They were located in one of many secret laboratories belonging to Orochimaru, located in Konoha.
Once Itachi Uchiha left, he took with him all the tension in the room. Sasuke was still in a deep slumber, unaware that his brother had just gone out to change their fate once again.
Ray couldn't help but look at the way the boy had gone. He more or less understood the situation since Tsunade had briefed him. The boy had been set up; he had massacred his whole clan to 'protect' the village. What he didn't know was that he was part of a huge complex plot from the start.
Tsunade put the 'documents' away. Documents that were merely white sheets of paper, unwritten. She had taken all the variables; she had made an impromptu decision on the go.
The Soul Stone Ember had shown more than just one truth, and that truth was now in her mind.
"Are you sure, Tsunade...? One Danzo is dead; there is no going back. Why did you do it? Why Itachi?" Orochimaru mumbled.
"There is more than one truth, Orochimaru. Besides, if someone deserves to take that bastard's head more than anyone, it is him... he is the true hero of our village," Tsunade said. After she became aware of the truth, the eyes she looked at Itachi changed completely.
She wondered if there was someone in the history of the village who had sacrificed as much as Itachi did. Deep inside, she wanted to give him, to Sasuke... to the whole Uchiha Clan a chance.
"That's what grandpa did in the past. He gave them a chance. The Uchiha Clan thrives in pain... they are pitiful and love more than anybody, but they are cursed with those eyes that only get stronger through pain. If I, a Senju, don't give them a chance, who will? He has to pay for what he did... I am just sending the right executor".
She then looked at Ray whose gaze was still fixed at the end. Her hand reached to grasp his, calling for his attention.
"It is also not Azrael's responsibility to shoulder this village's dark history. I am grateful that she showed us the truth, but we have to clean our own mess".
"What's your plan? Haku is with them..." Ray said.
'Haku...?' Orochimaru frowned when he heard the name, assuming it was another one of the 'monsters' who were now Tsunade's family.
"If Haku is with them, then we can consider it a done job. Danzo is not simple. He had deep relations with the Daimyo of the Land of Fire from the past; he was sent here with an order: To make Konoha easily manipulable. And he has achieved his task with splendid colours. He is very influential in the council; he's extremely influential among ANBU. Most Jonin follow his advice and input, and he was even allowed by the Third Hokage, my sensei, to have his own unit: Root. It may look like he does everything for Konoha's sake, but that's false..."
Tsunade pressed her finger on Ray's forehead. From then, she passed him some memories.
Memories of Danzo sitting away from Konoha discussing personally with the Daimyo how the Uchiha influence could lead to an eventual abolition of the Daimyo in the future, once the village, dominated by them, would be unable to be stopped by any other military power of the nation.
'The Uchiha Clan is too strong'.
And so he colluded to drastically limit and decrease the Uchiha influence in the village, little by little... until they could no longer ignore it. Running the council like it was his backyard and even influencing Hiruzen, Danzo pressured the Uchiha until they were technically segregated in their own territory. Feeling excluded from the village... like outsiders, despite the fact that they were a founder clan.
It was natural they would retaliate... but that was also part of the plan. Within Anbu, within root... There was a young and manipulable Itachi who had just followed in the footsteps of his past superior, Shisui Uchiha.
Ray witnessed how Danzo manipulated Shisui, then stole his eye, forced him to commit suicide, and then went on to manipulate Itachi just the same way. He made those two young men choose the interests of Konoha over their own clan.
The Sun God stood up, surprising Tsunade took his wrist.
"Where are you going?"
"I want to see his death with my own eyes".
"Ray!"
Without even saying a word, Ray disappeared within the moonlight mist. Orochimaru whistled at the display of 'magic' that was being able to do all those things without using chakra; his traditional mind still couldn't get used to it.
"That brat is just being quirky to avoid punishment", She growled out in outrage mixed with a bit of disappointment.
"Can you actually punish him?"
The Hokage blushed, thinking about the punishments she was planning to put her husband through, "O-Of course I can. We do... special type of punishments".
Since her husband had just gone, she had no reason to stay and prepared to fetch Sasuke before the snake put his filthy hands on him.
"You never answered him... what's your plan?"
"..."
The woman stood there pensive for a long time, "Danzo's death will turn the whole village against me, pardoning Itachi will also turn the whole village against me".
She couldn't help but laugh in exasperation. After all, this wasn't what she had planned. She was just forced by her feelings.
"..." Orochimaru frowned, "You are right, so, the plan...?"
"There is no such thing as a 'plan', Orochimaru. The moment Azrael decided to unveil the 'truth', the plan I had planned crumbled before my eyes. I am just a poor wife, just following a fellow sister's whims. Azrael wants to uncover this truth. I am trusting she will help me fix the mess she's making, that's all".
"So you're..."
"Trusting my new family".
**
**
In the darkness of the night, the Angel of Death walked slowly; it felt like she was in to perform her duty yet again, now in another world. Erradicate devils.
It felt like the night itself followed her footsteps, and the light of the moon highlighted her path. Her wings fluttered slowly as she approached the target seamlessly. Soon she reached a house at the outskirts of Konoha, it was a big, noble manor with lit candle lights. It looked warm and prestigious. Let alone, there were happy and wholesome laughs inside.
She bit her lips and wielded her scythe, her silhouette phased through the door, and the night itself entered the house alongside her.
Inside, she found kids running around and having fun. They looked at her come in with her long, dark robe, wielding a scythe, yet her soothing aura made them feel secure.
"Onee-chan?"
"... kids, get in your rooms".
!!!
They didn't understand why, but their bodies began to move on their own. Her words carried authority. Azrael followed their slow steps upstairs to their rooms and followed her way to the kitchen, where voices were coming through.
"What's for dinner today?~" The man asked with a rugged voice, rejoicing.
"Stop pinching around, anata~ just some Yakitori–"
With their words cut in the sudden chilling atmosphere. Instinctively, the wife and her husband turned around to the entrance of the kitchen. And there, they saw her...
This woman with long dark hair and a pair of wings, a halo on top of her head, pitch-black hair reaching her back. A total gorgeous beauty that would be appreciated if not for the scythe in her hands and the hollow of her eyes. Staring straight at Danzo Shimura, the village elder of the Shinobi Council.
Her target.
"Lady Azrael..." He mumbled, aware of her identity... Tsunade's 'toy' as he called her. He put his wife to safety behind his back.
Azrael's gaze switched from him to the woman, "Go to your room".
"H-Hai...!" The wife paled; she had never run so fast in her life. Going to the room where her kids had just gone frightened. She gave her husband one last stare before she went, unaware that it would be the last time.
Something wasn't right.
Azrael's gaze then fixed on Danzo's right arm, which was all bandaged up, as if he had suffered severe burning injuries. But she knew the truth, and those hollow eyes contorted in disgust. As the heaven's hitman, it wasn't the first time she had to perform an assassination on someone who would be loved and cherished after his death. Friends, wife, kids... none of those blessings could erase the distasteful and horrible sin of his actions.
"Sit down, Danzo Shimura".
"Lady Azrael... what brings you to my humble home? You could have knocked–"
"You know why I am here".
"..."
There was a brief silence. The silence in which his gaze was fixed entirely on that scythe. It wasn't only that, there was also this humongous magnifying glass on her back... weapons that weren't common for them, Shinobi. Nevertheless, the truth was undeniable. She came there with a weapon in her hand, and she wasn't letting go.
*WHOOSH!*
As quick as lightning, he reached for a kunai. But it would never be fast enough... not against her.
The next thing he saw was his head floating, looking at Azrael's scythe from an odd again.
He didn't even know when he was already beheaded.
In front of Azrael's shocked eyes, his bisected body and head dissipated like a dream. She caught onto Danzo's energy outside of the house and growled in anger.
With one swift emotion, she threw Sheol, slicing the whole house in half at the wake of her power, the destiny of the family unknown.
*BOOOOOMMMM!!*
The scythe split the house in half, chasing after Danzo, destroying the ground and space itself. It would reap that life no matter what.
Danzo had already started to run, but he would never be faster than that scythe.
*CRUNCH!!*
Sheol pierced his back cleanly like it was butter, tearing his organs and coming out the other side, then piercing the side of a mountain in a bloody mess. While clinging for dear life, Danzo watched death approach slowly.
"How many innocent people have you killed... and you still dare to live with family and kids... as if you deserve happy ever after?"
One time may be a coincidence, but twice...? Azrael realised this man was way more complex than she thought. Once again, his body dissipated, even his splattering blood... as if all had been a dream, and he was gone again.
"I don't know how you are doing it, Danzo... but this is the end of the line for you".
Death would not forgive.
"Today I reap your pathetic life, once and for all..."
"What have I done to you?!" The man screamed from far away, trying to run... those exchanges had told him that he had no chance agaisnt her, at least not on his own. He had to run fast.
"You have entangled this pitiful village in a web of lies. So much so that I, death, have to come personally. But don't worry..."
Sheol came back to its owner, only to give chase once again.
"Your death shall not be slow nor painless".