Willing Sacrifices

Part Six: The Fourth Hokage IV

As day turned to night, lanterns lit the streets casting a warm glow as the people of Konohagakure made their way to-and-fro. The civilian population was instinctually aware of the strange undercurrent in the village, but none of them knew what the cause was. There was no outward sign of anything suspicious, but living in a shinobi village enabled a sixth sense of sorts to develop. There was a tremor of concern, but it didn't extend deep since the shinobi's of the village didn't seem to be agitated.

The off-duty shinobi who roamed the village listened for whispers of what was going on, curious when they noticed the increase of ANBU security throughout the village. Many subtly ensured they were prepared in case they were called into action for whatever the Hokage needed. Minato Namikaze was young to be sure, but he had earned the respect, admiration, and a healthy dose of fear from his fellow shinobi. His age mattered little when they were reminded of just how superior of a shinobi he was. Some were harder to convince than others that he was experienced enough to lead them, but those were few and far between. The shinobi of the Leaf would have faith in their young leader until it was broken.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was not blind to the atmosphere in the village. He sucked on his pipe as he sat in quiet contemplation in the solitude his home, wondering if he should be concerned that he hadn't been involved in whatever it was that Minato had put into place. When night had truly fallen, he was both surprised and unsurprised when an ANBU agent appeared before him, and summoned him to Torture and Interrogation.

Elsewhere in the village, Kushina Uzumaki shivered with a sudden chill as she stirred the pot of food on the kitchen stove. She knew it was unlikely her husband would come home - he'd warned her as much - but if he did, she wanted him to have something to nourish him. A wrinkle creased her brow as she frowned. She could feel the Nine-Tails becoming restless again. She knew that even if she asked, Kurama wouldn't tell her anything. Still, she had made some small progress with him after the revelation that in the past of Obito, Kakashi and Rin, he was extracted from her. At the very least, they were both in agreement that it would not happen again - for different reasons, but that was neither here nor there. Her worry stemmed from Kurama's feelings toward Ryuu Uchiha more than his hatred of her, and desire to escape her bondage of him. Kurama feared Ryuu Uchiha, and if the Nine-tails was afraid, it was cause for alarm.

In the Uchiha District, Mikoto watched as Itachi furrowed his brow in concentration while practicing twirling three of his kunai in his fingers - a trick he'd learned without her knowledge. He was such a bright child. A very serious one, but he still smiled and seemed happy. She knew it was due to the influence of Obito and Kakashi, who had forced the quiet and shy Itachi to socialize. If he didn't have them, if they hadn't introduced him to Shisui, Itachi would have been much more isolated. Mikoto had seen what isolation did to children like her son, and she was grateful beyond measure to those boys for helping him.

She gave her son a soft smile and placed a hand on her lower stomach. It was a little early to be certain, but Mikoto was sure that soon Itachi would be an older brother. With role models like Obito and Kakashi, she knew that he'd take to the role. But in the back of her mind, Mikoto was worried about Ryuu Uchiha's plans for her son, and for the village. She was glad that the Fourth trusted and relied on Fugaku, but with him being away from home so often, and that she would likely be indisposed soon, Itachi's safety was her primary concern. What did it all mean if she would have another child? Would that child be involved in Ryuu Uchiha's twisted plans too? So much had changed and improved for their clan, but the Uchiha couldn't seem to shake off the demons of the past.

Unaware of his wife's dilemma, and deep underground in the chambers of Torture and Interrogation, Fugaku Uchiha stood with Hizashi Hyuga and listened to the request of the Hokage with a barely controlled temper. Though there had always been tension between the Hyuga and the Uchiha, Fugaku sensed the anger rising in Hizashi. One thing he knew they could both unite on was that the theft of clan dojutsu was cause for war. If one of their clans were targeted, then the other would surely be, in time.