The Story of Hagami II [Naruto Fanfic | Uchiha] [Completed]

12 | Limits

Orochimaru never fully completed his main goal. Due to the heightened security around Konohagakure, courtesy of Hagami, a much smaller assault was lead during the final rounds of the Chūnin Exams with the aid of Otogakure and Sunagakure—though Suna's greatest weapon lost control after being pushed to a certain limit of pressure.

Orochimaru wasn't able to destroy the Konohagakure completely but he did manage to kill Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage, in the midst of the chaos but not before he lost the ability to use his arms. However, even before this, Orochimaru completed an even smaller goal of his. Though Hagami had stayed the entire Exam through the Forest of Death, she spent her time conserving energy and fighting off the toxin Orochimaru had left in her.

Whilst she was out of it and not as alert as she could have been, Orochimaru took this time to his advantage and left a parting gift with Sasuke. Unbeknownst to Hagami as the time, Sasuke now possessed the Cursed Seal of Heaven. It was also one of Orochimaru's strongest Curse Marks that only one other person had survived. Anko, their proctor in the second Exam, also held the power of the Curse Mark but never used it.

As the Village was salvaged of useable materials, the main pathways were cleared for transportation of immediate supplies. Many of the villagers pitched in to restore their homes and their neighbors homes. But the ninja from the Village gathered around the grave of the Third Hokage. It was indeed a huge loss that shouldn't have happened. If Hagami had stayed a little longer, she could've helped out in some way. And the loss of Hiruzen also meant that the Village was left without a Hokage, a leader. The threat of neighboring Lands and Villages struck a certain fear into the ninjas thoughts knowing that they were almost completely defenseless at the moment.

However, there were some authority figures that could hold up the Office. The Konohagakure Police Force for one could uphold the Hokage's position to a certain point. Fugaku took his place as one of the figures alongside Koharu and Homura. The Village also happened to be put on high surveillance due to the collateral damage done to the borders of Konohagakure. Almost all of the Uchiha in the Clan grounds were gone because they made up the bulk of the guards.

Itachi and Shisui weren't part of this though. They were moved to the Root HQ despite Shisui being part of the Black Ops. He wouldn't take missions from Danzō but he'd still be stationed there until the Fifth Hokage could be found and moved into Office. Itachi on the other hand would be taking missions in order to support the Village's economy. So as a result, Shisui sparred and trained throughout the day in intervals to keep his skills sharp.

But today was one of those rare days where Itachi wasn't assigned a mission. It was a day off though he claimed he didn't need it. Shisui thought otherwise though and managed to catch him before he walked into the training room.

"Itachi, I need to talk to you. It's about Sasuke." Shisui muttered as he walked past. Itachi looked up just to see Shisui's back walking toward the exit. He sighed quietly, Shisui wasn't exactly resting like he should and he definitely wasn't focused like he normally was either. Itachi guessed that it was because of Hagami stopping by the Village even though it was brief.

The two walked outside and walked to the training grounds they normally met up at. Itachi leaned on the post that Hagami normally sat on. And Shisui crossed his arms and let out a long sigh. When he opened his eyes, he saw Itachi's questioning gaze.

"You've heard of the Curse Mark on Sasuke's neck, haven't you?" Shisui asked. Itachi's eyes widened a little and he gazed off to his side. He knew about but his information was minimal.

"Yeah," Itachi answered. "Kakashi's already sealed it using the Fūja Hōin (Curse Sealing)." He added to assure his best friend.

"He has?" Shisui seemed surprised to hear this and Itachi nodded. "Well, that puts some comfort in us, as well as the Clan. They seem to be on edge because of this power and it also appears that Fugaku and Mikoto are looking for a way to draw this power out before he can even use it. So far they haven't been successful."

A small silence passed over them until a question of concern hit Itachi.

"What about the next Hokage?"

"The next Hokage?" Shisui repeated. "They're going to look for one of the Legendary Sannin, if I heard right. Jiraiya revoked the idea of becoming Hokage but suggested her instead. Supposedly, he and a team will go searching for her because there have been reports that she's been spotted around here."

"You don't mean...?"

"Yep, they're going to go searching for her." Shisui said glancing into the blue sky. "But right now, I don't think that's one of our main concerns. Have you checked on Sasuke since his fight with the Ichibi?"

"I have."

"Did you go when he was conscious?" Shisui asked knowing that there was a high possibility that he went when Sasuke wasn't awake.

"N-No." Itachi answered quietly. He sounded almost ashamed.

"What's wrong Itachi? I haven't seen you like this for a while." Shisui asked consolingly. He put a hand on his shoulder and shook Itachi back to reality.

"I'm...not fit for that." He responded simply. "I don't feel like it's my place to go there. I'm-"

"Afraid?" Shisui asked giving Itachi's shoulder a gentle squeeze. Itachi looked up at Shisui and gave him a questioning look. He wasn't going to admit it straightforward but he was. Sasuke was his younger brother after all and to think that he faced off against Hagami's Tsukuyomi as well as Orochimaru. "Tell you what Itachi, today's our day off, you know? How about we get a bite to eat and then we can go visit Sasuke? I'll be there for you."

It too a while for Itachi to agree to this but eventually he did. Shisui lead the way toward the nearest dango shop, the only thing Itachi really ate when he went out. If it wasn't Mikoto's cooking, he didn't eat out often unless it was a Clan meeting with another Clan or family. Shisui knew this well because the dango shop is the only place Itachi lead him to.

The two pushed the drape out of the way and took a seat at one of the wooden tables. A waitress came around shortly after too.

"What can I get you?" She chirped.

"Four orders of tri-colored dango. Two for here, and two to go." Shisui ordered and Itachi shot him a half-hearted glare. "Also, a green tea if it's not too much work." He added on for himself.

"Alright," the waitress wrote down a few more things, "thank you." She excused herself cordially and Itachi still held his half-hearted glare.

"Shisui...you..." he mumbled something under his breath. Normally it'd be his treat for dango, not Shisui's because he's the only one who like the sweets. To have Shisui order and most likely pay was a bit out of the ordinary.

"What?" Shisui asked with a smile creeping up on his cheeks. "I'm the oldest, you know? It's only right if I pay."

---

Sorry updates suddenly just stopped. Hurricane Irma allowed me to update often sooo...yeah. Hurricane Irma has passed and updates are going to slow down, obviously.

But I hope you enjoy this chapter! Oh and some more news: NEW FANFICS THAT HAVE LIKE TWO CHAPTERS, WILL ALSO HAVE VAGUE SUMMARIES, AND SLOW UPDATES!
  1) Siblings [Naruto Fanfic | Uzumaki]
  2) The Chiyu Clan [Naruto Fanfic | Earlier Era]