Operation Scalpel
Kakashi watched as the boy went through his hand seal drills with a focus that was hard to find on even veteran shinobi. Yet the boy tolerated not even a single mistake. Whenever he got a sign wrong or not fast enough, he went through them again.
For a moment Kakashi was mesmerized by the display. A pang of guilt went through him but he steeled his resolve once he realized what was at stake here,
"Kakashi," Hiruzen said, "I hear you have taken a fancy to the Uchiha prodigy?"
"Hai Hokage-sama. He is a fascinating prodigy…. Reminds me of myself back in the day." Kakashi said.
"Good. Good." Hiruzen said and took deep strokes of his pipe, "Turn him."
It was a testament to his training that Kakshi neither protested nor asked him why. He deferred immediately, "Understood, Lord Third."
Hiruzen handed Kakashi a folder, the edges worn as if it had been read many times. "This is a psychological profile of Itachi. Study it well. It was compiled by Iruka himself so it's credible."
Kakashi turned the pages.
"You need to approach him as you would an adult, not a child. He is frustrated with the slow pace of Chunin's life and has exhausted all possible options for growth within his current constraints." Hiruzen said, "Given his wealth, status, and intellect – he is used to his seniors deferring to him. Show him that you don't fear him."
Kakashi flipped through the profile, noting the meticulous details about Itachi's behavior and tendencies. "Treat him as an adult," he repeated, more to himself than to Hiruzen.
"Exactly," Hiruzen said, his eyes scanning the garden as they walked. "Be nonchalant. Do not get attached too easily in the beginning. Lure him step by step, crumb by crumb. It is imperative that you play your cards well. We need a double agent within the Uchihas, and he is our best candidate."
Kakashi paused, looking at the profile again before closing the folder. "I understand the stakes, Lord Third. I'll get it done, no matter the cost."
Hiruzen stopped walking and turned to face Kakashi, placing a hand on his shoulder. It would have been benign if it didn't linger so closely to his neck, "If you succeed in this, Kakashi, you might be closer to wiping the stain from the Hatake family's honor given Sakumo Hatake's failure... and your own failure in protecting the Yondaime."
Kakashi bowed his head, a solemn vow in his posture. "I won't fail."
Hiruzen's expression darkened as he replied, "See that you don't. If you do, it won't be a single Hatake that pays the price. Expect collateral."
"Understood, Hokage-sama," Kakashi replied.
"Be gone," Hiruzen commanded and Kakashi vanished from the spot.
Kakashi shook his head and steeled his resolve. He will get it done no matter what. He pulled his favorite Icha-Icha series and walked up to him.
"Took you long enough, shinobi-san," Itachi said and Kakshi suppressed a smirk.
He is good. Kakashi thought.
"It was painful seeing you fail like that, comrade." Kakashi said, "With the war going on, we can't afford stragglers."
"You think you can do it better, Hakate-san?" Itachi demanded but in a quiet whisper.
"I know I can do better. Which is you will do better." Kakashi shot back.
"Show me," Itachi said.
"What's the magic word, rookie?" Kakashi smiled.
Itachi glared at him and Kakashi smiled even wider and wagged a finger at him.
"Please, Hatake-san." Itachi murmured.
"That's the spirit, kiddo!" Kakashi said.
2- Years Later
Itachi scowled as he was forced to enter through the roof. He quickly picked up the lock and slipped inside. The job of a shinobi often required deception, but being forced to break into his own home was a new low. The clan elders and his father, Uchiha Fugaku, would be meeting soon. He needed to hurry.
Pulling out his ANBU gear, he muffled his footsteps. Thankfully, he knew the house like the back of his hand and didn't waste precious time searching for stuff. His father had set up genjutsu traps, but his Sharingan saw through them easily. A few guards sensed a disturbance, but Itachi swiftly placed them in a genjutsu, making them fall asleep.
From behind the main door, he heard the muffled tones of the elders talking. This was his target. He took out a small microphone, specially designed by the R&D department to pick up even the minutest details. Itachi placed the mic against the door, recording the conversation. Every word could be crucial. Once he was satisfied, Itachi moved away from the door.
Literally climbing the walls, he quickly reached the stairs. Pausing, he saw a small girl sitting and staring up at the cloudy morning sky. It was his younger sister, Satsuki Uchiha.
A pang of guilt struck him. He had been neglecting her for the past two years, his missions and ANBU training consuming all his time and energy. He approached her quietly, trying to keep the weariness out of his voice. "Satsuki," he greeted her.
She turned her head slightly, acknowledging his presence. "You shouldn't be sneaking around the house, nii-san," she said softly.
Itachi ignored the reprimand, crouching beside her. "How have you been?"
Satsuki didn't reply, her eyes fixed on the sky. The silence between them was heavy, laden with the distance that had grown over the years.
Itachi sighed, the stress of his double life weighing heavily on him. His skin showed signs of strain, faint marks marring his once flawless complexion. "Would you like to join me in training?" he asked, hoping to tempt the fighter in her. "I could use a sparring partner."
She finally looked at him, her eyes hard and distant. "You're busy, nii-san. Don't waste your time on me. Just leave me alone."
Her words cut deeper than any blade. Itachi felt a profound sense of loss, realizing how much he had missed out on her. "Satsuki—" he began, but she turned away, dismissing him.
Without another word, he leaped away, blending into the shadows once more.
Itachi walked through the compound as calmly as he could to appear as normal as he could. Given his reputation within the village, especially the clan, quite a few people always insisted on greeting him.
"Good morning, Itachi!" a man called out.
"Good morning," Itachi replied, bowing slightly.
He noticed an elderly woman struggling with a basket of laundry. "Let me help you with that, Toka-san." he offered, taking the basket from her hands and carrying it up to her house.
"You shouldn't be working so hard, Toka-san. Given your age, something might happen." Itachi gently chided her, "Ruko should be helping you."
"Oh Itachi, you are such a good boy. Always helping me." Toka replied, "Ruko is not near right now so I thought I might as well try and get some work done."
Itachi's expression darkened again, "Is he in jail again for drinking?"
Toka merely sighed in response, confirming his suspicion. He placed the bucket inside her house and turned to her.
"Anything else I can help you, Toka-san?" Itachi asked.
"Such a good boy," she praised, patting his arm. "But I've been hearing strange buzzing noises at night. It keeps me awake. I think it's on my roof."
Itachi's expression grew serious. "I'll look into it. May I check your roof?"
"Of course, dear," she agreed, leading him to her home.
Once on the roof, Itachi quickly surveyed the area. "Could you give me a moment, Ma'am? I just need to concentrate."
"Certainly," she said, standing back.
Itachi formed a quick hand sign, placing her under a subtle genjutsu.
"I think I need to use the bathroom," she said, "Excuse me, Itachi-kun."
"Of course, Toka-san." Itachi said.
As she left, Itachi moved swiftly to the cherry tree near her home. Hidden among the branches, he found the small listening device. He turned it off, and the buzzing ceased instantly. He tucked the device into his pocket, ensuring no trace remained.
He immediately jumped from the roof and proceeded towards his new quarry. The communications building approached as Itachi quickened his speed, away from the house. Several guards saluted him upon seeing a jounin approach and Itachi nodded at them.
He put on a fake smile as he spotted his target. A girl busily listening to calls and collecting data on her terminal.
Placing his hands over her eyes, he asked, "Guess who?"
She laughed, a bright sound in the busy room. "Itachi! What are you doing here?"
"Just checking in on you," he said, releasing her eyes and moving to sit beside her. "You look tired. Working hard?"
"Always," she replied, smiling up at him. "What about you?"
He leaned closer, his voice dropping to a flirtatious whisper. "Thinking about you."
She blushed, giggling. "Oh, really?"
Itachi smirked, his hand resting lightly on her knee. "Absolutely." He glanced around quickly before leaning in to kiss her. She responded eagerly, caught up in the moment.
As they kissed, Itachi's free hand slipped into her desk drawer, retrieving a floppy disk. She was completely unaware, her attention solely on him.
They pulled apart, breathless. "You always know how to make a girl feel special," she said, smiling.
Itachi chuckled, tucking the disk into his sleeve. "Only for you," he replied smoothly.
The Decision
The dim lighting cast a long shadow over the room, reflecting the mood of their occupants. Homura threw the document on the table in frustration and clutched at his head, "So the rumors are true. I knew the day would come inevitably but so soon?"
"The Uchiha have stockpiled enough weapons, supplies, and blood inside the compound to launch a major coup." Koharu said, "They have been taking an unusual amount of sick leaves, abandoning missions, and returning to the village in large numbers. This suggests they are gathering manpower for the coup tonight at midnight."
Hiruzen frowned, his fingers drumming on the table as he contemplated the gravity of the situation. He was still annoyed none of his advisers had come forward with the solution he had advised. Politically speaking, he would be happy if for once he wasn't ordering a hit.
Homura spoke up again, his voice urgent. "Any action against the Uchiha will temporarily weaken the village. We need time to gather military strength."
Koharu shook her head, her voice sharp. "If we do nothing, the Uchiha will devastate the village with their coup."
"Our response options are limited. Most of our troops died in the aftermath of the Kyuubi attack, and the rest are on the frontlines dealing with Iwa and Kumo." He replied.
The two advisors continued to bicker, their voices rising in a heated argument. Itachi and Kakashi stood silently by the door, their eyes fixed on Hiruzen, waiting for his decision. Hiruzen raised his hand, and the room immediately fell silent. He took a few deep puffs of his pipe, the smoke curling around his head, then looked directly at Kakashi and Itachi.
"Initiate Operation Scalpel," Hiruzen ordered, his voice firm and resolute. Itachi and Kakshi immediately saluted and left the room.
Deep Breaths
He threw another Kunai against the wall. The entire room was torn up as if a wind jutsu had gone wrong inside it.
"Calm yourself Itachi." Kakshi cautioned, "The decision has been made. The Uchihas cast the die and didn't hit the jackpot."
"But the entire clan? Even the civilians." Itachi harshly said as hot angry tears streamed down his face, "The entire clan will be put to death? Is that all there is to it? The century of loyalty doesn't matter?"
"No, it didn't. They squandered it all away." Kakashi said, "Look at me kid, this is going to happen. One way or the other. With or without you."
Itachi didn't respond and Kakashi snapped his fingers in front of him to gain his attention.
"Pull yourself together, Itachi. The terms aren't all that bad. Satsuki can still live in the aftermath. Through her, a new Uchiha clan be forged that will be more in line with the will of fire." Kakashi said.
"You make it sound all too easy. Go in, kill all and exfiltrate. Aside from the fact there is no exfiltration. It's my fucking home! My fucking family!" Itachi said.
Kakashi remained silent for a while before speaking again,
"Au contraire, Itachi-kun. I know exactly what it feels like." Kakashi said and Itachi raised an expectant eyebrow at that.
"The white fang, Sakumo Hakate, my father. Everybody believes he committed suicide after failing a mission in the war to avenge his honor." Kakashi said, "That is a cover story we tell the people to hide the more sensitive parts of the story. Mission failures happen all the time and if people were forced to commit suicide because of that, the village would be a lot empty."
"What happened?" Itachi whispered.
"He refused orders. He was ordered to attack a convoy carrying the children of Suna Daimoyo. He was to kill everyone and take the princess hostage. He refused after what some believed was falling in love with her. A lot of our people were killed when he ordered a retreat." Kakashi said, "He didn't wish to harm non-combatants even though capturing them would've brought Suna to heel sooner rather than later."
"What happened to the white fang?" Itachi asked.
"I killed him" Kakashi confessed, and Itachi gasped in horror.
"w- why Taicho?" Itachi gasped, "Why?!"
"I was a genin at the time. I was officially part of the shinobi corp and had to follow orders. The Hokage was perfectly within his rights to assign whatever mission he deemed necessary for the greater good of the village." Kakashi said, "Sakumo Hakate refused to regain his honor by volunteering for a suicide mission. He refused to accept responsibility for the failure. Instead, he demanded a court martial from the Jounin commander. He openly insulted Hokage-sama for ordering the murder of alleged non-combatants."
"Minato-sensei was first tapped to kill him for treason as he was the only one in the village near his skill level." Kakashi said, "But why use a hammer when a silent blade would work just as well? I cooked most dinners for us. It was a simple task to slip poison in his sake."
"You killed your own father taichou?!" Itachi gasped.
"No, I killed a traitor." Kakashi said, "To wipe the stain of dishonor from our clans and families, we must do whatever it takes. Like forging away impurities from iron at incredible temperatures, we must be unceasing."
"Besides, it all worked out for me, ne?" Kakashi smiled, "The Yondaime was more of a father than thousand Sakumo Hatake put together."
Itachi looked away from him, not willing to meet his eyes.
A few treacherous sighs left Itachi and Kakashi reached into his bag and pulled out an injection.
"Here this will help," he said as he deftly plunged it into Itachi's neck, "Adrenaline shots. Will help you overcome your nerves."
Of course, it was a psychoactive agent designed by Tsunade-sama but that didn't need to be said aloud.
"Go now, bring justice to the traitors." Kakashi said, "Without remorse. Without regret."
"Without remorse. Without regret." Itachi replied.
The Plunge
Culling the Uchihas had been remarkably easy. Their water supply had been laced with chemicals since afternoon and it started to take effect just now. Hundreds simply dropped dead by poison. That's when the entire village moved in.
The first time the Uchiha noticed something had gone wrong was when it was silent. Dead silent. No bawling babes, couples sneaking in the night, or clang of cooking utensils. The training grounds too were dead empty.
Unfortunately, they had noticed it too late. They put up meager defenses, but it was too little too late.
Itachi moved through the streets with gleeful abandon, cutting down human after human. He did not relent, didn't offer a single quarter. His nerves were a superhighway carrying a cocktail of psychoactive agents
His eyes blazed with red fury for he had attained the pinnacle of what sharingan could offer – The Mangekyou.
Behind the frenzy, Hyuga shinobi mounted the walls and prevented Itachi from being encircled or sniped by archers atop the rooftops. Hiashi grinned as the raiders went house by house and dragged screaming Uchihas and killed them. They had the right of the first plunder and by the gods, he will have it! Long had Uchihas opposed them as a major family operating in Konoha, it was time to simply kill them all.
Unbeknownst to all, a squad of ANBU shinobi quietly raced above the ravaging Hyuga as fast as possible to secure their cargo. Failure would not be tolerated. They soon reached the manor of Lord Fugaku Uchiha just in time as Itachi stood in front of the main gates. The ANBU paused for a moment; this was not something they were prepared for. Confronting Itachi right now would guarantee mission failure.
Thankfully, Itachi ignored them and moved inside the house. The shinobi cracked open the windows and raced to the secret basement beneath the manor. A place that neither Itachi, Kakashi or even Danzo knew about. Only two people in existence knew and one of them was Hiruzen Sarutobi. Hiruzen had learned of it from his sensei, Tobirama Senju.
The only way to unlock it had been through the blood of Madara Uchiha. Luckily, they had a vial waiting well over a century for this precise moment. The mighty gate vault opened without a noise as soon as the blood came into contact with it and the ANBU moved in to secure their cargo.
The Last Gamble
Uchiha Shisui grunted in pain as he walked over to the bunker and quickly punched in the code. He let out a few pained breaths once he was inside the elevator.
Damned Itachi. Shisui cursed in his mind.
Why was it always neurotic, melodramatic bastards that made the worst of all possible choices. The traitor turned his blade on his own kind. Just when they were on the cusp of a breakthrough. The Third Hokage had found all their terms agreeable, a quite shocking roundabout from the hardline position he had adopted in the earlier week. Lord Fugaku had chalked it up to the village needing more soldiers for protection in the wake of Kyubi's rampage.
He knew something was wrong when it wasn't just Itachi on a rampage. He had spotted the trademark aftermath of Hyuga clan's taijutsu on the bodies of several victims. That's when it dawned upon him, this was all a plot to lull them into a false sense of safety. That's when Shisui had to make the toughest choice of his life. To choose a front, confront Itachi or make a last stand against the rampaging Hyuga. He chose neither.
Shisui took out a tape recorder and began to record his thoughts, hoping against hope that some long-term sleeper shinobi of Uchiha heritage was still away from the village who could escape. He pressed the record button and began speaking,
"My name is Uchiha Shisui, if you are hearing this, we have been betrayed. Konoha is no longer safe for us anymore – if you are Uchiha you must escape. I have marked all possible locations of my hidden stash. Use it well!"
Author Notes:
"Life sucks and then you die." Vincent Kennedy McMahon. If you are still expecting hippie happy go lucky fixit stuff where Naruto will fall in love with Hinata and use talk no jutsu to fix stuff – you dear reader, are in a wrong place.
If you think the "villains" in this story will be weak or incompetent like 90% of fics on this site – you my dear reader are in a very very wrong place.
If you like this review. If the response is sufficient, I will post another chapter. For now consider it done and dusted. My "magnum opus", The Serpent Shedding Its Skin, a HP time traveling fic is my no1 priority.
Thank you!