Chapter 12: End of the Uchiha Coup

On the morning of the 21st of May, the citizens of Konoha woke up to some shocking news. Last night, the Uchiha Compound was infiltrated by a masked ninja, that was previously marked by the deceased Yondaime Hokage as the man responsible for the Kyuubi Attack. This man was an S-ranked ninja that attempted to destroy one of the Leaf's pillars of strength, by massacring every man, woman, and child within the Uchiha Clan. Fortunately, he was intercepted by the clan's heir, Itachi Uchiha, who was able to briefly hold him back, as reinforcements were called in from the clan. The masked man was forced to flee, but not before killing several prominent Uchiha, including most of the Elders, a few Jounin and Chuunin, and two male civilians. A contingent of ANBU also tragically lost their lives in this battle.

In the aftermath of the attack, Fugaku Uchiha barricaded all civilian and children within the compound gates, as the clan mourned its losses. Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Sandaime Hokage, moved the masked man from the unofficial list of Konoha's greatest enemies, to the Konoha Bingo Book under a 350 million ryo bounty, dead or alive. The valiant defenders of the clan, such as Itachi and Shisui Uchiha, were currently recuperating in the Konoha General Hospital.

The news filtered out of the Hokage's Tower when the sky was still streaked with the pinkish-blue rays of dawn, so Hiruzen wasn't surprised that it was barely noon before Danzo stormed in.

"Hiruzen," the bandaged man's wooden cane authoritatively thumped the floor as he scowled at his old teammate, "I need to speak to you."

"How fortunate that my schedule has an opening for lunch," the Sandaime replied dryly, "You may as well talk now. I'll be swamped with visitors and paperwork for the rest of the day." Ignoring the disgruntled look on his advisor's face, Hiruzen took out the boxed lunch that his chef had made, and broke apart his chopsticks.

"Didn't you bring Homura and Koharu with you?" Hiruzen added, mildly disappointed. "I don't want to schedule for three different screaming matches Danzo. I expected you to be more efficient about this."

"Fortunately, we seem to have the same mind about this," Homura's gravelly voice intoned, as the other two Elders entered the room. "What in the name of all the Kami-damned fires were you thinking, Hiruzen?"

"You'll have to be more specific than that, Homura," Hiruzen replied, lifting his bento box and moving to the dark red and bronze sitting area for the Council, "How have I disappointed you today?"

Koharu frowned. "This isn't a time for your antics, Hiruzen. How could you not inform us about this masked stranger that released the Kyuubi?"

'Because I didn't know anything about him,' the Hokage deadpanned mentally. "We knew that someone attacked Kushina Uzumaki during her childbirth process, and released the Kyuubi. Minato had a brief altercation with him, but wasn't able to draw many identifying details from him. Since he didn't want to terrify the village with the news of an S-ranked enemy, he classified the information."

"And you didn't bother to tell us anything before now?" Danzo glowered, "My Ne operatives could have spent the last eight years searching out his identity, and eliminating the threat he posed to Konoha."

"You and I need to have a long talk about that secret army of yours, Danzo," Hiruzen commented mildly, "I should express my sympathies for the deaths that they have suffered last night."

"A few roots shall gladly wither for the health of the great tree," the one-eyed man replied stiffly.

"Regardless, you haven't explained why you kept that information classified from us," Homura said.

"It was one of Minato's final dictates," Hiruzen explained, "I saw the wisdom in his words, and followed them." Neither of the male Elders seemed pacified by this, and were opening their mouths to argue, when support came from an unlikely source.

"That's enough, Danzo, Homura," Koharu's stern voice rebuked, "We agreed to abide by Minato's dying wish for his daughter. We could do no less for this."

"Minato had every right to determine his own child's future," Homura complained, "But he shouldn't have withheld valuable intelligence from the elders that served his village for longer than he was alive. It was foolish to disregard our possible counsel in this matter."

"However foolish you may consider him to be, he was our Hokage," Koharu's chin lifted up, "Namikaze was our leader when he made that dictate, and Hiruzen chose to honor this. You served under Tobirama-sensei; you know what the rules are. Should our Kage command, we must obey."

Danzo stewed, but Homura relented with a tired sigh. Hiruzen nodded to the elegant woman in gratitude, and received one raised eyebrow in response. "Now that Hiruzen had chosen to reveal the news to all of Konoha though, I am sure that he'll agree to share the necessary intel with us, his most trusted Advisors."

'I see that you still aim for the jugular, Koharu,' the Sandaime mused, with brief fondness.

"As you may have guessed, the information that was revealed to the public wasn't entirely accurate. The masked man, who identified himself as Madara Uchiha, approached young Itachi with a recruitment offer. I believe the terms were to serve him and receive clemency for his immediate family, best friend, and Naruto Uzumaki, or have the Kyuubi released again," Hiruzen recounted.

"Then young Itachi is courting Minato's daughter," Koharu interrupted, "I had thought that to be a wildly popular rumor."

"Really? I haven't heard of it until today," Homura commented, "Should we allow an element of an at-risk clan to associate with the jinchuuriki?"

"First, Itachi Uchiha's loyalty to Konoha is unquestionable, as we have proven through his spying activities on his own family," Hiruzen said flatly, as the two Elders had the grace to look embarrassed, "Second, I have encouraged him to build a friendship with Naruto, and they seem to be getting along well. And finally, I don't want to see that look on your face, Danzo. We may be meddlesome old men and women, but we haven't sunk so low as to break apart two children for Konoha's betterment."

"I would have only discouraged other suitors," Danzo shrugged, "The Uchiha Clan's Sharingan would be complemented by the Uzumaki's vast chakra reserves and rapid healing."

Hiruzen's mouth opened and closed soundlessly for a whole minute. "I don't care. Don't do that."

"Back to the unconfirmed Madara Uchiha," Koharu prompted, eager to move the conversation along.

The Hokage recovered his aplomb. "Yes, well Itachi requested some time to come to his decision, and then promptly shared the intelligence with me. I decided that the threat was baseless; if the supposed Madara Uchiha wanted to recruit Itachi, then he could have easily instigated the events first, and kept Naruto Uzumaki or Sasuke Uchiha alive to keep Itachi in line. This situation doesn't match the one from eight years ago. Naruto Uzumaki has a stronger seal, that isn't weakened from the trials of pregnancy, and keeps the Kyuubi in a coma-like stasis state."

"Instead, we chose to leverage this event, in order to deal with the Uchiha Clan's coup d'etat," Hiruzen continued, "Young Itachi agreed to help the masked man, but suggested that they massacre his clan, in order to gain revenge for turning their backs on Madara Uchiha all of those years ago. The main instigators of the rebellion were killed first, and then events occurred similarly to the news released."

Homura nodded thoughtfully. "A sound idea. However, it would be a fair assumption that this Madara Uchiha would want to attack the village on a later date?"

"Yes, it seems that we have another Orochimaru," Hiruzen sighed, considering the prodigal student that he had treated like his own son, "He was dressed in a distinctive black cloak with red clouds that matches reports of at least one other ninja that our ANBU operatives briefly crossed paths with. I believe that a powerful organization, currently existing in the shadows, plans to attack Konoha in the likely-distant future."

Danzo leaned forward, and his one eye narrowed. "Then we will have to destroy them first?"

"Agreed," the Hokage said grimly, causing all of the other councillors to widen their eyes, "I may desire peace, but this organization is harboring a man that let a Bijuu loose in our village. As the protector of Konoha, I can do no less than eradicate this threat, before it breaches our walls."

"We will do whatever it is in our power to help you, Hokage-sama," Homura said respectfully.

"Thank you, old friend," the Sandaime replied, "For now, I only need you to read the dossiers written on the masked man. I have decided to compile separate ones, for the current attacker and for the Kyuubi one, though it seems increasingly likely that they are the same person. Sleep on them, and we shall have another meeting tomorrow, to discuss our perspectives."

A few more details were discussed, namely the time of their next meeting, before his old teammates shuffled out the door. A little more relaxed now, since the conversation had gone well, Hiruzen took out a fresh sheet of paper and an ink well, and began penning a note to his erstwhile student.

'Jiraiya's expertise with fuuinjutsu will be invaluable when unravelling Danzo's secrecy seal,' Hiruzen thought, mind flitting to the four Ne operatives that Itachi Uchiha had put into a coma. 'It's time that I hide away the peaceful side that my friends so bemoan in me, and ruthlessly uncover all of the secrets in my village.'

'Sh-Shisui, what are… you d-doing?' the gurgled voice broke, as his katana neatly swept through Miori-san's jugular. The front of the dying man's Chuunin vest was dirtied with blood and powdered sugar. Miori-san liked to visit the bakery each day for his favorite glazed apple tarts.

'Why would you betray the clan?' Despite his arthritis, Elder Kaoru managed to dodge the first volley. The shuriken pinned his sagging flesh to the wall in the second volley though. 'Aah! Traitor!'

'You chose them over us!' Blood pooled the streets, and stained his hands. He brought them together for a Shunshin, before Cousin Aoki's fireballs could reach him. His own Phoenix Sage Fire Technique burned the flesh off of the man's bones. Shisui blinked away the acrid smoke, and felt his eyes burn.

The four curved spikes of the pinwheel eye spun, but the messy-haired wielder was unaware of this. Shisui's heart burned with self-loathing, even as he stepped forward into yet another dance of death.

He was too well-trained to scream when he woke up. Instead, his fingers dug deeply enough to the palm of his hand to draw blood, his mouth clamped shut to swallow back bile, and salty tears dripped down his eyes. It was when Shisui was sure that he wouldn't make a sound, that he raised his face from the pillow and looked around the room. His hair was matted with sweat, the unruly strands even bothering to stay slick against his forehead.

Itachi stared back at him soundlessly. Shisui flopped back down on the bed.

"I deserve my own hospital room," he declared in a raspy voice, "I am an important and valuable member of the Uch- Konoha. I am insulted that I have been given only half of a hospital room."

"Less than half," his cousin's level voice corrected, "Part of the room has been taken over by gifts from well-wishers."

A mirthless smile crossed his face, as Shisui looked at the tokens of appreciation he had received for killing his own kinsman. "Don't be humble, Itachi. I'm sure that some of those flowers and chocolates are from your own fangirls."

"Making light of the situation will not help you, Shisui," there was a soft sigh from Itachi's direction.

Shisui's eyes rolled back to the ceiling. Blank. White. Bland. "You sound like Aunt Mikoto."

"In fact, I'm sure that you'll make some woman a wonderful house husband one day," the messy-haired teen added, a hint of humor entering his voice, "Your girlfriend already wants to be the Hokage. She can aim for the highest position in the village, while you keep house and raise the kids."

"Would you like to talk about it?" Itachi asked compassionately.

Shisui sat up on the bed- noting that some lucky nurse had changed him into a hospital-issued gown- and scowled. "What would you know about what I went through?"

Itachi blinked. His ink-toned eyes turned into the unique design of the Mangekyou Sharingan.

Shisui flopped back down. "Right. Okay. Sorry."

There was a moment of silence, and then he started talking. "I don't know which one activated it. There were so many people, 'tachi. So many, and I have a Sharingan that shows I regretted his or her death, but I don't even know which death activated it! I killed so many- it could be any of them!"

"Maybe it was all of them," Itachi replied listlessly, "Maybe it was none of them, but the idea of killing our family. You've always been so loyal to the clan, that I should have known that you ran the risk of activating the Mangekyou. I'm sorry, Shisui."

The messy-haired teen's voice was downright venomous this time. "Don't. You. Dare. Itachi. Don't you dare blame yourself for something that was entirely out of your control. They chose to betray Konoha- they chose to betray our family. You can't possibly blame yourself for preserving the clan's honor and preventing an even bigger massacre for the Uchiha."

Shisui was worried, since his younger cousin fell silent at those words. Then, after a few minutes, he spoke.

"I see," Itachi said quietly, "But if I can't blame myself… then why can you?"

There was an oppressive sense of normalcy hanging over the class today. It was putting Naruto on edge, because for the last three days Shisui had insisted on escorting her to school, but was entirely absent today. Sasuke was absent too, and people noticed that, especially since it was only the second day since he publicly defended Academy deadlast. Then there were the rumors spreading over Konoha, with adults whispering about 'Uchiha' and 'break-ins', that fell suspiciously silent when any kids wandered by.

All of the students were curious about had happened to the Uchiha Clan. And since Naruto apparently was best friends with the Uchiha Matriarch and Heir now…

"I don't know! Okay?" the Uzumaki snapped, her temper not in the least improved by Ami's demands for information. "Leave me the hell alone!"

"Y-yes," Hinata supported, activating her Byakugan and making one student step back, "P-please leave us alone."

Iruka's Big Head jutsu was able to discipline the class more effectively, and the blonde was able to sit back, ignore her sensei, and worry about her ANBU. Anxiety gnawed at her stomach, even though she knew that Itachi was strong, and likely to be fine. But whoever broke into the Uchiha Compound had to be strong too, didn't they? She heard that some Uchiha were killed, and since Shisui was absent…

"I can't wait anymore!" Naruto confessed, once they had relocated to the rooftop. "The day's not even half over, and I'm going mad with worry."

Shino placed his unopened bento to the side. "This is not surprising. Why? Because you are a caring person, and Itachi Uchiha was your first friend. It is likely that he is being kept in Konoha General."

Naruto's ocean blue eyes gleamed. "Then I can visit him! But I would have to skip school."

Hinata and Shino exchanged a look. "W-we should go with y-you," the Hyuuga tentatively said.

The blonde's eyes widened. "Hinata? You want to… break a rule?"

"All of the detention tasks are moved over to the weekend," the Aburame observed, his high collar hiding the smile on his face, "It would be a shame to leave Sasuke Uchiha to go through them alone."

"A-and we already helped you b-break into a clan c-compound," Hinata added forlornly. "I broke the law, Naruto-chan."

The Uzumaki beamed. "I knew it wouldn't take long to corrupt you two!"

There was no better time to sneak out of class than now, so Hinata's Byakugan briefly scanned the grounds, before the three tree-walked down the building. Shino was the one that led the way, because Naruto was still worried about the attack and Hinata was mourning her life as a criminal. Their first obstacle came in the way of a civilian receptionist.

"Can I please get the number for Itachi Uchiha's room?" Naruto angled her head up, and was met with unfriendly hazel eyes.

"Sorry kid," the woman didn't sound even mildly apologetic, "But the room is visiting list only."

'So he's not dead,' the Uzumaki thought, as relief swept through her body, closely followed by determination. "I- I'm a friend of his. Can you check the list for 'Naruto Uzumaki'?"

"You and every other unattached girl in Konoha," the woman rolled her eyes, "You're younger than most though. Do you have any gifts? You can put them in a bin over there. They'll be collected later in the day, and sent up to Uchiha-san's room."

"I'm not his girlfriend!" Naruto squeaked, blushing brightly. Behind her, a small growl could be heard from Hinata's direction. "We're friends!"

The woman looked at her dubiously. "I don't have time for your lies, kid. Go back to school. There's no way that your name could be on the list."

None of the three truant Academy students looked likely to be on the visitor's list for this particular important patient. The Aburame was clearly too young to have run missions with him, the Hyuuga was from a rival clan, and the Uzumaki was a social pariah that would be invisible to Itachi Uchiha.

"Surely it cannot take much to check your list, Receptionist-san," a deep, cultured voice said disapprovingly. When Hinata gasped, Naruto turned her head around to see a tall man, with stern features, dark brown hair, and pale eyes. Standing next to him was a Branch Member attendant with a bundled child in her arms.

"Hyuuga-sama!" the woman stumbled, "My apologies sir, but none of these children could be-"

"As I said, it would not take too much time and effort to check," Hiashi interrupted, looking over to his daughter, "Hinata. I believe you have school now."

The blue-haired girl's cheeks bled crimson, as she bowed her head. "Yes, Father."

Naruto didn't take well to a disapproving look aimed at one of her best friends, so she sidled closer to the bluenette. "She came here to support me."

"And you came here to support Itachi Uchiha?" Hiashi asked, a strange undercurrent to his voice. For a second, the Uzumaki almost believed it to be laughter. "I am not surprised that she would follow you here; your father was also a charismatic individual. Hinata will not be punished, as long as this remains a singular event."

"Receptionist-san, have you checked the list yet?" the Hyuuga Head inquired, ignoring the gaping of his daughter and her two friends.

The woman at the desk flushed in embarrassment. "I'll do it right now, Hyuuga-sama."

She took out a handwritten list given to her by Mikoto Uchiha, and scanned the short list of names. Fourth from the top, after Itachi Uchiha's immediate family, was a neat scrawl of 'Naruto Uzumaki'.

"She's on the list!" the woman exclaimed, looking at the Uzumaki in shock.

Naruto grinned smugly. "Can I have the room number now?"

"4C," the receptionist mumbled, looking down on the list again, and blinking her eyes as though doubting her ability to read, "But none of the others are there."

"That should be fine," Shino adjusted his glasses, "If I return quickly, then I can attend to the remainder of Iruka-sensei's lecture on Iwa's flora and fauna."

"That's an admirable dedication to your studies, Shino," Hiashi approved, "Though my daughter will not be joining you. Since she's here, she can attend Hanabi's check-up with me."

"Yes Father," Hinata affirmed happily, before regarding her blonde friend, "Naruto-chan…"

"I'll be fine," the Uzumaki waved at them, and headed towards the elevator, "If I don't see you later today, then I'll tell you everything at lunch tomorrow."

When Itachi heard a tentative knock on the door, he thought that his Mother and Sasuke must have finished lunch early. Then a messy blonde head poked its way through the door, and he found bright ocean-blue arresting him to his position.

"Itachi!" Naruto's normal volume was a step higher than others, but this was almost a relieved shout as she barrelled in. The dark-haired teen braced his body, expecting her to tackle him into a hug, but was surprised when she skidded to a stop by the bed instead. The Uzumaki offered him a nervous smile, as she awkwardly petted his hand in welcome.

'Is Naruto Uzumaki finally learning tact?' the teen wondered, strangely disappointed by the underwhelming gesture. "Hello Naruto."

"Hi." There was a forced grin on her face, that became more genuine as she scanned his body for injuries. "I was worried about you."

Itachi gestured to his bed, and watched the oddly red-faced blonde perch on the end. "Didn't you get my note?"

"What n- what is that?" Naruto's attention strayed, as Itazura flew through the window. The Uchiha found his interest caught more by the wide-eyed fascination of his friend, than the summoned crow landing in front of her. Itazura lifted his leg, and impatiently cawed, as Naruto didn't move.

"This is Itazura," Itachi introduced, reaching forward but having the crow hop away from his grasp, "He's one of my messenger summons, and he refuses to relinquish his notes to anyone but the recipient. He won't even give them to me."

Naruto's lips twitched, and she released a giggle at the comically dodging crow. "I can see that."

The blonde reached forward, and Itazura didn't shy away from her, as she clumsily unwrapped the message. "I thought that summons could talk."

"All of the members of the major tribes can speak the human tongue," Itachi explained, "A few of my crows can speak, but Itazura isn't one of them."

"Well thank you, Itazura," the Uzumaki placed the note into her pocket, and withdrew her unfinished bento from her bag, "I made some hamburger steak for lunch today. Would you like some Itazura?"

While the crow may not have been able to speak Japanese, he clearly understood what 'hamburger steak' meant. There was an approving squawk from the omnivorous bird, as it clumsily hopped closer to the blonde's hand. Soon there was a sizable bit of hamburger steak in his stomach, and Naruto was allowed to tentatively brush her fingers against Itazura's soft, pitch-black feathers.

"I think you may have stolen my summon," Itachi observed, amusement coiling in his stomach.

"You responded well to food too," Naruto reminded him, ducking her head down, "Thank you for adding my name to the visitor's list."

"Visitor's list? Ah, that explains the peace I've had so far. My mother must have made it," Itachi commented, confused as to why the blonde looked disappointed. "I'm glad that she added you too."

The reminder of what the visitor's list was for sobered the Uzumaki. "I heard that there was an attack. Is Shisui alright? What happened?"

"A masked individual attempted to breach the Uchiha Compound, and killed a few people before we could drive him away," Itachi explained, feeling apologetic, "I'm sorry, but I don't think that I'm allowed to say much more."

Naruto wasn't as disappointed as she had thought she'd be. "I'm just glad that you're okay."

"Aren't you glad that I'm okay too, Naruto?" Shisui Uchiha demanded, as he returned from the bathroom. He raised an eyebrow when he saw the blonde perched on his cousin's bed, rather than the visitor's chair beside it. "Am I interrupting anythin- oomph!"

"Shisui!" Naruto shouted gleefully, jumping off the bed and tackling him. "I'm glad you're okay!"

'Her maturity didn't last long,' Itachi observed, a minute frown forming on his face.

"Whoa there, Naruto," the messy-haired teen laughed, hugging her back, "Don't show so much enthusiasm in front of your boyfriend. I don't want to be a homewrecker!"

"She's not my/I'm not his girlfriend!" Two voices responded in near-sync, before they looked at one another. The dark-haired teen looked away, a light pink color to his cheeks, while the pale-gold skin of the Uzumaki looked like it had been badly sunburned. Shisui cackled.

"This is what you're making us wait outside the door for, Mom?" Sasuke Uchiha complained, walking in next. He ignored the Uzumaki still clinging to his messy-haired cousin, and headed for the chair by his brother's bed. "Dobe. What are you doing here?"

"Teme," Naruto replied automatically, releasing the older boy, "I'm here to visit Itachi and Shisui."

"Hello Naruto-chan," Mikoto said sheepishly, waving at the blonde girl. "Sasuke, what did I tell you about that nickname?"

"But Mom, it's weird to call her Naruto," the youngest Uchiha whined, looking over at his classmate, "Do you want me to use your first name?"

Naruto considered it, and then made a face. "I honestly prefer dobe from him, Mikoto-san."

"And I don't ever want to hear 'Sasuke-kun' from you," Sasuke stated firmly, smiling at his mother, "Look on the bright side, Mom. This is practically a bonding moment!"

Omake:

After an easy mission that coincided with the end of the school day, Itachi had offered to treat Naruto and Sasuke to a mid-afternoon snack. They were eating at a popular dango stand, when the dark-haired teen realized that his friend was too preoccupied to enjoy her snack.

"Naruto, would you like some?" Itachi inquired, seeing the blonde's ocean blue eyes fastened on his dango stick, and assuming that she hadn't liked her own flavor choices.

"Er, yes?" Naruto was actually staring at the Uchiha's mouth- an embarrassing habit that she subconsciously fell into when she was daydreaming- but could hardly correct him. "Thank you, Itachi."

'It's practically an indirect kiss,' the Uzumaki thought, blushing, as she accepted the treat. There were two brightly coloured pieces of dough left, and she quickly bit off the white one, before returning it. That was when she became aware of four shocked stares in her direction. It was partially due to the awkwardness of the moment, that she snapped at them.

"W-what are you looking at?" Naruto scowled, "Do I have something on my face?"

Shisui buried his head in his hands. "Best friends since we were five, trained together for hours on end and even taught him his shinobi creed, but I don't have a single dumpling to show for it."

Kakashi folded his arms together. "I sponsored his entire ANBU career, and taught him the ropes of stealth and covert operations, but he ate an entire box of pocky right in front of me."

Yugao pouted. "I saved his life in our last mission, but he wouldn't even give me a peppermint."

Sasuke sniffed. "I don't even care if Mom wants you to marry into the family dobe. I'm not sharing my tomatoes with you."