Child of the Moon

The Mad Choice

Tsukiko watched anxiously as Shisui left, and clung to the old ninja's hand as Inoichi approached. All the assurances in the world weren't going to calm the fear in her, as he tried to smile in a comforting manner.

But it was the expressions on the faces of the others that scared her.

She gasped as Inoichi reached for her, darting behind the Hokage and hiding her face in his robe.

'Allow me, child.'

The change was almost immediate. First, she went limp, then she stood tall. Red eyes peered out from behind the Hokage, flickering over each of them with indifference.

She stepped out from behind Hiruzen, and her stoic expression was a far cry from the nervous energy that had possessed her a moment ago.

"You..." Inoichi said slowly, pausing. "You claimed something was stolen from the Uchiha clan..."

"Nothing was stolen," Fugaku said firmly. "Yet the seals to something... dangerous were tampered with-"

"Enough for something to escape," came the cold response. "Within the mind of this child, the chakra and mind of Ryuka, are locked away. My mind and chakra."

The reaction was immediate. The ninja, despite most being rather old, immediately reached for weapons to find themselves incapable of moving.

"I no longer have any interest in your village, nor your pitiful lives," she said coldly. "My sole interest is this child's well-being. How many died to seal me away?"

"Ryuka," Hiruzen said, drawing the girl's attention to him. "You've done nothing so far, yet you revealed yourself when you saved the Uchiha boys, Sasuke and Itachi, despite knowing how risky that was."

"You question why I would do that when I have no interest beyond this child?" She seemed to think it over before she shrugged. "Because she has a heart, and it is a good one. She would protect others with her life, where I sought to cause pain because I liked it. She... I can control her but never do anything that would hurt her. And if she were to awaken and find she had caused harm... well..."

The girl waved her hand, and the strange feeling of paralysis passed. "It would kill her as well as any kunai could."

The entity, Ryuka, fixed her gaze on Hiruzen, ignoring the presence of others. "She wants to protect her home. Let her learn. You have nothing to fear from me, so long as the seal remains unbroken."

She then fixed her gaze on Fugaku. "I would recommend moving it so that it cannot be found. Reinforce the seals if you must. Ah, but the one who provided the seals... that person no longer truly exists, do they?"

Hiruzen placed a hand on the girl's shoulder. "We have scrolls that they might use."

"Then our business is concluded," she said. As she spoke, the red faded, and was replaced with vivid green.

Tsukiko blinked and looked around in utter confusion. "I..."

Hiruzen smiled warmly at the girl. 'She is not our enemy.'

The girl relaxed, and he nodded towards the door. "Shisui and Itachi will walk you home."

'There is much to discuss.'

By the look in Danzo's eye, he didn't know the half of it.