The Flames Within

Chapter 54

Naruto received the rush of memories from his shadow clone and let out a tired sigh. ‘What am I going to do now?’ He thought, tilting his head to the side and looking at Satsuki. She had lost her family as well, her brother had killed her whole clan leaving only two other survivors, Uchiha Izumi and Uchiha Naori, though Sakura was probably an Uchiha as well. Still, despite losing everything, Satsuki had decided to keep fighting and refused to give in to despair.

‘Perhaps I’ll introduce them.’ Naruto heard a knock on the door and felt Jiraiya’s chakra outside. Getting up, he opened to the door and let the old pervert into the room. ‘I’ll bring it up tomorrow I guess.’ Naruto thought as he turned in for the night.

The following morning, after showering and getting dressed in fresh clothes free from the dirt and dust of the road, Naruto sat down for breakfast with Satsuki and Jiraiya. Neither were aware that Tsunade was staying in the same inn yet, though Naruto could feel Tsunade and her companion’s chakra slowly drawing closer. Naruto hid his grin at the inevitable collision as the woman walked into the dinning area and immediately spotted him alongside Jiraiya and Satsuki.

Jiraiya’s head snapped up, eyes landing on Tsunade while Satsuki glanced at the woman before returning to her food. The Uchiha was still half asleep and grumpy from being woken so early after a relatively late night. The two groups stared at each other and Naruto completely failed to hide his grin when Tsunade realized he hadn’t informed Jiraiya of her presence. The woman’s lips pressed into a thin line of annoyance before quirking up briefly and then finally settling on exasperation as Jiraiya stuttered out a string of incoherent words.

“Tsunade! Just the woman I was looking for!” Jiraiya managed when he finally recovered from shock. Tsunade grabbed a pair of chairs and joined their table without a word, pulling the menu from Naruto’s hands before he could order and ignoring Jiraiya entirely. The man glanced between the two blonds, clearly catching on to the mutual recognition. “So, you two have met then?”

“Ran into each other last night.” Tsunade’s words really didn’t clarify anything and Jiraiya turned his attention to Naruto who was more worried about Satsuki’s eyes on his side. He had offered to take watch and he didn’t want her thinking he’d left her alone.

“I sent a shadow clone out to scout, she was in the izakaya across the street.” Naruto deflected, earning a brief look of relief from Satsuki, which mattered far more then Jiraiya’s utterly unimpressed expression. The Uchiha passed Naruto her menu, having already decided on her breakfast and Naruto shot the girl a smile while ignoring Jiraiya.

“So, I already know why you’re here.” Tsunade began and Jiraiya raised a white eyebrow. The two former teammates eyed each other for several long seconds and tension began to fill the air between them.

“The village needs you.” Jiraiya stated firmly and Tsunade scoffed. “Hiruzen-sensei is dead! The village was ransacked and ANBU barely managed to contain the damage.” Jiraiya’s exasperation was audible and his hand slapped down onto the table, covering the placement of a privacy seal to hide their conversation from eavesdroppers. “Our own teammate is responsible!”

“And? Perhaps Orochimaru had a reason for his attack. Always said there was a reason for everything he did.” Tsunade drawled, cleaning her nails as she put her menu down and signaled a waiter, temporarily ending the conversation. The man quickly came over and took their orders. All the while, Tsunade stared down at Jiraiya, contempt clear on her face.

“You cannot mean that Tsunade! Your own grandfather founded the village!” Jiraiya began and Tsunade rolled her eyes and sighed. A chilly silence spread between the two former teammates, a sudden pressure surrounding them that Naruto had only ever felt once before in his life, the day Orochimaru had attacked his team. “If you don’t return, Danzo will become Hokage.”

“And if you truly wanted to prevent that, you would step up. You’re a coward so you’re begging me to do it in your place but that’s normal for you isn’t it? Always backing down and running with your tail tucked between your legs.” Tsunade sneered and Jiraiya’s expression became thunderous. The pressure between them continued to escalate and the table started to creek and groan under the weight of their chakra. “I’ve already made a bet with the blond, we have an understanding you see. Besides nothing you say matters a damn to me. Not after everything you’ve done.”

“And what have I done? Remained loyal to my village when both of my teammates fled? Helped the man who taught us everyth-”

“Don’t you dare,” Tsunade hissed, eyes narrowing and killing intent spiking out from her. “Hiruzen taught you and Orochimaru but everything I learned was of my own hard work and family inheritance. You’re a shinobi, a man, you don’t know what it’s like to be born a woman in Konoha.” The silence that followed Tsunade’s words was deafening and Jiraiya stared at his teammate like he’d never seen her before. “I am strong in spite of Hiruzen and Konoha not because of them. I was lucky, I had Mito, without her I’d have been just another nameless, faceless kunoichi while the men on my team became the stuff of legends.”

“That’s not how it is in the Uchiha clan.” Satsuki stated, breaking the tension. Tsunade turned her focus onto the young girl, golden eyes taking in the kimono top and hakama pants, then flicking to the practical bun held in place by hair pins, the Uchiha Mon dangling from the needles which could easily be used as senbon in a pinch. “We have always respected our women.”

“So you’re the last Uchiha?” Tsunade’s words were met with a scoff and she arched a curious eyebrow.

“My clan has five members and three of us have the sharingan. Uchiha Naori is currently the clan head.” Satsuki replied, unable to keep the bitterness from her voice. Tsuande’s eyes shifted over to Jiraiya who grimaced at that particular declaration.

“She’s not the clan head, she’s not even an Uchiha. She’s half Uchiha and-”

“And the clan had recognized her after she captured several rogues and blinded herself in the process. She’s Izumi-Onee and Sakura-nee’s sensei as well.” Satsuki cut Jiraiya off, utterly fed up with Konoha’s politics. Naori and Sakura, despite everything they had done for the village would always be tainted. They were women and worse, foreigners. They wanted to improve Konoha, which of course was met with opposition at every turn and suggestions that if they didn’t like it in the Leaf, they should return home.

“Sakura is an Uchiha?” Tsunade stated lightly and Jiraiya grimaced before shaking his head.

“She’s not related, Sensei had her blood tested.” Jiraiya cut in and Tsunade rolled her eyes. “You wouldn’t have?”

“And if the results came back positive then what? Murder a child for her ancestry? Hiruzen-sensei would have, I’m sure but I wouldn’t allow it. My grandfather would be appalled.” Tsunade sneered and then looked over towards the waitress now carrying food over to their table. The conversation died as the group began to eat, though the tension clearly remained.

“Tsunade-san can we talk without the pervert after breakfast?” Naruto asked and the woman’s lips quirked upwards at the insult. Across from her Jiraiya huffed, crossing his arms but remaining silent, letting the blond speak since clearly he had no chance of getting through to anyone today.

“Sure brat, but it better not be a clone this time. We should meet up somewhere private though, I don’t trust Jiraiya’s seals not to eavesdrop on us.” Tsunade glanced at the man who couldn’t meet her eyes and instead suddenly found the floor fascinating. Naruto nodded, quickly going over what he knew of the town before remembering the clearing he’d used for training with Satsuki the last time they’d swung through.

“I know just the place!” Naruto grinned and quickly gave her directions. Tsunade nodded, returning her attention to her meal while Naruto glanced at Satsuki. Somehow the Uchiha had caught onto his plan and gave him a subtle nod. Naruto couldn’t stop his massive smile at being so wordlessly understood and bumped his shoulder against Satsuki who sent him a small but genuine smile. Neither child noticed the fond but worried look Tsunade quickly hid as she watched them, her eyes becoming distant with pain and nostalgia.

***

Satsuki sat on a log in the clearing Naruto had told Tsunade about. In her hand, chakra whirled, the balloon she was desperately trying to keep intact shredding and coming apart almost instantly. Tsunade’s chakra signature appeared on the edge of her senses and she felt the other kunoichi approach as she pulled out a new balloon and got to work. Tsunade strolled over and leaned against a tree as Satsuki tied off the end and bounced the rubber ball in her hand.

“Uchiha,” Tsunade greeted, amber eyes moving over the clearing. By now it was obvious to the woman that Naruto had set her up. The blond couldn’t hope to hide his chakra signature and he was nowhere nearby. “The brat wanted us to speak then?”

“Yeah, he probably figured I’d understand.” Satsuki replied honestly and ignored the look Tsunade sent her way. “But he’s wrong of course.” Satsuki glanced at Tsunade, doing her best to keep her raging emotions off her face. Instead, she turned her attention back to the balloon in her hand. “You could never understand what I’ve had to live through. The golden girl, Konohagakure’s very own hime who got to wander as she wished without repercussions. Must be nice.”

“How dare you,” Tsunade growled and Satsuki let out a harsh laugh. “I lost everyone, my clan gave everything for Konoha.” Tsunade’s chakra rose up and burst from her skin, the ground around her feet cracking and the tree beside her groaning dangerously under the sudden pressure. “My fiance, my little brother, my parents, everyone died for the village and you think I can’t understand your suffering?”

“Yeah because the village murdered my family.” Satsuki tilted her head and met Tsunade’s eyes. “I don’t mean that in the abstract like you do. Oh sure you’ve convinced yourself that the village killed your kin and perhaps you’re right but there are scrolls, signed in blood and chakra with the orders to butcher my clan.” Satsuki opened her mouth to speak then paused, meeting Tsunade’s eyes. “And Hiruzen signed them.”

“Bullshit,” Tsunade scoffed and Satsuki let her eyes bleed crimson before flexing them. Petals of black and red blossomed in her eyes and Tsunade stilled, well aware of what the mangekyo was.

“The Uchiha have always stood separate in Konoha. We were and still are feared.” Satsuki stated, taking in every minor fluctuation in Tsunade’s chakra. Every nervous twitch of muscle and expertly hidden micro expression was revealed in painful clarity. “Following the Kyuubi’s attack, a rumor started. The mangekyo sharingan could control the beast, Madara could control the beast. Therefore, the rumor went, the Uchiha had unleashed it upon the village.”

“That’s stupid,” Tsunade’s denial lacked the certainty they both knew she craved. Her face had gone several shades paler then when she’d arrived and her pulse was elevated. “Who would antagonize something they fear?”

“Ask Naruto how he was treated by the villagers and then ask me that again.” Satsuki countered and silently hid her satisfaction at the flinch Tsunade gave. The woman was being willfully ignorant and that was the exact behavior she’d just denied. “The Uchiha clan wouldn’t lash out, so people felt safe insulting us. We were forced from our compound at the heart of the village and relocated into a ghetto along the outer wall. We were removed from ANBU, from the jounin ranks and marginalized on the grounds that an Uchiha had once upon a time controlled the Kyuubi.”

“Of course, people can only take so much before they snap. The village was treating us like traitors and we all know what happens to traitors, don’t we Tsunade? So my family became desperate. At first we approached the Hokage, but Hiruzen would hear none of it. Hell he signed the order forcing us into a ghetto the bastard.” Satsuki spat, the balloon in her hand exploding with all the fury of a thunderclap that echoed over the forest as her sharingan burned. Her nails dug into her palm as she struggled to get control of herself before finally she let out a sigh, her chakra relaxing and her eyes fading back to their usual three tomoe state.

“So what would a clan of warriors facing death do? We’re not samurai, we’re not fools who would throw away our lives without a fight. Leaving isn’t an option because not all of us can just up and abandon our village without being hunted down and gutted. So, what did we plan I wonder?” Satsuki saw realization blossom in Tsunade’s eyes along with horror. The woman was deathly pale now and Satsuki lost any sense of anger towards her. Tsunade was clearly upset, there wasn’t an ounce of satisfaction in her soul at the Uchiha’s downfall.

“We planned a targeted coup. Hiruzen, his council and Danzo were the targets. It would have been a lightning strike. The Uchiha were the police force and if the Hokage and his council had no reason to suspect us, their deaths could have been pulled off before anyone could stop us. Could we have won? Perhaps, perhaps not, we’ll never know. The coup was a last, desperate attempt. It wasn’t the first, second or even tenth choice.” Satsuki could still remember the night that Sakura, Naori, Izumi and Anko had sat her down and had this conversation. The truth had been terrifying, far worse then anything she could have imagined. Itachi hadn’t snapped, he’d been enslaved, while the very village that their clan had helped found had decided genocide was the only reasonable solution to a self inflicted problem.

“Does Naruto know this?” Tsunade asked, earning a shrug from Satsuki. Sakura or Izumi might have told the blond or they might not have. She didn’t know and hadn’t thought to ask. “And you’re still alive?”

“I don’t officially know the truth. My brother was able to resist the genjutsu that forced his actions enough to spare my life, though likely only because Sakura was there to fight him. She was eight, he was thirteen.” Satsuki whispered, dropping the ruined shreds of rubber in her hand and wiping her palm clean on her pants. Her nails hadn’t quite pierced the skin but they’d left painful red indents on her palms that stood out against the otherwise pale surface.

“And you’re trying to convince me to return to Konoha? Naruto thought it was a good idea for us to talk?” Tsunade asked incredulously and Satsuki’s lips pulled into a sly smile. Tsunade’s bitter expression froze as the two watched each other, one in utter disbelief while the other wore a mask of grim determination.

“Our clans joined hands to protect our children, to end the war ravaging our lands and to create a better world for future generations. I am not strong enough to defend that dream, to fix everything wrong with the village but you are. If that dream means anything to you, then come back with us. Help us fix this, help me save our clans’ dream.” Satsuki’s eyes flicked back over to their mangekyo state. The meaning wasn’t lost on Tsunade as the Senju woman looked down at the Uchiha heiress.

“You’re really going to try to kill me if I say no?” Tsunade asked and Satsuki rose to her feet, not breaking eye contact as she did so. The Uchiha considered her words carefully before abandoning them and simply nodded. “You think you could?”

“Yes, though I might not survive.” Satsuki replied and Tsunade’s lips pressed together into a thin line. “Are we going to find out?” Satsuki asked and Tsunade felt utterly floored by the child’s brashness. The young Uchiha had nerves of steel. That alone would have garnered her Tsunade’s respect but somehow, despite everything the young girl had lived through she still held on to hope when even Tsunade couldn’t.

“You really don’t play fair, bringing our clans into this.” Tsunade griped, almost expecting a sly smirk and a quick quip in response. The Uchiha she remembered were fiery and free, all passion and open emotion. Instead she got a cool look and a shrug as Satsuki considered her, waiting for her decision. “Tell me about Sakura.”

“What about her? She’s a civilian born prodigy.” Satsuki didn’t let her mangekyo fade and tilted her head in question.

“She summons tigers, has pink hair, wields a scythe.” Tsunade watched Satsuki nod along and felt curiosity spark within her. Hashirama had, on rare occasion before his death, mentioned how Madara never would have left the village if only Sakura-chan hadn’t gone missing. She had been his anchor, his partner and ever present companion. Tobirama on the other hand only spoke of the Byakko as a threat, a ghost that might still be out there, lurking, waiting for the right moment to strike and burn Konoha to the ground. “She’s an Uchiha.”

“She’s family, not an Uchiha though.” Satsuki did a damn good job of lying but Tsunade was a medic and a seasoned veteran of life outside the village.

“I’d like to meet her.” Tsunade mused and considered the young Uchiha. The two would likely never get along. That kind of passion and tenacious, grim hope would never mix with Tsunade’s cynicism.

“She’s worth meeting.” Satsuki agreed and Tsunade grinned, amused by the girl’s redirection. Had she been too direct, demanded or suggested Tsunade return to Konoha the woman would have had an out. Instead, Satsuki left the impetus on her, denying her the chance to claim manipulation even if doing so against a twelve year old would be petty at best.

“You’re really not making this easy for me.” Tsunade sighed and ran a hand through her blond hair before looking down at Satsuki. “What do you want?”

“I want to protect my remaining family. I want a Hokage actually worthy of the title. I want those responsible for my clan’s genocide brought to justice. Only you can make that happen. Jiraiya would probably have me killed. Kakashi couldn’t handle it. Sakura is too unknown. Nobody would vote for an Uchiha and Danzo would be a disaster.” Satsuki looked up at Tsunade who bit her lip and turned away, unable to meet the preteen’s piercing gaze. Silence fell on the clearing, only the sound of the leaves rustling in the wind filling the air between them. Shame burned in Tsunade’s stomach, fierce and molten, leaving her enraged at herself and the blasted Uchiha brat who had dragged out what little pride and self respect she had left and put a kunai to its throat.

“Fine,” Tsunade wanted to growl. She wanted to snarl and scream, stamp her feet and throw a tantrum but all the energy drained out of her as she surrendered to her own inability to let things go. The same damn tendency to cling to the past that had her fleeing Konoha was dragging her back, courtesy of a twelve year old Uchiha brat. “Fine kid, you win. Go tell your boyfriend you convinced me. I’ll meet you back in town, I need a fucking drink.”

“Bo-boyfriend?!” Satsuki shrieked as Tsunade flickered away, her cheeks crimson and the tips of her ears burning with embarrassment.

***

‘These damn kids,’ Tsunade thought as she walked alongside Jiraiya and Shizune. The two genin were still trying to master the rasengan and were terrifyingly close all things considered. It had taken the Yondaime years to invent, but apparently it would only take a month or two for the pair to figure out. Satsuki definitely had better chakra control, but smaller reserves. She wasn’t quite at the level where she could learn medical ninjutsu, but she was close. Naruto on the other hand simply poured chakra into the problem. His reserves were perpetually bloated by the kyuubi’s presence within him and he abused that fact constantly, relied on it even.

“Naruto’s a good kid,” Jiraiya said softly as they walked and Tsunade fought down a scoff. Satsuki was a veritable saint all things considered, though Jiraiya would never see it. The man was blinded by the same prejudices that had dominated Hiruzen’s thinking.

‘If only it had been Oro who remained loyal.’ Tsunade thought, silently mourning her friend’s fall. ‘I can’t blame him though, not for going rogue. The experiments though…’ Tsunade herself had been asked by Hiruzen and approached by Danzo about human enhancement. Her superhuman strength were the results and she refused to go any further. Intentionally inflicting chakra mutations on people was dangerous and only the sheer stability and predictability of medical chakra made her enhancements reasonably safe. Even then the side effects were unknown, especially in younger shinobi.

‘I wonder how you’ll react to this, when you learn I’ve become the next Hokage.’ Tsunade thought, wondering what Orochimaru was up to at the moment. She’d heard about the attack on Konoha, everyone had, but Orochimaru hadn’t sought her out, yet. That could still change, they were about a day’s travel away from Konoha at shinobi speeds and Jiraiya, as always, insisted on walking at a civilian pace.

‘Would you be disappointed that I’ve turned back on my convictions? Or amused that I took up the job you wanted.’ Tsunade fought down a wry smile. It would do her no favors to reminisce favorably about Orochimaru. Jiraiya might share her longing to see her teammate returned to them but the village would never accept him. His crimes were vast and inflated by years of propaganda while his legacy was erased from history. Hiruzen’s love of censorship ensuring that most genin would have never even heard of the once legendary man before the invasion.

“What’s on your mind Hime?” Jiraiya asked, his tone friendly but there was an edge to his voice. Tsunade could understand her teammate’s wariness. He’d been burned twice, once by her and again by Orochimaru. Despite not being officially listed as a missing nin, Tsunade was in fact a missing nin and had spent years in the chaotic, unstructured environment that was life without loyalty to or the protection of a village.

“Just wondering where it all went wrong.” Tsunade replied as they neared the outskirts of Konoha. The smell of ash carried on the wind and Tsunade looked ahead, spotting inky columns of smoke rising into the sky. ‘Wrong indeed.’

“Well Orochimaru was always odd. After he was passed over for Minato he never really got over it.” Jiraiya answered, eyes stuck on the sky and a frown on his lips. The group came to a halt as they saw the inky pillars staining the blue sky, the smell of burning now utterly unmissable. A rumble passed through the ground and for those with chakra sense, hundreds of lights were clashing throughout Konoha. “We’re under attack.”

“So it would seem. We shouldn’t rush in though.” Tsunade glanced towards the two genin who were having very different reactions. Naruto looked ready to bolt, only held in place by Satsuki’s hand on his shoulder. Whatever was going on, Tsunade would not let them get caught up in it. Konoha was founded to protect children and she had become grudgingly partial to the pair of them.

“You kids know how to suppress your chakra?” Jiraiya turned to look back as Naruto pulled out a tag which he pressed to his chest. The boy’s chakra vanished, though he looked fine and Jiraiya raised an eyebrow in question.

“Sakura-sensei made them. Fuinjutsu is a hobby of hers.” Satsuki stated tersely as she pulled out a tag and activated it. The sanin observed the children, unable to sense their chakra though their scents and movement would still be noticeable.

“A hobby she says?” Jiraiya snorted and shook his head, while Tsunade simply watched quietly. Satsuki could see the gears in the woman’s head turning, every mention of his pink haired friend somehow making the Senju ever more anxious.

“Shut it, no talking from here on out. Either of you brats know the standard sign language?” Tsunade grinned when she got a pair of affirmatives. Both were a little different then what she remembered but she recognized them and she wasn’t going to be giving the two complex directions. Really, all they needed to know was when to stop and when to flee.

‘Move out,’ Tsunade signed, ‘Naruto and Satsuki behind me, Shizune on my left, Jiraiya my right. I’m on point.’ Tsunade ignored Jiraiya who opened his mouth to protest and took to the trees. Wind rushed through her hair as she felt the fighting in the village peak with two pairs of chakra in particular burning bright. Tsunade could vaguely recognize one pair of the signatures, though she couldn’t place them. The other two however were new and Tsunade picked up her speed until the genin were threatening to fall behind.

Below her sandals, the world shook, the trees quaking as the earth trembled. A thunderous boom echoed over the forest and Tsunade felt one of the chakra vanish. Ahead, the trees began to thin and Tsunade could see the shattered gates of the city. The guards were gone, all attention focused on the fight within the walls, the absence of attackers around the perimeter brought up memories of Uzushio’s fall and Tsunade cycled her chakra until she was moving just short of body flicker speeds as she landed in the rubble of the gatehouse.

Buildings ravaged by jutsu lined the main street. Craters pockmarked the dirt roads and shattered glass littered the sidewalks. Bodies lay stretched out before them in all directions, some mutilated by doton or suiton jutsu while others were turned to blackened husks by raiton and katon. A few sported the wide gaping lacerations of futon jutsu, though they were fewer in number. Most were soldiers, with almost no civilians decorating the roads or alleys with their remains, though fires raged through the residential districts, burning uncontrolled while the combat continued.

“What the hell happened?” Naruto choked out, the group taking in the full scale of the devastation and falling utterly silent as another quake rocked the village.

Chakra spiked ahead of them, the sign of an incoming shunshin which quickly resolved into the form of Uchiha Naori. Her usually loose hair was tied up in a tight bun while the navy blue and dark crimson armor of the Uchiha clan covered her from head to toe. Mangekyo spun in her eyes and while her chakra was suppressed, her presence crashed into the group as she straightened up and tilted her head, her twin jian drawn and glowing with compressed chakra.

“Jounin Jiraiya, by order of the Interim Hokage and the council of clans, you are asked to surrender yourself peacefully and cooperate with all investigations pertaining to the traitors Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzo. Resistance will be seen as an admittance of guilt.” Naori’s chakra burned and itched, her mangekyo spinning dangerously while the chakra in her blades folded in on itself, becoming ever denser as she waited for Jiraiya to answer. Behind the Uchiha, another deafening explosion echoed over the city and this time Tsunade recognized Danzo’s chakra as it vanished, snuffed out by whatever cataclysm he was fighting only for it to reappear at full power.

“You really think that’s a wise idea, challenging me right now?” Jiraiya asked, the implication obvious. For a split second, Tsunade stood on a tightrope, on one side Jiraiya and her sensei, on the other, two twelve year olds, one of whom had entrusted her with a truth that could see her and all her loved ones killed. In the end, it was an easy choice to make.

“Jiraiya, as your Hokage, I order you to stand down. Uchiha-san, take me to this Interim Hokage and inform the village the Godaime is here and traitors, no matter how illustrious will be brought to justice.” Tsunade felt the burning in the air cease as Naori pulled back her chakra, though her eyes remained crazed and bloodthirsty, her Isles heritage revealing itself in her emotionally charged state. For a moment, it looked like Naori would attack, then she sheathed her swords and smirked.

“Very well, follow me.” Naori replied, her sharingan remaining active even as her presence receded. In the distance, chakra continued to flare as the thunderous cacophony of battle continued unabated.