Chapter 10 – How Children Play
"Nii-san, we can't! Don't we have to stay here?" Sasuke struggled to keep up with his brother's longer strides as they sped away from the anbu headquarters.
They traveled again through the back alleys, away from the main streets. But it made no difference, because there was barely a single person around. Konoha was still strangely quiet.
Itachi slowed his speed until he could speak quietly. "If we leave before the majority of the fighting begins, we can come back and strike at the right time. I still need to decide what to do, Sasuke."
Sasuke frowned. "Isn't it obvious? Do what you were supposed to do, stop the coup."
He shook his head. "I can't do that now. Much of my attack depended on surprise, and on Madara's help."
It was the first time the name had come up since oka-san's death. Sasuke didn't like to think about it; the scene of his mother's lifeless eyes was pushed to the back of his mind along with that cursed name. He would deal with that later.
"Stay quiet," Itachi said again. "There's someone following us. If Hound-taicho was correct, leaving the village right now is our only option. We'll remain outside while I figure out what to do."
Someone was following them? Sasuke looked back and up along the high rooftops, squinting against the bright sun. There was no one there, not a single presence. But his eyes weren't as tuned to seeing these things, and he took his brother's word for it. If it was an anbu member, they were in danger.
Nevertheless, the gates of Konoha soon came into sight. Itachi held a hand out for him to stop and peeked out of the alley, eyeing the large expanse of land between the building they hid behind and the gates. There weren't any crowds, but two anbu members sat at gate-watch in their small counter. They weren't the same faces Sasuke remembered seeing in the future; these were masked. "We'll have to deal with those two," Itachi muttered. "I wonder if there's a way without killing them…"
"Just kill them, nii-san. You said we can't afford to draw attention to ourselves, and if they go back they'll bring a search."
His brother gave him a bemused look. "'Just kill them'? A little harsh, Sasuke. I do try not to when I can."
"Well we can't, now. And I can only fight with jutsu, which will attract attention," Sasuke stressed. "If we're going to leave, it's the only way. We can't let them see us."
Itachi's face held a briefly pained expression, but he nodded. He slowly drew out two shuriken from the pouch at his waist. The metal glinted in the bright sun and Sasuke held his breath, almost apprehensive to see his brother kill again. Before either of them could move, another masked figure dropped into the gatehouse from behind the two guards, from where she had been crouched on the overhangs above. She swiftly drew her tanto and slashed forward, cutting the backs of their necks in one smooth move.
Sasuke's eyes widened as the two guards fell limp, and the new anbu member shunshined towards them, stopping right in front of the building they peered out from. She wore an Owl's mask.
Owl wore her full anbu gear. She also wore a large bundle strapped across her back. It was a travel-pack. Her hair was pinned into a tight bun behind her head, held in place by a single senbon needle. Sasuke stared, momentarily speechless.
Itachi's hand went to his kunai immediately, but his eyes widened in understanding when he saw the pack. He straightened, stepping farther back behind the building. "Has Hound-taicho sent you to help us, Fukurou-san?"
She nodded evenly, and then reached back to unclip the tie of the travel pack, swiftly bringing it out in front of her. "Two tents, twenty ration bars, kindling for smoke signals, and some of taichou's smutty books that he was kind enough to lend." She threw it to Sasuke, who collapsed under its weight. "Carry that, kid. They've already put out the word; we may need to fight and I can't have this dragging me down."
Sasuke struggled to stand up while holding it. The cold fire of anger was lit again as he looked at her and thought of what Itachi had said before.
"Why should we trust you?" Itachi asked quietly. "You could be a spy."
She raised an eyebrow. "You don't really think that. Besides, if this is what I have to do to sleep with taichou, then so be it. Let's go camping."
He watched her silently.
Fukurou sighed. "We'll head out to a nearby post-town and drop off your kid brother, he'll be safe there until the coup is over. Then we'll stay somewhere near the river, somewhere we can trace in the dark. I'll come back here and collect information from taichou, and you'll do whatever you want with that information."
After a while, Itachi nodded. "That seems fine. But Sasuke will remain with us."
"Whatever you say," she shrugged, and turned. "Hurry, we need to leave the village before someone finds out that the guards have been killed."
The two of them made their way a few feet out before realizing that Sasuke wasn't following. He was still standing behind the edge of the building, his face turned down. His hands shook as they clenched the material of the travel pack.
"Sasuke?" Itachi asked quietly. "Come, we have to be quick." He walked over and reached out to take the younger boy's arm.
Sasuke looked up, and behind the shadow of the building his eyes swirled with red. A little way off, Fukurou gasped slightly at the sight. A seven-year-old with all his three tomoe spinning in his irises.
"Nii-san, kill her."
The area fell silent.
"I'd do it," Sasuke went on, "but I can only use large-scale jutsu in this form and I don't want to draw attention."
"Sasuke," Itachi gripped his arm tightly, his voice low. "Don't say things like that; I'm hoping than I can change-"
"You don't need an excuse to kill her, and I won't tell anyone. With all the people you killed before, she will be the most justified." He pulled his arm away, still holding the travel pack. "Thank you, Fukurou-san, for the materials. We'll use them wisely."
The shock fled from her eyes, and she reverted back to her scathing look as she glanced between him and Itachi. "Interesting. I don't know your true skill, Itachi, but I still wonder how many seconds it would take for you to kill me. Five, maybe? No, I'm probably underestimating you."
Itachi bowed his head, "I apologize for what my brother said-"
"Do it, I don't care. Sure, I'll fight. I'm only human, after all. But you'll win in the end and that's all that matters." She looked towards Sasuke. "Did Itachi tell you about it? Strange thing for a little kid to say. Then again, a little kid with the Sharingan may not be so little." She glanced calculatingly at his eyes.
You hurt aniki, Sasuke seethed inside. Why did aniki have to be so self-sacrificing? Why couldn't he allow himself this little hint of satisfaction?
"I won't harm you, Fukurou-san," Itachi said in a final tone. He pulled Sasuke forward, "Sasuke, don't say things like that. She's offering her help."
"I'm not," she corrected.
"…Hound-taicho is offering her help," he revised. "It wouldn't be right to let personal issues get in the way when there is so much more at stake."
The Sharingan slowly faded, and Sasuke gritted his teeth and let Itachi drag him along, travel pack and all. Fukurou gave him one last, apprehensive glance before turning on her heel and leading the way to the gates. To one side, the two slumped bodies drooped over the edge of the watch-house like caught fish on display.
"You have explaining to do, Itachi," she called back as they passed the village gates. "Your brother is turning out to be rather interesting."
He nodded silently, following close behind. Sasuke lingered by his side, struggling to keep up, even under the weight. The morning light did nothing to hide them, but the emptiness of the area did enough. The large gates of Konoha receded behind them as they headed out into the forests of Fire Country.
Itachi stayed close to him while they ran - Fukurou had assumed that Sasuke, like the average seven-year-old, had no chakra control, and she didn't leap up into the trees. He shot a sideways glance. "Sasuke, you shouldn't have said that."
"She would deserve it," Sasuke hissed.
"No one deserves it," his brother replied. "She's the third person you've asked me to kill today. Whatever I did to cause this, I'm sorry, Sasuke. You've become different."
He gritted his teeth. Of course he was different! He knew that he was ruined, in some way he couldn't exactly describe. But it still cause his heart to clench that aniki was looking at him like that. I'm still Sasuke.
The forests around were full, and the Naka River ran to their right from where it seeped out of Konoha. They ran down across the riverbanks, keeping the stream in sight at all times. Fukurou led, and eventually, after a tiring thirty minutes of accounting for Sasuke's slower speed, she stopped and held one hand up.
"We'll stay here," she called out briskly. "It's far enough to have sufficient warning if they send someone, and close enough to head back regularly. We'll have to take the eastern entrance through the wall, though. They'll have stronger gate security now."
Itachi nodded, and relieved Sasuke of the travel pack. They followed her out of the riverbank and into the line of trees, where she stopped at the first clearing they came to. "This is fine, Fukurou-san."
Sasuke wordlessly settled down with his back to a tree, watching his brother pull out three ration bars from the corner of the bag. He passed one to Sasuke, who took it. He held the other one out to Fukurou, and she ignored it completely.
"I'll be heading back later," she said. "Taichou is gathering information, and he wants me to pass it to you. He likes you, for some reason. Although I know that you don't like him," the amusement was clear in her voice.
"I will come with you," Itachi told her, putting the third ration bar back in its pocket.
"No, you can't. Everyone's looking for you, and you don't even have a mask to hide behind. I, at least, have my anbu gear," she reached up and promptly unclipped her Owl mask, placing it at her hip. "But first, I'll stay here until I have my answers."
Her face wasn't as Sasuke remembered it. He'd only seen glimpses of her, while he was trying not to look. But now, set against the forest trees in the clear light, it looked different. The cold prettiness she had before was gone, and her features settled into something much more plain, unremarkable. There wasn't much that distinguished it from any other face. She was the type whose looks changed with her expression. She was only pretty when she frowned.
He sighed, "you can know whatever you like, Fukurou-san. It makes no difference to hide things."
"Good," she looked at Sasuke, and slowly raised a finger to point at him. "Who exactly is that boy, sitting there?"
When Uchiha Naori went in search for the head of her clan, she was not a little worried to see that he hadn't moved from where she had delivered the news earlier. Fugaku was still standing there to the side of the street, looking up into the morning clouds with haunted eyes, as if cursing the sky for being light.
"Fugaku-sama, Teyaki-san has finished discussing with the anbu captain." She reported. "They are not willing to accept any of our negotiations, not even the one that would allow them control over half the shinobi population. It seems that they were instructed to completely eradicate us, although they haven't indicated who exactly told them to do this. Hokage-sama's name was never mentioned."
The street was silent, and the civilian houses on either side looked oddly out of place. Their little gardens and see-saws in the yards were mocking, just like the soft morning winds. Fugaku's teeth were clenched, "what difference does it make? They take their orders from the village. The village is out enemy." He said something else too quietly for her to hear.
Naori frowned. "Are you alright, Fugaku-sama? Should I take orders to retreat for now, until …"
"No." He said sharply. His hands shook. "If they won't back down, then we will attack. Each of our clan shinobi is worth two of their average ones. Even with fewer numbers we can win if we follow the plan." He looked down. "We must win. I must avenge Mikoto."
Mikoto …
"Maybe it is not the best idea to strategize while mourning," Naori said quietly. She wanted the Uchiha clan to gain control as much as he did, but she also wanted to see her brother alive at the end of it.
Fugaku gritted his teeth. She didn't understand. She didn't realize that the last words he'd said to his wife were in uncaring anger. "Now." That was the last word she'd ever heard from him before her death. It was cruel, unbearably cruel. How could he have let something like that happen to … to the cheerful girl they'd once pronounced as his wife.
"Whoever that person was, it was the doing of the village," he hissed. "They took my son and turned him against us. That person … he was someone the village must have sent to make sure Itachi did his work." Fugaku looked up, and she almost took a step back at the extent of his anger. "Do you know what Itachi is truly like? He is an innocent boy. He could never have done something like that without being pushed. They pushed him, Naori. They pushed him and they took Mikoto, and now I have another type of revenge to take."
She stayed silent, because it was clear he would never say anything like this without the influence of anger. "What will you do, Fugaku-sama?"
His gaze turned hard, "we'll hold our ground and give them one day. Then we'll begin our plan with the first group. Convey that message. After that, you know what you must do; that person will be a bargaining piece against the Hokage."
Naori nodded sharply before shunshining away. After she left, Fugaku allowed the tension to slowly fade from his shoulders before walking briskly down the street, towards the Uchiha compound.
From behind the bushes lining the ends of the street, Yamanaka Ino peered out.
Noting that the man was gone, she stepped out of her hiding place and ran quickly to the other side. There wasn't a lot of time, she had to get there before the Uchiha police left their position and resumed their patrol. She didn't know why they were temporarily gone, but she had to make use of their absence.
She counted the houses before coming to the one she'd visited the previous day, a simple building with a small garden out front and large, curtained windows. Forehead's family was boringly middle-class, but she did have a nice house. When she was in the yard, she looked to both sides down the street before attaching herself to the edge of the wall and starting to climb. She went two windows up, and then squinted into the third. The room inside had pink walls, and the figure sitting on the bed was familiar.
She rapped on the glass twice.
From inside, Sakura looked up, startled. Her eyes widened when she saw Ino grinning through the window, and she put her book away and leapt off the bed to push open the glass. "Ino! What are you doing here?!"
Ino swung one leg inside and pushed her blond hair over her shoulder. "I though I'd come rescue you, Forehead. I heard that the police would be looking around for all the academy children living here. It's safe for your family, but not for you. Inori-sensei is an Uchiha after all, she'll recognize you."
Sakura frowned, "what's happening, Ino? I was told to stay inside."
"Oh, right. I forgot that you don't know anything yet," Ino said matter-of-factly. She pushed the curtains behind her, hiding herself from anyone looking up from the street. "Otou-san works in intelligence, and he told me that the Uchiha clan is trying a coup. They want to return the village to Uchiha control, like it was a long time ago before Shodai-sama drove away their leader. You've read about all that history stuff, right?"
She nodded mutely, before sitting back down on the bed with a thud. As one of the few seven-year-olds who had read enough to know what a coup entailed, she wondered why Ino was smiling. Wasn't she aware of the danger?
The blond girl had abandoned her position on the window and was walking around the small room, admiring the pink walls and pulling open the drawers of the dresser. "Anyway, nice room. Your parents didn't let me up here yesterday because I'd mess it up, huh? What a clean freak, you even sort your panties by color!"
"Aren't you scared, Ino?" Sakura asked quietly. "This means they're going to try to kill the Hokage and take over the council!"
"Yeah, I know. But like I said, otou-san works in intelligence. They've stopped lots of assassinations attempts before, they can do this one too," she shrugged. "Are you coming? Leave a note saying that you've gone out, your parents will be safe. Otou-san says they won't risk killing the civilians since they're bargaining pieces."
Sakura shook her head. "I saw one of the Uchiha police outside. He said he was taking revenge, and that I should stay inside to be safe. They're patrolling the area, Ino. We'll get caught if we go out."
"How do you think I got in?" Ino crossed her arms, leaning against the dresser. "They're all concentrated west of here, where the residential area leads into the main streets. It's also beside the Uchiha clan compound, which is on the opposite side of the mountain from the Hyuga's and the Nara's. There was a person standing in the street when I got here, but he went there too. We have to go before they come back."
There was silence in the small bedroom as Ino waited for her friend's decision. Sakura bit her lip, clenching her hands into the sheets of her blanket. Revenge is happening. The man's words ran though her mind, echoing and becoming louder each time. Those haunting words lingered in her head and they didn't let go. It wasn't right to go out, and disobey them. It wasn't safe to get caught in someone's revenge. Someone's like that man's, who had radiated power.
But Ino was here. Ino had risked her life – whether or not she was aware of it – to come to her room and save her. If she didn't leave, Ino could be caught outside alone. Sakura wasn't sure what to do, but she knew that Ino's carelessness would get her in trouble. Finally, she made her decision and looked up at the other girl standing in the room.
"Fine," she said firmly. "We'll go."
"Oh, awesome!" Ino put down the hairbrush she'd been examining. "Never thought you'd be such a scaredy cat, Forehead. Write down your note, we don't want to have your parents worrying. You can stay at my house for the night. Shikamaru and Chouji are coming over today since there's no class, so I'll introduce you." Her cheery voice stopped when she pushed the curtain aside. "But until we get out of the district, you'll have to be quiet, alright? I don't want to risk ending up in police custody. That wouldn't be fun, and otou-san would be mad at me."
Sakura nodded, there was no need to remind her of that. She admired Ino's bravery, even if a part of her labeled it stupidity. But Ino had her jonin father to teach her about life. Ino was never afraid. She stood up from the bed and made her way towards the blond girl, who was already half way out the window.
Ino tossed a look back at her, and smiled in amusement at her anxious look. "Stop being such a wimp, Forehead. You'll be fine."
Within the Hokage's tower, Shimura Danzo sat in the seat before the Hokage's desk. There was no one behind the desk, and the office was strangely devoid of life. He had his arm laid out on top of the wood, and his other hands slowly worked at bandaging it. The white wrappings went above and below the searing pain.
His arm felt like it was on fire; it burned with tremendous force. He gritted his teeth and withstood it, waiting for it to fade. It would take days, but he wouldn't go so far as to amputate it. He could only lose so much.
But his arm wasn't important.
Beside it lay a piece of paper, and an inked pen. His meeting with the council had finished in his favor. But Hyuga Hiashi had still not made his declaration of loyalty. It gave him reign to assume the worst.