Mikoto had prepared fish for dinner along with tempura vegetables. If Hanako had to compare her mother's cooking to Mikoto's in a competition, Mikoto would definitely win. "This is delicious, Mikoto-san!" Hanako said with her mouth full.
Mikoto chuckled softly. "Thank you, Hanako-chan. I'm glad," she replied as she watched Hanako continue to devour her food.
Sasuke watched the girl with a slight frown. "When did we decide to invite her, Tou-san?" he asked without taking his eyes from Hanako.
Hanako looked up at the boy and smiled. "What is it, Sasuke-kun? Don't you like my company?"
Sasuke's frown deepened. "No, I don't."
Hanako did her best to appear offended, placing one hand over her chest. "Oh my, you hurt me, Sasuke-kun!"
"I asked your brother to bring her along," Fugaku explained. "So, control your manners Sasuke." Sasuke looked down after his father spoke. Hanako gave him a victorious look but it died when she noticed Sasuke's sad expression. "We invited you here to celebrate both yours and Itachi's promotion to Chuunin. Please continue to become important Shinobi for the village."
"Of course," Hanako looked at Itachi who had remained silent for the entire evening, only looking at his brother from time to time. When he looked back at her, he smiled softly before continuing to poke his food. When Hanako looked at his plate, her eyes widened. He hadn't eaten anything.
"Thanks for the food," he said suddenly and stood up from the table.
"But Itachi, you haven't even touched your plate." Mikoto looked at her son with a concerned face.
"I'm not hungry," Itachi bowed at his mother before leaving the room. Sasuke became eager all of a sudden, eating the rest of his food in a single mouthful.
"Thank you for the food!" he snapped with his mouth still full before leaving the table after his brother.
Mikoto sighed, "Kids..." she muttered.
Hanako was still looking at Itachi's full plate with concern. "Hanako," Fugaku's voice snapped her out of her trance and she looked up at him. He was staring at her with stern eyes. "May I speak to you in private?" She pursed her lips into a thin line and nodded.
"You may already have an idea about why I asked you here," Fugaku said as he sat in a futon. Hanako was sitting in another futon in front of him.
"I have no idea, Fugaku-sama," she said. The leader smirked.
"A scroll went missing from the Uchiha Library during the exams. Did you know about it?"
Hanako looked at Fugaku in the eyes. "No, I didn't."
"Are you sure about that? It was the transcript from the Uchiha stone tablet. The only reason someone might have stolen it is to be able to know what the stone says." He sighed. "Why would you need to know what it says?"
Hanako frowned. "I don't need to know what it says."
"Everyone needs to know what it says at some point, they just can't read it. That's what the transcript is for."
"Can you read it without the transcript?" Hanako suddenly asked. Fugaku was taken by surprise.
"Do you know what's required to read the stone?" Fugaku narrowed his eyes at her.
Hanako smiled. "I was just wondering, Fugaku-sama, I don't understand what the big deal is." She tightened her hands into fists. "I find books extremely boring, as you might want to know. So I'd rather stay away from libraries."
Fugaku didn't seem at all convinced, but Hanako stood up and left the room without letting him continue. She made her way to the kitchen, only to find Mikoto cleaning up after dinner. She hadn't touched Itachi's plate, so it was still on the table.
"Do you need any help, Mikoto-san?"
The woman looked at her and smiled. "Oh, are you done speaking with Fugaku already?"
Hanako shrugged. "You could say so." She looked the plate again and sighed.
Mikoto noticed and smiled. "Can you take the food to Itachi's room? Maybe you can get him to eat." Hanako looked at Mikoto with surprise.
"I..."
"You go out, surround the house, and it's the door right in front of the pond. You won't get lost." Hanako sighed taking the plate.
"Yes, ma'am."
Mikoto smiled again. "Arigatou, Hanako-chan."
Finding Itachi's room wasn't difficult. Just as Mikoto had said, it was the door in front of the pond. The problem was, she wasn't sure what to say to him. Should she ask him what was wrong? Was it really her place to care?
"Itachi..." Hanako sighed, knocking on the door. "Mikoto-san is worried about you, so she sent me with your food. Would you please eat?"
The door opened, and Hanako was surprised to find Sasuke glaring up at her. He crossed his arms in front of his chest. "What are you still doing here? Isn't it late for you to be hanging around here?"
Hanako sighed. "I am worried about Itachi, aren't you? He's not eating."
"My brother is fine."
"Sasuke, let me in."
"No."
Hanako took a deep breath. Dealing with kids wasn't something she liked, and she was definitely going to have trouble with that when her brothers were born. "Are you up for a deal?" she asked with a playful smile.
"What kind of deal?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow at her.
Hanako kneeled in front of the boy to be at his level, and smirked. "I hear you like training. If you let me through, I will train you in whatever jutsu you want. I'll teach you anything."
"Anything?"
"If it's something I know, then yes."
Sasuke seemed to think about it and smiled. "Deal." And he moved away from the door, closing it after she walked in.
Itachi's room was just as Hanako had expected, neat and organized. Itachi was sitting on his bed, watching the sky through the window. Hanako sighed and sat next to him, carrying a wooden tray in her hands with his food. "What is going on with you?"
"What do you mean?" he asked, looking at her.
"Is there something going on between you and your father?" Itachi widened his eyes slightly. "I noticed the air was tense between the two of you."
Itachi tightened his fist slightly and looked away back to the window. Hanako shook her head and lay the tray beside him as she stood. She walked towards the door, and looked at him one last time before leaving.
* * *
Hanako walked through the streets silently. Nothing moved; nothing seemed to make a sound. This place was strangely silent and the atmosphere was so tense she could easily cut it with a knife. That was until she heard a faint scream and turned around rushing to the sound's origin. Her heart was beating rapidly and she could almost feel it coming out of her chest. Hanako made it to the street from where the sound came. It was completely covered in dead corpses. The blood dripped over the walls and stained the ground. She felt her hand move to cover her mouth as tears started to form in her eyes. Her feet started to move on their own as they guided her towards her home.
Hanako stood at the door and opened it slightly. She heard nothing. The girl entered without greeting and without taking her sandals off. She needed to know if her mom and siblings were okay, if they were still alive...
They were.
She could sense their chakra faintly but it was fading. Hanako also noticed her twin brothers weren't there, only her mom and Hikari, and they were both dying. She found them at the back of the house, severely wounded and their chakra almost drained. She deduced that there had been a fight.
The Uchiha kneeled beside her mother and took her hand. She had long tried to stop the tears from falling. There was no use, they weren't going to stop.
"Hanako..." She heard her mumble and leaned in closer to her. "Take care of your brothers," her mother let out in a sigh. "I love you so much..." She sensed her crying from how her voice sounded. It pained her to see her mother like this.
"I'm sorry...for being so late." Hanako tightened her fists.
"Hanako." The girl heard Hikari's voice a couple of meters away from where she was. She turned back to her mother only to notice that her face was pale and her eyes were already closed. She wasn't breathing anymore and her pulse had already stopped. She was dead. Hanako closed her eyes and stood up nearing where Hikari lay and knelt down next to her. "Is that you?" The Uchiha smiled slightly.
"Yes, Nee-chan. It's me." She felt a new set of tears fall from her eyes. 'Why did this have to happen? Why did I have to be so late?' she thought, closing her eyes tightly. "Dammit."
"It's okay, Hanako." She smiled. "I'm not in pain..." Her voice sounded a little hoarse. She turned her head slightly to look at her little sister. "I want you to make me a promise," she said and Hanako just nodded. "Promise me you'll live. You will take care of Ryusuke and Hayato. You will train them and protect them with your life. I also want you to be happy. Get married, have kids and tell your grandchildren your story. Live long..." Her last words were barely a whisper. "I love you, little sister..." she let it out in her last breath. Her chakra faded and Hanako knew this was the end.
"Oh my...how sentimental," a deep voice mocked. "So much that it's disgusting." Hanako glared at the man behind her, and charged at him with a kunai in hand. He swiftly kicked her on her stomach and she went flying to the opposite wall, crashing into it. The girl activated her Sharingan and looked around for him but didn't find him anywhere. "Looking for me?" She heard him and felt as his hand suddenly gripped her neck, letting her breath away. "You're a shame; you weren't even able to save your own family." He threw her once again against the wall and Hanako gasped as she coughed out blood. His mask... his cloak... This was Tobi... So, this was what Shiro Zetsu meant. The massacre...
Hanako opened her eyes and found herself in her room lying on her bed. She got up from it and walked to the other side of the room to stand in front of the full body mirror that was next to the door. The Uchiha looked at herself, she was ten years old, not thirteen. 'How strange.' Hanako narrowed her eyes and looked at her face. Was it a dream?
Then she noticed her eyes. Her Sharingan was activated but not with the usual three tomoes. This one had a different form. Her chakra flow was wild so she figured she was in an illusion. Although she couldn't sense anyone's chakra near, not even Shisui's. Hanako deactivated the Sharingan and her chakra went back to normal. 'So, it was self-inflicted,' she thought. But now the question was, how she had managed to catch herself in a Genjutsu without realizing it. Strangely, it had felt so real. Hanako sighed and went back to bed.
"What was it?" she mumbled to herself. Then she closed her eyes and drifted once again back to sleep. "What...was it?"
That morning, Hanako woke up with a massive head ache. She felt as if someone was hammering her skull, trying to make a hole with a nail in her head. The throbbing was unbearable, and even the slightest sound —including the whistling of the wind— worsened the pain. She couldn't even think, let alone talk or call for help, because her voice hurt her ears.
Hanako bit her lip and pressed her face deeper into the pillow before screaming her lungs out. She couldn't take it anymore. She heard the door to her room open abruptly and steps hurried towards her bed. Not even a moment passed when she felt a hand running up and down her back, trying to soothe her pain. Hanako raised her head a little from the pillow to breathe, realizing she was now panting and sweating.
When she had gone back to sleep the night before after her nightmare, she had witnessed again all the images playing in her mind. Everything had happened the same way it had happened the first time. The only difference was that this time she hadn't woken up in the middle of the dream, she had let it play a little more. But she couldn't handle it and woke up again. It wasn't pretty. She was afraid, especially since it had seemed so real. And why did she had the same dream two consecutive times?
"Oh my god! Hanako! Are you all right?!" She heard her sister's loud voice call to her in worry and flinched because of the pain it caused to her ears. Hanako closed her eyes and deactivated her Sharingan after noticing that again it was activated. Hikari pulled her away from the pillow and sat her up, forcing Hanako to look up at her. Hanako opened her eyes slowly to meet hers, staring back at her with full concern. Hikari raised her hand to her sister's face and with her thumb wiped away some tears from her cheek. Hanako hadn't realized she had been crying. "Are you all right?" Hikari asked again, this time more softly. Hanako pressed her lips into a thin line, remembering the dream she had, and shook her head furiously. She had already lost her father, what would she do if she were to lose the rest of her family as well?
This time, Hanako felt the tears cascade down her cheeks as her sister brought her down to rest her head on her shoulder as she cried. "What will I do?" Hanako sobbed. She was sure Hikari heard her and was glad she didn't question anything. She let her cry for a while, until she calmed down and just remained silent, staring absentmindedly at the ground.
"What happened?" Hikari asked after a few minutes of silence and Hanako pulled away to look up at her. Hikari was looking at her with a sad face, she gulped.
"A bad dream," Hanako said roughly, and had to clear her throat afterwards to continue talking. "It was strange. There was a lot of death and...confusion...sadness...anguish..." Hanako started to recall all the emotions she had felt. She wanted to cry again but she bit her lips to prevent herself from doing so.
"It's okay...It was just a dream." Hikari smiled at her but Hanako wasn't so sure of her words. It was a dream, then why did she have the same dream twice? Why did she wake up with her Sharingan activated both times Maybe it wasn't Hikari she should ask about it. Maybe she had to talk to someone else, someone like Madara. Maybe the dream had something to do with the Mangekyou.
"Yeah, it was just a dream. It's not like it's going to become real or anything..." Hanako commented with a forced laugh.
"That's right," Hikari smiled at her once again and kissed her cheek before getting up and motioning for Hanako to follow her. "Let's go, breakfast is ready."
* * *
In his room, Shisui reread Amane's files back and forth. "How is it possible...?" he asked himself as he stared at Hanako's information file, with Amane's file right next to it. "How could the two of you be the same person?"
"Hanako will eventually surpass these stats, but Amane's stats aren't even complete. She died in the time of the First Hokage, and these files were made almost half a century later. The picture is just a cut out from Hashirama-sama's personal photos."
'Hanako, is it possible to know someone you don't remember?' Shisui wondered silently while staring at Hanako's picture.
"Stop the attack!" Oonoki ordered. Everyone complied without remark. "This isn't the first time I see this jutsu. No matter what kind of attack you use, the Susano'o is an absolute defense." The man said as he focused his sight on the Uchiha girl. "Your eyes, that look in them. You resemble him a lot," he said before planting his feet back in the ground. "We will retreat, and we won't attack Konoha in the near future," he said as he started marching in the opposite direction to them.
"Wait!" Hanako, regardless of her exhaustion and all the chakra she had used, stood up. "Who are you talking about? Who do I remind you of?"
Oonoki stared at her. "Madara Uchiha." Hanako's eyes widened.
Shisui hit his desk before his rubbing his face with his palms. Hanako remembered, or at least she knew who the Tsuchikage was talking about. "Madara Uchiha?" he asked out loud. He looked back at Amane's file. She used to be a Shinobi who died at the times of the First Hokage, conveniently also Madara's time. Was there any possible way the two of them could have been connected?
Hanako knows about Madara. At least that was something Shisui was certain of. But, did she know about Amane's existence? That alone would give them a key about her abilities.
Shisui reached for a brush and a cup of ink, and reminisced.
Ø Mastered Sharingan
Ø Sensor
He observed Amane's file, and sighed. These were just common abilities, not enough to validate any possible link.
Hyori joined her hands into a seal and wooden pillars emerged from around her, which moved at full velocity towards the Uchiha brunette. Hanako activated her Sharingan and jumped just in time, dodging all the pillars moving her way. She jumped her way through and somehow managed to land safely on the ground, making a hand seal.
"Katon: Gouka Messhitsu." Fire erupted from Hanako's mouth which in seconds incinerated all the wood that attacked her. Following suit, Hanako directed the same flame towards her opponent.
Shisui continued to write down. Hanako was suddenly able to perform wide range fire techniques. Gouka Messhitsu, Gouka Mekkyaku... He had searched the Katon Jutsu in the Uchiha Library, but there was nothing on either of those techniques. She had lied about learning them from a parchment. Someone had definitely taught them to her.
Shisui wrote down Madara's name. He was supposed to be long dead, but maybe he had taught them to Amane, and Hanako remembered about it. That would definitely link each other.
Ø Susano'o
Shisui pressed his lips into a thin line. He remembered Hanako's curved smile when she said: "This is Susano'o." She knew about it. "The transcript of the stone has gone missing." Fugaku's voice rang in his ears. "She watched her father die, there is a high possibility Hanako has..."
Ø Mangekyou Sharingan
She definitely had it, Shisui saw it himself. Her design was out of the ordinary, a three scythe-like tomoe pattern, curve enough to resemble the petals of a flower. Hanako was the one who stole the transcript, and then went to the shrine to try to read the stone tablet.
Shisui put down the brushand leaned back in his chair, letting out a sigh. He would arrive nowhere if hecontinued to speculate. He needed to speak to Hanako, as soon as possible.