21

Chapter 21: twenty: come little childrenSummary:

"Clear thinking requires courage rather than intelligence."

Thomas Szasz

Notes:

Warning: I continue to know jackshit about strategies and military vocabulary.

I do not own Naruto.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Becoming Hokage 101

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Section Four

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Chapter Twenty

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When I first met Shikaku, I almost couldn't believe my eyes.

It was bound to happen at some point, with Choza being my sensei and all, but I hadn't imagined he'd make me so nervous. It wasn't that I was scared of him, quite the opposite actually. I always had a deep respect and admiration for him, even Before, so meeting the person himself and seeing him in all his slouched glory was something that did shake me up a little.

Sometimes it feels as if that sensation will never go away.

"We'll need to find a way to talk about this without coming here every time." The Jounin Commander is in his customary slouch, shoulders loose and relaxed, but there's a light to his eyes that pins me down in place. It doesn't happen often, but once in a while I forget he's a S-class shinobi with the potential to lead an army to victory in the poorest of conditions. Whenever that happens, he'll look at me with that particular gaze, and I'll wonder how I ever forgot that.

"I agree." I nod, having thought as much. "I actually have an idea for that."

"Of course you do." He drawls, tone half-sarcastic and half-proud. I ignore it mostly because I don't know how to act around this new (?) Shikaku that trusts in me and in my potential.

"I'll ask Choza-sensei if we can keep on receiving training from the three of you, perhaps once a week. That way, it won't look suspicious even if we happen to talk in codes or something."

Shikaku hums, scratching his chin. "That's a good idea."

I fiddle with my fingers, suddenly nervous again. "And… there's one more thing."

"Yeah?"

"I'd like to include someone else in the investigation."

"Minato?"

I shake my head, and a part of me second-doubts all of my plans. Should I go forward? Should I let it go?

"No. I mean, he's already digging things up on his end, but it's not him. It's actually Uchiha Fugaku."

I don't believe there are many things that could surprise the Nara clan head, but I somehow succeed in doing that. His dark eyes widen momentarily, clearly taken back.

"Fugaku?" Surprisingly though, there aren't any negative emotions in his expressive eyes. Just shock and curiosity.

'Good, that's good. It means Fugaku hasn't done anything to earn the suspicion of the Jounin Commander.'

"Yeah. I'm not sure we can fully trust him, but he'd definitely be a valuable ally."

The shinobi next to me watches me for a minute, no doubt wondering what's going on inside my head.

"Why him?"

"I think he's a good person, even though he's very strict. He takes every case seriously, even the civilian ones. When Team Choza did missions there, I'd always see him working diligently. He doesn't give out compliments easily, but he does pay attention to his officers and recognizes their hard work."

"Those are all true, but why would you involve him in this investigation? You're aware the village doesn't view the Uchiha very favorably."

I swallow and grit my teeth, nodding.

'Even now, Danzo's doing his work, trying to isolate the Uchiha further and further. I'll have to be extra careful during Naruto's birth, and ensure their work is recognized.'

"I'm aware, yes. That's one of the reasons why I want to include him in this." Shikaku rests his cheek on his hand, but his eyes never once leave mine.

"I'm listening."

"The Uchiha clan are one of the founding ones of the village. They're supposed to be respected, even with all the mess Uchiha Madara left. The Nidaime assigned the Police Force to them because he believed they were ideal for the job, but I don't think he meant for them to isolate themselves because of it. Senju Tobirama didn't like the Uchiha, certainly, but his love for Konoha wasn't stronger than his negative feelings."

'I bet he never counted for his own students to twist his words like that.' I think bitterly.

"The other reason is that I think Fugaku-taicho would make a great ally, overall." I shrug, not sure if I'm getting my point across. It made sense to get the Uchiha clan head on our side in my head, but explaining it to Shikaku was tricky.

"You said you're not sure we can fully trust him." Whether he's buying it or not, the Commander continues to humor me, and I think that's a good sign.

"I did. If he joins the investigation now, I can't be sure he won't go to the wrong people. Whether it's because he's working with them or because he simply doesn't know better, I don't want to risk it."

I honestly don't think Fugaku had anything to do with the massacre and Danzo's scheming, but my paranoid ass won't let me trust him 100%. It's different from knowing Minato and Shikaku are loyal, because I've seen it, but Fugaku was such a bland character Before that it's difficult to say anything for sure.

"I'm assuming you also have a plan for that."

"Half a plan, yes. I was hoping you'd help me with the other half." He smirks, and his expression would look haughty if not for the glint of fondness I see in his eyes. It makes me embarrassed and happy and all sorts of bashful.

"Sure."

"So I was thinking that you and I would investigate the disappearance of the children behind the scenes. I'll go to Fugaku-taicho and say more or less the same things I did to you, but he'll definitely investigate it using official channels, which is inevitably going to take longer. When he figures weird stuff is going on and that a high-ranking officer is most likely behind it, he'll confront at least one of three people: you, me, or the Hokage."

I pause, wondering if I should tell the Uchiha clan head everything from the get go. No matter how respectful he's been towards me until now, there's no telling how he'll react when I drop a bomb this big on his lap.

"Actually, do you think we should be upfront with Fugaku-taicho?"

Shikaku scratches his beard and hums, looking up at the sky full of stars.

"To some extent, yes. If he does end up being on our side, he'll get offended if he finds out we hid too much."

"Should I tell him you're part of the investigation too?"

"Not with all the words, no. You're smart; let him know in some way that you're my protegé, but it'd be best to not tell him we're doing an investigation of our own."

Hearing Shikaku openly compliment me and say that I'm his protegé fills me with giddy anticipation, and a surge of pride swells in my heart.

'Heart, chill. We got important shit to discuss still.'

There's still that glint of fondness in his eyes, and for a brief second I wonder if he can read my thoughts.

"There's something, though." The Nara says, and continues after I nod. "Even if the Uchiha clan has been isolating themselves from the village, Uchiha Fugaku is known for openly respecting and pledging loyalty to the Hokage. He might be suspicious if you go to him, considering who your parents are."

"Ah." I mumble, and allow a frown to show on my face. It's just the two of us, and it means I don't need to keep my guard so high up.

'I hadn't thought about that. Telling Shikaku really was a good decision. Way to go, me!'

The Uchiha clan head is a serious and loyal man. From the way he openly supports the Sandaime, it's most likely he's got no relation to Danzo's scheming, and that he was simply an unwilling accomplice of the Uchiha clan council's pressure about wanting to coup.

'Come to think of it, Fugaku has always shown me courtesy, but his clan elders…'

It's not that they were outright hostile, because I'm still the Hokage's daughter and that would probably be considered treason, but they have never treated me like Fugaku does. He's never been sweet or gentle with me, but he's always been respectful and mindful of me. Whenever I saw one of the clan elders, it felt like they did the bare minimum required to not be seen as disrespectful towards the Hokage, and that's it.

The Head of the KPF would probably understand the gravity of the situation the moment I mention ANBU and ROOT. He'll get suspicious the moment I start spewing off all those numbers and things I'm definitely not supposed to know, and he'll most likely confront me about not going to the Hokage about this.

Asking Shikaku to be the one to talk to Fugaku would be pointless. Not only would the Uchiha get suspicious of the Jounin Commander for knowing such things and not going to the Hokage, but he'd also wonder just why he's being told all this information when Shikaku could simply do the investigation on his own.

'It'd all make it look like the Jounin Commander is openly suspicious of the Head of the KPF, and that wouldn't look good for anyone.'

"I won't mention ANBU, then. Or ROOT." I finally state, glancing at the man next to me. He nods and ruffles my hair, like he'd known the answer all along and was just waiting for me to get to it.

"That's it. Just explain you're suspicious of the coming and going of people at the orphanage. Mention you've seen some different numbers in the paperwork, but not much else."

I nod, already thinking about the best time to go to Fugaku about this. "I don't actually think he's going to straight up ask why I didn't tell the Hokage first."

Shikaku's eyes glint with something I can't quite pinpoint, and then it's gone. He's likely noticed how I keep saying 'Hokage' instead of 'father', and honestly, it's not really intentional. At times like these, it's difficult for me to accept my own dad would let shit like this happen right under his nose and not do anything about it. It makes it a lot easier to deal with things and be able to look him in the face if I separate the man who's my father and the man who's the Sandaime.

"Mhm?"

"He'll definitely get suspicious, I think, but Fugaku is a very intelligent man who's the Head of the Police Force. He's used to hearing what people don't say out loud, and even if he draws up his own conclusions about why I've gone to him and not the Hokage, well. As long as he takes me seriously and takes up the investigation, I'd say it's a success either way."

"Alright." The Nara nods, getting up slowly and stretching all his long limbs. "Looks like we have a solid plan. Drop by my office the day after tomorrow to talk about schedules."

'Looks like I'm talking to Choza-sensei about 'special training pt. 2' tomorrow, then.' I think, giddy and excited that things are finally moving along in my favour.

"Let's go. Yoshino's been flaring her chakra for the last five minutes and if we don't get there quickly, we're in trouble." I look at him open-mouthed, aghast at his sheer audacity. I hadn't been able to sense any other chakra or hum of iron since the deer left us alone, and Shikaku's comment was a dull reminder that I needed to polish up my sensing skills asap.

"You could've said that sooner!"

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Static hisses in my ear for a brief second before the earpiece falls silent again. I glance at Genma, who's on a lower tree branch nearby, and he shakes his head.

'It could just be interference, or it could be-'

A small hum of iron shows up in my radar quick as lightning, with Gai following it hot on its wheels. I spring down from my position up in the trees and aim to catch the sprinting animal on the move, but I'm off by a few milliseconds.

"Genma, don't let us lose sight of it!" I bark, and our oldest teammate is quick to get on it. He nimbly sprints from branch to branch in the direction of the moving animal, Gai not far behind.

"Shit, why is a cat so difficult to catch?!" I hear Genma's complaint hiss on my earpiece, and I make a mental note to ask Shikaku-taicho about their quality. I know we're in the middle of a large-scale war and resources are definitely not abundant, but these earpieces should at least be as old as I am, if not older.

"Because we can't harm it." I reply, a bit out of breath. Genma's been definitely keeping up with his training and he's gotten faster than me. Gai is, naturally, still the unbeaten champion in this department, but since he's still trying to adjust to his new weights, his balance is quite off.

"We must put an end to this chase!" Gai yells from somewhere in front of me, and my earpiece translates that as half-static.

"I agree! We've been at it for hours!"

"Chill, Gen. It's only been half an hour." I mention, but agree with them nonetheless. It's time to catch this goddamn cat and be done with it already.

'When they said there'd be missions for genin to catch the daimyo's wife's cat forever, I thought they were exaggerating.' I think exasperatedly, beads of sweat starting to form on my temple.

"Genma, throw some needles on the cat's four o'clock 1.5 seconds from it. Gai, be prepared to catch it as soon as it tries to avoid the needles. I'll cover you." I land on a low tree branch, focusing on the three hums of iron; one significantly quieter. If our green-clad teammate somehow doesn't manage to catch the cat, I'll have to end this whole chase.

'I could try and make an iron bowl using some of this earth as a guide. That way, the cat will lose its momentum but won't get hurt.' I kneel on the branch, making the hand sign for concentration.

My vision blurs for a single moment when a butterfly lands on my nose. Like it's background noise, I hear Genma and Gai cheer, meaning they managed to catch the runaway animal. The insect on my nose flutters away, and the boys approach me before I have any chance to wonder what that was all about.

"Finally!" Genma holds the poor animal above his head like a prize, and I can't help but feel pity for it. I don't think the animal is being abused, per se, but it's definitely not having a great time at the daimyo's castle.

"Hold it properly." I chide, and he unceremoniously drops the feline in my arms. The small cat is honestly quite cute and looks at me like I could save it, but in the end, a mission is a mission and it needs to be given back to its owner.

"Good job, children!" Choza-sensei appears out of nowhere, as usual, with a beaming smile on his round face. "That was some good teamwork."

"Thank you, sensei." The three of us children reply, with varying degrees of excitement.

"And look at that, it's still only a little past ten! We have some time before lunch, so shall we grab another mission?"

"Yes!" Gai throws both his arms up in the air, a blinding grin on his face. Genma and I share a look, and even the cat in my arms seems to huff in amusement.

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I decide to talk to Fugaku a week after I've talked to Shikaku. I spent that time wondering where and when would be best to go to him, and even though I considered the possibility of going to his house inside the compound for safety reasons, he probably wouldn't enjoy that a whole lot. Fugaku strikes me as the type of person to keep his professional and personal lives separated - well, as much as possible, at least.

He reminds me of mother, in that sense. They're both no-nonsense people, dedicated and reliable even during tough times. Mother likes to keep things neatly organized so she won't have any problems finding them later, and loathes to talk about work during meal times. The Uchiha patriarch, in that sense, feels very familiar to me.

It's half past two and there are some clouds hanging in the sky, which makes me wonder briefly if it's gonna rain later today. It's hot and humid, but not extremely so, and the good weather gives me a little extra boost.

I breathe in, then breathe out. My legs carry me past the KPF's gates all the way to the reception desk, and I put on my most harmless face.

'You can do this.'

"Hello. Is Fugaku-taicho available?" I ask politely, and the middle-aged shinobi gives me a once over before he recognizes me.

"Chiyuki-hime." He nods as a greeting and continues before I have the chance to do anything. "The captain is in his office. Do you have an appointment?"

I shake my head, showing the brown scroll I'm carrying. "No, sir. I just came here to deliver a document on Shikaku-sama's behalf."

Sometimes it feels like I'm acting. Like this isn't really who I am, but rather a role. Sometimes, the things I say and do are so thought-out and rehearsed that it makes me wonder if I'm no better than a liar.

Nonetheless, the polite language and Shikaku's name work wonders and the shinobi points me to a door at the end of the corridor in which a label reads 'captain'. I thank him and enter the building, mostly familiar with the structure already. I nod to whoever happens to nod at me, but I don't dare go and outright greet anyone or disrupt their job. Fugaku would be on me instantly if he knew.

As I'm approaching the end of the corridor, one of the doors to my left opens and Uchiha Mamoru steps out, followed by two children.

"Hime, good afternoon." The man nods respectfully, and I bow down slightly to him. I can feel two pairs of eyes burning holes in my head, and it takes a good amount of self-control to not yelp.

The tallest and oldest child is none other than Uchiha Shisui, easily recognizable by the shape of his eyes and his curly hair. He looks like he's a couple of years younger than me, and doesn't try to hide the curious glint his eyes hold as they shift between me and Mamoru.

Right behind him is Uchiha Itachi, who's barely older than a toddler. I'd say he's around two years old, if my maths are correct. He's got those huge eyes that curious children have, black and wide like an abyss, and they're focused solely on me.

I smile instantly and honestly, more because of Mamoru than the boys. It's been a long while since I've seen the man and I never forgot how kind he was to me.

"Mamoru-senpai, what a pleasant surprise." The shinobi huffs in amusement, and the harsh lines on his face soften a bit.

"So you're running errands for Shikaku-sama now? One would think we'd bump into each other much more often than we actually do."

"It's a rather recent development." I shrug, not wanting to go in detail about it. Instead, I turn to the two boys who still haven't taken their eyes off me. "Hi there."

"Hime, these are Shisui and Itachi. The youngest is Fugaku-taicho's son, and the oldest is his nephew."

"It's nice to meet you. My name is Sarutobi Chiyuki." I think about kneeling down to greet them, but clan children are usually keen on being treated like adults, so I just settle for a small, soft smile.

Mamoru lightly nudges Shisui and the boy nods his head respectfully after a moment. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Chiyuki-hime."

He clearly looks like he wants to chatter the day away with his inquisitive eyes, as if he'll swallow up my whole attention if I give him the slightest hint of it. It's honestly very endearing.

"How do you do, Chiyuki-hime?" Itachi follows his cousin's cue a second later, dark eyes watching me like a hawk. His eyes are no less curious than Shisui's, although he does seems to be a bit more guarded than the older boy.

'He's very eloquent for a two year old. Well, I guess this is just how prodigies are.' I think, with almost no bitterness, surprisingly.

"Seen as you're here to see Fugaku-taicho, we won't hold you up any longer than this." Mamoru nods and the boys do as well. As he ushers them towards the exit, the two Uchiha children look over their shoulder at me. Something makes my chest hurt even as I grin and wave at them until they turn the corner, and then they're gone.

Perhaps it's how little they are, how small and baby-like they look. Shisui still has some baby fat clinging stubbornly to his cheeks, and it's adorable. Itachi is still such an innocent, kind young boy with eyes that hold the entire universe and-

-I can't let them see this war.

The thought settles on my mind easily, like the missing piece to a puzzle. I easily accept it and vow to work as hard as I can, no matter how exhausting or complicated it's going to be. My mind conjures up images of the two young boys in the battlefield, seeing their teammates get killed right before their eyes, activating their sharingan, remembering it for the rest of their lives-

Things click into place in my head. My objectives are clearer than ever. My will is unwavering.

It's made of fire and iron, of the blood in my veins and the tears I've shed. My resolve is as thick as the bonds I formed, and it nurtures just as much as it protects. 

I swiftly knock on the captain's door. After a second, I'm told to come in. I close the door behind me quietly, and turn to look at the Uchiha patriarch with a serene mind.

"Good afternoon, Fugaku-taicho."

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