章 22: Chapter 22: Power struggle

Shinobi usually make lousy politicians. They are too direct, too used to follow orders and listen to others. But real politics is about knowing how to navigate the in-between, learning how to bend the rules to the benefit of your cause. Politics is not about good or evil, it's about what's best for one's country. This is something many newly appointed Kages have trouble with. But every bad habit can be broken, and people like me must break them.

-Notes of a Daimyo's political advisor-

-Power struggle-

-Itachi-

Itachi left the hospital with his thoughts and feelings in a jumble. As he walked the white, sterile halls, he wondered what went through Yahizui's heart and mind at the moment. Physically there had only been signs of beatings, and the ANBU report he saw mentioned nothing of sexual abuse. But it didn't mean that she was mentally fine. They had spared her of the usual interrogation so far, mostly because of Kaito's intervention, but eventually, it would come, and Itachi was torn about it. Having Yahizui relive the memories of her time in captivity was horrible, yet necessary. They had to find out what exactly happened and what Orochimaru wanted from her, but the thought of putting her through more pain made his teeth grit together uncomfortably.

"How is she?"

Shisui leaned against a tree right outside the hospital entrance. Itachi had been so lost in thought, that he didn't realize it when he reached the outside of the building. With one last glance at the hospital, he turned toward his cousin.

"Recovering, scared." There were few words he could use to describe her state right now. Something I never want to have her experience again — would be a good approximation.

Shisui fell in step with Itachi, waiting patiently for him to put his thoughts in order.

"The more I want to keep the people I care for safe, the more things happen to them," Itachi said as images of Izumi's dead face and Yahizui's terror-filled eyes flashed before him.

For a moment Shisui kept his silence, and Itachi could imagine his narrow eyes studying him. He didn't look to check.

"You can't keep everyone safe forever," Shisui said after a pause. "Trust in their own abilities to take care of themselves. And Yahizui is a tough girl, she's gonna make it."

Yes, Yahizui was strong, he couldn't contest that. But would that be enough? And even if Yahizui was strong, this wasn't just about her. There was one person in this world that he wanted to protect and keep safe more than anyone else: Sasuke. He was just a kid, looking at the world with pure, trusting eyes and a naivety Itachi wished would never disappear. How could he trust his foolish little brother to face the horrors of their world on his own?

Sensing his turmoil, Shisui glanced down at him. "This isn't just about Hizui, is it?"

Shisui's insight was downright scary, but Itachi welcomed that. "Aa," he said cryptically.

There wasn't much else to say.

The current conflict within the clan, simmering just beneath the surface, was something that bothered them both. Where would it lead, and what would the clan look like after it was over? A rebellion was the last thing Itachi wanted his little brother to face. Itachi looked at Shisui, and the older boy immediately understood his unspoken demand.

Soon they reached their usual training spot and searched the region in tandem, placing traps and genjutsu that would alert them of any foreign presence. Finally, they were alone. Itachi looked at Shisui, the question he had wanted to ask for so long burning his tongue.

"Tell me, what did you find out?"

Shisui sighed and leaned on a nearby tree, crossing his arms. "Nothing good."

When they spoke the previous week, Shisui had promised to spy on Shiori-san's next rendezvous with the civilian couple. They needed to find out what Shuko was planning to do with all the civilians, and judging by Shisui's expression, they got what they'd been looking for.

"At first they talked about trivial things," Shisui continued in a grave voice. "But slowly Shiori-san started veering toward politics and clan decisions. She asked them if they were happy with the current decisions."

"What did they say?"

Shisui shrugged, though his eyes were anything but relaxed. "What could they say? The same as every other civilian out there would say: that it's nothing they can change, so it makes no sense to think about it. Shiori-san disagreed; she asked them again, what would they say if they were to change something?"

"And?"

"After a long discussion about their needs and other laws they would prefer to change, she came up with her proposition. If they convinced their shinobi relatives to put Shuuko as head of the clan, then he would elevate their status. They would no longer be passive observers and treated like nothing. They will have the power of decision, clan laws aimed at their benefit and recognition in Konoha."

Itachi's eyes narrowed, the muscles in his jaw twitching. This was something they didn't expect. Shinobi overlooked civilians, took them for granted, and considered them inconsequential in the political scheme of things. It wasn't an ideal way of ruling, but the laws that had been set for over a hundred years, when the number of civilians in the clan was insignificant, stuck. They were part of a military village — or in their case a military clan—which meant they would gain protection and enough jobs to sustain the system but would have no say in the laws of things. Civilian rights and laws were simple and set in stone. The shinobi population considered it improper and useless to have them take part in shinobi matters since they did not understand them. This had been the norm for hundreds of years, yet now Shuko wanted to topple tradition. Including civilians in the political problems of the clan was revolutionary and admirable… if it were to come from any other man. Still, he was sure that Shuko's intentions were anything but noble. To give the civilians a voting right, would quickly bring them on his side, and then…

"This would also mean that they will continue to support Shuko after the vote…" said Shisui, voicing the fears Itachi had.

The thought of it was disastrous. If Shuko was left to his own devices… Itachi shuddered at the thought. "I need to take this to Father. If Shuko takes control of the clan…"

Shisui nodded and with a burst of chakra, they disappeared, shunshining through the trees until they reached the Uchiha compound. They walked in silence, giving absentminded salutes to the people they passed by. Too soon did his large family house come into view, the gate leading to it proudly displaying the Uchiha fan.

"I'll wait here," said Shisui, leaning against the fence and looking like he had no care in the world. He was good at that.

Itachi nodded, leaving his cousin by the gate as he took the last steps toward his house, the words arranging themselves in his mind. He had to convince his father, had to make him realize what Shuko was doing.

He spared a single look to the form of his mother as he passed by the kitchen door. Her shoulders seemed tense, the motions with which she dried the dishes almost obsessively. Something had made her so stiff, but what?

His steps quickly carried him to the back of the house's ground floor, right next to his parents' bedchamber, where his father's study was located. The door was half open, showing the reason for Mikoto's anxious attitude.

By Fugaku's side, bowing over piles of papers, Shuko spoke in quiet tones. As Fugaku's eyes rose toward him, Shuko straightened, his narrow gaze measuring him from head to toe.

"Itachi, it's so good to see you." Shuko's voice was as smooth as always, a smile that didn't reach his eyes playing on his lips. "We were just talking about you."

Shuko's inquisitive gaze and smooth words made Itachi's mask clamp tight over his features. Like an impenetrable wall hiding his thoughts and emotions, his face was now a blank canvas.

"Shuko-san…"

"I'm glad you're here," said Fugaku as he stood from his seat and motioned for the chair before them. "Take a seat. I've wanted to speak with you for some time about it, and lately, councilor Shuko has brought it back to my attention."

Itachi's eyes traveled from one man to another, quickly cataloging their poses and expressions. Shuko was as always a closed book, the mask on his face becoming a second skin. His father on the other hand had never mastered the art of hiding his emotions, and Itachi could clearly spot the tension around his eyes.

"I'd rather stand, thank you."

Itachi saw a spark of annoyance in his father's eyes, but Fugaku said nothing about it.

"Very well," said Fugaku. In a few measured steps, he walked around the table and stopped a few paces before Shuko. "It's been years since we've had a Uchiha in ANBU, and we have suffered this cut from the village pipeline on all levels. We were once in the center of everything that went on in Konoha, and now we are a mere afterthought."

Itachi kept his features blank. His father's words were worrisome, clashing with his own ideas of the village and their clan. But with Shuko's hawk-like gaze trained on him, Itachi knew it was best to hold his tongue… for now.

"Itachi, your admittance into ANBU is a success for the clan. We are on the path to regaining our status in the hierarchy, and you will be the one that facilitates it."

Behind his father's imposing form, Shuko's lips twitched.

A muscle fluttered in his jaw. "So you want me to spy on Konoha for the Uchiha?"

With fluid movements, Shuko stepped around Fugaku, bringing Itachi's attention to himself. "Itachi-kun, you speak as if you're not part of this clan." The sorrow in his voice was palpable in the tilt of his mouth, in his upturned brows. "We need to stick together in such troublesome times."

It took Itachi a considerable amount of willpower to keep his mask intact. Shuko was good at spinning words and fabricating truths out of lies. As a counter, he had to be good at hiding his thoughts.

"Shuko-san," Itachi began in a neutral tone, something he usually used when reporting for missions. "We are at peace, the village prospers, and children are no longer sent on the field without means to truly protect themselves. This is the most peaceful time we've had in almost fifty years. I do not see the troublesome part."

His father seethed behind Shuko. "Itachi! You are not here to contest my decisions, you are here to follow!"

The sympathy in Shuko's eyes was so earnest, his voice begging everyone in the room to listen, to bend to his will. "Leave him be, Fugaku-dono. Itachi is a smart boy, I'm sure that if we explain our reasoning to him, he will understand. Right, Itachi-kun?"

Itachi said nothing.

"Things for Konoha might look good," continued Shuko, "but we of the Uchiha are not so fortunate. Ever since the demon fox attacked, we have been marginalized and shunned. Our shinobi are no longer taken into the regular forces but instead forced to join the police force and put as guards to civilians. No ninja on active duty means no increased income." Shuko's tone gained more power with each sentence, making Itachi's eyes widen at the sheer power behind his voice, behind his words.

"We, my boy, used to be the center of Konoha, one of the founding clans, the pillar of this village. Now we are overruled in importance even by clans such as the Aburame and Inuzuka! It's shameful. But you have the chance to help your family, to help the Uchiha rise once more." Shuko paused, now watching him with fire in his eyes, his whole being radiating with the power of his words. "Will you do it, Itachi, for the family?"

Time was ticking, and the sharp, powerful looks of the two men standing side by side pressed upon Itachi. Shuko had done his number, presented his piece wonderfully and now his refusal would ensure a fallout with the clan. He could no longer pull his father to his side, on the right path, nor protect the village and would have to watch from the sidelines as Shuko manipulated his way to the very top. That could not happen. He had to stay close to his father, he had to…

With a slow movement of his head, Itachi nodded.

"Wonderful! Fugaku, I will leave you be; and Itachi, you're doing the right thing."

Shuko's words were like slime crawling over Itachi's skin, the sensation staying with him until his uncle's presence left the house. In his absence, a heavy silence settled over them.

Itachi's eyes traveled over his father's hunched shoulders and tired eyes. Shuko's influence, the poisonous words he spoke in velvet tones, tormented Fugaku as much as they did him.

After what felt like hours Itachi finally dropped his mask, the frustration bubbling inside his body bleeding in his words. "You should not trust him."

Fugaku sank into his well-worn chair. "I don't. But Shuko is a councilman, and I must take his opinion into account. Politics is not as straightforward as you imagine."

This is not about politics!—he wanted to shout but knew that anger and emotion would only stoke the fire of his father's temper.

"Shuko is playing you, playing everyone. He's gathering influence among the clan civilians with shinobi relatives so he can become the new clan head. Once he's the head, he will give voting rights to civilians and have the voting majority in the clan."

The silence was painful, filled with tension and disbelief. "How did you come to know all of this?"

There was something in his father's voice that made Itachi hopeful. So far, Shuko hadn't been caught with anything up his sleeve. He was careful, and cunning in his plans. His father surely suspected that the way he entered the council was not exactly legal, but there was no proof. Now he had it. Now was the time to unmask Shuko for what he really was.

"I know because I followed Shiori-san during her mission of convincing civilians to bring their shinobi relatives to Shuko's side." He left Shisui out of this. He should remain clean of any involvement; they had agreed that the clan had to trust him.

Fugaku's eyes narrowed. "So you trailed a childless widow with no standing in the clan?"

He sensed the sarcasm in his father's voice as the argument that he and Shisui worked so hard to build crumbled before him. No, this was not the end. "A childless widow that receives a monthly payment from councilor Shuko. Father, you must realize that—"

"Itachi," Fugaku sighed, looking infinitely more tired than before. "You're grasping at straws here. There is no evidence saying that Shuko isn't just supporting her. His daughter used to be good friends with Izumi-chan and was often seen with the older girl. As for this civilian thing…" He dismissively waved his hand. "I think you're reading too much into it. Civilians never had voting rights, and they never will. We're a military clan. What does a baker or a farmer have to say?"

He could not believe his ears! The danger was right before him, and still… the father he was relying on to see the truth of the matter was brushing everything away like it was an annoying fly. "Father, I wouldn't—"

"Itachi, you do your job and leave the politics to me." Fugaku's words were final, dismissive in their harsh tone.

Itachi was livid. He left the room without bowing, storming through the house until he reached the front gate.

"Well?"

For a moment Itachi didn't even notice Shisui's presence as he jumped from a nearby tree.

It wasn't supposed to go this way!

"Itachi?"

His shoulders sagged, breath rushing out in one great puff. "It's no use, he wouldn't listen."

"Shit."