A/N The picture above has nothing to do with the story but it was so freaking funny I had to post it lmao.

Anyway, enjoy~

THIRD PERSON POINT OF VIEW

It was a few days after Shinasui left with her new fiance, a dark aura settling upon the villagers. The ninjas and the civilians were less cheerful, the children played less...even the birds seemed to sing sorrowful melodies. Despite all of the sadness throughout the village, nothing was plaguing the Hokage more than the idea that her daughter had to sacrifice herself for Minako's good name. She sat with Kakashi at a small dinner table in the mansion, staring at the dinner that was prepared for her. Everything she did reminded her of her daughter and nothing could compare to that heartbreak she felt. Pain is different depending on who it is for. Feeling pain for yourself only hurts for an instant and then you begin to heal. Feeling pain for your child is another thing. It is a deep, agonizing burn that pushes through layer by layer until your heart is set ablaze. Minako had been hiding her agony well to the public eye, however those who knew her best knew the truth.

"Mina...you haven't even touched your food...its been days since you last ate..." Minako didn't look up at Kakashi...afraid that seeing his face would remind her of her daughter more. 

"I'm not hungry..." She took the plate of vegetables and rice and placed it in a plastic container. She then called up one of the many servants in the mansion and handed her the packaged food.

"Please give this to someone in need before it gets cold. Thank you." The young girl looked up at the Hokage with worry.

"My Lady...I think you're someone in need. You look unwell." Minako smiled softly at the young girl she employed. She became very fond of all of her servants and they of their Hokage. Minako found young men and women that were either living in poor conditions or were struggling in poverty and gave them food, shelter, and a job at the mansion. They all revered her as their personal hero. They tried their best to take care of their Hokage...however with Shinasui leaving...it seems the Hokage had given up on herself.

"Thank you for your concern. Don't worry about me, there are plenty of people out there that need a hot meal tonight ya know. I'm off to bed, goodnight." Mina spoke softly. Minako left the servant to her worries while heading upstairs towards the master bedroom. Minako heard Kakashi finish up his food and begin to clean off his plate, attempting to follow Mina quickly. 

"Master Kakashi sir, please, let me take care of the dishes. You should go to her." Another servant spoke in a hushed voice.

"Thank you." Kakashi left the dinner table to follow his wife of over twenty years. He slowly opened the door to see her taking off her Hokage robe and setting it on a chair. Her flowing ruby hair that usually shimmered with brilliance was dull and matte, her eyes the same. Kakashi was growing more worried each passing day...this was not the Minako he knew. Minako turned to her dresser to grab something to change into but instead, a framed picture caught her eye. She slowly picked it up to see it was the first family picture they took when Shinasui graduated the academy and became a ninja. Her eyes were wide with excitement and hope, her long silver hair was running past her shoulders like liquid diamonds. The grin on her face was akin to her mother and brother, her father giving his classic closed eye smile. Minako remembered that day well, she remembered seeing her daughter act just like her, with grades just like her father. Sasuke teased Naruto all day saying that his little sister was going to surpass him and the two wouldn't stop arguing. That was also the day Shinasui saw a glimpse of Sarada as the Hokage in a vision, years before the little girl even existed. Minako traced her finger on the glass where Shinasui's face was. The serious expression on her face when she left poisoned Minako's mind...seeing how it was all her fault that her daughter was taken away. 

Minako broke out into low and heavy sobs as she curled the picture frame into her chest, wanting nothing more than to reach in and hold her little girl one more time. Kakashi felt it was time to intervene and entered the room completely, taking off his ninja flak jacket. He wrapped his long warm arms around Mina, cradling her as she sobbed in despair.

"This is all my fault Kakashi...If I had made a different deal...If we just went ahead and gotten those prisoners ourselves...our little girl wouldn't be forced into making such a horrible choice...I'm a terrible mother..." Minako hiccuped as she cried further. Kakashi soothingly hushed his wife and kissed her hair.

"Shh...Mina...you're an amazing mother...the best mother in the entire world. Shinasui made the decision for the sake of the people. She sacrificed her happiness to help others live a free and happy life. That's something to be proud of. She knows the lesson of sacrifice just like us...just like Shisui...just like Minato and Kushina. Making heartbreaking decisions is part of being Hokage...we were just unlucky enough that we had to evolve our Shinasui." Kakashi felt the pain in his chest too. His daughter was the greatest thing that ever happened to him and he would travel to the ends of the earth for her...however, this was her choice. She knew what she was leaving behind and as her parents, they needed to support her.

"Kakashi...I..." 

"Shh...let's get some sleep okay? Tomorrow I want you to eat something, you're making me worried." Minako clutched the photo to her chest as she felt herself collapsing into Kakashi.

"I... love you.." She whispered before her eyes fluttered shut, her grip on the frame still tight.

"I love you too my Mina." He kissed her cheek and pulled her onto the bed with him. The night seemed to pass by quickly, the sun rising in the early morning. Kakashi woke after a dreamless night to see the sunshine peak across his lover's cheek. He delicately traced her arm and played with her hair to wake her. She didn't move.

"Mina...time to wake up my love." Kakashi quietly whispered in her ear. She was still.

"Mina baby...C'mon...you have a lot of paper work to sign today." She made no noise. Kakashi grew anxious and turned her over to see her skin had paled and her breathing was shallow. She wasn't sleeping peacefully...she was unconscious.

"Mina?!" Kakashi swallowed the lump in his throat and tried to feel for her pulse, her heartbeat weak and slow.

"Oh no...no no no no no...!" Kakashi shook her lightly. 

"Mina wake up! Mina!" The Hokage was unresponsive, the photo that she was holding fell on the floor, the glass cracking over Minako's smiling face. 

"SOMEONE HELP ME!" Immediately there were two anbu in the room along with three servants.

"Master Kakashi, what's wrong?" 

"Minako is unresponsive... someone get me Sakura Haruno now!"

"Yes sir!" The anbu took her to the Hospital where she was immediately taken into a private room. Within seconds she was hooked up to a heart monitor and had an IV in her arm. 

"Move it!" Sakura called out as she ran through the hospital corridors. She was asleep for barely two hours after a long night shift at the hospital and woke up to an Anbu at her door telling her the news. Kakashi was sitting in the waiting room like he was told, Sasuke bringing him a cup of coffee.

"Here. It's best to have something in your system. Sarada is waking up Itachi and Naruto." Sasuke said. Kakashi ran his fingers through his hair anxiously before grabbing the hot styrofoam cup. 

"Thanks. Hopefully Naruto won't give her a hard time." Several minutes passed by before the waiting room began to fill up with friends and family.

"Kakashi! What's going on?" Naruto called out. Hinata stayed home with Boruto and Himawari, not telling them anything before they knew for sure what was going on with their grandmother. Yumi and Itachi walked hand in hand with Mikoto talking to Sarada. 

"Yes Kakashi, I would like to know what happened also." Kakashi sighed before looking down into his black cup of coffee. He was too anxious for any sweetness in the bitter drink.

"I woke up this morning and she was unresponsive...she was pale and her breathing was shallow...she didn't even twitch when I yelled..." Kakashi swallowed the rock in his throat but it never seemed to go away. Itachi's eyes hardened a bit before kissing Yumi's forehead. The purple haired young woman was visibly upset at the news, Minako being a dear friend of hers.

"Yumi I'll be right back." Itachi rubbed his pregnant wife's belly and moved on towards Kakashi who was staring into his cup as if it would take away his worries. He knelt down in front of Kakashi and looked at him.  

"I'm going to find out what is happening and talk to the council. Just stay here with Naruto and take care of Yumi and Mikoto while I'm gone." Itachi walked towards the door where Minako and Sakura were and knocked. He was quickly let in and Mikoto grew worried for her dad.

"Momma...what's going on?" Mikoto asked Yumi. The woman played with the ends of her purple hair in anxiety.

"Lady Hokage isn't feeling well so Aunt Sakura is taking good care of her." Naruto was listening in and suddenly had an urge to run after his sister who was surly in the Land of Samurai at the moment.

"Damn it!" Naruto cursed out loud. Everyone turned to look at the blond boy that gritted his teeth. Sasuke walked over to Naruto and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"It's going to be alright Naruto. If anyone is going to make your mother better, it's going to be Sakura. She can do anything." Naruto looked up at his best friend.

"It's not that- well it is- but it's just that if Shina was here then Mom wouldn't have felt so sad. Why did my sister have to leave here!? Ugh she's just...she's just such a child sometimes!"

"Naruto!" He looked up to see Yumi right in his face with a sour look.

"Your complaints aren't going to help your mother right now. Think positive thoughts." Naruto knew she was right and sighed.

"Sorry..." Meanwhile, in the emergency room, Sakura was scanning through all of Minako's symptoms of whatever mystery issue she's having. So far...it doesn't look good. Sakura's eyebrows were furrowed and she pulled her hair back and out of her face. She looked through the clipboard one more time of all the tests she and the nurses did.

"It's not lymes diseases...its not a stroke...it's not an infection...what could it be?"

"Sakura." Itachi called out. She waved him in and he looked over at the woman he so adored. She looked as if she aged ten years in ten days. Dark circles hung heavy under her eyes, her cheeks were sunken in, her skin was pale without it's usual peach hue. 

"Explain to me what the issue is." Itachi calmly demanded. 

"Well she tested positive for signs of poisoning but how it would be possible, we don't know. She hasn't eaten in days and seems to be coming from a constant source, meaning it's repetitively hurting her. The most I can do right now is come up with temporary antidotes until I can solve where the source is and how to stop it." Itachi felt Minako's soft cheek and looked at her with sadness in his eyes.

"Can this kill her?" He asked the question he dreaded the answer to. Sakura sighed.

"Luckily for her, I don't think so. With proper doses of the antidote, I'll be able to stop its progress. However, she is most likely going to be in a coma or bed ridden until I can cure this. I don't know when the next time she'll wake will be." Itachi looked down at the necklace the Fourth Hokage gave her, the metal shining brightly under the illuminating hospital lights.

"If only you could save her now..," Itachi whispered. He thanked Sakura for her time and left the room. He took a deep breath before greeting the people in the crowded waiting room. Kakashi stood up, his cup empty.

"So...what's the news?" He asked. Itachi rubbed his temples.

"It seems that she had been poisoned. Although Sakura says it's from a constant source which means it was impossible for someone to have spiked her drink or food. Sakura says that Minako will survive given that she is administered the proper antidote on time. However, she will end up unconscious until this is cured. I may have to step in as second in command and be the temporary Hokage." The room was silent before Kakashi sat back down in the chair and held his hands in his silver hair. Naruto left the room to cool off and Sasuke picked up Sarada to ease her worry about the stressful aura of the room. An anbu guard went up to Itachi before kneeling down.

"Sir, would you like me to inform the council." 

"Yes, please do so immediately." The anbu left and so did the remnants of Minako Uzumaki's reign of being the Hokage.

~~

"So Lady Hokage is going to be out of commission huh...what a drag. At least you're on top of this Itachi. If you were Naruto, I'd be a little more concerned." 

"Hey!"

"Sorry it's the truth buddy." Shikamaru teased Naruto.

"So what are we going to do?" Ino asked the group. The council was set up quickly, the air was heavy with unease.

"Well, because of my title, I am in line to be the next Hokage. I must take over starting immediately since Minako is out of commission. As soon as she is back to health then she can take the title back, however Konoha has to have a healthy leader at all times to enforce the strength of the Land of Fire." Itachi explained.

"We must alert the other Kages and the feudal lord immediately of this. Shikamaru, I leave dictating who goes where to you." Itachi continued. Shikamaru sighed

"Ugh...how troublesome."

~~

Two weeks had passed and the Hokage still had yet to wake. Everything was in order for Itachi to take over as Hokage and he made Naruto his successor if something were to happen to him. Sasuke was his first choice yet the younger Uchiha declined, seeing that he thought Naruto would have been a better fit. Civilians were gathered outside the Hokage Mansion to see Itachi standing on its red roof. He was wearing the white cape symbolizing the peace and hope of this village, the purity of the title of Kage. The bottom of it trailed with fire, the name for which the land was given. He wore the head hat on top of his head, wishing it was his predecessor wearing it instead. Is wife stood by him, along with his daughters.

"My name is Itachi Uchiha. I am the Sixth Hokage."

~~

"Lord Takeda! You have a message!" A young servant boy said to his master. Takeda looked over to see Shinasui looking at her feet, not paying attention. He opened up the letter quickly reading the contents inside. He smirked to himself before placing the letter in his back pocket. 

Excellent. Part One of Project Peace complete.