Another Word For Monster

by Kuma Akuma

Konoha's Boogeyman. Jinchuriki. Hero. Traitor. Murderer. These were the names of Naruto Uzumaki. He left Konoha 3 years ago a broken man, looking for a peaceful life. But the shinobi life doesn't let peace come so easily. It calls you back. Through violence. Through war. Through blood. Monsters didn't get peace. And shinobi? That was just another word for monster. Light AU.

39. Chapter 39

The cold clacking of wood against the floor was enough to dispel the hushed voices in the meeting room. The Clan Heads sat in the conference room, each at a desk with a banner representing their clan behind them. Their talking amongst one another had grown insufferable. In the center of the room, below the elevated seated positions of the clan, stood Itachi Uchiha.

"Itachi Uchiha. You are brought here as the representative of the Uchiha Clan to answer for the claims that your family has assaulted Konoha shinobi. Specifically, members of the Inuzuka and Nara Clans," Danzo stated. The Hokage glanced at the representatives of the Inuzuka and Nara Clans. Tsume sat in her chair, although she looked exhausted. While she had mostly healed from the wounds given to her from the Amekage, she had yet to recover emotionally. She was sunken, but her eyes were attentive if only for moments. The death of her clansmen wasn't something she could ignore, even in her state.

Danzo found it repulsive.

Meanwhile, the representative for the Nara sat neatly in her seat. With the Clan Heir in Shikamaru dead, and the current Clan Head in Shikaku Nara away from the village, it left Yoshino Nara, the wife of Shikaku, to represent the Nara Clan. She sat calmly in her seat, her face betraying no emotion. While common of her clan it was a look that did not suit her. She was a fiery one, by all reports he had been given. Still, she was a Nara. There must be something cold and calculating inside her. One could not be a part of the Nara Clan for any length of time and be dull.

"That is correct, Hokage-sama," Itachi responded. His eyes moved across the crowd, seemingly sympathetic, but Danzo saw the truth. He had known Itachi since he was a boy. The Uchiha was measuring each member of the room now, trying to decipher who he could win over onto his side with words. The Uchiha before him was powerful and intelligent. In some respects, he may have even surpassed his father.

"And? Is it true," Tsume questioned.

"No," Itachi stated plainly. "I was just as surprised by this attack as any of you. I ordered no such attack on any Konoha shinobi, nor would I. I am loyal to my village."

Tsume glanced at Inoichi who nodded.

"That does not mean the attacks did not occur," Inoichi Yamanaka stated plainly. He gestured to his daughter, Ino, who sat beside him. "My daughter saw for herself the eyes of an Uchiha fleeing the scene of the crime after murdering a Nara and Inuzuka Clan member. I have verified her memories myself."

"I do not doubt the words of Ino Yamanaka," Itachi stated. "If she says she saw Uchiha there I do believe that she believes an Uchiha was there."

"So, you agree then," Shino called out. The symbol of the Aburame Clan stood large behind him. "There was an attack on the Inuzuka Clan and Nara Clan by Uchiha."

"No," Itachi stated. "My clan would do no such thing. We are loyal."

"Loyal," Danzo interjected. "Then what of your father?"

Itachi stared deep into Danzo's lone visible eye. Neither backed down, staring hotly at the other. The disdain between the two was visible to any in the room.

"My father is a traitor. However, he did not do this."

"You speak so confidently than your father is not behind this, despite his recent abandoning of his post," Choza pointed out. "You do not deny Ino Yamanaka's claim. But you remain resolute that it was not an Uchiha that attacked the village."

"Correct. My father would not have abandoned the village to just to attack it so brazenly weeks later. Besides, with all due respect to the dead, my father is an S-class shinobi. He would not have been discovered in the act."

Tsume glared at him, emoting just enough in her eyes for Itachi to understand he had perhaps crossed a line. The Uchiha bowed.

"I apologize for my lack of tact, Inuzuka-sama."

"Then what are you implying," Yoshino stated plainly. She was growing tired of these games.

"The Inuzuka and Nara Clan are not the only clans that have been under attack," Itachi stated plainly. "For the past few weeks, the Uchiha Clan has also been hunted. We have found Uchiha dead, their eyes carved from their sockets. Hokage-sama is aware of this. I have gone to him with news of the issue."

All eyes turned to Danzo, who nodded at the claim.

"It is true. I have given the Uchiha bodyguards since."

Itachi wanted to frown. He had expected Danzo to deny the words. Itachi had little in the way of evidence. Claiming that Danzo was lying would be tantamount to treason with no evidence to support his claim, especially in a room such as this. And yet Danzo had agreed with him. Perhaps he simply didn't want the political headache of having a public disagreement. It wasn't like Inoichi Yamanaka would have the authority to force the Hokage to allow him to scan his mind. The image alone, however, may be enough to force the Shimura into compliance.

Of course, Itachi doubted that being bodyguards were the true purpose of the ANBU that he had seen swirling around the Uchiha Clan Compound. But still he held his tongue. Challenging Danzo's supremacy would be a worse look than a Hokage denying their mind to be accessed in order to prove their honesty. Isolating the Uchiha further was not something Itachi could afford. Still, Danzo's words had the intended effect.

The words of the Uchiha Clan Head sent shockwaves through the room. Murmuring among the Clan Heads quickly broke out, each of them suddenly worried. Someone was attacking Uchiha Clan members? If Itachi's words were true, the Sharingan being utilized in the murders of Inuzuka and Nara shinobi would make sense. Someone was stealing Sharingan. Hiashi stared at Itachi, the words ringing deeply within. He knew very well the lust for dojutsu other villages had. It was the entire reasoning behind the Hyuga Clan's seal. The Uchiha, who notably lacked such a seal, would be a prime target for Kekkei Genkai thieves. With the power the Sharingan wielded...it was not entirely unreasonable.

"So, you're saying that these assailants attacked the Uchiha Clan, stole their Sharingan, and then attacked us once more to frame you," Yoshino questioned.

"I cannot be sure as to their exact intentions with attacking the Nara and Inuzuka Clan's," Itachi stated. "They may have been attempting to frame the Uchiha, but I cannot verify that. And to what aim I am unsure."

"To sew division in our ranks no doubt," Choza stated. "It is not unbelievable. We are spread thin. Notable shinobi have disappeared like Mikoto Uchiha and Sasuke Uchiha. A member of the Sarutobi Clan is missing. All the while we're getting reports of the Raikage preparing some sort of attack. Attacking us from within would surely lead to our collapse."

"That would be the case," Yoshino stated. "But there's an issue. The barrier is maintained by Yamanaka Clan members, and they've reported no unknown breaches. Unless your claim is that this is a sleeper agent who has just recently activated, there is no sign of foreign involvement."

"There are ways around the barrier," Itachi stated. "As you said, being a sleeper agent is one. However, Ino Yamanaka also reported that the assailants utilized the Gyaku Kuchiyose no Jutsu (Reverse Summoning Technique) to escape. It is possible to use the Kuchiyose no Jutsu (Summoning Technique) to get through the barrier. All it would require is someone already inside to utilize the jutsu."

"The spike in chakra would still have alerted us," Shino stated.

"It has not alerted us to the signs of my Uchiha being massacred."

If Shino had a reaction to Itachi's sharp response, he gave no tell. His eyes and face were obscured by the glasses and high-collared jacket he wore.

"It did detect the chakra signatures near the border to warn us of the Inuzuka and Nara Clan members dying."

"Do you not find it strange that it didn't report their appearance, but only the attack and subsequent flight?"

"What are you saying?"

"The attack came from within," Yoshino stated. "That's what you're claiming. That these agents reside inside of Konoha and are attacking us without being detected by the barrier because of that."

"That doesn't explain why they would want to be found," Hiashi interjected. "Why allow themselves to be caught?"

"Who says they allowed themselves to be caught," Choza questioned.

"If you had recently acquired a Kekkei Genkai the natural response would be to test its strength. I would not risk losing it by bestowing its powers to someone weak. And I certainly wouldn't risk angering those who originally wielded it," Hiashi stated. "Therefore, the obvious conclusion is that they intended to get caught."

"Let's not act to hastily," Choza responded. "We still need to figure out where they came from before we wonder why they allowed themselves to be caught. The barrier detected them fleeing, we should look to the barrier corp for more information on breaches we may be unaware of."

Choza turned to look at Inoichi.

"Fuu is head of the barrier corp is he not? When do you think he can arrive to give testimony?"

"Fuu Yamanaka is away on a mission," Danzo interjected. "I shall send for him. It will take time for him to return."

"Would it not be best for the second-in-command to head this position," Hiashi questioned. "If Fuu Yamanaka is away he wouold only have second-hand experience with the events occurring."

"Second-hand experience is never a problem for a Yamanaka," Inoichi said with chuckle. Hiashi frowned but nodded. Choza however, did not give up the suggestion.

"Still, getting a first-hand explanation sooner rather than later would be preferred. We cannot afford to wait for Fuu to return. There could be further attacks."

"He speaks the truth," Hiashi concurred. "We have proven to be vulnerable."

"I shall send for-"

Danzo raised a hand.

"We should wait for the Yamanaka," Danzo interjected. "If there is a sleeper agent who is to say they are not the second in command of the barrier corp? Fuu Yamanaka possess the capability to ensure we suffer no deception."

Yoshino raised a hand.

"Please wait, Hokage-sama. With all due respect to Itachi-dono, there is no evidence of his claims besides his own words and your own, pardon my disrespect. While I would appreciate Fuu Yamanaka's insight into this matter given that the barrier had to have been avoided in some manner, none of this is evidence of his claims that the Uchiha have been targeted and framed."

Itachi eyed Yoshino before nodding curtly. He pulled out a scroll, gaining the attention of everyone in the room. However, his eyes focused on Danzo. The Hokage's face remained as still as always, his eyes utterly disinterested, just like they had been before. With a flick of his wrist Itachi unsealed the scroll, revealing the corpses of the men he had encountered. Joining them was the corpse of Kuyama Uchiha.

"Two men," Itachi stated. "They attacked me not long ago while I was attempting to lure out the assailants using a Henge (Transformation). I attempted to capture them, but as you can see, they killed themselves."

Itachi gestured to Kuyama's body.

"Kuyama Uchiha, as I'm sure you remember Akimichi-dono, served underneath you on several missions. He spoke highly of you. He is dead now."

Choza frowned, looking over the body. Itachi watched as he murmured a quick prayer underneath his breath for the dead Uchiha. While the Uchiha could not show it, he was thankful for the kindness.

"They attacked you prior to the events of the attack," Shino questioned. Itachi nodded.

"Why did you not report this?"

"I would have rather kept this an internal affair between the Uchiha Clan and the Hokage," Itachi stated, staring at Danzo. "I reported the incident to the Uchiha Clan Elders. I had yet to do so to Hokage-sama. Forgive me, Aburame-dono, but I do not enjoy revealing my clan's weakness and inability to defend ourselves from foreign invaders so publicly."

Yoshino's eyes looked over the corpses, a frown on her face.

"Them being dead is rather...conveinent."

"So are their melted-out eyes," Shino stated plainly. "Kuyama Uchiha missing his eyes is a horror, and certainly proof that someone is molesting the bodies of dead Uchiha, but this seems rather convenient."

"I agree," Itachi muttered. "As such I am willing to subject myself to Inoichi's jutsu to verify the incidents of that night."

The words of the Uchiha left a mark on the spectators. Few were willing to subject themselves to the Yamanaka's interrogation techniques. While Inoichi was the foremost master and would surely not make any mistakes that permanently altered the Uchiha's psyche the risk itself was something all Clan Heads were hesitant of. But to be so willing proved just how genuine he was in his claims.

"In that case," Inoichi stated, stumbling over his words in shock. He approached Itachi, raising his hand. "Are you sure you wish to do this?"

Itachi nodded, careful to suppress any and all thoughts of his suspicions of the Hokage and banish them from his brain. Inoichi lay his hands on the Uchiha's head. The two stood there in silence for a long while, leaving the room waiting with bated breath. Finally, Inoichi lifted his hand, eyes opening. He eyed Itachi, something in his eyes before he turned back to the group.

"He speaks the truth. I saw the battle from his eyes. The two assailaints gave no information for us to utilize before they died. But from what I can tell...they were under orders to not engage with him. As for Kuyama...Itachi found him in this state. There is no deception."

"In the name of the Shrouded Moon," Tsume whispered, horror in her voice.

Inoichi shook his head.

"And in the eye of the Clear Sky," Hiashi muttered. "A dojutsu robbed before the Trinity."

"They did not pursue the strongest pair of Sharingan in the village outside of his fathers," Choza muttered, somewhat confused.

"Those eyes are attached to one of the most capable shinobi the village has," Hiashi begrudgingly admitted. "These assailants have already proven themselves to not be fools."

Tsume rubbed the back of her head, a sigh escaping her lips.

"Well, Inoichi's never been wrong before. In that case we might really have secret agents in the village."

Yoshino seemed more measured in her response.

"This is certainly a new factor I had not considered. We must root out the truth."

Itachi felt satisfaction flow through him. His eyes glanced up at Danzo. He had won this round. He had convinced the Clan Heads that the Uchiha were victims in this situation, not perpetrators. His goal had been achieved. His eyes met Danzo's.

"And you, Hokage?"

Danzo stared down at them all.

"We shall reconvene in two days. Fuu Yamanaka shall have returned by then. We will get to the bottom of these murders. Konoha will root out all who threaten its stability. For now, I would advise all clans institute a temporary curfew."

Danzo looked down at Itachi.

"Dismissed."

---

Itachi had expected to be cornered by Inoichi after the meeting for a deeper investigation, but he had not expected it to take so long. He was almost back to his home when the Yamanaka reached out to him. His fellow Clan Head had been following him for a while, not even bothering to conceal his presence. The Uchiha had to wonder what took him so long to reach out to him.

Was he being followed by Danzo's men? It wasn't impossible, but Itachi would have sensed them. Even the best operatives in ROOT couldn't hide from his senses.

"It took you a while."

"Don't play games with me Itachi," Inoichi stated. The blonde-haired man stared at him, a frown on his face. He was leaning against a wall and from his body language one would think he was casual.

Itachi knew better.

"Forgive me, Yamanaka-dono."

"You buried thoughts," Inoichi stated. "Repressed them. Did you think I wouldn't notice?"

Itachi raised a hand, stopping Inoichi from continuing.

"We cannot speak here. There are too many ears. Follow me."

Inoichi was hesitant as Itachi turned to walk off but slowly followed him. The two walked for a while, minutes dragging into half an hour as Itachi led Inoichi deep into the old Uchiha Compound. The Yamanaka's guard raised as he walked. The place was no longer quite as populated as it was a two decades ago, the Uchiha having grown more sociable to the village had a good reason to do with that, but plenty of Uchiha still lived there. For one who thought the things that Itachi did...this could be enemy territory.

Finally, Itachi came to a stop inside a large room. Inoichi hesitated, eyeing it carefully.

"It is not trapped. I promise."

Inoichi's eyes narrowed. Without direct mental connection to Itachi's mind, he couldn't tell with pinpoint accuracy if he was lying, and it would take far too long to activate a jutsu to do so. Still, he was an experienced interrogator. Itachi was former ANBU, the hardest type to work with, but Inoichi was not world-renowned for nothing. He was fairly certain Itachi wasn't lying to him.

He stepped into the room and the door closed behind him, but that was all. Itachi raised his hand, gesturing to the seals around them.

"May I?"

Inoichi nodded, recognizing the silencing seals for what they were. If this were a trap he was dead already. He could not defeat Itachi Uchiha in straight combat. He may as well hear out what he had to say.

Itachi activated the seals, watching as they glowed a light blue before he sat down.

"We can speak freely. Forgive the secrecy, but you never know who is listening in this village."

"I think you have your suspicions," Inoichi stated, knowing Itachi's thoughts but refusing to vocalize them. "Your thoughts-"

"I intentionally suppressed them," Itachi stated plainly. "You are not the only one who knows how the psyche works. I knew you would notice me intentionally suppressing memories, and I knew, given the context, you could not afford to not search them."

"So, it was bait. Why?"

"I needed to reveal to you information, but I needed you to know that revealing that information could be detrimental."

"You mean it could paint you as a traitor."

"I already am," Itachi stated. "At least in the eyes of Danzo Shimura. I have been a traitor, marked at birth."

"Right," Inoichi stated, crossing his hands. "Sorry if I find it all a bit hard to believe, but you think Danzo is behind the attacks? What does he stand to gain from killing Konoha shinobi, much less those related to clans?"

"Power."

"He's the Hokage, he doesn't need power."

"The Hokage always needs power," Itachi countered. "Shinobi in effect are mercenaries. We sell our services to the highest bidder. Sure, we are contracted with decades of treaties and agreements with Daimyo, which over time breeds a sense of loyalty but that is only because they pay us handsomely. They cannot afford to go against our military might, and we cannot afford to live without their coin."

"Where are you going with this?"

"Danzo Shimura desires the dominance of Konoha throughout the world," Itachi continued, as if Inoichi wasn't there to interrupt him. "Not in it of itself an unadmirable goal, if a bloody one. However, he refuses to allow this dominance to come into existence without his stewardship."

"Danzo is a warhawk sure, and not a kind person either. I've always thought he's had an ego, but what you're suggesting is that he would attack his own village. How does killing Konoha shinobi lead to a stronger Konoha?"

"It consolidates political power," Itachi stated plainly. "Konoha may be a military dictatorship but look at the Hokage. All had advisors, but who were those advisors? They were almost always members of clans. The Hokage needs clan support to maintain its dominance in the realm. The Hokage may, at least usually, be the strongest person in the village, but one person cannot defeat an entire clan. Even Hashirama Senju could not have defeated the entirety of the Uchiha Clan if Madara fought with them."

"But this-"

"Does consolidate political power," Itachi stated, knowing how Inoichi would respond. "The clans have always had...demands...of the Hokage that they had to tip-toe around. Make one clan happy at the expense of another. A dangerous game of politics. But what if they did not have to?"

"So, what, kill Uchiha, Nara, and Inuzuka Clan members? Sure, it might consolidate political power, but it would cripple Konoha's military might. The clans are also the backbone of the military. They on average produce the strongest shinobi."

"Because of their Kekkei Genkai or their Hiden (Secret Techniques). As you know, even the Hokage doesn't have access to these stores of information, but rather the true secrets of each are stored in each clans' individual libraries. A broker of peace to allow clans to maintain their independence when Konoha was founded. A sign of goodwill for the Senju and Uchiha to not annihilate one another, and a sign to the other clans of Fire that they would not be ruled under the iron fist of the two most powerful clans of the age. But what if the Hokage could get access to these techniques?"

"I suppose they wouldn't need the political power of the clans to back them up anymore," Inoichi stated. "Political power is rooted in strength, military strength. It is the reason the Uchiha and Senju were considered the royal clans, and why the Hyuga rose to replace the Senju upon their decline."

"Correct. But if the Hokage had these Kekkei Genkai and Hiden, they are under no need to respect the political power of the clans, because they possess their military strength. It has been fully assimilated under the banner of the Hokage, not the Clan Heads. In other words...the clans become thorns in their side rather than military assets."

"So, they pluck out the thorns," Inoichi stated plainly. "Your claim is that Danzo is replicating the Kekkei Genkai of the Uchiha Clan and stealing the Hiden of the Nara and Inuzuka Clans. I can see the reasoning, if it isn't farfetched. But how would Danzo do that?"

"I've already shown that people are attacking Uchiha Clan members, a statement that Danzo himself affirmed. You yourself have seen my memories. They had Sharingan. You have also seen your daughters' memories. I do not doubt they had Sharingan as well."

Inoichi smirked.

"You've been carefully setting down the pieces for this haven't you? A trail to the Hokage he couldn't deny without making it obvious to you he was the person attacking the Uchiha? Keeping the bodies as evidence. Volunteering to have your mind read rather than having one of us demand it."

Itachi stared at Inoichi, giving no verbal response.

Inoichi sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "If I didn't know better, I'd say this is all a great cover story for an Uchiha coup. You've laid the plans for victimhood quite well."

Itachi was careful to give no facial reaction, but Inoichi was better at reading someone than most. He knew his words had irritated his fellow Clan Head.

"You can check through my memories if you like. I have no knowledge of any plans of a coup."

Itachi made a gesture.

"You may even go as far back as two decades ago. You shall see for yourself the truth."

"We cannot probe that far back," Inoichi stated. "It is beyond the capabilities of the Yamanaka. Both the victim and our psyche undergo a cost the deeper we probe into one's mind."

Itachi nodded.

"Just in recent events then."

Inoichi hesitated, glancing at Itachi. He had restricted himself earlier, not scouring every part of Itachi's mind in an effort to discern the truth. He could have, it would have been child's play, but to violate the trust of a fellow Clan Head, especially one that may be innocent, was playing a dangerous game. Itachi was not lying about the internal politics the clans had. The Hyuga's and Uchiha's dislike of each other was well known. The Yamanaka had no qualms with the Uchiha, and he did not intend to make a foe of a clan as powerful as this.

But to be offered the opportunity to explore his mind at his discretion?

Inoichi reached out, but Itachi did not shrink away. The Yamanaka Clan Head placed his hand on the Uchiha's skull before forming a handsign. A moment later he was in the depths of the Uchiha's mind, looking out over the still flat water and the brilliant moon that shown overhead. Inoichi blinked, still somewhat unused to the Uchiha's psyche. It was very different than most other shinobi he had ever met.

Still, he found what he had wanted. When the Yamanaka returned to the plane of reality, he found Itachi staring at him expectantly.

"You tell no lies," Inoichi stated flatly. It was impossible to hide something from him. He was the foremost master of the Yamanaka's mental ninjutsu. He could detect thoughts and memories even the holder didn't know they had. Hiding something from him was absolutely impossible. His daughter, for all her skill, still lacked that level of insight.

"But that does not mean the Uchiha are not suspects."

Itachi fought the urge to roll his eyes.

"Your clan's history with the village is tumultuous, as you yourself know. The rebellion of Madara Uchiha, the political strife over the ANBU and the police station, and of course your own father. It is not unreasonable to believe some may be planning this coup behind your back."

"You suggest I don't have control over my clan?"

"Let me give you some advice, as an older Clan Head," Inoichi stated plainly. "No Clan Head has full control over their clan. You may be the most powerful political force in your clan, but even you must barter with other major players. I would have thought Fugaku taught you that."

Inoichi rubbed his chin, his mind elsewhere.

"Still, no matter what I cannot deny the fact that you yourself seem to be innocent. So far, your story checks out. But these are big claims Itachi. You're accusing the Hokage of treason. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence."

"And if I could provide you with evidence?"

Inoichi stared at Itachi.

"Are you asking me if I would join you in rebellion if you could find proof?"

"This is a threat that concerns every clan," Itachi stated plainly. "Your voice is the most respected among the Clan Heads outside of Shikaku Nara. You cannot be fooled, so long as you can peer into someone's mind. The other Clan Heads will not trust me if I show them, the illusionary powers of the Sharingan and our clan's history with the village will bias their judgement. But yours..."

Inoichi raised a hand.

"I will hear no more of it. I will not have my clan implicated if my mind is eventually searched."

Itachi frowned at the words. Inoichi was the head of the Yamanaka Clan. Even if he did, as a courtesy, give the authority to another Yamanaka Clan member to search his mind there was no way they would be able to find anything. Even an Uchiha, the only other clan capable of delving into the psyche in Konoha, would be incapable of piercing his mental defenses. Perhaps he could with his Eternal eyes, but that was a secret he would not reveal.

And yet the man was worried.

Which meant that there had to be some other individual or individuals capable of delving into his mind. One's that Inoichi himself was unsure he could defend against. That was another player to account for.

Inoichi turned to walk out the room.

"Do what you must Uchiha-dono. The Yamanaka Clan will make our choice accordingly."

---

They had arrived at the fort looking for respite. His team needed treatment, and Naruto was determined to get them it. While they lacked life threatening injuries, an iryonin would do far more for his students than his mediocre first aid skills would be capable of.

Unfortunately, they would find none there.

The fort was in tatters, flames decorating it. Massive holes decorated its sides. Clear signs of battle. Naruto signaled for his group to stop, instead letting his wind flare outwards. He glanced back at his students.

"Ten," he muttered. "Friend or foe I cannot be sure. Be on guard."

The trio nodded, carefully as they approached. Konoha had clearly attacked the fort in their absence. The quartet moved forwards, only for Naruto to hold up a hand once more. Naruto pointed to his left.

"You three move that way. I'll take the right side. Stick together."

His students moved, creeping forwards and slipping between the ruins to avoid being discovered by any potential shinobi. Kagari's eyes narrowed as they moved. His body protested the movements, his injuries from their ambush still present. Midare glanced back at him, signaling to his teammates with two fingers.

Two enemies.

The trio shot forwards in a blur of motion; weapons drawn. The foreign shinobi turned; eyes wide as they saw the Ame shinobi appear from the shadows. The Konoha insignia could be seen on their headbands, although the familar Grass clothing revealed their country of origin. Midare and Kagari struck first. Umbrella shattered ribs and kunai rent flesh as the two snarled. Midare continued his assault, drawing a kunai and slitting his foes throat in a rivulet of blood. Quick, clean, efficient.

Kagari was sloppier.

He roared with rage, chakra enhanced strength allowing him to rip his kunai upwards through his foes inards, covering him with blood and entrails. The Chunin pressed forwards, grabbing another kunai and piercing the shinobi's throat, rage filled eyes staring into his foes. The body dropped to the ground in a pile of gore. Midare stared at his teammate.

"What the fuck was that?"

"No time!"

Suiren's hands clasped together, and two puddles of water around the trio shot forwards, smashing into the two Konoha shinobi who had leapt at them in their moment's distraction. The bullets stunned the duo, allowing Midare to press forwards.

He was beaten by Kagari.

The Chunin roared, leaping forwards and colliding with both in the air. His kunai was a blur of motion as he repeatedly stabbed the shinobi in the gut, covering his hands and forearms in their blood. His teammates stood, shocked at the display of violence. The shinobi were long dead by the time he had finally stopped.

Midare yanked his teammate off the corpses, glaring at him.

"The hell are you doing?"

"What," Kagari hissed, spitting blood from his mouth. "They're enemies. What does it matter what I do to them?"

Midare wanted to respond but had no time to. The trio heard a scream and instantly reacted. They leapt into action, Kagari's unsettling behavior on the backburner for now. The noise was coming from the central tower. As they neared the screams stopped, turning into muffled words. Midare signaled to Suiren, the kunoichi nodding. She weaved a string of handseals before a puddle of water shot forwards, speeding like a bullet and smashing through the tower, blowing concrete and glass in every direction. Midare and Kagari shot in a moment later, eyes narrowing on the form of a Konoha shinobi who stood over a crumpled Oboro. The man was covered in bruises but clearly alive.

The Konoha shinobi's eyes narrowed, clearly having expected some form of an attack. A gale of wind smashed into Midare, sending him flying out of the destroyed tower. Kagari however, dove just in time to avoid the gale. He quickly rose to his feet, barely able to fend off the hail of blows from the enemy before him. His bones rattled underneath the force of the man's attacks. This was no normal shinobi. Suiren shot inwards, kunai in hand, but she was too slow. The Konoha shinobi spun, fist cracking against her temple. She dropped, dazed.

Kagari screamed, leaping forwards with a sense of reckless abandon found only in the most fanatical of warriors. The Konoha shinobi turned, fist impacting with Kagari's gut. Blood and bile shot from his mouth, but the Chunin did not still. He bit down savagely on the man's neck, causing him to howl and throw the teen off of him. Kagari rolled with the impact, a deranged smile splitting his face as his foes blood caked his lips.

"Fucking runt. You'll pay for that."

Kagari snarled, more beast than man as he leapt forwards. Oboro could only watch, mind unable to process what his eyes saw. This was the boy who had been so pathetic, fighting tooth and nail against a superior opponent. Oboro had known Kagari for a long time, and yet he had never seen this savagery in the boy.

'Who is this child?'

The question was answered as Kagari endured a blow to the face just to stab a kunai into the man's throat. The Konoha shinobi howled, but Kagari wasn't done. His other hand came up, stabbing a kunai into the other side of his throat. The man gurgled, choking on his own blood.

"Die you fucking murderer!"

Kagari screamed to the heavens and ripped, the man's head flying off. Kagari stared down at the corpse, rage still on his face. The Konoha headband gleamed up at him. The Chunin grit his teeth, raising his foot to smash the skull of the dead man into a paste.

Oboro recoiled, shock on his face.

"You killed him already..."

Kagari's eyes snapped at him and Oboro hesitated for a moment, scarred the Chunin would turn on him.

"Where are the others?"

"Dead."

Kagari turned, seeing Naruto standing there, Midare by his side. Suiren groaned, rising from the ground. The blonde's eyes narrowed as he saw Kagari's blood-soaked form and the corpse at his feet. Midare looked at his teammate in disgust.

"What the hell is this," Midare stated, disgust on his face. "What did you do out there today?"

"I killed the enemy," Kagari stated, as if the answer were obvious. "Just like they did us. That's the right thing to do."

"There's a line! You relished in it."

"Don't you dare preach morality to me! Isn't assassination supposed to be the line of work you want to specialize in? How come I seem to be better at it than you are?"

Midare's eyes narrowed.

"These are the enemy. I thought you valued military might Midare! Well, this is what that looks like."

"You're wrong."

Kagari recoiled, as if the words of his teammate had struck him in the face.

"There is a line," Midare stated. "There is always a line. What you did today was crossing it. This wasn't killing an enemy to defend the village. To defend the country. This was murder. You relished in it. What you did today is no different than the behavior of a criminal."

"What's the difference," Kagari spat. "What makes what you do and what I do so different? You killed too."

"You mutilated corpses. Don't tell me some sick, perverted sense of joy didn't fill you as you did it."

"These people killed my family," Kagari spat. "They deserve what they get. The shinobi we fought in the caves are lucky they didn't get the same treatment. I didn't have the time."

Midare glared at his teammate, but Naruto raised a hand.

"Enough."

His eyes cut to Kagari.

"We will discuss this later."

Kagari grunted.

Naruto turned to look at Oboro, helping the man to his feet.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Oboro muttered. "They kept me alive to send false orders."

Naruto nodded. He had pieced that together himself. It was an old strategy utilized by Konoha ANBU, designed to cripple enemy fortifications and defensive lines. The scouting party his team had fought had not been intended to actually do damage, but rather to lure their more dangerous combatants away while a storm of shinobi captured the fort. A simple distraction play, but it was effective.

In fact, the fort had likely been captured before they had even received the order to go investigate the scouting party. It would explain the trap they had walked into, and the lack of help they received for a task that clearly needed larger numbers. It had been easy to rationalize at the time. Ame was low on manpower, and he was one of the strongest shinobi on the continent. It was a cover that he wouldn't question had they not gone to the fort. But something still ate at him.

Why send just Yugao and Hayate to kill him? Shikaku was smarter than that. He had to know there was no possible way the duo could succeed at killing him, even if the other shinobi with them had managed to kill his Chunin wards and join them in battle. Whatever the man's aim, killing him was not the priority.

Suiren moved forwards, freeing Oboro from the bindings that wrapped around his body.

"What happened here?"

"Konoha forces came," Oboro whispered. He stretched; body no longer locked in an uncomfortable position. "They slaughtered as many of us as they could. The reports of their forces sneaking through the borders was bad info. We sent out our forces and then a contingent came through here. They slaughtered us."

Oboro shook his head. "I...they forced me to send you bad intel. I thought you'd have died."

"We're harder to kill than that," Midare stated.

"Did they mention anything about their plan," Naruto questioned. "We need to act quickly to stop them."

"They mentioned something about attacking civilian villages all the way up to Ame," Oboro muttered. "Attacking at the center of the country. But what's the point of attacking civilians? They've already hit much of the food supply for Rain outside of the farming towns closest to the capital."

Naruto frowned. This clearly wasn't the traditional plan he was used to. Attacking civilians was part of the goal, but to what end he was unsure. Civilians didn't have much political power, especially in a country that lacked a Daimyo. They could be targets if they were especially powerful businessmen, or were workers in a large factory or farm, but usually civilians were avoided unless the goal was to simply spread terror through the land.

"Maybe one of the Konoha shinobi is still alive," Suiren suggested. "We could interrogate them."

Naruto's eyes narrowed. Interrogation wasn't his strong suit. But luckily, he didn't think he'd need it. Spreading terror was not the way Shikaku operated. That had been his confusion with the way Konoha forces had been operating. The Shikaku he knew did not believe in murdering large amounts of civilians to achieve a military goal, not when he could help it. That was when the blonde saw it.

"No need," Naruto stated, ripping an arrow from the wall. His eyes narrowed. "I think I know who's behind this and exactly what their goal is."

Naruto looked back at Oboro.

"Get a message sent to Ame immediately. Tell Nagato I need him here to man the border."

"As you command. But...what about you? I thought that was your job."

Naruto stared at the arrow in his hands. He turned to look at his students, each looking at him expectantly.

"My team and I are going hunting."

---

It was night when Naruto approached Kagari. The Chunin was sitting atop a tower on the destroyed fort, looking out at the border.

"What do you want," the Chunin said sharply. "Come to lecture me too?"

"I should," Naruto said, sitting down next to the DeMita. "The way you fought today was unacceptable. I've never seen you like that. What's wrong Kagari?"

"What's wrong," Kagari whispered. "You dare ask me what's wrong? My parents are dead. That's what's wrong. My parents and dead and Konoha shinobi did it. Your student did it."

"So, you're going to get your pound of flesh from every Konoha shinobi we fight," Naruto questioned. "Innocent or not?"

"There are no innocents!"

Naruto turned, eyes narrowed.

"Oh? I used to be a Konoha shinobi too you know..."

Kagari's eyes narrowed.

"Am I innocent?"

"You were here before the war started."

"I'm the reason for the war, Kagari."

Kagari bit his lip, refusing to look at the blonde.

"I'm the reason your parents are dead."

Kagari whirled, fist striking out only for Naruto to catch it. Hate burned in the Chunin's eyes. Naruto stared at him, his eyes meeting the hatred.

"What you're doing won't bring you peace," Naruto muttered. "It didn't bring me any when I killed the Sandaime Tsuchikage. There's only one thing that can bring you peace Kagari. That's accepting that your parents are gone."

"What would you know about it," Kagari spat. "You never even knew yours."

Naruto stared, silent at the Chunin's words for a long time.

"You're right," he eventually said. Naruto stood.

"But I know what I would have wanted for my daughter if I had died. And this isn't it."

With that Naruto disappeared.

---

Sakura blinked as she placed her cards back on the table. Her eye twitched as she glanced up, her eyes shifting between Karin, Kamino, and Ashino. Finally, they rested on Kamino.

"How the hell did you do that?"

"Don't bother trying to figure it out," Karin said, throwing her cards in the air. Her voice was filled with exasperation. "I'm married to him, and I still don't get it."

"A good magician never reveals his tricks," Kamino stated, a smile on his face. Ashino stared at the man, a frown on his face.

"But didn't you-"

Kamino quickly covered his mouth, a creepy smile on his face.

"Ashino, if you want a cookie, you won't say another word."

"If you want two, you'll finish that sentence," Karin exclaimed, the look of greed on her face almost nauseating. Ashino had caught onto whatever trick Kamino had used and she was desperate to learn what it was. Ashino's eyes twinkled at the offer, ready to speak only for Kamino to interject.

"Now Ashino, you wouldn't betray our loyal bond as family, would you?"

"He's blood related to me."

"Oh, that's the card we're pulling right now?"

Sakura gave a soft chuckle at the interaction. The Uzumaki Clan were certainly something else. She could see why Naruto loved it here so much. They were jovial and relaxed. They acted like a family should. They reminded her of her own parents. For Naruto to be able to experience that again without being reminded of the pain of his old family was something that warmed her heart, even if she was still saddened by his departure.

The medical kunoichi was ripped from her thoughts by Ashino, the child looking up at her.

"What is it Ashino?"

"You have pretty hair."

Sakura blinked, touching her pink hair for a moment. She hadn't been able to keep it well maintained during her time in Ame. It needed a thorough treatment.

It made the words even more touching. It reminded her of a certain bushy-haired taijutsu specialist she knew that never failed to compliment her even now. She wondered how he was doing.

"Why thank you," Sakura said. "I like your red hair myself."

"Thanks! I got it from my parents!"

Sakura wanted to snort. Ashino's childlike innocence was relaxing. Whatever scars he had from his kidnapping had clearly healed, hopefully to never reopen. Sakura certainly had no intention of ever doing anything of the sort. She had grown attached to the young boy, regardless of her better judgment.

'I was trying to convince Naruto to return to Konoha and instead I've convinced myself as to why he should stay. I really do make a poor shinobi.'

"You wanna know a little secret," Sakura whispered. "I think if Naruto had your hair color, he'd look a lot better."

"I'm telling him you said that," Karin shouted.

"You wouldn't."

"She absolutely would," Kamino said, shuffling the deck of cards once more.

"I won't," Ashino said, a smile on his face. "But only if you help me dye his hair red as a prank!"

Sakura grinned.

"Oh, I think I love this idea."

"I don't."

The two words ripped the joy out of the room like a hot match. Fuka stood in the doorway, her chakra barely suppressed. Karin stared at the kunoichi, a frown on her face. The smiles dropped from everyone's faces.

"Ashino," the boy's mother stated. "Get away from her."

The boy looked at his mother, but he could tell this was no time for an argument. He would not win. Her hot gaze shifted from Ashino to Karin.

"I told you to keep her away from him."

"He's growing up Fuka. If he wants to visit, he can."

"Then take her elsewhere!"

"My apologies," Sakura said, her voice cutting through the tension like a hot knife. "It's my fault. I didn't mean-"

"Shut up!"

Sakura met Fuka's blaze with one that was solid ice. The clash between the two kunoichi threatened to spill into the physical realm until Ashino tugged at his mother's clothes.

"Kaa-chan...can we go home?"

Fuka glanced at her son, before her eyes returned to Sakura.

"Stay away from him."

And with that, the duo left.

---

It didn't take long for Nagato to arrive at the destroyed fort that had previously been fully manned by Ame shinobi. The Amekage came to find Oboro being nursed to health by the first aid capabilities of Naruto alone. The blonde's students, still injured from their own battles, were also covered in bandages. The iryonin that accompanied the Uzumaki quickly went to work on the quartet, trying to ease their suffering.

If it weren't for Naruto's clones the fort would have been completely incapable of functioning with such numbers. Fortunately, Naruto himself was a one-man army.

Nagato approached his younger cousin, a frown on his face.

"I had not expected to see things in such a dire state."

"Trust me, neither did I," the blonde muttered. "But desperate times and all. They've destroyed the fort and scattered Oboro's chain of command. I wouldn't be surprised if Ame shinobi were being hunted down on the border as we speak. And there's reports of a larger contingent moving deeper into Rain to terrorize civilians."

Nagato's eyes narrowed. "I can dispatch-"

"No," Naruto stated. "Rain has the least manpower of any nation, you know this. We cannot win this with a grinded out battle of manpower. We need to strike so much fear into Konoha they retreat from Ame entirely."

Nagato stared at him.

"And that is why you called me here. Forced me to ask Karin to maintain watch over the village in her pregnancy."

"I know you're worried about spies infiltrating into Ame," Naruto stated plainly. "And I'm not entirely thrilled about what we're asking Karin to do but she has help. Kisame, Konan, and Yahiko are all there. We can't reveal Kisame to the world, and Konan and Yahiko lack the overwhelming strength that you or I possess."

"What's your plan?"

"Right, Naruto-sensei," came the call. Naruto's Chunin had approached the duo during their conversation, the iryonin helping heal them. They bowed to their kage who bowed back before they held up kunai with unique seals on them. "Flashbangs. What's the plan?"

"The way I see it there's two forces in all likelihood," Naruto explained. "Shikaku's and Hanabi's. Hanabi is the one who is going to penetrate deeper into Rain. Nagato, I want you here, at the border. I want you to try and save as many Ame shinobi as you can and reorganize the border. Then, launch an assault into Fire and destroyed their fort."

"Why me? There's more to this than the power I possess."

"Not really," the blonde stated honestly. "I chose you because you fit the qualities to fully defend a border."

Naruto turned to look at his students, idly noticing Oboro stumbling over. Nagato raised an eyebrow, but he could understand the blonde was using this moment to teach his students about war just as much as he was revealing his plan. Oboro clearly lacked the tact.

"You three, go help the iryonin set up," Oboro charged the trio. The Chunin frowned but were not going to show insubordination in the face of the leader of their village. However, they stopped when Naruto raised his hands.

"They have earned their place. They can stay. Besides, the details of this plan concerns them."

Oboro stood, shocked that the blonde had disagreed with his assessment. Still, he knew he could not argue for much the same reason the Chunin could not argue with him. Naruto may only be a Jonin in title name, but the hierarchy of a village was more fluid than mere titles. The blonde outranked him.

The Uzumaki turned back to face his students.

"What is required to guard a border?"

"Manpower," Midare stated. "You can't defeat a border without it."

"Close," the blonde stated. "But not quite. What is truly necessary is strength. Manpower is the most obvious way of displaying that strength, but in theory a supremely powerful shinobi could defend a border by themselves. The Sandaime Raikage, A, could have defended Kumo's borders by himself such was his strength."

"But he would have had to contend with a large number of shinobi all at once," Midare stated. "Sure, he held off large amounts of shinobi on his own, but they could spread out and overwhelm him."

"Correct," the blonde stated. "Strength is only one aspect of what's necessary to defend a border. What else is required?"

"Information," Suiren stated. "Ways to keep track of the enemy's movements. Ensure they're not sneaking by your defenses."

"Correct," the blonde stated. "Manpower is the most obvious way to achieve both of these goals. But it is not the only way. It is possible for a singular shinobi to meet both of these requirements, and in turn, defend a border by themselves."

"Strength is the easiest requirement to meet. There are plenty of shinobi who in theory have the ability to defend a border by themselves. Nagato and myself of course, but there's plenty from other villages. Itachi Uchiha, the Sandaime Kazekage, Killer B, etcetera. That requirement is fairly easy. If one can become a high kage class shinobi it requires a significant level of individual strength, not manpower, to defeat them. That level of strength is strong enough to hold a border by themselves. In Ame we have three people who fit this requirement, myself, Nagato, and Kisame."

The blonde glanced at Nagato.

"No, the harder barrier to meet is information. The ability to know the inner workings of an entire border. The most traditional way this could be achieved by one individual is with extraordinary sensing abilities. One like Hashirama Senju. Sensory abilities on that level are extremely rare. Even I do not possess one even with my own wind. The only people in Ame who fit this requirement are Nagato, Karin, and myself."

"Wait a minute Naruto-sensei," Kagari interrupted. "I thought you just said you don't have the sensory abilities to cover an entire border."

"I don't," Naruto stated. "I solve that problem with my clones. My unique style of clones send information back to me when they dispel. Their prohibitive chakra cost to most people does not allow them to be used in this manner generally speaking. I happen to be a unique situation with the chakra of a Bijuu and my own large natural reserves. I can solve this problem with manpower fully supplied by my own existence."

Naruto rubbed the back of his head.

"Admittedly it isn't ideal. I have lots of chakra, but the Kyuubi isn't exactly willing to give me chakra most of the time. Something like that would be exhausting, even for me. Something to be used in dire situations, and it still has all the flaws of only using manpower to maintain a border with the additional drawback that the clones are fragile."

"What about Kisame," Nagato stated. "He possesses both of these qualities. You did not mention him."

"Kisame is strong enough, but he doesn't have the information. His sensory capabilities are closely tied to Samehada, and Samehada only has interest in those with large chakra levels. Your average shinobi doesn't have that. Kisame would be great at detecting potentially more dangerous elements crossing the border, but that's about it. Karin suffers from the opposite issue. She can detect across a range large enough to defend a border, at least mostly, but she lacks the power by herself to make up for it."

Naruto looked at the leader of Ame.

"You are the only person who fits both requirements."

"My sensory jutsu is not that large scale."

"It's large enough," Naruto stated. "It doesn't need to literally be able to cover the entire border. No shinobi can do that. Just large enough sections. Besides, what I want you to do first is regroup the Ame forces along the border. They can act as your supplement."

"And you, what will you be doing?"

Naruto frowned, looking at his students.

"My students and I will be hunting Hanabi down. We can't let her keep doing what she's doing."

"You I understand," Oboro stated. "You're...you. But Kagari DeMita is pathetic! He cannot stand against Hanabi-"

A wave of killing intent flooded the area, causing all but Nagato to stand on edge. The blonde's eyes dug into Oboro forcing him stock still. Air was hard to come by. His eyes could not leave the blondes.

"I'd advise you to stop insulting my students."

The words struck Oboro like a slap across the face. He recoiled, dropping to the ground in shame as the killing intent let up. Nagato watched the interaction, a curiosity on his face. He was not familiar with the personal relationships of all the shinobi of Ame, but he was not blind to the bad blood here. Whatever it was, he trusted Naruto to handle it.

"As I was saying, my students and I are going to hunt down Hanabi. It is...personal for us."

Nagato nodded.

"I won't argue. I see the reasoning in your plan. Although, how do you plan on hunting this Konoha assault party?"

Naruto looked at the arrow that he held in his hand. A frown came to his face.

"Hanabi is good...but I know her better than she thinks. I'll find her."

The Amekage knew when to let that lie as well.

"Alright. Let's enact this plan of yours then. The village should be able to survive a few days without me there."

"Days," the blonde questioned. "You believe you will handle this that quickly?"

Nagato smiled.

---

Yoshino continued her walk through the street, frowning as she noticed the hushed whispers of the populace. The civilians were running around, all of them acting like they were in a panic. She had simply gone out to get some groceries and been greeted by a village that had seemingly lost its mind. Crowds of people surrounded stalls with newspapers, fighting over them. She could hear the hushed whisperings.

"No way!"

"Is this true?"

"Those damn traitors."

"They must be brought to answer for this!"

Yoshino grunted, finally deciding to see what all the commotion was about. She pushed her way through a crowd, quickly paying for one of the newspapers from the vendor. The man had looked at her with wide, sympathetic eyes, saying "I'm sorry the village did not do a better job of protecting your clan," as he handed her the paper. The words had been confusing at first, but when she looked down at the paper she quickly understood. The headline was in large, bold text. It was impossible to miss. Frankly, she was surprised pitch forks and torches weren't out and that the front page of the news wasn't hanging from every street wire from what it said.

Leak Reveals Uchiha Attempted a Coup Two Decades Ago!

Yoshino's eyes narrowed, quickly reading through the newspaper article. The information inside was...revealing to say the least.

If the article was to be believed Konoha had come inches from a full-blown civil war just two decades ago. The Uchiha, led by Fugaku and the Uchiha Clan Elders, had prepared a coup to overthrow Konoha leadership. Konoha had attempted peace talks, but things appeared to have broken down between the Hokage and the Uchiha Clan Head. The relationship between the two sides had quickly soured after the Kyuubi Attack, in no small part over the reason behind the attack. Yoshino remembered the time vividly. The Kyuubi had been sealed inside of Kushina Uzumaki, and it was common knowledge among the shinobi populace but especially the clans. There had always been suspected foul play in the deaths of the Yondaime Hokage and his wife. Their delayed appearance on the battlefield against the Kyuubi, hell the Kyuubi's release alone, was evidence enough of that.

Of course, it hadn't taken long for the Hyuga to whip up a frenzy that the Uchiha were the only remaining clan in Konoha capable of controlling the Kyuubi. It had initially been a design to transfer more political power and public support to the Hyuga by Hiashi, but it had turned into a full-on frenzy beyond his control. Even his apologies for his actions, half-hearted they may have been, did little to quell the divide it created between the two families. Still, there were many who believed the rumor. The Hokage had responded by quarantining them in the Uchiha District, an act that had not been done to any other clan although clan compounds existed throughout the village. Yoshino had thought that had been the end of it, especially when the Uchiha had been allowed to live anywhere they wanted only a few years afterwards.

But apparently there had been more substance to it after all. The Uchiha had taken it personally. They had attempted a coup of all things. Why a coup against the Hokage and not outright war with the Hyuga Clan was something she didn't understand. Clearly there were parts of the puzzle that were missing. Still, the two groups had prepared themselves for war. ANBU and the police fighting over jurisdiction over crime. Reports of suspicious behavior from Konoha's ANBU watching the Uchiha, and how particularly prodigious Uchiha like Shisui and Itachi had quickly gained positions of military importance in Konoha's infrastructure.

Spies was the obvious allegation.

A cold war waged in Konoha, underneath all of their noses. A battle that would have certainly led to the destruction of Konoha had it come to be so soon after the Kyuubi Attack. The village had not yet recovered.

However, before things could come to blows Hiruzen and Fugaku met one last time and apparently came to terms out of nowhere.

The Uchiha Accords.

Yoshino had never heard of it.

But the newspaper contained detailed notes of the supposed agreement. A peace deal brokered between the two heads of the factions, assuring the stabilization of Konoha. The details were...revealing.

What Yoshino had thought was simply the rumors dying down allowing the Uchiha to leave the Hokage's watchful eye and village prejudice was something much more sinister. They had bartered their freedom. The Accords detailed that the Uchiha would be granted permission to move back into the village proper and that the police budget would be reinstated after having been cut under the Hokage's orders. Their jurisdiction over crime had even been reinstated, the ANBU returning to a purely foreign threat-based service.

Konoha had not purely capitulated to the Uchiha's demands either. While the police force had been given over to Uchiha jurisdiction, it was no longer segregated. Other clans and shinobi could join it. Similarly, the Hokage had been placed in charge of the police, rather than Fugaku. A heavy tax had been placed on them, one that no other clan had to pay. Reportedly it was temporary, having expired a decade ago. Additionally, Itachi and Shisui Uchiha had been relegated to positions directly underneath the Hokage. What had been initially believed to have been the duo being favored due to their superior strength instead was due to them being held politically as prisoners. The duo had been sent out on dangerous mission after dangerous mission.

Shisui had even been captured by Iwa shinobi for a time.

It hadn't been quite enough to quell the dispute in all likelihood. Yoshino knew clan politics. But it had likely been enough to stop the revolt from occurring. As the years passed both sides had grown comfortable, and as war had begun to settle on the horizon both knew they didn't have the capability to continue their games.

But there was more. A line so sinister, and so politically charged that it required evidence, more so than the other alleged crimes in the newspaper. One that would certainly inflame the other Clan Heads, even if it did not come to pass.

Itachi Uchiha was supposed to be instated as the Godaime Hokage when Hiruzen stepped down.

Yoshino raised an eyebrow. She didn't particularly care that Itachi would have been instated as Hokage. He was certainly a deserving candidate, even then. He was strong enough, would gain political experience, and commanded respect across domestic and foreign lines. He would have made a good Hokage. The issue of course was the optics.

Guaranteeing a Hokage spot? Something that only the Daimyo could truly get away with, with no political backlash due to their unique position in Fire? More so, guaranteeing the spot to the son of a man who had just been planning a coup?

It was horrible optics.

But Itachi wasn't the Godaime, Danzo was. So, something had changed, despite the Accords. The Daimyo had quickly made Danzo the Hokage after Hiruzen's untimely death. There wasn't even time for Itachi to build a platform for his candidacy. Yoshino didn't even remember him trying.

The information burned through Yoshino's mind.

Why wasn't Itachi instated as the Hokage? If the relationship between the Uchiha and Konoha had grown so dire, how had Konoha reneging on their deal not led to another potential coup? How had all of this information been kept under wraps, and for so long? What did each side do to antagonize the other? Yoshino was sure this article did not contain all the information. But one question rang louder in her mind, racing to the forefront before any other.

Why was this information being leaked now?

Who stood to gain from this?

The Uchiha certainly didn't. Konoha didn't. They were at war and being assaulted in their own territory. They needed comraderie now more than ever. All signs pointed to foreign involvement, but they had no evidence of foreign hands at play here.

The stand-in Nara Clan Head rubbed her forehead. Her mind was unsettled by countless thoughts, countless possibilities as she tried to decipher the puzzle around her. There were too many moving pieces and not enough concrete information. She needed time to think, and to gather information. She needed to talk with Itachi and with Danzo. She needed to compare their stories, see what overlapped and what differentiated.

And most importantly, she perhaps needed to prepare for war on Konoha's soil.

Yet before she could do any of that she felt the ground shake. Her eyes narrowed. Earthquakes were not common in Konoha. They were much more common in Earth or Lightning. And this intensity? The ground rumbled and buildings shook. Konoha shinobi and ANBU had quickly moved in to stop buildings from falling for they had not been designed to withstand that type of environment.

Yoshino looked into the air, watching as she saw shinobi moving overhead. That was when the smell of ozone filled her lungs. Her eyes narrowed and she too took to the rooftops, moving with the cluster of shinobi. She was not adorned in her shinobi garb, but that was irrelevant. Whatever the threat was, it was something she would have to handle as she was. She had no time to return to the Nara Compound and get back to the scene of the incident.

And something told her it was not a coincidence the earthquake had occurred when she had finished reading that newspaper.

She landed, eyes on the scene as she saw a flash of crimson. Her eyes widened in horror as she saw a man with the unmistakable eyes of the Sharingan fighting Konoha shinobi. There were only about a dozen shinobi currently, herself included, but plenty more were incoming. Yet the man carved a path through the Konoha force, a mask covering his face. Yoshino quickly made to activate the Nara Clan jutsu only for the man to leap into the sky, unleashing a massive fireball onto the crowd below.

A deluge of water washed the attack away, courtesy of a Yamanaka Clan member next to her. She didn't bother to nod her thanks, eyes focused on her target. Her shadow stretched out from her, only for her body to lock up as the crimson eyes of the Sharingan flared directly at her. She cursed, unable to move or direct her chakra, resulting in her shadow quickly receding to her form. Before she could break free of the genjutsu the assailant weaved a string of handseals, disappearing in a puff of smoke just as more shinobi arrived on the scene.

"What the hell was that," someone roared!

"Check on the civilians! Make sure no one is hurt!"

"What the hell is wrong with you people?"

Yoshino's head snapped to the side, the genjutsu having dispelled once the wielder of the Sharingan disappeared. Clearly, whoever they were, they were not proficient with genjutsu. She would have no time to analyze their abilities more as a fight quickly broke out among the Konoha shinobi. Yamanaka, Inuzuka, Akimichi, and Hyuga Clan members quickly surrounded the few Uchiha Clan members that had appeared on the scene. They hurled insults at them, many of which had to do with the newspaper that had just been published. Yoshino's eyes narrowed.

It looked like her instinct was right.

"You filthy red eyes!"

"Traitors, the lot of you!"

"The Hokage should have exterminated you! Konoha doesn't need your dojutsu."

"It wasn't us; I promise!"

"Shut up! I'm bringing you in or I'm getting justice for my clansmen. Submit or die Uchiha!"

"I saw those Sharingan!"

"We arrived on the scene with you! It couldn't have been us."

"I've never heard about any planned coup I promise!"

It had quickly devolved into a shouting match. Nothing would get done at this rate. Well, perhaps that wasn't accurate.

Blood would be spilled at this rate.

Yoshino made to move, and for once she was glad, she was not the only one who did.

Yoshino, Ino Yamanaka, Itachi Uchiha, and Shino Aburame stood between the Uchiha and the mob, their killing intent flaring outwards to cow all members.

"Konoha shinobi," Shino hissed. Yoshino almost jumped at the sound. She had never heard Shino use such force in his words. She had always known him to be serious, but quiet. "Disperse. Immediately."

"No way!" came the call. "They're traitors! And that fucking Uchiha next to you is the second biggest traitor of the lot of them."

Itachi's eyes narrowed. Yoshino glanced at him. Itachi was naturally quiet, but this was not the time to be quiet. And yet he remained silent, simply holding his hands up in response. The Nara wanted to throw a brick at him. He at least needed to deny the claims. That typical silent defusing would not work here. They needed a public speaker. She was no expert at it, and neither was Shino. They needed to get the crowd to trust him.

Luckily for them one person was good at public speaking.

"You read one newspaper with uncorroborated rumors and get to accusing Konoha shinobi," Ino stated plainly. "If Kumo released a newspaper claiming the Yamanaka Clan were secretly controlling the village with our jutsu would you believe them? After all, it could be plausible right? You've seen us control other people before."

"Ah, well, Yamanaka-san-"

"Do you have any idea of what camaraderie means? It means you don't just turn on your fellow shinobi! The only thing you all have to support your own prejudices against the Uchiha is some people with crimson eyes and half-baked news reports! Well newsflash, those reports have no sources and there are plenty other dojutsu in the world that give the user red eyes!"

"But the Katon (Fire Release) jutsu-"

"Katon is literally the most common elemental nature," Ino screamed. "It means nothing."

"That's a lot of evidence you're waiving away as circumstantial," came the call from deep within the crowd. They could not see who voiced the words.

"And I will continue to do so until we have solid evidence it isn't circumstantial. We are at war. There are many that would love to see Konoha slaughter itself from within. Or have you forgotten? Hiruzen Sarutobi died this year. A pillar of strength fell. I am confident he did not go quietly into his death. The enemy must have bled and suffered to take him. But why would they ever need to do that again if we rip each other's throats out?"

Ino stared across the scene.

"We all have no idea what we saw. Let us investigate. Please."

The words seemed to still the overwhelming sense of bloodlust that had taken over the crowd. Shino took that time to act.

"I reiterate. Disperse. The ANBU will look into this."

It took some glances, not all of them happy, before the crowd dispersed. It was slow, each of them watching their backs towards the group. Yoshino gave a sigh of relief, watching as they left. Itachi turned to face his clansmen.

"Return to the compound. Now."

"But Itachi-sama-"

"Now."

The Uchiha nodded, a frown on their face before they dashed off.

"This isn't good Itachi," Ino stated plainly. "I was able to drive them off this time, but those words won't be effective for long. This is the second public incident of someone with Sharingan attacking Konoha, and do not mistake my words from before, those were Sharingan. You need to root out this threat. Now."

"She is correct," Shino insisted. "We cannot guarantee the safety of the village, nor your clan, forever."

Itachi's eyes drifted to the Aburame Clan Head. He had been Clan Head for longer than Itachi had been, but he was his younger.

"Get your clan in order, or find out who is behind these attacks," Shino stated before he disappeared.

Itachi frowned.

"He's harsh," Ino stated. "He's changed a lot from when we were younger."

"He's right," Yoshino stated plainly. "Harsh or not. The other clans are growing restless. The citizens and clanless shinobi are growing restless. All of this happening is the perfect breeding ground to sow mistrust. You need to address the lack of public opinion Itachi."

"I am working on it."

"Working on it isn't enough," Yoshino exclaimed. "We are at war and are having an internal strife that could very well tear the village apart. You need to solve this, before it becomes catastrophic. I don't know if those reports about some coup and the Uchiha Accords are true, but I can tell you this. If you don't fix this, the worst-case scenario then, will exist now."

Ino watched the interaction with stunned silence. Despite her words, Yoshino's tone felt less like a threat and more like a plea. The kunoichi did not want a civil war. But it was shaping up to be that way. And that alone was extremely dangerous.

"Are they true," Ino whispered, gaining the attention of the two Clan Heads before her. They turned. "Is what is said in those reports true, Itachi? Don't lie to me."

Itachi stared at the kunoichi, somewhat unsure of what his answer should be. If he told her the truth it may sow even further division, especially among an important political ally that trusted him. It may even cause the Yamanaka and Nara Clan's to turn against him. However, he could not deny it, for he knew Danzo would confirm its veracity as he had likely been the leak. Likewise, he could not explain more details to the story like he could to Inoichi. This was not a protected environment, and he could not guarantee that the Nara Clan nor Yamanaka Clan would take his side without evidence against Danzo. If he told them the whole truth it would simply look like he was feeding into the rumors that the Uchiha were truly a clan filled with traitors.

'So, this is your response...Danzo,' Itachi thought. He wanted to scream.

"There is more to the story that I cannot share at this time," Itachi stated finally. "But...the information held in those documents is true."

The kunoichi's eyes narrowed, both of them looking at him with suspicion in their eyes now.

"This is not the time for secrets Itachi," Yoshino chastised.

"For ones such as these...perhaps it is. I ask that you give me time. I will prove my clan's innocence soon enough. Of that I assure you."

"Itachi..."

"I will gather something concrete for you," Itachi muttered. "I promise. The Uchiha Clan will be in your debt Yoshino."

Yoshino wanted to strangle the man before her. He was playing politics at a time when playing politics would get them all killed. She didn't believe that the Uchiha were behind this attack, or at least she didn't believe Itachi was behind it. Call it naiveite, but Shikaku spoke too highly of him. He had never shown any type of traitorous intent to the village. Sure, some might call that being a good spy, but Yoshino just couldn't bring herself to believe it.

"You'd better get something concrete and fast to confirm whatever suspicions you have Itachi," Yoshino hissed. "I'll try my best to dissuade the rumors floating about the village, but I'm not the Sage. Work quickly."

"I sincerely appreciate this, Yoshino-sama."

The Nara Clan Head turned to leave, leaving only Ino and Itachi. The two stared at each other.

"I hope you know what you're doing Itachi," Ino whispered. "For all of our sakes."

With that the Yamanaka Clan Heir disappeared. Itachi watched her go, suddenly realizing just how alone he felt on this street.

'I hope I do too.'

---

Fugaku let loose a frustrated sigh as he watched the sight before him. The Shiin Clan head had sent himself, Kakui, and a member of his clan to infiltrate the Daimyo's palace and interrogate the man for information on Orochimaru. The Snake Sannin may be powerful, but even he could not afford to be publicly known as the leader of Rice, and as such he required a figurehead. Which meant he had to be in contact with the Daimyo, who followed his orders.

Shiin had quickly attempted to recruit the duo to his side. The two had begrudgingly accepted, ensuring the Clan Head that Kumo would assist with the threat of the Sannin if he helped them gather more information. A lie, on both of their parts. Fugaku had no intention of going to Kumo with this, and Kakui had no intention of helping. But staying on his good side was the most important thing. If Orochimaru was as entrenched as Shiin claimed in the region it would require an extraordinary show of force to force him out. An ally on the inside would go far in that direction.

Fugaku leaned back in his chair, watching the Shiin Clan shinobi interrogate the Daimyo. The Uchiha was using a form of genjutsu to delude the man and ensure he had no idea who truly was attacking him. His thoughts drifted back to Orochimaru as he watched.

The Snake Sannin was here...in Rice. He had been the funding behind the Shiin Clan's rise to power. It was hard to believe. Fugaku had known the man was not dead, having disappeared into the underbelly of the world after his flee from Konoha, but this was the first time he had reared his head since. It started to paint a clearer picture of the clash between Konoha and Kumo, but he still could not pick up the pieces.

The smell of snake that had been mentioned was clearly the Sannin, or at least his forces. He must have appeared on the battlefield. That changed things dramatically. In the chaos of a three way battle it was not unsurprising that Konoha and Kumo both suffered heavy losses, but it was unclear why the entire fort would have disappeared as if in a puff of smoke. Why there were no corpses.

Something about the man's existence did not add up, and Fugaku was desperate to figure out what it was.

In the meantime, his mind raced with worry for his wife and youngest son. Orochimaru was not a man to be trifled with. If they had engaged with him...

The Uchiha struck the thought from his head as Kakui called out to him.

"What do you think," Kakui stated. "He's your nukenin."

"If Orochimaru is here this situation is above both of us," Fugaku stated calmly. "We would need the might of Konoha and Kumo to fully evict him from these lands."

"I unfortunately agree," Kakui stated, sitting down on the chair next to the Uchiha. "Orochimaru is too much for either of us to take down, even if we worked together. I will be leaving from here, reporting this to the Raikage. I advise you do the same to the Hokage. Perhaps we can get a ceasefire to take down the snake."

Fugaku wanted to snort. He knew both men. Either was more likely to use Orochimaru against one another than work together in an attempt to kill the threat. A weapon pointed at your enemy was better than a weapon that did not exist.

"And you," Kakui stated.

"I shall stay," Fugaku muttered. He couldn't leave. He had nowhere to return to. Even if it was a desperation play, he had to at least try an infiltration mission into Orochimaru's bases. If he could do that there was the chance that he may find out what happened to Mikoto and Sasuke. He couldn't leave, not until he found concrete proof one way or the other of what happened to them.

"Tch, you're a crazy bastard you know that Uchiha?"

"Hn."

"I've found all there is to know," the Shiin Clan member stated, approaching. Neoni Shiin was her name. "We have discovered the typical meeting point between the Daimyo and one of Orochimaru's messengers. They have a meeting scheduled in two days' time. We shall report this to Shiin-sama."

Fugaku glanced at Kakui.

"Still want to leave?"

The Kumo shinobi rolled his eyes.

"Shut up."

---

"Naruto-sensei," Midare called, sitting on the ground. The group was taking a break from their search for Hanabi and their training to eat. "How do you plan on finding Hanabi?"

Naruto frowned.

"I expect her plan to be creating as much chaos as she can throughout the larger towns in Rain. There is a specific spot that's ideal for that. Ame is the capital and truly the only city in Rain, but there are two large towns that are relatively close to each other. Haryana and Cata."

"I've been there before," Suiren whispered. "My family and I stopped in Cata when we first immigrated here."

"They're the only larger towns Rain has, even if they're smaller than most towns in Fire," Naruto stated plainly. "They have the bulk of the population outside of Ame. They'll be where Hanabi goes next if her goal is to spread terror."

"There's more to it than that," Kagari stated. "Cata has a large freshwater lake next to it, the only one in Ame. It's a fishing village."

"And Haryana has the only iron deposite in the country," Midare interjected. "She's going after Rain's natural resources as well; little they may be."

"All the more reason why we have to defend those locations," Naruto stated. "She'll set up camp somewhere between the two and try to terrorize them both. It's our job to find out where she's setting up shop and put a stop to her before she can do any damage. Ideally, I'm the one who fights her. But that might not actually happen."

The blonde looked at his students.

"Which means all of you need to be ready to face her. She won't go easy on you."

Naruto's students stared at him, a determined look on their faces.

"With your training, we'll be ready sensei."

The blonde nodded.

"Then let's get back to it."

---

Itachi rubbed his pregnant wife's belly, the woman smiling at his touch.

"I hope they're just like you," she whispered, leaning into his touch. They were laying down in bed. "Well, maybe not your social skills."

"My social skills are fine."

"If fine is short for a train wreck, then they're absolutely amazing," Izumi countered, her voice full of joy. "But I hope they look just like you. And have your brains."

"You should be hoping they're like you, Izumi," Itachi stated. "I'm a shinobi at heart. I don't want that for our child."

Izumi frowned, looking at Itachi's eyes. He was gazing far into the distance.

"We live in a world that is ruled by shinobi," she whispered. "I want them to be able to protect themselves. If that means they have to be a shinobi...then so be it."

"Izumi, the shinobi life is not one to be forced upon a child so easily."

"I know Itachi," Izumi stated. "You don't have to lecture me upon the perils of the career path. I'm a shinobi too you know. But we live in dangerous times. And as the Clan Heir they'll always be a target. Forget tradition for a moment, they cannot afford to not be a shinobi. You know how the game is played."

Itachi sat, thinking about her words with a frown on his face. He couldn't begrudge her thinking. She was right. The Clan Heir was not simply a position one could hold by being born first. Sure, that was the base level requirement so long as the Clan Head had a child, but it was more complex than that. Internally, the Clan Elders and others who vied for the seat of the Clan Head or political power within the clan would not respect a Clan Heir who was not the strongest shinobi in the clan. Externally, they had to contend not only with the other Konoha clans, but also the Hokage and foreign powers.

A Clan Heir who was not a shinobi was someone who was not Clan Heir for long.

Still, Itachi could dream that his child would not be forced into this way of life. He would have gladly taken that risk had Hiruzen still been Hokage, or had he succeeded the Sandaime in his passing. But that was not the case.

"Something's wrong."

Itachi ran his hands through Izumi's hair, a frown on his face.

"Our child will not be safe here so long as he runs things."

Izumi shushed him, placing a finger on his lips.

"Don't worry about such things for now. We haven't even come up with a name yet."

Itachi opened his mouth to protest, but Izumi's smile disarmed him, even with his apprehensive mood. The words of Yoshino and Ino faded to the recesses of his mind as he allowed himself to be drawn into the world of being a happy parent, a world that he was desperate to protect.

---

The next morning was a dark one. The Uchiha Clan Elders sat together, huddled in a room with sealing tags covering it to ensure secrecy.

"You're sure of this," Emi Uchiha questioned.

Even Yashiro was surprised at the request, given who was asking for it.

"The letter is quite clear," Yashiro muttered, reading through the letter for the second time. "Although it is hard to believe myself."

"He cannot afford to be tied to the madness," Nairo muttered. "This is the closest we can get to direct orders."

Yashiro stroked the beard on his chin, eyeing the letter for a third time to ensure what he had read was indeed accurate. He had even utilized the Sharingan to ensure he was under no genjutsu. But the letter read the same.

'We cannot afford to wait for Danzo to make the first move given the circumstances. I cannot be tied to this. I leave the charge to you all.'

The message was not signed, but Emi would never mistake the handwriting of this man. She had reared him.

This message had come directly from Itachi Uchiha.