Kakashi helped Haruhi and Sasuke up from the crumbling compound pathways, before walking them back to their house. Haruhi was thankful he didn't use the teleportation jutsu, or else they might have thrown up. The Uchiha compound was a 20 minute walk away from Kakashi's house, and the entire trip was spent in silence, with only their footsteps and sniffling to fill the air.
The surrounds were eerily quiet, mostly due to many of the crickets having been killed in fires. At one point, Naruto joined them, nervously wringing his hands, and shooting Haruhi hopeful looks, like he thought she could fix this; make it better.
At that thought, Haruhi swallowed. She didn't want to let him down.
When they finally got back, Kakashi opened the door and ushered them in, the letter clenched in his hand so hard his knuckles were white. Haruhi shot him a concerned glance, and he didn't bother trying to muster up a fake smile; they both knew it wasn't the time for that.
Kakashi created a shadow clone, which grabbed some of his old clothes for Sasuke to wear because his were smudged with dirt and-cobwebs? They let Sasuke rest on their bed, covering him up with Haruhi's favorite blanket. He seemed to be shell-shocked and exhausted. His limbs trembled from his mad dash. Haruhi didn't like the blank look in his eyes. Kakashi summoned his pack, and plonked them on the bed, and god bless them the immediately knew what to do, cuddling Sasuke and comforting him.
"Call if you need anything." Haruhi spoke so quietly it was almost a whisper, and they closed the door.
As soon as Sasuke was out of sight, Kakashi grabbed Haruhi's shoulders and pulled her into a hug. They stood there for a few moments, Kakashi loosening his grip on the paper in order to comfort Haruhi before sighing deeply.
"We should talk to Naruto about this."
"Yeah."
They found him in the kitchen, sitting on Haruhi's favorite stool. When he saw them, he jump, and ran into Haruhi for a flying hug. She patted his back and felt him crying into her stomach.
She walked them into the living room and to the couch, sparing a quick glance at the bookshelf she used to live in, before Kakashi joined them, sitting on the other side of Naruto.
When Naruto finally emerged, Kakashi gave him a kind, but serious look.
"Naruto, did you read this as well?" Kakashi held up the paper.
"...Yes."
"Where did you get it?"
"Me and Sasuke wanted to find answers, so we snuck into the library…"
This confirmed Kakashi's suspicions, if his soft sigh was anything to go by.
"Naruto, I know what you read is scary, and that you want to make it right. Believe me, I do to. But you absolutely cannot go spreading this around. You could get in serious trouble, and not even I or the third could help you."
At the mentioning of the third Naruto started to cry.
"S'not like the Third can help anyone nowadays."
The skin on the back of her neck prickled, and her and Kakashi exchanged startled looks.
"What do you mean about that?"
"When we saw him in the library, he didn't know me. He was confused, and had tobacco and ink stains on him. He called Sasuke Mikoto, and me Minato."
Kakashi looked like he had been sucker punched by Tsunade senju and she probably didn't look much better. God, really, His father?
The Third was losing his mind. Had lost his mind, it seemed. It happened to old people.
"Haruhi-sensei, I don't think I want to be Hokage anymore." Naruto said.
Then burst into tears.
Reeling, Haruhi put her arms around Naruto's shoulders, and pressed his face into her neck.
"Jiji did b-bad things! And i-if I become Hokage, I'll have to do that too!" he wailed.
Well, he wasn't wrong. Being the military dictator of a fascist genocidal state meant you were compliant in a lot of atrocious things. Took part in even more. Covered them up too.
"I want to ask him w-why, why did he let Sasuke family die, but now he can't even answer me! I've known him my entire life and he doesn't even remember my name!"
Haruhi's heart breaks. She scoops Naruto up into her arms. And look, she hated the Third hokage, okay? That MF did some seriously shady things while Hokage, and helped cover up even more terrible things as the Hokage. He let Orochimaru go, allowed Danzo to do everything awful(child abuse, kidnapping, further abusing Yamato, murder, sabotage, etc) and let Tsunade and her medical skills leave, condemning many ill to die now that her skills were gone.
But at the same time, he treated Naruto like a person when no one else would. And yeah, that probably had to do with his parents and background more than anything else, but he was a figure in Naruto's life that Naruto loved, and felt like he could depend on in a time where he didn't have anyone else. That was priceless.
All that was shattered now.
It wasn't even like the guy died, as in canon. This was a much more brutal event, because instead of just having the third killed and gone, reputation intact, The third's image in Naruto's former hero worshiping eyes was dragged through the mud, the pedestal was crushed. All that was left were his vacant eyes, a reminder of the man he once was, the man everyone thought he was, and what he actually was-now and forever.
She looked up.
Kakashi's face had gone carefully blank.
Haruhi shot his a partially panicked look as she was trying to keep it together, because that was never good. He was still holding the paper in his hand, the one damning the elders and the Uchiha. Haruhi fought the sudden urge to jump up and grab it, as Naruto was still sobbing into her. That was evidence. Proof. Validation. If it was destroyed, it would be that much harder to get justice for the Uchiha.
"Hide it. Protect the letter. It's incredibly important."
Kakashi's eye sharpened, and he nodded.
Then Haruhi stuck her hand down her shirt and pulled out her seal. The one she came here in, and then swiped from Orochimaru's labs, and handed it to Kakashi, who had gone bug eyed.
"Orochimaru had it. I swiped it from him, but was too scared to tell anyone, because I didn't know who to trust."
Kakashi looked at it, and then her, eyes lighting up in understanding.
"But now, I do."
He smiled at her, and carefully sealed the papers away.
"Kakashi sensei, who is Minato? And Kushina?"
Kakashi freezes.
"Naruto, you cannot tell anyone about what I'm going to tell you."
Naruto nodded, eyes wide.
Kakashi told him that those people were his parents. He said he couldn't tell Naruto everything, not until he was older at least, but he told him about his father, who was also kind, and his mother, who was ferocious.
It was the quietest she had ever seen him.
Kakashi took Naruto home, and she stayed with Sasuke, who places his head in her lap and tried not to shake apart.
Sasuke was quiet for the next couple of weeks. He wandered around in a daze, ignorant of the stares he was getting. Haruhi and kakashi both tried to be there for him, but Kakashi kept on getting called away again and again for missions, and Sasuke was a ninja. He could easily leave Haruhi behind if he felt like it. Naruto promised to keep quiet, and continued training with the rest of team seven-minus Sasuke.
All she could do was sigh and be there for him when he came to her.
But for now?
Well, Haruhi was one busy bee.
In order to cope the the groundbreaking revelations and consequences, and to gain some semblance of control, she threw herself headlong into meetings, group talks, and civilian events.
She went for "Tea" with Kasumi, She worked with Akira in the back of his clothing shop, discussing strategies.
"Akira, I had the idea of starting classes that teach retired Shinobi and others about life skills that they never learned in the academy. Like cooking, sewing, and other social skills."
"Great Idea! I'm pretty sure I can talk to Kizashi about it. And I can start some of my own classes as well."
Haruhi then went to Kizashi's group meetings, seeing Inari there as well, and the blacksmith that took Tenten under her wing. They learned cooking and things.
"I think that's a great idea, Haruhi. I can see why my daughter likes you so much!" He laughed, cheerfully, and Haruhi smiled too. She thought it was remarkable, considering what Mebuki said at Kasumi's, that he could laugh like that.
After everything, he could still laugh.
It gave her hope.
She spoke with Ami and Inari at the immigrant meetings. Learning about the diverse cultures and different perspectives was a breath of fresh air. Haruhi felt less lonely-she wasn't the only person here who's original home wasn't Konoha. Haruhi brought up her idea of teaching life skills to those who never got the chance to learn them, and Inari pitched in with a great idea.
"Hey, Isn't Kasumi's sister a publisher?"
"Um, yeah."
"Why don't you see if you can maybe get a pamphlet published, and place them in places like the library and the supermarket."
"Inari, that's genius!"
At the next meeting with Kasumi, she brings it up. Kasumi's eyes sparkle the way they did when she came up with the doll idea all those months ago when Kakashi took her to get clothes, and she grins a savage grin-one that Haruhi gladly returned.
"That," Kasumi began, "Has a lot of potential."
Haruhi then tells her about her idea of adult education classes. Many civilians drop out of school, if they go at all, and ninja graduate too early to have a substantial education.
Kasumi recommended a woman named Rikki, who ran the main newspaper in Konoha, and who also knew her through her publisher-sister. Tsubaki then spoke up, saying she wouldn't mind holding these extra classes with Iruka-sensei, both to teach ninja life skills and others how to read.
Haruhi was so happy she cried.
She met up with Rikki, and asked if she would be willing to put ads to ask for teacher and volunteers.
"And why should I do that?" Rikki was dressed in lavish clothing, and eating expensive sushi for her lunch.
"Simple. Because it benefits you. The more people that can read, the more people that buy your newspaper. The power of the Konoha Gazette will grow exponentially."
Rikki is sold, and even volunteers to rent out meeting rooms for them. Haruhi makes sure Iruka and Tsubaki know about this as well, and they coordinate. Soon, two dozen people trickle in after hours, and begin learning to read. Some of them are genin who were rushed through the academy and sent to war or dropped. When Iruka and Tsubaki see them, their faces tighten with guilt and shame, and they personally take it upon themselves to help them.
Haruhi particularly likes that. The fact that these two chunin in respectable, prominent positions in the village are helping civilians and civilian-bornes. It shrinks the gap between ninja and civilians, if only a little.
Baby steps.
Haruhi visits Haku, Sakura, Ino, and Karin in the Hospital.
Ino is doing better, but a lot of her tissue is still raw. Haku's and Hinata's salve's help with scaring.
She tells them her idea of pepper spray. Ino and Haku use their skills with herbs to dilute it, with Sakura helping to get the equipment. They gather empty spray bottles sold on the market by the dozen, and fill them up.
Just to be sure it works, Haruhi tries it on herself.
It works.
When she's finally done blinking the tears and milk out of her eyes, she sees Kakashi in front of her. He looks exhausted, but he still smiles, and gives her a backpack and planner.
"You're quite busy. I think this'll help."
Haruhi grins, hugs him, kisses his cheek, and wishes him good luck. They have Kakashi on a wild goose chase to find Orochimaru, but they all know it's because the elders want him out of village.
At the next meeting at Akira's, Haruhi hands out pepper spray, along with freshly printed pamphlets on how to use them. She does the same at Kizashi's, Kasumi's, and at Inari's, who gives them out to each civilian who walks through the door of her restaurant. Pepper spray doesn't count as weapons(as there is a law barring civilians from using weapons) So they can get away with it.
When Haruhi finally clocks in for the night, rubbing a creak in her neck, she sees Sasuke sitting on the front step of Kakashi's house.
The exhaustion is shoved away.
"Sasuke." She says, not knowing what else to say.
His under eyes are smudged. Haruhi thinks of his newly awakened mangekyou sharingan. She needs to talk to him about it.
"Will you come with me? I want to see my house."
"Of course."
She ignores her aching joints and empty stomach, and walks with Sasuke to the Uchiha compound.
She looks at the hastily constructed Uchiha houses, realizes how even through years of damage and wear, that they were flimsy to begin with. That the Uchiha were cramped in these living quarters, separated from the rest of the village.
With a tiny inhale, she realizes this was a Ghetto. Like the ones the Nazi's shoved the Jews in during the Holocaust, before they took them away to death camps.
Haruhi looks down when she feels something underfoot, and raised her leg. It's a tiny pair of baby shoes. They're a faded pink, with little kittens on the side, and a red-brown splatter that can only be one thing. She feels Sasuke slide his hand into hers, and she holds on as tight as he does.
When they finally make it to the main house, the door is partially off its hinges. It blows open; ghosts inviting them inside.
They step in.
Haruhi tries to pull back thinking that Sasuke maybe wanted some privacy, but he holds on tighter.
"No," He said hoarsely, "Someone else needs to see this too."
Haruhi nods, rubbing her thumb over the back of his hand.
They walk, and they see all sorts of things that whisper of the past. Echoes of what was, the noise of the well worn blouse, the singing of the lacy scarf on the handmade kitchen chair, made as a gift from Fuguku to Mikoto, caromed off the walls, and through the house, highlighting just how dark and empty it was.
There was a family in Haruhi's neighborhood that moved away when she was younger. It was a small, loving family, complete with movie nights and homemade dinners, A tragic gas leak killed the wife and daughter. The solitary husband packed up and left. Later, whe she and a few friends went to explore the "haunted house" They found birthday cards strewn on the floor, teddy bears with chewed on ears, and a clearly worn part of the couch the family loved to sit on-imprints of what was. It truly was haunted.
It reminded her of her own house, after her father passed away in his sleep. Seeing his food stained books, his harmonica, and a worn ring on the wood table where he placed down his hot coffee, was like a punch to the gut. Because pieces of him were everywhere, but she'd never see him whole again.
She knew how Sasuke felt, to an extent, when he looked at his mother's scarf, and his father's chair.
Haruhi wondered how her mother felt, looking at Haruhi's favorite cup, and her wire notebooks. Her favorite writing pen. She blinked back tears and tried not to let guilt consume her.
They walked around for hours, long after the stars came up, and Sasuke started to tell her stories.
"My father got mom that fan for her birthday, and she used it almost always. During the summer, she'd blow air on herself, and him when he sat by her."
"That lighter is from my mother to my father. She thought it was funny, since the Uchiha are known for their fire jutsu. But he kept it anyway, using it to burn papers he didn't like."
"They got me that Dinosaur for my birthday. I really wanted a green one. I never let it go, when I was younger."
They happened across a set of fancy shuriken, painstakingly carved.
"Itachi-" His voice cracked. He tried, and failed, to speak again, but couldn't.
And that was all about that.
When they finally emerged, the stars were beginning to fade on the edge of the horizon, where the sky was turning gray with the first breath of dawn.
Haruhi inhaled, bringing in the fresh, dewy, crisp morning air, the scent of the Naka river, and the greenery springing from the cracks in the stone. And then exhaled.
She felt raw and new, and completely sapped of energy. Fragile and delicate-a new flower bud. Her whole body was trembling minutely with exhaustion, like she had just run a 5k. But there was something...satisfying, about that. It felt like they accomplished something.
They walked to the end of the district, and heard calls in the distance. Sakura and Naruto were running towards them. Sasuke let go of her hand. He had been holding it the entire night.
"Sasuke! Haruhi-sensei! There you are!" Sakura's call was gentle, as if she knew what they just went through. She hugged her, and then went to hug Sasuke, but abruptly stopped, instead awkwardly smiling.
"I gotta talk to Sasuke, and Naruto wants to talk to Haruhi-sensei. Is that okay?"
She tugged Sasuke to the side, and Naruto grabbed the hand Sasuke had held. She caught Sasuke's eye and he nodded.
"Haruhi-sensei, paint the hokage mountain with me!"
Her brain shorted out.
"What?"
Naruto held up buckets of paint.
"Wanna vandalize the hokage monument with me?"
It takes her way longer than it should to digest that statement. But when she finally did, she was left with a dilemma. On one hand, almost being executed once was enough, and Kakashi wasn't here to bail her ass out this time. On the other hand…
"As long a I get to fuck up Tobirama."
Naruto grins, and forcing her sluggish limbs to move, they sprint towards the monument.
Sasuke watched Sakura form the corner of his eye, mind still spinning who thoughts of the past few hours and weeks. The confusion, the questioning, and finally the answers.
He was glad to finally have his questions answered, but the truth was not a pretty one.
He was so tired.
"Are you alright, you um, look a little tired…"
Really?
He waved her concern away.
"Sasuke, I um, I wanted too.."
Wanted to what? She was clearly nervous, playing with her hands out of the corner of his eyes. Sasuke noticed the now defined muscles in her arms, and the calloused fingertips from excessive writing. She has been working hard.
"I'm sorry!" She then throws herself into a bow.
...What?
"For what?"
She looks up, and to his horror, there are tears in her eyes.
"I didn't treat you right."
Sasuke opens, and then closes his mouth. He remembers all the times she would hang off his arm, sneaking little brushes of the hand whenever she could. Ignoring his discomfort.
She really didn't.
"I know it was wrong, what I did. I ignored your protests, and discomfort. I only thought about what I wanted-I never considered your feelings! I romanticized your pain and suffering, your depression and PTSD, and turned getting you to like me into a game! I was supposed to be your teammate, your friend! But instead I made it so you felt unsafe around me. I'm sorry."
Sasuke blinked.
"...Yeah. You did."
She flinched, but didn't run away.
"Why?"
"...You go to those history groups right?"
"Yes."
"So you know how civilians are treated."
"Yes."
"When I looked at you and daydreamed, I dreamed of being called Mrs Uchiha, or Uchiha-dono. I wanted to marry you, not just because I liked you, but because, well...people respect clan ninja. If I became your wife, no one would look down on me anymore. No one would dare to bully me or call me the civilian-born. Mizuki-sensei would rue the day he overlooked teaching me for Ino. With you...I would be somebody."
Oh.
"But now I realize I am somebody, somebody important! I can crush boulders with my bare hands, keep a fish alive out of water! I love my friends and family, and take care of civilians who can't afford the expensive hospital treatment! And even though it's harder for me, I'm gonna make a name for myself! They'll have no choice but to respect me! And I realize you are somebody too! More than a daydream! A person with your own hopes and dreams, and who doesn't owe anybody anything! And certainly not their hands in marriage!"
Oh.
"I still like you, Sasuke. All these months, I've come to know the real you-a kind, thoughtful, caring person, doing the best he could with being dealt a bad hand. But I understand If you don't like me. That's fine. Maybe down the road, when were older, you'll want to date me, or marry me. And if you do, I'll accept it. And not because I think I'm nobody. Not because I think I'm not worth it, but because, for maybe the first time, I know I am."
Had he got something in his eye? It was leaking.
"So, I'm sorry. For everything. And I was wondering,if m-maybe you wanted t-to…"
To?
"-Be friends?" It came out as a squeak.
Sasuke stared, stunned. Then smiled.
"Yeah, I...yeah. I can do friends."
She smiled back, and the first rays of dawn broke over the hokage mountain, bathing them in a pink light. He couldn't help but notice how beautiful she looked.
"Let's watch the sunrise." He suggested.
"Sounds good."
They watched the sunrise.
Then Sakura gasped, stood up, and pointed at the Hokage mountain.
"Is that-!?"
Sasuke frowned and looked.
Naruto and Haruhi-sensei were busy painting it up. Naruto had drawn boogers on the first and fourth, while Haruhi-sensei had drawn drool pooling out of the thirds mouth.
Which was a bit too on the mark…
The second hokage was what concerned him the most.
On lord Tobirama's cheek, she had drawn a penis, and written 'Hoebirama' on his forehead.
Sasuke couldn't help it.
He laughed.
Longly, loudly, and helplessly, it felt like living.
Karin sucked in a breath as Tenten's cool hands pressed against her stomach. She hated people touching her, but with the makeup hiding the worst of the scars, and the group meetings at Akira's soothing some of her jagged edges, she was able to keep still enough for Tenten to examine the contents of the seal.
"I think my mother put it there." Karin said softly.
"Yeah, she was an Uzumaki, right?"
"Yes, a seal master. She taught me some of it."
Tenten hummed, and then pulled put a detailed scroll on the art of sealing. The kind that wasn't available in Konoha. The kind that propelled the Second and the Fourth into office.
Tenten grinned widely.
"Oh, this has potential!"
"Will your sister come back?" Tenten had been taken in when she was younger by a blacksmith.
"Nah, she's in a meeting, pretty sure Haruhi-sensei's there too."
"Is that all that's in there?"
Tenten laughed gleefully.
"Not by a longshot. I was only able to reach in a little. The pocket dimension in your seal is huge! Who knows what's in there!"
"Do you think this can help Neji?"
At that, Tenten's face lost some of its luster. The chattel slavery of the Hyuga clan was a sensitive subject for her, considering her teammate was Neji. She cared for him deeply, and hated what he was forced to go through.
"I know so. With your permission, I'd like to contact Hinata and Neji and get started right away."
Karin knew what it was like to be trapped, and saved by someone who didn't have to help you.
She nodded.
Jiraiya whistled as he walked, the familiar air of fire country comforting him. He had received a missive from Sensei and Utanane, speaking of a matter of utmost importance.
He also received word of Orochimaru's antics, and the damage the village took. He normally cycled back to konoha once every few years, so twice in one year was a bit out of the ordinary for him. But nothing seemed to be normal lately anyway.
As he stepped past the awed chunin, he couldn't but chuckle. Jiraiya the legendary sannin had returned.
He choked when he looked up and ran into a street lamp.
Someone had drawn a penis on the Second Hokage.
HAHA, yes! Haruhi really is that B!tch!
And wow, so many things going on at once! The wheel is spinning faster and faster, and soon, its going to reach a breaking point...
Question of the chapter: What was your favorite part of this chapter, and why?