Chapter 4 – The Final Preparations

Hiashi Hyuuga was feeding the koi fish in the pond when the servant came to tell him of a visitor. He ceased the mechanical motion of throwing food into the water, uncertain. Surely the guards would not have allowed an Uchiha to walk on the grounds. And if not an Uchiha come to boast about their prisoner, who would come see him in the early hours of the morning?

"A young kunoichi by the name of Akane, from the Nara clan," the servant told him when he inquired. That piqued his interest. So, the other clans were finally recovering their wits after the shock. Of course the Nara, who were known for their remarkable intelligence, would be the first to react.

Hiashi walked across the garden and into the meeting room, where he found the visitor waiting for him. She was young, certainly no older than fifteen, and had donned, for the occasion, a yukata in auburn and gold. She rose when he entered, keeping her hands folded demurely in her lap. Akane, was it? She had clearly been instructed in these arts, he found himself thinking, though he wondered if she was a flower as strong as she was pretty.

"Nara Akane," he repeated the name he had been given. "What brings you here?"

"Forgive me for showing up unannounced, Hiashi-sama. I did not wish to attract any unwanted attention. Security is tightening around the village in the aftermath of the recent events."

Hiashi kneeled on the tatami rugs and Akane did the same.

"I will not waste more of your time than is necessary," she said, "so I will get to the purpose of my visit. Some of the other clans will be rallying against the Uchiha at the earliest opportunity: my clan, the Yamanakas and the Akimichis, along with other shinobi who are loyal to Sarutobi Hiruzen-sama. In order to defeat the Uchiha, we must stand and fight together. The power of the Hyuuga clan would be invaluable to us in this attempt to restore Hokage-sama to his rightful place."

The underlying question was clear to Hiashi. Will you join us?

"Itachi Uchiha kidnapped the heiress of the Hyuuga clan last night," he said, looking her in the eyes.

"Hinata-sama has been kidnapped?" she asked, and he saw genuine surprise on her face. She was either a spy of the enemy and an extraordinary actress or had genuinely not known. After all, the news had yet to break out and everyone from the Hyuuga clan was forbidden to speak about it. "How do you know he was the one who did it?"

"I watched him as he took her."

The Nara girl suddenly seemed confused. Whether by his words or by his calm demeanor, he could not tell. She quickly regained her composure, however.

"Why didn't you stop him, then?" she asked.

"I thought it best to let them think they have leverage on us."

"But Hinata-sama is your heir."

"She is weak," he said. "Losing her would not be a great blow to this clan if greater things were at stake, which I believe is the current situation." The kunoichi seemed to be at a loss for words. "To answer your question, yes. The Hyuuga clan will fight to restore Hiruzen Sarutobi to his rightful position."

The Nara girl pressed her lips together as if to avoid speaking any words that would be better left unsaid. Hiashi approved of her reaction. She bowed ceremoniously and he replied with a polite half-bow. The diplomatic meeting was over.

Hiashi rose and left the room, walking along the corridor to the training room. Hanabi was practicing her kicks on a dummy. A single look at his younger daughter told him she would be the Hyuuga heir Hinata could never be.

Shisui was training when a yukata-clad figure stopped by the fence, peering at him from behind a paper fan. He did not recognize her at first, as her hair was down on her shoulders instead of tied at the top of her head, but he recognized her by her voice when she said hello.

"Akane-san," he said, smiling. "I'm sorry, you look so different."

"Did you know Itachi kidnapped Hinata Hyuuga last night?" she whispered.

Shisui made an apologetic face. "Yeah… he sent me a message last night, after he did it. We thought it was best if you didn't know anything when you talked to the Hyuugas, so they wouldn't take you for a spy."

She nodded in agreement. "I've spoken to Hiashi-sama. The Hyuuga will fight, even with Hinata-sama being held prisoner."

"I see," he said. So, Hiashi Hyuuga was willing to sacrifice the heiress to his clan. A sensible and shrewd man. "Let's meet in the clearing tonight. Together with Itachi, we'll talk about the final details of this plan."

Itachi arrived first at the meeting place, well after dark. An owl hooted deep in the woods, but the night was so quiet the sound of its cry almost pierced his ears. He leaned against a rock and crossed his arms, waiting for Shisui and Akane to make their appearance. Shisui suddenly teleported to Itachi's left only a few minutes into his waiting.

"Akane-san should be here too, soon," Shisui said. "She's on patrol duty."

When the Nara kunoichi finally arrived, she ripped her ANBU mask off her face and flumped down on the grass, out of breath. "The Police Force were harassing people again," she said after drinking some water, having replenished her oxygen supply. "They're picking more fights by the day."

"We'll give them a real fight, soon enough," Shisui said, then addressed Itachi. "When are you on guard duty outside the Hogake's office?"

"Tomorrow night," Itachi said.

"That's on short notice, but we should be able to manage. I've been thinking of how to better put this plan into action. Here's what I've come up with: Akane, you will talk to Shikaku-san. He must come up with a plan to distract the Police Force and draw them into a trap. You should also talk to everyone who agreed to fight to let them know when to be there.

"Meanwhile, Itachi, you will be standing guard outside the Hokage's office. I will come see Fugaku-sama, seemingly to inform him of the revolt. Now listen carefully and do exactly as I say: when you hear a vase break, you enter the office and ask if everything's alright. You are not to remove your ANBU mask under any circumstances."

Itachi frowned at these odd instructions, but he knew better than to doubt Shisui. He nodded in understanding and his friend went on: "Most importantly, remember this: no matter what happens, do not give your father any reason to suspect your involvement."

Shisui's eyes moved from Itachi to Akane and back. The two gave their approval. Akane stood up and Shisui held out his hand: "It's been a pleasure working with you, Akane-san," he said, smiling as he shook her hand, "although I wish it were under better circumstances."

The three then left the clearing, each going in a different direction. Though Itachi and Shisui were both headed home, they had agreed to take different routes in order to avoid suspicion. Tonight was going to be a long night, though tomorrow night was likely going to be even longer.