11 Chapter 11: A Coup's End 1/2

And now we've reached the chapter a lot of you have been waiting for. Ever since Raphael arrived and I started the whole business of Itachi and his fiancé Kiseki, I've received lots of questions regarding the Uchiha Clan.

Well this chapter will answer your questions. So please sit back, enjoy, and let the fun begin!

Okay, this is being added in after my beta's finished the chapter.

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Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Assassin's Creed. They are the properties of Masashi Kishimoto and Ubisoft respectively.

Chapter 11

A Coup's End

The dull thuds and smacks of wood hitting wood echoed through the secret Assassin hideout, as Raphael and Naruto were currently sparring with wooden training swords. Raphael easily parried a hasty lunge from Naruto and whirled his sword around with practiced ease, lightly touching Naruto's neck. "Dead. Again," he said calmly.

Naruto let out a disappointed grunt and resumed his position, attacking again. Raphael blocked a few blows then went on the offensive, forcing Naruto back. The young Assassin recruit managed to sidestep a downward slash, attacking at Raphael's arm while he was overbalanced, only for Raphael to roll away and strike Naruto's legs lightly. "Crippling blow," he said.

Naruto groaned, slumping in disappointment, as Raphael stood. "Sorry sensei," he said softly.

Raphael sighed as he stood. "Naruto, you cannot expect to be a skilled swordsman after only a few months of practice. It takes time, and dedication. So cheer up. You're getting better."

Naruto nodded as he stood again, ready to face Raphael. As their blades 'clashed', Raphael continued to lecture. "Remember Naruto, a swordsman must be balanced. Strength is nothing without the skill to focus it. Skill is nothing without the speed to enact it. Speed is nothing without the strength to empower it. You must possess all three of these, not just one or two."

Naruto nodded, wiping some sweat from his eyes, as he tried to focus. Raphael nodded approvingly as they continued to spar.

Nearby, Anko was watching them as she did a bit of maintenance on her hidden blade bracer. "Kid has really come along, hasn't he kitty-chan?" She teasingly asked, glancing at the blonde woman.

Yugito didn't respond, as she seemed intent on staring at the pair of katars in her hands. Anko glanced at her face, and saw a few tears silently falling from Yugito's eyes. "Hey Yugito, you okay?" She asked, touching the girls shoulder.

Yugito's head shot up, before she hastily set aside the weapons and wiped the tears from her eyes. "I-I'm sorry, what?" She asked hastily, turning back to Anko.

Anko set aside her bracer as she looked at Yugito with concern. "What's wrong?" She asked softly, as Yugito looked away.

"I-It's nothing," she said in a muffled tone, sheathing the twin katars in the special hip sheathes attached to her belt. Before she could move off though, Anko had stopped her.

"Yugito, you know you can talk to me, right? I'm here for you. We all are," she said.

Yugito looked up at her, trembling a bit, before gently leaning against Anko, her head down. "Can you call the others over?" She asked softly.

Anko just blinked in surprise before turning and calling Raphael and Naruto over. When they arrived, Naruto worriedly tugged on Yugito's arm. "Yugito nee-chan, what's wrong?" He asked.

Yugito smiled as she gently ruffled Naruto's hair after pulling his hood down. "I…I think it's time you all learned why I was so willing to betray Kumo," she said softly. "Please, make yourselves comfortable."

As they did so, she quietly began. "When I was barely a baby, I was given a…a 'special power', if you will," she said. She couldn't inform Naruto of the fact that she was the Nibi jinchuuriki, but Anko and Raphael both knew.

"This 'gift' had the potential to make me a very powerful kunoichi, one that could increase Kumo's power. So naturally, they wanted to make sure I was well trained. That wouldn't have been a bad thing, except for the way they wanted to train me. They wanted to take me away from my family at a very young age, and isolate me, focus all of my time and energy into training me until I was strong enough. I would have no friends, no contact with my family, nothing at all. So naturally my parents, despite being skilled shinobi of the village, weren't exactly happy with that plan."

She sighed softly as she reached into a pocket and slowly produced the picture she had looked at in her apartment when she first arrived in Konoha. The picture of the younger self with her parents. "They approached my parents on my fourth birthday. I remember them talking to my parents, my parents seeming upset, and then them leaving. And that's when everything changed, for the worst," she said softly. "My parents refused to let me go. They had waited so long for a child, and to have their first one ripped away was too much. And they knew that what waited for me would be as close to torture as you could get. So they tried to flee with me, to protect me."

She handed the picture to them, so they could see it. "It took me a while to remember what happened next. They sent five squads of shinobi after us. Five squads, just for me. My parents never stood a chance. They…they tried to hide me, so I wouldn't see what happened, but…but…" Tears fell from her eyes, as she looked away. "Thirteen years ago today, I watched as my parents were executed by Kumo shinobi, for being 'traitors' to the village. My parents were called traitors because they wanted to protect me."

Raphael and Anko both were about to reach out to her, but were beaten by Naruto, who hugged her. Yugito looked down at him as he buried his face against her stomach, as he hugged her tightly.

Yugito gently hugged him back, holding him close, as she looked up at the others. "That…that is why I abandoned Kumo," she said. "They found me when I rushed out to my parents bodies. They tried to suppress my memories, and put me through the training they intended for me. But I remembered what happened. And I swore that I would get my revenge on Kumo."

Anko gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'm so sorry Yugito. What happened to you…that's so horrible," she said.

Yugito just nodded, as tears fell from her eyes, as Anko hugged her as well. She slowly broke down, and began to sob, as the emotional dam she had put up finally broke, and she slumped against Anko, sobbing heavily.

Raphael sighed softly, watching Anko and Naruto comfort Yugito. He touched Anko's shoulder, and when she glanced at him, he nodded towards a nearby bench. Anko nodded as she guided Yugito over there. Naruto let go as Anko sat down with Yugito, letting the girl keep sobbing against her.

When Yugito's sobs slowed, and she began to calm down, Raphael slowly knelt in front of her. "Are you okay Yugito?" He asked quietly.

Yugito nodded gently. "I am…s-sorry…," she said, wiping her eyes. "I…I didn't mean to break down like that."

Raphael smiled at her. "Don't be," he said. "You're human, just like the rest of us. You have emotions, feelings. And you've been through something horrible," he said. "Something all of us here know. We won't judge you Yugito. We're here for you."

"We're like a family!" Naruto piped up, causing them to look at him. "We're here to help each other."

Yugito just smiled weakly. "T-Thanks," she said, as she finished wiping her eyes. "T-Thank you guys."

Raphael just nodded, before glancing at a nearby clock and sighing. "I need to go. Urgent meeting with Hokage-sama. Will you be okay Yugito?"

Yugito nodded. "Yes Mentor. I'll be fine," she said with a bit of a grin.

Raphael grinned back. "Drop the Mentor bit. I'm not ready for the title yet," he said, as he headed off.

Anko just grinned at Naruto, ruffling his hair. "Family huh? Sounds about right," she said, as Naruto whined.

"Why does everyone ruffle my hair?" He groaned, causing Yugito and Anko to just laugh.

Laughter would have been something Sarutobi could use at the moment. The aged Hokage was not currently sitting in the office of the Hokage, but was sitting instead within one of the fortified bunkers within the Hokage's monument. In the event of emergency, a series of bunkers had been placed there to act as a refuge for those unable to fight. They also doubled as a fortified keep from which the shinobi of Konoha could make a final stand, including a secondary office for the Hokage, which was where Sarutobi was at.

On either side of him sat his advisors Koharu and Homura, with Danzou sitting on the other side of Homura. The quartet was currently waiting for Itachi and Raphael to be escorted here secretly by ANBU stationed at the Hokage's Tower.

Homura glanced at his former teammate and now leader. "Hiruzen, I have to question you asking for that assassin Raphael to join us for this meeting. Is it wise?"

Sarutobi turned his head slightly to look at Homura. "I believe it is," he said quietly. "I am hoping that a peaceful solution might yet still be reached with the discontent members of the Uchiha clan, but I am preparing for the worst. And since this is a situation that must be handled quietly, I feel the services and advice of a man who has mastered the art of ending people's lives with stealth and discretion is invaluable. Don't you?"

Homura just sat back quietly, while Danzou now added his input. "Sarutobi, peace at this point is irrelevant. After two years, Fugaku has not and will not change his mind. We need to forgo any chance at diplomacy and simply end this."

"I will not order the deaths of people and shinobi under my command and protection unless there is no alternative," Sarutobi snapped at Danzou. "These are people, the same as us, Danzou. I will not treat them as kunai or Shogi pieces to cast aside when it suits me."

Danzou just impassively watched him, as the door opened. In walked Itachi in his full ANBU armor and with Weasel mask in place, followed by Raphael who was blinking a bit. "I will never get use to that shunshin," he said, as he stood next to Itachi, and bowed with him.

Sarutobi sighed softly, leaning forward. "What is said here is not to be discussed with anyone outside this room, in front of anyone. Understood?" He asked everyone in the room. "Itachi, please remove your mask."

As Itachi did so, Sarutobi leaned back. "Two years ago, Itachi Uchiha informed me that elements of the Uchiha Clan were planning a coup attempt against the position of Hokage, with the intent of taking over the village. In that time, I have made subtle attempts at diplomacy towards the leader of this coup, Fugaku Uchiha. According to Itachi, all attempts have failed," he said. "His most recent report has indicated that the elements involved will soon be ready to begin informing the rest of the clan of their plan. Sadly, I fear the rest of the clan may join them, feeling loyalty to their clan above the village."

Raphael blinked in surprise. "So what do you intend to do, Hokage-sama?" He asked.

"That is what I called this meeting for. We need to resolve this situation, but in a way that does not hurt the village anymore then it has to," Sarutobi said.

At that moment, Danzou leaned forward slightly."The solution is simple, Sarutobi. The Uchiha clan must be eliminated. If we strike now, we can neutralize the threat before it can get out of control."

Itachi tensed at that, while Raphael balked. "What do you mean eliminate the clan? You mean kill all of them?"

Danzou's one visible eye narrowed a bit as he looked at Raphael. "We must ensure that the threat to Konoha's safety is eliminated. We cannot chance that such an uprising will happen again."

Raphael growled in anger. "Are you mad?! You're talking about slaughtering people who have no idea what is even going on! Are the children of the clan who aren't even shinobi yet a threat to the village? Are the infants? The elderly, infirmed, the civilians in the clan, are they all threats?"

"As Itachi pointed out in his reports, members plotting this coup are civilians within the Uchiha Clan. And so long as one Uchiha remains, so does the threat," Danzou said. "You are an assassin, Raphael-san, a killer. Surely you understand the need to ensure the job is done."

The Assassin just glared at Danzou. "What I understand is killing those who deserve it Danzou, killing those who are an actual threat to the safety and wellbeing of others. What you are proposing is genocide. You want to slaughter everyone in the clan for the simple crime of being associated by name and blood with a few who are a threat to the village. Most of those people in the clan are still currently loyal to the village, and you would slaughter them just because their last name is Uchiha. I really wonder who the threat to the village is, them or you."

Danzou bristled, and was about to retort, when Homura spoke up. "If I may, there is another reason why it might not be a good idea to kill the entirety of the clan," he said, adjusting his glasses. "If it was ever found out that we took action against an entire clan like this, even in defense of the village, the other clans might become nervous, and even start to wonder if they are safe within the village. It might be best to try and subtly deal with only the current members of the coup, before they have a chance to bring the whole of the Uchiha clan into this."

"I agree," Koharu spoke up next. "The village must remain strong. If we take out the whole of the Uchiha clan without justification of doing so, we leave the village weakened. If we can spare the majority of the clan, it will leave Konoha strong, and not give our enemies reason to think us weak. We're still recovering from the Kyuubi attack, and we do not need another incident like the one with the Kumo Ambassador," she said.

Danzou looked at them all, before sitting back. "There is some truth to your words, Koharu-san. Perhaps my judgment was hasty," he said, though anyone could tell he didn't believe the words he said.

Sarutobi nodded. "Then our path is clear. We must deal with the current leaders of the coup, before they can spread their plan to the rest of their clan. Itachi, how many are part of the planning of this coup attempt?"

Itachi silently produced a scroll. "Currently there are at least seven members of the coup attempt, counting Fugaku Uchiha. Three of the other six are shinobi, with the last three being civilians."

Sarutobi took the scroll, opening it and reading it. "I see…then we'll need to eliminate these seven people. But it must be done silently. Raphael, since this is your area of expertise, what would you suggest?" He asked.

Raphael blinked, as all eyes settled on him. It was a bit unnerving, considering Sarutobi and his advisors probably had far more life experience then him. "Well…it would be extremely difficult to kill all of them quietly within the walls of the Uchiha District, especially the four shinobi on that list," he said. "So we need to divide them up, and take them out at the same time. If we could lure Fugaku and other members of the coup to a meeting, we could offer him a final chance at diplomacy. And should he refuse, we kill him then and there. Meanwhile, I would suggest allowing Anko-san and perhaps Yugito-san to infiltrate the Uchiha District and finish off the stragglers, though their deaths should look like natural causes rather than them being murdered."

Danzou watched Raphael with grudging respect, before speaking. "A sound plan, but what about those who come to the meeting with the Hokage? Their deaths will look suspicious, won't they?"

Raphael gave a nod. "Yes, they will. But other than somehow sending the shinobi on missions and killing them out in the field, I can't see another way of doing it without negatively affecting the village."

"I can," Itachi said quietly. "We will make it seem like I forged the Hokage's handwriting to lure my father and the other's to the meeting. The shinobi who have agreed to my father's plan so far are among the most powerful in the clan. I will write a note and leave it in my bedroom, making it appear that I've grown disillusioned with the village, and seeking to test my power, I lured the most powerful members of the clan so I could test my limits against them. Afterwards, I will flee the village, as a missing nin," he said quietly.

Homura and Koharu's eyes were wide in shock, while Danzou studied Itachi with approval in his eye. Sarutobi quietly leaned forward, studying Itachi. "You realize that if you do this, your clan and Konoha will view you as a traitor. Your mother, brother, and fiancé will come to hate you," he said.

Itachi bowed his head slightly. "I know, Hokage-sama. But I cannot put myself ahead of the safety of this village. This needs to be done," he said softly.

"Very well then," Sarutobi said quietly. "Due to one of these targets being out of the village currently, this operation will begin at the end of the week. What has been spoken here is a SS-ranked secret, and cannot be shared without expressed authorization of the Hokage. Danzou, Homura, and Koharu, you are dismissed. Itachi, Raphael, please stay so we can plan the finer details of this mission."

As the three advisors left, Raphael turned to Itachi, sorrow in his eyes. "Itachi-san, surely there must be another way. We could disguise ourselves as foreign ninja, kill them that way," he said.

"No, we can't," Itachi said. "If we did that, we would risk starting a war with another power. For the sake of the village, I must do this."

Sarutobi smiled sadly. "Truly, the Will of Fire burns in you Itachi. You would have made an incredible Hokage." Itachi merely bowed in thanks at the Hokage's words. The aged Hokage merely let out a sigh. "If we're going to go through with your plan Itachi, then I have a mission for you outside of Konoha. You spoke to me of this…Madara Uchiha. I want you to join his organization, and spy on them for us. Do you accept this mission?"

The Uchiha gave a single nod in response. "Of course Hokage-sama."

"Good. Now, since I'm assuming you and Raphael will be handling Fugaku and the Uchiha at the meeting, we'll need someone inside the Uchiha District to help Anko and Yugito get in, as well as help you keep track of the various targets. Itachi, is there anyone you believe will help us?"

Itachi thought for a moment, before speaking. "Shisui Uchiha. He was asked to spy on me recently by my father. But he has confided in me that he is disturbed by the way my father has been acting lately. He is devoted to the village, and will do what it takes to protect it," he said.

The aged Hokage smiled. "Good then. Quietly discuss all this with him. But be careful Itachi, just in case."

With Itachi's nod of confirmation, Sarutobi turned back to Raphael "Now, let's discuss how Yugito and Anko will take care of their targets within the District."

Uchiha District

Sasuke Uchiha panted softly, as the massive fireball he had spewed from his mouth dissipated, with steam rising from the lake he had unleashed it over. Next to him, his father nodded approvingly.

"You did well Sasuke. I am impressed," Fugaku said. "But remember, you must never relax, never relent. As an Uchiha, you are part of a clan that is the strongest in the Elemental Nations. We Uchiha are descended from the Sage of Six Paths himself. And as such, you must reflect that image and heritage."

Sasuke nodded. "I understand dad. I promise I'll become the best Uchiha ever!"

The head of the Uchiha clan gave a satisfied nod. "That's good son. Never forget that goal. Now, let us return home."

Sasuke smiled happily, before rushing over to his mom who standing nearby. "Did you see mom?! I did it! I did it!"

Mikoto Uchiha, dressed in a purple long sleeved shirt and light tan dress, smiled at her son. "I saw Sasuke. That was really well done," she said. "I'll make sure to make you a special treat to celebrate when we get home."

Sasuke grinned happily as he rushed ahead, with Mikoto watching him, before turning as Fugaku joined her. The clan head was frowning a bit. "You spoil him," he said.

"And you don't give him enough credit or help," she said, her own smile gone. "You did nothing to help him learn that technique, and abandoned him when he didn't get it as fast as you wanted. Now that he has it down thanks to mine and Itachi's help, you're all happy to see him again."

Fugaku glared a bit at her. "Self-reliance is important in a shinobi, especially an Uchiha. We do not need help from anyone."

Mikoto shook her head. "We are part of a shinobi village, Fugaku. We cannot go through this world believing we don't need anyone. It'll make us hated by our allies, and make us easy targets for our enemies."

Fugaku just scoffed. "I can't believe I'm hearing those words come from your mouth. What happened to the girl I met at the Academy, who was just as proud of being an Uchiha as I am?"

Mikoto mentally cringed, as she remembered her younger self. In the Academy, she had been just as arrogant as Fugaku was now, believing in what her parents had told her. That had all changed when Kushina Uzumaki crushed her in a spar. She had tried to get back at Kushina for her loss, leading to the development of a rivalry that continued to their team assignments, when they were teamed up with Shibi Aburame. Their sensei had tolerated their rivalry for a time, before letting them go at each other in a full out spar. The two beat each other black and blue, and were left nearly unconscious. They ended up sharing a room in the hospital as they recovered from their spar, and somehow ended up talking to each other about various things. When they left the hospital, one would have thought they had been best friends for life.

Mikoto looked Fugaku in the eyes. "I realized the truth, Fugaku, that we were kidding ourselves, allowing arrogance to override common sense. We cannot rely on a bloodline and heritage to make us strong, we must become strong ourselves. After all, if I remember correctly, weren't you defeated by Kushina in your first Chuunin exams?"

Fugaku growled angrily. "That bitch only won because of what she held," he snapped.

Mikoto just shook her head. "I don't want to see our son die because he arrogantly believes he will always be the best. Itachi is probably the strongest shinobi in our clan, and he got there through hard work."

Fugaku just turned away, starting to walk off. "Maybe he is, but soon it won't matter," he half muttered to himself, while Mikoto blinked as she heard him.

"What was that?" She asked, as Fugaku stopped, before shaking his head.

"Nothing. Let's just go home." With that he headed forward, as Mikoto blinked, worried about what her husband meant by his words.

Hyuuga Compound, Next Day

Hiashi Hyuuga looked at the three elders before him. "May I ask why you three have called this meeting?" He asked.

One of them calmly bowed his head. "Hiashi-sama, we have come to express concerns about reports we've been hearing, regarding your eldest daughter."

Hiashi's eyes narrowed at the mention of Hinata. "And what exactly is it that you've heard?"

The only female elder of the group spoke this time. "We have it on good authority that she has been associating with those who's standing in the village are less than befitting that of our clan's image. The former apprentice of Orochimaru, Anko Mitarashi for one. That woman has no public decency, and will corrupt Hinata. The other is far worse though, as she has been seen in the company of 'its' container."

Hiashi's face was emotionless as he listened to them. "I see. I have not heard of such things. Where do you get this information from?" He asked.

The final elder spoke up. "From members of the clan who have seen her associating and training with them. Hiashi, you must deal with this before our image is further damaged by your daughter. It is bad enough she so far has not shown any excellence in the Academy."

"It might be better to simply cut our losses with her, Hiashi," the first one said. "She obviously is not main branch material, or even shinobi material. We should remove her from the program and simply put her into the branch family. Or better yet, remove her from the clan entirely, so as not to have her tarnish the image of strength of the Main Family of the Hyuuga Clan."

Hiashi simply gave a small shake of his head. "Unfortunately, the first option is unavailable to us. When the Hokage restored the previous curriculum of the Academy, he also instituted a rule that no member of the Academy may be removed without a proper hearing explaining the reasons why. And while she is not living up to the standards of our clan, she is doing well enough in the Academy that we cannot simply remove her on a whim. However, I do agree that if she cannot show any form of improvement, she should be pushed into the Branch Family. As such, I will give her a final chance to prove herself. I will arrange for a spar to be witnessed by key members of the clan. If she performs acceptably, I will either assign her a tutor or again take control of her training. If she does poorly, I will place her into the branch family, where we can then control her actions outside of the Academy. Is this acceptable?"

As the three elders nodded, Hiashi turned. "Very well then. For now, let us turn to other more pressing matters. The trade contract with the silk merchant in Kusa is coming up, and we must ensure that everything goes smoothly," he said, as the quartet walked off.

Konoha Academy

Three shadows stealthily bounded their way through the forested area of the Academy training ground, making their way from cover to cover. As they neared a clearing, they stopped, hiding in cover.

Naruto slowly peeked a bit around the corner of the tree, before turning to one of his fellow shadows and nodded to her. Hinata gave a nod back and activated her Byakugan. As her doujutsu activated, her vision of the world altered. Now everything was colored in various shades of white and gray, except for her two companions near her, who were black in color with blue lines indicating their chakra systems running through their bodies. As she began scanning in all directions, she soon found three more people hiding nearby, guarding their 'objective'. She slowly reached up, touching the radio strapped to her neck as she began whispering.

"T-There's one of them in the tree on the other side of the clearing, r-right above our target. A second is in the bush to our right, a-and the third is hanging further back," she reported to Naruto and their third teammate.

Naruto nodded as he turned to look where Ino was currently hiding, activating his own radio. "Ino, can you see any of them?"

Ino scanned the area a bit, before nodding. "Yep. I can see one of them," she said softly.

Naruto grinned. "So you want to show us that special move you keep bragging about? The one your dad showed you?"

Ino just gave a smirk in response as she quickly ran through a couple handsigns and held her hands out like she was framing her target within them. "Shintenshi no jutsu," she whispered, before her body slumped over. Her target, the enemy hiding in the tree, stiffened a bit, before grinning to themselves.

Naruto saw Hinata give him a nod of confirmation, and he quickly jumped out into the clearing. "Oi! Anybody home?!" He called out, grinning.

Almost immediately, a wooden kunai sailed from the bush to try and strike him, and Naruto skillfully dodged it, as Sasuke rushed out from the bush to engage him in a fight. Naruto grinned as he ducked under Sasuke's punch, landing a blow to Sasuke's stomach followed by an uppercut, sending him reeling back. Naruto was forced to duck though as a girl named Ami came rushing in, trying to clock Naruto so she could avenge her 'Sasuke-kun'. Sasuke growled and moved in as Naruto tripped Ami up.

At that moment, Ino, in possession of one of their other classmates named Mumei, dropped down and grabbed their objective, a small flag. 'He' quickly untied it form the post it was attached to, and tossed it to Hinata, who began sprinting away as Sasuke and Ami were distracted. At that moment though, Ino winced, feeling her control of Mumei slipping due to her small chakra reserves. She had barely learned her clan's signature jutsu, and could only use it for short periods of time. She was forced to return to her body, and a disoriented Mumei blinked.

"Huh? What…Hey, the flag's gone!" Mumei shouted.

Sasuke and Ami both blinked at that, whirling to look at where the flag should be. And in that moment, Naruto bolted, with Ino following him swiftly. Sasuke immediately rushed after them, followed by Ami and Mumei.

Naruto grinned as he saw Hinata far ahead of them, before glancing back to see their three opponents rushing after them. Sasuke was closing in, but the other two weren't able to catch up.

Hinata soon burst through the trees, and rushed over to their fellow students, stopping in front of their chuunin instructor while holding the flag up.