The Uchiha Incident: Interlude 1

Lightning Strikes True

As the Raikage, it was A's job to lead the village. That also meant that he was the one that dealt with most of the headaches that came with that. Most of the time, it was making sure that the village had enough cash to keep things running, or maybe he'd have to crack a few skulls. Sometimes, it was a little bit more complicated than that.

Hands clasped together, A brooded over his latest headache as he stared at the report before him. He had read it dozens of times before, but he kept coming back, reviewing it for just one more time to perhaps glean something new.

"Uchiha Taku, Age eight. Orphaned Daughter of two low ranking Uchiha Clan Members." As far as backgrounds go, hers was nothing special. Orphans were dime a dozen in the elemental nations and not even the clans were spared from such tragedies.

"Lived under the care of her sole living relative, her uncle, before… she defected." Pausing at those words, he frowned. "Initial interviews indicated that she had a normal upbringing, but her medical record says otherwise," He continued, "Subject had sustained multiple injuries that would indicate training at a young age."

While concerning, it was not out of the norm. Clans often trained them young, pushing them to the life they had lived for generations. A girl like her, as low ranking as she was, would be no different. "Pattern of healing does indicate that they were taken care of by professional healers. Healing also suggests that the girl did not suffer from malnutrition or any other indicators of an abusive household. Overall, the subject, while abnormally fit for her age, is healthy."

Everything looked normal, until his eyes landed on the psychological part of her assessment. "Subject is psychologically disturbed and harbors signs of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder." It was here that everything made sense. "While cooperative about her background, her habits, and even the pattern of guards for the Uchiha District, the subject remains elusive when the question of why she defected is brought about."

"Any and all attempts to pry more information simply leads to the subject shutting down, and refusing to cooperate." Closing the report, he let out a sigh as he leaned back against his seat. Everything about the girl screamed normal until the question of why she defected in the first place came up.

She had a normal life, a one that she should be happy for. She was taken care of, housed under a stable home. Nothing was amiss as far as his spy and informants could give him yet it was as if the girl had lived in perpetual fear, a life which had her throwing away everything for safety?

Was there more friction between the ancient clan and the village than he had anticipated? Was the old coot acting against the Uchihas? No, there was no conflict yet as far as he could see. The Uchihas were powerful enough as they were. They could push when things came to shove.

Grimacing, he considered the other option. The girl could be a spy, but why the hell would they use an Uchiha? She had neither seal nor manner of trap on her. Kumo could have the Uchiha as an established clan for this blunder so why? Why the hell did she defect? Nothing about this makes sense!

Letting out a sigh, he reached up and ran his hands across his hair. It was times like this that made him wonder why he took up the mantle of the Raikage in the first place. There were just some problems he simply couldn't punch in the face so they'd go away just like this. He simply couldn't just take this boon at face value because it could blow up all over their faces

Eying the door for a moment, he reached down under his desk before pulling out a gourd of the good stuff. "God damn it," He growled as he pulled out the cork with his teeth before taking a sip of that burning elixir, "What the hell is happening in Konoha?"

"Makes you wonder huh?" A voice replied, making him bolt up from his seats. Skins crackling with energy, he turned with his fist ready to smack whoever snuck up on him only to meet a familiar face perched on his open window.

"Goddamn it Zed, the door's right there!" He hissed out as he plopped back down on his seat, his armor washing off till the smell of ozone was all that remained, "I could have killed you."

"Could," Zed replied as he jumped off his perch and sat himself across the other end of the table.

"God damn brat," He snarled as he glared at the impudent asshole. Taking a minute to consider if just beating his subordinate black and blue was worth it, he shook his head. He's an asshole, but he's far too much trouble for what's his worth. Besides, he actually does his job when he's not being a cheeky bastard.

Offering the man a drink, he asked, "So, how's the girl?" Hopefully, the man brought some good news because he needed that right now.

"She's still a mess, but not like when I first picked her up," Zed replied as he shook his head. "She's smiling more often now so that's good and do you know the girl could cook?" Brow climbing, A perked up. Now that was certainly good news.

"Never seen something like it before, but it was delicious," Zed recalled as he leaned back on his seat before pulling down his protector to cover his remaining eyes. "Must be some secret Uchiha recipe," He yawned.

"Maybe I should invite the girl over for dinner." A mused as he corked his favorite drink and hid under his desk for later, "I'm sure the missus would love to meet the girl." As much of a mystery as the girl was, he was glad that she was actually fitting, news that would definitely make his wife half. Speaking off, glancing at the picture of his wife, his son and Bee right behind them on the table, he grinned, "She's been pestering me for a girl so maybe she'd calm her down."

"Lucky bastard," Zed snorted before he lifted up his forehead protector for just a bit, "But with how she kept glancing at a certain nurse, I think she'd be meeting your wife soon enough."

"Very funny," A rolled his eyes. Standing up from his chair and walking over to the window to gaze at the city around them, he asked, "Any other good news?"

"The girl got adopted by a pair of hellions," Zed casually replied, making him turn to the man. This day just keeps getting better and better! "A clan kid and a civvie," Zed added, "Guess which clan?"

"Wait, don't tell me," A replied as he stroked his chin, "Is it Yotsuki? Chinoike maybe?" Having the girl get attached to another kid was good enough news, but getting attached to a clan member. Maybe now they would stop pestering him about the girl.

With at shit eating grin plastered across the man's ugly mug, he replied, "Takanashi. Specifically, the old bastard's granddaughter."

Mouth wide open, he stared at the man in horror before he reached up and covered his face. Of all the people that girl could have made friends with, why them? "I swear that old bastards gonna start crowing again," A muttered as he dragged his palm across his face. Just as he was reconsidering his life choices, he heard a knock. "Speak of the devil."
Turning his attention to the door, he found his secretary smiling apologetically at him "Raikage-dono, the council wishes to speak to you…"

"Let me guess," He gritted out with a long, suffering sigh, "It's because of that damn rooster, isn't it?"

"Raikage-dono!" Mabui stuttered out, scandalized. As he gave her a flat stare, she glanced away. Breathing in deeply, she sighed, "Well… yes, the Takanashi's requested an audience specifically concerning that about the latest clan to join the village."

"This is the third fucking time," He muttered as he grabbed his coat and hat. The man was the patriarch of a powerful clan, but can he not give him headaches? Still, he had little choice on the matter. He had to at least meet to them even if it was only for appearance sake. "Fine, let's just get this over with."

-x-x-x-

With Mabui and Zed trailing behind him, he made his way to the main chamber. "God fossil," A muttered to himself, "I swear if it wasn't because he swore first to the Raikage, that bastard wouldn't be so influential." Why can't the man die already?

Approaching the main chamber, he schooled his features. Time to face the music. Kicking open the door, he was greeted by the old codger sitting in the middle of the sits arrayed around his desk. "You're late," The old bastard scolded, "How long were you planning to keep us waiting? None of us are getting any younger you know!"

"Oh shut your trap, old timer," A waved him off. The man might be pushing seventy, but he was still the Raikage. Plopping down on his seat, he warned the man. "I have enough problems as is, so don't test me."

Meeting the gaze of the Takanashi patriarch, A narrowed his eyes. For a moment, he saw a hint of that pride of their burning behind those surprisingly sharp eyes before the man snorted. Scowling at him, the man asked, gesturing at the filled up seats, "I assume your secretary had told you why we've gathered here."

"Yes and denied," A replied, shutting down their proposal. He might have come here to face them, but he had no intention of listening, especially with the inane rambling the man wanted. The man liked to hear himself talk far too much.

Sputtering and beard trembling, the man rose up to argue, "I-!"

Still, A's answer remained the same. "I've told you this before and I'll tell you again," He growled out, "Hands off the girl." Things were already going well with the girl with their hands off approach. There was no need to rock the boat despite what they thought.

Beard smoldering, the man shot up from his seat, eyes blazing as anger bubbled up to the surface. "Now you listen here you insolent brat," He gritted out, "I've shed far too much blood, sweat and tears on this village to watch you fumble on this matter!"

"You might not see it our way, but that girl is far more important to this village than you could ever imagine!" The man raved. "She's far more than just a weapon and far more than even the tailed beast," He pointed at him as the other council members tried to calm him down, "If you don't take her more seriously then this village might lose the chance to have such a powerful clan under its fold."

"She doesn't need space, or time to adjust," The man shouted, raising his voice over the din, "She needs a family, people who could provide the proper support for a girl like her!"

"And if you kept pushing, you'd fucking drive her away!" A roared back, shutting everyone up as he got up from his seat. "The girl's already unstable as she is right now and only her friends, one of which is your own granddaughter, are keeping her from going off into the deep end," He told the man who stared wide eyed back at him.

"The girl already has a family, and if you don't see it that way then shame on you!" He shouted as he plopped back down on his seat, "The girl is fine as she is. There is no need to mess up the good things we have."

There was silence in the room as the two of them glared at each other. "You're awfully soft on this girl," The man spoke up, breaking the stalemate, "Where's that mercy to the other?"

"You and I both know she's a lost cause," A snorted as he reminded them of their earlier failure with trying to get another clan in the village. The war took too much out of them. They needed to recoup and they couldn't rely too much on the tailed beast, even if Bee and Yugito were the perfect candidates.

"We're only keeping her around because letting her loose is the worse of two options," He gritted out as he could feel Mabui grimace behind him. It was either they toss that girl out or kill her. They couldn't let an asset like her go.

"That still doesn't fix the fact that she's an orphan," The man argued, bringing up the case once more. "There is family and then there is family," The man replied, his frown set as he crossed his arms across his massive chest, "She needs a home, a place that she could call her own, not some dingy apartment."

"And I assume that your clan is best suited for it," He sarcastically replied, knowing the man's game. The man might have dressed up his case with the guise of family, but he knew what he wanted. More influence. Any clan who could foster the Uchiha could gain more influence. "What of the others?" He asked.

The man merely smirked as another man in the council, a jonin from the Yotsuki, chimed in. "Heihachi-senpai had spoken to us about the matter and we believe he is right, Raikage-sama," The man said, making A scowl, "Keeping her an orphan would only distract her from more important matters."

"If you believe that another clan would best support her, so be it," The old man added.

With narrowed eyes, he glared at the councils before him. While a number of them were in support of the old man, there were still eyes of dissent amongst the ranks. Glancing back at Zed, the man nodded, before he looked back at the group that had formed. "I refuse."

"And I spit on your refusal," The old man replied, silencing the room once more.

Eyes locked on the man, A leaned forward. "Take it back old man," He told him, his words cool while his fist was clenched tight, "I'm warning you." He already had enough of the man's shit and he's taking this a step too far.

"The girl needs a home and I have to spank you over my knees to make you understand," The man challenged, unflinching of the silent threat.

Slowly, a smile stretched across his lips as he started to laugh. "Oh I will enjoy beating the crap out of you, old timer," A replied as he stood up. Accepting the man's challenge.

"You could try," The man replied as he turned around and headed out, "And do try not to be late this time. It'd be a poor show for the Raikage if they leave the announcer hanging in the Thunderdome."

Sometimes, A questioned why he took the mantle when all he'd get was headaches, but times like this reminded why he did so. While most problems can't be punched in the face, but problems like this? Now that was one he had a face he could punch. It seems like he had to remind everyone again why he had the belt.