Her Face
Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. I hope you all enjoy this chapter.
Timeline Decision: This story has two ways that it could go from here. The first option is that Sasuke can return to the present next chapter and the rest of the story will focus mainly on the present/future. The second option is that he can stay in the past for awhile longer and everyone's fate can be decided in an epilogue. Feel free to make your opinion known. Majority will rule.
Chapter 20
Sasuke finds himself rather impressed when a week later, a grand celebration was organized for Itachi. He had thought their wedding was put together quickly, but apparently Uchihas were more efficient than honeybees when they wanted to be. Damn.
"You're mother is a Matriarch. Planning events is what Matriarchs do." Fugaku informs Sasuke with a rather amused look on his face.
"Yeah. I got that. I just didn't think that they could cobble something together this fast, especially not something this grand." The raven haired man replies.
The District had many grand tapestries depicting scenes from the Leaf's and their Clan's history hung over them. There were flowers and lit torches everywhere. Not to mention there were dozens of tables stacked with every food that you could imagine and festival music was playing in the background.
"Never underestimate what Uchiha women are capable of." Fugaku tells him.
"Most sound advice. Though I might add that it would be a foolish mistake to underestimate Hyuga women as well." Hiashi says as he walks over to them with his wife at his side.
Sasuke breathes a sigh of relief. Thank goodness that the Hyuga Patriarch hadn't arrived even one moment before. His cover had almost been blown.
It was one thing to plot Danzo's assassination together. It was something else entirely to tell him the truth. Sasuke couldn't tell Hiashi that he was from the future. The man would likely never believe him and if by some miracle he did, the young Uchiha doubted that such an outcome would end well for anyone involved.
"I'll be sure to keep that in mind." Sasuke says with a smile.
"Good. You'd do well to remember it. Has Danzo arrived yet?" Hiashi inquires.
Sasuke sighs and shakes his head. It was still early. He fully expected that Danzo would be arriving soon. The man just couldn't resist involving himself in every important affair of the Leaf Village.
His ambition was truly almost incomprehensible. One day, it would be his undoing. Sasuke could only hope that that day would be today.
"Oh he's adorable, Mikoto. Truly." Emko observes with a smile as she looks down at the bundle in the Uchiha Matriarch's arms.
"Thank you. He's our little angel. He so rarely fusses." The young mother says proudly.
Sasuke glances at his brother and nods in confirmation. This time around, the avenger was going to make certain that Itachi didn't have a reason to fuss later on. This time, Itachi would be allowed to have a normal childhood and perhaps one day, eventually have children of his own.
"Yes, he's a very good boy." Fugaku comments with fatherly pride as he kisses Itachi's forehead.
"Lord Fugaku! Lord Fugaku! Lord Danzo has arrived!" Shisui says as he rushes over to the Uchiha Patriarch with his friends at his side.
"Thank you, Shisui. We'll be sure to greet him properly. You have a good time with your friends." The older Uchiha states and with that, the group makes their way over to Danzo.
Enormous. It took an enormous amount of self-control for Sasuke not to lunge at Danzo and put a kunai straight through his treacherous, black heart. He somehow manages not to do so, but it was a close call.
Soon enough, that viper would be dead. The world would be much better off without him as well. Sasuke couldn't wait to see his lifeless corpse, again.
"Ah there are the proud parents. Congratulations." Danzo greets them with a fake smile.
A smile that made Sasuke want to bash his teeth in. Once again, his self-control was being tested. At the moment, he really didn't know how long his willpower would be able to override his instincts and that thought disturbed him.
"Thank you." Mikoto replies with a sweet smile and Fugaku nods proudly.
Fortunately, his parents were apparently better actors than him. Sasuke was rather impressed and a bit unsettled by how easily they slipped into Pleasant Masks. They were easily able to hide their contempt for the man standing next to them behind masks of pleasantness. He couldn't help but envy this ability a little bit.
"You're welcome. I must say that your Clan appears to be becoming less insular as of late." Danzo observes.
"Yes, we thought it would be best to remind everyone that our family is part of this village. We aren't merely its neighbor." Fugaku says.
Sasuke tries to hide his smirk at that response. His father was good at dawning a Pleasant Mask, but apparently it didn't stay on that long. His mother was clearly better at this game.
"That's good to hear. I dislike hearing about Leaf Villagers questioning the loyalty of other Leaf Villagers." Danzo says with a wistful sigh.
For just a moment, Sasuke saw his mother's eyes narrow. It was gone almost as quickly as it came though. Mikoto must have realized what she was doing.
"Yes, as do we. Won't you join us for dinner?" She asks sweetly.
"Of course. Oh and Mikoto, you do not look like a woman who recently gave childbirth. Your recovery time is exceptional." Danzo compliments her.
At this, Sasuke notices even the Hyugas were rather irritated. The underlying implication wasn't hard to miss. The man was talking about Mikoto's figure.
Suddenly, Sasuke couldn't help but wonder who was more likely to lose control. Him or Fugaku? It was a tough call. Both of them had good reasons to want to gut the elderly ninja like a fish.
"That's very kind of you to say." Mikoto replies calmly, though even Itachi was giving Danzo a rather dirty look.
Sasuke smirks. That was his big brother. Well that was his baby brother. Damn it. That was his brother. He was always aware of his surroundings, even as a baby.
Meanwhile in the present, it could no longer be avoided. The truth had to be known. Kakashi had tried his best to keep it contained, but it was just impossible.
"Are you sure that this is a good idea, Kakashi Sensei?" Naruto asks warily.
"It's not a good idea, but our fellow Leaf Villagers aren't stupid. Apparently, the reverberations of what Sasuke is doing are being felt even outside the village as well. I'm hopeful that it is only Gaara who was impacted outside our borders, but that is not a sure bet." Kakashi says.
Truly, it wasn't a decision he was making lightly. His hand had been forced. It had been forced by his forever wayward student. Had Kakashi known what he was getting himself into when he offered to become a Sensei, he would have chosen another post.
He could have had Iruka's job. How hard could be to teach children who didn't even know how to throw fireballs yet? It would have been a nice relaxing post and he could have read his books while they were at lunch or recess.
"I'm afraid that I have to agree with Kakashi. The villagers aren't stupid." Gaara says.
"Gaara, how much longer can you be away from the Sand Village before people start to worry?" Sakura asks in concern.
Kakashi frowns. Yes, that would have been the smarter choice. Instead of doing the logical thing though, he had decided to follow in his old Sensei's footsteps and become a Genin Instructor. Damn.
Sakura brought up a good point though. Gaara had already been away from his own village for far longer than was advised. Thankfully, he doubted anyone would seriously try to usurp the red head while he was away. Unfortunately, that wouldn't stop people from worrying about him.
"Not much longer. I'm pushing the limits of what is considered socially acceptable as it is." The Kazekage admits.
The silver haired ninja nods sympathetically. He wished that he wasn't Hokage at the moment. He had expected paperwork. He had expected strife within the village and even international conflict. Time travel though was beyond him.
"Gaara, you should probably go back to the Sand. You might not be the only Sand Villager who is experiencing changes." Hinata says.
"That's true. Well I doubt anyone else is going to find out that they are engaged to the Uchiha. So that's something of a relief." The red head says with a heavy sigh.
"Lord Kazekage, please do not pour salt in my wounds." Hiashi growls in annoyance.
The young Kage shoots the Hyuga Patriarch an apologetic look and then proceeds to head off. His friends and allies were right. There was nothing to be gained by him staying there.
It was unsettling to say the least, but their fates were truly in Sasuke's hands. Now that was a terrifying thought. That man had been lost to the Darkness for years and had only begun to claw himself out of it before he decided to change the course of history!
"Are you really still that sore about the engagement?" Kakashi asks, once Gaara was gone.
"My daughter is apparently going to marry a man that quite literally is capable of destroying our village, if Naruto doesn't intervene. Now, he has found another way to potentially do so and you have the unmitigated gall to ask me that question?" Hiashi asks incredulously.
"Hey! Sasuke is a good guy! I mean yeah, he's done some crazy stuff. That doesn't matter now though! He's back to normal!" The blonde protests.
Kakashi groans. Oh boy. Naruto certainly wasn't helping Sasuke's case. Damn it. Now he had to find a way to prevent a complete disaster.
"Stop it! We need to stick together. Kakashi is going to make the announcement. That and we don't even REALLY know if we are talking about the same Sasuke. If he succeeds in preventing the Massacre, he might be a completely different person by the time he gets back." Sakura points out.
Kakashi sighs and nods his head in agreement. That was a very good point. They really had no idea what was going to happen and that was far more terrifying than any of Sasuke's previous rages.
"He did give me this necklace. I think he's changed." Hinata says.
"Just because he gave you a necklace does not meant that he is a suitable companion. As I said before, I will defer to my other self's judgment. I still do not approve of this match." Hiashi insists.
"Duly noted. I do not mean to be disrespectful, but we do have more important matters to attend to. One couple's impending marriage is not nearly as important as the fate of this village." The CopyCat Ninja points out.
That's when Sakura screams in shock. Kakashi blinks. What was wrong with Sakura? One moment she was fine and then the next she was scream in terror.
"Sakura, what's wrong?" He asks.
"Your Sharingan is gone." His student whispers in response.
Kakashi blinks once again and quickly goes to check his appearance in the mirror. It was true. His Sharingan and scar were gone. Did that mean that Obito had never been crushed?
Steeling himself, he heads back out to the others. This was either a very good thing or a very bad thing. He wasn't sure which, but he did know that it was as significant development.
"It seems my Sharingan is gone. The timelines are getting closer and closer together." Kakashi says with a sigh.
Meanwhile back in the past, the party was in full swing. Sasuke blinks as he observes everyone. His grandparents were certainly stealing the show. He wasn't sure whether to find that amusing or be amazed at how flexible two people in their fifties could apparently be.
"And that's how we did it, back in our day." Aiya says with a smile as she spins right back into her husband's arms.
"I remember those days and many people throwing out their backs or falling all over themselves and breaking a few bones." Danzo observes.
Kenji merely rolls his eyes at the elderly ninja and dips his wife. Sasuke had to envy his grandfather's ability to completely dismiss Danzo without causing a major scene. Impressive.
"The food is great!" Choji's father says happily as he chows down next to his teammates.
"Thank you. We did try to find something for everyone." Mikoto states as she plays the part of the perfect hostess.
"You succeeded." The man who would become Shikamaru's father states, before getting drug off for a dance by his future wife.
Sasuke was almost positive that he heard the Jonin mutter something about this being a drag, along with his hasty apology. He wasn't entirely sure though. Well either way, apparently the apple didn't fall far from the tree.
"I'm glad that my own wife is not nearly as bossy." Fugaku observes with a chuckle.
"Hey, Fugaku! Hello, Mikoto! Good to see all of you!" Minato calls out as he gets drug off to dance by his beautiful girlfriend.
"How does that man keep up with her?" Hiashi wonders as he wraps his arms around his wife's waist.
"I have no idea." Fugaku admits as he watches the other couple take off.
"Love is how he keeps up with her." Emiko says with a smile.
Danzo tries his best to refrain from rolling his eyes. Love was apparently in the air in the Leaf. To a certain extent, that was a good thing. The Leaf needed the next generation of ninjas to be born, of course. It was also most annoying.
An hour or two passes. Sasuke could tell that Danzo was debating about when would be the earliest socially acceptable time to leave. That's when Mikoto bounds over to where all the dancing was taking place and gestures for Emiko and Kushina to join her.
"What are they doing?" Sasuke asks his father.
"…You'll understand when you're older." Fugaku mutters.
"What are you talking about?! I'm seventeen!" The younger Uchiha points out.
Sasuke saw Kenji snort in amusement and mentally sighs. Apparently, the women were up to something. Something big, judging by his reaction.
That's when he notices his mother had started to dance and she was twirling the bottom of her kimono around, suddenly a swirl of flames surrounds her and she links arms with Emiko.
"That's….dramatic." Sasuke admits.
Emiko smiles and twirls around with Mikoto. Her own Kimono swaying around her and now a swirl of water joins the fire.
"That's beautiful." Aiya says approvingly as she sips her sake.
"Yes." Danzo agrees with a sigh as he takes another gulp of his own sake.
Sasuke smirks. So that was it. They were hitting Danzo where it hurt most. The ROOT Member had trained himself to feel as few human emotions as possible. The happiness of others would definitely drive him to drink more of his poisoned sake.
That's when Kushina joined in. The red head added wind to the mix. Now the three of them were twirling around faster and faster. Sasuke blinks at the show they were putting on.
"…" The young Uchiha is suddenly speechless.
That was a lot of leg being shown. This was just awkward. He didn't need to see his mother do a seductive dance.
Though there was one good thing that came out of it, Danzo was drinking a lot more. Apparently, it wasn't just happiness that he had an issue with. It was also sexuality.
"I think that I'll go join them." Aiya says with a smile as she saunters over.
This was a very strange day. Now his grandmother was joining in with the suggestive dancing and apparently she used Earth as her primary nature. There were now rose petals swirling around in the mix.
All in all, it was disturbingly beautiful and even erotic. He could say that about Kushina and Emiko at least. Danzo didn't have that "family buffer" though.
"It's quite the impressive party." He mutters.
Itachi coos in response and Sasuke raises an eyebrow. His brother was certainly enormously perceptive. It was almost disturbing really.
"Yes, it is. We wanted to celebrate Itachi's birth in a way that was appropriate for the occasion." The proud father says.
Sasuke smirks. When Fugaku said appropriate for the occasion, he meant with Danzo's death. Now that would truly be a great birthday present for Itachi!
Meanwhile in the present, Kakashi had called an emergency village meeting. Everyone was gathering around din the Village Square and the silver haired man takes a deep breath. He was going to need all of his resolve to get through this.
"I'm certain that you are all wondering why I called you here today. Well I suppose this charade has gone on long enough. There is no point in keeping it from any of you, any longer. There is a reason why you have been seeing strange things, people who have long since left us behind, and experiencing strange visions." He begins warily.
Sakura, Hiashi, Naruto, and Hinata all stand behind Kakash iin a show of support. This wasn't going to be easy and they all knew it. Sadly, there was no getting around it any longer.
"Sasuke Uchiha has found a way to perform a Jutsu that should have been impossible. He has traveled back in time. We are not sure when exactly, but based on the appearances of the Fourth Hokage and others, we can safely assume that it is fairly far back. Years." The CopyCat Ninja explains.
"What?! Well go after him?! Make him stop it! He can't just meddle with time!" Cries of outrage are heard.
Luckily. Hiashi Hyuga knew how to handle a boisterous crowd. After all, he was the leader of the largest Clan left in the Leaf Village. This was just part of his job.
"SILENCE! Do not forget who you are speaking to! Kakashi is your Hokage and you would do well to remember that! Do not disgrace yourselves further by acting like frightened children!" He thunders at them.
Naruto, Kakashi, and Sakura could only gape in awe. None of them had ever seen anything like that before. Hiashi had somehow silenced the unruly mob with ease. It was nothing short of incredible.
"The Jutsu can only be performed if one has the Rinnegan. Quite simply, we can't go after Sasuke. It's physically impossible." The silver haired man explains.
"What about the Byakugan? Could a Hyuga go after him?" Someone from the crowd suggests.
"No. I'm afraid that's not possible. As difficult as it is to say, all we can do is wait." Kakashi informs them.
There were roars of outrage and cries of terror. Kakashi couldn't blame them. They had just found out what he had known for the better part of a year, their fate was now in the hands of Sasuke Uchiha. That was something that would be difficult for anyone to wrap their head around.
A few days later, Danzo was in his home and he was gasping for breath. He didn't know why, but it was suddenly very hard to breathe. He needed to get to a hospital.
"HELP! HELP!" He calls out desperately.
He hated the way that his voice came out. It was barely more than a whisper, no matter how hard he tried to call out for help. What was wrong with him?! Why was this happening?
"It's not a pleasant feeling, is it? Being helpless. Not having any control over your own fate." He hears a familiar voice ask as Daisuke Flickers into his room.
Sasuke had made sure that his chakra was masked and the room was soundproof before coming. He wanted to witness Danzo's death again. This man was responsible for almost everything bad that had happened to his Clan in the modern era. Seeing him die only once just wasn't enough.
"Help me!" He pleads desperately, trying his best to breathe.
"Why would I do that? You were planning to assassinate the Head of my Clan. I know that in time, you would have done far more than that. Your ambition is what is killing you now. Well that and some poison that is causing your lungs to swell with fluid. The medics will simply think it's an infection. No one will suspect the truth due to your old age." Sasuke says with a cruel smirk.
Danzo's eyes narrow in rage. He tries to jump up from his bed and attack Sasuke, but it was no use. He doubles over and coughs up blood and other fluids from his lungs. He was choking on his own blood!
"I won't allow you to harm my family. I just wanted you to know something before you died. No one will mourn you. Not really. The Leaf will grant you the customary funeral that is required of someone who has reached your station, but not a single tear will be shed for you. I doubt you care about that though." The Uchiha continues.
The youth couldn't stop delighting in the fact that Danzo couldn't even respond. He was too busy trying not to choke on his own blood. It was a wonderfully empowering experience. That was probably why he couldn't resist tormenting the other man until the bitter end.
"So you can die with the knowledge that you were NEVER good enough to be Hokage and everything that you did, meant NOTHING." Sasuke finishes as he watches the man cling to life.
Sasuke smiles as Danzo falls over, several minutes later. He would never rise again. Without Danzo, ROOT would disband. Now, all he had to do to keep his family safe was to make sure that Obito would never attack the Leaf with the Nine Tails.
"So close. We're almost there." He says to himself.
One by one, he was eliminating the threats to his family. It wouldn't take long now. His Clan was very nearly safe.
It was still dumbfounding how one little boy held the fate of his Clan in his tiny hands, but Sasuke had long since made his peace with it. Making sure that Obito wouldn't betray the Leaf was now the most important thing. One way or another, he was going to save them all.
"The same can't be said for you though. Enjoy Hell." He mutters as he heads off.
He was tempted to spit on Danzo's corpse, but Sasuke didn't want to leave any DNA evidence behind. No. That would ruin everything. The ANBU would find him eventually and bury him.
"It worked." He says with a smirk, before heading back to the Uchiha District to rejoin his family to celebrate Danzo's death.