Chapter 15

4 p.m., 8 September 54, Root Headquarters

"Explain. Now," demanded Fugaku, sharingan spinning wildly in his eyes.

Minato rubbed his eyes tiredly before walking around him and picking up Rin. He carefully laid her next to Obito without jostling his injured arm.

"You can put those away. I don't think we're going to be attacked at this moment," Minato started ruefully before sitting in a plastic chair. Rubbing his temple with his hand, he continued, "Where to begin—"

"Begin with why Obito's eye is missing. He doesn't even have the sharingan."

"He does. He gained it during our last mission before he lost the eye. Or rather, he gave it away to Kakashi when he thought his death was imminent."

"What the hell kind of game do you think you're playing at Namikaze?" Fugaku blazed.

"Put me in a genjutsu. Right now, I simply don't give a shit. Verify it yourself. I haven't slept in four days. I have a chuunin in the ICU, an apprentice at base camp being treated for blood loss, and a medic with chakra exhaustion.

"I have a jinchuuriki for a wife who is constantly on the frontlines with a target on her back the size of the kyuubi itself. To top it off, I have a daughter who is far too smart for her own good with her own kekkei genkei that I pray to the gods Kumo doesn't find out about.

"And after the massacre I just committed against Iwa forces, I may have just put both of their lives in further danger. If I was Iwa, I would use them to get to me too."

Fugaku hesitated.

"Just get it over with Fugaku." Minato sighed. The clock on the wall beeped on the hour. His blue eyes met Fugaku's scarlet before the hospital room spun away.

Minato's mindscape was almost as Fugaku expected. Soft white light filled the space from all sides, and a gentle breeze flew through. Everything was clean and white, white metal filing cabinets lined the edge of a wall underneath a large screen.

Images flashed through the screen: a blonde toddler holding Minato's hand, looking up with a green-eyed grin; the silver-haired genin apprentice discovering elemental chakra; Kushina's sultry smile and her arms pushing back. Suddenly, the screen went blank.

"Ah, trust me. You don't want to see the ending of that one," Minato joked lightly as he appeared, a light blush dusting his cheeks.

Blood rushed to Fugaku's face, and he struggled to tamp it down. "I suppose not."

The echo of Minato's footsteps was dampened as he walked to the filing cabinet. A drawer was pulled open silently, and he flipped through several files. Holding one up, a new memory appeared on the screen.

Fugaku's brow furrowed as he watched Shikaku and Minato plotting behind the Hokage's back. The report in Minato's hand contained two damning words: mangekyo and kotoamatsukami. Crossing his arms over his chest to hide his apprehension, Fugaku remained rooted to the spot.

Orochimaru's apprentice, Anko, handed a file to Minato before bounding away. The file opened in his hand and appeared on the screen, showing detailed reports of lab experiments regarding ocular nerves and chakra absorption. The pieces started to come together when the report continued.

Patient: Shimura, Danzo

Blood Type: AB

Specimen Origin: Uchiha, Kagami

Blood Type: O+

Complications: None

"This. We searched for weeks for Kagami's murderer. You're saying it was his own teammate?"

Minato shuffled his feet slightly. "I'm not saying it, the evidence did. I don't understand how, but I do know that there's something beyond the regular sharingan. Am I correct in saying that?"

"I'm not about to expose clan secrets," Fugaku started.

"I would never ask you to," Minato said quietly. "Just tell me, was it possible for Kagami to manipulate someone's mind with them unawares? The kotoamatsukami?"

Fugaku sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

Minato nodded. "I have one more for you to see. It wasn't just Kagami."

File after file flooded the screen. Missing sharingan eyes appeared in photographs, neatly attached with paperclips to the reports. A set of byakugan in the sea of red stood out. DNA samples from Hashirama's corpse and Katya Senju. Missing children reports from local orphanages.

Fugaku's arms dropped under the barrage of information. He took a step back and stared at Minato.

"Orochimaru's experiments?"

"Yes. Kagami wasn't the first. Shikaku and I were able to find at least five suspicious Uchiha deaths in the last two years, all under the guise of war."

"What? How did—"

"Orochimaru has been taking DNA samples from Katya, for years I suspect. I wanted to know why, so I started to do some digging. I had Kakashi help. Then Kagami died under suspicious circumstances. After that, the Hokage started acting strangely. He ordered Shikaku and me to stop investigating Kagami's death, which I also found odd. I went through Orochimaru's lab requisition receipts again and kept finding anomalies. Then I cross-referenced them with Danzo's own expense reports."

Fugaku's eyes narrowed as he stared at Minato. "You found all this out through accounting?"

"Never neglect the numbers," Minato replied wryly, though all humor had left his voice.

"And Obito?"

Minato scrubbed a hand over his face before walking back to the filing cabinet. Images of his last mission flooded the screen. His team's testimony as they stood in the cave-in echoed around the space. The lights flickered, and electricity crackled across the walls in hot blue streaks. The two men swayed as the gentle breeze turned into a fierce gale.

"My apologies. It was difficult," Minato strained as he struggled to keep his mindscape in check. The wind died away, and the soft lighting returned.

Fugaku sighed. "The clan will never accept this. If Obito wakes up, he will have to either have his eye returned or be prepared to defend his choice for the rest of his life. If he chooses the latter, I may have no other option than to expel him from the clan."

"I understand," Minato replied thoughtfully. "If that is all you wanted to verify?"

"One more thing," Fugaku started. Minato nodded. "What are your feelings about Shisui and Katya? Do they understand what a political conundrum their relationship presents?"

Shrugging, Minato said, "They're seven. I think little Shisui has a crush on Katya, but as to my daughter's own feelings, I cannot say. I believe she only sees them as friends. It's a lifelong bond, practically from cradle to now. Who knows what the future holds? It could be as they grow older, they will drift apart."

"And if they don't? Are you prepared to deal with those consequences?"

"I honestly haven't thought that far in advance. As I said, they're seven."

"Maybe you should," Fugaku reproached gently. The white room disappeared beneath their feet and opened to a swirl of color as they regained consciousness.

The clock clicked softly; 4:01.

11 a.m., 11 September 54, Uzumaki Shrine

Katya's feet slipped slightly on the wet pebbles that surrounded the Senju Dojo in her rush to keep up with Kushina.

"Ma, do we have to train today? It's my only day off in forever," Katya whined. "I had plans. I was going to visit Obito-nii in the hospital with Shisui."

By the time she reached the steps and passed the barrier that surrounded it, she recognized the additional chakra that was present.

"Good afternoon, Katya-chan," Mikoto greeted, gracefully rising from her position on the tatami mats.

"Good afternoon?" Katya's head cocked to the side, and she raised her eyebrow at Kushina.

"We're trying something new today. Mikoto has graciously volunteered to help make sure that things stay under control."

"Stay under control? You're not going to make me try those gates again, are you? I told you I can't do it. It drains all my chakra."

Kushina simply smiled and pushed Katya's forehead back playfully.

"Actually, you're going to try some very special fuinjutsu today. And learn an S-rank secret," she added the last part quietly. The two women sat down on the mat, motioning for Katya to do the same. Katya hesitated before following suit. Her fingers fidgeted with a loose string on the hem of her shirt before Kushina continued.

"I think you've known for some time that my chakra is different."

"Well yeah, but you're a whole Uzumaki. Everyone knows that the Uzumaki clan had special chakra and longevity."

"Yes, but I am also a jinchuuriki." Kushina pulled her shirt from the top of her pants, exposing her abdomen. Placing a hand on it, an eight-seal trigram appeared.

Katya's eyes went wide with disbelief. "You mean all those times I said your chakra felt like a fox—"

"Yes. The kyuubi no kitsune. He is a fox. A dangerous one. I believe Minato read you the story about the bijuu."

"You both said I was being imaginative!" Katya accused, pointing her finger at Kushina. Mirth flitted through Mikoto's eyes before settling into a bemused expression.

Kushina sighed. "As I said, S-rank secret. We're here today so you can learn how to suppress a tailed beast. It was a skill that your grandfather became quite adept at, and it helped keep our village safe for a time."

"So, are all jinchuuriki active shinobi? Is it possible I'd see them on the—and that's why—" Katya looked down at the mat below her knees. The thread in her hand pulled hard against the shirt. "Kaa-chan, I just want to do research. I don't…if I could have chosen, I wouldn't want this."

Speaking up for the first time, Mikoto put her hands underneath Katya's chin, forcing her to meet her eyes.

"Nobody wants a kekkei genkei." Scarlet filled her eyes while three tomoe spun slowly. "Yet we have one. Call it a curse, call it a blessing, either way, the world will know. You will be a target. I cannot tell you how many desecrated Uchiha corpses we have found in the last three wars combined. Or before Konoha was built. I imagine it must have been the same for the Senju."

She released Katya's chin, and the girl looked back down at the floor.

Kushina took both of Katya's hands before kneeling in front of her. "Katya, I know you don't want to fight. I wish I could make things different for you. I wish that this world was a gentler place. Gods know your father wants that more than anything. But right now it just isn't that way. Whether I want you to be or not, you are one of two remaining Senju and the only surviving Senju that can wield the mokuton. This is why you have been trained since you could walk. If they send someone like…me after you…I want you to have the best chance of coming back home."

A small paper scroll rasped against the tatami as Kushina slid it over. It wasn't the first one that Kushina had given her. The remaining Senju scrolls that Tobirama had sealed beneath the Dojo were a secret that Tsunade had given Kushina years before. Popping the blue seal on the cover, Katya quickly memorized its contents before passing it back.

"Seems easy enough," she said. "So. You want me to suppress your chakra?"

"For as long as you can, yes. Today, however, I would just like to see if you can summon it."

They all stood up, Katya walked to the center of the dojo and knelt. Unbuckling the small vial of sealing ink from her kunai pouch, she carefully drew the calligraphed kanji onto her hand.

"Tiger, ox, horse, boar," she said, slowly moving her chakra through her body before slamming her hand onto the ground. Five small misshapen pillars popped up, no larger than an iris, causing her face to drop. To her further dismay, when she looked over at the two jounin, both were shaking their shoulders with suppressed giggles.

"It's cute," Kushina said, giggling harder, causing Mikoto to outright laugh. "Alright, try again."

Katya's eyebrow ticked up in frustration. She growled. "Fine. Tiger, ox, horse, boar." The vibrations ran up to her elbow as she slammed her hand down again. This time, seven pillars appeared, slightly larger than the last. The giggles turned into peals of laughter from behind her.

"It's not funny." She grimaced, trying again and again. By the fifth attempt, she had ten small pillars protruding from the Senju dojo. Her face had gone white as a sheet. Sweat poured down her back in buckets under the September sun.

Kushina patted her shoulder and hugged her from the side. "Well, I suppose that's enough for now. You can try again another day. Let's fix the floor before we leave, hmm?"

The pillars dissolved beneath the tatami mats with the last bit of expendable chakra Katya had. Holding on to Kushina's hand, she thanked Mikoto for the training as she wavered on her feet.

"I do believe that she has an issue with chakra reserves. Perhaps she should work on that?" Mikoto said to Kushina as they walked out of the dojo. "From what I could see, her chakra reserves are very small, even for her age. For someone with a kekkei genkei, I would expect it to be almost double. Even my nephew has double the amount of chakra."

"Shisui's just good at everything he touches," Katya groused, leaning into Kushina's hip. "Taijutsu, bukijutsu, kenjutsu, jutsu jutsu. Everything."

"That's because he's not lazy," Kushina reproached, running her hand over Katya's sweaty hair. "You can be, especially with physical training. Mikoto is right, we need to work on your chakra reserves. We'll have to do some more weighted running."

Katya grumbled under her breath, "He actually likes physical training."

In response, Kushina lightly swatted the back of her head. "What rule is that again, Mikoto? 'A shinobi must prepare before it is too late to.'"

"Aa, thirty-four, I believe."

Katya rolled her eyes before closing them.

3 p.m., 11 September 54, Konoha General Hospital

Shisui exhaled forcefully as the smells of disinfectant and sanitizer bombarded his nose. A warm hand rested on his shoulder and Isamu smiled gently at him before walking ahead. It had been three days since team seven had returned from Kannabi bridge. Obito was still unconscious.

When Isamu opened the door, the body beneath the white hospital blanket looked far too still to be Obito. Kakashi sat in the corner chair, a book in his hand with his visible eye closed. As their footsteps sounded on the tile, he opened it, carefully readjusting the book.

"Kakashi," Shisui greeted with a slight nod. The jounin's left eye was covered much the same as his lower face. His right eye was ringed in red and deep purple splotches

"Shisui," Kakashi greeted back, his voice falling flat. The book went limp in his hand. "Isamu."

Placing a gentle hand on Obito's good arm, Shisui said, "Obito-nii, it's me. Shisui." Obito's eyelids twitched slightly but he remained still. "I'm sorry this happened to you. Both of you," he added looking back at Kakashi.

"I'm sorry for your teammate, and yourself, Hatake-san," Isamu said, holding up a box of mochi cakes and passing it to Kakashi.

"Thanks," he said, putting it on the chair beside him and returning to his book.

"Kakashi," Shisui started unsure of what to say next.

"Team eight is more than happy to take over guard duty. You need rest," Isamu finished for him. Shisui nodded in thanks.

Kakashi huffed before flipping a page of his book. "Ah yes, the perfect guard, a chuunin, a genin, and a chakra-depleted kunoichi who's still in bed at 3 p.m."

Shisui hesitated, his eyebrow quirking in question.

"I left Pakkun with her," Kakashi answered without lifting his gaze. He sighed. "My apologies, that was rude of me. I don't question your capabilities, either of you. But, he's my teammate. I don't abandon my comrades. Rin will be here soon, I'll leave then."

"He's my cousin," Shisui said with a shrug. "He's family."

Humming, Kakashi ignored him, instead focusing on the book in his hand.

The door opened. Minato walked in, followed by Katya with a bouquet of daisies. Pakkun trotted in and jumped onto Kakashi's lap.

"Looks like a party," she tried to joke, the smile soon slipping off her face into a grimace. The bouquet went onto the nightstand next to the bed. "Hey, Obito-nii. It's Kit-kat. We're all hoping you wake up soon. I don't know if Shisui told you. We tried to rescue you. Stole the map to Root HQ and everything. I can tell you how if you wake up," she tried to entice. His eye stayed closed, his breath soft against the blankets. "Well, tou-chan, of course, found out. You gotta wake up, 'cause I'd rather spar with you than Bakashi as punishment."

Kakashi snorted and cleared his throat. Minato laid a hand on Katya's shoulder before sitting down in a chair against the wall. Half an hour went by before there was another knock on the door. A masked ANBU agent walked in, handed Minato a scroll, and then left. Minato's eyes widened slightly when he opened it.

"It's over. Iwa surrendered," he said before leaving the room in a flash.

Sagging against the chair, Kakashi exhaled. Team eight grabbed each other's hands from around Obito's bed and smiled. With the signing of the armistice, the war had ended.

AN: Thank you so much for reading! If you have the time, please leave a comment.

Sorry, I know it's a little short this week. Just been trying to look for inspo for this. If you all have anything you'd like to see let me know in the comments.

Beta'ed by: Cherryberry12 thank you for all of the hours that you put in and the hard work you do. 3