Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters in any way, shape, or form
Chapter 4: Announcement
"So he just... accepted it?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow.
"Given Sakura's threats, he didn't really have a choice." Kakashi shrugged, glancing at Sakura -they, along with Shisui, Mikoto and Tsunade, were in Itachi's hospital room once again. They had come directly from their meeting with Danzo, as it was a pressing matter after all. "We'll find out if he's cooperating tomorrow; Tsunade has called an announcement to be had, the entirety of the village is to attend. We'll have our official announcement of the results of the war and the burials for the deceased, and bring up the Uchiha massacre then." Kakashi explained.
"And if all goes as planned, tomorrow will also be the day that Itachi will resurface, so to speak -and Shisui." Tsunade nodded in confirmation. "I cannot promise you that the village will accept you with open arms; but I do guarantee you a free man." Tsunade addressed Itachi. "For the time being that'll have to do."
"That is more than I expected," Itachi merely answered calmly, a nod of thanks sent to Tsunade.
"I find it hard to believe Danzo will just stay quiet about this; I've never taken him to be a push over." Sasuke frowned.
"Oh he's far from it." Shisui agreed, armed crossed over his chest. "We should not expect this to be the end of it." What with his prior dealings with the man, Shisui knew better than to think this would be the end of it. For Kami's sake the man had taken his eye when he had felt even the slightest bit of adversity.
"No, we shouldn't." Kakashi agreed. "But this is the best we can do for now," as he spoke, he turned to look at Itachi, who had been relatively quiet this entire time. His bandages had been removed already, and his skin, which had been deathly pale but a week prior, was now beginning to gain a warm hue to it; he knew he could attribute such a change to Mikoto's copious amounts of food and Sakura's watchful eyes and strict care. "Danzo does not know Itachi is amnesic; I have a feeling that the only reason he would hesitate to act is because Itachi has evidence that will incriminate Danzo -as well as Shisui's remaining eye. So long as he does not know, Itachi will be safe."
"And are we to leave things like this?" Sasuke yet again asked.
"Of course not." Sakura interjected quickly. "Danzo will pay for all the harm he has brought to your family, and who knows who else. But as Kakashi-sensei stated, until Itachi recovers his memories, if he so chooses to, we will have to settle for this." Sakura included the caveat, if only to reassure Itachi that if he did indeed not want to recover his memories by force, he ultimately did not have to.
And so it was decidedly settled.
"So what now?" Sasuke asked.
"What now," Tsunade repeated, "I am going to return to my office and meet with the remaining Elders for a formal explanation of what will be said tomorrow; I will also have to inform Danzo that Shisui is in fact alive -I can't wait for that one," she mused. "Kakashi here will go to a healing session with Marika," her eyes glinted with malice at Kakashi's form, already seeing the gears in his head turning to see how he could possibly get out of it- "you two should return home for now. Sakura will begin Itachi's therapy for today, and then she'll handle smuggling him into the Haruno Compound tonight." And as she spoke, she turned around and began to walk away. "I'll see you guys tomorrow. And you, you're coming with me." she grabbed Kakashi by the collar and dragged him out by force without even giving him a chance.
"Hai, shishou." she nodded in her direction, holding in the laugh that threatened to erupt at Kakashi expression. "In any case, I need to go visit Nagato and review some paperwork. Your therapy will not be for another couple hours, Itachi-san." she informed.
"Ahh," as he spoke Sakura gave a small smile, turned, and then walked away, leaving Itachi alone with Mikoto, Sasuke, and Shisui.
"Has Sakura talked to you about your options for recovering your memories?" Sasuke began, now that it was just the Uchiha in the room.
"Ahh -if they do not come back on their own, she said using the Yamanaka to unlock the memories forcefully would work." He paused for a long time before he spoke again. "Sakura-san has also informed me of the option to remain amnesic." Itachi stated thoughtfully.
Sasuke's eyes widened in slight alarm and surprise. "She has?" he spoke tentatively.
"Hai. Given my past, maybe it is something to consider?" he asked genuinely, his eyes darting from Sasuke to Mikoto, to gauge their response to his statement.
"Well, I mean..." Mikoto tried to begin, but she found she didn't exactly know what to say. What could she say without forcing her will upon her son?
"Is this something you truly want, Itachi?" Shisui questioned seriously, staring at his younger cousin.
"I am trying to determine that." Itachi answered honestly. He was not typically one to run away from his past, but Sakura brought up a good point: it was not often that someone got to start anew -a clean slate, so to speak.
"You'd be losing so much." Sasuke countered with a frown. "I don't think that's even an option, Itachi." he objected.
"Sasuke." Mikoto stated with a sort of tenure in her voice that made Sasuke scowl. "Your opinion on the matter should not be the deciding factor to Itachi's actions. Although I understand where you're coming from, we must take Itachi's opinions and feelings into consideration."
"With all due respect, this Itachi does not know what he's giving up by not pursuing his memories." Sasuke countered with a frown. "Is he really in a position to determine this for himself?" Because he knew that the Itachi-nii he knew wouldn't hesitate to regain his knowledge of past events -of Sakura, if he were being honest. Did Itachi now really have the right to make decisions considering he wasn't exactly at his full mental capacity, so to speak? The Itachi he knew -the nii-san he had begun to familiarize himself with the days before the war, had made it blatantly clear, through words and actions, that Sakura quite literally meant life itself for him. So for him to be choosing a new life for himself over Sakura? To be choosing the very same life he had thrown away for the sake of her? Sasuke could not stand for it, never mind the fact that Itachi would also be giving up whatever memories he and Sasuke had managed to create in the passing weeks.
"We cannot let our personal feelings on the matter decide." Shisui agreed with Mikoto. "Despite what we think Itachi may have wanted, we cannot use this as basis for our decision-making. Itachi is here before us now -he is no different than the Itachi we nearly lost to this war." They were one and the same, regardless of the memories one lacked. "Whatever his decision is now, it will reflect his present stance on the matter, and that's the decision we must respect."
"But he is." Sasuke objected with clear anger.
Because this Itachi didn't know the love he held for Sakura.
And without memories of her, without her presence, things would not be as they were now. Simply put Itachi was not the same person without knowing her, and he knew it.
-And he knew that Shisui and Mikoto knew this well too.
So why?
"Sasuke." His mother's firm voice brought his anger to a halt almost instantly. "It seems to me Itachi is considering this option as his primary course of action. As his family, we will respect this decision. No but's."
Sasuke's hands balled into tight fists. But he would say no more -he would never talk to his mother like this. But his feathers were ruffled, naturally, and as such he turned and walked away.
Itachi watched his retreating figure with what one could akin to worry. "If my remembering him is so important to him, then I am willing to undergo the task." Itachi stated. He would do anything for his otouto -nothing had changed about his love for his younger brother.
"Iie, Itachi." Mikoto denied with a shake of her head, approaching Itachi's bedside and placing her forehead atop his. "He simply doesn't want you making a decision you would have otherwise regretted. But no matter your decision, we will support you." she spoke lovingly at her eldest.
"...Ah..." even so, his eyes lingered on the open door that Sasuke had left in his wake and questioned the passion in his words.
Sasuke was furious -partly for himself, but mostly for his brother. He would not pretend to know him very well, having not been a part of his life for so long, but what part he did know -what part he was decidedly certain of, was his nii-san's love for Sakura. After it had practically been decided that his brother would hold off and remain amnesic for the time being (and that no one would say anything to convince him otherwise), Sasuke had walked out and trudged on with purpose right to Sakura's office, where he knew she would inherently be.
He did not knock; he did not even wait to check if she was currently with a patient (he knew she wouldn't be, because her sole charges for the time being were Nagato, Itachi and Kakashi, and Tsunade had already taken the latter with him), as he simply stormed in to the sight of her staring at some paperwork with critical, quizzical eyes. "Why did you tell him that?" He had barged in without announcing himself; hell, without even introducing the topic at hand. Sasuke glared at his teammate then, allowing his displeasure and anger with her to show quite blatantly.
Even so, she knew exactly what he was talking about -had expected this conversation to come eventually, and as such she responded smoothly. "He has a right to know what his options are, Sasuke-kun. As his medic it is simply my duty to inform him." She stated calmly -too calmly, refusing to look away from her paperwork to meet his gaze.
"Why?" he stressed with irritation. Sakura wasn't giving him the full story.
"I already told you." she responded impassively.
But at this Sasuke approached her desk and grabbed the paperwork from her hand, forcing her to look up at him, angry with her seemingly ignorant behavior. "Give me the real reason Sakura," he glared -he had never been so aggressive with Sakura, but this he could not allow. Not for the sake of his brother, and definitely not for the sake of her happiness.
"Sasuke-kun." she stated with a hint of a warning -he had never (in this timeline, in any case), and would never, talk to her like this. "You will not speak to my in this manner in my office." she reprimanded him at once.
Although he checked his immediately, there was still a sort of agitated urgency in his eyes. "Why did you do it?"
"Why did I do what?" she avoided the question. "Act as his medic and report to him as I professionally should?"
"You brought up the option of him remaining amnesic knowing that it will sound the most favorable to him. Knowing and strictly forbidding him from knowing anything about you and your involvement with him." Sasuke rebutted. "Why?" he stressed once more.
"Because," she simply shrugged him off.
"Because what Sakura?"
"Because he deserves to be happy, Sasuke-kun." Sakura finally snapped with tears at the corner of his eyes -controlled tears she had been keeping at bay since he had questioned her lack of formality with him the other day. She looked up at him then, finally looked at him, and Sasuke was almost taken aback the amount of emotion he saw in them. "He has a chance to forget all the pain he's had to endure -why not give him that?" she pleaded with him, almost as if begging for him to see the reason in this.
"You made him happy, Sakura." Sasuke stressed. "If you weren't remotely worth it he would not have thrown his life away for you. All the pain he's endured... everything he's gone through; it was all worth it for you. Why can't you see that?"
"You're asking me to divulge to him of our past together when there's a chance he won't remember, Sasuke-kun -when there's a chance he won't care. I can't open up to him like that knowing that there's a very likely chance that he won't remember -that he still will choose to remain amnesic, despite knowing what it is he'd be dropping. I can't show him that side of me." Sakura refused, shaking her head. "I refuse to put my heart on my sleeve for him to not even acknowledge our past. To see nothing in his eyes that reflects what we shared."
That would be infinitely more painful than having a one-sided love. At least in that way she knew it was never meant to be. But between her and Itachi? There had been a chance. There had been concrete feelings there, for the both of them, and now she was the only one who could feel that way.
"You won't know unless you try." Sasuke argued stubbornly. He could not stand this -to see the very same Itachi-nii and Sakura-neesan that had cared for him as a child, that had gone through so much together, be separated like this -over this.
"His feelings for me... and mine for him... They have nothing to do with you, Sasuke-kun." Sakura finally stated resentfully, standing to once more grab onto the files that Sasuke had robbed her of. "So please, don't make it seem like it's your duty to bring us together." she spoke condescendingly. "Now leave my office -I have a lot to get done."
She had never reprimanded Sasuke like this -never pushed him away to such a degree. But he did not need to tell her what she already knew.
Inversely, he did not understand that she simply cared too much to watch him suffer.
Sasuke was silent -he didn't know what to say. What to do.
"You're making a mistake, Sakura."
"This is not my mistake to make." Sakura stated seriously. "Itachi will decide what he wants to do, and only through his own accord. And the fact that you're here complaining about it means that Mikoto and Shisui agree with me too."
Sasuke walked away then -he knew reasoning with her would not change her mind. Sakura was set in her ways.
After Sasuke left, Sakura allowed herself to once more drop down on her chair, this time with her hand covering her eyes.
Don't cry Sakura.
Not here.
She could not allow herself to do so.
With a calming breath, she picked up the file that Sasuke had torn away from her grasp and read over its contents one more time to confirm that she wasn't indeed seeing wrong.
Negative
Negative
Negative
Itachi was negative for everything -every single disease, whether viral or bacterial or even fungal and genetic. Whatever he had used those pills for, whatever it was helping him with, it was all gone from his system.
Itachi was healthy -exhausted and weakened, but healthy -and it must be true, for Itachi had not complained once about pain, other than the typical muscle soreness one could attribute to strenuous activity -or perhaps from muscle deteriorating that could have set in as a result of his death. But aside from this, he did not have excruciating pain, meaning that whatever he was using those pills for simply was there no longer.
At least this was good news.
And although Konan's words echoed at the back of her head, she knew one thing to be certain: this had not been her cherry blossom's doing.
'Hanami...' Kikyou had called it her ultimate technique with her contract; but its complete abilities and limitations had been left conveniently obscure. Whatever its powers had been, it had completely regenerated Nagato's cellular structure. But Nagato's ailments had been physical: Itachi's had been different.
No, she was entirely certain Itachi's currently healthy state had more to do with Kikyou than it did her.
"Welcome" Sakura had offered only this as she and Itachi had stepped into the Haruno Compound; he looked around, as if taking in all his surroundings. If he had expected this to spur on some sort of memory for him he didn't show, but he stepped into the household, passing Sakura, who had side-stepped immediately after entering the compound and allowed him to pass through. "I do hope you can eventually consider this your new home." As he stepped through, Sakura closed the door behind him and watched him curiously as he observed his surroundings, almost too intently. "Does any of this look familiar to you?"
"Iie. Should it?" It had been the first words he had spoken to her since they had left the hospital; he henge'd as Sasuke (who had been specifically instructed to remain home so he would not be caught) so as to not arouse too much suspicion as he followed Sakura home. As he spoke, he turned to Sakura, his eyes boring into hers as if seeking some answers.
"You were here; before the war." Sakura answered. "Not that I expected you to, you just seemed on edge."
"Ah" Itachi acknowledged. "The last place I considered a home was the Uchiha Compound. It feels like a week since I've last been there. This is simply... different." he searched for words. Not too different in all honesty, since they were both styled traditionally, similar to the Hyuga Compound, but this was simply not his home.
"I can only imagine." Sakura understood.
He genuinely wondered if she could. In Itachi's perspective, he had been gone from home but a week -and now this was his new home. But his home was the Uchiha Compound, not the Haruno. His home had hundreds of his Uchiha kin walking down the Uchiha district. Not the Haruno. It felt as if his entire life had been uprooted, as it realistically had, but now it was starting to set in.
But the district was all but in shambles, his Uchiha kin gone, and every notion of a home he knew gone with it.
Taken from him, by his very hands.
The thoughts arose more feelings of anxiety in him and the obtrusive thoughts began to once more invade his system and override all other senses. Was it ever really a home, if he had never felt accepted and welcome? If he knew the only reason he was well-liked and respected among his peers was because he was heir, and because he was a prodigy?
"It seems Mikoto left us dinner."
He snapped out of his thoughts and turned to look to where Sakura had gone; he heard her voice and followed it to the kitchen, where there were two plates wrapped securely and placed atop the counter. There was a note attached to it, a hand-writing which he could identify as his mother's; absent-mindedly, he couldn't help but feel relief that this hadn't changed.
Please do eat before going to sleep!
That means you too Sakura!
-Mikoto
Itachi could have almost smiled at his mother's typical motherly tendencies, for a lack of better words. Although he did not react, it seemed that Sakura had, and without waiting she turned. "Hungry?" There was a smile on her features, and suddenly he could see how tired she was. He could only imagine that seeing after him and her other patients had taken a toll on her, especially if she was already dealing with chakra depletion and exhaustion, as he had heard from multiple people.
He blinked. "Ah"
Without missing a beat Sakura had grabbed both dishes and headed towards the microwave, unsealing one and sticking it in and turning it on. "Come, it will be ready soon." He acted wordlessly, following her into the kitchen and waiting obtusely by the counter. She did not look at him as she worked, going into a cupboard to retrieve two cups. Just as she had finished pouring water into them, the microwave had sounded, and Sakura replaced one plate with the next. And then she scrummaged through a drawer and pulled out two forks, placed one into the hot plate in her hand, and placed it before him on the counter with one of the cups. "You can start eating; mine will be done shortly."
But he had waited, content in simply observing her and the fluidity of her movements. She was in her element; her home, as comfortable as she could ever be.
And he was here, an eyesore to the confidence and composure that was her. Did she not feel at all affected by his presence here?
"My presence here will not alarm you or your family?" he decided to voice out the thought plaguing his mind.
"Why would it?" she questioned with furled eyebrows. The question seemed ludicrous to her, so much so in fact that she stopped her actions momentarily to turn to look at him with a curious, raised eyebrow.
"Why wouldn't it?" he countered, meeting her raised eyebrow calmly. "Knowing that I am no threat and feeling that I am no threat are two different things."
Sakura sighed, turning back around to resume her actions. "Itachi-san," she spoke in between pulling her plate out of the microwave and grabbing her cup, "you'll come to find we're more than comfortable with your stay here. Besides, as it stands I am the only Haruno living in this house. This is more an Uchiha household than anything else." she spoke about it so casually -did she not know it sounded kind of... depressing?
He did not speak until she had settled across the counter from him and began eating. He followed suit and took a bite and was instantly reminded of home -his Okaa-san's cooking was timeless, it seemed.
"Whose house was this prior to the massacre?" Whether he meant the Haruno or the Uchiha, it didn't matter.
"It was my Okaa-san's... Haruno Ayame. Now it is mine."
"The Clan matriarch." Itachi acknowledged; he had met her a couple times, although he wouldn't say he knew her. "You are Marika-san's younger sister." Of course he had heard Sakura use the endearment before, but that was not to mean it could not have just been an informal address towards the elder Haruno. But now no assumption had to be made; this was definitely her sister, despite the difference in their appearances.
"Hai. Her junior by five years, much like you and Sasuke-kun." she responded casually.
"And yet this is your home?" she had claimed ownership, it seemed; Marika had abandoned the home in a sense, and had left it under Sakura's and Mikoto's care.
"Despite being younger, I am heir to my clan." Sakura stated.
If he was shocked or confused by the news, he didn't show it -if he recalled correctly, as was the case with the previous matriarch Ayame, who despite being one of the younger siblings, had taken up the title. "And where does she reside?" Truth be told, he hadn't seen her past the operation he had undergone whilst under her supervision.
"She has an apartment outside of the compound; I don't understand why she got it, but she did." Sakura smiled slightly; truth be told, she was sure Marika was in there now with Shisui, given the fact that she had not seen the man here the past few days (and Marika of course, was conveniently absent too). But good for her. If her romance with Itachi had taken a century to prosper, his and Marika's had taken a lifetime. Sakura's relationship with Itachi was separated by the laws of time and space. Marika had visited Shisui once a month for the past decade -Shisui simply moved at a snail's pace.
More silence ensued between the two for a while as they ate somewhat comfortably in the presence of one another. Don't ask him why but he had grown a little less stifled by his presence here. "Once we're done here I'll give you a brief tour of the house and show you to your room." Sakura spoke. "Tomorrow will be the funeral service for those who died during the war. From my understanding, Tsunade will also announce to the village your innocence and your and Shisui's... currently not deceased status." she phrased awkwardly. "And from thereon you'll be allowed to roam the streets freely."
He would not argue with her on this matter; he had already addressed his qualms on his acceptance in the village. "Will I stay here until then?"
Sakura scowled. "Of course not; we're saying goodbye to fellow Konoha shinobi. You will accompany the rest of us. We'll be alongside Tsunade in any case, you'll be fine. I've already spoken to Sasuke-kun, you'll have to borrow some of his clothes until there's a suitable time to go shopping for you, seeing as you have no clothes."
The thought of wearing his younger brother's clothes was an odd one, to say the least. His otouto, his junior by five years, had easily outgrown him, even if just by a mere inch.
"Ah." He didn't say much else, simply focusing on the meal before him. He had noted that it was one of his favorites; his mother must have done this on purpose as a welcome home meal, he supposed. The thought made him comfortable enough to smile.
"Mikoto must have made this especially for you." Almost as if she could read his thoughts (or perhaps just saw his smile), she spoke knowingly. Why she would know that this was one of his favorite dishes he couldn't tell -maybe she was guessing, or Mikoto had simply told her as such? "I think she wants you to know this is your home as much as it is ours... you are welcome here, even if you don't feel it yet." It didn't seem like she expected a response from him (of which he was glad because at her statement words simply would not formulate in his head), for she turned her attention back on her food immediately after and began eating once more.
They ate the rest of their meal in relative ease and silence, and when they had both finished at relatively the same time, she had taken their dishes and set them on the sink, and then turned to him.
"If you'd like I can show you to your room now?"
"Ahh" he acknowledged.
She lead and he followed through the dark corridors, mentally mapping out the area. "This here is your room." as she spoke she slid open the shoji door and stepped in, turning on the lights and allowing him space to enter behind her.
It was a simple room, well-furnished and the bed already made for him, although it had an opening that led to what seemed like a study room. Said room had another shoji door on the opposite wall, this one presumably leading outside. At the corner of one of the dresser lay two sets of clothing and a couple towels beside them. "Here's some sleeping wear for you, and this will be for the funeral ceremony tomorrow. The bathroom is right down this hallway on your right." she instructed carefully. "That shoji leads to the outside. If you turn right the next door is to my room; same thing if you go down the hallway. You can come find me if you have any questions."
"Arigatou; you've been very hospitable thus far." he thanked her.
"Of course. I'll be retiring for the night, then. Oyasuminasai, Itachi-san." And so she bowed, giving him one last smile before she walked away, closing the door behind her.
It had been seven days since the official end of the war. Seven days that had gone by in what seemed like a flurry. Two days had been used up simply to travel back to Konoha, but the remainder of the five days had been pure chaos; healing those who needed healing, reorganizing oneself, helping the villagers to settle once more into their homes, and an assortment of different jobs pertaining to the deceased.
And now there was the announcement, that would incorporate the funerals of those unlucky few who had not managed to survive the war.
Accordingly, everyone was clad in black.
The proceedings for the funeral had been first, bright and early in the morning. Everyone in the village, it seemed, had met within the confines of the Academy, where Tsunade was present atop the building that was her office space. At the forefront was Tsunade and Danzo; on the sidelines were many a people, particularly the rest if the Elders, Shizune, and Sakura, and perhaps most pertinently, two Uchiha, long-since thoughts dead.
Itachi and Shisui stood alongside Sakura and Shizune, on opposite sides from the Elders, as if showing their allegiance with Tsunade by standing on the side closest to her whilst they Danzo.
Neither Uchiha was visible to the rest of the crowd (only Danzo and Tsunade), as the rest of them, but their mere presence seemed to stifle the air around the Elders; Sakura did not bat even an eyelash at them or their skeptical looks. Of course they had been informed of what Tsunade and Danzo were to proclaim within the coming minutes, but it did little to calm their nerves. Which made sense, of course, because she knew among them perhaps were other co-conspirators to the Uchiha Massacre.
But her gripe was not with them.
"Good morning, my fellow Konoha citizens," she began. "It has been a long and grueling week for all of us, in particular for those who have suffered personal losses in these trying times..." Tsunade began. "War has never been pleasant; this is now my second time having to lament and mourn those we cherish, who we have lost in the field of battle..." She paused for a moment, a heavy sigh escaping her lips. "Much has happened within these past few months, and in particular this past week. A New Age is fast approaching; a new age of peace and prosperity which everyone here has fought valiantly to obtain. Without the international threat of Akatsuki, we now have the opportunity to seize what our predecessors have fought so long to obtain."
Then again another pause.
"But prosperity cannot be obtained by denying the faults of our ancestors, and particularly by denying the truths of our nation." A more cryptic tone had now set in, and some civilians and shinobi alike looked at each other curiously. "Before we continue on with the services for our fallen comrades, there is an announcement that I would like to make,"
None of course could make out the tension in her shoulders or the tight purse of Danzo's lips.
"Given the short time we had to act, a proper announcement was never made; so I will make it now. As it has been confirmed, we had enlisted the aid of former Akatsuki members Hoshigaki Kisame and Uchiha Itachi to help in the war to defeat Madara; and it was their invaluable strength that ultimately led to his defeat, alongside Team Sakura. There have been rumors going around that Uchiha Itachi died in battle; and to clarify, he did." She confirmed; the masses had at once began to speak amongst themselves, although it had been halted quickly after Tsunade had brought her hand up to silence them. "He sacrificed his life to save that of Haruno Sakura's, who alongside Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto eventually defeated Madara. Had he not given his life, we would not have won this war; I know this with certainty," she spoke grimly. "However, through powers of which even I cannot reach, he was resurrected."
If there had been uproar before, it was now twice-fold.
Was he in the village?
Had he escaped capture?
Had no one thought to do what Madara could not?
"Now that the war is over and the threat of Madara is no longer, there is a confession that must be shared to all of you. Of a truth I know and a guilt I share with my predecessors." The villagers waited in baited breath, metaphorically on the edge of their seats.
Among these villagers were the rest of the Uchiha who stood alongside the Haruno and other close friends, some watching with near anticipation while others curiously awaited the reactions of the crowds.
"Uchiha Itachi is innocent of his supposed crimes against Konoha."
Uproar at once boomed from all corners of the area; and at once all eyes searched to the Uchiha currently residing in Konoha for validation, and they looked upwards towards Tsunade unfazed; confident, even.
"To clarify, we are not clearing him of his crimes because of his aid in this war. Simply put, Uchiha Itachi did not murder Shisui, and he was not the culprit behind the Uchiha Massacre."
And so she turned slightly, her eyes making contact with that of Itachi and Shisui (of which no one at the bottom could see). And so she motioned them towards her, and they moved in unison, approaching the front for all eyes to lay upon them.
Audible gasps exploded.
He's here, now?
Is that Uchiha Shisui?
But it can't be!
His body was never recovered!
The crowd went up in protest to say the least, but Tsunade had silenced them all at once. "I know this may be hard to believe -but it is the truth."
And as if on queue, Danzo stepped up from beside her -begrudgingly, of course, although none could detect it. "As you can see, the rumor that Uchiha Itachi had murdered Uchiha Shisui was false, for he stands before us now. And as for the accusation of the more serious crime... The Uchiha Massacre was enacted by Uchiha Madara; the very same man who started this war. Uchiha Itachi had discovered his existence and had reported it directly to me and Lord Third. We tasked Itachi to take the blame, so as to prevent paranoia and chaos from ensuing. We could not afford to shake the world to its very core; this nation of ours, who was not yet ready to deal with the threat of a past legend, until we could first discover how he was still alive and figure out his aspirations. We had Itachi take responsibility for these atrocious acts so that Madara would not catch on that Konoha knew the truth behind his identity -so that Itachi would appear betrayed by his nation, and subsequently would turn on it and exact his revenge in the very organization founded by Madara." His words were carefully articulated -carefully worded so that neither he nor Itachi seemed the least bit guilty, and even his tone seemed sad and repentant.
"We know it may be hard to accept -but over the next few weeks Itachi and Shisui will once more be integrated back into the village. Neither of them are enemies -they are valiant heroes who protected the village from Madara in their own way, and even aided in Madara's ultimate defeat less than a week ago." Danzo spoke seriously -only those immediately behind him, such as Tsunade and Sakura, could see the ever-tightening fist kept tucked behind his robe. "They are comrades, and they will mourn the death of our fellow Konoha shinobi alongside us in today's proceedings. Please be respectful and courteous for today's proceedings."
And that had been all he had stated, and with his job done he had withdrawn himself and left to join his fellow Elders.
Tsunade had taken up the attention once more, Shisui and Itachi still standing alongside her. "Without further delay, we will be continuing on with today's proceedings." She had continued talking for a few more minutes before she had concluded her speech, summing it up with a few, sweet words. "When the tree leaves dance, one shall find flames. The fire's shadow will illuminate the village, and once again, tree leaves shall bud anew. These words, spoken by my sensei and former Hokage, hold true today. Despite the loss and sacrifices we have had to endure, Konohagakure will stand strong and burn bright with the Will of Fire."
The masses began to slowly leave from thereon; walking towards the place in which the ceremony for the funerals would ensue. Shisui and Itachi had left shortly afterwards to seek out the rest of the Uchiha and officially make their entrance into Konoha, which had left Tsunade with Sakura, Shizune, and the Elders. And although it seemed like it had been done, Danzo had approached her, no longer having to hide his wrath from the villagers.
Tsunade merely looked at him with bored eyes as he approached. "Come to ask if your acting was up to par, Danzo?" she questioned sarcastically.
If Danzo was bothered by her statement, he didn't show. "Don't think that I'll bow down so mercilessly to your every whim, Tsunade." Danzo glared. "You or that Haruno pet of yours." as he stated this, he glared at Sakura too -perhaps more of a threat than Tsunade herself, simply waiting in the sidelines with Shizune.
"I suggest you bite your tongue, Danzo. This isn't you keeling over to my demands as you'd like to think, if only because it gives you a reason to stand up against me. This is us bringing some semblance of justice to a boy you manipulated into doing your bidding without council from your own Hokage." Tsunade's eyes narrowed. If the facts were laid bare and Itachi's and Shisui's prodigal intelligence and skills were put aside, the facts of the case was that Danzo had usurped Sarutobi's authority, stolen a boy's eye to solidify his power, (at the mere age of sixteen!) and when his plans had failed, he ultimately cornered, black-mailed, and manipulated a child at the age of thirteen to slaughter the entirety of his family and leave Konoha a mass-murdering, cold-blooded killer. "You're lucky there is no evidence other than Itachi's own account, or I would have your head for treason against your own village."
"I protected Konoha from the Uchiha and you know it. Their coupe would have gone impeded because of that fool you call a sensei. I did what he would not. What he lacked the spine to do."
"If and when it would have come to pass, Hiruzen would have handled it." Tsunade clipped in, restraining the fist that was threatening to attack at the insult to her former sensei. "As was his job to do so, not yours. You condemned a boy to pay for the actions his clan had never even taken. You failed to see what those with the strength and commitment to protect this village could have done to save it. And it was ultimately ignorant behavior such as yours that the Uchiha grew resentful of. I will not pretend that the Uchiha were saints... but they definitely did not deserve the punishment you enacted without at least an attempt to hear them out and reach some sort of middle ground."
"I don't need to take criticisms from somebody who abandoned their village for gambling and booze." he sneered. If he had hoped to provoke Tsunade with this remark, he didn't get his way and she simply stared at him indifferently.
"I tire of your incessant babbling Danzo -if you have nothing pertinent to say, then our conversation is done." she might as well have yawned in his face.
He glared but said no more -with a swish of his robes he turned and began to walk away, but not before narrowing his eyes at Sakura.
Once he left, Tsunade let out a sigh of relief, walking up to her two counter-parts, simply waiting (and of course eavesdropping) for her conversation -nay, argument, with Danzo to be over. "My Kami this actually worked." The confidence she had superbly faked in front of Danzo immediately dissipated in front of her two comrades.
"I have to admit, you sure told him." Shizune stated, relieved Tsunade hadn't brought the entirety of the building toppling down simply at Danzo's remarks about Hiruzen. "It seems like you've scared Danzo into submission."
"Well, we won't really know until we see how the villagers react, will we?" Sakura responded with a frown. Only the coming days would show just how the village was taking the news of Itachi's false defection.
"Your standing alongside him will do much to ease the qualms of our people, Sakura, I can attest to that." Tsunade stated. As she spoke, they all turned around and began to walk away, lest they run late to the funeral services.
"I mean nothing to the village right now, Tsunade." Sakura countered with a raised eyebrow.
"Apart from being the leading cause for winning this war?" Tsunade rolled her eyes. "Come on, I know you've been cooped up in the hospital for the past week and as such haven't faced the full weight of your actions, but have you not noticed how the entirety of the female population is following Naruto around?" She raised her eyebrow. "Sasuke, sure, I get it, it's not unusual, but Naruto?"
"So he's popular now." Sakura shrugged off.
"Sakura you guys are heroes." Tsunade silenced her former apprentice. "I know you may be used to living in the shadows of those two monsters, but it's time you wake up and face the facts. You saved literal thousands in the war." And quite frankly, that was no exaggeration. "Mei attested to the fact that you saved her and Gaara from being decimated by a Madara clone. Every front of the war established the fact that cherry blossom trees had emerged everywhere and began to heal them and replenish their chakra. You awakened the Rinnegan." Of course this was something only a particular few knew, and truth be told it was best it remained that way; she didn't need anyone trying to target Sakura for an ability she could probably never recreate again.
"Those were all things I did with the help of my Kami, shishou." Sakura countered.
"And ability only you can access." Tsunade countered smoothly once more. "Look, I won't try and convince you any further; you'll find proof of it yourself once you stop being a hermit. The villagers may know nothing of what truly happened in the battlefield, but our shinobi do -and that will speak volumes as it is. All of your actions were possible only because Itachi sacrificed himself to save you -and the entirety of the village now knows this."
"It will help." Sakura consented. "But this will not be enough of a driving force to have an entire nation accept someone it so completely despised and rejected up until today. I am not enough nearly special enough for that."
"Not yet you aren't." she confirmed. "But don't you think it's time that you change that?"
Tsunade's statement had taken her aback completely, and Sakura had paused in her steps to stare dumb-foundedly at her shishou. "What do you mean by that?"
Tsunade and Shizune had halted their own movements and turned to stare at Sakura. "Well, now seems like an appropriate time for you to take your rightful role as leader, don't you think Sakura? I think you've more than earned it."
Sakura frowned -truth be told, this hadn't even been a thought that crossed her mind, but Tsunade was right.
When would she take on her rightful role as leader of the Haruno Clan? And if not now, what else would she have to do to prove herself ready and capable to do so?
Sure she was young, but at the ripe age of nineteen, but her mother had taken leadership of her clan at twenty two, only three years after her. But she had lived more than her mother; fought more, achieved more, and learned more than her mother could have ever living in a state of non-interference in the Shinobi World War. But was that all it took to lead her clan? Sakura had been coddled and protected most of her adult life; it had not been until she traveled to the past that she truly fell into her role as Haruno heir, if she were being honest to herself. And although that had occurred over a decade in the past, it could not have been more than a couple years for her. A couple grueling, difficult years in which she had learned more about herself than she ever had, more about the world, and more about her clan. "I don't know if I'm ready, shishou." Sakura stated hesitantly.
"But I do." as she spoke, she put an arm on her shoulder. "It would do the village a world of good to hear that someone like you is finally going to take charge, Sakura. We need this. Jiraiya and I are getting old; our titles as Sannin have all but expired, especially with the feats you three pulled off in the war." In fact, Tsunade was quite ready to dub them the new Sannin -and hopefully this time no one's reputation would be tainted. "Konoha needs to know they have strong leaders such as yourselves at the forefront of it's politics."
"Tsunade-sama is right." Shizune agreed, staring at the person she had for so long considered a younger sister. She had blossomed into a fine woman, and she was too much of a dunce to notice the change in herself. "Besides, who is going to keep Naruto and Sasuke in line? All this glory is bound to go to their heads."
And this was most certainly a statement she could not deny -it almost made her laugh. "I understand -I don't exactly know what this entails for me or how to go about it, though."
"Do not worry; that will be my job. But if you are sure you want to go through with this, then I will speak to the Daimyo." Tsunade stated.
No, she wasn't sure, but it wasn't like she had much of a choice now. This was not about her feeling ready; this was about the village needing her to be. And for this village that she loved so dearly, she would absolutely do it. "Hai."
"Then it's settled." Tsunade confirmed, releasing her grip on Sakura's shoulder, although her gaze did not leave that of her former apprentice. How could she have gotten so, immensely lucky to have gotten such a student?
Nay, a second-cousin! She was practically Sakura's auntie! "You've done great Sakura." it was an earnest moment of vulnerability and truth for Tsunade, and it had made Sakura blush in embarrassment.
"Hai, hai, come on, we're already late for the funeral. Danzo will use this to pick another fight with you if we don't hurry." Ever the reasonable personality to Tsunade's careless one, she saved Sakura from any further embarrassment. "Everyone must be waiting for your arrival to start the farewell, come."
And so it had been, and the three females continued on their journey.
End of Chapter
Hi everyone! Again, I know it's been an eternity, I've run out of excuses, but here is the next chapter.
Lots of drama in here, I hope everyone has enjoyed it, please let me know what you all think of the developments so far!
I know many of you are upset with me about the whole amnesia thing and think Sakura is being unreasonable -and just to clarify, it is. But in my perspective, she would literally be putting Itachi through hell having to remember all the horrors he's had to endure in life simply to remember her. I do not think that Sakura would be so selfish as to condemn Itachi to a life haunted by his demons simply for her sake.
That is not to mean that her love is over -and trust me when I say it will be a tough, dramatic plot, but it will have a happy ending so do bear with me and just ride this roller coaster out; it will be fun I promise.
Any and all feedback is much appreciated!
-MarzSpy