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"I come to speak for your dead mouths // Speak through my speech, and through my blood." - Pablo Neruda.

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I.

The day after the Uchiha massacre, the Village's chuunin were dispatched to clear the bodies, zipping them up in body bags and hefting them into wooden wagons normally used for transporting vegetables into the town square. It was a warm day, a humid day, and as such the chuunin working had to tie handkerchiefs around their faces to keep the stench from reaching their nostrils.

For some reason, the Sandaime was reminded of the night of the Kyuubi attack. The Fourth had died and the village was devastated, but somehow, the Leaf and its denizens had banded together, moving forward and clearing all evidence of that night's attack. But now, the nin moved grimly, and the Sandaime was wise enough to know it was because the Uchiha had been slaughtered by one of their own. If only they knew, the Sandaime thought. He sighed, then pulled the visor over his eyes.

xXx

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The Sandaime watched as Sasuke was being questioned by ANBU investigators, eyes dim and his hands stuffed in his pockets. The Sandaime hated the pretense; though the ANBU working with Sasuke had no knowledge of the attacks - only the higher ANBU officials and the council of elders - it still seemed unnecessarily cruel.

"Do you remember what he said?" the investigator asked.

"He said he wanted to see if he could do it," Sasuke said.

"And?"

"And he did," Sasuke said. The investigators glanced at each other, uneasily.

"How was he before?" the investigator asked. "Was he acting strange? Anything peculiar?"

"He got in a fight." Sasuke kept his eyes lowered. "A bunch of guys from my dad's squad said he killed my cousin. Then he beat them up."

"And before that?"

Sasuke's eyes dimmed. "We were sitting on the porch. He was talking to me."

"What about?"

"On what it's like to be brothers. He said he'd be there for me." Sasuke's eyes filled with tears.

"Enough," the Sandaime said. The ANBU investigators looked up, then stepped away from Sasuke, who was hugging himself, tight. The Sandaime managed a weak smile.

"You must be tired," the Sandaime said. "I think we have enough information for now."

Sasuke nodded, and the Sandaime was struck at how much like his older brother he looked. They had the same wide eyes and the same trusting face, though Sasuke looked more tired and sad.

The Sandaime watched as Sasuke walked back, hands in his pockets and feet scuffling against the ground, and wondered to himself if this was the price for peace.

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II.

Tenzo set the folders down, then rubbed the back of his neck.

At the Uchiha compound, the investigators had meticulously photographed every inch of blood-stained evidence, filing them neatly for their documents. "This is an exercise in prevention," Tenzo had told his men, and he set the photos down on the table. "Uchiha Itachi was one of our own. We can't let this happen again."

Outside, it was getting dark, and Tenzo switched on a light. He flipped through the photos when there was a knock at the door.

"Yes?"

The door opened. "Taichou." The medic nin met him with a stiff bow. "We have the results of the first few autopsies."

Tenzo stood, then followed the medic into the morgue.

xXx

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The hum of the cold fluorescent lights above him didn't do much for Tenzo's headache, but he gamely watched as the medic nin uncovered one of the bodies. "Look," the medic nin says. "See these lacerations? They cut through the bone. But look at this," and the medic nin pulled open the dead man's eyelid, shining a light into the eye. "See? The iris is gone."

"What?" Tenzo squinted. The eye had been cut, mutilated, the remnants of what was the sharingan looking back at him.

"What is this?" Tenzo asked. "Did Itachi do this?"

"We don't know," the medic said. "But what we do know is that it's the same pattern as Uchiha Shisui a few weeks prior; someone had robbed his eyes, too."

xXx

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Among the ANBU ranks, many shinobi were afraid.

"He just snapped." They whispered furtively to themselves, stunned that Itachi - quiet, unassuming, diligent Itachi - would do something as horrible as this. "He didn't even like to kill," they said. Tenzo pushed past the crowd, going over the autopsy results in his mind.

Someone had been stealing Sharingan. It wouldn't make sense for Itachi to do it, he already had the bloodline limit. Unless he was doing it for trade...?

Tenzo shuddered at the idea of Itachi selling Sharingan eyes to the black market, but it has happened before. But no, Itachi's killing had been too methodical for that. The massacre seemed to speak toward a higher purpose, like the culling of a flock of animals, separating the strong and killing the weak. Selling his kinsmen's eyes seemed beneath him.

Tenzo frowned. More than likely, opportunists within the village had knifed the eyes themselves; Tenzo gritted his teeth, wanting to punch the face in of the chuunin scum who thought he could get away with it.

If someone was selling Sharingan to the black market, the village elders had to be told. Tenzo headed toward Danzou's office, determined to tell him what he's found.

xXx

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"But Danzou-sama!" Tenzo said.

"This does not concern you, Captain," Danzou said. "Your job was to find and capture Uchiha Itachi; the motivations for his crime are not of your concern."

"But he may be selling eyes," Tenzo said. "Or if not him, someone within the chuunin clean-up squad. Surely this is of some importance."

"It is of no importance," Danzou said. "Whoever is foolish enough to use the Sharingan will only be blinded, or worse, killed. Do not trouble yourself," Danzou said. "I will launch my own investigation into the disappearance of the eyes. More than likely they were pecked out by buzzards, but to humor you I will allow the investigation to proceed."

"Yes, Danzou-sama."

"Good," Danzou said. "Now return to your post. I have much work to do."

.

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III.

Danzou watched as the bodies were transported to Root's underground headquarters. Stepping forward, he motioned for his men to kneel and bare their eyes. "Only one sharingan each," Danzou said. "After it is transplanted, you must keep that eye covered when it is not in use; failure to do so will deplete your chakra and result in your deaths."

The Root members bowed their heads, ready to receive their gifts. Danzou made no mention of this to the Hokage; he was fairly certain this sort of thing would be banned, however there were no rules about robbing graves and so Danzou was technically in the clear.

Besides, not using the Sharingan would be a tragic waste. Like skinning the leather from an animal's carcass, each piece of the kill must be used.

"Work quickly, everyone," Danzou said. "The bodies will be picked up for cremation at sunset. We must be sure they are returned by then."

The members of Root glanced up at Danzou, and he felt an unfamiliar twinge of discomfort as they looked uncertainly at the Uchiha bodies. Then he set his jaw, shaking the feeling from his mind. These are the spoils of war, Danzou thought. Beneath the bandages, he felt the power behind Shisui's eye.

xXx

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The Sharingan Experiment, as it turned out, was a dismal failure.

His men were being blinded by the minute. Whether by Root's harsh training or their lack of chakra control, Danzou wasn't sure. He felt his own sharingan spin beneath the bandage around his eye, and he silently was grateful for having the foresight to implant only one eye each.

Rectifying the mistake was easy enough. Explaining it to the Hokage, however, was an entirely different matter.

"You mean to tell me six of your men were blinded?"

Danzou frowned as the Third stared at him, angrily. "And it was through a training exercise, no less," the Third said.

"Yes," Danzou said. The Third gritted his teeth.

"You must mistake me for a fool if you think I don't know what's going on," the Third said. "Harvesting Sharingan from the dead. Even this seems beneath you."

"Hokage-sama. You know I only acted with Konoha's interests at heart," Danzou said.

"And how am I to know this wasn't a plan to destroy the Uchiha and take the Sharingan for yourself?" the Sandaime said. "That bandage over your eye, what will I find under there?"

Danzou said nothing. The Hokage seethed.

"Danzou. Leave my chambers immediately. Your sight disgusts me."

Danzou bowed. "As you wish, Hokage-sama."

"Leave!" the Third said.

Danzou bowed again, then turned and shut the door.

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IV.

"We have received word about the Akatsuki from an anonymous source," the messenger said. The Third raised his eyes as the messenger presented the scroll.

"Where did you get this?" the Third asked.

"Via hawk," the messenger said. The Third frowned and took the scroll from the messenger's hands.

The writing was neat and nondescript, but the symbol at the bottom made the Third raise his eyes.

It was the ANBU flame. Itachi. The Third clenched his jaw.

xXx

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They met at the forest border at the edge of the Fire Country, the Sandaime having left under the pretense of traveling to meet a few distant relatives. As per custom, the Sandaime traveled with a small coterie of men as his bodyguards, who were easy enough to distract when the time warrented. "Let us stop for now," the Sandaime said. "Eat, rest, and wait here. I will explore just a little further down the road."

There was an old bridge spanning the river in front of him; a man was standing there, waiting, patiently.

The Sandaime stepped closer. He pulled back his hood and motioned to the figure across from him. The figure stepped forward and pulled back his hood.

"Uchiha Itachi," the Sandaime said.

"Hokage-sama," Itachi said. The Sandaime frowned.

Itachi's face was gaunt. Weeks spent on the run had done nothing for Itachi's features, which were weathered and hardened, the creases deepened under his eyes. "I have made contact," Itachi said. He showed the Third the Akatsuki ring, which rested comfortably around his finger. "They say I show promise. That I am a vital new member."

"So I see," the Third said. Itachi smiled, grimly.

"They are targeting the jinchuuriki," Itachi said. "I am not sure what their master plan is, as of yet, but it seems that capturing the tailed-beasts is high on their list of priorities."

The Third nodded, quietly. "And how are you, Itachi? How are you faring?"

Itachi hesitated, before answering. "I am well," Itachi said. He didn't look very well. "How is Sasuke?"

"He is fine," The Third said. "But what I'm more concerned about is you."

Itachi said nothing. Quietly, he moved and pulled something out of his satchel.

"Sasuke's birthday was last week," Itachi said. He handed the parcel to the Sandaime. "I got him this. I don't want you to tell him it's from me, but I think he would like it."

The Sandaime smoothed over the brightly colored paper, which was creased and careworn. He could only imagine how long Itachi had been hanging on to it, hiding the parcel from the rest of the Akatsuki and dreaming of the day he could pass it on to his brother.

"I'll be sure he gets this," the Sandaime said, and Itachi smiled.

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V.

A shadow fell on Sasuke as he knelt beside the training post on the ground. He looked up and saw Danzou standing above him, a bandage wrapped around one eye.

"I hear you're quite gifted," Danzou said. He offered Sasuke his hand. "There is a program I head designed for young nin like you. Young nin with promise. May I watch you train?"

Sasuke gulped, overwhelmed. No one had taken interest in him before - it had always been Itachi, Itachi, and Sasuke wanted nothing more than to be recognized as well.

Then thoughts of the massacre flooded Sasuke's memory. He shoved a stick into the ground, ashamed.

Danzou looked surprised. "Sasuke-kun?"

"Go away," Sasuke said. He crouched on the ground again, staring at the pole.

Danzou frowned, then slipped a small card into the boy's hand. "In case you change your mind," Danzou said.

Danzou left, and as soon as he did Sasuke took the card and held it against the light:

It was a drawing of a tree, highly stylized with roots reaching deep beneath the ground. Sasuke turned the card over in his hand, then dropped the card onto the ground.

xXx

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Tenzo was surprised when the Hokage called him into his office. "I need you to deliver a package," the Hokage said. He handed Tenzo a small parcel wrapped in faded birthday paper. "This was recovered at the scene of the massacre. We believe it was for Sasuke."

Tenzo frowned, examining the package warily. "How could we have missed this?" Tenzo asked. The Hokage shrugged, elegantly.

"A floorboard was overturned by accident; it was well-hidden. Do not trouble yourself with it." The Hokage smiled. "Please make sure Sasuke gets this," the Hokage said.

"I understand," Tenzo said. He slipped the parcel into his satchel and offered the Hokage a low-sweeping bow.

xXx

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Sasuke was throwing shuriken in the training grounds out back when the ANBU investigator approached. "Sasuke?"

Sasuke looked up. The investigator motioned for him to sit. "We found something that might be of interest to you," the investigator said. He moved, then pulled something out of his satchel.

Sasuke's brow knitted. He looked up at the investigator, who nodded, encouragingly. "Go on. Open it," he said.

Hesitantly, Sasuke pulled back the wrapping paper, revealing a small wooden box underneath. The top was intricately carved, and when Sasuke opened it, he saw a small jade bird nestled inside.

"What is this?" Sasuke asked. He picked up the carving and rubbed his thumb over the smooth edge.

"I think it is a crow," the investigator said.

Sasuke's brow knit. He took the jade carving and smashed it onto the ground.

xXx

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Tenzo jumped back. "Sasuke-kun, what's gotten into you?"

"I hate crows," Sasuke said. Fat, angry tears fell down his face. "I hate them, I wish they'd just die."

Tenzo watched helplessly as Sasuke's small body shook. Awkwardly, he reached out and patted the child on the back. "What kind of birds do you like?" Tenzo asked.

Sasuke sniffed. "I don't like birds," Sasuke said. Tenzo smiled.

"Well how about a cat?" Tenzo asked, and he clapped his hands together. Wood sprang up from the ground in the shape of a kitten. Sasuke's eyes widened.

"There. Better than that crow, right?"

Sasuke nodded. He took the wooden kitten and pressed it to his chest. Later, as Tenzo watched the boy walked back, he picked up the shattered pieces of jade and slowly collected them back into the box, wondering what had set the boy off.

It wasn't until later that he realized the bird had rubies for its eyes.

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VI.

Two days after the massacre, the bodies were burned, bright stacks of them on fire and set into a fiery blaze. Around them, the villagers had gathered, clutching each other's hands and watching as the embers floated on the up-current and kissed the nighttime air.

Now, Sasuke knelt in the midst of the Uchiha ruins, and with his fire jutsu started a modest flame. In it, the birthday parcel curled and the old man's strange calling card blackened and charred. Sasuke watched, the flames reflected in his eyes, and wondered if his heart too would shrivel up like so much paper.

In the darkness, Tenzo waited and the Sandaime prayed. And in Danzou's chambers, Shisui's sharingan spun.

A/N: Ironically, this was inspired by Ninja Assassins. LOL.