Her Face
Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. I hope you all enjoy this chapter.
Chapter 16
The next day, Sarutobi sighs as he summons three Uchihas and two Sannin to his office. He wasn't sure that he really wanted to know what had happened, but he knew that it must have been significant. Orochimaru was still unconscious.
"Will someone kindly explain to me why Orochimaru is currently in the Intensive Care Unit?" The Third Hokage says.
"Orochimaru attacked me. He wanted to see if I was really worthy of being admitted to the Sensei Training Program. Mikoto defended me." Sasuke explains simply.
It was probably best not to mention the fact that his mother had used a Genjutsu to torture Orochimaru into submission. Sasuke was confident that Sarutobi wouldn't appreciate that part. After all, Orochimaru had been his student.
The Hokage blinks. He knew that Mikoto was a formidable Jonin in her own right, but she had defeated a Sannin? The Uchiha Matriarch had defeated Orochmaru on her own and badly enough to put him in a coma? That was an unexpected development to say the least.
"There isn't a single physical mark on him. I can only assume that you used some type of Genjutsu." Sarutobi observes.
"My wife used the Tsukuyomi on him. He attacked a member of our Clan. Orochimaru attacked him unprovoked and as any loyal Clanswoman would do, she defended her kin." Fugaku states firmly.
Sarutobi nods in acknowledgement at the proud Uchiha's words. It was only natural that he would defend his wife in a situation like this. Unfortunately, it wasn't difficult for him to imagine Orochmaru doing exactly what he was being accused of.
"Tsunade, Jirayia, would you care to weigh in on this matter?" The Third Hokage inquires.
"We were all having a meal together and Orochimaru was discussing how he was surprised that you would allow such a young ninja into the program." Tsunade says uncomfortably.
She didn't care for this situation at all. Orochimaru had just put them all in a horribly uncomfortable position. They couldn't exactly sanction Leaf Villagers attacking their own for no reason, but a man had been hospitalized. If word of this got out, it would only sour the relationship between the Uchiha Clan and the rest of the village even worse.
"Orochimaru then took off and challenged Daisuke. Mikoto happened upon them and didn't take too kindly to his challenge. I wouldn't punish her. She was just trying to protect her family. I hate to say it, but Orochimaru went too far that time." The Toad Sage says.
Sarutobi sighs. If Tsunade and Jirayia were even backing up Mikoto's story, that meant that Orochimaru must have truly been in the wrong. His student was clearly going down a dark path.
He wasn't entirely certain that it was one he could get Orochimaru off of. Sarutobi knew that he had to try though. He was the Hokage. It was his job to protect the Leaf Village and that was exactly what the elderly ninja was going to do.
"For now, I believe that it would be best to leave this unpleasantness behind us. I will speak with Orochimaru. You have my word that such an incident will not happen again." The Hokage assures them.
"Thank you." Sasuke says with a relieved smile.
Thank goodness. That could have gone much worse. They had all gotten really lucky. Orochimaru's stunt could have ended in disaster for all of them, if Sarutobi was a less understanding man.
Meanwhile in the present, Hiashi was performing his daily training regime. It didn't matter what else had scheduled on any given day, the Hyuga Patriarch would always find a way to squeeze his training in.
Sometimes that meant sacrificing more sleep than his wife would have approved of, but that was alright. A ninja must expect the unexpected. That meant that one had to be in tip top fighting form at all times. Sleep could wait.
"You always did work too hard." He hears a soft voice whisper in his ear.
"A strong body can lead to a strong mind." Hiashi replies automatically, not recognizing the voice at first.
"You never change, My Love. You should still take better care of yourself though." The woman says.
That's when he turns around to address her. Hiashi's eyes widen in shock. The Hyuga man couldn't believe what he was seeing!
Emiko. His wife! His wife was standing right next to him, but how was that possible? She'd been dead for years.
"Emiko?" The lavender eyed man whispers as though he was afraid the mere act of talking would cause her to evaporate.
"I know that you don't like your training sessions interrupted, but you have bags under your eyes. You really should get some sleep." She replies with a serene smile.
The same smile that he had fallen in love with all those years ago. Was she really real though? Was the beautiful woman a ghost? Had he died and not realized it? Had they been reunited in the afterlife?
"Is that really you? Are you real?" The Hyuga Patriarch asks again.
"Of course, I'm real. Hiashi, what has gotten into you. I truly believe that you should come to bed immediately. You need to rest." Emiko insists.
"Alright?" The bewildered man says and his wife nods approvingly as she leads him back to their room.
Could she really be a ghost? She looked the same age that he did, despite the fact that she had died years ago. The touch of her hand was warm. It was so alive.
"Did someone use the Forbidden Jutsu to revive you?" Hiashi demands.
He had heard of such things. The dead could be revived using a Jutsu that had been forbidden years ago. It was wrong though. It was wrong to disturb the dead in such a way.
If someone had defiled his wife's spirit in such a way, he would make them pay. There was no way that he could tolerate such blasphemy, especially not towards his kind wife. That was the only logical explanation he could think of. It had to be THAT Jutsu.
"What Jutsu are you talking about?" Emiko asks in confusion as she pulls back the covers from their bed.
"The one that brings back the dead." Hiashi tells her as he watches his wife prepare the bed for them.
"I'm not dead though." The beautiful woman informs him, her face filled with confusion.
What was she talking about? The Leaf Villager had died years ago. He had attended his funeral. Hiashi had honored her memory with the rest of the Clan and then proceeded to cry himself to sleep that night in silence.
"You are though. You died years ago!" Hiashi exclaims.
"No, My Love. I'm not. You should really get some rest. It sounds like you have been imagining rather frightful things." She tells him as she kisses his cheek.
As soon as she kissed his cheek, her body became transparent. She was slowly fading away. Hiashi tries desperately to hold onto her, but she slipped right through his fingers. Again.
"Damn it!" He snarls as he punches a fist through the wall.
He had been hearing rumors for awhile. There had been sightings reported throughout the Leaf Village of "dead people," for awhile now. Hiashi had never put much stock in rumors before though, but now the Hyuga Patriarch might have to reevaluate that.
"I need to speak with the Hokage." He mutters and with that, he Flickers off to Kakashi's office.
He didn't bother to knock or announce his presence. When the guards tried to question why he was there, Hiashi didn't respond well to that. He normally prided himself on his self-control, but this was one time when he just couldn't maintain his composure.
"I need to speak with the Hokage immediately! I've heard the rumors that others have been seeing dead people and now I would like to report my own sighting!" He thunders at them.
Hiashi knew by the looks on their faces, that the guards were worried he had completely lost his mind. The Hyuga man couldn't bring himself to care though. If there was some chance that his wife had returned to him, he was going to investigate it!
It didn't matter how small the chance was, Hiashi would take it. After Emiko's death, he had never been the same. Her absence had left a deep hole in his heart that he had never really been able to fill.
"Yes, Lord Hiashi." One of the guards says anxiously as he darts inside the Hokage's Office.
"Lord Hokage, Lord Hiashi needs to speak with you immediately. He says he has to file a most urgent report." The Leaf Ninja says.
"Send him in." Kakashi says as he mentally braces himself.
It didn't take a genius to figure out why Hiashi had come to see him. The man had seen something or someone. Now, Kakashi would have to face the difficult task of convincing Hiashi that he hadn't seen what he saw.
Meanwhile the Uchiha family was making their way back to the District. Fugaku clearly wanted to get his wife's mind off of things and it looked like he had chosen a rather ninja way to do it. Sasuke blinks upon hearing his father's suggestion.
"You want to what?" He asks skeptically.
"I think that it would be a good idea for us to train together. Mikoto can observe to ensure that no underhanded tactics are used." He says.
When he was a child, there were few things that would have made him happier. Now, Sasuke was conflicted. His father wanted to bond, but in a way that could get Fugaku killed.
His father was strong. Sasuke never doubted that for a moment, but he wasn't in the same league. If he accepted that challenge, he was going to have to proceed very carefully.
"Well that's good. We would have to lay some ground rules though." Sasuke replies cautiously.
"Well obviously we aren't going to use any attacks that could be fatal. Perhaps it would be best to stick to Taijutsu." Fugaku says.
He could work with that. Sasuke knew that he was a lot stronger than his father, but Taijutsu was less likely to get out of hand than Ninjutsu. Though his Genjutsu was probably considered average at best.
"Fugaku, this is silly." Mikoto says as she sits down on a rather large rock and watches her husband and son get ready to train.
"This is training. Training is never silly. Besides, I think the boy has been holding back his true strength and I would like to see what he is capable of." The Uchiha Patriarch retorts.
"Hi! Uncle Fugaku and Auntie Mikoto! Oh and Daisuke!" Shisui says brightly as he appears out of nowhere.
Fugaku raises an eyebrow. That was one of the most unsettling things about children under the age of ten. They tended to be rather sneaky. How the four year old had gotten here without any of them noticing was beyond him.
"Hello, Shisui." He greets his fellow Uchiha.
"Did you need something, Shisui?" Mikoto asks kindly, trying not to giggle at how truly annoyed her husband looked at the moment.
"Granny Aiya and Grandpa Kenji said they still have lots of lamb left over from last night. They wants to have a family dinner." The young child says.
Sasuke had to admit, he was a bit impressed. That was a mouthful for most four year olds. Well at least he thought it was. He really wasn't sure what was considered normal for a child that age.
"Of course. We'll be right there. I can't wait to show Aiya my new boots." Mikoto says with a smile.
"I can't believe that you actually made boots out of a giant snake's corpse. You're wearing Manda as a fashion statement." Fugaku observes.
"Well they are quite pretty and I believe it will drive the message further through Orochimaru's thick skull. He can keep his hands off my baby." She explains and with that, the young woman crosses her arms in a huff.
"You don't have a baby though?" Shisui observes in a confused voice.
"I meant my baby cousin." Mikoto says quickly.
Luckily, Shisui seems to accept that at face value. With that kunai dodged, the family makes their way to Kenji's and Aiya's home. Mikoto smiles as soon as they enter.
The scent of lamb still hung heavily in the air. Obviously, Aiya had warmed it up. The woman was certainly a damn fine cook.
"Thank you for bringing them, Shisui. Have you seen Obito today?" Kenji inquires.
"Obito went to play with Rin and Kakashi!" The youngest Uchiha in the room informs them.
"Oh well that's very nice. There's nothing like puppy love." Kenj observes with a sly smile as he glances at Aiya.
The elder Uchiha woman shakes her head in amusement. Her husband had all the subtlety of a bull in a China Shop. Oh well. She loved him anyway.
"Mikoto what are you wearing?" She asks in surprise upon seeing the snake skinned boots on her feet.
"She's wearing Manda. Orochimaru had his Summon have a go at me. Mikoto intervened. I don't think he's going to be bothering me again, any time soon." Sasuke observes.
"You defeated a Sannin?!" Kenji asks in disbelief.
"Yes, I did. I was fortunate. He didn't see me coming at first. Orochimaru was distracted by Daisuke. We've already spoken with the Third Hokage about it. He's willing to overlook the incident because Orochimaru did attack unprovoked." The dark beauty explains as she leans back against her husband.
Fugaku smiles and wraps his arms around her. She ewas such a tigress when it came to protecting their son. Apparently, that was a good thing consider what Daisuke had told him.
The Uchiha all sit down for dinner. Sasuke wanted to be able to enjoy the moment, but he couldn't. Orochimaru was easily dealt with for now, but Danzo was clearly scheming.
"Are you not hungry?" Mikoto asks Sasuke in concern.
He hated that man. His only regret about their fight was the fact that he didn't kill the gravedigger sooner. Though he knew gravedigger might not be technically accurate, that's essentially what the other man had done.
Ten Sharingans! Ten! That meant at a minimum he had found the bodies of five Uchihas and used their eyes to increase his own power! Possibly more than five. The man was twisted.
"No. No. I'm fine." Sasuke lies as he quickly goes back to eating.
In some ways, Danzo was even worse. He wasn't half insane. The man knew exactly what he was doing. He wanted power at any cost. At least Orochimaru in his own strange way, thought he was pursuing some higher goal. Danzo couldn't be reasoned with.
Later that night, Sasuke was fast asleep when he hears a knock on his door. The Uchiha swiftly rises to his feet and goes to answer it. Who could be visiting him at this hour?
"Father?" Sasuke asks in surprise.
"Yes. I needed to talk to you alone. I didn't want to alarm your mother." He states briskly, before entering the apartment.
"Is something wrong? Is it Itachi?" The younger Uchiha asks anxiously.
Fugaku shakes his head. No. As far as he knew, Mikoto's first pregnancy was going normally. Well it was rather early in her pregnancy, but he digressed.
"No. Itachi is fine, but we can't be sure that your being here hasn't altered the timeline somehow. It's just as possible you could be expecting your sister. You could be born first or we could have another son before the two of you." The Uchiha Patriarch reminds him.
"That's true. Well they're lucky to have both of you as their parents." The raven haired man says.
This draws a sigh from the Chief of the Leaf's Military Police Force. That was kind of Daisuke to say that, but they both knew it was inaccurate. Obviously, he had failed Daisuke in some way in the future. He just didn't know the precise details yet.
"You're rationalizing again. If Danzo is trying to involve the Hyugas in his schemes, that means we should take them seriously." He states, deciding to get back on topic.
Sasuke nods in agreement. He couldn't recall Danzo ever mentioning the Hyuga Clan in particular. He preferred to train nobodies who would become absolutely loyal to him. Well that was Sasuke's opinion anyway.
The man did love his loyal foot soldiers. Obviously, he would have had to cultivate relationships with more important ninjas as well. If he wanted to hold onto power that was very much a requirement for him to do so.
"I'm not rationalizing, but you're right. Danzo is targeting our family. I know his type. He prefers to have others do his dirty work, but that doesn't absolve him from all the blood on his hands." Sasuke hisses.
Sasuke knew that he was being hypocritical. There was a lot of blood on his own hands, but at least he wasn't a grave robber. He had never tried to hide his intentions behind any façade of respectability.
The young Uchiha supposed that was what bothered him most about Danzo. The man somehow was able to maintain the respect of the village while leading what amounted to a double life. Underneath the Leaf Village, there were many ROOTS.
"That's very true. I have fears that he might target some of the younger members of our Clan. There are few ways that are better to bring a Clan like ours to heel than to kidnap their children." Fugaku continues.
ROOTS that had been trained not to feel any emotion. ROOTS that would do exactly what Danzo told them to do. ROOTS that couldn't reveal any of his secrets because of that damn Seal he placed on their tongue. Danzo and his psychotic followers were their enemy.
"I think that we both understand the threat. I'm just not sure what we should do about it." Sasuke says.
He knew what he'd LIKE to do. He'd like to have Mikoto teach him that Jutsu and make Danzo suffer before he died. The elderly ninja would die screaming, if Sasuke had anything to say about it. Unfortunately, he knew now was not the time to indulge in his sadistic impulses.
Reigning in his desire for revenge was difficult. Sasuke wasn't completely incapable of introspection. He knew that he was an emotional person. While he was technically a genius, his impulsiveness had caused him to do many stupid things. He couldn't afford to let his feelings cloud his judgment in this era though.
"While I normally wouldn't resort to such drastic measures, your mother is pregnant. I'm not going to allow Danzo to scheme against our Clan while she's with child. The only solution is his own assassination." Fugaku says.
Sasuke blinks. Whatever he had been expecting his father to say, that hadn't been it. In hindsight, Fugaku had been the leader of a Coup against the Leaf Village. Maybe he should have expected this.
"That's not going to be easy. He has many allies in this village. He's well respected. If he goes missing, someone is going to notice and we would need to find a way to make it impossible for them to trace it back to us." The other Uchiha reasons.
"Yes. I never said that it was going to be easy, but it has to be done. For the sake of our family and likely for the sake of the village as a whole. This man's ambitions know no bounds. I highly doubt we are going to be the only ones to suffer at his hands." The Uchiha Patriarch points out.
Sasuke certainly couldn't argue with the accuracy of that statement. Danzo was going to cause a lot of people to suffer in the future. The world would certainly be better off without him.
"Meow!" A cat calls out to them as she saunters.
"Damn it. Tsuki, how much did you hear?" Fugaku demands.
"Enough to know that you better get me lots of catnip, tuna, and milk. That's the only way I'm not going to tell Mikoto about this. I can't believe the two of you are this crazy! She's going to have her first litter and you're planning on assassinating Danzo!" The feline exclaims as if they were absolutely crazy.
Fugaku groans. He couldn't believe this. He was being blackmailed by a cat. Well Tsuki WAS a Ninja Cat. So perhaps that made it a bit less humiliating.
"We don't have any choice, Tsuki. You know that we can't allow Danzo to run around and threaten our family, especially not when Mikoto is pregnant." Sasuke says, trying to reason with the furry ninja.
"Oh. I know that. I know why you two are going to attempt this crazy plan. That doesn't mean that I'm going to keep my mouth shut for nothing. I might as well get something out fo this. So I want my catnip, my tuna, and my milk." She insists.
"Fine. Fine. We'll get you what you require. You had best keep your end of the deal though." The Uchiha Patriarch says sternly.
Tsuki shrugs. She was a cat. She wasn't easily scared. If Mikoto's Mate wanted to puff up and pretend to be scary, that was fine with her.
"Very well. I shall leave the two of you to your plotting. You had better take care of Mikoto though!" She informs Fugaku, before darting off.
"Did that really just happen? Sasuke asks his father in disbelief.
"Yes, I believe that really just happened. We just got blackmailed by a cat." The older Uchiha observes with a heavy sigh.
Sasuke nods in agreement. He had seen a lot of strange things in his day, but that might have been the strangest. Sasuke never would have imagined that anyone could blackmail his father, much less a feline.
"That's what I thought happened. How about we both agree not to tell anyone about this in the interest of preserving our dignity?" The raven haired man inquires.
"I was just about to suggest the same thing really. This shall be our first secret. Our first secret as father and son. Well besides that horrendous Bachelor Party." Fugaku decrees.
Sasuke shivers. Yeah. That Bachelor Party hadn't been a fun night for him. Minato and Sakumo still hadn't stopped teasing him about how much he appreciated some shapely cleavage.
Honestly, were they ninjas or Academy Students? There were times when Sasuke couldn't tell the difference. Hopefully, they would all become more professional as the years passed on. Sasuke doubted that they would though.
"Yes, let's not speak of THAT night again either." Sasuke says.
"Agreed. I think that its in both our best interests, never to speak of that again either." Fugaku states.
"Good. Well I guess we better get started. We have an assassination to plan." Sasuke points out.