Present Day

"She will be a danger to us in the future!" Danzo's voice resonated across the room. The Hokage raised his hand, halting every other voice speaking. Hiruzen Sarutobi was the third Hokage, the current leader of the Leaf Village -he had been for the last 30 years.

"We are not going to execute her, Danzo." Hiruzen looked at the elder with serious expressionless eyes. Danzo looked back at him with a daring posture. He had always wanted to be the Hokage and resented Hiruzen for getting that title and not him. Danzo also resented him for following the way of the First, who he believed was too bland to be a leader. He preferred the ruling of the Second, who changed drastically all matters concerning the Shinobi by giving them ranks and forming special squads like the ANBU for secret assassinations and the Police Force to defend the village.

The elders were all meeting in the Hokage's mansion to discuss one of the Uchiha's youngsters: Hanako. She was born two years prior, but the kid started developing an intriguing chakra which had the elders on edge. "This girl is part of the Uchiha, a Noble Clan from Konoha. We cannot harm her without starting a civil war."

"That girl has both Senju and Uchiha chakra, she cannot remain unsupervised." Koharu looked at the Kage with her hands on her lap, tightening her fingers around the fabric of her kimono.

"She won't be." Hiruzen looked at the door and called: "Fugaku, please come in."

The door opened to reveal the current leader of the Uchiha Clan. "Yes, Hokage-sama." Fugaku bowed in respect towards the head of the village, standing still at the entrance.

"I'm sorry to bother you at a time like this when you were cautiously scheming our war strategy, but we had to discuss some important issues regarding one of yours." The Hokage stood up from his place and walked towards the Uchiha.

"Is it Yusuke's daughter?" Fugaku straightened himself to look at the Hokage.

"Would you be willing to sacrifice her?" Danzo suddenly asked. "For the greater good?"

"What 'greater good'?" Fugaku narrowed his eyes at the elder while unconsciously activating his clan's most feared Doujutsu: the Sharingan, a blood red eye with three black tomoes surrounding the pupil.

"We are not sacrificing Yusuke's child, don't worry about it," Hiruzen hurried to say while looking at the elder from over his shoulder. "We're merely going to offer her some..." the Hokage stopped as if to ponder his next words. "Special treatment."

Fugaku Uchiha looked at him with cautious eyes. "Hand her over," Koharu said. "Let's forget this ever happened."

"What?!"

"Koharu," Homura -the third elder present in the room- looked at her calmly. "Let Hiruzen handle this."

"But!"

"That could be an option, yes," Hiruzen said, making everyone look at him in surprise. "But not yet," he smiled at Fugaku's confused face. "I want you to raise her like a warrior." The Hokage started pacing around the room. Fugaku finally entered the office and the doors closed behind him. All the elders looked up at him from their seats, but the Uchiha leader stood still in the center of the room. "She'll become an ANBU when she comes of age."

"There hasn't been any Uchiha in the ANBU," Koharu muttered.

"Precisely," Danzo replied with a smirk, trying to understand the Third's intentions. "They train to become policemen, and most women stay home doing domestic chores. Why break the Uchiha's tradition, Hiruzen?"

"Because she's different," Fugaku said, looking at the Hokage. "And she is going to receive some special treatment."

Hiruzen looked at Fugaku with a smile. "Of course, she would be a great addition to our squad."

"She would be an interesting addition to Root," Danzo added, standing up from his place. "If she eventually becomes an ANBU at some point, she will be my apprentice."

"Danzo..."

"It's the only way I'll agree to this," replied the elder. "It's my only condition, Hiruzen. Is this or death. We don't need another Amane Uchiha, and I will make sure of that."

* * *

Clouds were menacing to cover the moon, high in the night sky. It was quite peaceful, regardless of the current war going on outside the Leaf Village. Yusuke Uchiha looked up at the stars covering the blue sky like glitter over a dark mantle. His mind was absent, hovering around the thoughts of his current situation. The elders wanted his daughter dead, his baby...dead.

"Yusuke..." The man heard his name being called and turned towards the owner of the voice. Fugaku, the Uchiha leader, stood at the foot of the house he was on top of, looking up at him. Yusuke stared back at him indifferently, moving into a more comfortable position on the roof.

"What do you want, Fugaku?" he asked. Fugaku, with a soft sigh, jumped to stand beside him on the roof and sat next to him.

"I know what the elders said about your daughter," Fugaku commented serenely. Yusuke remained silent as he returned his gaze towards the moon. The clouds finally covered its light, submerging them in darkness. "What are you going to do about it?" Yusuke frowned at Fugaku's remark.

"I have no idea," Yusuke looked back at Fugaku with a crease forming between his eyebrows. "Do I even have a choice in the matter?"

Fugaku didn't know how to respond. Instead, he looked away at the road beneath them. "There is another possibility," he mumbled. This managed to gain Yusuke's attention with that sole phrase, a single glint of hope, but hope nonetheless. "The Hokage wants Hanako to join the ANBU when she comes of age, Danzo agreed to it." Yusuke took a deep breath and looked away.

"Which one is better, then?" he wondered out loud. "Death or ANBU?"

"I would say, Yusuke, let's give her a try," Fugaku said.

"But what if she's not a fighter?" Yusuke's voice broke as he felt the tears gathering in his throat. "What if she gets killed on duty? Isn't it just the same as an execution? How is that even an option?" Yusuke clenched his fists tightly.

"You're probably right..." Yusuke pressed his lips into a thin line.

"Why Hanako?" Yusuke raged. "Why she of all children?!"

"We'll see what to do about it when the time comes..." Fugaku said softly. "In the meantime, I will make sure Hanako reaches their standards. Nothing will happen to her, Yusuke. I promise." The Leader managed a smile for his friend, who looked at him with wide eyes.

"Please Fugaku, help her. She's just so innocent... She doesn't deserve this." Yusuke scrunched his eyes closed and covered his face with his palms.

Fugaku's smile instantly faded when Yusuke wasn't looking at him. He was also curious as to why Hanako, what did she have that caught the interest of Danzo from their first meeting? It wasn't even a formal meeting, he was just passing by on the road, and he looked at her- seating on her father's shoulders--, and then continued walking. A week later, an announcement reached Fugaku's door asking for the child's execution. Of course, he didn't have a valid reason, Hanako was just a kid. What was Danzo hiding, then? Or was it just an excuse to provoke the Uchiha once again?

The relationship between the Uchiha and the Leaf Village was slowly deteriorating, and actions like such would only worsen it even more. Danzo was aware of it, so why would he continue to ignite the fire of hatred between both? Fugaku wanted an answer, and he was going to research to find it.

* * *

When Yusuke entered his home, his wife was waiting for him, sitting down on the sofa. She was knitting a small wool sweater for her youngest daughter.

"I'm glad you came back," Akira said without glancing his way. "I don't think the reunion extended until this late. Where were you?"

"I had to think about something..." Yusuke sat beside her.

"Did something bad happen?" She now looked at him worried. Yusuke pondered on how to tell his wife about the news he just received.

"Not something bad, but not something good, either," Yusuke said sadly.

"What did they say?" she asked him.

"Fugaku had a meeting with the elders, apparently they are giving Hanako a chance to live." Akira looked at her husband with hopeful eyes.

"Isn't that something good?" she asked. "Why are you so gloomy about it?"

Yusuke looked at his wife with serious eyes. "They will let her live, under the condition that she will join the ANBU when she comes of age." As fast as Akira became hopeful, she lost it suddenly when Yusuke finished his words.

"Just...what is his damn problem?!" Akira tightened her hold on the sweater she was knitting. "Why would he dare..." Akira let the sweater on the couch as she stood up. "Are you hungry, I'm sorry I didn't get to cook you anything."

"I'm okay, honey, I don't feel like eating..." Yusuke mumbled.

"I'll just make you a sandwich then..." Akira continued her way to the kitchen. Noises of plates and the fridge opening and closing multiple times could be heard from the living. Yusuke sighed and looked at the wooden floor. Akira could only cook when she was feeling stressed, it was like her own therapy session that seemed to work for her. He could only wish it also worked on him because he didn't know what to do now.