Shisui looked at his Uncle and felt the strong urge to shove something down his throat. He knew it was a solid way to improve the Clans current situation, but the risk was to great.
No one inside Uchiha could afford a further worsening of their reputation. Just the scandal with Danzo let things slowly blow over. The man was a murdering bastard, among other things, that if he dared utter them would make his mother put him on a lifetime of house arrest.
Orochimaru was mentally even more unstable in his opinion. The man resembled a poisonous many headed snake, and he developed a dislike for those lately.
He just wished that Hiruzen hadn't stepped down from his position in the same breath in which he ended the war. The soon-to-be Ex-Hokage had been very clear with his responsibility as a leading figure for the Village proudly carrying all consequences, and that included stepping down.
Shisui hit the wooden wall next to him and held his throbbing hand. "Damn it!" He cursed under his breath.
Many Shinobi coming from the front were either angry or relieved it was finally over. Shisui in the contrast felt that the worst was jet to come. The Anbu sub-organization Root. With Danzo in prison they may had the leader but not everyone. The entire thing seemed to resemble a multi-headed Dragon the deeper they digged into it the last few days.
Tsukiko had been a valuable asset, with her information from god knows where, while Gene understood the gist of it but not everything. Her shortcomings lay in simple lack of life experience and becoming painfully obvious despite her intelligence.
I never left the Hospital in my lifetime. This is the first time I ever had the freedom. The sheer possibility to experience life outside a medical facility. The first time in school and the first time I can make friends.
Her words hit home somewhere inside him and apparently also in Tsukiko who afterwards held more and more strategy meeting with Shikaku, Fukagu, him, Kakashi, Minato, Asuma and a few other high-ranking Shinobi, explaining everything in painfully small details leaving out more than just a few parts to keep her safe. She is like a cat, a dangerous cat who doesn't know how dangerous she is. She has to find her place among people first. She doesn't need to find her place while hunting down criminals who rank at the very bottom of Human genetic trash. I want to avoid that as long as possible.
Shisui agreed with Tsukiko, and the others did too. Tsukiko was four, yes, but she was also older than four, in ways only a harsh life could make someone old. Gene was older by age, but she was soft-hearted and had led a sheltered life.
"No." He stated to Fukagu who followed him with a growl underneath.
"Yes, it is a great opportunity for the Uchiha." his Uncle objected with heavy words. "We can recover and unite the Clan back together."
"What if it goes wrong, have you thought about that. We need to inform someone." He empathized. "Tsukiko maybe already found out about it."
"That girl, she is just a four-year-old brat, no matter her intelligence. We can use this opportunity for the family, for the Clan."
"Or destroy it for good!" Shisui shouted and turned around. "I love my Clan too much to risk it and underestimating that brat is simply stupid!"
Maybe he was just overcautious and nothing happened, but the Root was an organization with a number of highly experienced and very dangerous Shinobi that were loyal to its cause. He could even understand them.
A life of emotionlessness was comfortable. It offered a detachment, a chance to life without guilt, and the capability to sleep peacefully at night. No more ghosts hunting them in their sleep, God's he wished for it sometimes and admitted running away from reality that way was a sweet temptation but he couldn't as long as there was something he wanted to protect.
But many Shinobi didn't have a Clan, a Family standing behind them, taking care of them, they thought that what they did was the best for Konoha and had nothing else left to lose.
"Damn it!" He screamed louder this time in pure frustration.
If Danzo is supported and supports Orochimaru, who thinks of this as an interesting scientific experiment and wants that position. The support may make Orochimaru Hokage and then the Trials would be put to a stop and gods I don't even want to imagine it, Danzo could walk free with a good reputation. The Uchiha cannot lat that happen, for the sake of our fallen comrades., for Konoha and for those kids.
We need to inform the higher ups, we cannot solve this alone, if it failed and Danzo walks free our already crumbling reputation would take its death blow.
Shisui gnashed his teeth. They had no clue what it looked like, how much it hurt looking in those soulless eyes and the childish faces filled with bleakness. Gene tried to, Tsukiko didn't wish to see it, and may others turned a blind eye to it by ignoring the depth of it and doing the worst of all, stop caring, wanting to use them for their own goals. He didn't even want to imagine how many capable and talented children had lost their lives for greed.
They saw the abilities and skill among those children, and half of them just stopped using their brain. They haven't even gotten as far as understanding that those kids don't answer with their names, or keep quiet, because they don't have names and know nothing but silence.
"Shisui-san, may I ask a question?" Next to him, he saw the blank face of a small, pale boy who resembled a puppet. Marionettes. That was how Tsukiko called them, and it disturbed him just how accurate the description was.
"Yes ask away." He said and wanted to pat the boy's head like he did with Itachi and Gene. The boy flinched away and he stopped himself. He losed his hands behind his back and went down to his knees. "I won't hurt you."
"What does it mean to be hurt?", The boy tilted his head and the simple sincerity of that question made Shisui want to despair.
