Hiashi stopped in front of the door to the Uzumaki house, expression pensive. He had not expected to receive a message from Hatake's ninken, but he had not been surprised when it had been revealed to be from Fugaku.

Very little escaped a Hyuuga's eyes and the person tailing the two Uchiha boys had not. Hiashi had known right from the start that one side, either the boys or Danzo, would slip up or make a move. It seemed like it had happened and Fugaku was calling for assistance to deal with the aftermath.

"Oi, Hiashi!"

The Hyuuga sighed at the overly loud voice but turned around, dipping his head in a nod of greeting when Tsume sauntered over to him, yawning widely. Shibi was a few feet behind her, calm and unruffled as ever.

"What does the stuffy Uchiha want so early in the morning?" Tsume grumbled, stifling another yawn. She had had a late night dealing with some newborn pups and did not appreciate being woken up after barely three hours of sleep.

"I have my suspicions but I believe we will find out soon," Hiashi replied passively. He was unbothered by the Inuzuka's crude behavior, having long since grown used to it.

"Might have something to do with why the Nara are agitated," Inoichi's voice called out and the trio looked to the side to see the Yamanaka and Chouza come into view.

Shibi frowned, "The Nara are agitated?"

"They are unusually active when they are lazy at all times of the day," Chouza explained as he reached the others. He too had been surprised when he had noticed the tense Nara clansmen running around their compound. Inoichi and he had stopped by to pick up Shikaku, only to be told that the man wasn't home.

Hiashi and Shibi exchanged glances; whatever had happened, it could be nothing good.

Tsume growled, running a hand through her hair. "Let's get this over with!"

Without warning, she threw open the door and stomped inside, kicking her shoes into a corner. "Fugaku! Where the heck are you?!"

"Keep it down, Tsume; the children might still be asleep," Inoichi murmured as he and the others followed the woman in, far more quietly. It was barely past six in the morning and he knew for a fact that the kids woke up around seven, since he had once dumped Ino on Hikari when he had had an urgent mission and couldn't find any babysitters. Seriously, he had a whole clan and none of them had been available.

Privately, Inoichi suspected it was because his daughter, while adorable, was a little menace.

Back to the present, the Yamanaka looked up in time to see Fugaku step into the hallway, the man's arms crossed over his chest. "Good morning," the Uchiha greeted, bowing slightly. "Thank you for coming."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Tsume waved away the pleasantries, breezing past the Uchiha and into the living room. She threw herself onto one of the couches, crossing one leg over the other. "When did you get here, Shikaku?"

She wasn't surprised at the Nara's presence, having caught his scent earlier. It had been fresh, so she had known that he either had to be at the Uzumaki house or had just left. Considering the summons and Shikaku's absence at the Nara compound, Tsume had concluded that the first option had been more likely.

"Before you got your messages," Shikaku replied, yawning widely. "I was the one who suggested you come here."

"For what reason?" Shibi asked, standing behind the couch Tsume was seated on, along with Hiashi. Inoichi and Chouza snagged the empty seats next to Shikaku, leaving Fugaku to stand in the space between the two couches, like at the head of a table.

The Nara Clan Head shrugged, "It's way more secure than the Hokage Tower."

At those words, the atmosphere in the room turned heavy, everyone's focus becoming razor-sharp. All of them knew that they were being watched in practically every place apart from their own compounds,especiallythe Hokage Tower.

"But there is the risk of implicating the Uzumaki family," Shibi voiced his concern, tone flat except for the faintest hint of worry. "Hikari might be a Fuuinjutsu Master but there is a limit to her abilities."

Fugaku snorted and shook his head. "That is the last thing you need to be concerned about."

"Before we get into meaningless topics, let us hear why we were called here," Hiashi interrupted, pale eyes fixed on the Uchiha Clan Head. He had not missed that Fugaku had deliberately placed himself at the head of the group. It meant that whatever had happened, it involved the Uchiha somehow.

"Indeed. To start with, I believe everyone here knows about the darkness in Konoha?"

Even if the clan heads hadn't technically discussed the matter with all of them before, they had passed information amongst themselves, directly or indirectly. Fugaku was only asking to make sure that they had realized what this was all about.

He waited for them to make some form of acknowledgement, then continued, "Danzo made his move last night. His target was the Uchiha clan."

Inoichi frowned.

"Is this somehow related to the rumors of your clan planning a coup?" he asked, proving that he was still on top of the information in Konoha, despite having retired from T . "Not that I believe you're in on it."

Fugaku inclined his head, not taking offense at the Yamanaka's words. They were, in a way, true. "The Elders were foolish enough to believe Danzo's sweet talk and walked into a trap."

"So he was setting you up for blackmail," Chouza concluded sourly, not bothering to hide his distaste of the manipulative old man. Danzo had fanned the flames of a coup himself; the information itself would be leverage against the Uchiha Clan, even if only a small number of people had been in on it.

"Yes, but that is not what I want to tell you. Yesterday evening, Root attacked Shisui, with the intention of killing him and stealing his eyes. In addition, Danzo tried to manipulate Itachi into joining Root."

Silence.

"Explain. Now," Tsume threatened, snarling as she pointed a finger at the emotionless Uchiha Head.

And Fugaku did.

He told them everything about Root following the boys, Shisui being attacked and his attempted suicide, Itachi being manipulated into believing Shisui's supposed death and blackmailed into joining Root.

Fugaku didn't manage to explain the next part before Tsume was on her feet, her face a mask of fury as she tried to stomp out the room. "Let me go, Shibi!" she roared, trying to wrench her arm out of the Aburame's iron-tight grip. "I'm going to rip into that bastard until not even pieces are left! How dare he touch pups!"

Hiashi pinched the bridge of his nose, taking in Fugaku's calm demeanor and the amused quirk of his mouth. "I assume that the boys are fine, considering that you are not out for blood?"

"Yes. Shisui had an eye stolen, but it has been safely reimplanted, thanks to Hikari."

"I see. That means it was Hikari who thwarted Danzo's plan."

"Little Red's got more to her than what we know," Shikaku remarked lazily, smirking when everyone looked at him curiously, even a slightly calmer Tsume. Shibi had succeeded in persuading her to not act recklessly and the Nara's statement had provided a distraction. "She's powerful, with the brains to back it up."

Inoichi eyed his smug friend, wondering how he had gotten so close to the evasive Uzumaki. Hikari was smart, he would give her that. Every time the Yamanaka had tried to subtly question her background, the girl had given him the slip or had told him completely useless information. Her skills, however, were still a blank for many, apart from her expertise in Fuuinjutsu and above average Taijutsu.

"What exactly did she do?"

"That is not important," Fugaku interrupted, expression grim once again. "Sandaime-sama was informed of Danzo's transgressions but he has only been removed from his position on the Hokage's council. He has also been ordered to disband Root, but we all know what will happen."

Chouza nodded, his face twisted in a look of disgust. His opinion of Danzo had not been the greatest, as he had considered him a necessary evil, a harsher counterpart to balance out the Sandaime. But Hiruzen had become much too soft and blind, and Danzo was taking advantage of that to further his own schemes.

"Danzo will continue to operate Root in secret. He's had enough time to sink his claws into all of the shinobi departments. Even if the shadow organization is disbanded on the surface, the members would still be loyal to Danzo and obey his every command."

"Yeah, but right now, that's not the problem either," Shikaku waved his hand and sat up, finally showing his serious side. "It's the village that has to to change."

Shibi frowned. "Do explain."

"All of us, we have great power and influence in the village, but have we ever used it for anything other than for our own clans? Sure, we might have during the war, but that was an external situation. In internal affairs, have we ever done anything?"

Shikaku's question was loaded, something that made everyone else think back on their actions. It was true; ever since the Kyuubi attack, or perhaps even before that, they had been content to simply follow their Hokage and the Advisors, only interjecting on the rare occasion that they had had better ideas.

At its core, Konoha was a military village and the power mainly rested with the Hokage. But that didn't mean that the clans themselves didn't have any value, because it was the shinobi who kept the village strong.

But peace had sunk in, and they had relaxed, allowing more and more of the civilians to control the shinobi side of affairs. Affairs that could never be truly comprehended by a sheltered civilian who had never seen the grisly side of life.

Peace had made them complacent, and now they were paying the price for it.

"Konoha is powerful but that is because of the huge variety of shinobi we have thanks to the clans," Shikaku continued as if hadn't dropped a bomb on his fellow clan heads. "The other villages are wary of us and we are proud of that fact. That very pride has made us blind to our own failings."

"I believe that all of you remember the sentiments against the Uchiha years ago," Fugaku quietly added in his own piece, choosing to be blunt with his next words. "If that had continued, we would have surely planned a coup."

All heads snapped to stare at the unfazed Uchiha clan head, the man meeting the incredulous looks with a calm expression.

"Brutally honest, aren't you?" Tsume muttered, crossing her arms as she eyed Fugaku. While her own clan wouldn't have bothered with the animosity of others, the Uchiha's pride would never allow them to do so. She had to admit that a coup wouldn't have been out of character.

"I'm willing to be so, if it will help us from putting everything on one girl's shoulders."

Those words made everyone flinch, knowing who exactly Fugaku was talking about. It was a humiliating and humbling experience to be protected by a child, and one who had originally not belonged to the village. Yet Hikari had not let that stop her, bulldozing through every obstacle in her path if it meant she could protect her loved ones.

Shikaku hid a tired smile at the other clan heads' expressions. The Uchiha had hit a sore point; unlike him, the others didn't know who Hikari really was and from their perspective, it was an outsider who was risking everything for Konoha. He also knew the girl well enough to know that she would be amused by their reactions.

Not wanting the precious time they had left to be lost to introspection, Shikaku spoke, "I think we all get the point. Now, the question is, what are we going to do about it?"


"You can start by kicking the so-called Advisors off the council."

Hikari chuckled when the adults startled at her voice, having been too absorbed in their discussion to notice her coming down the stairs. She wasn't surprised at their presence; when Shikaku and Fugaku had stayed behind, along with Kakashi summoning his ninken, she had suspected what they had been planning and had been proven right when familiar signatures had turned up one by one.

Originally, Hikari had intended to let the clan heads have their discussion but something had pinged on her senses and she knew that she had to act immediately. Shisui and Itachi had been reluctant to let her go, but had conceded once she had explained the situation.

"Going somewhere?" Inoichi asked, curious about what the girl had meant with her statement and how she was dressed up. The redhead's clothes were all black, with a kunai holster around her thigh and a tanto strapped to her back. "And what would removing the Advisors accomplish?"

The Yamanaka had his theory about why Hikari had suggested that but he wanted to hear it from her.

"Because even if Danzo is kicked off the council, he'll use the other two old bags to do his bidding," Hikari replied in an absent tone, braiding her hair as she looked out the window. "Once that's done, you can start weeding out the useless civilians and put in people who will actually work for Konoha's sake."

Tsume smirked. "Good idea. Might as well get started on that today."

The redhead paused and turned around with a frown. "Today? That means a council meeting was called. When is it?"

"In about two hours."

"Oh, good. That's plenty of time."

"You still haven't answered the first question," Shibi interrupted, voice bland as always.

"Itachi told me that Danzo has documents that can incriminate the Uchiha, because of their Elders," Hikari scowled darkly, infuriated that the Uchiha Elders had made themselves a liability to their own clan. "Even if we've revealed his plot, those documents would still damage the clan. Brainless idiots even infused their chakra into them!"

Fugaku paled and turned sharply to face the girl. "You are certain?"

"Yeah. Root seems to be moving those documents and I felt the chakra for a brief moment."

'Danzo must be planning to plant them someplace where they'd be spotted,'Fugaku thought, becoming increasingly frustrated. If Mikoto didn't eviscerate the Elders, he definitely would.

"Are you going to retrieve them?"

"That, or destroy them. Which do you prefer?"

"Bring them to me, if possible. I want to know what information those fools revealed."

Hikari saluted the man, not wondering for a moment why no one was protesting a ten-year-old going to infiltrate a military organization. She had already proved herself when she had saved Shisui.

Something else occurred to her just as she was about to leap out the window and she stopped, one foot resting on the frame as she looked over her shoulder.

"Shibi-san, I'm not sure if you already know, but Shisui was poisoned by an Aburame."

Shibi stiffened when the words sunk in, blocking out the rest of the world as he focused on the impassive redhead. His kikaichu were buzzing with agitation, provoked by his chakra.

"You are certain."

"Yes."

"A child who was stolen by Danzo."

"Something like that? Not sure."

"I see," the Aburame Clan Head breathed out, not losing his stiff posture. He had not blindly assumed that Danzo had his eyes only on Shino and Torune but to have actual proof like this was not pleasant. "Do you think that we can free them?"

Hikari tilted her head to the side, seemingly in thought. She was actually searching for the chakra signature of that Root nin; even if she had not met him before, an Aburame's chakra signature could be pinpointed easily if the sensor knew what they were looking for. Their kikaichu were rather unique.

It took a few seconds to find him and as she had suspected, his chakra was just as flat as the other Root nin.

"Danzo's already sunk his claws deep into him," Hikari shook her head, mild regret in her eyes.

"If that is the case, then you may handle it as you see fit."

"Got it."

With that, Hikari leapt out the window, disappearing into the trees in the blink of an eye. The clan heads watched her go, grim expressions on their faces. It felt awful to make someone else clean up their messes and they resolved to do better.

"Alright, that's enough brooding," Chouza said, clapping his hands together. "We have things to do."

Everyone nodded and started laying out their ideas for the upcoming council meeting, where they definitely had to remove Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu. They might have been useful during the war but in a time of unstable peace, their self-centered and glory-seeking attitudes were damaging to the future of Konoha.


Shikaku glanced out the window in the direction where Hikari had gone, mouth pursed.'We sure have gotten a wake-up call…even with your knowledge, we have gotten complacent.'

It was no fault of the redhead's; she had openly admitted that she had little to no knowledge of Danzo's machinations apart from the Uchiha clan's problems. Though Shikaku had taken up the role of curbing the old man's ambitions, it had not been enough.

Though Hikari was committed to protecting her precious people, her goals extended far beyond the boundaries of Konoha. There were enemies who were more powerful than Danzo, who intended to plunge the world into darkness.

They were Hikari's targets, not Shimura Danzo who she had had no real connection with in her past.

Shikaku had been aware of this but still had failed to do his job right.'Not anymore,'he thought, looking at the others.'Even if they don't know about Hikari's truth, they will not sit back anymore. Do your job, Hikari. After this mess, leave Konoha to us.'


Hiruzen bit back a sigh at the dreary atmosphere in the council room. From the grim and even furious expression on the clan heads' faces, he knew that they were aware of what had transpired the previous night.

"Hiruzen! How could you remove Danzo from the council?!" Utatane fumed, face crimson with rage as she slammed her hands down on the table in an uncharacteristic manner. While she was somewhat temperamental, she normally kept her composure at a certain level.

"I have already made my decision and I will not go back on it now," the old Hokage said, voice weary. Resisting the urge to run a hand down his face, he continued, "No matter how he frames it, attacking one of our loyal shinobi is not acceptable."

"Danzo must have had a reason to do so!"

"Oh? And what reason could that possibly be?"

To Hiruzen's surprise, it wasn't the Uchiha clan head who had spoken, but the Aburame. Shibi sat as stiffly as ever, no emotion visible on his face. Yet there was an aura of danger around him that Utatane and Mitokado somehow failed to pick up on.

"Danzo has always worked for the benefit of Konoha," Mitokado said pompously, eyes narrowed in a glare. "He does not deserve this!"

"No, he doesn't," Inoichi stated in a serene tone, a stark contrast to the coldness in his pale blue eyes. "He deservesworse."

That was when the two Advisors realized that they weren't dealing with a council that was ignorant of what Danzo had done. Homura and Koharu had believed that the Uchiha Clan was isolated and had tenuous relationships with the other clans; they had foolishly thought that the Uchiha wouldn't have any support.

But Fugaku didn't even need to speak up.

Everyone else was doing it for him, even Hiashi.

"Inoichi's right," Tsume cut in, leaning forward in her seat to snarl at the Advisors. "You think stealing bloodlines is okay?!"

The old duo paled.

"B-But…"

"We reamed out Kumo for attempting that," Shikaku said, voice dark. "We cannot and will not condone one of our own for doing the same. I agree with Inoichi and Tsume; Danzo got off lightly."

"Seeing as you agree with Danzo when you obviously know what he's done," Chouza continued his friend's words, lifting one arm and pointing to the side, "there's the door. You are not welcome here."

Spluttering in embarrassment and humiliation, Homura and Koharu turned to Hiruzen, silently asking him to intervene on their behalf. But the Sarutobi simply said, "We will put this to a vote: all of those in favor of disbanding the Advisors?"

All the clan heads' hands shot up immediately.

"And those against?"

Only Homura and Koharu raised their hands.

"It is done. Homura, Koharu, thank you for your service all these years," Hiruzen intoned, sighing when his old friends glared at him. He knew that he no longer had any true power: before, it was the Advisors pulling him around and now he had lost it with his actions. "Please see yourselves out."

When no one burst out saying that it was a joke, the former Advisors gathered themselves and walked out, muttering under their breath all their while. Not complying would have them thrown out by the ANBU and they wanted to hold onto their dignity.

Once the door closed behind them and the privacy seals were reactivated, Hiruzen observed each clan head closely, one by one, and said, "This was planned."

It wasn't a question.

"With all due respect, Sandaime-sama, you would not have done what was necessary," Hiashi replied tartly, tucking his hands into his sleeves. "This farce has gone on for too long."

"We're stepping up," Shibi said, adjusting his glasses. Thirty minutes before the start of the council meeting, Hikari had appeared in his compound. She had handed him a scroll containing the body of the Aburame who Danzo had enticed to his side before going to the Uchiha compound. That had been enough proof that the clan heads had become complacent, both in their duties to their clan and to their village. "We do not have the luxury of blindly trusting in our strength."

Everyone nodded and Hiruzen had to acknowledge them. Although only Shikaku and he himself knew, if it weren't for Hikari's mere presence, Konoha would have lost an entire clan. The young redhead had been pulling the strings from the background, subtly shifting the power balance in the village. Hiruzen didn't know what to think of that.

The clan heads got up from their seats; since the only purpose of the meeting had been to inform them of Danzo's actions and punishments, there was nothing more to do.

Shikaku hung back, waiting for the rest to leave before turning back to the Sandaime.

"You screwed up," he said bluntly, not feeling an ounce of guilt when the old man flinched. "I have my own fault in that I didn't do enough, but you had the perfect opportunity and you fumbled it. Hikari will not trust you again."

"I know, Shikaku. I know."

"If we had a good Hokage candidate, we would have pressured you to step down. As it is, you're going to have to hold on until we can convince Jiraiya-sama or Tsunade-sama to take the hat."

The words stunned the old Sarutobi and he bowed his head, ashamed of himself. Shikaku felt a little pity for the man; Hiruzen was way past his prime but he had taken back his position in order to prevent Danzo from becoming Hokage.

That was admirable.

The only issue was that he had known of Danzo's dark ambitions and its consequences, yet had not acted.

When there was no response from Hiruzen, Shikaku spun on his heel and left the room. He had work to do.


It took a while for Hiruzen to regain his composure, long after Shikaku had left. The Nara had made a very good point. Hikari had made it clear that she wasn't simply going straight for Danzo because she was worried about the possible repercussions.

The man had increased his power gradually over the years and she couldn't just attack him, even as strong as she was. Hikari was limited by her younger body; Hiruzen had no doubt that if she had arrived in this world as she was truly supposed to be, she would have turned Konoha upside down already.

"I really have become too soft," he murmured to himself, grabbing a brush and a few sheets of paper.

He had a letter to write.


When Hikari slipped into the house, it was already late in the afternoon.

"Welcome back," Itachi greeted her, unfazed by the redhead who had just entered through the window. He was holding a basin filled with water, a few white towels draped on his arms. "Did you finish what you wanted to do?"

"Not entirely," Hikari replied, tugging her hair out of its braid as she wandered off towards the closet in search of clean clothes. "But I expected that."

The Uchiha hummed in acknowledgement. "Should I wake Shisui?"

Shisui was fast asleep on the bed, lying on his back. He hadn't reacted at all when the Uzumaki had returned, a testament to his trust in her and also to how exhausted he still was. He didn't even twitch when Itachi started undoing the bandages around his torso.

Noticing her friend's actions, Hikari stopped on her way out of the room. "His wounds reopened?"

"I'm afraid that was Naruto-kun's fault," Itachi replied with a helpless smile. "None of us were prepared for him jumping onto the bed without warning. I only just noticed it though, so I don't think it's bad."

"Got it. Wake Shisui if you want to hear what I did."

"Of course."


The two Uchiha were waiting for her when Hikari returned from her shower, toweling her hair. Shisui looked a little tired but his gaze was alert and bright as he grinned at her. "Hey, Hikari-chan. Ruffled Danzo's feathers?"

"Sort of," the redhead replied with a chuckle. She hopped onto her desk, humming in thought. "Feeling better, Shisui?"

"Tired, but that's unavoidable."

"Itachi?"

"I'm fine," Itachi answered with a quiet smile, raising an eyebrow at the girl. He knew what she was hinting at and he really was fine.

"Good. So, where to start…hmm. First things first, I got the documents the Uchiha Elders gave to Root and gave them to Fugaku-san." Hikari smirked at the memory of when she had handed the package to the Uchiha Head, the man's face blanking out the instant he had taken the instant he had seen the first page. "Expect a few heads to roll, at least metaphorically."

Itachi shrugged, utterly unbothered. "They deserve that."

"I'm more amazed by the fact that you snuck into Root undetected," Shisui remarked, an impressed note in his voice. He knew that Hikari had first ambushed the Root nin who had been moving the original documents to a conspicuous place, but she had not stopped that. The Uzumaki had actually infiltrated the Root base where the documents had been stored, in search of copies.

"He's right. Granted, they are evacuating that base, but you still managed something no one else has managed before."

Hikari blinked and tilted her head. It hadn't been that hard for her, making her wonder why she hadn't done it before. "Sneaking into Root is no harder than infiltrating a camp filled with White Zetsu, back then."

"One day, I want to seeallof your skills," Shisui stated flatly, not having the energy to be surprised.

The girl snickered. "Maybe~"

"We've gone off-topic. What else did you do?"

"I found a bunch of other documents in that Root base that they didn't manage to clear out yet. Grabbed everything I could, tossed them into a storage scroll and booked it out of there before I was caught. I dropped them off with Shikaku-san."

That surprised the boys and they exchanged confused glances before looking back at the Uzumaki, the silent question visible in their eyes.

Hikari smiled, a tinge sadly as she answered, "As much as I love Konoha and want to see Danzo's head on a pike, I need to figure out what he's hiding and also ensure that Root is no longer an issue. The first, I can do. The second, I'm leaving it to the clan heads."

Shisui and Itachi picked up on what she wasn't saying: the fastest way to bring Danzo to heel was through the Sandaime, but Hikari wasn't going to go down that route. Hiruzen would never act against his old friend, as proven so many times. Even if he said he would handle it, no one would trust him to do it.

So everything fell onto the clan heads' shoulders.

Oblivious to her friends' thoughts, Hikari continued, "I also have my hands full with you two."

"Huh?"

"What do you mean, Hikari?"

"First, there's the matter of your surgeries," Hikari ticked off on her fingers, brow crinkled in thought as she stared out the window. "Second, I want to train you guys. You're pretty strong, but if you want to help in my plans, you need to be a whole lot stronger."

Shisui clenched his fists in the blankets covering his legs, teeth gritted as he nodded in agreement. If the way he was taken down by Root was any indication, there was no way he could fight against the people Hikari was going to go after in the future.

Not yet.

Itachi looked at his friend, taking in his dark expression, but didn't say anything. He too had left the same helplessness Shisui had, when Danzo had tried to manipulate him. He was strong for his age, but it would not be enough.

Hikari clicked her tongue in annoyance at her friends' downtrodden expressions.'These two have huge guilt complexes and a habit of self-crimination. Although I can't really criticize; if it weren't for Kurama, I'd be the same.'

Out loud, she said, "So be prepared. The moment you recover, I'm throwing you into the training fields. You won't get any mercy from me either."

"I wouldn't expect it, Hikari-chan," Shisui replied, looking up with an expression of determination. He was done beating himself up.

Itachi nodded in agreement, face a blank slate but dark eyes serious. "We will be in your care."

The redhead grinned, bouncing off the desk and throwing herself onto the bed between her friends. She turned to lie on her back, saying, "Don't regret those words later. Anyway, moving on. The kids will be starting Academy soon, so I intend to start my plans as well."

"Your plans?"

"Yep. If my guess is correct, the village will have a visitor soon."

"Who?"

"You'll know when they arrive."

Shisui pouted at the non-answer but gave it up as a lost cause on seeing the dark expression on Hikari's face. He assumed that it was someone related to her past. "What does that person have to do with your plans?"

"Nothing, really. They could be of use but I don't need them, per se. I have you guys."

"Why are you flattering us all of a sudden?" Itachi pondered with a teasing smile, chuckling when Hikari wrapped her arms around his waist with a grin on her face.

"Just felt like it," the redhead sang, not letting go of her hold on her friend. She purred when Itachi ran a hand through her hair, combing the long strands. "My current plans involve investigating Danzo's bases outside Konoha and his connections with Orochimaru. Beyond that, there's the Akatsuki and the Jinchuuriki."

"Has the Akatsuki made any moves yet?" Shisui asked, head tilted in thought. "The little we saw of your memories didn't give us much information."

"As far as I know, they only became active after I turned twelve. Before that, they were gathering power."

Itachi took that in, then looked down at the girl curled around him. "Is there a possibility of things being different from your world?"

"Oh, thereabsolutelyis."

Shisui raised an eyebrow at the confident and sure tone of Hikari's voice. She seemed utterly certain that things would have changed. "How do you know that?"

"Itachi is still here."

Said Uchiha blinked and tilted his head to the side in thought while Shisui stared blankly. It took a few seconds for the pieces to click and Itachi stated, "I joined the Akatsuki in your dimension."

"Bingo. After Itachi-san was branded as a traitor, he became a part of the organization. I don't know how far his role went but I think he might have been passing information about the Akatsuki to Konoha," Hikari explained. "That won't happen now."

"Huh…"

Shisui hummed and looked at the other boy, who was blinking in bemusement at the redhead. He supposed he could understand why his friend's counterpart had done that.'Also, Hikari-chan is drawing a clear line between Itachi and his counterpart,'he thought with a hidden grin.'It's her indirect way of saying that she doesn't see that Itachi in our Itachi.'

"What else could change?"

"It depends on how much we meddle into things."

"From what you implied earlier, I assume that the Akatsuki was made up of missing nin from all the Elemental Nations?" Itachi asked thoughtfully, having put the information about his other self in the back of his mind.

"Yeah. Let me see…there was Nagato, the official leader, who went by Pein, and Konan from Ame, Kisame from Kiri, Sasori from Suna, Deidara from Iwa, Hidan from Yu, Kakuzu from Taki, Orochimaru. Then there was Zetsu and Obito, who was the shadow leader."

Shisui's expression flattened at the mention of Obito and he looked down, staring at the sheets. It didn't go unnoticed by either Hikari or Itachi; the two glanced at each other, Hikari frowning in confusion and Itachi shrugging at her.

Sitting up and placing a hand over one of Shisui's, Hikari asked softly, "Did you know Obito, Shisui?"

It took a few moments before there was a response.

"I…it's not like we were very close friends or anything, but he was really friendly and would help me train. I just can't imagine him becoming a bad guy…not Obito-nii."

Hikari's smile was on the sad side as she shook her head. "Everyone has the capability to become bad. Itachi, you, me…we simply made different choices. He was manipulated and faced a situation that twisted him. Obito changed after his teammate Rin's death, which by the way was set up. I'll go into details later if you want."

"…I think I'd like that."

Itachi looked at Shisui's sorrowful expression then at Hikari. "Does Kakashi-san know about Obito-san? They were teammates, were they not?"

"Yeah, he does. Kashi-nii knew the truth about me right from the start," Hikari replied absently as she rolled off the bed and wandered towards the dresser to grab a hair brush. "I told him about Obito when we went to get Manami-san and Karin."

"That was years ago," Shisui remarked in surprise. "You haven't found Obito-nii yet?"

"Nope. I've been watching for any trace of his chakra in Konoha and Kashi-nii's been keeping an eye out during missions, but we've got nothing."

Tilting his head in thought, Itachi considered what little he knew of the Uchiha Obito of their world and the Uchiha Obito he had seen in Hikari's memories.

According to Shisui's stories, Obito had been a happy-go-lucky person, especially for an Uchiha. He hadn't seemed particularly talented but Itachi would never judge anyone based on that. But most importantly, he had had a good heart.

The Obito in Hikari's memories had been a cold man, hardened by the cruelty of the world. He had been powerful, strong enough to control multiple Bijuu. He had been ruthless and sharp, even as his world had shattered around him for the second time.

There was no overlap between the two, except for their strong will.

Itachi was aware that there was no point in thinking such things but he was curious about the person both Shisui and Hikari spoke fondly of.

A poke on his forehead brought him out of the daze he had fallen into and Itachi blinked upon seeing Shisui's face mere centimeters away from his.

"What's Ita-chan thinking so hard about?"

The younger Uchiha shoved the other away with a gentle but firm hand, shaking his head. "It's nothing. Just idle musing." Turning to Hikari, he asked, "Are you sure that Obito-san is with the Akatsuki in this world as well?"

"The events seem to match up so far. While this world does have a few differences, it has mirrored my own when it comes to major events. There is no reason for me to think otherwise."

Itachi nodded in understanding.

"How many of the Akatsuki's members should we be wary of?"

"All of them?" Hikari replied quizzically, narrowing her eyes at Itachi when he looked at her in amusement.

Shisui chuckled and translated, "How many of them are you going to convert to your side and how many of them are you going to beat up?"

"Oh. Why didn't you just say that, Itachi?" she said, with a roll of her eyes and started ticking them off on her fingers. Honestly, it all depended on if the members of Akatsuki were the same and had the same personalities.

"Nagato and Konan, for sure.

Kisame, but he shouldn't have defected from Kiri yet and I'd like to keep it that way.

Sasori, I don't know; could probably beat him up and dump him back in Suna.

Deidara is still a kid at this point and I want to find out his circumstances before I decide.

Hidan is an absolute nutcase and it could go both ways with him, so who knows?

Kakuzu…give him enough money and he wouldn't care about Akatsuki. Then again, I'm pretty sure we will end up with huge bounties on our heads soon enough and become his targets anyway.

Do I even need to talk about Orochimaru? The snake bastard's not going to know what hit him.

Zetsu is going toburn."

Shisui and Itachi stared at Hikari as she went off on a tangent about Zetsu, seemingly forgetting what they had been originally talking about. It was amusing to watch and they did just that, cataloguing everything she said and laughing at the more hilarious bits.

After a long rant, Hikari took in a deep breath and sat back on the bed, shoulders slumping. It was like a heavy weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

"You look like you needed that," Shisui noted with a faint frown, tugging the girl into a hug. "Are you alright, Hikari-chan?"

The redhead hugged him back, wrapping her arms around his waist in a loose embrace. Pressing her face into her shoulder, Hikari mumbled, "You don't know how long I've wanted to talk so freely with you and Itachi."

Itachi placed a hand on her back, the touch both reassuring and grounding. "We will always be here for you, Hikari. No matter what you need from us."

"My thoughts exactly."

"…thanks, Itachi, Shisui."


Hikari hopped down the stairs, intending to get started on dinner. Shisui had gone back to sleep after their talk and Itachi was looking after him. It was late in the evening and she knew that food was a necessity for Shisui who was still healing.

But it seemed like someone had already beaten her to it.

"Manami-san?"

The woman turned around, a smile on her face as she greeted the girl. "Hello, Hikari-chan. Is everything alright now?"

Hikari blinked.

"Huh?"

"Something happened, right? That's why you've been running around the village all day and sent Kakashi-kun and Tenzo-kun to watch over me and the kids."

Giving Manami a weak smile and taking a seat at the table, Hikari nodded wearily. "Yeah, that's right. Remember Danzo? The old creep I told you about?"

"Yes. You said to be wary of him," Manami replied with a frown, her confusion melting into alarm a few seconds later when realization struck. "Did he do something to you?!"

"No, not to me. But he went after Shisui and Itachi."

Hikari didn't need to sugarcoat things with Manami; the woman had a strong mentality and was very perceptive. She would figure things out on her own anyway and since Shisui and Itachi would be staying in the house for the foreseeable future, there was no point in hiding it.

Manami, picking up on the girl's tone, rounded the table and gathered her into a warm hug. She wasn't surprised when Hikari slumped against her, simply tightening her hold with an understanding smile.

"Since you're here and not on the warpath," that got a giggle from Hikari, "I assume that things ended up okay?"

"Sort of. Fair warning: the Sandaime is in my bad books now though."

"Ah. He will not be welcome here anymore then."

"Just because I'm not happy with him, it doesn't mean you have to follow suit."

Manami shook her head, pushing Hikari away a little so that she could look into her eyes. She wanted the girl to understand her words, leaving no room for doubts.

"This house is supposed to be a home, Hikari-chan. You made it a place of comfort and acceptance. Everyone here should feel happy, and that includes you. You're far too self-sacrificing, Hikari-chan…it's okay to think of your own happiness as well."

Even though the girl herself probably didn't realize it, their family was built around Hikari. She gave them everything she could, her love and her time, and never asked for anything in return. They adored her for it, vowing never to make her life harder than it had to be. It was something she was unaware of as well, but that was fine.

Hikari didn't say a word in response, only hugging Manami to show her acknowledgement.

After some time, Manami pulled away and returned to the stove, not wanting to burn the food she had been preparing. Hikari remained seated at the table, watching the woman with a contemplative gaze.

The short conversation hadn't been expected at all, but Hikari felt that it had been a long time coming. She hadn't missed the thoughtful looks Manami had given her over the years, neither one bringing up the fact that Hikari was involved in so much, despite being a child.

'I'd be more surprised if Manami-san doesn't suspect anything,'Hikari thought with a bemused smile, resting her head on the table.'She's very smart, after all.'

"Hey, Hikari-chan?"

"Hmm?"

"How would you rate my Fuuinjutsu skills?"

Brow furrowing at the random question, Hikari picked her head up and looked at the other Uzumaki. Manami had her back to her, but it was obvious she was expecting an answer.

"You're pretty good," Hikari replied after a thoughtful pause, looking at the woman curiously. "I don't know about your ability in creating complicated seals since you never showed much interest in that, but you should be able to decipher and dismantle or even twist any seal that you're likely to come across."

Manami, though she had never had any experience in Fuuinjutsu before encountering Hikari, was a quick study and she had breezed through the basics. She could be ranked as a Fuuinjutsu Master by normal standards.

Uzumaki really were naturals at Fuuinjutsu.

"Why do you ask?"

"I've been receiving combat training from Tenzo-kun during the past year," Manami said in lieu of an answer, allowing her chakra to flare for a brief instant before damping it back down. "According to him, I can hold my own against a Chuunin or a low Jounin now."

"Woah, that's awesome! Congrats, Manami-san!"

"Thank you, Hikari-chan. Anyway, the point I'm trying to make is that you don't have to spend all your time with us anymore."

"…what?"

Manami switched off the stove and turned around to face the confused girl, her smile having a hint of steel. "I know that you are more than you seem, Hikari-chan, and that there are things you need to do. I am capable of protecting the children at least until help arrives, so you can rest assured."

Smiling sheepishly and rubbing the back of her head, Hikari said, "Was I that obvious?"

A shake of the head, "Not at all. I just know you well."

Hikari huffed, the sound fonder and more amused than annoyed. "I was planning to do that once the kids started the Academy," she admitted. "Shisui needs to heal, and after that, both he and Itachi need to undergo a certain procedure, so factoring in recovery and training time, I'm guessing that it would take a month before we're ready."

"I see. Academy starts next year, which isn't really all that far off. But we will be fine, Hikari-chan, so go do what you must."

Hopping off the chair, Hikari wrapped her arms around Manami's waist, burrowing into the warmth. Though she wasn't truly a child, she sought assurance in the form of physical contact and Manami was the one adult who would shower her with affection without restraints.

All the other adults in Hikari's life either knew her true identity or were emotionally restrained. Manami was neither; she didn't know Hikari's truth nor did she put her on a pedestal.

It was grounding.

"Thanks, Manami-san. You really are the best."

When Manami returned the hug, Hikari smiled. The timeline was already changing and there was no need for her to keep waiting for things that might or might not happen. Manami was proof of that, amongst many others.

Hikari's main concern was Naruto, Gaara and the rest of the kids, but she knew she could leave them in Manami's capable hands. There were also a lot of people in the village who would watch out for them.


The children were the future, but it was time for Hikari to ensure that the world would be safe for them.