Chapter 5: The crimes of Shimura Danzo

"Seal the room. All but Hound and Tiger leave us", The Hokage said once Itachi returned to the Hokage's office with his father. The more talkative clan heads, who had previously been speaking quietly with one another hushed. The other, more stoic clan heads who had been waiting patiently for the meeting to begin just as eager for the meeting to begin. The gathered clan heads sat in chairs set out for them by the secretary from the nearby conference room. Soon all outside noise faded as the huge number of seals inside the Hokage's office were activated.

"Shimura Danzo tonight has been found guilty of treason and attempted murder of Uchiha Shisui", The Hokage said breaking the silence as all of the clan heads reacted with shock.

"He what!?!?!", Uchiha Fugaku stood in outrage as he took a step towards the Hokage in anger. Immediately, Nara Shikaku's shadow began to stretch, Aburame Shibi's hives buzzed in irritation, Inuzuka Tsume growled ready to get in on the fight, the ANBU Dog and Tiger stepped from the shadows flanking the Hokage. Itachi quickly grabbed his father's arm, Fugaku looked back at his son who shook his head slightly. With a huff, Fugaku sat down muttering, "There better be a good explanation for this...".

"Again I restate, 'Attempted Murder'. It is unknown if he is alive at the moment, but his Mangekyo Sharingan was stolen by Danzo", All of the clan heads shifted uncomfortably in their seats. They were not privy to the inner workings of the infamous Dojutsu, but they still were worried about Danzo now possessing an unknown power.

"And should we be concerned about this news?", Kuruma Murakumo asked haughtily, "What can one eye do?". Fugaku scowled at the blatant disrespect shown to his clan by the Kurama clan head but managed to hold his tongue. Hiruzen looked to Itachi asking for permission to reveal his friend's power, Itachi only gave a slight nod in return.

"Uchiha Shisui's awakened power was that of the Kotoamatsumaki, the ability to cast a Genjutsu on anyone in their field of view that would allow them to imprint experiences, thoughts, orders… It is impossible to break without the use of another Mangekyo Sharingan of the same level", the Hokage said and took another drag from his pipe. The clan heads froze as they thought of the ramifications of Danzo gaining such a power. All of the clan heads frowned, Inuzuka Tsume growled, even Nara Shikaku dropped his lazy facade.

"Hokage-sama we must act at once! Before it is–", Yamanaka Inoichi started and was halted by the tiger ANBU leaning over and whispering into the Hokage's ear.

With a nod, the ANBU went over to the window and momentarily undid the seals. The clan heads looked over curiously, wondering what could be so important that a meeting of this gravity was interrupted, only to see a small grey wolf with a letter in its mouth tapping on the Hokage's window with its claws. Recognizing the tapping as Konoha code for URGENT MESSAGE. The Tiger ANBU quickly took the note and the wolf saluted the Hokage and disappeared in a puff of white smoke.

After reactivating the room's seals and searching for any traps or seals on the letter, the ANBU handed it to the Hokage and returned to the shadows. The letter itself seemed to be composed of a half-folded piece of notebook paper. The Hokage quickly read.

Mission Report

Operation: Save Uchiha Shisui

Operative: Inuzuka Kaemon

Result: Success

Details: Tracked the Sanin Tsunade to the town of Tanizaki. Convinced her to operate and remove the toxins within Shisui's system. Tsunade identified the poison used as Rinkaichu from the Aburame clan. Shisui will need continued treatment and his eye returned. I personally will retrieve the eye from Danzo in the morning.

Personal Notes: I apologize I forgot to get the name of the other Uchiha before I left, Hokage-sama. I didn't know who else to send this to, I assume that my sensei will be with you. I'm sorry I didn't report back in earlier, I had to save my friend first.

If this is returned to the Uchiha kid, I told you I'm the fucking greatest! HAHAHAHAH! I'll get you to admit it one day.

If this is Sarutobi-sama, I apologize for the uncouth wording. Also, why haven't you given the hat to Minato-ojisan? You should retire. I'll see you soon sir.

If this is Minato-ojisan, I told you he would pick you over that snake bastard. You better have tied the knot with Kushina. Have any pups yet? I want some cousins! Hana-chan is great and all but she's as bossy as Tsume-obasan and she was only two last time I saw her, she's probably worse now...

If this is Sensei, please don't give me the punishment when I get back... I'm already sore from running all the way back to Konoha.

Pleasure to be back,

Inuzuka Kaemon

P.S. Can you find a way to break it to my parents so they aren't too shocked? Oh, and don't tell Tsume-obasan!'

Relief washed over Hiruzen as he read the mission report from Kaemon. Shisui was ok, and in the best hands possible. He was impressed that Kaemon had been able to convince Tsunade to take a look at Shisui let alone heal him. He had many questions for the previously KIA Konoha nin, but those could come in the morning.

The personal note left a very sour note in his mouth. If this was indeed Inuzuka Kaemon, he would be crushed by what he had missed. His father, Inuzuka Kiba, passed at the end of the third ninja war. His mother, Namikaze Mina, his aunt, Uzimaki Kushina, and his uncle, the Yondaime all perished when the nine-tails attacked. His only family now would be Inuzuka Tsume, Tsume's children and Naruto.

The Hokage shook his head as he pinched the bridge of his nose and set the letter down on his desk. The clan heads all leaned forward expecting to be told what had so rudely interrupted their meeting.

"I just received word from our operative, Shisui will live. He was poisoned by Rinkaichu, but was saved by my student Tsunade. The man who saved Shisui claims to be the previously KIA Inuzuka Kaemon. He will be returning in the morning to retrieve Shisui's stolen eye from Danzo", the Hokage finished his summary and had a long drag on his pipe as the clan heads all took in the information.

Itachi's muscles finally relaxed as he learned of Shisui's fate and he thought, 'I'm glad trusting that man with Shisui was the correct choice'. Fugaku was also glad at the news but still fumed as he thought about Danzo. Aburame Shibi scowled behind his glasses and high collar, 'did the Hokage say Rinkaichu?' his thoughts drifting towards his stolen nephew.

Inuzuka Tsume stood, "Hokage-sama, may I read the letter? I would like to confirm it's my nephew". The Hokage nodded, and the woman pounced on the letter furiously devouring its contents. By the end, tears streamed down her face. The Hokage gave her a questioning look, which she responded to with a nod. Tsume returned to her seat, a smile gracing her face for the first time in a long time.

"Now, with Shisui's survival ensured we must resume our discussion", Hiruzen said, though even he didn't really know where to start.

"Hokage-sama, I assume the reason you gathered us here is to gather support in opposition and the capture of Danzo. I also assume that he is the one who has been taking our children, and that this is what finally made you come clean about his… darker actions…", the Nara clan head gave his analysis as he also began smoking a cigarette the cogs whirring in his mind.

"What!?!", the clan heads all turned to the Jonin commander in shock and then back to the Hokage in anger. The several shouts of outrage from the clan heads were soon silenced by the Hokage slamming his hand on his broken desk. "We will discuss after I give you all of the intelligence, not before… you are Shinobi, and you will act like it", the stern voice of their Hokage silenced the room once more. Hiruzen once again blew out a puff of smoke and gathered his thoughts before revealing everything to the clan heads, glad the he was not telling this to the council.

"It all started at the end of the third great Shinobi war", the Sandaime said as he recalled all he could about his comrade turned enemy.

"As you all know, Danzo, after realizing that he had no chance of becoming Hokage, became a fast supporter of Orochimaru for the position. At that time we had not had any indication of Orochimaru's brand of evil and he had yet to experiment on non-combatants and the experiments I gave permission for him to perform were strictly monitored. Danzo was one of his major backers and invested heavily in his research during the war. Danzo used Orochimaru's findings to great effect with his division of the ANBU, ROOT", all the clan heads grimaced at the name while the Inuzuka clan head growled.

Everyone knew about the dark underbelly of Konoha. The ruthless killers that the village trained to do the less palatable jobs. All of them had clan members who joined the organization disappear once they joined before the third ninja, those that survived the war had lost all emotion becoming mindless killing machines. Even if they were ninja, they had hoped that their children would never have to fight as they and their ancestors had during the warring states period.

"After the Third Shinobi War, the Yondaime had ROOT removed from the ANBU, taking away a huge piece of Danzo's power. After losing a huge portion of his forces to the war, and then losing the rest to the ANBU, Danzo in secret began taking in orphans from the war in an attempt to rebuild his fighting force", the Hokage paused to give another puff of smoke.

"Then the Kyuubi attacked and the Yondaime fell. I allowed ROOT to be reinstated when I came back to power. It was a mistake", Hiruzen said.

"This was when the clan kidnappings began…", Aburame Shibi said quietly as he readjusted his glasses. The room was quiet as the very powerful ninja all began putting the pieces together.

"It took me until just recently to prove that Danzo was indeed taking your children. He has been secretly training them for some time. They have been kept off all official records of active ROOT agents", Hiruzen said as the clan heads all showed signs of horror at the news that their children were being brainwashed into killing machines, even the stoic Hyuga looked perturbed.

"And this comes from which source?", the Kurama clan head said shakily, "It seems like Danzo has spies in your ANBU from when ROOT was disbanded. How can we trust your information?".

Sarutobi nodded, "Hound, step foreword". An ANBU stepped out of the shadows of the corner of the Hokage's office. Though masked, his silver hair and single Sharingan betrayed his identity as the student of the Yondaime. Fugaku scowled at his reveal, he still disapproved of a non-Uchiha wielding a Sharingan.

"Hound stole ROOT rosters in an infiltration mission I assigned him, as well as retrieved a surviving child who was left behind in one of Orochimaru's labs", Hiruzen said as Hound stepped back into the shadows of the room.

"So Danzo also withheld information on Orochimaru and his experiments? I knew you were soft Lord Third, but this is too much. You were too soft on Orochimaru and Danzo has been using you to further his own regime", Fugaku said with barely veiled disgust. The Third Hokage could only internally flinch at the words.

"Danzo's crimes do not stop there. He attempted to assassinate me a few months after I stepped back into office. Yet I did not bring him to justice after he vowed to never attack the interests of Konoha again", Hiruzen said sadly as he confessed the sins of himself and his friends. The clan heads stared aghast at the old man. Before them sat their Hokage, the genius of an entire generation of ninja hailed as the 'god of shinobi', yet now they could only see a tired, sorrowful, and old man.

"There is more… Hound also found proof of Danzo baiting Kumogakure into their attempted kidnapping of the Hyuga princess. He had received a contract for her disposal and used it to incite political leverage over Kumogakure. Similarly, your wife's death may not be from natural causes like we previously thou-", Sarutobi was saying until he was interrupted by the clattering of Hyuga Hiashi's chair being knocked over. The Hyuga had lost all semblance of stoicism and looked angrier than he had ever been before in his life.

"YOU MEAN TO TELL ME, THAT DANZO KILLED MY WIFE, WAS THE CAUSE OF MY DAUGHTER'S KIDNAPPING, AND THE REASON MY BROTHER IS DEAD!?! AND YOU WAITED A MONTH TO TELL ME!?!", Hiashi screamed and attempted to charge the Hokage only to be held back by the other clan heads.

Every sentence hit Sarutobi like a hammer. "Danzo said that he did what he did to give Konoha political leverage over Kumo. Which if you remember was much needed at the time...", the Sandaime said mechanically. The excuse felt weak. All of his excuses did.

"That doesn't… shouldn't matter…", Hiashi growled. "Once Danzo has been dealt with…", the Hyuga clan head managed to stop himself before he threatened his Hokage. The tension was only broken seconds later by a chuckle from the Jonin commander.

"The Hokage can not solely be held accountable for the actions of Danzo", Shikaku said evenly, "Danzo's connections with the council and his friendship with the Hokage are the only things that have given him any power, and we have done nothing to stop him. We let our clan elders and conceited civilians run Konoha from the village Council. All the clan elders are jaded and prideful of their heritage and winning all three Shinobi wars. Don't even get me started on the civilians. The council is just as much to blame". The other clan heads all thought about their own clan elders making political power plays all for their own agendas. The clan elders were often in correspondence with Danzo…

"But why did any of this come to light because of Shisui's attempted murder?", Akamichi Choza questioned.

"As you all know, relations between the village and the Uchiha clan is strained at the moment", The Hokage said as Fugaku rolled his eyes, "tonight, Uchiha Shisui was under my orders to stop the coup that the Uchiha have been planning".

All eyes in the room turned to the Uchihas, who sat unflinching within their gazes. "And why are these traitors at this meeting?", Tsume asked as her fingernails elongated and sharpened.

"Like any of you would have done any different if our positions were reversed, mutt. The civilians distrust us because of the rumors that an Uchiha caused the Kyuubi attack. We have been barred from political power and are hated for our role as the police force", the Uchiha clan head replied angrily.

"It's still treason Uchiha. This is grounds for the execution of your clan", the Kuruma clan head said pointedly. Fugaku didn't reply and only slightly bowed his head and nodded. Everyone in the room's eyes widened in shock. Did an Uchiha just admit to blame?

"Uchiha Itachi, is your father alright? He didn't hit his head on the way here did he?", Inoichi questioned the boy. Itachi gave a slight nod and a "Hn" for a response. 'That didn't answer anything', Inoichi thought as he scowled.

"With all this coming to light, I have things to report to the Hokage that are of serious danger to the village", Fugaku said, reclaiming the room's attention. "How could this situation get any worse?", Inoichi asked.

"I have been placed under a genjutsu since the Kyuubi attack. It was done by a masked man with a single Sharingan. He has been driving me to fan the flames of anger and hate in my clan, encouraging the pride of the clan elders, and further driving us away from the village. I do not want the clan to rebel. Yet I have been the instrument of this man in driving the Uchiha to rebellion. I was only released when Itachi put me into the Genjutsu he used to deliver the message to you all, his own Mangekyou Sharingan", everyone took a moment to take in the news that one of their own had been under another's control. A few stole glances at Itachi, his genjutsu was very powerful. The Hokage, in particular, seemed aghast at the news.

"Does this mean something to you Hokage-sama?", Shikaku said, noticing the Hokage's scowl and narrowed eyes. The Hokage shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"This is another S-class secret that I am going to reveal to you all…", Hiruzen said after a second of thought. The clan heads were disturbed at how much their Hokage had been hiding.

"When I found the Yondaime after the Kyuubi was sealed, he said that he had fought a masked figure with a single Sharingan calling himself Tobi. It was this man who had released the Kyuubi and caused it to attack Konohagakure. This is also the basis of the rumor that the Uchiha released the Kyuubi. ROOT was the origin of this rumor and only came to be after Danzo obtained this information", The Hokage answered.

"So what your saying is, not only is an unknown Uchiha responsible for the Kyuubi attack but is also inciting his own clan in a coup against the village?", Inoichi asked for confirmation to which the Hokage gravely nodded.

"That makes no sense! Why would he want the destruction of his own clan and his own village? Do we even know who this man might be?", the Inuzuka clan head asked.

"We do not know the identity of this man, but it is known that he also wields a Mangekyo Sharingan. It is how he fought on equal footing with the Yondaime and came out of the fight alive. My best guess would be that he fears another Uchiha may gain the Mangekyo Sharingan and he would be contested in his desire to destroy Konohagakure", the Sandaime replied.

"Are this unknown Uchiha and Danzo working together?", the Aburame clan head asked. To which the Hokage shook his head.

"It is unknown if Danzo is in contact with this Tobi, but I doubt he would work with someone who wishes to destroy the village in its entirety. Danzo has become twisted, but I believe he would never destroy Konoha as this, Tobi, desires", The Hokage stated. Silence took the room as the clan heads digested all of the information that they had received.

Even the hot-headed Inuzuka clan head had clamped her jaws shut. Sarutobi Hiruzen refilled his once again empty pipe with slow movements, his age showing more now than it ever had before in his life. The clan heads were no longer looking at their Hokage, they were looking at a man who was beaten, betrayed, lonely, and tired.

Nara Shikaku stood from his seat next to his two companions and best friends and looked at all of the other clan heads studying each one for merely a second before passing onto the next. There was absolutely none of his usual facade of laziness in his eyes as he broke the silence.

"Troublesome…", the words seemed to echo in the silent room. Yamanaka Inoichi chuckled at his friend's trademark remark.

"Understatement Shikaku…", Akamichi Choza said as he shook his head with a slight grin, trying to hide the anger and disappointment he felt.

"How can you all be so calm? Our village is being targeted, that masked man has orchestrated the weakening of our village for an unknown purpose. We were this close to executing an entire clan! Not to mention Danzo!", Kurama Yakumo angrily questioned. His clan's kekkei-genkai making the room darken and the lights flicker menacingly.

"But we didn't! We caught it in time, sure we can not dismiss everything that has happened, and people will need to be punished, but the situation is still salvageable", Yamanaka Inoichi replied, "And now I can finally rescue my nephew!".

Aburame Shibi nodded his head in agreement and adjusted his glasses in the typical Aburame fashion. He also had a nephew to rescue from that madman.

"We will need to move quickly. Danzo will probably try to transplant Shisui's eye into himself as soon as he can, most likely using Orochimaru's research. You all have stakes in taking down Danzo. The ANBU has been compromised and can not be relied on to fight against Danzo. It is up to the clans to capture him. I personally will kill him. Shikaku, we will need a plan of assault by the morning, and we will need all of the clan's active shinobi who are not out on missions. Gather ninja and return to the Hokage tower.", the Hokage said as he brought out schematics and locations of the known ROOT bases. Shikaku stood and made eye contact with each of the clan heads before turning back to the Hokage.

"Hokage-sama, I'm sorry to say, but you still hold blame. You never should have come back into office. You should be retired by now living with your family and helping teach the next generation. Hokage-sama, you have lost the support of the Nara clan", Shikaku said with steel in his eyes. Ever since his boy Shikamaru was almost kidnapped, Shikaku had been on the warpath. Knowing that his Hokage could have prevented all of this by being a little more insightful made him furious.

"Get in line Nara. The Uchiha have been abused by the village that has been under the Hokage's leadership for years. The Uchiha will stand trial for the planned coup, but you lost our support long ago Sarutobi", Fugaku said sternly.

Inoichi also stood, "You failed to protect us, sir. The Yamanakas also withdraw their support…". The Sandaime looked sorrowfully at the clan heads and bowed his head in defeat.

"I assume I have lost the faith of the rest of you as well", Hiruzen asked weakly. The other clan heads only nodded an affirmative.

"So be it. After this operation, I will step down. I only ask that you allow me to help train my predecessor and that I may have a say in choosing my replacement", the Sandaime said with a low voice. The clan heads nodded, it was a tradition that the Hokage chose their replacement. The Yondaime had been a fine choice, now Hiruzen would have to make another. But that was only after they had killed Danzo. The clan heads left the room one by one, leaving only Hound, Tiger, and the Hokage sitting in the office.