Chapter Text
There's something wrong in the clan.
It thrums under Sasuke's skin, even as oblivious as he usually is to social things. People are tense. Even the ghosts are worried. The people outside the compound don't like the Uchiha at all; the Uchiha return the sentiment.
Itachi's on mission after mission after mission, slips into ANBU like he's sliding under a river (too young, Tobirama mutters with a scowl).
Mom's smiles don't reach her eyes.
Father's hiding something.
But Sasuke wasn't taught by the greatest legends of the last century for nothing. And while the ghosts lose focus when they're away from him, Mito's figured out how to keep memories of drifting as long as she sees him often enough to fix them, and Tobirama's the stubbornest person Sasuke's ever known.
All Sasuke has to do is get into the shrine the Uchiha meet in, and lie somewhere out of sight, while his ghost sensei and Naruto's kinsman sink into the floor.
-
A coup.
It. Doesn't make sense. The village is broken, sure, but - you don't hit broken things, you fix them, and trying to overthrow everything will just make everything more broken -
Sasuke has about five panic attacks in a row while he tries to figure out what to do.
It super, super doesn't help that Hashirama is the only one in their group with any people-skills whatsoever, and Kagami's the only one with an inside eye for Uchiha politics. Of course, it's been decades for him, and questioning the Uchiha ghosts outside the compound reveals this is new, recent, and the youngest Uchiha ghosts are from the early Third War -
But the plans are still little embers. They have time, Hashirama assures him. They can work on changing things - on convincing the clan otherwise, and changing the minds of the people in the village. It'll be hard, but what isn't?
-
Of course, then Mito starts following Itachi.
-
"I need to fix the Edo Tensei so I can strangle Danzo," Tobirama says, perfectly evenly.
Hashirama sends him an unimpressed look.
Tobirama's unimpressed look in return is better, if you ask Sasuke.
"Using Itachi for this mission is absurd, he's twelve - " Tobirama continues, over Hashirama planting his face in his hands. "And there's absolutely no need to cull even the children. Shinobi must not hesitate to do what is needed, but that doesn't mean don't think decisions through."
Sometimes Sasuke wants to punch his sensei. Like right now. Terrible shame it'd go right through. He bets Tobirama wouldn't even try dodging.
"...Also Shisui's plan isn't bad," Kagami says, slowly from where he's seated by Sasuke. "A lot less bloodshed. A lot less damaging to the village. Danzo though… I don't know if you saw it, sensei, but he got a lot more ruthless after you died. He was always kind of a scorched earth sort of guy, but." A shrug.
"Sarutobi always gave him too much rein," Mito says, tightly. "Those boys hedged me out of politics, but they forgot my sensory range covers the continent. Danzo's started more wars than he's stopped."
"Would telling the Third help?" Sasuke asks, lowly. He's never known a Hokage to be anything less than good, and maybe the Third's a bit silly, overly trusting, but that's not the worst flaw… "He could tell Danzo no."
The adults trade solemn looks. Mito folds her hands, sighing. "Child… The Third knows what happens in this village. Danzo is useful to him, as plausible deniability if he ever gets caught with his fingers where they don't belong, but… I'd expect indicating you know to endanger any attempts Itachi makes to protect you."
"...Oh." Sasuke shivers. "And… They won't let us just - leave. Will they?"
Tobirama shakes his head. "Hashirama or I would've allowed it, since trying to bind clans that tightly would've just spooked them, but politics have changed. It'd be considered removing a village asset, not an independent party backing out of a broken treaty."
"Do you think I can - talk them out of it? The clan?" Sasuke asks. "And - and maybe Shisui won't have to control father - and if he does there won't be opposition to him like Danzo thinks - "
Another serious glance between the adults. "I'm not sure Danzo will let that slide," Mito says, "But we might be able to stall for time if the clan backs down."
Sasuke nods.
It's… The best he's got.
-
Later, it's just him and Tobirama. They're training again, Tobirama quizzing him mercilessly on politics and history as Sasuke practices his shurikenjutsu.
"Sensei…" he says, during a break. Tobirama makes an attentive noise. "I - " Sasuke glances down, throat tight. "I don't wanna break my promise, but… If I graduated early, do you think the clan might - listen to me?"
Tobirama sighs. "They might," he says. "This world still values martial skill more than common sense."
"And I could be Hokage faster, and - and then everyone'd be happy 'cause I'd fix everything - " Sasuke continues. His vision is blurry. His eyes hurt.
"I don't want you to be a warrior this young," Tobirama says. He sounds sad. "But the world doesn't care much for what we want, does it?"
Sasuke shrugs.
It should.
He just…
Doesn't know how to make the world listen.
-
"I want to graduate early," he tells his father, his mother, the Academy. When they ask why (which they usually don't), he says, "Because I want to be Hokage."
Talking's as hard as ever, but Sasuke's learned how to recite scripts his ghosts feed him, and that's close enough to being articulate. The different ghosts are good at arguing different things, too, so it's like being super good at social stuff.
-
His graduation is the day Itachi returns from another long mission.
He's never seen his brother this quietly upset.
'I'm sorry,' Sasuke thinks, but can't say.