Steam rose around my naked body submerged in a bath to the top of my mouth. I sat still, simmering in my thoughts until a bucket gently tipped over my head and rained warm water down my hair and face.
"Penny for your thoughts this time madam?"
Fugaku broke into a cheeky grin. He'd suggested we take a mid-morning respite at the indoor Uchiha public bathhouse. I lifted my head smiling back, then slowly smoothed his brown hair back over his ears. Fugaku's playful side always came out when trying to cheer me up. He grabbed a nearby towel and graciously wrapped my waist-length black hair in it.
"I was thinking this surveillance issue may be more serious than I thought," I spoke softly, so the other bathers nearby wouldn't hear me.
"Did something happen?"
My mind flashed back to the chakra I sensed in the woods when practicing Fire Jutsu with Sasuke. Then, Yashiro's forceful conversation with Shisui.
I shook my head not wanting to concern him. "Just something I hadn't considered...is it possible that we're being surveilled internally?"
"Yes. There's a good chance spies could be embedded within our clan. We can't rule it out," he responded plainly.
My eyes widened in surprise. I didn't expect such a direct answer from him instead of the usual reassurance. I hugged my knees together in the water.
"Honey, I'm worried about Itachi caught in the middle of this…espionage war," I sighed.
"I understand, Miko, but nobody's more capable of handling these tasks more than our boy. We're right behind him for every step. On the practical side of things, Tekka, Inabi and Yashiro are looking into it with their ears firmly pressed to the ground."
A feeling of uneasiness settled in my stomach when he mentioned Yashiro. When he saw me look around with doubtful eyes, he kissed my forehead. "Itachi will be fine. You have my word."
xxx
I headed into town later that day. Afternoons in Konoha buzzed with children leaving The Academy, public schools and other specialised clan training schools, while adults settled into restaurants for lunch. I managed to get some of Sasuke's favourite umami seaweed rice crackers before the market stall got too busy. Then, I headed for the public records office building located near The Village centre. It was the best place to view documents and speak to my informant while being inconspicuous. I stood by a shelf towards the back of the main hall when the silver-haired shinobi arrived. He wore the ANBU armoured uniform and a headband protector over his left eye while a navy blue mask covered the lower half of his face.
"Kakashi Hatake," I greeted him with a bow.
"Lady Mikoto," he replied politely and returned my gesture.
I dug into my tote bag and pulled out a small glass bottle containing a clear liquid inside and handed it to him. "Here, I got this for you. Homemade eye drops, my grandmother's medicinal recipe. It should ease the eye strain of having a permanently activated Sharingan implant."
After the Third Great Shinobi War war, Fugaku had to stop our clan from harassing Kakashi. Many vehemently disapproved of a non-Uchiha possessing our genetic birthright power even though it was gifted to him.
"This will come in handy, thank you. And this is for you, as requested," he said before opening a scroll and weaving hand signs until two documents poofed out of them. He handed them to me.
"The records room with information of the Hokage's ANBU is strictly prohibited to everyone but the Hokage himself. However, I was able to obtain copies of Itachi's files from the archives at The Academy.
I read through the papers. It was mostly the exceptional reports, grades, rankings and statistics of his school days that I was already familiar with. There was no report of him joining the ANBU as expected. But something else jumped up at me. "No, this isn't right…" I whispered, shaking my head, "Itachi isn't thirteen yet, he's still twelve years old…"
"Thirteen is the minimum age required to assume a leadership position in an ANBU team."
So, there was a high chance that Itachi was an ANBU captain. The higher-ups must've aged him up to legitimize the appointment. I was as disappointed as I was outraged. "This is scandalous. I don't believe Hiruzen would illegally forge my son's documents. He's the Hokage."
"Itachi might be working directly under Lord Danzo. We're no longer on the same team, so I can't be too sure."
My stomach dropped. "Why would Danzo work directly with an ANBU operative? Is he also involved in assigning ANBU operations?"
"I'm afraid that's about as much as I can divulge. Sorry, I couldn't be of any more help," said Kakashi flatly.
"No, you've been plenty of help. Thank you, Kakashi, thank you for everything you've done for my son."
xxx
I was stuck in my thoughts as I left to pick Sasuke up from school. Since my days as a Jounin, there had been rumours that Danzo had his own faction of ANBU, separate from those assigned to the Hokage. But there was never any hard evidence to substantiate it. Whether it was true or not, the possibility of Itachi working under Danzo was worrying. Only a man as cunning as him could be underhanded enough to commit a corrupt act of forgery to further his own agenda.
When I arrived at The Academy grounds, Sasuke was trying to focus on his kunai target throwing but a trail of swooning girls followed behind him. A girl with pastel pink hair called out to him but she was abruptly cut off by an overzealous blonde boy daring him to a challenge and determined to get his attention, much to the ire of the group of girls. The children began clearing out from the playground to their parents. Sasuke dismissed the boy annoyed and came towards me. The blonde boy was the last child sitting on a swing without anyone to accompany him.
Kushina's baby. A painful stab seared through my chest seeing him alone. Minato reflected strongly in his resemblance but he had the softly shaped features of his mother. All these years I'd wanted nothing more than to bring him home with us. But no adult member of the Uchiha clan was even allowed to make contact with him. Though the Nine-Tails attack robbed me of my dear friends, dealt a major blow to Village leadership and cast a shadow of suspicion over our clan, I knew this child, also subject to discrimination and knew nothing, had lost far more than any of us could ever imagine.
I wrapped my hand over Sasuke's shoulder as we strolled off.
"Sasuke, are you friends with Kushina's son?"
"Who?" he asked innocently.
"Oh, right...I meant Naruto."
"Pfft, that loser? No way," he said rolling his eyes.
"Loser? Why would you call him that?"
"Because he's annoying. Always acting out, getting our class in trouble, and trying to prove himself to everyone. He tries so hard to be my rival and I just don't care. Why must I be friends with him?"
"Well, you don't have to be friends with anyone you don't want to, but at least be nicer to him. Think about everything you have - a family and a whole clan. He's all alone and has nobody. Can you imagine if you didn't have all of us anymore? It couldn't hurt to be nice, right?"
Sasuke kept quiet and looked down in thought until we reached our front yard and he saw Itachi standing in the entryway. "Ha! Big brother!"
"Oh, Ita! You're home early." I so badly wanted to ask him about what Kakashi had told me, even if he was forbidden to speak of it. But Sasuke was with us. I was determined to keep my little one out of the politics as much as possible.
"Yes, Mother. I got the Hokage's answer to Father's proposal," he said shaking the scroll at me. "He's waiting for us inside."
"Big brother, let's practice some shuriken throwing," came Sasuke.
"Not now, I have to take care of this. Wait for me here—
"No, Sasuke finish your homework in the meantime, then clean your room. Toys on the floor are a hazard," I came.
"Ahhh, why do I have to do that stupid homework? It's way too easy and boring. I'm already at the top of my class in grades." he whined.
"That's no reason to shirk your homework. Get going. Itachi will be out soon."
We entered the empty Tatami room where Fugaku sat pensively on his cushion with his arms folded tightly.
"Shisui couldn't make it so it's only me today," said Itachi as we both took our seats on the floor.
"And what do you have to report?"
"All the other clan leaders chose to remain neutral in our clan's disputes with the Village leadership - except the Nara. Mother was right about Lord Shikaku," he said looking at me. I smiled at him, grateful and relieved that my old friend had come through for us.
"Lord Shikaku Nara signed his name and escalated the proposal to the top of the paper pile, then persuaded Danzo to approve of sending it to the Hokage."
"I'll write a letter of thanks to Shikaku for his support. Let me see what the Hokage's response is," he asked, extending his hand so Itachi could give him the scroll.
Fugaku unrolled and read through it. His face curled into a deep scowl before he let out an enraged growl and threw it across the floor. "Ugh! Dammit!"
"Honey, what does it say?"
"The Konoha government will agree to the Uchiha proposal if we submit a registry with the names of all Sharingan users in our clan, updated annually," he fumed.
I shook my head at the ground and sighed. Itachi stayed mute and watched Fugaku attentively.
"Our clan has never kept count of how many of us have the Sharingan, we don't even ask. That Village is terrified of our power. They're just trying to find evidence to frame us for the Nine-Tails incident again," he ranted. "I won't ever put a target on the backs of Sharingan users and have them secretly watched and investigated for the rest of their lives. Awakening the Sharingan is personal information for each user to keep discreet if they wish. That's to protect themselves."
"So where do we go from here?" asked Itachi wearily.
"The soft handling of this issue ends here, I'm afraid. That was our last chance. Our next steps will be decided in the upcoming conclave meeting with the clan. They don't show as much patience and restraint as I do when dealing with these issues. You must be there Itachi."
"Actually, I can't."
"What? What do you mean you can't be there? You know how important this meeting is!" he yelled hotly.
"I'm heading out on an ANBU mission that day," Itachi replied calmly, though I could hear him resisting to talk through his teeth.
"Fugaku, calm down," I asserted.
He let out a sharp exhale and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Itachi, you're the clan's connection to the Leaf Village centre, Do you know that?"
"Yes. But it can't be helped, Father. I'm also a Leaf shinobi with duties to fulfill. You're not being fair."
"Then find a way out of it. I don't care what excuse you make. This next meeting will decide our clan's future. You will be there."
"Both of you stop, please," I hissed frustrated, "We can discuss the conclave schedule closer to the time. Right now we all need to calm our nerves and take a break. Itachi you can leave."
As Fugaku stood back up, I noticed a pack of cigarettes stashed in his pocket under the flap of his apron. The last time I'd seen those regulars was when I was pregnant with Itachi and he'd promised to quit.
"You're smoking again?" I asked crestfallen.
"Only in my office at the Police Headquarters. I just forgot to leave them in my desk drawer," he mumbled running both his hands through his brown hair. "I'll make sure the boys never see it."
"There are healthier ways to deal with your stress. Take the boys out while I get started on dinner."
Itachi and Sasuke were both sitting on the veranda, chatting with each other softly.
"Come boys, let's go to the lake. Now's your chance to show me your best Fireball Release Jutsu," said Fugaku.
Sasuke jumped up enthusiastically. "Alright Dad, finally! I can't wait to show you what I can do."
"Really?" asked Itachi.
"Yeah. We don't always get to be home this early together, do we? So, c'mon, put your shoes on and let's go."
"Take these with you," I said handing Sasuke the plastic bag of rice crackers.
"Yaaay, these are my favourites! Thanks, Mom!"
"Too salty for me…" uttered Itachi under his breath.
"We'll be back by dinner, Miko," came Fugaku pulling me into a long-held hug and stroking my long hair. I playfully poked his side and shooed him away. All he needed to see was the grin on my face to know all was well and he was good to go.
My Uchiha boys strolled away together with Sasuke buzzing around Fugaku, while he and Itachi rapidly spoke over each other, trying to get their father's individual attention.
xxx
The next morning as I strolled through the Village after dropping Sasuke off at school, a large crowd was gathered on the main road downtown. Cries of shock and gasps of panic filtered towards me while others craned their necks to get a better view of something happening in the centre.
"Somebody stop her!"... "Do something!"... "Get the Police! Now!" yelled someone.
I wormed my way through the crowd. "What's happening?!" I asked.
"That red-eyed devil's using some kind of genjutsu on them!" shouted someone from the crowd.
A young girl in a high-collar sleeveless purple dress and an activated Sharingan stared at two younger boys in front of her. Their faces were frozen in terror and their bodies were completely immobilised.
"Izumi?" I breathed.
She managed to twist her head around slowly and see me. "Lady. Mikoto. Pleaseeease help…mmmeee," she cried, "I caaan't make it ssss-sstop."
The young boys let out an excruciating scream as the crowd watched helplessly in horror. They cried out in agony and curled into themselves. I slapped my hands together and formed the Ram Hitsuji hand sign.
"Release!"
After a second, the boy's howls of pain stopped and they fell to the ground unconscious.
"Get those two to a hospital immediately!" I yelled.
People in the crowd picked the boys up from the road while others went to alert medical personnel to deploy stretchers. I raced up to Izumi and covered her eyes with the palm of my hand before pulling her into a crouch on the floor.
"Izumi, listen to me. Just close your eyes and breathe. They'll deactivate once you relax."
She slowed her hyperventilating until only silent tears fell from her face and sobbed onto my shirt. Her eyes finally faded to onyx black.
A woman from the crowd yelled from behind us. "Those were my sons. You'll pay for that you little demon!"
She rushed at us with fists raised and carrying a rock.
"Stay away from her!" I warned, covering Izumi with my body. There was no way for me to defend Izumi without harming the woman.
"Hey!" An officer of the Military Police Force burst through the crowd to tackle and pin the woman to the ground. He placed his knee on her back and a tight grip around her upper neck. "Drop your weapon and put your hands behind your back! Now!" roared the young officer.
Angry cries rang out from the crowd. "You're too forceful!... You're going to kill her!... Let her go!"
Several other members of the Police Force arrived on the scene and formed a line around us to push people back and maintain order. A few men in the crowd tried to charge at the Police and break through their formation. The other officers threw them to the ground in the same position. "Get back!" Everybody get back!" they yelled.
The crowd stepped away in a collective gasp at the newly activated Sharingans. But the ANBU arrived in a flash and pulled the officers off the civilians.
"We need to de-escalate this scene. Take them to the station already. Disperse this crowd." said one of the masked ANBU.
The officers pulled the civilians to their feet and tied their hands with rope. My stomach knotted seeing blood drip from the woman's forehead. Another officer then helped me and Izumi up while the ANBU backed the crowd up to give us walking space. I made sure Izumi's ears were covered as the officers marched us out of the crowd full of glaring, terrified stares and never-ending insults hurled our way.
"Uchiha scum…red-eyed devils…can't believe you hurt our children…that was so scary…I tell ya…shouldn't be allowed around here…never trusted those people…they're a danger to us all…"
The Konoha Military Police headquarters was already abuzz when we arrived. News travelled fast in the Village. A team of officers floated around the booking room to find out about the incident that occurred downtown. They sat the civilian men and the woman down for questioning.
"I lost my husband and my home during the Nine-Tails attack now you Uchiha want to take my sons from me? Damn you all!" she sobbed uncontrollably as officers processed her details. Her cries echoed throughout the building.
"I'm so sorry," Izumi cried bursting into tears in my arms.
"It's okay sweetheart. It was a mistake. We'll sort this out."
"Excuse us, Lady Mikoto," came two officers who had escorted us. "We need to take the girl in for questioning. Her mother's on the way."
I begrudgingly let them lead her away into a separate interrogation room. Eventually, Inabi and Tekka filed into the room with Izumi's mother Hazuki who embraced her.
A few minutes later, Itachi came racing into the station towards me, still wearing his ANBU armoured uniform.
"Mother? Mother! What happened with Izumi?"
"She used a Sharingan-activated genjutsu on two civilian boys. They were set on fire in her illusion. She couldn't control it."
"Oh no…Izumi…" he whispered.
I put my arm over his shoulder. Fugaku came marching down the hall in full Police Captain mode to attend the questioning session.
"Miko, are you alright?" he asked as he walked by us.
I nodded at him. "A little shaken up, but I'm fine."
Itachi clutched Fugaku's upper arm. "Father…please do what you can for Izumi. I have done everything you have asked of me diligently and without protest. I'm asking you to do this one thing for me. If she gets a criminal record, it'll ruin her life."
"I'll try my best, son. It's up to the two victims and their mother on how they want to proceed."
I bit my bottom lip. Judging by what she and many of the townspeople said about us Uchiha, she'd most likely seek the maximum punishment for an accident of this nature.
"This couldn't have happened at a worse time. It could be a huge setback for our clan's bargaining position back into central government." said an officer in discussion with others near us.
"That brat might as well have set off another Nine Tails Attack. The blow back from this will be huge." said the other.
"So typical. That's all you can think about. Politics," uttered Itachi, shaking angrily. "This clan is so obsessed with power you can't even show any compassion for one of our own amidst a tragedy. You're all hopeless."
The door opened and Izumi and her mother left the interrogation room, heads bowed somberly and walking out of the building quietly. Itachi followed them.
"Izumi…" he called out.
"Itachi?!" She hid behind her mother's back looking away from him. "I've done a terrible thing. Stay away from me to protect your good name."
"I'm not here to shame you. Please don't blame yourself for what happened. You're a good person and my friend, you wouldn't hurt anyone intentionally. I know Sharingan can be overwhelming. Which is why I want to be here for you, no matter what. Train you if you want. Just please don't hate yourself for this accident."
She finally looked back at him and they stared at each other.
"You mean that?" she asked walking towards him.
He nodded as tears shone in her eyes. Then surprisingly, Itachi put his arm around her and smoothed his hands over her long, dark brown hair. He'd seen Fugaku do the same to me dozens of times. But, I'd never seen him so tender towards anyone else who wasn't family. It made my lips quiver seeing how naturally gentle and soothing he was, even wiping the tears from her eyes. I exchanged appreciative glances with her mother Hazuki before Itachi left with them.
xxx
In the next few days, the mother of the two boys decided not to press charges against Izumi to avoid getting charged herself for trying to attack us with a rock. Her boys suffered no lasting psychological damage from the genjutsu but received counselling. Hazuki pulled Izumi out of The Academy to receive Sharingan control training from the Uchiha clan elders.
Despite the amicable resolution, the backlash from the Village came swift and heavy. Sentiments towards our clan turned sour, hostile and fearful once again. As Police Captain and Uchiha clan leader, Fugaku worked overtime into the night trying to mitigate the fallout.
Lord Third received hundreds of complaints about the excessive force of the Military Police. Due to this, the Police Force lost the jurisdiction of three districts. Only Leaf Village shinobi were now permitted to police those areas. Then, the three officers were suspended for mishandling the civilians in the downtown incident. Soon after, several Uchiha genin dropped out of the Chuunin Exams because their teammates refused to participate with them in fear of the Sharingan. Family-owned Uchiha businesses were losing revenue to consumer boycotts while other clansmen reported being chased out of stores and refused service at market stalls. All the renewed anti-Uchiha mistreatment reopened the same wounds we went through after the Nine-Tails Incident.
But this time, resentment was fomenting on both sides.
In the shopping district that I frequented, the angry, wary eyes were enough to tell me I was no longer welcome there. Whispers and paranoid gossip still followed me out of town to the Village farmland market where I now shopped. This is where Shisui managed to track me down and find me one morning. He said it was the ideal place for us to talk privately away from those who knew us.
"The Hokage gave me freedom to act at my discretion within my ANBU position. I'm gravely concerned with the hostility the Village has shown towards us Uchiha. A dangerous political movement is gaining momentum in our clan because of it. I'm going to try and stop it," he said to me.
"What do you mean dangerous?" I asked furrowing my brows.
"Hopefully if I'm successful, you'll never have to find out. If not, don't let Lord Fugaku support it during the next conclave clan meeting. Please, my lady, make sure you attend too. Be the voice of reason. Help me protect this clan from itself."
There was an air of desperation laced in his voice that unsettled me. Shisui was usually so controlled and collected, but I could feel his distress and determination.
"Alright, I hear you. Thank you for telling me."
xxx
In the following weeks, the heat of summer gradually cooled down into a breezy Autumn. The Uchiha clan conclave meeting was only a month away. It was mid-afternoon when I came home with my arms full of yet another haul of groceries from the faraway farmers market. I walked down our street and saw someone doubled over on our house veranda.
It was Itachi prying off the breastplate of his ANBU uniform while breathing heavily. He banged his fist on the floor.
"Itachi? Itachi? What's wrong?" I yelled, dropping my shopping bags and running towards him. I tried to lift him up but he wouldn't budge.
"Itachi baby, please tell me what's happened?" I begged, my heart racing.
He only lifted his head to press his face into my chest and tightly wrap his arms around my waist. I embraced him back, squeezing him closer to me and rocking him back and forth to absorb the trembles rolling through his body. His quiet sobs steadily grew louder until he couldn't contain the aching inside him any longer.
"Why…why…why…why…did it have to end this way…" he wept.
Itachi's cries tightened my throat. No mother ever wanted to see their child in so much pain. But I could only hold and comfort him unyieldingly until he was ready to talk. When he finally began to calm down, I looked down at him again. A trickle of blood soaked through my shirt where Itachi's head rested on my chest. It came from his eyes.
"Ita, you're injured. Let me see," I whispered, cupping his face to lift his head.
His eyes immediately flung open. The tomoe of his Sharingan elongated into the shape of a three-sided shuriken blade and joined around his pupil.
I cried out as an enormous chakra knocked me backwards. Our house exploded into a whirling tornado of wooden debris. A giant monster of jet-black flames emerged from the wreckage to swirl and roar around us before it exploded into oblivion and disappeared.
Then, everything stopped for less than a second and began moving backwards. The clouds, wind and trees moved in reverse. Colour drained from the world, replaced by negative tones. I could only see outlines of inverted black, white and crimson.
"Itachi!" I screamed fishing my arms around for him in panic.
"Mother!" he called back.
A colossal, flaming red skeletal figure made of chakra started building itself around us both until it formed an armoured spiritual being that quickly dissipated. The crushing pressure surrounding us threatened to implode my body. My own Sharingan self-activated but it did nothing to stop the massive force swirling around me. I pinched my eyes closed and covered my ears yelling out.
Suddenly everything went quiet. In a single loud heartbeat, the world was back to normal as if nothing had happened.
"Mother…." called Itachi hanging onto to me. His now onyx eyes shed blood mixed into his tears.
" Itachi…I…"
My body felt weightless as my head dropped and I passed out.
When I fluttered my eyes open and into focus, Fugaku was hovering over me and wiping my face with a damp towel. Our bedroom room was cool and dimly lit by lanterns. It was now early evening. I stirred and sat up on ourfloor futon bed.
"Oh, Miko, you're awake," whispered Fugaku, stroking my cheek and pressing his palm on my forehead. "What happened? Itachi told me you fainted. He brought you in a few hours ago."
"I don't…uhh." I clutched my head as it throbbed painfully.
"Take it easy," whispered Fugaku, giving me water to drink. "The boys are waiting in the next room. They're very concerned about you. We all are."
"Tell them to come in."
He went over to open our sliding doors. Sasuke popped his head inside. I smiled at him for reassurance and opened my arms to invite him in. He bustled in and came to settle on my lap. Itachi walked in tentatively and stopped halfway.
"Mom, are you okay?" asked Sasuke worriedly.
"Yes, I'm fine, honey," I chuckled, "Sorry if I scared you. I'll be okay."
I rubbed his back and kissed his head. Then, my eyes turned to Itachi sitting on his knees a little away from me, head bowed and hunched over. I touched his arm and gestured for him to come over.
"Ita, are you okay?"
I wrapped my arm around his waist. He looked up at me, raising both eyebrows in surprise then nodded as tears lined his lower eyelid but never fell out. His tense body relaxed against mine and he leaned into my arm, exhaustion taking over him.
Fugaku was right. Sharingan was a private matter for each individual to decide whether to disclose or not. But the sinking feeling developing in my stomach wouldn't go away. I'd had the Sharingan most of my adult life, but never experienced a genjutsu so consuming and present, as if it was alive in the world.
All I knew was that it came from Itachi's eyes and it was terrifying. I silently prayed that it wasn't real. I had to find out exactly what it was.