The three Chûnins had gone to the Hokage's office as soon as they returned to Konoha. They were going to make their report, but the Sandaime was not alone in the room. Two rather old people and another man were standing near the office, looking serious and with their arms crossed, seeming to gauge Mitsuki with their only valid eye as she was just passing the door.

The girl had the impression that it wasn't because of his strange attire, and held his gaze despite the cold sweat he inspired. This did not bode well.

"We've been waiting for you, Shisui, Itachi, and... Mitsuki" Hiruzen said as he greeted each of them in turn, while the man with the hard face didn't hide a grimace when the Hokage pronounced the girl's name, unfortunately confirming little by little her premonition. "The situation is more worrying than we thought, so we have gathered for an emergency council. Let me introduce Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane, the two elders, advisors of Konoha, as well as Danzô Shimura, the head of the special forces."

Bingo... Mitsuki shuddered at these names she knew all too well, having seen them in some reports about her, rarely those praising her record of service. These three individuals were following her every move very closely, and were undoubtedly behind the execution order given to the ANBU at the slightest misstep on her part. The question was ... Why were they showing up in the flesh, here and now?

"In his message, Itachi mentioned Orochimaru's involvement in the kidnappings at the orphanage... It also said that Mitsuki had been taken hostage and that you had to go to his hideout to get her out. Can you tell us more, Shisui?" the Hokage summarized, turning the elders' attention to the older of the two Uchiha.

"Mitsuki followed the instructions you gave us," Shisui defended her at once, as if sensing that something was not going to turn out in the girl's favor, "She was used as bait for the orphanage, so to speak, which worked, since she was soon exchanged for money to Orochimaru by one of the supervisors. Unfortunately, the plan to keep track of her to avoid exposing her to too much danger failed, and we lost her for many hours. Mitsuki was unarmed, according to the instructions she was given, and therefore had no means of defense, especially against such this individual. We all know how dangerous he is and how easy he is to manipulate people. Mitsuki was still clever, giving us a lead to follow, but when we found her, she was already in one of Orochimaru's study containers. We did everything we could to get her out of there and called in reinforcements as soon as we could."

"So Orochimaru was interested in Miss Hata as a test subject?" pointed out Danzo, seeming to have no interest in the rest of the story.

"He seemed interested, yes. He already had several girls in his possession for his 'experiments'" Shisui agreed, emphasizing the latter point.

"But would you say that he was more interested in Miss Hata than the others?

A silence fell. Shisui felt uncomfortable. Why insist so much on Mitsuki when she wasn't the object of this mission, and the objective had been largely accomplished? Weren't they supposed to be concentrating on getting information about Orochimaru, so they could arrest him as soon as possible?

"He was more interested in all of us..." interjected Itachi, gradually understanding what was going on.

"Did he express the will to find her?" questioned Danzo again, his piercing gaze seeming to go through all three of them.

"He said that we would meet again..." Itachi insisted deliberately.

"And do you know what he planned to do with Miss Hata?" continued Danzo.

This time, Itachi turned pale.

"We need answers, Itachi... We only want what is best for each of you," the Hokage demanded in a soothing voice, sensing the trouble rising in the three youngsters.

Seeing his cousin searching for words, Shisui intervened, choosing to end up telling the truth:

"He wanted to make Mitsuki his next receptacle at first... And when we arrived, he changed his mind, and finally wanted to use one of us...and use Mitsuki as a weapon...against Konoha."

His words fell like a knife. The counselors and Danzo looked at each other as if the sentence had already been passed. The Root Leader spoke again, curtly:

"We knew he was reckless to let Miss Hata go about as she pleased. We gave her too much freedom, and it almost led to disaster! Hiruzen, we agreed to her return to Konoha to keep an eye on her. And today, she is a Chûnin?! Every day we give her a little more power, a little more strength... What's the next step? To free her from her seal?! If she doesn't destroy us on her own, someone else will use it to do it for her. I ask that we review her case, here and now. And I return to what I said in our previous discussions: Miss Hata must remain in Konoha, and immediately cease all activities related to the Shinobi way."

As the elders nodded sharply, Mitsuki felt her vision become blurry. She could barely make out what the Hokage said, as her two friends looked on helplessly:

"I'll tell you again that you've got the wrong enemy, my dear Danzo. Mitsuki has only good results during her missions and very good success in her work at the hospital. She is a valuable asset to Konoha, and has proven to us time and time again that she serves the interests of our village with great loyalty. There is nothing to blame her for. On the other hand, given the new situation, and Orochimaru's covetousness, I agree with temporarily suspending her outdoor missions, for the sole purpose of protecting her, and thus protecting Konoha."

"Nothing to blame?" repeated Danzô, standing up abruptly as he slammed his fist on the table, "How do you explain that not long after she was born, her entire clan literally went haywire? Without any warning! Even to the point of his own destruction? And how do you explain that among all the rubble and the corpses, only she was left? This girl is just a time bomb..."

"THAT'S ENOUGH, DANZO!" roared Hiruzen, standing up so abruptly in turn, that his chair tipped back.

There was an immediate and heavy silence, all eyes were now on the young she-wolf, who seemed paralyzed by what she had just heard. Her pupils were completely red, and a dark aura was emanating from her. Itachi raised his hand to her, wanting only to soothe her after these harsh revelations, but Shisui held him back by the wrist, sensing that this would only make things worse.

"Just look at her! Look at her eyes! How long are you going to keep her in the dark, Hiruzen? How long are you going to let her get away with it before you tell her what she really is? The monster who wiped out her own clan, her own family, after turning them against all of Konoha? Maybe if she knows all this, she'll finally understand that she has to give up this path she's blindly trying to follow" Danzo continued, insisting on each element, a cruel sneer on his lips.

Mitsuki's breathing became more and more jerky, she seemed to fight inside against an invisible evil. Her aura was growing, enveloping her completely. She was losing control, despite the double seal.

"Look at her, look at the monster she is, unpredictable, uncontrollable...", Danzô persisted.

"I said ... that's enough," interrupted the Sandaime again, in a calmer voice.

Danzo sat back down, satisfied with the performance of the young Chûnin. The Hokage turned to face her. She didn't even seem to see them anymore, sinking little by little in despair and anger.

"Mitsuki..." he called softly, trying to get her attention.

Mitsuki's aura intensified again and gradually surrounded the Hokage, without her making a single move. The two ANBU guarding the door suddenly entered, weapons in hand. The Sandaime gestured to them not to come any closer.

"Mitsuki, I know you can hear me. Please, pull yourself together. You're not the monster they say you are. I know you would never hurt your friends. So get a grip on yourself, for their sake," he continued to speak, keeping his tone calm.

He must have struck a chord, because the red eyes of the beautiful brunette turned to the two Uchiha, before resuming their original form, ending at the same time the aura that completely enveloped the master Hokage. Tears streamed down her cheeks as her face twisted into a grimace of pain.

"You are not a monster, Mitsuki. We have no proof of what Danzo said. We don't know what happened to your family, or why you were the only one left alive that day. These are only hypotheses. What we see is that you are working hard to get past the rumors that surround them," the Hokage explained.

"I thought they were executed after they attacked the village and got out of control..." squeaked Mitsuki, choking on her supposed responsibility for her family's history.

So the old man had lied to her... But the Hokage didn't have time to answer when one of the council members declared, without further ado:

"Given the situation, Hiruzen, and what we have just seen of Miss Hata's lack of control, we request her immediate removal from her rank of Chûnin. As a compromise, we accept that she continues to provide care at the Konoha hospital, it would be a shame to deprive ourselves of her talents in this field, we must admit that we are cruelly lacking in doctors. I would add that until further notice, we demand a ban on leaving the village, as well as a ban on all use of your jutsu, except for medical ones. You are to become a private citizen of Konoha again, for your own safety and the good of the village. Those who agree with these new motions, please raise your hands."

Danzo immediately raised his arm, a sneer still frozen on his face, followed by the two councilors. The Hokage sighed, and with a sorry look at his protégé announced:

"So be it..."

Mitsuki's heart broke. She awkwardly untied her shinobi headband and let it fall to the ground, losing what little dignity she had gained so hard at the time. She looked up with teary eyes at Danzo, who gave her another smug smile, before rushing out the door.

As the ANBU were about to block her way, she metamorphosed into a wolf, ignoring for this time the constraints that had just been imposed on her, without the Hokage intervening. He could well grant her this last gesture after what she had just gone through so unfairly.

"Now that this case is closed, and that we are in a more confidential frame, I have another proposal to make, concerning Itachi Uchiha" declared Danzo, as if nothing had happened.

Outside, Mitsuki had returned to her human form. She let her sobs escape. She didn't understand everything that had been said about her family, was she the only one responsible for all those murders and the disappearance of her clan? She wished she could remember that night, that she could know the truth, but she was just a baby, and no matter how hard she tried, nothing came back to her. She wished she had finally died with them, the burden she thought was simply her name was in fact all about what she had done. Everything made sense in the words of the people of Konoha: she was THE monster. She was the one who had taken so many lives, who had hurt Mikoto and led Fugaku's brother to his death. She deserved only their hatred, and instead, they had ended up giving her a place in their family. She wanted to run away, far away, never having to look them in the eye again as the guilt ate away at her.

As she ran without knowing where she was going, a raven landed in her path, cutting her off. She looked at it for a moment, before whispering:

"Itachi... Forgive me..."

She blew him away with a kunai before heading towards the village gates. She stopped in front of it, out of breath, but things were clear in her head: she had to disappear from the village. Go far away, and make people forget her existence. She started to run to the exit, but as she passed through the door, arms circled her in a new swarm of crows. He had found her again. And this time, he was physically there.

"Let go of me, Itachi..." she implored him.

"And let you disappear into thin air? Never in a million years. Who cares what this Danzo guy says? We also don't care what happened on that damned day that keeps tormenting you. You're not a monster, Mitsuki. You're anything but." he breathed to her, desperate, as she struggled vainly.

"Let go of me, please... I have no future here..." she begged him again.

He didn't do anything about it, just put his face against the kunoichi's neck. She was trembling in his arms, overcome with sobs that she could no longer control.

"You don't understand, Itachi. It's all over, I don't have anything to do here anymore. I don't have a purpose anymore... I... I could hurt you, all of you... I could... kill you... And I'd rather disappear than make you suffer again. Look what happened in the office! If the Hokage hadn't managed to get me out of this... trance...who knows what could have happened?"

Mitsuki was screaming, struggling, but the boy refused to give in.

"If the Hokage hadn't made you come to, I would have done it myself. And if you left, I would go looking for you. I would follow you wherever you go. I told you before, Mitsuki, I'll always be there for you." Itachi assured her.

"And we'll all always be there to watch over you, Princess. You haven't lost everything. Not this time." Aruna's voice said.

Mitsuki turned her misty eyes to him. Her surprise increased tenfold when she saw him, behind Itachi, surrounded by Shisui, Fugaku, Mikoto, Sasuke, Yuki, Shinro, and a large number of people who had crossed her path during missions and had gained confidence in her.

"Shisui came to alert us as soon as he could get out of the office... " explained Aruna, as he in turn embraced the little she-wolf.

"You shouldn't be here..." sobbed Mitsuki again.

"All these people are here to prove to you that you matter a lot more than you think in the village, Mitsuki. Now, let's go home, shall we?" offered Aruna, holding out her hand.

"I'm nothing anymore, Aruna... All that I have accomplished, all that I was ... There is nothing left ..." his "little sister" stammered.

"There is still all the love we have for you. Each of us came to you because you matter, Mitsuki, much more than just a Chûnin. You have given us so much these past years, no one can take that away from you." the Sensei reassured her.

"And to return the favor, we'll do everything we can to make this cursed council listen to reason." Fugaku assured her.

"Don't forget my promise..." reminded Itachi.

"Things will work out in the end, I promise you." concluded Shisui.

They all had a word, a tender look for her, as if to remind her that she was not alone that she was part of a clan, even if it was only by adoption.

"Let's go home, we'll have plenty of time to think about all this after a good night's sleep ... No one will abandon you this time, Mitsuki." Aruna asked her again.

She accepted shyly. She felt broken, but at the same time all this support had warmed her heart.

That evening, while Mitsuki had fallen asleep next to Sasuke who was so worried that he insisted on staying with the girl, a secret meeting was held within the Uchiha clan. The last actions of Danzo and the council were not to everyone's liking. This was in addition to the anger that had already persisted since the attack of the fox demon.

The accusation against Mitsuki was just another drop in the bucket of hatred and feelings of injustice, and it brought them back to the accusations that had condemned them to live on the outskirts of the village.

Itachi took the opportunity to talk about Danzo's proposal. It sounded like a boon to the Uchiha, and Fugaku encouraged him to accept, for the sake of the clan and to keep an eye on the activities of the ANBU leader.

He decided to talk to his friend about it the next day, despite her current fragility, knowing full well that this news was unlikely to please her. The meeting ended on a tense Fugaku. He understood the anger of his clan, but he was also afraid that things would get out of hand if they didn't get better living conditions very soon.

The next day, Itachi went to knock on Mitsuki's window and she opened it, her eyes swollen from crying too much at night.

"Let's go for a walk, shall we?" he invited her, holding out his hand.

She shyly accepted, although she would have preferred to stay locked up in the dark and wait for time to pass, but she already knew that the Uchiha would not allow it. However, he seemed to be elsewhere. His face was tense and his onyx eyes were dull despite the big reassuring smile he tried to give her.

He led her to their usual cherry tree, and Mitsuki asked him bluntly, guessing that something other than her ouster from the Shinobi was bothering the boy:

"What do you have to tell me, Itachi-kun?"

The boy's heart missed a beat. She had read him like an open book, which was very unusual for him. He was bewildered, but she had known him so well all this time...

"I've... I know you're not going to like this ... and you've had enough difficult news for now ... but I want you to know that I'm only doing this for the interests of the clan ... And to help keep the peace on Konoha." he said, carefully searching for his words.

"Itachi, get to the point, please... I'm worried about you, and frankly, if it helps you, I'm not sure I can sink any lower in my emotions, so I might as well take advantage of it now." Mitsuki pushed him.

Nevertheless, she gently grabbed his hand, squeezing it gently between hers, as if to encourage him to confide in her, before adding:

"No matter what you have to say to me, or do, I'll always be there for you, and I promise to support you every moment, you already know that, don't you Itachi-kun?"

This attention drew a half-smile from the Uchiha, this time filled with sincerity. He brought his friend's hands to his lips, placing a delicate kiss on them, which had the merit of making the young she-wolf's cheeks instantly regain some color, until then they were paler than usual.

"I know it Mitsuki-chan. And believe me, I'm the happiest."

Itachi paused, gathering his words in his head, before finally letting go:

"Danzo has offered me a place in the ANBU. The Hokage feels that my place is also with the elite soldiers, and...my father thinks it's a good way to keep an eye on Danzo's actions..."

Mitsuki's face remained impassive, but a slight pressure on his hand indicated that she was trying to take in the news.

"You deserve this development, Itachi-kun. You are without a doubt one of the greatest Ninja of this generation, and then between Shinro who didn't pass the rendering of Chûnin and ... me ... who can't follow you anymore ... You don't have a team anymore... It's a good thing that you can go to the next level..." she encouraged him.

Itachi couldn't take his eyes off her, and something in her eyes told him that she wasn't so sure about him joining the ANBU.

"But...?" he pushed her to confess what was in her heart.

Mitsuki's eyes widened and then deviated to the ground.

"But... your missions will be more and more dangerous... and you'll have to do things that are ..." she said before her voice choked in her throat.

He was back to the sweet, big-hearted Mitsuki he loved so much. He ran his fingers gently over her cheek to get her to look him in the eye again.

"Nothing will change, Mitsuki. I will remain the Itachi you know. I will never have a mission that involves you directly either, except perhaps your protection, the Hokage has assured me of that. And if it makes you feel better, I'm assigned to Kakashi's team, I think you like him..." he explained.

"He used to be very cold and dark..." pointed out Mitsuki, wincing at the thought of Itachi losing his kind and peaceful nature.

"And you made him more open and warm. If you could do that to someone like him, I have nothing to worry about. I know you will never let me fall into darkness." he pointed out.

Mitsuki smiled at him sincerely. He was giving her an important place in his new position and that touched her deeply.

"I trust you," she whispered to him.

"I trust you, too," he answered her just as softly.