Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto
Chapter 29: The Hearing Part 1
She tugged at the collar of her shirt. It was too tight and too high up. She knew she had to be presentable. Her hair was braided and then styled in a bun. She felt like a nun. Or at least she was dressed close to one. The only visible part of her skin was her face, her hands, and the tops of her feet. She did not remember the last time she was wearing so many clothes. In August of all months.
She resisted the urge to fidget. It had been a mistake showing up twenty minutes early. Her pacing had driven Tsume crazy to the point the woman had threatened her with bodily harm if she did not sit down. So she left her home. Everything there reminded her of the girls anyway. She needed the fresh air.
Her feet had led her to the hall. The place where her hearing was. She fussed with her sleeve. She was going to be judged. She was used to that. She was in the jinchuriki, it came with the territory. She was also a jonin so it meant that she underwent two exams where she was judged. She had never been judged as a person in an official capacity before. This felt different. The stakes were much higher.
She thought it would be a good idea to come early. That if she was in her seat before anyone else it would somehow make it easier. No one would be watching her walk in. Judging her for how she did so. But she realized it was a mistake. It was being solidified more so as the minutes ticked away, as the faces started to fill the room. She had avoided Mikoto's eyes as the woman sat in the seat directly behind her husband.
Kushina wiped her sweaty palms on her pants. They were itchy. They were nothing like the cotton pants she was used to. Those pants were great, they breathed. These pants were awful. Yoshino had given her the scratchest pants she had in her closet. She could not help but feel so alone as she watched at least a dozen Uchiha fill in the rows behind Fugaku.
At least it provided her with a distraction from how much her - Yoshino's - pants sucked. Her eyes met Minato's as he sat down directly across from them. He briefly smiled at her. It reassured her some. Her lips pulled into a frown as the elders came to sit on either side of Minato. She never liked them. They just gave her a bad vibe.
She looked up in surprise when she felt a hand clasp her shoulder. Her violet eyes clashed with a pair of serious raven ones. "Yoshi," she stammered out.
The Naras came to sit next to her. Yoshino's shoulder was touching hers. It grounded her.
"What are you doing here?" Kushina whispered loudly.
Yoshino shot her a look. "Did you really think we would let you go through this alone?" She patted Kushina's knee. "You're not very bright if you did."
Kushina exhaled in disbelief. A small smile was donned on her lips. "Yoshi," she fought back the emotion. She needed a clear head. "Thank you."
Yoshino looked at her sharply. "This is nothing, Red." She turned her attention to the door. She nodded to whoever had entered.
Kushina followed her gaze. Her heart pulsed. It was the Yamanakas, behind them were the Akimichis. She saw Tama. They all came to sit down behind her. She turned around in her chair. She looked at them with disbelief.
"You're all here for me?" She asked them with wide eyes.
"Of course we are," Tama said with a grin. She pointed to the door. "And we're not all."
Kushina turned back to the door. Her heart was in her throat. She saw Obito and Rin. Rin waved at her. She waved back. Kushina's bottom lip trembled. They came to sit down.
"You've got this." Obito shot her a thumbs up.
"We're rooting for you, Kushina-san." Rin squeezed her arm before going to sit next to Obito.
Kushina shook her head. A large smile blossomed on her face. "Teuchi-san?!" She did not believe her own eyes.
"Free ramen all week for you and the girls when you win this thing." He grinned at her.
She blinked back the tears. "You bet!" She smiled so wide her cheeks hurt.
She turned back to see all their faces. "Thank you, everyone. This means the world. I don't know how to thank you." She said with the utmost sincerity. She even spotted the Uchiha that had helped her that day with Shun, Shisui. She smiled at him in gratitude, he nodded his head in response.
The faces all looked back at her with kindness and reassurance. She felt warmth blossom in her chest. Her spirit was renewed. She turned her head when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She looked up and her breath hitched in her throat.
"Hope there's room for one more?" Joben asked her with his dimpled grin.
She stared at him with her mouth agape. Her brain could not process why he was here. Thankfully Yoshino had her wits about her.
"Of course there is." She gestured for Shikaku to move back one row. The man grumbled but he complied. She took his seat. She patted the empty seat next to Kushina she was previously occupying. "You can sit here, Amo-san."
Joben did not break eye contact with Kushina. "Thank you, Nara-san."
He took the seat. Kushina followed his movements. "What are you doing here?" She asked him in a small voice. She ignored the looks she was getting from both the Uchiha and her support system.
"What everyone else here is doing," he subtly grabbed her hand and squeezed it.
She looked at him, floored. "Thank you." Her eyes communicated what she could not.
He smiled. "Anytime."
She turned her head to watch the panel enter the room. They walked to the table that was off to the left side of the room, closest to where the Uchiha were sitting. She looked at them as they took their seats. First Hiashi, then Shibi, and finally Murakumo. They would be the ones deciding the girls' and her fates. Either they would be in Konoha together or on the run together. She squeezed Joben's hand. The man did not complain even if his fingers were starting to turn purple.
"Where's Sakura?" Kushina whispered not so quietly again.
"She's the first being questioned." Shikaku's voice called out from behind her.
Kushina nodded her head. She turned her attention back to the clock. They were about to start soon. She closed her eyes. She took a deep breath. She opened her eyes. She caught a streak of pink. She watched in confusion as Sakura all but waddled to come to stand in front of her.
"What are you doing here?" Kushina asked again.
Joben stood up. Sakura smiled as she took his offered seat.
"I don't know. I was told to wait here. The first person being questioned changed." She looked confused as to what was happening.
Kushina did not know what to think. She had her eyes trained on Shun. He was standing in the middle of the room. He was the one to file a motion. The burden of proof was on him. It made her uneasy that Sakura looked so uneasy. The pinkette's eyes kept darting from the door to Minato, neither was cooperating.
"Hey, it's going to be okay." Kushina put a hand on her shoulder.
Sakura smiled at her sadly. "I'm the one that should be saying that." Her brow furrowed. "Who dressed you?"
"That would be me." Yoshino half raised her hand. "Is there something wrong with it?" She challenged Sakura.
"You look great, Kushina," Sakura said unconvincingly.
Kushina shot Yoshino a dirty look. The Nara shrugged. "Can you three be serious for once in your lives?" The other Nara not so wisely asked.
The three women turned around almost simultaneously and pinned him with withering looks. Shikaku sighed. His dark eyes were focused on Minato. The last-minute change-up had his name written all over it. He looked calm sitting up there.
"Sakura-chan, will they cancel this thing if you throw up when you get up there?" Kushina asked only half kidding.
Sakura sighed. "I doubt it." She looked at her stomach. Her green eyes tried to catch Minato's gaze. She watched with bated breath as he stood up.
"Thank you all for being here at the hearing to decide the custody of Uzumaki Tukiko. Before we can begin that, the Assistant Police Chief Uchiha Shunsuke, filed a motion to grant custody to the Uchiha Clan on the belief that Uzumaki Kushina knew the true identity of Uzumaki Tukiko based on what she was told by Haruno Sakura." He enunciated calmly and clearly.
Sakura bit her lip. She sat absolutely straight. There was a low murmur. Mostly from behind her. She felt multiple pairs of eyes but she stared into Minato's, they were less hostile. Even if only slightly.
Minato cleared his throat. The murmurs died down instantly. He turned to look at Shun. The Uchiha was standing in front of the panel. He was ready. This was not his first time leading the charge in this way. He had spoken in front of the clans and panels before given the nature of his job.
"Uchiha-san." Minato gestured at him. He sat back down.
Shun nodded. "Thank you, Hokage-sama." He alternated his gaze between the three men. "Today I am going to prove to you that Haruno Sakura knew the true identity of Uchiha Tukiko before the girl set foot in Konoha. She purposely misled everyone on her true lineage with the goal of helping Uzumaki Kushina smuggle her into Konoha so that she could ultimately adopt her and raise her as her own."
Kushina gripped her kneecap firmly. Her fingernails dug into her skin. She registered Sakura's hand over hers. She squeezed that instead.
Shun looked around the room at the varying expressions on their faces. Two faces in particular. They were wearing matching expressions. Both were glaring at him in defiance. The corner of his lips twitched upward slightly.
"My first witness is someone you are all familiar with." He paused. He could see the apprehension in her green eyes. It fueled him. "Suzuki Masaki."
The room broke out in a low rumbling. The Uchiha were as still as porcelain statues. Sakura froze. Fear pricked at her. She had not considered this possibility. She felt Kushina's eyes. She stubbornly looked at Minato. His expression gave her nothing to work with.
The door opened. Sakura breathed slowly as a mop of brown hair came into view. Her heart stopped when she caught his eye. She did not account for him. There was nothing to tie Tukiko to the mission she had with Masaki. She had made sure of it. So then how did Shun know?
She bit the inside of her cheek to keep from screaming. Everything was starting to unravel. She pleaded with him with her eyes when he sat down. She could not read what was contained in his lilac orbs. She felt a panic course through her.
It was a long shot but she considered throwing up right then and there. She was certainly nauseous enough for it. She looked up. She felt the bite from Koharu's heated stare. The woman was staring at her openly with hatred. She met her gaze unwavering. She would not make more of a mess for Minato. She would swallow back any and all vomit if it came to it.
Her jade eyes focused on the side profile of Masaki. She would just have to think on her feet. She set her shoulders and straightened her posture.
'This is nothing. Stay calm.'
The voice in her head coached her. It was not the end of the world just yet. No doubt Minato had arranged for Masaki to go first. To prevent her from talking herself into a corner. Whether that was a good thing or not remained to be seen. She took a breath. She, along with everyone else waited for Shun to ask the first question.
"Suzuki-san," Shun stood between him and the panel. "Can you please state the nature of your mission with Haruno-san to the Land of Honey, Amai Kaori, nine years ago to this day?"
Masaki nodded. He looked between the faces of the panel. Their expressions were stony. He did not expect anything else. The last place any of them wanted to be was here.
"Haruno-san and I were assigned an intel-gathering mission in Kaori. It was to be a week. The objective was simple, to gather any and all information about Kiri, Kumo, and Iwa who were at war with at the time."
Shun nodded. "Did anything notable happen on this mission?" He asked the open-ended question.
Masaki nodded. Sakura held her breath. She braced herself.
"We found intel that linked Sasori of the Red Sand to the attack on Uzumaki-san. He was the man for hire that created the poison."
Sakura's eyes darted to Kushina. The woman did not visibly react. She knew she was trying hard to remain in control. It was one of the hardest days of her life.
Shun nodded. The slight twitch of his lips pointed to the fact that he was not pleased with what he heard.
"In the beginning, you said the mission was to be a week long. How long did it end up taking?"
Sakura grabbed Kushina's arm out of instinct. The redhead looked at her, realization dawned on her face. She pressed her lips in a firm line as she waited for the man to answer the question.
"Eight days," Masaki said with slight tightness.
Shun's eyebrow shot up as if it were new information to him. "Did something happen? Why the extra day?"
Sakura tasted blood inside her mouth. She let go of the pink flesh of her inner cheek. She kept her head high. She was not going to let this Uchiha punk rattle her any more than he had when he dropped the Masaki bomb.
Masaki's eyes found hers. She nodded slightly to him. 'It's okay' her eyes said to him. She had made peace with it.
"Haruno-san was incapacitated," Masaki said. The room erupted into murmurs again. Sakura ignored the eyes. She looked into Mintao's blue oceans. They were still cobalt. It was a good sign.
"Did something happen? Was she attacked?" Shun feigned ignorance.
Masaki clenched and unclenched his jaw. "No, she passed out from performing a jutsu."
She let out a breath slowly.
"I don't understand." Shun looked at Masaki. "Could you please explain?"
So he did. He explained how they had left to gather intel together. She was to watch as he worked best alone if he was not working with Ibiki. He went over how he was working a target for information. He noticed towards the end that Sakura was gone. So he got the sketch of Sasori's ring and went to go find her. He had sensed a spike in chakra so he followed it. He found her boots abandoned on a hill. He took them. He could no longer sense her presence but he followed the imprints of her feet in the lush grass. It led him to a shed. He opened the doors and found her curled up on her side unconscious with three other people in the shed, two women and one newborn. He described that she was barely breathing and burning up. He even went to give details as to the cuts and abrasions on the bottom of her feet.
The air was sucked out of the room. She watched as Minato's eyes progressively got darker and darker the longer Masaki spoke. She had not given him the complete details. She bit her lip. She felt the full weight of both Kushina's and Yoshino's gaze on her. Masaki's voice cracked a couple of times. Especially when he described how he did not even know she was alive until he felt her pulse. She never realized how scary that must have been for him. He never told her. It made sense now why he was so angry. She did not think it was all that bad.
"How long was she out cold for?" Shun asked. He drew everyone's attention back to him.
Sakura set her jaw. Everyone on her side was about to get a whole lot angrier with her.
Masaki's eyes flicked to her almost apologetically. "For four days."
Shun held up four fingers. He mouthed the word 'wow'.
Sakura swallowed. She was not foolish enough to look him in the eye. Instead, she looked at the clock. Masaki had been talking for some time now.
"What jutsu did she perform? That left her in such a state." Shun asked innocently enough.
His voice made her want to rip the hair off of the right side of his head from the roots so it would be in closer length to the left side. His stupid hair was grating on her nerves. She kept her fists firmly at her sides.
Masaki shook his head. "I don't really know." She saw a familiar gleam in his eyes. She found herself relaxing. "You'd have to ask Haruno-san about the medical mumbo-jumbo. I can only speak to what I saw. And I have."
She did not bother to hide her smile. She half expected him to wink at her. It was cheeky Masaki who was always a pain in her ass. Today he was the pain in Shun's ass.
Shun nodded his head pretending to ponder it. "Do you know why I asked you to recount this in front of everyone today?"
Masaki's expression became serious once more. "It was the day Uzumaki Tukiko was born."
She did not need to turn around to know that there were surprised expressions on both sides.
'Thank you.' Their eyes locked. She knew what he did for her. She might just make it out of this thing with the skin of her teeth now.
"Who was in the shed that day?" Shun pressed.
"As I said before," Masaki paused. "Haurno-san, Kohana-san - Tukiko's mother - and Genki-san - Tukiko's grandmother."
"Are you sure?" Shun asked evenly. He was starting to lose his cool slightly. Masaki had that effect on people.
"Yes." He said firmly. "You can check with the mission report if you'd like." He offered helpfully.
Sakura heard Inoichi let out a short laugh. Followed by Miyoko's aggressive shushing. The gallery behind her was starting to get antsy. Minato cleared his throat. They all settled back down.
"Did the mother or grandmother say anything about the girl's father?" Shun asked with a little more force than necessary.
Masaki frowned. "Other than the fact that he died in the war, nothing."
Sakura kept her expression blank. She looked at Minato. His eyes were back to their usual cobalt.
"You are certain?" He asked. His plan had backfired on him. Sakura watched in barely concealed satisfaction as the realization hit him like a ton of bricks. Masaki may hate her but he was still a decent man. He would not bury her.
"It was nine years ago but yes. I am as certain as one can be," he stated almost flippantly.
Shun's eyes hardened. "Anything else you can think of?" He asked slowly.
Masaki nodded his head. "Yes, Kohana-san loved her daughter. She endured a lot for the sake of her daughter. I can only assume the same is true for the younger daughter. The one I never met. Her mother and Tukiko were Kohana-san's whole world. She was profusely grateful to Haruno-san for saving her baby. She would want them together. That much I can stake my reputation on."
Sakura's throat closed up. She looked at him in pure gratitude. He did not have to do that but she was so glad that he did.
"Thank you for your opinion." Shun was quick to point out. He turned to the panel. "Any questions for Suzuki-san?"
Hiashi stood up. It took every ounce of self-control she had not to roll her eyes and make a huffy sound.
"Just to make sure my understanding is correct, Haruno-san abandoned you during the intel retrieval process. Defied a direct order from Sandaime-sama by getting involved with someone else's business and promptly passed out for four days in which she endangered both your wellbeing and the mission?" He asked dryly.
She put her hand on Kushina's knee. Sakura could feel the anger coming off of the woman in waves. Yoshino was sitting ramrod straight in her chair. Sakura that her spine would snap given the tension. She did not need them to be angry on her behalf. Hiashi spoke the truth. She knew it.
"That is one way to look at it." His purple eyes darted to her green ones. "But I choose to see it in a different light. Haruno-san saved two lives that day. The mission objective was achieved and today we get to talk about what a fun time that was had." He smiled at the Hyuga disarmingly.
Hiashi sat back down. "No additional questions."
Sakura could not help but smile. It was a good thing. She had been scared when she saw him. But it worked in her favor.
Shun looked at the Aburame and Kurama. They both shook their heads. The Uchiha looked up at Minato and the elders.
"I'm ready to call my next witness: Haruno Sakura."
Minato nodded. "I think a short break is in order. We will reconvene back in ten minutes."
Sakura let out a sigh of relief. She had limited her liquid intake in preparation but she still had to go. Badly. She stood up.
"I need to use the bathroom." She told Kushina.
The woman shot up to her feet as soon as the words reached her ears. "I'll go with you."
They looked at Yoshino. "Me too."
They stepped into the hall. They chose to ignore Inoichi's comment about women traveling in groups to the bathroom. She let Kushina lead her out of the room. It was not until they were in the stalls that Kushina spoke.
"That was intense." She said over her shoulder as she washed her hands.
Yoshino checked her flyways in the mirror. "I always liked Masaki." She muttered to herself.
Sakura opened the door. She wet her hands before applying soap. "It could have gone so badly."
Kushina glared at her through the mirror, the medic was strategically looking down at her hands.
"You almost died, dattebane!" She squawked indignantly.
Yoshino snorted. "Give her a break. That's kind of her thing. Frankly, her not almost dying on a mission was more out of the blue than her almost dying."
Sakura muttered under her breath darkly as she finished washing her hands.
"What was that, Sakura-chan?" Kushina asked her with a smile. She could not help it. Masaki's testimony felt like a win.
"I said I need new friends." She repeated more loudly this time. She glared at them both.
Yoshino looked so unbothered. "You're stuck with us. No one else will put up with your nonsense."
Kushina nodded. "It's true. You are a lot of work."
"Thanks," she snorted. Her hands froze in her hair when she saw a familiar pair of dark eyes in the mirror. She turned around.
Yoshino continued to pretend to check her hair as Kushina and Sakura stared at Mikoto.
"Good luck out there, Sakura-chan." Mikoto spared her a small smile.
Sakura took a step to the side, closer to Yoshino, to free up the sink. "Thank you, Mikoto."
"I'm sorry for what you went through back then." Her eyes darted to Kushina. "And for what you went through to bring them back."
"Thanks," Kushina muttered. Her guard was still up. She was protecting her heart. Mikoto had stomped on it twice already.
Mikoto dried her hands. "I really want what is best for the girls." She looked at them.
Sakura nodded slowly. "That's all we want." She looked at the statue that Kushina had become. "Right, Kushina-chan?" She asked with a nudge.
"You mean it?" Kushina asked her in a voice raw with emotion. There was hope, apprehension, and fear all woven together.
"I do." Mikoto brought her hand over her heart. Her eyes said the rest. 'I'm rooting for you.'
"Thank you." Kushina brought her own hand over hers.
Yoshino looked at her watch. "It's time to go." Her eyes darted to Sakura. "Are you ready?"
Sakura looked at the faces of her friends. She smiled. "As ready as I'll ever be."
"You should have let me make that cursed doll of Hiashi. It would have come in so handy right about now." Kushina grumbled.
Sakura shook her head. She chuckled despite the seriousness of it all. The mental image of Kushina maintaining aggressive eye contact with Hiashi as she shoved a needle into the Hiashi doll was too comical to overcome.
"I'll be fine. I can handle Hiashi." She said confidently. "Shall we?" She looked at Kushina and Yoshino. Her eyes wandered to Mikoto.
"You ladies go on ahead. I'll see you inside." Mikoto smiled at them.
The trio nodded. They understood. The optics of being seen together were not great.
She fought the urge to tuck her hair behind her ear or to touch her face. She would not put it past Shun to spin that it pointed to her guilt. She was guilty of what he was accusing her of. But she would be damned if she admitted to it. She looked over to her left, the first row was now Kushina, Joben, and Yoshino. She smiled at them.
She looked over that first row, on the other side it was Fugaku with two Uchiha she did not recognize. She was careful not to look at Mikoto. The woman had risked a lot just to talk to them earlier. Her gaze rolled over the panel. They were all unreadable. The only one she had a slight chance with was Murakumo but he was incredibly reserved. He made Minato look like a chatterbox. She looked up and over to her right. The height of the seating made it look like they were looking down their noses at her. She supposed in the case of the Elders it was more or less true. She did not care. She looked into his eyes. She drew strength from his calm.
He had given her her way out. It would have been nice to get a heads up but she understood why he did not warn her. Her reactions had been genuine: the trepidation, the fear, the surprise. It was hard to fake. She could fake a smile and enthusiasm. She could even fake her death - just ask Sasori. Everything else was not in her wheelhouse. It was not nearly as convincing.
She was hiding something they could all tell. He had hand-delivered the perfect thing. She had performed a forbidden jutsu. A huge no-no. She had gotten off way too easily. Most shinobi did not come back from it. They had their chakra sealed for good if they survived instant death somehow. It was a big enough reason to explain why she was less than forthcoming. It was bad but it was better than them finding the other truth.
She felt very exposed up there front and center. She was being readied to be thrown to the wolves. The Hyuga and the Uchiha hated her. She did not need to read minds to know that. She was not worried about them. It was the other two faces sitting across from her she had to focus on. She hoped they interrupted her unease in the right way.
"Haruno-san," she gave Shun her full attention. "Do you deny that the girl's father is an Uchiha?"
"No." She folded her hands neatly on the desk.
"Is it because you know it to be true?" He asked her innocently.
"Assuming your eyewitness is reliable then it is true." She answered.
Shun smiled. "We will hear from them soon enough." He paused to look at the panel. "Can you please fill in the gaps for the Kaori mission?"
She cleared her throat. He was jumping right in. "As Suzuki-san was saying, he was in the middle of questioning a target. It was his fourth or fifth one. There was nothing I could do to help him with the process and he was not in any clear danger so I wandered over to a hillside just outside of the town." She left out the part about her seething jealousy. The record did not need to know that.
"I remembered Hokage-sama, the Third, saying to treat the mission as a paid vacation of sorts. I was pulling double and triple shifts at the hospital at the time trying to figure out as much as I could about the poison used on Uzumaki-san."
She closed her eyes. It had been nine years ago but she was in a similar spot. She chanced a glance at Kushina. She was surprised to find guilt on her face. She turned back to Shun. She could not afford distractions. He would pick apart any hesitation.
"So I kicked off my boots and took a nap." She said sheepishly.
Shun looked less than impressed with her admission. It was embarrassing but it was the truth. She could almost picture the amusement dancing in Minato's eyes. He probably found it funny. So far at least.
"I lost track of time. I woke up with a jolt when I heard a scream. I didn't think. I just reacted. I ran to this shed. When I got inside I saw that Kohana - Tukiko's mother - was suffering a late-term miscarriage. She was going to die. The baby was most likely dead on arrival. Kohana was hysterical. I told her I wanted to help her. She begged me to. She said the baby was all she had left of him." She took a steadying breath. Looking back at the traumatic way Tukiko came into this world to what she was facing today was heart-wrenching.
"I performed an emergency in the field cesarean section. Kohana was stabilized relatively easily. There were no complications. She was unconscious." Her eyes had a thousand-yard stare. "Tukiko was not breathing. Her skin was gray and her lips were blue." She paused to compose her voice. "I tried CPR, nothing. She never drew breath into her lungs. She was never alive by medical standards. So I performed a modified version of a forbidden jutsu. The kind where you give your life in exchange for someone who has passed."
It was pin-drop silence. It was stifling. She stared at Shun. She could not bring herself to look at the faces of her friends. She knew what awaited her. She could feel their disappointment, their shock, their outrage. She had crossed a line. She had broken rank and conduct. For a perfect stranger. For a baby who never even knew what it felt like to breathe. She had practically thrown her life away for nothing. There was no way they were okay with that.
There were no interruptions; she took it as a sign to continue.
"I knew I wouldn't die. I don't know how to explain it but deep down I knew I would be fine. What I miscalculated was how much it would take out of me. It completely drained my network and some of my reserves." She rubbed her Yin Seal absentmindedly. "It also took some of my light chakra." She slipped in the ground-shaking admission casually at the end.
"Your light release?" Shun's eyes narrowed.
She nodded. She knew she just made Tukiko more valuable to the Uchiha. It was a necessary evil. It would set the stage for the rest of her story.
"Just a little. I believe it is an inconsequential amount. Where she could not wield it but enough to sustain her." She explained. She looked at the faces in the crowd. Kushina was lost. That was to be expected. The others had varying degrees of understanding. She sighed. "Any questions?" She looked at Shun expectantly.
"So many." He assured her. "But I think it is best to wait until the end."
She shrugged. He was running the show. "So I passed out and when I came to, Suzuki-san was already there. Kohana is fine, Tukiko is fine. They thanked me. They asked about Mito-sama. It freaked us out so we left. We didn't learn until much later that Kohana was an Uzumaki. Suzuki-san found the photograph with a note that they left for us at the shack. They said they were going to the Land of Tea next. And I never heard from her again."
She had planned to lie there initially. She had a story ready to say that she was in correspondence with Kohana and when she stopped writing that is when she asked Kushina and Wolf to get involved. But that was no longer needed. She could tell the truth. One secret was out.
"You went on a mission to the Land of Tea did you not? With Jiraiya-sama and Namikaze-sama, did you not try to reach out to the girl's mother then?" Shunsuke asked her the question casually.
Sakura bit her lip. "No, we were focused on finding Sasori and his partner. It was not a sightseeing trip," she answered honestly. She hoped that he would let it go. She had nothing to hide as she did not correspond with her but the Akatsuki connection was trouble. She did not want to lead any minds to make the jump from Akatsuki to Madara. Ino-Shika-Cho were all there. She looked at Kushina. She saw Shikaku sitting behind her. His expression was blank.
"Why did you develop the modification to the forbidden jutsu?" Shun pulled her attention back to him.
She looked down at her hands in front of her. More memories buried deep were being yanked to the surface.
"It was wartime. I lost people I loved. A lot of loved ones." She hastily wiped the lone tear that escaped her tear duct. She cleared her throat and took a breath.
"I developed it for a dear friend. I couldn't imagine the world without them. I didn't want to live in a world without them. I knew they would never forgive me, or themselves if I brought them back at the expense of my life. So I worked on the modified version." She admitted truthfully.
"And you just used it on a perfect stranger?" Shun asked her disbelievingly. "What did your dear friend think of that?"
She took a second. She hated the way Shun referred to Naruto. It made her blood boil. "They were not happy with me. At all." She said firmly. "But they understood." Her eyes darted to Minato's face. It was completely unreadable.
Shun's eyes held contempt while his tone remained neutral. "Why was this incident not reported in the official mission report?"
"I did not think it was relevant." She stared at him impassively.
His eyebrows shot up. "Your actions extended the mission duration by one day. You were unconscious for half the mission and you didn't think it was relevant?"
She flexed her jaw. "My actions did not have a bearing on the outcome of the mission. Suzuki-san was able to gather the necessary intel. Intel we desperately needed at the time."
"So because you got lucky that it was not relevant?" He asked her slowly like she was having trouble understanding him. She ignored his patronizing tone.
"I don't see how dissecting every little decision I made is helping to make your point." She smiled at him tightly.
"It speaks to your thought process. Who you are fundamentally as a person." He noted flatly. "It is a pattern with you, Haruno-san. You seem to take the rules as suggestions. You do what you see is fit regardless of how it affects the people around you." He explained calmly, and patiently.
She kept her expression neutral. She was suddenly very aware that her hands were sweaty. "I should have handled it differently."
His eyes shone with satisfaction. "Did you know at that time who the girl's father was?"
"No." She stated simply.
He nodded. He was nonplussed by her answer. "At any point after that day did you learn the identity of her father?"
She resisted the sudden urge to fidget. It would not translate well for her illusion of ignorance. "No, as I said previously, I never heard from Kohana again."
"I do not know of any Uchiha other than the ones in Konoha. Is that true for you as well?" He asked her. The expression on his face irked her greatly.
"I think we already have established that you do not know the whereabouts of every Uchiha. It was Uzumaki-san that found the girls. If there was one out there without your knowledge it is not too much of a stretch to think that there may be more." She said calmly. She did not waver.
Shun's eyes narrowed slightly. She could see the precursors for a sneer on his face. "You did not answer the question." He pointed out firmly.
She leaned forward slightly. "No, I do not know of any Uchiha outside of Konoha."
"Is it true you have an obsession with the Sharingan?" He asked her impassively.
She looked at him taken aback at his accusation. She bit her tongue from asking him 'what'.
"I don't follow."
Shun nodded. "Don't worry, Haruno-san. I'll help you." He reassured her.
Her lips pulled downward. She really disliked the little punk.
"Is it true that you have intimate knowledge of the Sharingan? The issues with the overuse of it and how to treat it?"
Her lips hung loosely. Her eyes darted to Fugaku. He had his arms crossed. His head was slightly bowed downward. He was looking at everything and nothing all at once. He was the picture of calm.
He pressed on. "Is it true that you have first-hand experience with the Mayoikao Sharingan?"
'Shit.' The voice was only repeating that thought in her head over and over again like a broken record. It was not particularly helpful. Madara was top secret. No one outside of Team Minato and the people in the room that day knew about him being alive. Obito and Inoichi despite being notorious for being loud-mouthed and a gossip, respectively, knew to keep their lips sealed about this. Madara and his eyes were not the target of this line of questioning. Shun was targeting Fugaku. That much was clear to her. She did not understand why or what he sought to gain.
"I'm the head medic." She said lamely.
Shun nodded. "Of course. But that does not answer the question as to why?"
"I believe it does," Sakura answered levelly, completely faking it. "I cannot say more without breaching my oath of confidentiality."
"Uchiha Itachi is currently living with you, is that correct?" He asked offhandedly, folding his arms across his chest.
"It is." She furrowed her brow. This time she did look at Mikoto. She saw the panic momentarily cross her eyes. Sakura was right there with her.
"Why is that?" He asked her curiously.
"I don't know the specifics." She answered unconfidently. She looked at the panel. She was losing them.
"You are letting someone live in your home and you don't know why?" Shun asked her.
"All I know is he needed a place to stay." She bit her lip. He was throwing her off her game plan big time.
"How generous of you." His tone did not match his words. "Haruno-san, can you confidently say that there is not a single homeless child in all of Konoha?"
"No, I cannot say that." She admitted with sadness in her voice despite having her reservations about where this was headed. "We try our best with the programs that exist but it's not impossible for children to fall through the cracks. Especially older ones."
Shun grabbed his chin. "I see. So what makes Itachi special? Why take him in and not any other child that needs a place to stay?"
"Is it possible that you offered because it would give you access to study the Sharingan up close and personal?" Shun prompted her, taking full advantage of her hesitation.
She let out a slow breath. She could not tell him that if she wanted a Sharingan so bad she could have just made one. Fugaku had tried to get her to marry into the clan. She could have if the Sharingan was her goal. But again, she could not tell him that. It would damage Fugaku's standing and something told her she would not like his replacement.
"No." She said firmly. "I've known Itachi-kun for almost ten years now. I was just trying to help him. That was my intention."
"I see," he dragged out his words. "So you just wanted to help." He scratched his head. "Your decision to take him in has nothing to do with the fact that he is an Uchiha. Thank you for clearing that up."
She remained outwardly collected as her stomach twisted into knots.
"I think I understand now." He paused. "You just make it your business to learn all you can about the Kekkei Genkai of the clans of Konoha?" He asked her rather flippantly.
She froze. She could not believe what he was doing. Her eyes met Murakumo's. The man was frowning deeply.
"I'm just trying to help in any way I can." She said unconvincingly, unable to find different words to convey her thoughts and feelings.
"Helping, right," he clicked his tongue. "Bear with me Haruno-san as I remind everyone of just how much you've helped over the years."
Her hands clenched into fists.
"The Uchiha Clan, the Kurama Clan, and the Hyuga Clan are all prominent clans that you have inserted yourself in - sorry, 'helped'." He spared her a look of barely concealed contempt.
"You created a seal to prevent the Bird Seal from being activated. You single-handedly changed the power dynamic of the Hyga Clan. That was a big help that was much appreciated, I'm sure."
She felt a bead of sweat move from her brow to her chin. She ignored the sudden heat she felt directed at her. The Hyuga was probably beside himself. Shun was not done.
"You know about the inner workings of the Sharingan. You're working with the Kurama Clan heir. What clan will you help next? The Yamanaka? Wait, you're already helping closely with them too right? The Children's Mental Health Clinic?"
Her stomach churned. The need to throw up was almost overpowering. He was spinning everything making it look like she had ulterior motives to everything. It was convincing. She reached for the water at the end of the table. She brought the glass to her lips. She took a small sip to keep the nausea she was feeling down. She opened her mouth.
"I think we may have lost focus here." She snapped her head in the direction of Minato's voice. She had completely forgotten he was there. "We aren't here to pick apart all of Haruno-san's actions."
"I can assure you, Hokage-sama, that I am getting to my next point." Shun met Minato's gaze unwaveringly.
"Get to it faster." He ordered.
"Of course." Shun turned his attention back to Sakura. She was shaken. He smiled. It made her blood chill in her veins. "The point I was trying to make is that Haruno-san is a curious individual. She is pragmatic. She plans. She is organized. She knew Tukiko was an Uchiha. She knows who the girl's father is. She gave her friend, Uzumaki Kushina that information. Uzumaki-san relied on her network to find the girls and bring them back to Konoha under false pretenses. The two of them worked together to smuggle them in and they hoped that the custody process would go off without a hitch. That no one would be the wiser until after the statute of limitations was reached."
She pressed her palms flat on the desk. She applied pressure. "That is not true." She said before she could stop herself. "I did not and do not know who Tukiko's father is." She looked at the panel.
"Do the following days mean anything to you: The last Monday in February, the second Thursday in March, the last Tuesday in March, the second Monday in April, the last Friday in April?" He listed off the dates from the notes in his hand.
She nodded. "Those were the days that Wolf and Kushina were assigned missions."
Shun looked at her. There was excitement in his eyes. "How do you know that?"
"Because those were the days I asked them to look for Kohana." She looked him dead in the eye.
His brows shot up. He ran his tongue along his bottom lip. "I wasn't aware you had the capacity to assign mission objectives."
She bit the inside of her cheek. "I don't." It was as if he knew the answer to every question before he asked it.
His face pulled into a mask of confusion. "Then why did you? Why all the secrecy?"
"I lied." She began. She could feel their sharp gazes. She focused on Shun. "I lied to the Third, I lied to the Fourth." She swallowed. She ignored the gasps and murmurs. "I'm not sure if it was because of the use of the modified forbidden jutsu or the light chakra but I felt something. I felt that Tukiko was in trouble."
Her eyes darted to Kushina's face. The woman looked pale.
"I didn't think anything would come out of it. I asked Wolf and Kushina to look for Kohana when they went on their sanctioned missions. I made them. I pressured them." She took a steadying breath. "I did not have substantiated evidence. I could not ask Hokage-sama to send resources based on a hunch but I couldn't sit by either. I just wanted to make sure they were okay. I never expected things to turn out the way they did."
"So you have a habit of lying to the Hokage?" Shun asked her with hints of scorn. She half expected him to click his tongue at her in disappointment.
She ignored his question. "I lied because I did not want my actions to come to light. I did not want anyone to find out what I did." She admitted. "It was wrong. I should have been honest from the beginning. I am ashamed I kept it secret for this long." She looked at Shibi and Murakumo. She hoped she conveyed herself accurately.
"I'm sorry for the mess I caused. But I am not sorry for saving Kohana and Tukiko. I am not sorry for Kushina finding them and giving them a better situation. I couldn't care less about their bloodline or abilities. I don't hail from a clan. I don't understand clan politics. I don't get it." She said empathically. "All I saw was people hurting. I'm a medic. Helping, healing, and fixing is my priority. I just wanted to help. I did what I was trained to do that day nine years ago."
She paused as she locked eyes with Hiashi. "My ignorance is not an excuse though. I realize that actions have consequences despite intentions. I'm sorry for how I went about things. I should have handled it differently."
She turned to pin Shun with a withering look. "The only thing I'm guilty of is acting without thinking. I am ready to face the consequences of that. But Kushina - sorry Uzumaki-san - and those two little girls should not have to suffer for my mistakes, for the choices I made. My actions are mine and mine alone."
Her eyes were as hard as emeralds. Her chin jutted out in a line of stubborn conviction.
"Would you be willing to subject yourself to having your story corroborated with your memories?" Shun asked her nonchalantly.
It took everything not to react visibly. She pushed the fear pricking at her deep inside. She held her mask in place.
"Absolutely not." She said firmly.
Shun frowned. "If you have nothing to hide it shouldn't be a problem."
"I have rights. The whole of the I&T department would be unemployed if we just checked everyone's heads at every little thing." She shot back. She did not care if she sounded defensive. She was not the one on trial, not technically anyway.
"Still I would have no issues with it if I were you," he said almost in a challenge.
She narrowed her eyes. "You're not me." The last thing she needed was Inoichi poking around in there. She doubted that the Uchiha would be satisfied with Ionichi being the one to do it. He would probably insist on a Yamanaka she had no relationship with.
He grinned at her. It was primal in nature. Like he was measuring her up like a lion did a gazelle.
"Move along, Uchiha-san." Minato's voice called out. He glanced at the clock. She had been speaking for nearly 45 minutes. The stress and strain could not be good for her.
His eyes flickered to Minato's before settling back on Sakura. Shun regarded her, he almost seemed to be enjoying this. She tried not to squirm with the way that he was looking at her.
"How do we know you are not lying right now? You are certainly quite apt at it."
"I guess I trust that the people in this room, specifically the ones making the decisions, know what kind of person I am at my core." She folded her hands.
A silence blanketed the room. She stubbornly stared at Shun. His eyes gleamed with something she could not place.
"I am prepared to conclude with this witness. I believe I've established that Haruno-san is a lair. She admitted it herself. That she does not respect our laws and order. She is manipulative. She is scheming. She planned this from the jump."
Sakura did not react. He was right to an extent. She would not give him the satisfaction of seeing just how scared she was. The motion had another purpose. Even if it failed it did bring to light some of her not-so-great choices. Shun was right. He was able to establish a pattern of behavior.
Shun took a step back so that he could see the panel. "Any questions for Haruno-san?"
Murakumo stood up. She looked at him warily. She could only imagine what was racing through his mind when Shun connected all the dots incorrectly.
"Haruno-san, I have one question for you," she nodded at him. "What is Yakumo's favorite food?"
She furrowed her brow. She looked at him surprised. "Strawberries," she said without having to think. "She loves picking them with you, Kurama-san. It's her favorite part about summer." She finished softly.
Murakumo nodded. "Thank you, Haruno-san." He sat back down. She felt relieved. At least she did not lose his trust. She could see it in his honey-colored eyes.
She waited with bated breath for the Hyuga to stand up. She felt dread grow in her as he rose. She swallowed in an attempt to parch her dry throat.
"Haruno-san," he began coolly. "Are you prepared to face consequences for your actions? Both for lying to the current and previous Hokage and for your interference in the Hyuga Clan?" His eyes were so cold.
She nodded. "Yes." She was ready.
"Whatever they may be?" Hiashi asked her.
"Within reason. I will not reverse the seal." She stated firmly. She could just picture Minato closing his eyes in frustration. She had blown yet another opportunity to smooth things over.
"So your words were not genuine? When you expressed remorse?" He asked her with disdain.
"They were. They are. I said I was sorry about how I went about things. I am not sorry for doing what I did. No human should have control over another like that." She held his gaze. "I just wished we could have reached some sort of agreement back then."
His lip curled. There was no chance of reconciliation between them now. Not when she doubled down.
"Pity." He said.
Sakura found herself agreeing. He sat back down. She looked at Shibi. The man shook his head. Relief was beginning to fill her. It was not that bad. She did not throw up. She did not cry. She did not even do that badly. She looked at Shun. He was going to be the one to dismiss her.
Shun nodded at her. She was about halfway up when she sat back down at the sound of a voice. She resisted the urge to sigh deeply. It would only give her satisfaction.
"I have some questions," Koharu called out. Sakura looked at her. She did not hold any bearing on the outcome unless it was a tie. Sakura knew that she never had Hiashi's vote. If Shibi - the only one she believed was still a wildcard - abstained from voting which was his right, the Elders would make the call. She could not afford to piss off Koharu and Homura any more than she already had. Their decision had to be unanimous.
Sakura squared her shoulders. She refused to show the Elders, especially Koharu, any signs of weakness.
"Yes, Utatane-sama?" She said pleasantly.
"Is there anything else you lied about pertaining to Uzumaki Tukiko?" The woman's dark eyes seemed to want to set her on fire.
"Nothing comes to mind." She stated respectfully.
"Are there any others who you revived in a similar fashion as the girl?" Koharu asked her.
Sakura shook her head. "Just Tukiko." It was not as if she was handing out free get-out-of-death cards, the jutsu was not candy.
"What made her so special? If we are to believe that you did not know she was from an Uzumaki mother and an Uchiha father - both clans that mind you have a deeply intertwined history with Konoha." Predatory. That was what her tone gave Sakura the impression of.
She thought back to Kohana. She looked over at Kushina. The woman was smiling encouragingly at her.
"She reminded me of my mom," Sakura admitted. "She was scared. She was dying and all she could think about was saving her child." She blinked back the tears and swallowed the lump in her throat. "That was all." She repeated, her voice sounding distant. She instinctively grabbed the metal cherry blossom that hung around her neck.
Koharu's eyes narrowed. "What is stopping you from using that jutsu again? For the next person that reminds you of your mother or your father?"
She looked down at her hands as she pondered the question. She had been so young then, only twenty-one, when she performed the jutsu. She might be the same person now as she was then but her circumstances certainly were not.
She was lonely then. She was alone then. She had given up on the world then. Kushina hated her. Minato was not in her life. Naruto's fate was up in the air. She was at her lowest then.
"Haruno," Koharu's voice called out in impatience. "What is stopping you from repeating your actions?"
"My kids." She answered truthfully. The one still growing inside of her kicked her painfully as an unforgettable reminder.
"This connection you speak of. Did you feel it before?" Koharu asked curtly.
Sakura shook her head. "It was only that one time."
"Why is that?" Koharu pressed. She did not believe her.
"I don't know. The light chakra didn't really come with an instruction manual." She thought back to Akemi. "There's no one I could ask for answers." She felt a pang of sadness. She missed her. She did not know what happened; why she had left her so suddenly. She told herself it had to do with her pregnancy. She was holding out hope she could feel her presence again once the baby was born. It had not been that way for Naruto. But she had no other explanation.
"The girl awoke her Sharingan for the first time in Kohana?"
Sakura rubbed her forehead. "I can't say definitively. Since I've never seen it active." It was the truth.
"You do realize what the penalty is for lying here today, don't you?" The lines on her face became more pronounced as her grimace deepened.
Sakura looked down at her stomach before she raised her eyes to meet Koharu's. "I do."
The woman looked at Homura. The man stood up. Koharu sat down. Sakura rolled her head slightly. She crossed her ankles. Her discomfort was growing with each passing second.
"Are you alright, Haruno-san?" He asked her almost kindly.
She blinked. She was not expecting that. "I'm fine." She smiled tightly. She did not know if he was trying to lull her into a false sense of security. She opted to remain on the cautious side. Kakashi would be so proud of her.
He nodded. "Was the Third made aware that you performed a forbidden jutsu at any point?"
Her face fell. "No." She lowered her eyes.
"Was the Fourth made aware at any point of the same?" He asked her in his level voice. His stern expression reminded her of a disappointed father.
"Yes," she looked at Homura. "When Uzumaki-san brought the girls back to the village. I had to explain to Hokage-sama how I was connected to the girls. I always intended to tell him if the feeling turned into something real. The situation just escalated so quickly." She was making excuses. She waited too long to tell him. She waited nine years too long. She looked at him. She hoped her expression conveyed just how sorry she was. He was looking past her.
"At any point in that conversation did you tell him that Tukiko was an Uchiha?" Homura asked her carefully. He studied her face closely.
She nearly flinched. "No," it was technically not a lie. She told him who the father was. She never explicitly said she knew that she was an Uchiha. In fact, they had argued about the legitimacy of the clan's claim.
"Answer me this, Haruno-san," he looked at her. "You went through all this effort to hide your sin from nine years ago so much so that you lied to both Hokage, you lied to Wolf and Uzumaki, why not lie about the girls' identity?"
She pondered his question. She supposed it was true that she did not have to tell anyone about Kohana or the forbidden jutsu at all. If she really wanted to she could have pretended to be a tip and passed a rumor along. But she did not. She did none of that. Despite all her efforts she had to tell them the truth or enough of it so that the girls could be safe.
"Truth be told Mitokado-sama, I never considered it." She said hollowly.
He furrowed his brow. "The thought did not cross your mind?"
She shook her head. "I was just so focused on making sure they were okay to think about anything else. And I realize what that makes me sound like. Their well-being was at the forefront. Even over keeping my secret hidden." She took a deep breath. "I don't think I could do that even if I thought of it."
He frowned. "Why not?"
"Her name, it is all she has left of their mother. She never even met her father. I could not take that away from her." She smiled at him sadly. She thought back to the Naruto from her childhood. His mother's name was what he had. He did not change it when he realized his true identity, who his father was. He was an Uzumaki. That's all he had ever been and ever known.
Homura regarded her. "Why did you maintain the lie? Why not tell the Third sometime after it happened?"
She absentmindedly brought a hand to her belly. "I felt responsible for them. I guess I was just being overprotective?" The Uzumaki were sought after. "I did not want to paint a potential target on their backs especially if word got out about Tukiko potentially having light chakra." Half-truths. She lived in a world of half-truths.
Homura sat back down. He leaned back. He touched his fingertips together. "I'm satisfied." He stated.
Koharu stood up. Sakura bit back a groan. The woman's attention was directed at Minato. Sakura felt her insides freeze. It could only mean one thing. She held her breath.
"I have one follow-up question for the Hokage," Koharu said through tight lips.
Minato looked up at her. His expression was steely. He knew what was coming. He looked at a pair of dark eyes. They were staring back at him intently.
"Is what she said about disclosing the use of the forbidden jutsu to you true? That she did it very recently?" Koharu asked him slowly.
"It is," Minato said.
"And did she tell you that the girl was an Uchiha?" Koharu asked in a flat tone.
Sakura looked at Minato. He was staring off into the audience. She did not turn her head to follow his gaze. He was the center of her attention.
His jaw clenched slightly. Her heart was beating fast in her chest. She hoped. Minato did not have to lie. Not the way Koharu had worded the question. But she knew Minato was a man of honor. He valued his word. He valued his office. Even if it was not technically a lie, he would see it as such.
She was prepared for whatever was going to come out of his mouth. She had just said as much to a room full of people. Her ears started to ring. She focused on his lips. They parted.
"No." He said.
She let out the breath she was holding.
Sakura looked at Shun slowly. "You may go."
Sakura nodded. She stood up. Her foot had fallen asleep. She dealt with the pins and needles. She felt everyone's eyes as she waited for the feeling of her foot to come back. She blinked in surprise when she clocked Jiraiya sitting in the back row by himself. She did not notice him come in. He was avoiding her gaze. He was disappointed in her too, no doubt. She would be.
She walked back to sit next to Rin. The brunette smiled at her. There was something complex in her eye. Sakura took a deep breath. It was out of her hands now.
Minato stood up. She sat up straighter in her chair.
"We will now take a thirty-minute recess before the next witness. Stay close."
She remained sitting as people shuffled around her. The world moved in a blur. She was hyper-aware of her own breath. She closed her eyes. She could only hope that she did enough.
She tugged at the ends of her hair. She could just make out what Mako and the dog lady - Tsume - were saying. They were standing close together. Their lips barely moved as they talked to each other in low voices.
She subtly moved close to them. Karin was making too much noise with the three pups that the woman had brought with her in addition to her giant shadow.
"They can't tear them apart, I don't think I'd be able to stand it." Mako's voice said. There was a lot of concern in her words.
"They'll be fine. Kushina and Sakura won't let that happen." Tsume said gruffly. She wanted to desperately be there but she did not think she could sit back and withstand the uncertainty quietly. So she offered to watch the girls. It was as much of a distraction for them as it was for her.
She was caught in between. Her mind was focused on the hearing even if physically she was with the girls. She let out a frustrated sigh.
"It will all work out." She said with conviction that she did not quite fully believe.
Mako nervously smoothed the hair on the top of her head. She tightened her ponytail just to give her hands something to do.
"I can't believe they didn't agree to take in Karin-chan too."
Tsume grunted in agitation. "That's clans for you. They won't let in outsiders unless it is through marriage and the person renounces all ties."
Mako's eyes became hopeful. "But Karin-chan is young. She did not know about the Uzumaki customs. Maybe they'll change their minds. Maybe they will keep them both." She did not want to see them go. She would miss them dearly but keeping them together was the most important thing. What they wore on the back of their clothes did not matter.
Tsume made a non-committal sound. She looked at Tukiko from the corner of her eye. "Yeah, maybe."
Tukiko froze. Karin liked it here. She was happy. Kushina was warm. That was what Karin said. She was not like the noodle lady. She was kind and considerate. Karin liked it here. She did not want to leave. Karin had told her as much.
She promised her mother she would stay with Karin and protect Karin. But what if Kushina could do it better? She did not understand the full details of the hearing that was happening today. The nice lady, Mai, brought it up yesterday. Mai had said they were going to decide where Tukiko lived. She only said her name, not Karin's.
She was the problem. Mai had explained that other people wanted her to live with them because her father was from their clan. Just like how Kushina was from their mother's clan. She did not understand why Karin could not come. Maybe it was because Karin's dad was not her dad.
With Kushina, Karin did not have to worry about food. She was always fed. She was always dry. She had clean clothes. She had a soft bed. With Kushina it was close to how things were with their mom. Karin smiled. Karin had friends. She was not scared. Karin could have a life with Kushina. She had a place with her. They even looked similar. They acted alike too.
She was different. She was quiet. She was scared. She did not smile as much. She did not laugh as loudly. She looked different too. She had dark hair and dark eyes. Except when she got mad or scared. She had seen her reflection in the window, her eyes were red.
She could not give Karin the things that Kushina could. She had almost nine years with her mother. Karin only had five. Karin needed Kushina. Karin needed Kushina more than she needed her.
She looked at the door. If she was not here Karin could stay. Karin was not from the other clan, the clan that wanted her. Karin could be happy if she was gone. She would not have to leave Kushina. She had seen the bags that Kushina had under her bed. When she saw her packing them it reminded her of her mother. When she stuffed their backpacks.
She remembered what her mother had said. She had told her to run. Karin did not need to run. Karin would stay. She would go. She looked over at the women. They were still talking. Tsume's back was to her. She looked at the big dog. He was sleeping. She looked at Karin. The girl was giggling and playing with the puppies. She took her in. She smiled softly. A tear made its way down her chin. That was how she wanted to remember her sister, smiling.
She shuddered as she thought back to the last time she saw her mother's face. The blood, the expression. No, she would remember Karin with a giant smile on her face. She spared her one last look. She knew what she had to do.
Run.
She shot upright. She ran to the door. She fumbled with the lock. She opened it and stepped into the hot air. She ignored Karin calling after her. She would understand one day. Tears streamed down her face as she propelled herself forward. She shoved past people not caring as they shouted in surprise. The gravel cut into her feet. She ignored it, she kept going.
"Tukiko-chan!" Mako called frantically as she pulled on her shoes. She was halfway out the door when she felt a hand on her elbow. She looked at Tsume with wide brown eyes.
"Let her be," Tsume said firmly. Her eyes had hardened with something unreadable.
"But Tsume-san!" Mako protested. The rest of the words died in her throat at Tsume's expression.
The woman looked at her ninken who was standing at her hip. "Stay close." She ordered him. Kuromaru nodded his big black and white head in understanding.
Mako watched as the giant dog broke into longer strides. His nose was on the ground the whole time as he moved. She looked at Tsume with concern.
"She'll be fine. Kuromaru won't let anything happen to her." Tsume said. Her eyes never left the horizon. "She won't go far."
Mako felt a hand grab hers. She looked at the scared face of Karin. "Why did Kiko-oneechan run away?"
Mako swallowed. She wrapped her arms around Karin. "She's just working through her feelings. She'll be back soon." She said with more confidence than she felt.
Tsume's lips dipped downward for a second. She clapped her hands together and rubbed them. Karin and Mako both looked at her in surprise.
"Mini-Red, what do you say we teach the pups over there to sit?"
Karin looked at Tsume unsure. Tsume moved her eyebrows. "Okay," Karin relented. "Can we teach them to play dead too?" She asked with excitement.
Tsume grinned. "Ambitious. Of course, we can." She led Karin by the shoulder back into the living room. "Just don't eat anymore of their treats okay? Kushina is going to have my head if she finds out."
Karin's face fell. "But they're so good!"
Tsume nodded. "I know that's what I say." She looked over her shoulder. She offered Mako a reassuring grin. "You want to try one?"
Mako shook her head. "No, thank you." She closed the door. She could not help but worry about Tukiko as she watched Tsume demonstrate how to get the three small white bundles of fur to sit still long enough for a treat.
She was thankful Tsume was there. She did not think she could keep it together on her own. She stood by the window looking out.
He threw more feed for the birds with his right hand and the coin danced on the knuckles of his left. The unpleasant moved closer around him to pick at the sunflower seeds. Their clicking and sounds were hardly new to his ears. The sounds they produced had long become white noise for him. He stared off into the horizon. It was midday. The deliberations would probably be concluded before the end of the day.
He knew how much shinobi hated sitting in meetings. They hated it as much as being stuck indoors all day. It was his theory that they purposely made these deliberations indoors. That way it was almost guaranteed they would make a decision by the end of the day.
In his thirteen years, he had only heard about a handful of hearings. Maybe even less than three. Most clans preferred to settle outside of the system when there was a dispute among them. They all liked to keep their business to themselves. The less the other clans knew about the better. But he supposed there was no compromise in this case. Both the clan and the Uzumaki were stubborn neither party was going to give in. The only option was to invoke the other clans.
He knew his father was only going through the motions to appease the loudest voices within the clan. He would have looked weak if he did not at least try. If it were only up to him, Itachi was convinced that he would have let the Hokage decide himself. He would have lived with the rumblings of the voices that would have pointed out that once again the Hokage showed favoritism by granting the Uzumaki custody. He had no doubt in his mind that is what he would have done. It was the less cruel option. Separating them would be a mistake.
It would be hard to stomach. That is why he was sure that Shun would go to great lengths to use every tactic at his disposal. All his clan could claim was blood and their bloodline. It would not be enough. The girls had a connection with Kushina. Kushina could also argue the blood angle. Sure there was no known Kekkei Genkai the eldest had from the Uzumaki Clan that she could use to argue why she needed to be given custody. It would have made her case open and shut if Tukiko had something like that.
He still was no closer to understanding what Shun meant when said she was the archetype. She hailed from two strong clans. She had the visual prowess of his clan and the chakra reserves and longevity of the Uzumaki. There was no one in the world like her, much less Konoha. She was unique. She was the first. His eyes narrowed. He saw a flash of raven moving through the streets. He stood up. The unpleasant complained loudly. He paid them no mind. He slipped the coin into his pocket.
He saw a streak of black and white following after the girl some distance away. He ran along the rooftops. The ninken turned his head. It had spotted him. Itachi moved faster. He worked at closing the gap between him and the girl. The village blurred into indistinguishable colors and shapes as he moved.
His ponytail flew behind him. He came to a stop silently. He found her lying on her back. She was staring up at nothing. She was surrounded by tall grass and white and yellow wildflowers. She was hidden pretty well. He would have missed her if had not been right there. They were right at the base of where Hokage Monument started. The emotionless face of the second was staring at them with scorn. He supposed it was fitting. They were a couple of Uchiha.
He was about ten feet from her. She had not sensed him. He doubted she even knew how to. She was old enough to be in the academy but her circumstances did not allow for that. He watched her. She was crying. He did not need to see her face to see that. He could hear her soft sniffles.
He turned his head. The ninken, Kuromaru, had joined them. He stood even further back than Itachi. The Uchiha felt his eye on him. His warning was clear. One wrong move and he would have a piece of him missing courtesy of the beast's teeth.
Itachi cleared his throat. Tukiko sat up. She looked at him with fear in her eyes. He held up his hands. He sat down where he stood. He looked up at the sky just as she had been. He could feel her eyes on him. He thought for a second that she would bolt again. It was a painstakingly long second.
She just stared not knowing what to do. It took a solid five minutes of him not moving or saying anything for her to lie back down. He turned his head slowly. He could just make out her bent knees over the tall grass. He bent his own just so she could see where he was too. He slowly reached into his pocket. He looked at the piece of chocolate, the one Naruto had smuggled him this morning just like he did every morning. He thought he was being so sneaky. It never once occurred to the blond how his 'secret' stash in the bottom cupboard seemed to never run out.
"Here," he said as he tossed the chocolate at her. There was a fifty-fifty chance she would freak out at the sudden projectile. Her hands reached up and caught it. He noted that her reflexes seemed alright at least. "It's chocolate." He explained. The sound of a wrapper being unwrapped filled the air.
It was strange. He was not used to being the one initiating and engaging in conversation. He usually left that to the extroverts. He was surrounded by them. But he supposed that he was closer to an extrovert than Tukiko. He closed his eyes. He let the hot breeze pass through him. The grass was cool thanks to the shade of the trees. It was nice even if it was itchy. He was thankful he was not wearing white.
He tried to think back to what his mother did when he got upset as a child. It did not happen often but he remembered her speaking calmly, reassuring him. She would always try to empathize with him. Let him know that she understood why he was upset. He channeled his best impersonation of her.
"I know things must be really scary right now. But you don't have to worry." He said. He turned his head. Tukiko was sitting up. She was hugging her legs to her. She was watching through big, wide eyes. "Uzumaki-san, Kushina, is a good person. She won't let them keep you apart from your sister."
The girl blinked. He could see fresh tears swimming in her eyes. He furrowed his brow. He did not have much experience trying to comfort little girls. Sasuke and Naruto, he could do it in his sleep. But this was a different beast.
"Things will work out." He said. "Everything will be fine." He had been telling himself that on some level every day. "You'll be okay."
Tukiko stared at him. He was not like the other man, the one that looked like him. He was calmer. He did not make her feel scared. It was the opposite; she was feeling less scared. She watched as Kuromaru came to lie down next to her. She patted his giant head. She dried her tears with her other hand.
"We can stay here until you're ready to go back home." He said into the sky. He rested the back of his head in his arms.
She laid back on her back. She rested her arms across her belly. She stared at the blue sky through the branches of the tree. Maybe she would be okay. Maybe one day soon the voice in her head would let her stay in one place long enough to enjoy it. She felt Kuromaru's head on her legs. She sighed.