Danzo stood at the entrance of the Root base nearest to where he had confronted Shisui, waiting for news from his men. The boy managing to give him the slip and escape while also retrieving his eye, was not a scenario he had thought possible.

'I underestimated him due to his age,'the old man thought grimly, his fingers tightening around his wooden cane. Just because Shisui wasn't even fourteen years old, he had assumed that the Uchiha would have given up in the face of overwhelming opposition.'To think that he fought back despite the disadvantages…a shame that he never agreed to join me.'

Over half an hour had passed since his men had pursued the Uchiha and the fact that no news had reached him yet was troubling.

Just as Danzo was considering whether he should head out himself, Kinoto appeared out of nowhere, dropping to his knees in front of his leader.

"Danzo-sama."

"Report."

Kinoto bowed his head, posture tense as he started to speak. "We pursued Uchiha Shisui to the Naka River, forcing him to head towards the cliffs in order to corner him. But when we reached the top, he wasn't there."

Danzo frowned. He knew of the place Kinoto was referring to and there was no easy way to escape from there, not unless one had a flying-type summon or could use a teleportation jutsu, like the Yondaime Hokage's Hiraishin for example.

Shisui had neither of those.

Besides, he wouldn't have even had the chakra for a simple Kawarimi, let alone the Kuchiyose or some complicated jutsu.

"Continue."

"Our conclusion was that he had likely committed suicide by throwing himself over the cliff. There were no traces that showed him heading elsewhere, Danzo-sama."

Kinoto reached into his hip pouch and withdrew a scroll, unravelling it to unseal an item from it. He held it out to Danzo, "We found this stuck in the rocks near the banks of the Naka River."

The item was Shisui's tanto, the blade coated with traces of dried blood, presumably from the Root operatives Shisui had killed when making his first escape. If the weapon had indeed slipped from the Uchiha's hand as he fell into the river, it was remarkable that it was still in one piece.

Danzo took the tanto, examining it carefully. Upon closer inspection, he could see that itwasdamaged; the wrapping around the hilt was tattered and coming loose, the blade dented in some places and the sharp edge was chipped.

'The seals engraved on the tanto might be what kept it from shattering on impact,'the man surmised, noting that the seals were of a high level and powerful. The uchiwa pattern on the hilt made it all the clear of who its owner was.

Looking back at Kinoto, Danzo asked, expression darkening with muted fury, "What of the boy's body?"

"We've found no traces of it so far, Danzo-sama. Operatives have been deployed to search the area around where we last believed the Uchiha to have been and also to check along the river."

"What is the probability of Shisui surviving the fall?"

"None. The drop is over two hundred feet high and the river is particularly turbulent in that area. Even if Uchiha survived, he would have drowned if he had lost consciousness and if not, the poison would have killed him."

"That is true," Danzo murmured, glancing at the battered tanto again. It seemed like Kotoamatsukami was lost to him, unless his men somehow managed to retrieve Uchiha Shisui's body. Considering the strength and depth of the Naka River though, it was more likely to be impossible.

'I should have killed him immediately and then taken his eyes,'the leader of Root thought with an internal grimace, feeling all of his careful plans go down the drain.

Most of his main plans had had Kotoamatsukami as a vital factor, the technique necessary to get the people he needed on his side. But with it no longer viable, Danzo had to resort to his back-up plan, which would take years to come to fruition, if it even succeeded in the way he wanted.

"Keep looking for the body," Danzo ordered his subordinate, voice shaking slightly with suppressed anger. He never liked well-laid plans going awry. "Even if you don't find it, I want assurance that Shisui is dead."

"Yes, Danzo-sama!"

With that, Kinoto vanished, leaving the old Shimura alone at the entrance of the Root base.

Danzo looked at the tanto in his hand, deciding that it would make a nice prop for his next plans. He turned in the direction of the village, two Root nin appearing from the shadows of the trees to follow him.

He had to finish his plans that very night.


Itachi stood in front of the door to Shisui's house, wondering why his friend wasn't home despite the late hour. The older Uchiha normally took care to return to the Uchiha Compound by seven at night, unless he had a mission or a patrol shift.

But Itachi knew for certain Shisui didn't have anything on his schedule that day.

'Should I call for our summons?'

Before he could follow through on his thoughts, there was a faint rustling of leaves on his right and Itachi turned in that direction, eyes narrowed.'There's no wind,'he thought, ready and alert for anything.'If it was another Uchiha, they wouldn't be hiding.'

The answer to his internal question came when the culprit stepped out partly from behind the trees, a porcelain mask covering their face.

But their identity was clear.

Root.

Judging by the Root nin's physique, it was a woman. She didn't make any moves, threatening or otherwise, simply staring at Itachi for a few seconds before turning on her heel and striding back into the cover of the trees.

'She wants me to follow her,'Itachi realized, hands curling into fists. What were the odds that Root nin were lurking around Shisui's house the same time that Itachi was looking for him?

Simply standing around wouldn't bring him any answers and Itachi decided to follow the woman, but not without activating a few barrier seals that he always carried with him. They weren't his work but Hikari's, guaranteeing their effectiveness even against high-ranked jutsu. The seals gave him a layer of security that he normally wouldn't have when dealing with Root.

Besides, Itachi doubted that they would do anything overly nefarious with the Uchiha clan grounds.

A single flare of chakra and the nearby patrols would come running.

Itachi followed the Root nin through the trees, a kunai ready in his hand while making sure to keep a few paces behind her. She led him in a straight path, not bothering to even try to confuse him.

Eventually, the trees thinned out, revealing a fairly spacious area. It wasn't quite a clearing, but the forest growth wasn't very dense, ribbons of moonlight illuminating the ground.

"Danzo-sama, I've brought Uchiha Itachi."

The woman vanished and reappeared next to her leader, dropping to kneel on one knee at the man's left, her fellow Root nin at the Shimura's right. Danzo, for his part, stood straight and radiated an aura of confidence and arrogance, making Itachi's hackles rise.

The Clan Heir had suspected that he was being led to meet Danzo himself, since there was no point in drawing him into an ambush while still on Uchiha grounds. Since he had been proved correct, Itachi didn't let his guard drop, staying on the opposite side of the little space.

"Danzo-sama, what brings you here, especially at this time of the night?"

In response, the Shimura threw something at him. There wasn't any force in the throw, so Itachi knew that it wasn't meant to be an attack. Still, he did not look at the item now lying on the grass.

Noticing this, Danzo mentally complimented the boy's caution and tilted his head at him. "I am only here to speak to you, Uchiha Itachi. You have my word."

'Your word means nothing to me,'Itachi thought with uncharacteristic disdain, nevertheless taking a quick glance at the ground.

Or what wassupposedto be a quick glance.

Lying on the wild grass, slightly illuminated by a ray of moonlight, was a very familiar tanto.

"How did you get that?" Itachi asked, voice soft and composed, even when he felt like breaking inside. That tanto had been a birthday gift from Hikari to Shisui, engraved with the best seals she had ever made and clearly crafted to compliment the Uchiha's skills. Shisui had absolutely loved it and had always kept it on him.

To see it in Danzo's hands, so battered and worn…

It only meant one thing.

"Uchiha Shisui was a traitor who turned against his village and had attempted to kill an esteemed Advisor to the Hokage."

Itachi's head snapped up at the overly pretentious and flowery words, well-aware that it wasn't Danzo's usual way of speaking. "Shisui would never do such a thing," he murmured, eyes narrowed as anger began to overpower the sorrow.

"But it is what the people will believe," Danzo returned, a small smirk on his face. "After all, who would listen to the words of the Heir of a clan that plotted a coup?"

Everything clicked into place.

"The Elders…you planned for this."

"Correct."

"Why?"

Danzo did not answer that, instead holding out his hand to the boy. "Now, you have a choice to make, Uchiha Itachi," he stated, voice ringing with a warped sense of authority and superiority. "Will you follow me and become a member of Root, or will you side with your clan and bring ruin?"

Itachi stilled, staring at the man who desired his clan's demise. His ears were ringing, brain rapidly putting all the pieces of the puzzle together to form the whole picture.

A very dark picture.

"You have until midnight. I sincerely hope you make the right choice, Uchiha Itachi."


Itachi wasn't aware of how much time had passed since Danzo had left, staring blankly at the tanto lying on the grass.

He knew what had likely happened.

But he didn't want to admit it.

If he did, it would make it real.

After what felt like hours but was only a few minutes in reality, Itachi dragged himself forward and picked up the tanto, confirming for himself that it was genuine and not a fake Danzo had made to fool him.

'It's…real. There's no way Danzo could replicate these seals,'he thought, running a finger over the blade before sealing it into a scroll. He needed to focus on something else first.

As they had suspected, Danzo had been after Shisui's Mangekyou, wanting the power that it held. But knowing Shisui, he wouldn't have allowed it to happen.

And so…

Itachi shook his head, resolutely not thinking about it. He turned around, heading back to his house. His mind was a blank all throughout the walk, nothing truly making sense to him anymore.

"Itachi?"

Only the call of his name jolted him out of his thoughts and the boy looked up to find his father watching him, a frown on the man's face.

When had he reached home?

"Itachi? Are you alright?" Fugaku repeated his words, taking a few steps forward when he received no reply. It was by pure chance that he had noticed his son entering the house, having thought that he was going to spend the night at Shisui's.

Itachi had looked like he'd seen something he wished he hadn't, pale and unsettled. His eyes had stared ahead blankly, not really focusing on anything and it also felt like he wasn't breathing.

"…Father."

"Did something happen?"

"No. I was just lost in thought."

'He's lying,'Fugaku thought as he studied his son, not sure what had set him off and how to fix it. Itachi was taciturn most of the time and that made it hard to guess what he was thinking or feeling.

Sighing when no answer was forthcoming, Fugaku placed a hand on the boy's shoulder, startling him a little. "If you ever need anything, no matter how insignificant, my door is always open to you."

Itachi stared up at his father in shock, eyes wide. It was unusual for Fugaku to outright say such a thing but he realized that he must be worrying the man with his strange behavior.

Realizing that Fugaku was waiting for a response, Itachi gave a short nod.

Satisfied, Fugaku released his hold on his son and turned on his heel, intending to go to his study to get some work done before he slept. Itachi calling out to him made him pause though, turning around only to be treated to the rare sight of his son's small but genuine smile.

But for some reason, it made him feel uneasy.

"Thank you, Father."


After that short exchange with his father, Itachi headed up the stairs, intending to isolate himself in his room for a bit. He needed the silence.

He needed tothink.

WhatwouldShisuidoinmyplace-

Don'tthinkaboutit!Don'tthinkaboutit-!

Nononononono!

A faint snuffling sound caught his attention, somehow dragging him out of the dark pit he was about to fall into and Itachi paused mid-step, looking in the direction of where it had come from.

'Sasuke.'

Suddenly filled with the desperate urge to see his little brother, Itachi changed his course, movements stiff and tense as he silently stepped into the younger Uchiha's bedroom. Sasuke was turned away from the door, curled up tightly underneath his quilt. The only sound in the room was that of the child's breathing.

'He's still here. Sasuke is alive and with me.'

Itachi knelt next to the futon, a minutely shaking hand reaching out to stroke his little brother's hair. As if sensing his big brother's presence, Sasuke turned around and snuggled into the touch, sleepy eyes opening to regard the person next to him.

"…nii-san?"

"Go back to sleep, Sasuke."

"'Kay…"

Reassured by Itachi's familiar and kind smile, the little boy almost immediately went back to sleep, unaware of the effect he had just had on his brother. Itachi stayed like that for a little longer, watching Sasuke sleep peacefully without a care in the world.

"In order to protect this, I…"


Splashing water on her face, Hikari shivered a little at the chill that felt biting on her skin, but ultimately disregarded it. She turned off the water and reached for the little towel that hung near the washbasin, drying her face.

A few loose strands of crimson hair fell into her face and she huffed, blowing them away. A glance at the mirror revealed the minor mess that was her hair, tangled and knotted. Not really in the mood to fix it, Hikari simply undid her ponytail, brushing the strands with her fingers.

"Ow, ow, ow…"

The girl hissed when her fingers pulled at a particularly vicious knot, picking at it with her nails but eventually giving it up as a lost case when it didn't yield.

"Huh? Is that Itachi?"

She was moving before she even realized it, redoing her ponytail without sorting out the rest of the mess, deciding that it was still presentable. It was strange, after all, Itachi coming over to her place at that time of the night.

It wasn't until Hikari was descending the stairs that she noticed the turmoil in her friend's chakra, emotions all over the place. Her concern spiked and she hopped down quickly, taking two steps at a time.

Itachi was still standing in the doorway, still and as unmoving as a statue. His eyes were shadowed by his bangs, lips pressed in a thin line.

"Itachi, are you alright?"

Hikari came over to stand in front of the boy, trying to look into his eyes. Even if his face was a stone mask, one could tell his emotions from his eyes, if they knew how to look. But Itachi never looked up, keeping his eyes hidden.

"Would it be okay to ask something of you?"

"Of course," the redhead answered without hesitation, concern growing at the flat and emotionless tone.

"If something happens to me, will you look after Sasuke?"

Forget budding concern.

It was outright panic now.

"First, nothing's going to happen to you," Hikari replied sharply, blue eyes narrowed as she studied the eleven-year-old in front of her. Something was terribly wrong and she had to find out what it was. "Second, is that even a question?"

Finally Itachi looked up, but Hikari could only read relief and resignation in his eyes. Nothing that could give her a hint of whatever had caused the turmoil she could still feel in his chakra. "I suppose it was stupid of me to ask. Thank you, Hikari. I should be going now."

"Oh, no, you're not!"

Faster than she'd ever allowed the boys to see her move, Hikari caught the Uchiha's wrist in a vice-like grip, yanking him away from the door. Expression set in a scowl, she snapped, "You're not going anywhere until you tell me what's going on in your head!"

"It's nothing."

When Itachi made a serious attempt to break free from her, Hikari tackled him, using her weight to hold him down and pinning his wrists to the floor. No way was she letting him go when he was still so unsettled; there had to be a reason why he had sought her out so late in the night.

She was almost physically sick with worry.

Itachi gritted his teeth in frustration, almost glaring at the girl hovering over him. He didn't need this, not when he had made his choice. But the Uzumaki wasn't going to let him leave until she had her answers.

"Now, are you going to spill or not?"

"It's noth-"

"Don't tell me it's nothing when it's obviouslynot!"

"Shisui is dead!"

What?

Hikari's grip on the Uchiha's wrists slackened but Itachi didn't notice, finally meeting the startled girl's eyes. They weren't his normal black, but the red of his Sharingan, the three tomoe swirling around slowly.

"Who told you that?" she asked after a few moments of stunned silence. There was an odd note in her voice, but Itachi didn't pick up on it, far too lost in his grief.

"Danzo-sama came by earlier…he brought Shisui's tanto with him. He…he has no reason to lie."

As Hikari watched, the tomoe of Itachi's Sharingan shifted and merged, forming three spiraling curves around the pupil. Tears of blood started to stream down his cheeks and Hikari subconsciously wiped them away using her sleeve.

Itachi flinched when Hikari cupped his face in her hands, tilting his head to meet her gaze. "Listen, Itachi, I-"

"Hikari-chan, is Itachi here? I thought I heard his voice."

In a flash, the redhead leapt off the frozen Uchiha under her and spun on her heel, hissing, "I told you to stay in bed, Shisui!"

"Yeah, but Itachi sounded really upset."

"…what's going on?"

Having sat up a few moments after Hikari had gotten off of him, Itachi stared past the girl and towards the top of the stairs, where a familiar figure stood, supporting himself against the wall.

Shisui looked haggard, complexion pale but not enough to appear bloodless. The part that stood out the most was the thick bandage wrapped around his head, covering his right eye. All in all, he looked as if a breeze would knock him over.

Butnotdead.

The older Uchiha's visible eye swept across the room, landing on a stunned Itachi. He smiled, relief on his features when he saw that his friend was alright. But his smile almost immediately turned into a frown when he saw the faint bloodstains on Itachi's cheeks. A closer look told him the cause.

"Is that…"

"The Mangekyou."

Hikari sighed, resigned to her idiots' antics and instead helped Shisui down the stairs, settling him on a couch before moving to the other Uchiha in the room. Hauling a mostly unresponsive Itachi to his feet, she shoved him on the couch next to Shisui, knowing that whatever subspace Itachi was stuck in, Shisui would be able to pull him out.

Sure enough, the moment Shisui placed a hand on the eleven-year-old's shoulder, Itachi jolted out of his stupor, eyes wide and glassy with unshed tears. He threw himself at the teen, arms wrapping around Shisui's torso as he buried his face against the older boy's neck.

"Itachi? What's wrong?" Shisui asked worriedly, returning the embrace. His frown deepened when he noticed that Itachi was shaking like a leaf in a storm, glancing helplessly at Hikari when there was no reply.

Said redhead was watching the two Uchiha, lips pursed and clearly in thought. "Danzo believes you are dead," she said after a few moments, face wiped of all emotion, a clear sign that she wasn't happy. "I think he wanted to use that assumption to manipulate Itachi."

"He wants me to join Root or else he will frame the Uchiha Clan, saying that we're inciting a coup," Itachi spoke, drawing back a little and wiping his eyes. He seemed to have regained most of his composure, but looked unwilling to move too far from Shisui.

Not that anyone minded.

Hikari pinched the bridge of her nose, angered.'Damn that old geezer…he will pay for this. One way or the other.'

While she was settling her emotions, Shisui told Itachi everything that had happened, from the moment he had encountered Danzo in the forest until he had thrown himself off the cliff.

"I thought I was a goner for sure," he admitted, staring at the Uzumaki with a hint of awe. "The fall or the poison…I thought either one of them would have killed me."

"You're not dying on me that easily."


Hours ago…

Hikari was pacing the length of the living room, biting her lip in thought. At first, she had thought it would have been okay to let Shisui go out of the village for a little while, sending Kira and Kaya to warn him. She wasn't happy, not by a long shot. But she had hoped that he would be just taking a walk or something.

"I should have dragged him back," she muttered under her breath, ignoring Kakashi who was watching her from the couch, eyebrow raised. "I know that he's on the reckless side but just because Root has been silent for a while, doesn't mean that Danzo isn't plotting something."

It had been two hours and Shisui still wasn't back within her passive sensory range.

Feeling anxious and cursing her carelessness, Hikari extended her senses, covering all the forests around Konoha.

What she sensed almost made her heart stop.

Shisui's chakra reserves were ridiculously low and there was so much panic that Hikari found it difficult to breathe. His chakra was also erratic, something that she knew wasn't due to adrenaline or fear.

'He's poisoned,'she thought absently, frozen in place.

What made the situation all the worse was the number of Root nin chasing him. If Shisui paused for even a moment, he would be done for.

"Kakashi-nii."

Her voice came out flat, making the Hatake stiffen and turn to her fully. Whenever she got like that, Kakashi knew it was best to do whatever she asked. So he got to his feet, waiting.

"Everyone is in the second wing, right?"

The second wing referred to the new wing added to the house upon the inclusion of Shin and Sai. While the house was large, there weren't enough rooms to give everyone a room of their own, especially on the floors they wanted to be.

So, with Tenzo's help, the house had been modified to accommodate more people. The kids had instantly become enamored with the new wing and had promptly claimed rooms there. An amused Manami had followed them, along with Tenzo who had been practically forced to move in. That left Hikari and Kakashi in their original rooms, with the now empty rooms for guests.

"Yes," Kakashi nodded, understanding that something serious had happened.

"Keep them there. Don't let anyone come here before at least morning."

"Got it."

Nodding once to Kakashi, Hikari turned back to her thoughts, planning her next course of action.'I don't have any Hiraishin markers anywhere near that area,'she cursed. Even if she headed out on foot at that very instant, she wouldn't be able to make it in time.

'Wait, Shisui is heading towards the Naka river. Maybe…'

There was a marker a few miles downstream from where Shisui currently was, and she decided that it was a good starting point. At least it was better than nothing.

The next instant, Hikari was at the river bank, taking off in a run as soon as her feet touched the ground. Shisui's chakra signature was weakening and there was no time for hesitation or second thoughts. She ran as fast as she could, not caring if the rocks cut her bare feet.

Her heart beat wildly in her chest, reminding her of memories that she'd rather not recall right then.

'Focus, Hikari,'she told herself, using a boulder to launch herself forward a good distance.'I will not falter here.'

It took less than a minute for the cliff Shisui was currently on to come into view, but Hikari only had a nanosecond of relief.

Blue eyes widened at the sight of the Uchiha standing at the very edge, Hikari's breath catching and stuttering as she realized what he was about to do.

'No!'

Her mouth opened in a silent scream as Shisui let himself fall, her hand extended towards him uselessly as she kept running.

'You idiot!'

There was no way she could get to him before he hit the water, which guaranteed his death. Hikari's mind had blanked out, nothing that could be of use coming up.

Suddenly, she felt a build-up of chakra and something golden whizzed past her, heading straight for the falling boy.

'Mom's chakra chains!'

It really was the same golden chakra chains Kushina had used before, but this time Hikari knew they were her own, considering the chakra signature they emitted.

Not thinking further about it, Hikari instinctively made the chains wrap around Shisui and pulled him to her, grabbing hold of the now unconscious teen and disappearing.

The only sign that someone had even been there was Shisui's discarded tanto, falling to the ground with a clatter that went unheard thanks to the roaring of the Naka river, seconds after the pair had vanished.


"Adamantine Sealing Chains…it's a technique that certain Uzumaki can use. Honestly, I don't know its requirements, but they can attack, while also neutralizing a target by sealing their chakra," Hikari explained, manifesting a couple of chains to show the boys. "That was the first time I've used it, so I guess they're Adamantine Attacking Chains, since I don't know how to suppress chakra with them yet."

"Sounds pretty cool," Shisui commented, poking one of the chains with a finger. The chain felt warm to the touch but it didn't have any effect on him, so he supposed Hikari's theory of not being able to use them to subdue people was correct.

"Anyway, after bringing Shisui here, I removed the poison from his body using a technique a friend taught, or well,showedme before,but," the redhead pointed a finger at the Uchiha, who raised his hands in surrender, "you're not fully healed yet. Some effects of the poison still remain and I've sent samples to Shikaku-san to make an antidote. Not to mention the trauma of having youreye plucked out."

Itachi startled at that, understanding the need for the bandage now. "He stole your eye? You only said that Danzo wanted them."

Shisui grimaced but nodded. "He said that he needed them for his plans and I could guess they involved Hikari-chan, Naruto and Gaara. I couldn't let that happen."

There was complete silence for a few minutes, the three of them coming to terms with the close call they'd just had.

"You know, looking back on things with a clearer head, I could have gotten to Shisui in a faster way," Hikari remarked, smiling wryly when the boys looked at her in askance. "I could have gotten Kikyo, Isao or Chika to Reverse Summon you to the Summon dimension and then here."

Shisui snorted after processing that, shaking his head. "I could have done that too, once I had managed to create some distance between me and Root."

"And I could have checked with our summons if Danzo had told the truth," Itachi added in a quiet voice. "A connection with a summoner can't be cut off easily within a short time span."

"In our defence, none of us were in our right minds. Anyway, we can analyze our mistakes and what not later. What are we going to do now?" Hikari asked, settling on the couch opposite the two Uchiha. While there was something she wanted to do, she also wanted to know what the boys thought.

Meeting Hikari's gaze, Itachi answered, tone unusually hesitant, "I want to protect my clan. If I don't turn up by midnight, Danzo would go through with his plan of framing us."

The redhead frowned. "Would that even work?"

"I forgot we didn't tell you, but what I saw back then makes sense now. Danzo used one of his Root operatives to provoke the Uchiha Elders into planning a coup. Rumors have already spread around the compound, so yes, there's a chance that it would work."

Hikari saw red.

"So you're saying that, despite everything, Danzo still thinks he could get his hands on the Uchiha?" she hissed, expression contorting with anger as she slammed her hands down on the coffee table, the wood cracking under the force.

That bastard!

Shisui and Itachi nodded slowly, inching away from her. Not that they thought she'd hit them, but they had never seen her that furious before.

Closing her eyes, Hikari took a deep calming breath. She looked at the boys, "Do you trust me?"

"Do you even need to ask?" Shisui asked wryly, giving her a lopsided smile. "You know I do."

"Yes" was Itachi's simple but serious reply.

"…thank you."

Hikari wasn't able to crack a smile but her eyes softened a little, heart warming at the explicit trust they had in her. "Will you follow my lead for now? I promise I'll answer all your questions later."

With that, she held her hands out.

The two Uchiha looked at each other and then at Hikari, nodding once and placing one hand in each of hers.

"Whatever is necessary."


Hiruzen looked up with a slight startle when Hikari appeared in his office with no warning, her two Uchiha friends in tow. They looked dazed and a little awed, but that wasn't what he focused on.

No, his attention was drawn to the storm cloud hovering over the redhead.

"Hikari-chan? Did something happen?"

"Somethingdid, alright," she snapped, glowering at the old Sarutobi. She had warned him time and again to keep averyshort leash on Danzo, but he had not listened. The only differences Hikari saw between him and her dimension's Sandaime was his unwillingness to be swayed completely by Danzo's words. He still let the war hawk's actions slide.

Pointing a finger at him, she said, "Shisui and Itachi have something very important to tell you. Youwilllisten and youwillbelieve them. I have something to do but I'll be back in half an hour or less. Not one strand of hair on their heads will be touched."

Hikari let the threat hang in the air, still glaring as she stomped her foot, sending chakra down into the privacy seal still on the floor of the Hokage's office. Truthfully, she didn't need to be so forceful but she needed a way to vent.

Not waiting for the Sandaime's reply, Hikari turned to the two Uchiha at her back. They looked contemplative, Shisui stating, "That wasn't the Shunshin."

"No," Hikari agreed, expression serious but without even a hint of the anger she had shown to Hiruzen. "I'll tell you later."

Itachi smiled at her faintly, "I'll hold you to that."

The redhead laughed a little, herding Shisui towards the chairs placed against the wall and making him sit, despite his protests. Itachi hovered next to him, not wanting to sit and Hikari didn't force him.

Hikari pressed her hand against the wall behind the boys, black chakra lines extending from the point of contact. The seal pulsed once, radiating blue light before a barrier sprung out, enveloping the two and disappearing from sight. "Don't leave the boundary. I'll know if you do."

Before she could leave, Shisui grabbed her hand. "Are you sure this is the right thing to do?"

"Yes. You'll understand later."

"…alright."

The Uzumaki looked back at the confused and alarmed Sandaime, threatening him one last time before vanishing, "Not asingle hair."

The occupants of the room stared at the spot where the redhead had been just a second ago, various emotions in their expressions.

Hiruzen sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. When he had stayed late in his office to do some paperwork, he had not expected the current situation. "Shisui-kun, Itachi-kun. What do you have to tell me?"

The boys initially hesitated but recalling Hikari's confident words, obliged. Shisui started with his part of the story first.

"To start with, Hokage-sama, you must know that Root has been following me around the village for a while now, Itachi too at times. This evening, I encountered Danzo-sama in the forest," he paused, swallowing as he raised a hand to cover his bandaged eye. "He revealed that he had learnt about the power of my Sharingan and wanted it for his own purposes."

Only Itachi's hand on his shoulder anchored him and Shisui gritted his teeth, forcing back the awful memories. He could have a breakdown later.

Taking a deep breath, he continued, "When I tried to escape, I was poisoned and Danzo-sama took advantage of that to take my right eye. I couldn't let it happen so I fought back and retrieved it. Since Root operatives had blocked my path to Konoha, I had to take a different way out."

Shisui was fairly certain that they had cornered him on the cliffs over the Naka river on purpose.

"I ended up on a cliff. With the poison in me, I had no chance of survival and my pursuers were catching up, so I…I threw myself over the edge."

A clattering noise echoed in the room as the pen in Hiruzen's hand slid out of his slack fingers and fell to the floor, the man frozen in shock as he finally realized what had gotten Hikari soangry. Schooling his expression, he murmured, "Continue."

Shisui shrugged, uncomfortable about recalling how close he had come to death. "Hikari-chan saved me, somehow got the poison out and even re-implanted my eye. That's it, Hokage-sama."

Hiruzen had to hide a grimace.

Even without the Uchiha's situation being bad, things had managed to turn out the same way as it had in Hikari's original dimension. If it wasn't for Hikari being who she was, Shisui would be dead now.

But there was still more to hear.

"Itachi-kun, your part?"

"Danzo-sama came to me earlier tonight. He believed that Shisui was dead, having fallen off the cliff. As proof, he gave me his tanto," Itachi held up the battered tanto, giving it to his friend with a small smile when Shisui made a grab for it. "The conviction in his words and his terms when he gave me a choice to make, unfortunately led me to believe him."

The young boy's voice shook at the end, prompting Shisui to pull him down onto the chair next to him, intertwining his fingers with the younger boy's. Itachi used the hold to remind himself that Shisui was alive, safe and warm.

'Shisui is right here and he isn't going anywhere. We're alright.'

"The choice Danzo-sama gave me was to either join Root or to let my clan be destroyed. He had had his men provoke the Elders into planning a coup, so that he could spread rumors about us."

Itachi paused for a moment, staring down at his hands.

"In order to protect them, even temporarily, I decided to join him. But I decided to visit Hikari for a personal matter before I went to Danzo-sama, where I found out that Shisui was still alive. She brought us here after hearing what happened to us."

"I'm sorry, boys," Hiruzen murmured after he had processed everything the Uchiha had said, sighing as he felt a headache coming on. He had no idea how to deal with Danzo; warning him seemed to have no effect, considering that he had done such a thing right under his nose.

Before anything else could be said, the door slammed open with such force that it struck the wall and bounced back, almost hitting the people who had entered.


"Hiruzen, there is a matter I need to-You!"

Danzo actually froze in his tracks when his gaze fell upon Shisui, who was clearlynotdead, despite what he and his men had believed.

Even Itachi was with him, meaning that his back-up plan had failed.

In an attempt to get control over the situation, he said, "Hiruzen, you should arrest those boys immediately! They're traitors to the village, planning a coup and even attacking me!"

Danzo had had one of his men tail Itachi to see what the boy would do; when he had disappeared into the Uzumaki's house and hadn't come out after a long time, he had thought that Itachi was planning to use the girl's connection to the Hokage as a way out.

Not intending to allow him the chance, Danzo had immediately set out for the Hokage Tower. If he could get there before the children, then he could frame them as traitors and cast doubt on the Uchiha Clan. Even if Hiruzen didn't completely believe him, as long as Danzo could get rid of Hikari and Itachi, there wasn't much the Sarutobi could do to him without proof.

His subordinate had told him that no one had left the Uzumaki's house, so how was Itachi in the Hokage's office?

And how had Shisui survived both the fall and the poison?

'No matter; as long as I can silence them, it will be fine.'

Rattled as he was, Danzo did not even consider the possibility that the Sandaime was already informed of his transgressions.

A flick of his wrist had the Root nin who had accompanied Danzo rushing forwards, their blades out and aimed for the boys' throats. But they slammed into an invisible barrier shielding the two Uchiha, none of their attacks going through.

"That is quite enough, Danzo!"

Hiruzen's thundering voice made everyone freeze and turn to him. The Sandaime radiated an aura of pure fury, appalled at the audacity Danzo had, to attack his shinobi right in front of his eyes on made-up charges.

"Do you truly believe that I cannot see through your lies?" he demanded, getting to his feet and walking to the front of the desk. The two Root operatives backed away, cowed by the killing intent from the man. "Did you think I would stand by and watch as you kill innocentchildrenin front of my eyes?"

It was the first time Danzo had ever seen Hiruzen so enraged, that even he had to take a step back. There was sweat beading on his forehead and he suppressed the urge to flee. He had forgotten that the man was hailed as the 'God of Shinobi' for a reason.

"I-"

"I don't want to hear your excuses," Hiruzen snapped, glowering at the form of his old friend. "You've gone too far this time. As of this moment, Root is disbanded and you no longer have a position amongst the Hokage's Advisors."

"Hiruzen, all of what I do is for the good of the village!"

"How can I trust that, when you would attempt to sacrifice one of our own?" the Sarutobi asked, anger giving way to weariness. In spite of his reprehensible actions, Danzo was still a friend and one of his weak spots, just like his student, Orochimaru. Hiruzen still couldn't help but show some mercy.

Besides, apart from harming Shisui and plotting against a major clan, Danzo hadn't done anything to warrant harsher punishment, or at least things they didn't have evidence for.

"Sacrifices are necessary for growth!"

"Enough. I grow tired of this never-ending debate. You still do not understand that no one wishes for a Konoha built upon the blood of children. Leave now, Danzo."


After dropping Shisui and Itachi off at the Hokage's office, Hikari locked onto one of her Hiraishin markers and vanished, reappearing outside of the Uchiha's main house.

'Seems like Fugaku-san is in the study,'she mused, an eyebrow rising at the unease and concern in the man's chakra. She brushed that information aside, going around the house to get to where the study was. Since it was on the first floor, it was easy to reach.

The window was open and the blinds pulled apart halfway, so Hikari was able to see Fugaku pacing the length of the room. He turned to face her the moment she came into view, greeting her, "Hikari. Why are you here at this time?"

Pulling herself up to sit on the window ledge, she started without preamble, "How much of Root's actions do you know regarding the Uchiha clan?"

Fugaku stiffened, dark eyes searching her face for any sign of deceit or mockery. When he found none, he replied, "The Elders are colluding with them and more importantly, they are following Itachi and Shisui. I am keeping an eye on the Elders and the boys promised to tell me if their situation changes."

"Well, consider the situation changed then," Hikari told him, expression grim. "Shisui almost got himself killed and Itachi was nearly coerced into joining Root."

Silence.

"What?!"

Fugaku stared at the girl, rapidly connecting the dots and realizing why Itachi had been off earlier. Knowing his son's personality, he had likely not wanted to burden his family with whatever decision he had made.

"Where are they now?"

"At the Hokage's office. I asked them to tell Jiji everything that had happened."

"I see…are they alright? Tell me everything."

"That's why I'm here," Hikari replied with a faint smile, tiredness visible in her eyes. Making herself comfortable on the ledge, she recounted what she knew, from Shisui's part of the story to Itachi's. While she was aware that the boys would keep their word and inform Fugaku, they wouldn't tell him everything.

But he needed to know, as their Clan Head and as the only one able to deal with the Uchiha Elders.

Even if Danzo had been responsible for planting the idea of a rebellion in their heads, the Elders still had their duty of safeguarding their clan and they had failed.

Miserably.

The Elders needed a reality check, one that would be harsh and just.

If he didn't have a tight control of his emotions, Fugaku would have hissed like an angry cat at Hikari's mention of Danzo stealing Shisui's eye. Bloodline thieves were always the worst and having one within their own village didn't sit right with him.

The Uchiha Clan Head viewed the redhead in front of him in a new light, her swift actions for his family cementing his loyalty to her. From the moment Hikari had arrived in Konoha, she had been working to fix the Uchiha's reputation, mostly unbeknownst to them.

And now she had saved Itachi and Shisui.

Even the Sandaime had never done so much for them.

Speaking of the Sarutobi…

"What do you think Hokage-sama will do to Danzo?" Fugaku asked, tucking his hands into the sleeves of his yukata. He highly doubted that the Shimura would be punished severely, considering past occurrences.

Hikari sighed, heavy and exhausted.

"I don't know," she replied, staring out into the distance. "I want imprisonment at the least, so that we can finally get a chance to investigate Root. But knowing Jiji, it's unlikely to happen."

She turned back to Fugaku, "Whatever happens, you should do as you like. There's no point in holding back anymore. If we do, we'll destroy Konoha ourselves. Anyway, unless you have more questions for me, I'm off."

"Just one…how much have you been holding back until now?"

Hikari paused, squinting blue eyes at the Uchiha. The question was rather odd, considering the situation. "Quite a bit," she finally answered, mentally shrugging; there was no need to hide anymore.

"That's not an answer," Fugaku deadpanned, eyebrow twitching. He had wanted more details, like what level she judged herself to be and what she could truly do. But it appeared that he wasn't going to get them.

No matter, he would know in the future.

But for now, there were more pressing matters.

"Would you look after Itachi and Shisui until I sort out matters with the Elders?"

"Sure. Shisui's confined to bed anyway and I don't think I can pry Itachi from his side just yet nor do I want to."

"Thank you. I'd like to see them tomorrow, if possible."

Hikari blinked. "Of course you can. They're your family; I'm not going to keep them away from you. Bring Mikoto-san and Sasuke too."

Fugaku nodded, a slight smile on his face as he watched the Uzumaki wave at him before disappearing. Truthfully, he wanted to see his son immediately but he also understood that Itachi needed time to himself. He trusted Hikari to keep him safe.

"In the meantime, I have work to do. First, the Elders…"


Hikari's next stop was the Nara Compound, to check on the progress of the antidote for what Shisui had been poisoned with. While the boy looked well enough and could move around on his own, she didn't trust her iryo ninjutsu enough to be confident in her treatment.

The technique she had used to save Shisui was the one Sakura had used in her past to save Kankuro; since Hikari hadn't recognized the poison, she had had no choice but to directly extract it from Shisui's body.

'If it weren't for Kurama's chakra, my own healing chakra and my Yin-Yang Release, I could have killed him,'Hikari thought with a shudder, recalling the pain she had inflicted upon the Uchiha in the process of saving his life. Even if her chakra control was far better than it had ever been, she did not possess the finesse that the technique required.

In the end, Hikari had saved Shisui's life by extracting the poison while simultaneously healing the tissues damaged by the toxin and her own mistakes.

Re-implanting his eye had been far easier.

'I'll never be on the same level as Sakura or Tsunade-baa-chan, but I'm glad I have the ability to heal now,'Hikari mused, hopping across the roofs towards where she felt Shikaku's chakra signature. Yoshino appeared to be with him, along with a few unfamiliar people that had the chakra markings of the Nara clan.'If I didn't, I would have…no, don't think about it now.'

Perhaps one of the Nara in the group was a sensor, but Shikaku was waiting for her outside the building when Hikari dropped down in front of him.

"Where did you get that poison?"

The abrupt and harsh manner in which Shikaku posed the question startled the redhead and she blinked owlishly at the man. "Right, I didn't tell you, did I?"

Truth be told, Hikari had sent Amaya, one of the younger panthers, with a sample of the poison to Shikaku with hardly any explanations and only a demand to get working on an antidote immediately.

"Shisui was poisoned earlier. He said it was from an Aburame's kikaichu."

Shikaku's frown deepened. "AnAburame?"

"The guy is with Root, so there's no connection with Shibi-san or the rest of the Aburame Clan."

"Then it's someone who fell through the cracks and was snatched up by Danzo," the Nara concluded sourly, leaning against the wall with a sigh. With the few hints he had obtained, it was easily for him to understand what had happened. "So he made his move, huh."

"Yes. If I hadn't noticed in time, I would have lost both Shisui and Itachi."

"Explain. Now."

If it was anyone else but Shikaku, Hikari would have bristled at the command, but all she did was nod and launch into a second retelling of the events of the past few hours. She told him everything she could recall, even the tiniest of details. Unlike Fugaku, Shikaku knew the truth and would need all the information he could so that Danzo couldn't spin the situation in his favor and somehow pin everything on the Uchiha Clan.

Mulling over the redhead's story, Shikaku eyed the girl who was starting to fidget in place, clearly anxious.

"Where are the boys now?"

"At the Hokage's office, reporting to Jiji."

Ah.

No wonder she was so twitchy.

"And what do you think the Sandaime will do?"

Hikari's anxious expression turned into one of distaste. She told him the same thing she had told Fugaku earlier, "If he's finally screwed his head on straight, imprison Danzo immediately and thoroughly investigate Root. If not…"

"You don't want Danzo dead?"

"Oh, I do, more than anything. At first, I thought that he might be useful if Jiji could keep an eye on him, but both of them have proven useless. Then I found out that Danzo has a ton of seals on him for some purpose. Knowing how that man thinks, I don't want to find out what they're for the hard way."

"It certainly won't be something that harms Konoha directly. Danzo believes his actions to be for the good of the village; that crosses out that possibility."

Hikari nodded in agreement. She had felt the same.

Shikaku looked at the girl knowingly, "You want Danzo to be imprisoned to get a chance to study those seals. Why not simply handle it yourself?"

"Because for all I flaunt the rules and disrespect authority, I'm still a part of Konoha. Jiji is letting me do as I like because of who I am. If I push him too far, he'll push back and I don't want my family to get caught up in it," Hikari replied, grimacing. Considering the current political climate, should something shift irrevocably in Konoha, it could start another shinobi war.

As it was, Hikari had no problems abandoning the village to clean up its own mistakes and simply take off to live elsewhere. But if a war was to start, then no place would be safe.

And Hikari was tired of wars.

"No, I will kill Danzo the moment I unravel his seals and figure out what he's hiding."

The unusual violence in the redhead's voice caught Shikaku off guard, seeing a mix of Minato and Kushina in Hikari at that moment.'You're really your parents' daughter,'he thought, watching the girl glare at nothing in particular.'Minato's tactical ability and Kushina's determination, a terrifying combination. I almost feel pity for Danzo.'

"Alright, I'll leave matters regarding Danzo to you unless I think something's changed. You're not telling me, but I can see that there's something else on your mind."

Hikari bit back the words that wanted to come out, silently thankful that Shikaku was tactful. The truth was that she was concerned about whatever Danzo was hiding. As the Nara had theorized, it wouldn't affect Konoha directly. But somehow, she felt that she'd regret it if she didn't get to the bottom of it.

Her instincts had never led her wrong before.

Immersed in her thoughts and her conversation, Hikari hadn't been paying much attention to what her senses were telling her and only the tingling of chakra woke her up.

Someone had tried to attack Shisui and Itachi.

Hikari's head snapped to the side, blue eyes glaring in the direction of the Hokage Tower. She growled, "Danzo!"

"Go on," Shikaku waved his hand at her, turning around to head back to his research. "I'll have an antidote or at least something that's fairly effective by morning or early afternoon."

As Hikari nodded at his back and vanished, the Nara paused for a moment and stared up at the night sky. No one would have believed that turmoil hid in the darkness, the twinkling stars and waning moon radiating a serenity that was entirely fake.

Starting that very moment, things were going to change, whether they wanted it or not.


"You did what?!"

Hikari screamed, incandescent fury darkening her eyes as she glared at the Sandaime. She had arrived back in the office minutes after Danzo had left with his Root lackeys, only to learn that Hiruzen had not learned his lesson.

Danzo was going to get away almost scot-free; his punishments weren't really punishments, since losing his position as an Advisor would only damage his public reputation a little. Even ordering for Root to be disbanded was useless, since he would still run it in secret.

Hadn't Hikari already informed Hiruzen of what had happened in her world?

Was he really going to go down the same path?

"What else did you want me to do, Hikari-chan?" the Sarutobi asked in a weary voice, leaning back in his chair. He understood her anger, her desire to protect those important to her but he couldn't bring himself to be harsher with his old friend. "You know I can't kill him."

"Did I ask you to do that?" Hikari snapped, crossing her arms over her chest. She didn't want to start a fistfight, something that was a possibility since she was itching to punch the old man's face. "I wanted you to investigate Root! Keep him alive for all I care; the evidence we could find would be damning anyway!"

"I could still order it."

"That wouldn't help! Danzo would have already told his men to bury or destroy anything of importance; even if you sent out your ANBU right now, you wouldn't find anything!"

"And imprisoning Danzo would have helped?"

"Yes!"

Hikari threw her hands up in the air, frustrated and completely done with the Sarutobi. If Hiruzen had taken serious action and imprisoned Danzo the instant the old man had stepped into the office, there would have been a window of opportunity.

Danzo would have been completely thrown off by the Sandaime's aggressiveness, since even his assassination attempt had been forgiven. By placing him in solitary confinement, there would be no chance for him to contact Root to give them instructions.

Hikari had wanted that; the resulting chaos in Root's ranks would have given her the chance to slip in and find out what Danzo was hiding, since no one would suspect her of being capable enough to do it.

But Danzo would have already taken action by now.

Shisui's survival and his presence along with Itachi in the Hokage's office would have been enough to make Danzo suspect her.

Which meant he would definitely be on guard against her in the future, making her job infinitely harder. It would take Hikari years to find his secrets now, or Danzo could even resort to destroying whatever could incriminate him.

Hikariknewit was something really important; otherwise why would Danzo go to such lengths to gain power and operate in utter secrecy?

Unaware of her spiraling thoughts, Hiruzen continued speaking, "What has happened has happened. There is nothing to be done now. I also do not want you going after Danzo, Hikari-chan."

"…why?"

"Because even if his actions were cruel and unnecessary, there is very little to convict him with."

The redhead stilled.

So that was what Hiruzen was going with?

Lack of evidence?

Wasn't Shisui'seyebeing stolen enough?

Wasn't the intention to practically kidnap a major clan'sHeirenough?

Wasn't attempting to frame anentire clanenough?

"…strike three."

Hiruzen's brow furrowed in confusion at the mumbling from the eerily still girl. "What?"

Hikari looked up, normally warm blue eyes icy as her gaze pierced through the Sandaime, making him flinch. If the girl's palpable rage wasn't enough, the reminder of his successor and his wife in her appearance stung deeper.

Minato would have been severely disappointed in Hiruzen while Kushina would have definitely eviscerated him.

"Strike three," Hikari repeated, voice hard as she stared straight at the man she had once considered a grandfather. There was no forgiveness left in her for him anymore.

"Strike one: allowing Naruto's status be revealed and doing nothing to help him."

"Strike two: ignoring Shibi-san and the others when they came to you with enough evidence for a preliminary investigation into Root."

"Strike three: letting Danzo go even after his own admission, however vague, about his ill intentions towards the Uchiha Clan."

Hikari took a deep breath, turning her back on the frozen Sandaime and facing Shisui and Itachi, who were watching her impassively.

No more.

"Hikari-chan, you absolutely cannot kill Danzo!" Hiruzen said, shooting up from his seat when he felt the girl's chakra sharpen with a hint of malevolence.

The redhead ignored the man, instead looking questioningly at her friends. They didn't say anything but stepped closer to her, taking her hands in theirs and intertwining their fingers together.

That gesture was enough to calm her.

Looking over her shoulder one last time, Hikari said, "Fine. But this is the last time. Let's hope you don't regret your words from tonight, Sandaime Hokage."

With that, the trio disappeared.

Hiruzen remained rooted to the spot for a long time, the memory of cold blue eyes lingering as he processed her words.

He knew that with his own inaction and hesitance, he had severed his connection to Uzumaki-Namikaze Hikari forever.


Hikari, Shisui and Itachi appeared soundlessly inside the redhead's bedroom at her house, the girl instantly withdrawing from the boys and standing near the door. She had wrapped her arms around herself in a defensive manner, watching silently as Itachi helped Shisui sit down.

"I think it's time for you to keep your promise now, Hikari-chan."

"…yes, I suppose it is."