"You did that on purpose!" Sasuke shouted.
"Oops, didn't see you there," Naruto said as he walked to the other side of the roof.
"I'm gonna kill you…"
Sasuke was on the ground inside the house, passing materials up, while Naruto and Sakura helped repair the roof. It was a dumb mission. Several houses on this street had their roofs caved in due to a rainstorm last night. For this one, a big hole gaped in the center, but the sides were mostly intact. The last couple of missions they'd been handed proved to Naruto that they were being treated essentially as hired muscle.
Unsurprisingly, Kakashi lounged on a hammock attached to the house, absorbed in his book.
Abruptly, Naruto lost his footing at the edge of the hole and pulled back frantically to keep himself from falling in. The movement caused a heap of dust and debris to fall… directly onto Sasuke's head.
Naruto's jaw dropped.
"That one wasn't on purpose," he said, then shot off the roof and bolted for his life.
"AHHH! I AM GONNA END YOU!"
"Wait!" Sakura hollered. "You're forgetting the mission… "
Naruto was out on the streets now, flinging himself over buildings but even then he couldn't miss Kakashi rolling his head back and sighing from the corner of his eye. He glanced back to see a shikigami with a chalk-white face and bloodshot eyes chasing after him. No wait, that was just the dust on the idiot.
"WHERE ARE YOU GOING?" a croaking voice came from behind. "COME BACK HERE! I'LL MURDER YOU!"
Could you not make it worse, he thought. It was scary enough without the sound effects, too.
… In the end, they caused more damage to the surrounding area from their fight than the rainstorm or any natural event had done in years. Naruto and Sasuke also had lumps on their foreheads in the days following bestowed upon them by their sensei.
.
Sakura knew this would be nigh impossible, and she was prepared for it to fail, but she had to try. This was a fundamental part of her plan. She knew she couldn't rely on herself for everything. She needed to broaden her horizons, which meant seeking every opportunity at bettering herself and ugh…
She didn't think she would find him in such an uncompromising position. To be fair, she hadn't found him hanging upside-down off a low tree branch with his shins anchoring him in place. He'd done that when she'd announced her presence.
"What are you doing here?" Sasuke scowled at her which didn't look particularly threatening considering his hair was sticking up the wrong way. "Being a creep?"
Sakura willed herself to smile, ignoring the lingering irritation from his lack of decorum - especially seeing that his shirt wasn't exactly tucked in. (You know, from this angle he kinda-SHUT UP). Sakura suppressed a shudder of horror as she realized the comment hadn't belonged to Inner Sakura. She'd been silent since the genin test.
Ew. No. That didn't happen.
She pointed behind her, "Do you see those rows of houses there? Mine is the third one down. This is the nearest woods to my house. I pass by here all the time."
"Yeah, yeah, get to the point. Why are you here wasting my time?"
She sighed, realizing how far-fetched this plan was. "I was wondering if you could train with me while we're off-duty."
"And why would I… "
"Look, hear me out. We're a team, right? If one member of the team lags behind it damages the whole team's ability to function. Think about all the formations that require members to separate. On missions, we don't always get to choose which member ends up solo. If that member can't perform the duties on their own, if they can't fend off the enemy until the rest arrive, then the mission is compromised. Helping me is to your benefit."
"What, you think I'm free all day, sitting around waiting to train you?"
"No!" Sakura piped up. "You're always training. Day and night. You're leagues above Naruto-kun. If anyone's fit to teach, it's you. Besides, Naruto-kun is so… well, he gives off this bad aura."
Sasuke landed beside her.
No. Way. That actually worked?
"What aura? What are you talking about? I thought you two settled it."
She opened her mouth and then closed it. So that was why.
This is his way of asking what happened between us, Sakura thought. He's trying to go about it in a roundabout way.
"Uh, you're right. I mean no. It doesn't change the fact that he's impossible to talk to. He'd never listen to me. Y-You're way better in that regard. And stronger."
"I know I am," he said, not looking directly at her. The scowl had fallen to give way to a half-hearted annoyance. It said something like: I prefer you weren't here but I also won't openly tell you to 'beat it.'
I can't believe this is happening, she celebrated inwardly. Sakura had never before thought of herself as manipulative. In fact, she'd go as far as saying that she avoided being dishonest, but she also hadn't expected him to agree so fast. She had expected to nag him until he either relented or she gave up. That would give her some chance at claiming innocence.
The thing was, Naruto had mentioned he'd be out of town visiting his relatives. She couldn't bother him if she wanted to.
"What do you even want to learn?"
"Well… a lot of things. I don't have a ninja family to rely on, so you probably have tons of practical knowledge that I missed out on. But the thing I want to start with is sparring, so I can improve my taijutsu."
"We spar all the time though."
"Not really. You and Naruto spar all the time. I rarely get the amount of time you do."
He shrugged. "That's 'cause you get beaten so fast. Since you're weaker."
She gave him a face that said: Do you see the problem?
"Fine. We'll spar. But if I get bored or feel like my time is being wasted then I'm out. This thing is on my terms, Sakura, so don't get any ideas. What I say goes."
"I won't," she said grabbing his arm as a wave of hopefulness overtook her heart at this unbelievably good turn of events. "You're the best, Sasuke-kun."
He stiffly turned his head to hit her, his expression as if he were looking at a fly that had landed on his soup bowl, "Get off."
"Ah… s-sorry."
.
Minato was let into the Interrogation building by Ibiki, who asked him to give his team a few minutes to prepare. He narrowed his eyes, spotting several tokubetsu jonin huddled in what looked like a squabble at the other end of the lobby.
"Are you lost or something?" one of them snapped.
"You recognize him, right? He's from the Police Force." Another said and then turned to the man in question. "You realize this ain't your turf? You should throw on the uniform and head back to badgering drunks on the streets."
"He said he's been summoned to the second floor. He's lying. Who authorized it-"
"That'd be me," Minato said, popping in.
All but the injured party in this gathering jumped, straightening immediately to address him. One of them stammered, "H-Hokage-sama, we didn't realize this was someone you knew..."
"He's my pupil, actually. I have a meeting that I'm attending with him here. Isn't that right, Shisui?"
Shisui had seemed unperturbed by the harassment, but he let out an unimpressed sigh at the sight of Minato.
He pulled him forward by his arm, "I'll be taking him now, thank you."
"Of course, of course," another answered. "We apologize for the mix-up."
"When did it get like this between the Interrogation Unit and the Police Force?" Minato asked quietly as they moved towards the stairwell.
"It's getting worse," Shisui said in the same hushed voice. "The issue stems from the overlap in jurisdictions. There's distrust in the evidence the Police Force collects, especially when small arguments break out. The Unit suspects it's being tampered with intentionally to make Interrogation look bad. Whenever a case is inconclusive, they blame the Police Force. On the other hand, the Police Force is bitter that most complex cases are handed off to Interrogation, even after all the work it did in collecting evidence."
"You feel as though they're stealing your cases?" Minato said. They were climbing the stairs now. What room had Ibiki mentioned they'd be in?
"Personally, I don't care, but I think that's the sentiment in most of the Police Force. This isn't a fruitful conversation to be having right now though."
Minato nodded. It wasn't a fruitful conversation to be having ever. The Police Force wasn't something he was willing to touch. Not unless he aimed to tear the village in half.
Thankfully, when they reached the floor, Ibiki already had the door open for them. "He's just past the next door in the roo-You brought a guest?!"
Minato walked past him. "He's the one responsible for gathering all the data on our criminal. Also, he's my student."
"You love saying that, don't you?" Shisui nudged as he walked in tandem.
He placed a hand on his shoulder, leaning in with a sheepish smile, "I can't help myself... I'm a proud man."
"You haven't changed. You're buttering me up in preparation for this, aren't you?"
"A mouthful of sugar makes the medicine go down."
"Medicine? Really?"
They paused before the door. Shisui's shoulders sagged. Minato didn't know what was going through his head that made him choose to attend. It wasn't an order from Minato. He'd only cautiously suggested it when the request had first come, and at the time, Shisui had been justifiably opposed. But years later, when the chance to meet face-to-face finally arrived, he randomly appeared at the scene.
Minato patted his back and then moved to the front, turning the knob and entering first. Shisui following. His student didn't get closer, instead situated himself by the door, arms crossed.
"Hello," Minato said as he took a seat at the table opposite the bound criminal. His arms and feet were weighted by enormous iron shackles emblazoned with Uzumaki seals Kushina herself had placed, as knowledge of them was forbidden outside the clan. Even Danzo's neck was bent, his face in line with the table, from a circular tab on its back. That was his idea. A live bomb of sorts capable of cleanly severing his jugular with a single hand sign from Minato.
"We are not here to exchange pleasantries, Hokage-sama," Danzo said in his grating tone. "I requested my point be heard with sound judgment. Do you agree to uphold your word and give me a chance to present my reasons?"
"I intend to listen, but I hope you will allow a few words before we begin." He shifted in his seat and ushered Shisui forward.
He didn't move. Shisui's chin was grazing his chest as he leaned against the wall. After a few moments, he began speaking, "Two in the assassination of a Taki Jinchuriki. Forty-four in a fire in the border town of Ikyo. Eighty-nine in the collective punishment enacted on the Taki militia for failing to protect the Jinchuriki. One hundred and twelve in a massacre in Ame. One hundred and nineteen in the removal of a Kusa daimyo and his farm colony. One hundred and sixty-two Suna refugees on their way to Konoha. Two thousand Konoha nin in retaliation from Suna. Eight thousand Suna nin and civilians combined in their vow for revenge. Seventy thousand in the Land of Rice Paddies from starvation."
Shisui cut off. Minato could hear him slow his breathing in an attempt to regain his composure. "Anywhere between fifty and two hundred thousand in the forcible displacement of the residents of twelve towns in the Land of Fire... Unaffirmed numbers for the similar occurrences in the Land of Water, Lightning and Ame."
After some time, Danzo said, "Aren't you shrewd, Hokage-sama, listing out the lives with no regard for context, branding me a monster before commencing this meeting? Have you not rendered it useless?"
"Not at all. In fact, the only reason I have had my pupil list these atrocities is because I desire to keep our meeting on track. I meet you here so I can understand why you believe these lives had to be lost. I'm presenting the question to be answered by this meeting. What is behind a man who will create a clandestine organization known as 'Root' which stands in stark opposition to the authority of Konoha? An organization that seems to be undermining the defences of Konoha, working with rogue nin and enemy villages to create conflict in their land or invite it into ours. What is your reasoning for this bloodshed?"
Danzo raised his head slightly, so he could look towards Minato. "Let me give you a scenario. You are an archer stationed at the wall on top of your village gates, tasked with the responsibility of monitoring those who enter and exit. For some time, there has been news of plague spreading like wildlife, claiming the lives of people from surrounding towns. One day, you see a man frantically running towards the gates. The man is dressed in civilian attire and looks to be from your nation. Your shouts for him to halt are ignored. It's possible he can't hear you or he is too distressed to care." Danzo paused. He raised his head and met Minato's eyes. "Do you shoot him?"
Minato said nothing.
"And if you do," Danzo said, now eyeing the space behind him, "are you the monster who murdered an innocent man seeking refuge or are you the hero who saved the lives of thousands?"
A click from behind and the sound of the door opening and closing announced his student's curt departure.
Minato kept his lips from tightening. He had almost forgotten he was there.
Danzo accepted his silence as an invitation to continue. "I am the archer that shoots without hesitation. That values the sanctity and lives of his village above all else. A firm believer in the Will of Fire. And every life I've taken has potentially saved countless from the plague."
The Will of Fire, huh, Minato thought. "What is the plague?"
"The plague of knowledge they should not possess. The plague of power they are not equipped to deal with. The plague of an unyielding will to uproot the system. The plague of disloyalty. Diseases that will catch and spread easily, that have the potential to destroy the Leaf from the inside out.
"I do not take joy in this. Their lives were sacrificed with a heavy heart. While knowing that some will be killed in vain, some are not aware of the danger of what they possess, some did not ask to be placed in this position and some were my own people. Good people, unaware of the insidious qualities of their minds.
"This is a responsibility I never wished to bear. Who else but the one whose shadow protects the village, the one whose hands hold the lives of every villager, who else but the Hokage should bear it? The Third could not see it through which is why I was forced to be active in his reign."
"I see," Minato said. Danzo's perpetual frown deepened but he didn't protest. After all, he wasn't obliged to answer. "May I ask what you know of the Will of Fire? How do you understand it?" How can you uphold it while you commit atrocities?
"The Will of Fire is the tenet that rules our existence. It is the fibre of the Leaf. It is the desire to protect what is precious above everything else, even one's life. My every action is for the protection and preservation of the Leaf village. I am beholden to the Will of Fire. So even if you do not agree with my action, with reason, you can see the Will of Fire reflect in my intentions."
"Much of what you do is not protection from any threat. The Land of Rice Paddies has no active shinobi village. Its people served no harm to Konoha whatsoever. Yet, from our intel you tried to wipe them out by installing a despotic daimyo that placed such an absurd quota on their crop yields that they died hungry while the food they grew was shipped to our nation, the Land of Rivers, Taki and Uzo. This wasn't even amid a shortage on our end."
"It was during the Third World War. There was no shortage, but there was the threat that Kumo or Iwa would annex it and claim the Land for themselves, cutting off our supply of food at a crucial point. There was also the threat of the former daimyo believing it to be too dangerous to trade with us because the fighting had come to our borders. This is a proactive measure to protect Konoha's interests, but I will not stop there. Some of Root's exploits were to create conflict where there was none, such as the assault on the Suna refugees which, as your pupil noted, sparked a war. You see, we were approaching a time then when it was too peaceful."
"Too peaceful?"
"A succession of wars ensures that the ninjas of Konoha have reason to exist. If all wars cease to exist then so would the necessity of shinobi.. without an adversary to prove ourselves against in conflict we would be unable to impress the daimyos that bountifully pay for our services. To remain at the top of the rest of the villages and not become obsolete, we must engage in conflict. When a big enough conflict isn't on the horizon, then it must be created. This preserves Konoha's future. In essence, it is one step above protecting your village at all costs. It is a proactive measure. It is simply an extension of the Will of Fire, our foundation. Of serving those dearest to you."
"I don't believe in the Will of Fire," he said.
He was taken aback. "What is this nonsense?"
"I don't believe the Leaf takes precedence over everything. The Will of Fire is an ideology that suggests the constant need for protection from an external threat. As you say, without conflict, fighting becomes obsolete. The Will of Fire reinforces this belief and can only be applicable in a world where conflict exists. As such it is prone to be used exactly as you do. It may shock you, but I don't truly believe that Konoha takes precedence over everything. If I did, you wouldn't be in prison, you'd be my right-hand man. It is because I refuse to abandon my morality for the sake of Konoha that I can differentiate myself from you. That I can deserve the title of Hokage, of protector, of hero. The Konoha that is built upon the corpses of civilians, the innocence of children, the 'greater good', is the Konoha that simply should not exist."
Danzo grimaced in revulsion. "Hiruzen made a mistake with you. I will never forgive him for handing a lunatic such power."
"Let's not lower ourselves to using petty insults. I propose an alternative to this ideology, which I believe isn't as well-known: The Brotherhood.
"It is very well-known. You are speaking of the pact that was made by First and Madara-sama, the very reason for the birth of the Leaf."
"Yet, I don't believe this Brotherhood is seen as an ideology by most people. It is often referred to as a colossal event in our history, instead of being seen as the moment of two rivalling clans - two rivalling individuals - throwing down their weapons to forge a path to peace. Not by sacrifice or blood, but by goodwill and trust. Becoming brothers to lessen the bloodshed. I think it is the embodiment of an ideal, that ideal being the eventual setting down of arms. Of hoping for a future that says no to wars. Of hoping for a method to unite and dismantle the current system which - as you aptly put it - profits from war. That ideal exists today in the form of our Shinobi villages. Their purpose was not to lead to more wars in a constant bid to assert dominance over others but rather to dispel conflict altogether by the joining of once-warring parties. This is the ideology I subscribe to, and it is this ideology that leads me to place human life above all else."
Danzo was shaking. "You are a walking contradiction. You don't even understand the basics of your position. If the Hokage prioritized the life of everyone in the world, how could they ever bring any benefit to their own villagers?"
"Is valuing the life of others and benefiting my villagers always at odds with one another?"
"Many times, they are. You know that." He'd pulled his rotting teeth back into a grin. "You do know."
"That is all the time I had," Minato said as he stood up. Danzo couldn't pull his head any higher, so his view was likely cut off. "I hope you were able to say all that you needed since this has been a long time coming."
"You're a smart man. Don't hold onto these ideals. I can see they are already destroying you."
He'd gone from calling him a lunatic to a smart man in very little time. Even as Minato had turned for his departure, Danzo kept talking. "You won't survive if you value all human life. Eventually, this part of you will brea… "
He continued talking until Minato reached the door. Ibiki stood with his arms crossed on the other end, a hardness to his expression. Minato made a single hand sign and cast a smile back that Danzo couldn't see. "I don't value all human life," he said softly.
Danzo's head suddenly jolted up as the tab on his neck activated. It fell back down limply. He was finished in the blink of an eye.
"Tch, you could have waited for us to remove him from here," Ibiki said.
"I apologize," he replied with a smile, scratching the back of his head. "I should have been more considerate."
Ibiki's gaze was pinned on a sheet he'd picked up, but his next words wavered with curiosity. "Did his words anger you, Hokage-sama?"
His eyebrows perked up, "Sorry?"
"Ah, don't mind me. I don't know what I'm saying."
Minato nodded and then left the room.
He was usually more careful than that. This was the first time since he'd become Hokage that someone had questioned his sunshine reputation. Almost no one could attribute true anger to him.
I'm getting sloppy, he thought.
.
Itachi numbly slid open the shoji door to his room. He lurched into his room and found his chest by the wall, ripping off most of his ANBU gear and dropping it inside. With spasming fingers, he closed the top of the chest and made a hand sign to seal it with his chakra signature. He wondered if he was losing his faculties, or if the house really was this quiet. His family did live here, right? Had they moved? No, that didn't make sense.
He dragged himself to the center of the room and collapsed. He was past the point of requiring a futon to sleep on. As long as he could sleep it didn't matter.
Kaa-san… he thought, failing to lift his head. He'd leave early morning for his next mission. He had no idea when he'd be back, but no amount of trying made a difference. His body wouldn't obey. Against his will, his eyelids began to close inchmeal.
Forgive me, he thought, I'll see you next time.
Itachi didn't know how much time had passed when he found a hand smoothing his forehead. It was still clearly night. Only starlight from the door partly ajar illuminated pinpricks of his mother's face. "How are you?" she said tenderly.
He closed his eyes. The back of his head throbbed from being pressed against the hardwood for so long. "I have to leave soon."
"I thought so."
He gently pried her hand away from his face. "You're making Sasuke hate me more."
"Hm?"
Itachi pivoted his head so his cheek was kissing the floor and he had an unobstructed view of the open door. His brother was waiting right by the edge, perhaps he was trying not to be detected, but the starlight was enough to cast a faint silhouette on the shoji wall.
"He wants to see you," Mikoto whispered with what he assumed was a warm smile. It was too dark to see.
Me too, he thought. I want to hear him call me 'nii-san' just once.
"He's been out there since before I showed up."
"Really?"
"He loves you, Itachi."
His chest tightened. "You don't need to tell me that, Kaa-san."
It had been years since he'd last called him 'nii-san.' He'd probably never do it again.
"Let me say it a few times. I don't think you believe it anymore."
For a traitorous moment, he wished he was far away from here on a mission, back in the ANBU where no one but a select few knew his identity, and no one communicated with him beyond the scope of his mission.
He wanted a mask.
The irony was laughable. Whenever he was on a mission, the homesickness and loneliness conjoined into a single cord around his heart, chafing its walls. Even the perpetual anonymity smothered him. It was probably the only reason he was sent back to his family every once in a while. Too much of it could make the toughest men lose their minds.
She placed a kiss on his forehead before standing. "You are loved, Itachi. Don't forget that."
His eyes followed her as she padded to the door. She turned her head slightly, a shadowed half of her face barely visible to him. "You're not alone here. Just come to me - I will speak on your behalf."
His vision blurred. He gritted his teeth against the surge of anguish wracking his body, desperately trying to keep his tears from falling until his mother left.
"Get some sleep."
Itachi closed his eyes. He couldn't understand himself. He wanted her to disappear, yet now he couldn't bear the silence of the night.
.
Sorry, I missed you. Here's a present.
Incense sticks? Izumi took a sniff. They smelled like the first droplets of rain hitting dry earth. She covered her foolish, dazed smile with the inside of her palm. She could cry from happiness.
No, don't cry, she thought. She was strong. She could do this.
"Ahhh," she bawled a few minutes later, holding the incense sticks in both hands. She'd been staring at them for half an hour. She pressed her forehead down onto the desk. "I am so lame…"
.
Sasuke idly leaned against the shoji walls of their dining room as he and his mother waited for his father to arrive. The faint whirr of the fan in the background melded with the hum of cicadas in their garden. A sliver of the fading sun infiltrated the room through a gap in the door.
"How was today?" Mikoto broke the monotony of the wait. His mother had her back to him as she prepared the soup from their conjoined kitchen.
"It was okay." He scowled. "I drew the short stick for a team. There's this guy I can't stand on it."
"I can guess who that is," she remarked wistfully.
His scowl deepened, but Naruto wasn't even the thing bothering him this minute. Maybe he'd been caught off guard by the fact that she'd had the courage to ask. Just what was he thinking agreeing to Sakura's outlandish request? If she was weak, even if it did affect the team, it wasn't his problem. He wasn't a personal tutor or something. It was on her to figure things out. Besides, the time he allotted to train her was time he'd be taking away from his own training. Seeing that she was weak, it wasn't like this time would be any use to him. Should he call it off?
Damn, I guess the only reason I agreed was because bossing her around sounded fun, he thought. Should I call it off?
His thoughts broke from the door snapping open and lurid orange light flooding into their living room. "I need to meet with the Hyuuga clan head," Fugaku announced at his entrance.
"Now?" Mikoto asked, worry grazing her features. "Did something happen?"
"I'll explain later. They're expecting me. I told them I was bringing my son."
Sasuke frowned. "But Itachi already left."
His father didn't react.
It hit him.
"M-Me?" he said, pointing a finger at himself. His heart reverberated like a gong in his chest. Was he hallucinating?
Then to his mother, "Me?"
She granted him a modest wink.
"Get ready at once. I must leave in a few minutes."
Sasuke was already on his feet.
"Do you know the yukata you wore at last year's ceremony?" she asked, touching his arm. "Go and change into that. You don't want to look like you came straight out of the academy, do you?"
He nodded and dashed to his room. It was on the bottommost drawer on his chest. He never really had a use for formal attire except when attending funerals or the occasional clan ceremony. While extracting the folded yukata and belt, his eyes fell on a light square relieving the dark interior wood. Sasuke gently picked up the palm-sized photograph. Him and Naruto as young children. Naruto's arm slung around his shoulder and his hand caught in a silly gesture. Sasuke wasn't looking at the camera, having gotten distracted by something out of the photo's margins.
He slapped the photo back down into the drawer, if only so his eyes would be spared from the horror. If his mother hadn't been so fond of it - one of the few photos they had of him as a child - Sasuke would have burned the blasted thing long ago. How did it end up in his drawer, anyway?
/
He donned his yukata and hurried out, determined not to let his mood be soured by such a thing. Not tonight at least.
Fugaku bowed lightly and removed his shoes before entering the Hyuuga head's residence, Sasuke closely mirroring his every action. They settled on the wooden floor in front of Hiashi Hyuuga.
"Thank you for coming in good time," Hiashi said. "When news got to me that you needed to speak with me, I wasn't sure if I was pushing my luck by asking you to meet on the same day. I know your shifts end quite late."
"It wasn't troublesome for me. This is my younger son, Sasuke," he introduced, his hand on Sasuke's back.
"Pleased to meet you," Sasuke said, his heart still racing.
"As well," he replied.
"Your daughter isn't present," Fugaku observed.
"Yes. I think she's going through what they call a 'rebellious phase,'" Hiashi said, mildly embarrassed. "As a result, she's been excluded from meetings for the time being."
"Ah, she's breaking the tradition by choosing to enlist in a four-man team rather than the Healing Force?"
"I believe it will die down in time," he said.
Hinata Hyuuga. She was Sasuke's classmate, and he'd known she was the heiress. Hyuugas normally didn't go through Konoha's official Shinobi system. Instead, they opted to train amongst themselves as they better understood the uses and application of the Byakugan. The signature Healing Force also contributed to that, considering almost all of them were part of it at one point or another in their lives. Sasuke knew all this; however, he hadn't known that Hinata's choice to become a conventional ninja was a defiant one.
"We shouldn't delay the matter at hand," Hiashi continued, reigning the conversation in. "What did you wish to see me about?"
"I'm here to speak of concerns I have on the trajectory the Healing Force is taking. Especially with the unrest at our borders and surrounding nations, the precedents for a large-scale war have already been set forth. Our situation is increasingly growing sensitive. I'm relaying a concern amongst the Uchihas, I have come to advise a different approach in this manner."
Hiashi waited a moment before responding. "The Fourth sent you."
"With respect, Hiashi-san, for this conversation, I ask that you see me first as the head of my clan and second as a Konoha nin." His father's words were firm.
"I come as an ambassador. I hope that you regard the long-standing relation between our clans and see the… "
Hiashi sighed. "You speak of an imminent war. I know of the conflict at the southern borders we share with the Land of Hot Water. Other than guerilla attacks, however, I don't see anything that calls to be a precedent of war"
"The reports from teams at the southern border are pointing to an escalation. The leader of the Ame has recently been deposed. His death has left a power vacuum that several groups are vying to fulfill. Violence is overtaking the entire region. A deal between Kiri and Kumo is going to go into effect. If you consider that the Kumo has been the one to rile up warfare at our borders - ever since the affair regarding a certain Hyuuga - "
"We are healers. We wish for the betterment of the world, not to help shinobi continue cycles of warfare. Our losses from the Third Shinobi World War are significant. We still haven't been able to stand up on our feet since then. It was also after that that it was decided that the Healing Force would be deployed only for the local defence of Konoha. It is unfortunate for me to say, but pressure from the Fourth on one side and the Uchiha on the other side is not enough to upend the philosophy we believe in. You speak of future wars? I say this with complete seriousness. Until the wounded do not pile in this village, until a war does not reach the doorstep of Konoha, there is not a finger we will lift for your case. The Hyuuga Healing Force will never again go on the offensive."
"I see," Fugaku said then, unexpectedly, Sasuke felt the weight of his hand on Sasuke's shoulder. He leaned in, "Go outside."
His mouth parted, but he shut it immediately. Don't argue, idiot, he scolded himself. Sasuke nodded and exited to the courtyard, dejectedly closing the door behind him.
"Who are you?"
He looked up to see where the voice was coming from. A Hyuuga boy who couldn't have been much older than him sat casually on the fence to his right. He held one of his feet on his lap. Sasuke wasn't sure why, but suddenly his presence seemed unwelcome.
"I should be the one asking," he said. "I thought this household only had two daughters. Aren't you trespassing?"
"I'm a cousin. I can come here as I like," he said. "Neji Hyuuga. Now, you go. I've only ever seen one person accompanying the Uchiha head."
Sasuke resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "I'm his brother."
"Ah." Neji smiled. "You don't leave much of a mark, do you?"
Sasuke stepped up to the fence. His jaw tightened, but he reciprocated the smile. "You want to start something here?"
"No way. I'm not stupid. I just came to see the new kid."
Had your fill?" he said, fluttering his eyelashes. Though he knew he was only running on words and Sasuke would never risk jeopardizing his first time at a clan meeting with his father, he was still disappointed. This guy looked strong.
"I think so," Neji replied and jumped to his feet on the fence. But for all he had said, it was like he couldn't resist one last time, "Funny that they kicked you out. I don't recall that ever happening to your big brother."
I hate this guy, he thought.
Sasuke pressed his index to his temple, "Wait, wait, you're the cousin, right? Don't you have to serve Hinata for life? You sure talk big for a glorified bodyguard."
"Tch, you shouldn't speak her name so casua-" He cut off as he spotted something behind him.
Sasuke swivelled to see what caught his attention. "Oh look, your precious Hinata-sama has arri…"
But Neji was gone. Eh? Was he shy or something?
"Your father was calling you back," she said. Her hair was down instead of the regular ponytail. She wore a semi-casual kimono which accentuated her femininity remarkably when compared to her usual clothes. Her figure appeared ghostly in the fading evening.
He nodded and walked past her to the door. His father was taking his leave as Hiashi apologized for being unable to serve tea. At the engawa of the residence, Hiashi called out, "I hope that my message reaches the Fourth."
Fugaku's tight-lipped smile was his only reply. After they'd left the compound, Sasuke asked, "Why does he keep mentioning the Hokage? Isn't that disrespectful of him?"
"He is the only one I know of that holds the belief that I'm nothing but a henchman to the Fourth Hokage."
He wrinkled his nose indignantly. "Why would he think that?"
"Because he understands me."
Sasuke nearly stopped dead in his tracks. He never joked, but just this once, Sasuke could believe his father had made a joke. Because the implication in those words was calling into question everything he thought he knew.
.
Minato leaned back on his chair. The muffled pitpat of a drizzle had filled his office. One moment he was staring at a vacant wall, the next, he was staring at his former pupil.
"Shisui?" Minato said. He wanted to tease him about them meeting twice in a single day, an occurrence which hadn't happened for a long time due to their responsibilities, but he held back. Shisui's eyes were dim.
"I wouldn't be the archer."
Minato set his pen down.
"I wouldn't take that role. I wouldn't place the lives of so many in my hands unless I wanted to compromise my values."
"I know."
"Do you? You keep asking me to be the archer. You don't try to understand why I refuse."
The sound of the rain was getting louder. Shisui had also gotten caught in it seeing that his hair and forehead protector were glistening.
"That is because wherever you are, you'll be the archer. You can't run away from the responsibility of overseeing people's safety. You're a captain of the Police Force. I feel as though that's word-for-word what I describe."
He shook his head.
"We don't need to be having this conversation. Danzo's already dead. You spent years burdening yourself with the knowledge of his crimes, he shouldn't haunt you after his passing as well."
Shisui stepped forward, placing a damp hand on Minato's desk and leaning forward to meet his eyes. "The reason we're having this conversation is because you haven't accepted it. I will not take your position, Sensei."
"I've… started looking elsewhere," he admitted defeatedly.
"Good."
"But if you ever-" He'd already disappeared. Minato pinched the bridge of his nose. You're my student, he thought, you're always going to be my choice.
The rain pounded on the windowsill.
—
I absolutely love delving into this world. This might have been my favourite chapter so far just because we got to our first proper peek into the world outside of Team 7.
Trivia #1: What Danzo did to the Land of Rice Paddies derives inspiration from two real-world events. One was Holodomor, a man-made famine that was perpetuated by the Soviets against Ukrainians, who were largely farmers, by increasing their crop quotas until they no longer had enough to feed themselves. The second was the Bangladeshi Famine of 1943. It occurred primarily because of wartime policies the British imposed to secure as much food as possible in the event of a shortage, as such diverting rice and other grains from reaching the people who needed them.
Trivia #2: I hope most of you caught on that the picture Kushina showed Naruto earlier is the same picture that Sasuke found in his cupboard. Kushina and Mikoto are of one mind regarding their sons' ill relations.
Let me know which part is your favourite/piqued your interest the most! As always, forgive the grammar, write a review, thanks for the kindness.