Chapter 6 – Rising From the Ashes

A warm breeze fluttered through the transparent curtains hanging at the window. A ray of sunlight fell on his arm, warming his skin, but Itachi could not feel it for the cold within. He looked up at the clock on the wall. He had been sitting in a chair by her bed for over an hour and his legs had grown numb. He had not even realized how much time had passed since he had arrived at the hospital.

Something caught his attention. A change in her breathing pattern, a muscle twitching on her face. Akane's eyes fluttered open and her head turned. For a moment she seemed not to recognize him, then her lips cracked into the ghost of a smile.

"You're awake," he said, moving closer to help her sit up and adjust her pillow.

"You seem surprised," she noted in a voice hoarse from disuse. Akane cleared her throat before speaking again. "How long have I been asleep?"

"You've been slipping in and out of consciousness for five days now. Don't you remember?"

"No… Did Shisui-"

A shadow fell on Itachi's face. "No."

Akane's smile faded. She turned her head to look out the window. Itachi had lost Shisui. Akane had lost her brother. The pain they shared went beyond words. For a while, the only sound in the room was the song of birds coming through the open window.

"How bad is it?" she asked in a voice so quiet Itachi almost did not hear.

"Both sides have suffered losses," he said, "but the Police Force managed to gain the upper hand in the fight that night. Most of the clan leaders have been taken hostage. They are to be judged for treason in a couple of days." Itachi paused, afraid this may be too much for her to bear given her condition, but Akane seemed as numb as him. "I'm afraid the situation is dire. My father cannot allow the remaining Uchiha to leave on missions and leave him unprotected, but he cannot send any other teams either, for fear of sabotage and defection. In a little while, I think, Konoha will not be receiving any more requests for help."

Akane scoffed. "Who would submit missions to a village in turmoil?"

No missions accomplished meant no income. No income meant a collapsing economy. Itachi knew the downward spiral Konoha was facing. Even civilians had started leaving the village. Who would stay, given how Konoha was turning from a safe haven to a battleground?

"Your father must be stopped," she said, looking at him from the corner of her eyes. "He would not expect another attack if it were to happen so soon after the first one, especially if he is holding the clan leaders hostage in return for submission."

Itachi had been turning this same idea over in his head for the past few days. He knew they could not abandon everything simply because one plan had failed. He realized now that, in his own way, Shisui had been preparing him for this very purpose. All of his instructions for the night of the attack made sense to him now. He had wanted Itachi there to witness his death in case he failed. He had wanted Itachi to obtain the Mangekyou and do what Shisui had not been able to.

"Without help from the clans, the remaining members of our clan can't be defeated," Itachi said. "Even if we stop my father, they will pick up where he left off."

"Then we find help elsewhere. The Hyuuga have more sense than most and they will fight even with Hiashi-sama being held by your father. But clan members are not the only shinobi who fight for Konoha. Kakashi-sensei will fight. Tenzo will fight. Maito Gai, too. And if we can break your father's genjutsu, Hokage-sama will fight."

Itachi was starting to understand. With the right strategy, a small taskforce made up of choice members had more chances to succeed where great numbers may fail. Besides, the shinobi she had mentioned were all more than capable of handling several Uchiha on their own. He nodded as the plan began to take shape in his mind.

"I'll come up with a strategy and see what I can do while you rest and recover," Itachi said, standing up. "I'm going to need your help, as well."

Itachi left the hospital and headed for the ANBU headquarters. None of the teams which had returned since the Uchiha coup d'état had been sent out again, including Team Ro. Instead, they had been assigned an increasing number of tasks around the village given the surge in street fights and… other incidents. He remember being called 'Uchiha scum' the day before and being turned away from a flower shop the day before that.

Once he had changed into his ANBU outfit, Itachi set out for Hiruzen Sarutobi's home. He found the old man sitting in a chair on his balcony. There was an open book in his lap, but his empty gaze was aimed at the sky. He did not give the ANBU member's arrival more attention than he would have given a fly buzzing by, not until Itachi removed his mask and addressed him.

"Hokage-sama."

"Ah, Itachi," Hiruzen said, turning his head to look at him. Itachi, however, felt as if he were looking right through him. "Your father is doing a wonderful job, isn't he? I knew he would be exactly what Konoha needed."

It pained Itachi to see such a strong man reduced to a mindless puppet. For a moment, he feared the worst: that the old man's mind was too far gone to bring back to reality. Nevertheless, he stepped closer and placed a hand on the old man's shoulder. "Kai."

Hiruzen started like a man who suddenly realizes he has forgotten something important and took a hand to his head to rub the bridge of his nose. "What… Itachi? What are you doing here?"

"Forgive me, Hokage-sama," Itachi said. "My father trapped your mind in a genjutsu using Kotoamatsukami and manipulated you into resigning and the Council into making him Hokage."

"What?!" Hiruzen said, raising his voice as he jumped on his feet. The book in his lap fell on the floor.

"Shisui and I tried to put an end to it, but our first attempt was unsuccessful and Shisui was killed."

"How long ago did this happen?"

"It's been over a week since Fugaku Uchiha named himself Hokage. I'm afraid the situation is dire."

Itachi proceeded to explained everything to Hiruzen, from the Hyuugas' defiance at the assembly to the failure of their first plan. He also told the Hokage about the current plan he was about to set in motion. Hiruzen nodded thoughtfully.

"Are you well enough to co-ordinate an attack on the remaining Uchiha while I deal with my father, Hokage-sama?" he asked.

"Leave them to me. I will send word to those who can help. But Itachi," he said, looking into the young Uchiha's eyes, "be careful. Your father is a shrewd man and a powerful shinobi. I would not want Konoha to lose you the way we lost Shisui."

"I'm not going alone," Itachi said, putting his ANBU mask back on.