HELLO MY LOVELY FRIENDS HOW HAVE YOU BEEN DOING *throws flowers and confettis at you* IVE MISSED YOU A LOT!
Thank you soooo much for waiting and encouraging me and for all your kind words, for real, you're literally the best readers I could ask for. I really wish I could update faster and more often, but I'm so glad that you're always so kind and understanding and sticking around until now ;-; I hope you'll keep enjoying the ride with me until you're satisfied 💕
Anyway, I'm not bothering you any more than this. Enjoy~
Warning: A bit gloomy, because. Yaknow.
Summary of previous chapter:
- Yahiko has promised to hang out with Naruto very soon (with Kakashi as a chaperone) and Ino insists that she and Sakura HAVE to see that.
- The council has been reunited to demolish Danzo, and Sarutobi has decided that, truly, Danzo must FALL. VIOLENTLY. LIKE A PANCAKE.
.
Chapter 17
.
The weather that night had been relatively peaceful.
It was the end of the week, and the Konohans had stepped out of their homes, enjoying time with their family in each others' houses and gardens, with their colleagues outside of the workplace, or with their friends to catch up after ending their respective shifts.
Every once in a while, the village would find itself in this kind of semi-festive mood; it seemed as if everyone had given each other the word to go out and spend time together.
And what an ironic timing.
If it hadn't been for Fugaku-sama's instructions to stay at home, perhaps even the Uchihas would have joined in. Shisui himself was almost tempted to stop by and take a break each time he stumbled on people he knew. After all, it was this simple, light-hearted everyday life that made him love his village so much and want to protect it.
However, as things stood, the civilian Uchihas had remained cloistered in their homes, and the police had a busy schedule and were working hard to ensure the safety in their assigned area. As for the ninjas, those who preferred to be active were patrolling their quarters within the compound.
In Shisui's case, he was one of the volunteers who had preferred to help the police patrol the village, as he did that occasionally already.
As if he would have stayed at home, confined and doing nothing. Waiting!
He was a Konoha ninja. And even if he didn't know what danger Fugaku-sama feared, even if they weren't sure something was going to happen tonight, the uncertainty would have made him restless, locked within the four walls of his house.
As he passed by a café terrace, his attention was drawn to a group of ninjas sitting outside. And more specifically, to the young woman who was waving at him from where she was sitting.
"Hello, Brother!" she called in a clear voice.
At her call, a wave of amusement spread in his chest.
People who didn't know them tended to suppose that they were related somehow. Actually, if a stranger had passed by them right then, they surely would have believed that she was talking seriously; not only because of her fond tone, but mostly due to their similar wavy black hair and to the shape of their eyes. And he didn't even have the sharingan activated, otherwise, the red of their pupils would have given even more support to the theory of them being siblings.
Shisui grinned and waved back as he approached her, his step light. He hadn't seen Kurenai in a while. "No way! I didn't know that my favorite aunt was back in town. What's up?"
Her eye twitched at his jab. He might be younger than her, but calling her an aunt was too much for her ego yet. However, contrary to Anko, he knew that she wouldn't be throwing sharp things at him, so he indulged himself without apprehending the violence of her reaction.
Kurenai was too polite despite being a ninja.
Well… She was ruthless when she needed to be, and she could always try to genjutsu him. But, seeing that it was the specialty of the both of them, they had an agreement to never use genjutsu on each other by surprise. Just in case an accident happened. After all, a technique that involved manipulating people's minds couldn't be used so recklessly. However, when they were prepared for it and should they agree to it beforehand, she was his favorite training partner to sharpen that specific skill.
His eyes trailed to the two ninjas sitting opposite to her.
First, there was Yugao, a childhood friend of Kurenai's. From what he knew of their relationship, they often hung out with each other, and had spent their academy days clung to the other's hips.
The other one was Hayate, whom Shisui had grown much more accustomed to through missions. He had heard that Hayate had first become close to Yugao, as he had trained her in sword fighting, but he had eventually become friends with Kurenai as well. Since then, it was no surprise to see the three of them hanging out from time to time.
Shisui found them rather comfortable to be around.
Most of the time.
Cough. "Still walking alone in the streets and being a sap thinking about your little cousins?" Cough.
Shisui froze, before a light blush started to color on his cheeks. Wh-What did Hayate just say?
In an instant, the annoyance on Kurenai's face morphed into a relaxed expression.
Not only was she not violent; she wasn't spiteful either. Knowing her, she was most definitely going to change subjects and talk about something that wasn't going to embarrass Shisui.
Wasn't she?
"No, no, that wasn't the face," Kurenai refuted playfully. "Right now, he's being a sap about how much he loves the village."
The temperature of Shisui's face rose. Were they seriously doing this now?! "Oh, shup up! I don't even do it that often!"
He should never have mentioned his tendency to go into introspections about his love for everything he could think of as he wandered in the streets. That was a comment he had made in passing during one of their latest missions in common, and they still remembered it a bit too vividly for his tastes.
The thing was, Shisui might be open about many things, but with him being stressed out as of late, he was feeling much less inclined to being teased for his private thoughts.
Again.
By one of Genma's old teammates, no less.
He added in a mutter, "You didn't tell Genma about this, did you?" Because he had enough of Genma knowing about his soulmate; he didn't want him to start pestering him about Itachi and Sasuke as well.
(Konoha was fine however ; the Will of Fire made them all saps for the village anyway.)
"..."
Kurenai and Hayate exchanged a telling look. So. More room for Genma to be an annoyance.
Sometimes, Shisui hated people.
"Care to join us?" Yugao, who was his new favorite colleague by the way, suggested with a smile. "We've just placed our order."
At least one of the group was noble and honorable. She alone saved the reputation of Konoha shinobis while the rest drove it into the dirt.
Before he answered her, his gaze trailed back to Hayate. The corner of his mind that enjoyed gossip supplied that both Yugao and Hayate have had a mutually-one-sided crush for each other since forever, and that many of their friends were desperate to finally see one of them finally make the first step. From the distance between them as they sat on the same bench, Shisui guessed that the status quo hadn't changed yet.
Had he been a Genma, or an Anko, he would have used this information to get back at Hayate.
Alas, Shisui had principles, and Yugao was one of the rare decent people of her generation, so he sadly relented with a sigh. "I would have if it was only with you," he answered her by crossing his arms around Hayate's forehead, who rolled his eyes as he tried to extricate himself from his grip. Shisui lowered his arms around the traitor's neck and squeezed tighter. "But I'm in the middle of a patrol. Let me know the next time you go out so I can free myself. But only with you!" he added for good measure.
With his hands clutching Shisui's forearms in an attempt to break free of his aggressive hug, Hayate stopped in his tracks and turned to his assailant. "Did you get stuck with chores on a weekend night?" he asked between two coughs.
"Nah," Shisui denied it, shaking his head, "I volunteered to help the police tonight."
"Ah…" Cough. "Just your usual workaholic tendencies, then," Hayate muttered.
"I heard that."
"It's true that the village is lively tonight," Yugao interjected. "It's a nice day, there are no classes at the academy tomorrow, and it'll be most civilians' day off. There could be brawls and unexpected disturbances arising."
Shisui nodded, controlling the expression on his face.
He couldn't give away his inner thoughts now. Even if they were fellow Konoha ninjas, he didn't know what the whole ordeal was about. "Better take precautions, yeah. We've been asked to lend a hand just in case."
"You can always meet us later if you take a break. We'll most likely be spending a good part of the night here," Kurenai suggested.
Ohh, so now she was trying to make up to it? Unfortunately, it was too late, for Shisui had already decided to call upon the power of the curse of hatred.
A hint of a smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "Duly noted. See you later guys." He turned towards his fake family member. "Grandma," he added pointedly.
One should never trigger the curse of hatred.
She rolled her eyes so hard that Shisui's own almost threatened to bleed. "Later, Little Brother," she still said, with a wave of her hand.
Great, now he was feeling guilty. He let go of Hayate and straightened up, saluting Kurenai with two fingers. "Later, Sis!" he corrected.
When he walked away, his footstep was lighter than a moment before. Shisui might be a reserved person, but he always enjoyed meeting up with his friends.
Despite the building turmoil inside of him, that encounter had managed to appease him for a bit.
He was just about to turn around a corner, when he noticed a group of birds flying high in the sky. Their trajectory indicated that they were all coming from the same direction.
From the Hokage tower.
His blood ran cold, while his brain ordered his body to remain calm. Whatever would happen, he would be ready.
All of a sudden, a cloud of smoke rose from the tower and started to spread high in the sky, and the sound of an explosion resounded.
Whatever was going on… It had started.
.
.
.
A deafening noise roused Sakura from her sleep, and she woke up completely disoriented, her heart beating wildly.
"Mama?" she called, looking for landmarks around her.
In an instant, her parents entered her room.
"Sakura, are you all right, Honey?" her mother asked as she walked straight over to her, sitting down next to her on her bed.
"I don't know, I think I…" had a nightmare? Or did she?
Another detonation was heard from the window, and her father hurried to close it, blocking out the outside noise. So she hadn't been dreaming; it was something external that had woken her up.
"They could do with a little less noise! I'm going to have a word with them," her father grumbled as he pulled back the curtains. His voice sounded angry and shaky. Or was it? "These partiers don't know how to show respect for the neighborhood, can you believe it! Don't they know that people are sleeping at this hour?"
Oh, so that was just people having a party?
But did her dad really have to close the window? After all, Sakura usually preferred them to leave it open, so that there would be a soft light in her bedroom and she wouldn't feel too alone in the dark. However, before she could ask her father to open it again, her mother plugged in the nightlight on her dresser and switched it on, illuminating the room with a subdued pink light.
"It's alright now, Sakura, let's go back to sleep," her mother said gently, placing her hand on Sakura's pink hair.
Reassured, she nodded and closed her eyes again before lying back down.
She was so sleepy.
She barely heard the sound of the door closing, probably her father who had stepped out of the room.
Her mother, on the other hand, had stayed by her side, and was still stroking her hair.
Sakura loved falling asleep like that.
.
.
.
It had all happened so quickly.
Having returned from a long mission the day before, Kurenai had decided to unwind for a few days before resuming her training. And, to make sure she was going to take a real break and get her mind off things, and not start a new book on the fundamental theory of genjutsu mechanisms and the latest research on the subject, like the nerd she was, she had asked two of her friends out. Hoping to notice some subtle changes in their relationship.
(Yes, for a specialist in illusions, Kurenai was rather delusional.)
That was why, finding herself in the middle of an emergency mission to protect civilians and those in need had certainly not been in her plans.
Admittedly, Shisui had spoken of patrolling the area in case of any excesses. But what appeared to be an attack on the Hokage Tower was a whole new level of "unexpected disturbance".
Questioning quickly flared up in the alleyway where Kurenai was having her tea, and the light, jovial atmosphere was replaced by a wave of tension and fear. It was all-the-more reinforced by the shinobis who had scattered across the village, and by the wave of chakra and killing intent that was spreading out towards them, indicating that a furious battle was taking place.
Despite all this, the element she found most worrying... was the appearance of a giant toad in front of Hokage Mountain.
It should have been reassuring, seeing that the only Toad Summoner that she knew of was Jiraiya-sama, one of the Sannin. Rumors had spread that he had just come back, and he was one of their strongest assets should any threat loom over the village.
However, the setting was too similar to that of the Kyūbi Attack, and the reminder of that night was plaguing her mind. Meaning that, unfortunately, most people were most likely feeling the same way as her, and that couldn't help appease the situation.
Still. One consequential difference was that, when jōnins appeared to give the order to bring the villagers to safety, and to guide them home unless an evacuation order was given, Kurenai was no longer considered too young to participate. She would certainly have preferred to help on the battlefield, but they had been informed that the village elite, including the Hokage and Jiraiya of the Sannin, were already in place and that the situation was under control.
Besides, if there weren't some ninjas to protect the villagers, then who would?
When the attack began, Yugao had slipped away instantaneously. As for Kurenai and Hayate, they had stayed behind to help the civilians in the vicinity.
They may not have known what was going on, but they were ninjas. They knew their priorities.
For a brief moment, the memory of her father resurfaced in Kurenai's mind, helping her to focus on what she had to do. It was her turn to protect the younger generation.
She just hoped that their new enemy would cause less damage than the Kyūbi.
.
.
.
This situation was giving him even more headaches than the Kyūbi Attack had.
In one of the lowest basements of T&I headquarters, his hand resting on the skull of one of the three ROOT members they had captured earlier that night, Inoichi was assiduously scouring the smallest corners of his mind, looking for information that might be useful to them in their next move.
Even if that was to be expected. After all, the more he learnt about Shimura's schemings, the more mad he got.
Of course, when they had planned a major meeting to expose their findings on Shimura Danzō, the clan leaders and their allies had taken safety measures and prepared for a riposte. All the more so as they didn't know for sure whose side the Third Hokage was on - they couldn't ignore the possibility that Sarutobi-sama already knew, or had even given Danzō the green light to carry out his missions.
Inoichi had prepared an emergency evacuation plan, in case he needed to extort information in a hurry. Shikaku and Jiraiya-sama had warned several jōnins that a meeting of the utmost importance was about to be held for the security of the village, and to be on the lookout if they were called upon - in order to secure the perimeters as best they could.
As for the clan chiefs, they had also warned their respective families and posted some of their most competent and trustworthy members to be ready if the situation called for it.
And they were right to be so cautious.
Thankfully, Sarutobi-sama hadn't known about the issue before, but he'd shown himself to be quite perceptive. He quickly assessed and understood the situation and was direct and sharp in his judgment.
Danzō had gone against the principles of Konoha and twisted the Will of Fire in a way that had hurt their own men and children. That was a fact that no one could deny.
However, the old councilor hadn't gotten that far out of sheer luck.
He apparently had already suspected that something was in preparation and had consequently planned a counter-attack, by installing ROOT members all over the Hokage tower.
Upon hearing the sentence proclaimed by Sandaime-sama, and the order to lock him up and investigate his actions, it only took a blink of Danzō's eye for them to be invaded.
It was very likely a desperate attempt at escaping, given that almost all of Konoha's elites were in the Council Chamber. But that didn't make the fights that ensued any less serious.
By turning against the Hokage order the way he had, Shimura Danzō was demonstrating the ultimate betrayal by leading an attack that could easily be interpreted as a coup d'état.
With Shibi's help, Inoichi had neutralized and captured three ROOT members, whom he had immediately taken to the T&I headquarters with two of his men. They had agreed, before the meeting, that Inoichi would be more useful doing what he knew best out of sight, rather than on the frontline amidst the chaos.
He trusted his teammates and colleagues to deal with the fights in whatever way they could.
And what he was discovering in their minds... matched his worst fears in every way.
Of course, he didn't expect to uncover all of Shimura Danzō's secrets. The man wouldn't confide in his agents to this extent, and had certainly taken precautions.
Through the first layer of the inner space of the man he was exploring, Inoichi quickly managed to pinpoint the state of the mind that he was exploring.
Given the echoes he'd heard about Sai and Shin, and what he'd observed first-hand in Yamanaka Fū's behavior after the alarm bell went off (though he didn't allow himself to use his technique on him nor on Aburame Torune, as they hadn't shown any resistance against their clan leaders), he wasn't surprised by what he was discovering.
A closed mind.
Completely depersonalized.
And perfectly programmed according to the most sordid definition of what a ninja should be.
This man would only obey whoever was able to establish a certain mental control over him; in the image of the Sutorōkumu Syndrome, where the person became dependent on his tormentor according to complex mechanisms of identification and survival. He would even easily choose death rather than risk revealing any information. Of course, most ninjas would, but the lack of importance that this man gave to his life was appalling.
Jiraiya-sama had warned them about this after he had tried to question certain ROOTs in Ame, which was why they had been careful to sedate them violently before entering their inner space.
Ironically, Konoha seemed to resonate in their minds as being of paramount importance. This implied that Danzō sincerely believed he was operating for the good of the village...
What folly.
Inoichi put his observations in a corner of his head, so that he could reuse this information if they had to deprogram them. After all, they were Konoha ninjas first and foremost who only obeyed orders, they couldn't be abandoned just because the man they answered to had been labeled a traitor.
And so, he dived deeper into the mind that was exploring, in search of the information that interested him most at the moment.
Masks covering every face.
Numbers as identities.
Weapons as only allies.
A life full of missions and violence.
Only missions and violence.
A state of utter emotional void.
And, finally, Inoichi found it.
Underground, deep in the vine forest. The location of the new HQ of ROOT.
Inoichi opened his eyes again, and thundered in an authoritative voice. "Prepare a team to leave."
They would give Danzō no respite, no backup plan.
His reign would be ending tonight.
.
.
.
"The enemy's down! Quick, incapacitate him for good!"
"Osū, Captain!"
"Oh, no! Careful! He's got his weapon back!"
"It's cool, Captain! I'm going to unalive him with my Super Twin Dragons of Fiery Fire and Strong Water no Jutsu!"
Yurika delicately opened the door to the room where her daughter and her friend were sleeping, to find them both wide awake, with pillows scattered in every direction.
"Well done, Jōnin Naru! Go murder him while I save Prince Sai!" Ino ordered with apache.
"Gotcha, Captain Ino!" Naruto waved a pot in one hand and a frying pan in the other. Where had she found them? "Pshoooooh!"
It was two forty-five in the morning. And they looked in top shape.
Yurika cleared her throat to attract their attention, and found herself under a questioning blue gaze and a pair of confused-then-alarmed and guilty green eyes.
Naruto wasted no time adjusting to the new situation.
"Captain!" she interjected with a grin, "Princess Aunty Yurika came to the rescue! We are saved!"
"Oooor," Ino dragged as she got closer to her friend, "we're into a whole new kind of trouble," she said with a grimace.
Yurika did her best impression of a parent about to give the scolding of her life. Although, on the inside, she was mostly amused by the girls' opposite reactions. "Aren't you supposed to be sleeping?"
"We did sleep!" Ino defended immediately.
Contrary to Naruto, her daughter knew that being awake so late at night and partying in 7 years old fashion was a big no-no.
Yurika raised an eyebrow silently, waiting for an explanation.
"But…" Ino's gaze trailed shortly to Naruto before quickly focusing on Yurika again. "We… felt something. Something bad? Like a nightmare. But not really. And that woke us up," she tried to explain. "So we decided to end the enemy first and go back to sleep right afterwards, I promise!"
"Yeah, promise!" Naruto seconded.
Yurika's heartbeat quickened at the explanation.
Ino shouldn't have sensed anything. They were sleeping in a room in the basement for the night, which was isolated, protected with seals, soundproof and antiseismic. They shouldn't have been disturbed in their sleep. Inoichi had made sure of that.
She was glad that he had thought about it. Yurika herself was no sensor, but from the flower shop where she had been resting, it was hard to ignore the heaviness in the air. However, from their room, the girls should have been completely isolated from the outside world.
Perhaps Naruto's particular condition made her more sensitive than normal?
And who knew, she might as well be a sensor.
She would talk about it with Inoichi. He might want to test the theory and check Naruto up.
She just hoped that her husband was fine…
As she took a deep breath, she entered the room with determination. After all, the kids didn't have school tomorrow, and she'd rather make sure they were fine tonight.
"Alright. Captain Ino. Jōnin Naruto. What is the situation?"
Their eyes lit up, and they ran at her excitedly to recount to her their latest adventure of the night.
Seeing their energy, she'd better stay with them to make sure that they would go back to sleep soon.
.
.
.
At the front doors of the Hokage Tower, Yahiko was sitting on the floor, leaning against one of the walls of the building. With his head resting against it and his eyes closed, he breathed slowly and meditated to regain his strength and calm himself, his arms resting on his spread knees.
The night had been rough.
Accusations and condemnations had rained down on Shimura Danzō more than it rained back in his hometown.
Jiraiya-sensei had warned him that the meeting was likely to be intense: several influential people were angry, but their target also had a lot of power. He had to expect a tough fight to break out; and as expected, tension had been at its height from the start of the meeting.
Yahiko had prepared himself mentally and adopted the same method as his teacher had back in Ame. Against enemy ninjas who were not from his village, he had opted for the defensive, and had done his best not to interfere more than necessary at the risk of overstepping blurred boundaries, diplomatically speaking.
As far as he knew, there had been no deaths or serious injuries in "his" camp. Once Shimura had been captured, with one arm and one eye missing (one of the clanheads had been particularly vindictive), a few of his men had followed after him, while others had stopped fighting. To his surprise, some of them had seemed to vacillate between Shimura's orders and those of the Hokage. Their affiliation seemed more complex than at first sight.
Once the tension had subsided, the injured shinobis were ordered to receive first aid at the hospital before returning to duty. As for those who were unhurt, they had to check that the area around the tower was secure and that no lasting damage had been done before reporting the situation. The attack had normally been contained within a predetermined perimeter, but one could never be too sure.
As for Jiraiya-sensei and the Hokage, they had accompanied some masked men - who answered only to the Hokage - to question Shimura and lock him up.
From what he had understood, at least. He hadn't been privy to that much information.
Following the capture that had taken place outside the Hokage Tower, Yahiko had stayed behind at his teacher's request. He couldn't accompany him, in case anything confidential was at stake (he already knew more than many were comfortable with), and he couldn't just roam free in the village either.
He didn't mind, though. He didn't have anything special to do, and he was fine with waiting.
He could feel the presence of shadows hidden in the dark - most likely shinobis who were watching him. This was the most important building of the village (or one of them that he was aware of) so he could understand their distrust and their need for precaution.
Actually, they would have been completely stupid to trust him and leave him alone here. It was reassuring for the villagers.
"How are you feeling?" he heard near him. "Not too shaken?"
Yahiko looked up at the man who had just prostrated himself beside him. In full battle gear, armor on his torso and arms, and his hands in his pockets, Kakashi (if he'd remembered his name correctly) was staring at him with his mismatched eyes.
When he'd first met the man, his red eye - that he learnt was called a sharingan - was covered by his headband. And while he hadn't been wearing said-headband during the meeting where he'd also been called to testify, Yahiko hadn't really paid attention to his face.
One of the clan heads had the same eyes - the one that was most active in combat, and rightly so.
The difference was that the clan leader's eyes were black and could turn red at will. Kakashi's, on the other hand, seemed to be stuck in a permanent state, one black, and the other red. Could these eyes possibly function differently depending on the person? His knowledge of dōjutsus was very limited, so he had no idea.
Nagato's eyes were also constantly active. Yahiko wasn't even sure whether they could be switched off, for that matter. But before last night, he had never particularly considered how precious his friend's eyes could be. They gave him great power, yes; but they were just one part of his arsenal.
The sharingan hadn't particularly caught Yahiko's attention either. During the fight, Yahiko had been able to see what laid hidden beneath his bandages. Those eyes had dotted Shimura Danzō's arm.
He could only imagine the horror that Kakashi and his clan head had felt upon seeing them.
If he'd discovered Nagato's eyes grafted onto someone else, Yahiko would have lost it. The shinobi world was a monstrous place, and he knew that already... But that didn't stop him from being constantly surprised and horrified by every new discovery.
Yahiko gave Kakashi a small smile in answer. If the people with the stolen eyes were related to him, he must have been pretty shaken up. Besides, as a foreign shinobi, he had no attachment whatsoever to Konoha. "I should be the one asking you that. Are you alright?"
He was certainly on foreign soil, and a little tense given the situation, but he was fine. Besides, since the beginning of the evening, Yahiko had had a vague feeling of déjà-vu. It was the Hanzō situation all over again.
As he'd been through the same thing a few months earlier, and on his own land (which had been far more impactful for him), he felt like he had a bit of experience and a better idea of how to handle things now.
Kakashi sat down beside him on the asphalt, and remained silent for a moment. Yahiko couldn't blame him; he must have been processing what this night meant for his village.
And for his family.
Eyes still fixed straight ahead, Kakashi inquired without looking up. "What will you be doing now?"
Yahiko didn't answer immediately. Wasn't that a good question?
Jiraiya-sensei had been a real pillar for the Akatsuki and Ame over the last few months, and he had supported them during the reorganization of the village.
Now it was his turn to help Jiraiya-sensei in managing the crisis that had reached his home, if he were asked to.
"I'm not sure. I came here with Jiraiya-sensei as a witness to Shimura Danzō's actions in external affairs, but it was also to ensure that this sort of thing wouldn't happen again, for Ame's safety."
Kakashi nodded before turning his head to him. "If Jiraiya-sama hadn't gotten there in time, the relationship between Konoha and Ame would have turned messy by now."
Yahiko thought back to the moment when that toad had arrived and swallowed Konan before disappearing out of sight.
He had been about to commit something impossible to undo. His face contorted into a grimace. Kakashi had no clue of how right he was.
"Thankfully, that's not the case, but yes. If possible, I'd like to have a meeting with your Hokage, and see what are the future perspectives for our villages' relationship."
"As the leader of Ame," Kakashi supplied with a nod.
A timid grin spread on Yahiko's face as he scratched his cheek self-consciously. "Well, yes, that."
It was one thing to be considered the official leader of the Akatsuki - to him, Nagato and Konan were as much his equals within the organization. But the new responsibility of the whole village was… weird. He didn't know if he would get used to being called that.
He probably could, with time. As long as he would do his fair share of the work and make sure the villagers were safe from any more wars.
"It would do you good to have Konoha as an ally. If you've talked to Jiraiya-sama about it before coming here, I'm sure that he'll support you."
Yahiko nodded with a wistful smile on his lips. "Yes. He would."
Even if he had come more as a way to repay Jiraiya-sensei, he didn't think that he could even the situation just yet.
But he would do his best to ensure it with time.
And who knew, maybe someday, they could put in place the peace they were all looking for.
.
.
.
Good morning, Sunshine. Did you sleep well?
.
.
.
The sun was just beginning to rise.
Shisui was now heading to Konoha Police Station. His rounds were officially -finally!- over.
The Konoha Police Force had worked all night to secure the streets, and accompany and reassure the inhabitants. Panic had gripped most villagers, and rightly so - the Kyubi Attack was still too fresh in everyone's minds.
But they quickly realized that this new attack had nothing to do with Kyubi, and was far better contained than the attack of seven years earlier. And fortunately, that had made communicating with the civilians easier, as their fear seemed to have subsided by the middle of the night.
The Police still had a few worried people questioning them during their rounds, and a few rebels here and there who'd had too much to drink and had a harder time behaving when asking their questions, but they'd soon been dismissed with the occasional help of jōnins and ANBUs who were posted in several parts of the village.
In any case, the worst seemed to be over.
When he arrived at the station, Shisui let out a long sigh of relief before entering. He sure hoped that there wouldn't be any follow-up and that everything was resolved now.
From the gate, he saw Miyo - as usual, on watch duty - at the reception desk, questioning Hibari who had apparently just returned as well.
"And Tsubasa-san? How is she? You better have been cool and all gentlemanly with her, she's my favorite Granny in the neighborhood."
This was the reason why Miyo was most often put at the reception desk. He was probably the friendliest and most welcoming choice among the Uchihas, as loved chatting with people, and so happened to be the best at gathering information from people outside the clan.
Hibari shrugged. "She calmed down. I walked her home and... she soon... fell asleep."
Thanks to a little genjutsu was left unsaid. Aannd this was why Hibari was being questioned. Although he'd been with the police for several years, he quickly lost patience and sometimes ended up breaking the rules so that he wouldn't have to socialize for too long.
Fortunately, he'd never been caught before, but it was an open secret among the Uchihas.
Miyo raised an eyebrow at the implication. He was about to make a remark, but was beaten to it by his suspect- hm, his colleague.
"She gave me some candy for you." Hibari pulled a handful of sweets from his pocket and placed them on the desk, under Miyo's sparkling eyes.
"Tell her I love her," he said as he grabbed one immediately.
Shisui rolled her eyes without saying a word. He said that to anyone who offered him something to put in his mouth.
Hibari shook his head with a slight smile raising the corner of his lip. Turning back in the direction of the break room, he spotted Shisuiwho nodded at him.
"Welcome back, kid," he greeted.
Usually, Shisui didn't especially appreciate being treated as a kid, seeing that he was a jōnin and had as many responsibilities as most of the adults he knew. However, when it was Hibari, his heart did a strange leaping that Shisui associated with the fact that he considered the man to be what was closest to a father figure to him.
Proof being, when Shisui approached the reception desk, Hibari picked from the pile of sweets (under Miyo's indignant stare, but with his mouth too full to voice his indignation aloud) to hand them to Shisui.
"Take these. Good job tonight."
Without a word, Shisui grabbed them and ate the first one, letting the sweet candy melt on his tongue.
"Did everything go well?" Hibari inquired, ignoring the offended look Miyo was still giving him.
Shisui shrugged his shoulders in reply, but gave him a smile all the same.
In truth, he was exhausted. He had only one desire at the moment. To sleep. But because of the stress and apprehension, he didn't feel up to it, and had preferred to return to the Police Station where he could perhaps glean some information about what might have happened last night. Perhaps even Fugaku-sama would drop by here first when he'd have the time; this place was his best shot at gathering information.
"I think I'll go and crash in the break room for a few hours, if I'm not needed."
"Good idea," Yakumi interjected as he was just coming out of it himself. "You three go take a break, I'll take care of the reception."
Peeerfect. He could finally relax for a bit now.
He had barely had the time to sigh of relief, when he felt a familiar tingle on his arm that instantly put his mind at ease.
With all the events of the night, he hadn't had much time to enquire of his soulmate's well-being, seeing that she was from Konoha as well; but as soon as he got a bit of time to think for himself, he had written to her. He wasn't so surprised that she didn't answer him immediately, since it was still night time and he sure hoped that she was asleep. If he thought of her usual schedule, she shouldn't have been awake for at least two more hours, actually.
But that didn't matter now.
Without paying attention to the others, Shisui rushed to the rest area to settle in a quiet corner.
On his way, he started to read the beginning of her answer, and he subconsciously let his guards down, as the frown on his face disappeared, alleviating the tension that had been weighing on his head for most of the night.
And suddenly, as if it were that easy, he felt that everything was… just fine.
.
.
.
Hello my soulmate! Yes I slept well, I'm at my friend's house and we woke up during the night and we played ninja with her mom, it was fun! We beat up all the bad guys! Now we're going to wash and have breakfast. And you?
That's nice. Coincidentally, I also played ninja last night. I didn't fight the bad guys but I protected the civilians. I think that the bad guys were also beaten though. I'm with some friends as well right now.
Awesome! Next time I'll protect the civilians too then!
I know I can count on you. How come you're awake so early by the way?
That's because Granny (she's my friend's grandma) came to say hello and said we have to help her make breakfast with her! And you did you eat?
Actually, not yet. Thank you for the reminder.
You FORGOT BREAKFAST?
Haha, I did eat a few candies earlier! But I'll try to eat something more consistent now that you've mentioned it.
Okay! You do that! I'm proud of you!
.
.
.
The tender smile that stretched Shisui's lips was so wide it made his cheeks ache.
You're such a breath of fresh air, my beautiful Sunshine. Thank you.
.
.
.
In the break room of the Police Station, a small group of Uchihas were gathered, in the most catatonic silence.
Sadly, it wasn't the funniest group of people to be around at the moment, and Miyo had, unfortunately, been kindly kicked out of reception by a superior. So here he was, waiting, bored, and having to distract himself from his thoughts.
That was why he preferred to stay at the reception. He always had something to entertain himself with, and someone to talk to. But now, he just had to be... patient.
He couldn't count on either Hibari, who'd grabbed a magazine lying around and settled into an armchair, clearly indicating that he wasn't in the mood to socialize, nor on Miyako, who'd already been in the room when they'd arrived, reclining on the sofa as if she owned the place. She had glanced at them when they had entered, so he knew she wasn't asleep... But if he tried to strike up a conversation with her, he knew in advance that she'd aim for his eyes with half of her arsenal.
He could understand. It had been a long night for everyone.
But he couldn't stand doing nothing!
The only one left was Shisui. As soon as Yakumi had suggested/ordered them to go and rest, his little cousin had hurriedly settled down on an isolated sofa away from everyone, turned his back on them and started scribbling something on his arm. Miyo wouldn't have paid any more attention than that usually, had he not noticed Shisui's habit of retracing whatever he wrote with his other hand, concentrating chakra on it...? Before starting all over again.
So, as he was sitting on the floor and slumped on the coffee table, his head resting on his outstretched arm, Miyo kept his eyes fixed on his little cousin with wonder. "What is he doing?"
At his question, Miyako opened one eye (her curiosity winning out over sleep), before closing it again. "I dunno," she murmured, barely articulating. "Coming up with some genjutsu theory?" she suggested nonetheless.
Hibari deigned to pay attention to them in turn, but he quickly returned to his occupation. "Doesn't seem so," he refuted, leafing through the latest Kunoichi Mag between his hands. "This looks more like the look of love. Just let him be."
"The look of what?" Miyako asked faintly, before turning abruptly towards Hibari. "Wait, the look of what!?" she asked again, now fully awake. "You mean-" she lowered her voice in an attempt to be more discreet, but that only made her more suspicious "- like, he's tattooing his crush's name on his arm?"
"No. More like writing a love letter. Don't disturb him, the kid deserves some rest after last night."
While still slumped lazily, Miyo perked up at the "love letter" mention and raised his head suddenly, mimicking Miyako's reaction a few moments earlier.
"..."
"..."
Faced with the silence that he was met with, Hibari looked up from his magazine, but noticed only too late the knowing glance that the siblings were giving each other. "Oh no, you better not-"
Oh yes, they totally were.
"Shisui-chaaaaaaan!"
"Huh?"
"Shisui, you little rascal!" Miyo interjected, his good humor returning as he grabbed his cousin from behind. "Tell me, who is it?!"
"What the- What are you doing!?"
As Shisui was busy trying to get out of Miyo's grip, Miyako grabbed his arm with both her hands and started to analyze it with her sharingan on. Yeah, because she was one of The Ones who had it. "Candy, something something, breakfast? If it's not a love letter to your stomach, I don't know how- ouch, Shisui, stop waving your arm-"
"The hell are you doing!?" Shisui screeched as he waved his arm off before he shunshined away from their grasp. "What's wrong with you!?"
Miyo pouted sulkily, disappointed that his little cousin had been so quick to think of using his favorite technique. But a quick glance at his sister made him realize that all hope to glan some juicy news was perhaps not lost. Indeed, a mischievous smile had appeared on Miyako's lips, signifying that she had read and memorized some interesting lines.
"You're such a~ breath~ of~ fresh~ aiiiir~," she sing-songed.
A look towards Shisui confirmed that, indeed, that was something that she had read on his arm. His face had turned as red as the glowing sharingan that he had switched on.
Oh-oh-oh?
"My~ beau~ti~ful~ sunshiiine~" she continued before she evaded a sharp blow from his tantō (which was still in its scabbard, of course, but would have given his sister a nasty bump had he managed to hit her with it).
"Aww, that's so cuuute~ Little Shisui-chan's such a charmer!" Miyo fawned proudly. "Are you practicing your lines to your girl? Who is it?"
"You two…" Their big baby seethed, with a clenched jaw and a murderous stare.
"..."
Uh oh.
"Shisui, no genjutsu on the fam!" Miyako screamed in alarm.
"Kyaah! Beetles!" Miyo shrieked waving his arms in front of him and stepping backwards. He hurried to do the hand signs to dispel the illusion, but their annoying little genius knew each of their weaknesses.
"Why does it stink like fish!?" Miyako whined, plugging her nose, before she ran to hide behind Hibari (who had just stayed there, watching them, as if they were part of an entertaining show). "Shisui! Stop your freaking genjutsu! Urgh, I'm going to throw up…"
"Great Fireball no Jut-"
"Wait wait wait!" Miyo cried, stretching his arm out. "Not in the Station!"
"You definitely asked for it," Hibari commented off-handedly, his arms and legs crossed, not seeming to have any intent in interfering.
Suddenly, the door to the room slammed wide open, revealing their clan leader in an outfit that immediately reminded them of their current predicament.
"What's going on here!?"
.
.
.
After the chaos at the police station, Fugaku-sama had (thankfully!) interrupted his stupid cousins from annoying him. It was as if everyone was out there to annoy Shisui lately - other than his soulmate.
However, everyone had quickly stopped their shenanigans upon seeing their clan leader. He looked tired, his clothes were disheveled, and his body was covered in superficial injuries here and there, but other than that, he didn't look particularly hurt. Thankfully.
All the persons present were standing at attention and had greeted their chief respectfully. They had all been waiting for an explanation of what the hell was going on.
Their questions had soon been answered.
Fugaku-sama had called for a clan meeting in the morning, and he hadn't wasted any time in delivering the news.
A traitor within the higher-ups.
The clan heads all working together.
Children and adults used and traumatized.
Clan members brainwashed.
The Sharingan - their clan kins - targeted.
A sentence was being carried out, and the Hokage had declared that he would be taking serious measures. Fugaku-sama assured them that he intended to make his dissatisfaction clear, not only with this high-profile betrayal, but also with the way the Uchihas had been treated in recent years.
In the meantime, action was underway, and they would soon be informed of how things were progressing.
Shisui's mind was blank.
The meeting room was filled with shock, anger and hurt.
There was just so much to digest.
Discreetly, he grabbed Itachi's hand beside him.
This day didn't seem like it would be ending any time soon.
.
.
.
The day had been so long. But finally, Jiraiya was catching a break.
Between the T&I, Shimura's headquarters, meetings with the clan heads, guiding their shinobis and so on, it sure made him remember just how much he valued times of peace.
But it was more than worth it.
At least now, he knew that his village and his students were safe, and he still didn't know much about Danzō's goals during the Kyūbi attack, but he sure as hell was going to uncover the bottom of this case.
As it was, seated all alone on a bench in a calm and empty street of Konoha, his head resting against its back, with an unopened twin-sticks ice cream in his hand, he just wanted to clear his head and be left alone for just one short moment.
The faint sound of footsteps running in his direction came to his ears.
Please. Let it be not someone looking for him. Just one short moment.
Gasp. "It's you!"
Of course. He just couldn't get some peace and quiet when he was working so hard for it, could he?
When he turned his head towards the childish voice that had called him, a cute Chibi Minato was staring right back at him curiously, cheeks flushed and hair all messy.
Oh, wait.
That was Naruko.
Or, well, Naru-to, as she preferred to be called apparently.
Funny how he didn't feel that tired any more.
He straightened up and waved to the little girl who had run to him upon spotting him. "What are you doing out so late at night, kid?" he asked.
Sure, the area was safe and clear now, but they were never too cautious.
"I went out for groceries but then I saw you with your big hair!" she declared excitedly. "You're Yahiko's friend, right, dattebayo?!"
As he watched her talk and wave arms and stare at him with so many feelings displayed on her face, it took him a moment to remember how to articulate.
That was Chibi Kushina talking to him right there.
He had only just watched her interact with Yahiko the last time around, but now that she was directly talking to him, and looking at him… It just made him realize so much more just how much she resembled both her parents. And that did strange things to his brain.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed another small figure approaching him, and he found it far easier to turn his attention to her than to speak at that moment.
"Naruto! Why did you run off?" a little girl scolded with a frown directed at him.
So this was the infamous way that the Yamanaka heiress greeted all of Naruko's interlocutors with. Inoichi had warned him that his daughter had become very protective of her friends, and that Naruko would most likely be staying with his family until things calmed down; he could see how right that had been.
"He's the old man I told you about! He knows Yahiko!" Naruko explained cheerfully.
And, just like her father would innocently attack his self-esteem, and her mother knew how to sarcastically throw jabs at him, Jiraiya recovered his ability to speak at the innocent jab their progeniture had thrown his way. "Ex-cuse me, who are you calling old? I'll let you know that I'm at the prime of my age, Little Lady!"
Both girls turned to him at his intervention.
"Uh… But you are, though?" Naruko wondered, visibly confused.
"Shh," the Yamanaka kid said lowly in her friend's ear. But not low enough for him not to hear her. "Pretend you believe him, you could hurt his ego."
Now, that must have been on purpose.
Children.
"Yahiko's the foreign guy who's friends with your cousin, right?"
"Oh? You've told your friend about that?" Jiraiya inquired.
"Yeah!" Naruko chirped with a huge smile. "Do you know when I can see Yahiko again? You said last time that the ninja with a mask can show him the village with me!"
Right. They did have that conversation. That had completely slipped his mind. He had just made a comment in passing when she had asked to see his former student again, but he hadn't thought that it would stick with her.
Oh well, that issue was on Kakashi's back anyway.
And… In hindsight, that could be a good occupation for both Yahiko and Kakashi. They all had had a rough night, and they'd been working and investigating for months. Now, Yahiko was a bit sidelined given the confidential information that he couldn't share with him ; he might as well spend some quality time with the kid, especially as Kakashi could "keep an eye" on him for the good of the village this way. And spend some time with Naruko as well, since that little coward had apparently been avoiding her for the past few years.
(Okay, Jiraiya didn't have much room to talk, but that was another issue.)
"Actually, speaking about that," Jiraiya started, "what are you doing tomorrow? I think the boys should be free for your little outing, if you're still up for it."
"Wha- Really!?" she exclaimed eagerly. "Yes I'm free too! I'm up for it, dattebayo!"
Jiraiya erupted in laughter at her excitement, and the part of his mind that was thinking of Kakashi's reaction when he'd deliver him with the news of his next mission raised his mood exponentially.
"That's settled, then!"
Naruko let out a squeal and grabbed her friend's arm with energy. "That's awesooome!"
Noticing the other girl's suspicious glance towards him, Jiraiya turned his attention to her. It was good to see that Minato's child had such a supportive friend. He didn't remember seeing Kushina that comfortable with anyone other than Tsunade and Mito-sama when she was around this age.
But he figured that he should break the ice if he wanted the kids to be comfortable enough around him. (Not that Naruko seemed uncomfortable around anyone, ever since he saw her again.)
And, speaking of ice.
The twin-stick ice cream in his hand would start to melt soon.
With a cheeky grin, he held out the sticks towards the girls, and observed both their expressions change into one of curiosity. "I happen to have bought this, but I don't feel that hungry anymore. Do you two want to share some ice cream?"
Both the interested yet cautious look and the excited one he received made him laugh loudly.
Children.
.
.
.
To be continued
.
There we gooo *offers you Danzo's death on a plate*
Um, I hope you've enjoyed it? 👉 👈 Honestly, I rewrote this chapter like, 5 times. I have so many beginnings and versions for it, and I'll probably edit it again some time in the future, but that's the best that I can do for now xD I didn't want eveything to get repetitive, but I just felt if I wrote any less than this, it would have felt too rushed. Anyway, FI-NAL-LY we're getting to the end of this arc, what a ride it has been TvT
I feel like the more I write the Uchihas, the more I make them stupid oopsie. You already know most of them: Miyo and Miyako are OCs that appeared in chap 11 i think, Yakumi's canon and was in chap 11 too, and Hibari's a canon character but he doesn't have a name. He appeared in, like, 5 panels in the manga? You'll eventually figure out which one I'm talking about, lol, bear with me until then pretty please?
Also, yes, I totally bully Shisui in this fanfic, I'm sorry. I don't know why it happens so much, I guess I just like to tease little geniuses a lot? And I know that he can fare for himself if he needs to, he's just to nice to retaliate most of the time. (but we're eventually going to wake up his curse of hatred, i'm sure.)
Also. HAVE YOU READ THE MINATO OS? AHHHHHH I reread it like 10 times on the same day I got the link. I was so shocked because it confirmed so many headcanons and reminded me of the plot of one of my favorite fanfics of all times, it was was so wholesome in so many ways, and I love both Minato and Kushina so much, and my curiosity about the Uzumakis has been so satisfied, I just. AMFKJAMGEKRHNM.
Aaaanyway I'll stop talking now haha. Thank you for sticking with this story until now, you're fabulous, I love you 💖
Until next tiiime~