Chapter 17 – How Crows Fly

Kakashi tapped his foot restlessly against the crumbling wall of the yakitori place. On either side of the lone street, there wasn't a single person in sight.

He had tried to come earlier, but they had informed him that he was in charge of damage control since his subordinate had effectively cut off all paths of exterior exit from the anbu headquarters. Bringing down the wall had taken the entire day, but that was fine because he'd seen her retreating with the injured police members. As one of the few who had gotten off without a scratch – courtesy of her anbu expertise – she would have been assigned to bandaging wounds.

But he had nothing better to do until she arrived, so he leaned back against the wall and waited, Icha Icha Paradise held loosely in one hand. The words on the page were blank against his eyes, spinning over and over in his mind until he'd memorized them without knowing what they were actually saying.

"Taichou!" A call from behind him. Kakashi turned swiftly and managed a small smile under his mask as Owl flickered in front of him. She ran her slight hands over his sides, checking for any sign of injury.

"Maa, you seem to be underestimating me. Why would I be hurt after a small skirmish like that?"

"Small?! There were at least twenty injured on both sides, and almost seven of our shinobi dead!"

It was easy to forget how young she was, and that she'd been no more than a child at the time of the last war. Kakashi sighed and slipped one hand into her hair, running his gloved finger over her cheek. She was giving him a slightly annoyed yet expectant look, a look he'd long learned to associate with Owl.

"Small, Owl," he told her. "That is nothing, not even compared to the missions my own teams are sent on, the ones that you outer-circle operatives unknowingly help with." He paused thoughtfully, "does that bother you?"

"Not a bit," she deadpanned. "It's just … how is this going to end quickly if so many people are going to have to die? It's not very beneficial to create martyrs."

Well, it was too much to hope. Owl was Owl, and it wasn't a fault of hers but of her past and her upbringing. Kakashi shook his head, "let's go inside. Someone may walk by."

She nodded, and the curl of her bandaged hand around his wrist was almost demanding. But he had no time, and that was weighing down further on his mind every time he saw Uchiha features. They pushed open the crumbling door and slipped soundlessly inside, eyeing the thin layer of dust that covered the abandoned waiting tables.

Kakashi turned back to her, "'how many people are going to die'? That's exactly the type of question I can answer. The Uchiha police number three hundred thirteen, and on average one of you can match three Konoha chunin. If your clan somehow wins, you will have to sacrifice at least a third of your shinobi."

The frown slid off her face, leaving behind the thoroughly blank expression that made her nearly unremarkable. But then she shrugged and the faint light highlighted her frown lines once again. "You're trying to scare me, taichou, but you don't know what I think of them. The Uchiha are not family, we merely coexist with each other's names. I have no doubt that Fugaku-sama is perfectly prepared to send out these hundred of us who will die. But it's unlikely that I'll be one of them. I'm not good at open conflict, after all. I'm a specialized tracker. My position is one of the safest ones. And both my parents are council members who will keep as far a distance from the major battles as they can."

So she thought she was safe. Maybe that was why she was so unafraid. Kakashi tilted his head, "they sent you on the attack to the anbu headquarters, didn't they?"

"I volunteered."

"You shouldn't," the words spilled out, and he vaguely realized that maybe he was trying to advise himself. "You should stay as far from the conflict as you can, because even if you come out alive, things like that do a far greater number on your mind."

Her eyes narrowed, and the grip around his wrists became tighter. "I'm a shinobi. I can take care of myself."

Kakashi shrugged evenly, pulling his hands away. "Of course. I never doubted that. Listen, what did you manage to figure out so far? Didn't we have a deal?"

"Yeah," she suddenly seethed. "And what am I getting in return, anyway? 'Help me, Owl', 'be on Itachi's side', 'risk your damn life sneaking around like a criminal in your own home'-"

"What did you figure out?" He pressed. "I need to know as quickly as possible."

Owl crossed her arms, "you won't be able to do anything even if I tell you," she seethed. "People aren't joking when they say things like 'all the Uchiha look alike'. Even if you get in, you'll be completely lost."

Kakashi felt the relief rise up inside like a rush of water, filling his mind. He hadn't expected too much. Owl – Fukurou – was simply a kid, after all. She didn't have access to the council meetings, and the Uchiha were persistent about keeping information from those who may be interrogated. But her words meant that she had found something. There was something he could use as a lead to rescue sensei's son.

"No, don't worry," he smiled under his mask. "I have a way to find the person who took them, if I need to. I just need a way to get in, and a time to do it."

There was a long silence as she looked into the corner of the old place, where spiders were building webbed strands between the powdery wood. Her fingers tapped against her arm restlessly and the extent of her confidence had been pulled from beneath her feet in an instant. She didn't blink once, simply avoiding his gaze and digging little half-moon shaped marks into her with the grip of her nails.

"Owl?" He questioned. "You found something, right?"

"S-stop," she muttered under her breath. "At least … let me decide if I'm actually going to do this."

Kakashi slipped his hands into his pockets, just so the clench of his fingers wouldn't give away the extent of his desperation. His voice was steady, "you're rethinking it now? Whether you want to betray your clan?"

"This … this is different. If I tell you, they'll know. And that kid means more to you than I do so you won't stop if they find out. I'll have to find a place to stay first, right? Or at least pack my things so I can leave if it gets too bad," the length of her arm grew pale in her grasp. "Or will you advise me what to do, taichou?"

Kakashi didn't blink, "if anything happens, I can hide you until Itachi finds out how to fix what's happened."

"Yeah …" Owl looked at her feet, which had sunk slightly into the crumbling wood below. "That idiot will do anything to leave behind a place where his brother can live, won't he? Maybe I can …" her look hardened. "Why am I even saying this? Sorry, taichou. I'm being an idiot. I didn't go through all of that just to turn coward now." Her confidence seeped back into her as she grabbed a twig from the dusty window of the old shop and scratched against the sandy floor.

Kakashi watched as she sketched a rough outline of the Uchiha grounds. Then she scribbled over the front section. "That's the main gate?" He asked, pointing.

"Yeah," she muttered. "And see this part? It's directly west of the Konoha genin academy. The compound wall here is weak, it's one of the older parts that was build decades ago. If you can set a paper bomb, it'll give easily. This is the safety route my parents taught me during the last war, in case I ever needed to run." She circled the section.

"But won't they hear if I set one off right on the wall?"

She bit her lip. "Normally, yes. Even though it's far from the main houses, they'll hear. But … two days from now … they've planned an attempt to take the Hokage's tower directly. I tried to sneak into one of the council meetings but their security was too high, they had barrier seals around the building. But … last night I was sent on patrol and I managed to hide and overhear Fugaku-sama talking to Naori-san, one of the police members who has a high grasp of shunshin, almost like Shisui-kun." She paused.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow, "Shunshin no Shisui? Now that you bring that name up, he was once part of anbu like you, wasn't he? Where is he now?"

"Dead," she said bluntly. "He drowned himself in the Naka river. But ..." she looked back down at her impromptu map on the ground, and pointed with the twig. "Listen, if you go in through here in two days time, you can blast the wall and no one will hear because the police will all be out of the compound and the others will be gathered by the infirmary for support work. The front gates are always guarded, but this section isn't."

He nodded, slowly noting down the plan in his mind. "And did you figure out where Naruto is being held?"

"Yes," she outlined rectangular shapes at the back of the compound. "These are the holding cells where the higher-class criminals are kept. It's more heavily fortified, and there are too many barrier seals and alerts to consider breaking in. But if you can get the key from Naori-san it should be easy to take him. Naori-san is the one who brought the two prisoners in. I'm not sure how to describe her. She wears her hair and clothing in a style very common among Uchiha kunoichi."

Kakashi smiled under his mask. "I have someone who can identify her, I'll bring that person along with me. Where will you be at this time?"

"I'm part of the reinforcements for the attack," she said. "I won't be there at all. I suspect you won't find it hard to defeat Naori-san, but … I don't think anyone in the clan has ever actually seen her fight, she usually delivers messages from the council members to the police force. I doubt she is very powerful in battle, but she's a strong sensory-type."

Her words were a soothing relief to the claws that had been hooked through his conscience. He could save the boy, it was possible. Kakashi couldn't hold by the smile, and simply reached forward to run his thumb over Owl's cheek, trying to pass on his calm and bring down her unusual levels of anxiety. "Thank you, Owl. I won't waste this chance."

When Sasuke won't up the next morning, the conspicuous lack of presence in the futon beside him set his every nerve on end.

He pushed himself up wide-eyed, turning to glance out the window. It was bright and the sky was already clear with daytime. But there were no birds or frogs or hints of movements. Everything was completely still. Sasuke threw the sheets to the side and stumbled to his feet, rushing blindly towards the door.

Seven o'clock tomorrow morning. Seven o'clock.

Aniki would have started. Aniki was fighting the slug sannin and he was … in bed? How could that be? He fumbled with the gap of the sliding door, pushing as hard as he could. It didn't move. The door wouldn't open. The door was locked and he was inside and aniki was fighting.

Sasuke banged his small fists against it, feeling the desperate helplessness he'd never wanted to feel again. But even with their miniscule amounts of chakra, they weren't doing anything against the thin wood. He felt weak. For the first time in five years, he was weak. The pounding of his heart echoed in his ears as he slid down to his knees, still putting every inch of strength into try to push the door open.

It wasn't simply locked, this was something beyond a mere metal lock. It was a seal, a barrier, a something that aniki had laid to prevent him from going after him. He wasn't trusted. Itachi-nii wouldn't trust him. Of course not. He didn't trust anyone either.

After a few moments, the soft thud of footsteps echoes outside in the corridor. Sasuke looked up with eyes that his seven-year-old body was already causing to tear up, and hit his fists against the door with renewed effort. Maybe if he was lucky, someone would hear him.

Thud. Thud. Thudthudthud.

There was a slow creak in the room, one that resembled the slide of a sliding door. Sasuke looked forward hopefully, but the door still wasn't opening under his hands. That was silly. Where had the sound come from? There was only one door in each room. Maybe the person outside in the corridor had opened someone else's door.

"Oi!" He screamed. "Open the door! Whoever's out there, open this door!" His voice rose to a painful, seven-year-old pitch, accompanied by the regular thudding of his hands.

"Hey, calm down!"

Sasuke paused at the sound. He turned slowly, looking first over his shoulder. A familiar, white-haired man stared back at him. He was … standing at the sliding door. At the entrance to the room. On the other side of the room.

The man gave him a sheepish smile and stepped forward. "Hey kid, mind telling me why you're trying to break down the room? I was just passing by, but it sounded like someone was getting murdered in here."

When Sasuke looked back at where he had been hitting with his fists, the thin wood of the sliding door had been replaced by a crumbling white wall in front of his eyes. He stumbled back from it slowly, collapsing a few meters away on his knees.

"If I'm not mistaken, that was quite a strong genjutsu that someone laid on this room," the man said, approaching him. "Who are you, kid? And who was in here with you before?"

Sasuke turned back to look at him. "You … you're Jiraiya, aren't you?" He remembered the face from his time in Orochimaru's hideout. It was a distinctive face, with its dramatic paint and laugh lines.

"That's 'The Great Jiraiya-sama' to you," the second Sannin told him with a grin. "So are you going to get up and tell me how I can help you, or what? Usually I limit my heroic powers to beautiful girls, but maybe I can make an exception." His grin faded. "You look scared as hell."

Sasuke immediately stood up and tried to run out through the actual door, but the other man caught his arm and held him back.

"Where are you going?"

"I have to find them!" He seethed. "I have to find aniki and Tsunade, they're fighting. And aniki said he's going to use something irretrievable … I can't let him risk something like that. I – I have to remember that he'd thirteen and he could lose and everything will be worse than where it started. I have to stop them, let go of me!"

"Tsunade?" Jiraiya frowned. "Hime is fighting someone? Well, I understand why you're so worried. But you should know that she doesn't kill her opponents. And if you know who I am, then you'll know that I know her well."

Sasuke clawed at his hand, "I have no time to explain, let me go!"

"Not until you tell me what's been happening," Jiraiya pushed him down onto the edge of the futon and sat opposite to him. "Who's fighting Tsunade-hime? Who are you-" His eyes swept over the Uchiha fan emblem on Sasuke's shirt. "Ah, I see. You've been sent out because of the coup, haven't you?"

Realizing that it was futile to escape since despite his appearance this person was one of the Legendary Sannin, Sasuke sat on his knees and glared back. "Yes, I was sent away." He paused. "And if you already know about the coup, Jiraiya … -sama, then you should go back and help the village fight."

The man tilted his head to one side, and there was a brief glimmer of amusement in his eyes. "Strange thing for an Uchiha to say at a time like this. Aren't you worried that I'll hurt your clan members?"

Sasuke gritted his teeth, shooting impatient glances out the door. But it would be beneficial to have this person's help, since he was strong enough to aid Konoha's victory. The only thing he could do was tell the truth. "Nii-san and I aren't on our clan's side," he said. "We came to ask Tsunade-sama to be our Hokage, and it ended up being decided by a spar between her and my brother, which is happening right now."

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow, "how in the Five Countries did you two get hime to agree to a spar with those conditions." Just as Sasuke opened his mouth to answer, he grinned and waved a hand, "oh wait, I know. You poor suckers probably offered to pay some of her debts."

"All of them," Sasuke told him truthfully. "And right now, our clan cannot afford that. I have to go stop that battle before nii-san does something drastic."

The toad Sannin stood up and brushed off his haori, "well, your nii-san is probably the person I was told about. Let's go then, kid." In one easy motion he dragged Sasuke with him out of the room.

In the forests outside Sugi, a multitude of crows flew overhead and colored the sky black with their feathers. The clearing the two of them stood in was dim despite the morning, since little of the light could filter through the bird's wings. Itachi wiped away a line of blood from the side of his mouth.

Standing a few meters away, Tsunade grinned widely, swiping her hand off on her shirt. "So do we stop here? You've actually tired me out a little, that's something I can respect. But I do really need that money."

"Konoha will pay your debts if you become Hokage," he said earnestly, bringing his hands in front of his face. He watched the stain of red in quiet awe, even though he looked like the type that had already seen too much of his own blood. "You are the first person in seven months who has managed to injure me in battle."

She waved a hand dismissively, "then Konoha is in worse condition than I thought, but that isn't my problem. So what do you say, should we call it my win? I'll treat you and the other kid to lunch and then you can go collect the money."

In response, Itachi's figure merely dissipated into a myriad of crows.

Tsunade watched as the birds flocked upwards, never crashing into each other. Their caws tore through the air of the clearing and echoed though the closed space they'd made with the help of all their black wings. The trees that surrounded the clearing were empty of animals, every living being had run at the waves of chakra that permeated the area.

She allowed the grin to fade and looked around warily. The boy was a strong genjutsu type, and he had gone out of his way to avoid expending chakra. If it became a matter of endurance, her win was certain. But she kept her guard raised, because years of cruel experience in the shinobi world had taught each of the three Sannin that even a weaker shinobi could defeat a stronger one if their opponent slipped them the right conditions. She wouldn't allow this boy the conditions to win.

The flickering circle of crows never ceased, continuing their languid motion in the air. Three kunai shot at her from amid the crowding black but she caught them easily between her fingers and threw them at the ground.

"Oi, brat," she looked around. "Is this going to take all day? Shizune is probably combing the village for me right now-"

He was there, standing directly before her. She towered over his small thirteen-year-old form but for those few seconds his presence engulfed the area, as if his abilities had suddenly multiplied beyond what she'd previously imagined. But she was the Slug Sannin and even killing intent had little effect. She watched detachedly as he walked towards her surrounded by the cawing of his crows, and prepared her chakra in one fist.

"Tsunade-sama," he said softly. "The reverse of our deal also applies, does it not? If you win, you cannot come back and take your position as Hokage."

"Sure," she scoffed. "I don't want it, anyway. Why would I take it if I win this?"

"Good," his voice was a careful low. In his plain clothing, she could almost mistake him for the son of a feudal lord, with the traditional way he wore his hair and the grace of his every movement. He stepped closer, and for the first time she noticed the bird that stood on his arm.

It wasn't like the other crows. This one was larger, with a body the size of a small dog. Its weight bore down on his slight form but he held it out as if it were light, ignoring the way its claws dug into his skin. The bird was looking up at its kind that circled above.

"Is that your summons?" She asked, eyeing the bird. "Well, if you want me to show you the one I'm known for, I'll have to apologize. I don't call Katsuyu for spars against little kids."

"It is not my summons," Itachi said plainly. He was close, barely a meter away, but he made no move to strike. For one lingering second he looked almost hesitant. Then the moment fled from his face and he looked at her blankly. "I wanted to mention that you can feel free to concede defeat if you wish."

She narrowed her eyes. "You should learn to think before you speak."

"No, I'm aware that you have the upper hand as it is now," he said. "I have not yet used my Mangekyou but I have exhausted the abilities of my Sharingan, and you have not used anything other than your Ookasho."

Tsunade watched him carefully. "I have experience fighting against genjutsu users. But that doesn't explain your words, boy." She stepped forwards slightly, daring him to cut their distance any further.

Itachi didn't hesitate to move towards her and his pace didn't slow. He didn't speak, but he brought up the arm that held the bird, allowing it to watch her with its one dark eye. It moved in its perch, a mass of shifting black feathers glimmering in whatever light filtered through the flocks above. Then he looked at her with his Sharingan eyes and led her gaze to the crow.

She frowned, "that's not a genjutsu, it's simply a normal bird. What are you planning on doing with that? Is this still even a spar?"

"No, Tsunade-sama, it is not."

For some reason, his voice was echoing through the clearing like it was hollow, flowing around her with the consistency of water. Tsunade clenched her teeth and dispelled whatever she could but nothing changed. Nothing changed and the flock was getting thicker above and the little light able to shine through was fading quickly, falling to merge with into the metallic glint of the kunai discarded along the ground. She kept her eyes on Itachi's neck like she'd learned when fighting a genjutsu user, but the skin there barely twitched. Like he was made of carved stone.

"Genjutsu," she muttered under her breath. "But not any average kind."

It wasn't the normal type. She could feel it in every part of her mind, tearing through her tenketsu and easing itself in as if it had a right to be there. Genjutsu was normally possessive, jerking the user sharply into its imagined world. This one was gentler, quieter. It held a sort of silent power that flowed into her and nudged her consciousness in a different direction.

Was it genjutsu? … Or was it simply an illusion of genjutsu? Surely mere genjutsu couldn't reach so far into a person's mind … Tsunade couldn't tell. Her brows furrowed, and she brought her hands up to clench them into her hair, wondering what was happening to her mind.

"No," he agreed. "You're correct. It's not average." The bird wasn't moving any longer. It stayed in place, fixing her with a haunting, black-eyed gaze. Itachi was close enough for her to touch but he didn't attack.

"This is not my genjutsu," he said quietly."This is powerful beyond anything I could hope to produce. Tsunade-sama, will you…"

The bird on his arm turned to reveal its other eye.

"… protect Konoha?"