91 Chapter 91:
Three days had now passed since Kimimaro's battle with Kujira. All of the genin had returned to their temporary quarters as they awaited the orders for the third and final part of the exam.
Koyuki had also joined Haku and the others back in the apartment after Fuyōna had performed his sealing jutsu to help with her blood lust/ split personality disorder. Koyuki didn't really remember what had happened in her fight with Miyako, but the others had filled her in, of course leaving out some details as they explained to her it had resulted in a draw.
She had to admit she was more than disappointed that she was the only one of their squad to lose, but no good would come from letting it get her down.
All she could do now was cheer Kimimaro and Haku on in the finals, and she did not doubt that they would both win, no matter who they might fight.
The three of them spent their time in the hidden leaf wisely, most of the time holding out in the apartment, with the rest of the time by wandering around the village and trying to train.
However, there were still places in and around the village that they were not allowed to go, and Kimimaro had clocked on to the Anbu's gaze falling upon them more than once when they went out.
Kakashi and Itachi had been tasked with keeping an eye on the chunin exam visitors, making sure to keep tabs on their everyday activities and route through the village.
But that wasn't the only thing Itachi was keeping tabs on. Once he finished his daily duties in the Anbu, Itachi would make daily reports to both the third Hokage and Danzo about the Uchiha clan, who he had been keeping tabs on due to their recent behaviours towards the village.
Itachi had finished his work and found himself walking down a quiet back street as the sun was setting over the river in the distance, giving the village a benign look.
It was a surprisingly peaceful moment for the Uchiha, one that he had not found himself in for a long time.
At the same time walking down the other side of the path was none other than Haku and Kimimaro, who had been out to pick up some dumplings for Koyuki after training.
The two genin were chatting and laughing wholeheartedly as they turned the corner, coming face to face with Itachi, who had been so zoned out due to his current circumstances that he had failed to notice the two of them coming towards him.
At the last second, the three of them came face to face, only just swerving each other as they all realised what had happened.
"Look out!" Haku shouted as the bag Kimimaro was carrying ripped, causing time to slow down as the three of them watched the dumplings fall towards the ground.
Both Itachi and Kimimaro saw it happen and both reached for one of the dumplings at the same time, catching them with their swift movement.
"That was a close one, Koyuki would have killed us if we had dropped them," Haku said as he rubbed the back of his head in relief.
Itachi handed the dumpling back to Kimimaro as he flashed a kind smile at him, not being able to not notice his ability as he looked at him closely, knowing who they both were.
"Sorry about that," Itachi said.
Kimimaro also noticed Itachi's power, even though he did his best to hide it.
"It's alright, thanks," Kimimaro said as he also smiled.
Haku could also see that Itachi was an elite shinobi, one they should be wary of as he noticed the Uchiha crest on the back of his shirt.
"Are you both taking part in the chunin exams?" Itachi suddenly asked, breaking the silence that had formed between the three.
"Yeah, we made it to the finals," Haku replied as he gave a genuine smile.
Itachi was surprised at how friendly both of the boys were towards him, especially since they were from different villages.
"Well, I wish you both the best of luck." Itachi then said after a moment as he gave them a nod.
However, before he turned around to walk away, Kimimaro spoke, surprising him.
"Whatever is weighing you down, you should find someone to share your pain with." He said, somehow being able to see the dark cloud that was weighing over Itachi's consciousness.
Itachi was so surprised that he was almost lost for words as he looked at Kimimaro.
"Anyway, nice to meet you," Kimimaro said as he smiled at Itachi.
"Come on Haku, let's go." He then said, getting a nod from Haku as he also bid Itachi goodbye.
With that, the two of them walked off into the sunset as they headed back to their apartment with the dumplings. Leaving Itachi alone and surprised at the encounter he had shared with them.
"These mist shinobi..." He said softly as he watched them walk off, doing his best to find his willpower once more before he turned back to follow his path.
Sometime later...
"Lord Hokage," Itachi said as he bowed his head.
Hiruzen was stood atop the Hokage mansion as he overlooked the village, smoking his pipe as usual.
"Ah yes, Itachi. How goes your mission." He said as he kept his back to Itachi.
"The situation remains the same. The clan is still stuck in their ways and so far I see no way that they might change." Itachi reported.
Hiruzen sighed as he breathed out a large smoke cloud from his pipe.
"I had hoped that Fugaku might be able to quell the rest of the clan..." He said before he turned to Itachi.
"I understand that this puts you in a difficult position Itachi, playing as a double agent against your own clan is no simple feat." The Hokage said as he watched the young prodigy carefully.
Itachi took a moment before he responded. For some reason, the words of Kimimaro stemmed to his mind as his words played over and over.
"It does weigh down on my heart. But the villages needs must come before the clans." He then said after a moment.
Hiruzen could sense something was troubling the boy, but for now, he thought it best to leave it be.
"Very well, continue to keep an eye and report if anything changes." He said as he dismissed him.
Itachi nodded and quickly vanished from the Hokage's presence, leaving him alone with his thoughts.
"To place such a heavy burden on once so young." He said softly, not being able to help think how amazing Itachi was as a shinobi.
"You can come out Danzo." He said after taking another large puff on his pipe, knowing that his old rival was watching from the shadows.
"You know what has to be done Hiruzen," Danzo said as he appeared from the shadow of the second Hokages stone face.
The Hokage sighed as he looked at the stone faces, thinking hard on what his predecessors would have done in this situation.
"I told you Danzo, that is a last resort." He said as he turned to face him.
Danzo remained quiet as he looked up at the second Hokages face.
"You know what he would have done. He trusted the seat of Hokage to you, trusting the whole village to you over me. However, the light cannot shine without the shadow. And I will do what is necessary of this shadow to protect this village. Even if you will not."
Hiruzen gave Danzo a hard look, even taking his pipe out of his mouth.
"I am the Hokage, and this is my Village." He said as he let his chakra ignite, letting Danzo know his place.
Danzo backed down as he fell silent.
"Just remember my words." he then said as he turned around and walked off using his cane. Leaving the Hokage alone in the shadow of the stone faces.
However, he was not alone, or not as alone as he thought he would be. If not for a tiny spec of ice that sat undetected on the top of the Hokage mansion, reflecting everything that had been said back to it's caster, who sat way, way above in the sky as he led on an ice mirror, floating among the clouds in the darkness of the new moon.
"So... It's like that is it." Fuyōna thought as he had heard the whole conversation.
"So the timeline is on track as I thought." He then said as he opened his eyes, looking into the dark sky that was lit by nothing but the stars.
"The only question remains... What should I do?"
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Alright that's the end of this chapter! A bit different this one as it is showing more insite about another village, still I hope you enjoyed it!
As always thank you for the support and have a great day!
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