The Way Of The Shinobi

Chapter Twenty-Four: The Truth

(Mayumi's POV)

I waited till the village was covered in the darkness of the night to head to the Hokage's office. I put on a normal Anbu outfit and mask, in order to hide my identity. I reached the Hokage's office in a matter of minutes, using the rooftops to get there faster.

     I surveyed the area, noticing that the Hokage's office had two ninja stationed at the front of the building, and two in the back. The number of ninja inside the building were still unknown to me. A deep breath escaped my lips under the mask as I reached up and pulled the mask off. I focused my chakra on the central points in my eyes.

     After focusing for a few moments on my chakra points I finally unlocked my Kekkei Genkai, the decision maker. Four different paths flashed before me, and two of them were the dark green I was hoping to see. I placed my mask back onto my face and silently headed to the closest window, which belonged to the Hokage's office.

    After making it over to the mansion without being detected by the guards down by the gates, I slowed my breathing down. My presence to anyone in the area around me suddenly disappeared. I smirked to myself as I peaked around the corner of the window. The office was dark and seemed empty.

       I sighed to myself and quietly pushed the window open. The office was surprisingly small for someone of such high power. In the front of the room sat a large oak desk with books piled high around it. I cautiously tiptoed over to a cabinet that seemed to hold many different scrolls of varying topics.

       "Where is it..." I mumbled to myself as the sound of the desk chair spinning around instinctively made me pull out one of my sharp poisoned kunai's.

     "Are you looking for this, Miss Kaneko?" Lord Hokage asked as he sat in his office chair, holding an onyx black scroll in his hand. I lowered my weapon as he sat the scroll down in front of him, lighting a candle on the desk next to him after he sat the scroll down.

     "Take your mask off and sit down Mayumi." He instructed. I sighed deeply and pulled my Anbu mask off, revealing my cat green eyes as I sat down in a chair in front of his desk .

    "How did you know? I eliminated my presence..." I muttered as he chuckled lightly.

     "I received the report of your mission from Rin earlier this morning...the full report." He admitted as my eyes widened a bit. I had no idea Rin intended to tell the Hokage.

      "Sir I-" I went to speak as he held his hand up, stopping me in my tracks.

      "I know you feel personally responsible because he is your father, but that doesn't mean you have to handle the situation." Lord Hokage explained, causing me to tense up a bit.

     "Sir, with all due respect it is my job to take care of this. This...evil is in my clan. I can't allow my father to attempt something like this." I admitted as Sarutobi sighed softly.

    "Mayumi, if I may..." He leaned forward a bit in his chair, resting his arms on top of his desk. "You're a very strong kunoichi with incredible talent and potential. If you think this is the right decision then I have faith in you. But there is something you need to know...it may help you sway Itachi enough to get him to help." Lord Hokage handed me a navy blue scroll with the Uchiha symbol delicately painted on it.

    "This scroll has the truth about the Uchiha slaughter... knowing why Itachi did what he did may help you turn the tides in this battle." I glanced down at the scroll in my hand and carefully broke the seal. After a few moments of reading the scroll my eyes widened in shock.

    "The massacre...was a mission from my father?" I slowly lifted my head to meet Sarutobi's gentle gaze. He nodded and sighed.

     "The Uchiha clan was planning a coup d'état. Back then they were an extremely powerful clan...your father gave Itachi the orders to slaughter his clan." Lord Hokage explained. With my father being the one who gave Itachi the orders to kill, that had to leave Itachi with some sort of resentment. I closed the scroll and handed it back to Lord Hokage.

     "Do you have any idea where Itachi is now?" I asked, trying to get as much information as I could. The Hokage nodded and leaned back slightly in his chair.

     "Itachi is now a member of a group of rogue ninjas called the Akatsuki. Their last known hideout is located at the base of Mount Myōboku, right outside of the Village Hidden in the sand." He explained as I nodded.

      "Thank you, Lord Hokage. I appreciate the assistance." I bowed respectfully after standing up from the small chair that I was sitting in. He nodded and met my gaze with his.

     "I'm trusting you to handle this situation. I won't take action, unless you require it. Good luck, Mayumi." He stated as I nodded and took the black scroll that held the details of the Akatsuki members and hideout location.

    "Don't worry, Lord Hokage...I won't fail you." I exclaimed confidently as I turned and left his office.