. "You can keep Uzu safely under the genjutsu, and the two of us will never leave her side for a moment. But during the exam I'm going to need you to be strong and to preserve her modesty by averting you're eyes. As her adopted family- I won't have to look away unless I'm uncomfortable. So my eyes will never leave her face, and between the two of us we'll make the hospital a safe place for her again. I've already got a doctor in mind to do the exam- she's very nice and trustworthy and has never given me a reason to believe otherwise. I. Will. Not. Allow. Anything. To. Happen. To either of you. Do you understand?" He said gently but firmly to impress upon the boy just how seriously he intended to take this particular task.

He meant it. Itachi could see his intentions as clear as day in the man's expression, that he fully intended to do exactly as he had just promised him. And as nice as it was to fully understand that, one question still plagued the Uchiha's mind.

What if 'they' were inside the building right now? He wondered, his mind thinking back to the night that Uzu had been strapped down and tortured by various doctors. The thought alone was nearly enough to send him into hysterics even with the Kage there with him.

He did not want those sadistic animals anywhere near his girl ever again!

He chewed his bottom lip for a moment as the elder released his grasp on him as he mulled over whether or not he should voice his concerns.

He wanted to say something. Truly he did. But some part of him was almost too scared that if he did, his trust in the man could and would be misplaced. But the man had said very plainly during their conversation before that he had been out of the village for several months. Meaning that he wasn't responsible for everything that had happened during his absence.

He had just returned to the village to find out that something had occurred and now he was trying to fix it by helping improve Uzu's life, health- both physical and mental- and to completely help her, he needed to know the extent of the damage inflicted.

So on one hand he could see why actual physical evidence of Uzu's abuse would come in handy. Especially if he actually planned to take on the council. But at the same time Itachi would have preferred something less invasive and traumatizing...for both of them.

Still- to some degree he knew that this was the right way to go. So once he finally came to this conclusion it gave him the courage to speak up. "W-What if we run into...'them'?" Itachi asked as he shifted Uzu in his arms so that he could run one of his gloved fingers along the dark angry scar on her pale throat.

Drawing the elder's eyes to Uzu's neck with the subtle motion, the man's dark gaze widened a fraction of a second as realization slammed into him hard and he quickly narrowed his eyes and looked back at the building from over one of his shoulders, his mind practically screaming.

They hadn't! But the truth of things was so horrifying that he now understood the full severity of some of what had occurred in his absence. And he seethed with rage at the knowledge that someone would be so warped and twisted as to use a place that was a sanctuary for the injured, ill, and dying- a place meant to be for healing and rebirth- to torture an innocent child to such a degree.

That he almost lost his temper and snarled. Those damned monsters! How. Dare. They! Turning back to Itachi, with a dark expression of barely leashed rage, he growled out. "If you see them. Point them out to me, and they'll die this night for their crimes."

Itachi studied the Kage for a moment before slowly nodding his head in agreement and slowly got to his feet with Uzu still carefully cradled in his arms as the elder also got to his feet and straightened his spine so that he stood at his full height.

"Come Itachi." He said as he started moving towards the door with the boy walking beside him as the elder thought, It's time I clean house and take out the trash.