WANTED: Itachi Uchiha

Sanjuunana

Reina did not usually wear kimono. Her grandmother however had owned a plethora of kimono, in every colour imaginable. Tomo was always done up, with her hair coiffed immaculately with a matching kanzashi pin and obidome bead.

Reina owned a handful of kimono including her funeral mofuku. One had been her mother's, gifted to her in her will. She had never worn it though, she couldn't bring herself to even take it out of the box. She lived in either her jounin vest or pyjamas (minus the pants when possible).

However, in this instance, Reina needed to wear a kimono. She needed to feel powerful. She needed to feel protected. And if that meant donning multiple layers of silk and cotton to put a physical barrier between her and the rest of the world then that was what she was going to do.

Reina pulled on the outer layer of her houmongi, the black silk seeming to move like shadows. It was plain in comparison to the other patterns, the occasional spider lily lined the hem of the garment, the vermillion thread cutting through the obsidian fabric. The delicate flowers sprung up in clusters, their numbers dissolving the further up they travelled up the garment. Her obi belt was plain white, it held together by a thin crimson obijime cord.

As a child her grandmother had taught her how to tie her own obi, telling her that there was no greater feat than being able to successfully tie the strip of fabric without the knot giving way. She had been right. Reina would rather have actually committed herself to the ANBU than have to faff around with an obi belt.

For Baa-chan's funeral, Mikoto had assisted Reina with her obi, pulling and tugging the fabric until she couldn't breathe. It was equally as tight now. She knew it was a mixture of both silk and situation that made her chest tight.

She hadn't expected this to happen after all.

Reina allowed the Hokage's assistant to lead her down the hallway; gone were the chatters and hustle and bustle of jounin and chunin reporting back after their missions. In their wake was silence, all bar the shuffle of her sandals and the assistant's quiet steps.

They paused at a shoji screen door, sliding it open for her and motioning her inside with the wave of their hand. She nodded and murmured her thanks before inhaling deeply and stepping inside. She knew what was waiting for her on the other side of the door yet it still caught her off guard.

All the village clan heads - including Fugaku.

The room quietened when Reina entered. She could feel their eyes on her skin despite the numerous layers of silk that covered her. This was why she had opted for her kimono as opposed to her jounin uniform. She felt exposed. As naked as the day she came into the world.

Each clan head wore their own formal attire, and it was when Reina sat down at her place on the tatami mat that she realised there were only two female clan heads: herself and Tsume Inuzuka. The latter caught her eye and nodded in acknowledgment: a silent code of solidarity.

Fugaku sat with his back rod straight, his haori hung around his shoulders. Reina generally liked Fugaku, however sometimes she could see why people were distrustful of the Uchiha. If they played with fire it was only a matter of time before they got burned.

And how she had been burned.

"The Honorable Third Hokage." The assistant announced, bowing beside the open shoji screen. Everyone bowed lowly as the Hokage shuffled into the room, his clothes giving off a quiet hiss as he walked across the tatami mats. He positioned himself on a raised platform, a pot of tea stationed beside his cushion.

"Please, rise. I want to make this as painless as possible." Hiruzen murmured, taking out the pipe from his sleeve. "As you all are aware, you have been summoned here to discuss the candidates for the next Hokage. You have all submitted your candidates and the remaining are as follows." He paused, setting down his pipe for a scroll.

"Tsunade, granddaughter of the Honorable First." Murmurs began to erupt around the room, people openly voicing their opinions regarding the Senju Princess. Hiruzen sipped at his tea and allowed the room to converse before continuing. "Danzō Shimura." That name caused the chatters to become louder; Reina watched in silence as the Hokage sighed and sipped his tea again, she smiling when their eyes connected and he proceeded to roll them at the scene before them.

Hiruzen cleared his throat to continue, the room instantly falling silent. "And finally, Itachi Uchiha." Reina's chest sank whereas Fugaku beamed with both pride and smugness. Reina wanted to smack him upside the head and shake him silly. He had no idea what this would do to Itachi. His son wanted to die and yet here he was attempting to add even more stress to his son's plate.

She felt ill.

"Now, by the reaction of the room I think it is safe to say that Danzō Shimura should be crossed from the list?" Hiruzen asked, quirking a brow in question. Everyone including Reina nodded in agreement. Danzō was a cruel man who cared for his own gain more than that of the village. He was not fit to rule as Hokage. "Now then, that leaves Tsunade-hime and Itachi Uchiha." The Third murmured, setting down his teacup to stare each clan head in the eye. "The vote must be unanimous, otherwise how can we expect our village to stand united if it's clan heads cannot. Let the discussion begin."

Reina did not engage in the debate, instead she waited and listened to her counterparts, who on occasion reminded her of academy students, pouting and muttering under their breath if their opinion was dismissed. Fugaku did a lot of the dismissing, crossing his arms and closing his eyes matter of factly whenever someone attempted to hold Tsunade above Itachi.

It just made Reina queasier.

His son, his precious prodical first born son, had wanted to end his life not a mere month or so ago, and had almost succeeded. Yet here Fugaku was, expecting his son to gain him a foothold of power all the while not knowing Itachi hated his entire existence. She felt her anger seethe beneath her skin, her mantle slipping when her kekkai genkai popped and hissed in reply.

The room fell silent and all eyes fell on her.

"Do you have anything to add to this discussion?" Fugaku asked, no honorifics, no formalities. He continued to speak to her like a petulant child. It made her blood boil even more. Reina stared Fugaku down, unwavering in her actions.

"Itachi is a brilliant shinobi. A prodigy of his time, second only to that of the late Honorable Fourth." Reina began, keeping her sentences clear and concise as not to let her anger get the better of her. "However he is ill-suited for the role of Hokage. He is powerful and intellectually capable, however I do not believe he would be able to lead the village without incurring serious repercussions."

"You have some cheek to criticise my son's ability to rule." Fugaku muttered through gritted teeth. "You would criticise his ability when not only a few weeks ago, your own ability to lead was contested."

"My clan affairs have no place in this conversation!" Reina retorted sharply, narrowing her eyes. She was hot. Too hot. She regretted wearing the silk as her body began to sweat profusely.

"It does if your bad decision making would cost the village its next possible Hokage!" Fugaku spat back, his voice booming across the room.

Reina snapped back.

"At least my decision making hasn't cost anyone their life!"

The room was silent. Even the Hokage was stunned by the outburst. Reina couldn't breathe. She needed to get out. Her grandmother wouldn't have reacted the way she did. She wouldn't have let her emotions get the better of her. He was right. She was a terrible leader and had no right in being here.

She needed to get out.

"Sumimasen Hokage-sama." Reina stood and bowed, taking her leave from the meeting. Her chest was too tight and her arms felt as though she had been struck by lightning.

Oh kami it felt as though she was dying.

Reina stumbled out of the room, bumping into a nearby table on her way out as she blindly scurried out. She couldn't breathe. No matter how she inhaled she couldn't find her breath. Kami the pain in her chest was unbearable. She felt as though she was going to die.

That's when everything went black.