HOLY SMOKES. Okay, so first of all, sorry this chapter is so late! I had to do a bunch of exams, then I kinda just... relaxed and played Animal Crossing for a few weeks, while slowly writing this chapter. This chapter was hard to do because there were so many different directions I could have chosen, but ended up going with this one. Thank you all so so much for your support and comments, it's... honestly incredible. I read every single comment and bookmark, and they never fail to make me grin.

So anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter! I post some nonsense about my life and other musings about this fic on my tumblr (NegativeAperture), so feel free to follow me and chat!

Also BIG thank you to the r/NarutoFanfiction discord for giving me some good advice and generally being awesome, even though I mostly lurk, lol.

Everyone charged with a penal offence has the right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law in a public trial at which he has had all the guarantees necessary for his defence.

— Article 11(1) of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Rights

The thing about being reincarnated into a world of which you have little to no real concrete knowledge for is that certain events get... lost atthe wayside. Not forgotten, but their exact dates are obscured, unknown.

Uncertain. Dangerously so even.

This is further complicated when the world in question has a timeline that's as consistent and trustworthy as a magic eight-ball. Nana knows that she can't rely on convoluted knowledge in this world, and yet... she can't help but blindly follow an unknown timeline based on what small titbits of information she's gleaned from her memories.

So when she's shaken awake one July night, she knows something awful has happened. She screams when she sees the mask individual clamping down on her shoulder, and they shush her quickly.

"There has been a security breach. You will be taken to a secure location while the breach is dealt with."

That is all the information she receives before she is whisked away into the night, and deposited in a cold, concrete room. She's still in her thin pyjamas, chosen to try and cool down in the humid Konohan heat, but now she regrets her choice. From the coolness of the room, she guesses she's underground. The person who took her wore an ANBU mask, and didn't seem to be part of ROOT, but... she swallows, and casts a wary eye to the locked door and simple cot.

If she's been taken by Danzo, then that's it. It's over. There's not much she can do. Maybe she can find a way to ignore the conditioning, but she isn't confident in her own mental fortitude to do so.

She forces herself to sit down on the threadbare cot. A stuffed frog sits on the pillow, and she reaches over to grab it, not even thinking about whether it's a trap or not. It's not until she smooths the fabric beneath her thumbs does she realize. Damn her ADHD for making her immediately latch on to anything touchable. The older part of her tells her to drop it and kick it as far away as possible. The child in her is desperate to keep hold of it.

Her hands grip tighter. She's exhausted. Both physically and mentally. She's locked in a concrete room, with no indication of when she'll be let out, with no comfort or security.

Nana buries her face into the soft fabric, and tries not to cry.

She stays that way for several moments, the silence surrounding her an oppressive force that steals her breath away. But it isn't until she's curled up on the cot, fingers threaded into the blanket to try and retain heat, that Kurama speaks to her.

"Do you have any idea what could be count as a major security breach?" His voice is neutral, but there's something... prodding about it. She shrugs.

"I mean, if this were four years ago, I'd have said it was the Hyuuga Incident, but since I'm seven... The only other thing I can think of is-"

Nana chokes on her tongue, sharp teeth biting down and drawing blood as it hits her.

Why would Konoha be so worried about securing their Jinchuuriki, if there wasn't currently an enemy in Konoha capable of stealing her... or controlling her?

A part of her tries to think of another reason, that maybe something that isn't canon has occurred, but-

But she can't lie to herself.

Tonight, Uchiha Itachi has murdered his family and clan, traumatising his younger brother by torturing him mentally over and over.

Tonight, the Uchiha Massacre occurred.

And she knew nothing about it..

Nana wants to vomit. Wants to vomit and weep for an inevitable event she had knowledge of, a tragedy that she perhaps could have prevented or changed in some way- but was still blind as to when it happened. She knows better than anyone that horrific acts don't always happen with a bang. Oftentimes, they're silent. Quiet. Unheard.

With her head buried into the soft green fur of a toy frog, Nana weeps for the young boy tortured by his older brother, weeps for a boy forced to kill his whole family after being entangled in the games of old men, weeps for a people who were cut down for wanting change.

Kurama lets her mourn, but she can feel his judgement and disgust.

"There was nothing you could have done," he tells her grimly, "unless you wanted to break our deal sooner rather than later."

The accusation leaves her reeling, teeth falling onto her sore tongue again in surprise. Blood wells up once more, filling her mouth with its coppery taste, but all she can think of are his words, dripping like vinegar from his lips.

"How could you-? I wouldn't-!" she tries to feebly deny, but a huff stops her.

"Why not? You're human after all, filled with such pesky emotions that cause you to doubt and worry and flinch any time you're told about something unsavoury. You begin to tire me, Nana."

It is an ultimatum and a threat, one that she cannot afford to ignore. Her throat clogs, a hollow cavity carved into her chest that fills with fear and desperation. She squeezes the frog tighter, fingers practically tearing into the soft stuffing.

She cannot lose Kurama. He is her biggest ally in this, no matter how unwilling or manipulative he is.

Her tongue flicks out to wet her lips, the taste of blood on her tongue, and she lets out a shuddering breath.

"I'm trying. This isn't easy for me. I'm... not used to this."

"And it is easy for me?"

He's manipulating her. She knows he is, and it makes her want to choke. She knows that Kurama's assistance does not come without cost. She knows that his agreement in this is fuelled by some unknown motivation, but she has forced herself to ignore why he agreed to help her so readily. She is already surrounded by enemies. She can't afford to have one trapped in her mind as well.

But it still hurts. Because he has given her soft affection, quiet encouragement when all she wants to do is scream. His kindness is easy to fall into, no matter the price that accompanies it.

(It is a deal with a devil, the older part of her whispers, mournfully shaking its head at how easily she falls into his trap. Because for all Nana thinks that she is an adult, that she is Elise, she is not. Nana is a child with the memories of a grown woman, her identity smeared like blood on a wall, unidentifiable until she finally washes it off and chooses. But until then, she is not-Elise, not-Nana, and is instead a lost child trying to carry the weight of a world she doesn't understand on her shoulders.)

"I'm sorry," Nana says instead. For what, she isn't sure. There is blood on her hands now. Blood that she allowed to be spilt through her inaction, through her distance. It was a necessary evil, but... evil is still evil.

She condemned children to die.

Condemned them to commit crimes no-one should ever commit.

"You could not have stopped this. This is the last time I will tell you this, Nana. Accept it and move on, or wallow and destroy yourself in this futile self-flagellation. I have no interest in assisting a human unwilling to uphold their side of the deal," he snarls out, the kind voice she's begun to associate with him finally torn away.

Something furious bubbles up in her stomach, and she wants to scream at him, wants to shake him and make him understand that she can't just shove her feelings away and pretend that nothing is wrong. She swallows and it feels like shards of glass are sliding down her throat.

"Forgive me for being human," she hisses out, "forgive me for weeping when-!" When I have to live with the knowledge that I looked at innocent children, and decided their lives were worth less than my own, than my knowledge of the future, she continues in her mind.

"You did not kill them."

"But I let them be!" she shrieks out, the volume of her voice startling her. She sucks in a deep breath, eyes darting towards the concrete walls and iron door, praying that no passer-by heard her. She wouldn't be surprised if there are guards waiting outside right now.

She waits a moment, ears straining as though she could hear a trained shinobi close by, before sighing softly. In a quieter voice, she mumbles: "I know I didn't kill them. But my inaction... how am I any different from... you know?" How am I different from the Hokage, she doesn't say. Am I any different from Danzo?

Neither of them speak for a few seconds, before Kurama laughs, ugly and harsh, the sound ringing like church bells over and over in her mind.

"The difference is that you are a child, Nana, whether you like it or not. Do not be so foolish, so self-centred, you stupid little girl. Do you honestly believe you could have changed anything? Could have saved those children you keep on blubbering about? You would have died, and I would suffer for it. And that is the best case. More likely you would have been taken away and sequestered somewhere until your brain rots into an empty canvas, and all your hopes and dreams for change would be dripping down a drain as you slaughter people for this cursed village.

"I see now that I have been too soft on you. Too kind, too human. That changes today." His voice burns like venom against her skin, words spat out with such vitriol it makes her flinch.

"Stop moping about and making the same repetitive justifications, and instead actually start doing something."

And that- What can she say to that? How can she argue that no, it isn't that simple, she needs to plan, to think, to-

To what?

Her sharpened teeth gnaw viciously at her lip, and she wonders if perhaps Kurama is right. All she's doing right now is making things more complicated, tying herself up with strands of hesitance and anxiety, cautiously trying to maintain the status quo while wanting to change it.

She is a coward. A silly little girl trying to pretend she knows best, when really, she's just spiralling down into the same arguments over and over again. She keeps on saying she'll snap out of it... but does she ever really? The Uchiha Massacre, Kurama, they're a wakeup call.

Nana can't keep doing this. She can't keep on arguing in her mind, trying to justify positions that don't matter at the moment. Right now, she isn't a lawyer. She isn't in her old world, where despite the violence and injustices it had, there was some semblance of order. Something she could follow.

Here, she has to adapt.

How can she think about change and consequences, when right now she has to learn how to survive? Her current position affords her no help, no assistance. Not when she keeps on refusing to acknowledge what she has to do.

Blood pools on her tongue again, the taste of iron a heavy weight in her mouth.

Nana will have to kill. She will have to fight.

The world can't continue like this. Not if she wants it to change.

And maybe she shouldn't do it. Maybe she should give in to the plot and let it plan out as needed, but she can't. She can't let herself stand idly by as people suffer, as her orphans keep on being thrown to the mud, as children like Itachi and Sasuke are victims of leaders who see their people as nothing more than pawns.

She takes a deep breath. Swallows down the blood.

"Okay," she whispers. There is no fight left. Not with this. "Okay."

"Then go to sleep and stop thinking. Work towards your goal. Pick up the weapons you want to ignore. Shove your thoughts away, human, and start to fight. Tomorrow, you train," he snarls out, voice harsh and unyielding.

She nods soundlessly, forcing her eyes shut as she puts her head on the pillow, drowning her shame with determination.

Nana isn't sure how long she stays in that room, but it is afternoon when she is finally released. She stumbles back to her home, grabs her Taijustu scrolls and weapons, and begins to train. Shame bubbles up within her at the sight of her hand clasped around the kunai, but she shakes it away.

(Nana doesn't know what she's more ashamed of; her recent inaction, or the fact that she has just taken a step closer to becoming a monster. Where will her decision lead her? What path does she tread down?)

(Will she regret it?)

Shibi stares at the missive declaring Uchiha Itachi a traitor, at the words spelling out a lockdown and curfew, at the soft orders to be ready to defend Konoha from attacks from other villages hoping to prod at their weakened force. There will be an emergency meeting between clan heads tomorrow evening, but for now, Shibi is not required. His lips press into a thin, trembling line, the soft parchment denting beneath his fingers, and every fibre of his being screams at him to run.

Every single Uchiha with the sole exception of Sasuke, Fugaku's youngest son, is dead. Even the ones on missions out of the village. Even the civilians.

It reeks of interference, of outside influence, because as strong as he is, there's no way Itachi was able to single-handedly murder every single member of his clan. No, he had help.

Shibi wants to vomit.

He had only approached Fugaku three days ago, hoping to gain an alliance in seceding from the village. He had hoped the two clans could work together to demand change, and the Uchiha clan head had even seemed willing to discuss it further.

But now Fugaku is dead. All the Uchiha are dead.

He drops the missive, and walks mechanically to Shino's room. Stares at his sleeping son, the same age as Sasuke. How can the village have allowed this to happen? Who allowed this to happen?

Perhaps Itachi did finally lose control, but he doubts that it occurred without anyone assisting his breakdown. He thinks of Shino growing up, thinks of Torune and how Danzo stole him away in place of his son. He wonders whether Itachi was stolen as well, if his son and Torune will be destined to follow in these footsteps. Blood wells up in his mouth at the thought, and he turns away, knuckles white from clenching his fists.

He cannot let that happen.

He refuses to let that happen.

Konoha has proven to be an enemy tonight, or at least, the home to an enemy, and the Aburame will not become another puppet of theirs. He will not let Konoha twist them to their desires until nothing but blood and hatred remains.

The truth is simple: the Aburame cannot stay in Konoha. Not anymore.

A soft scrape catches his attention, and his eyes dart over to his wife, standing quietly with the missive in her hands. She does not look at him.

"Hotaru," he whispers, hand reaching out to grab her. "Hotaru, get... get your things together. Prepare. This... The Aburame clan cannot stand for this."

She says nothing, her fingertips brushing over the kanji.

A bug flies out and lands on his hand, carefully eating chakra in sudden, varying bursts. A message, he realises. The Aburame code, taught to every member of their clan so that they can convey secret messages without enemies knowing or realising. The implications of it turn his heart into ice.

There are enemies here.

"Hotaru-?"

N O

O

T

O

"It's awful, my love. I can't believe Itachi would turn on us like that," Hotaru says softly, eyes rising to meet his. "With luck the village will capture him soon. Otherwise something similar could happen again."

I F

E

U S

A

His mouth feels dry. He can't speak, and his wife approaches him softly, carefully leading his away from the main room.

O

"The Hokage has called for me, Shibi. With everything that's happened... my house arrest cannot remain."

"That is... good. I hope you will be safe, my dearest," he replies quietly, and the look she gives him makes him want to vomit.

"Of course I will be. Trust in your wife's abilities!" Her tone is joking as they enter their bedroom, scroll deposited somewhere along the way.

"Naturally, my love. Have you already received a mission?"

"I have, yes. A simple C-Rank, all I need to do is patrol the perimeter to make sure that the news of the Massacre does not spread far. The other villages may want to take advantage of the situation."

The conversation between them is stilting, unnatural, as Hotaru silently etches warnings into his chakra. Shibi feels as though he is dreaming. He wets his lips, gives a weak nod to his wife.

"When do you leave?"

"Tomorrow night. I will probably be away for the rest of the week, but am likely to return before the month is up. Look after Shino, yes?" she teases softly, before sweeping him up into an embrace.

I

L O V E

Y O U

"The Hokage has called for a meeting between the Clan Heads tomorrow as well, has he not? You will have to update me when I get back," she continues to say, as though the arms around him are not holding him in a desperate embrace.

"Yes, he has. He advised that it would be best not to meet today as the forces will be focused on tracking Itachi down."

"Understandable. Come, it is late, and I need to prepare for tomorrow." She goes to release him, but he clutches her closer, unwilling to let her go just yet.

"I love you, Hotaru," he chokes out. Something wet falls onto his shoulder, and he swallows back tears he does not understand.

I M

Y

"And I you," she whispers back.

Aburame Hotaru is reported as killed in action four days later. There is no body to bring home. Enemy shinobi, the briefing says, she was too untrained to return back into combat after months of inaction.

The lie is a poison that wraps itself around Shibi's heart.

For the first time, he hates Konoha.

It will not be the last.

July slowly slides away, even as thoughts of the Massacre remain. Nana refuses to let herself think further on it. If she was able to lock away her thoughts and memories of the bad cases as a lawyer, then she can do the same here.

Maybe it isn't the same. Maybe it's harmful. But she has to. If she wants to live with her guilt, with the decision she's made, then she has to fight. A fire smoulders in her stomach, heavy yet freeing, fueling her with an energy and enthusiasm she had struggled to find before. Hyperfixation. She isn't letting herself focus on her thoughts anymore, so her mind has sought out something else to think on. ADHD is difficult most days, but sometimes it helps.

Gai comes by shortly after the Massacre, face lined with worry and grief as he tells her that he will be unable to train her for a while, holding her close in a tight embrace that she lets happen. There are tears in his eyes, his voice is choked, and her heart aches for this kind man. Perhaps he is a killer, but he is a good man.

Why had Nana been so determined to separate the two before? She can no longer apply the morality of her old world here, not anymore. Killing is the standard here. She won't forgive the Hokage or Danzo, but Gai... she can forgive Gai. When he leaves with a promise to visit, with the warmth of his hug still lingering around her, she forgives him. She only hopes that he'll forgive her when she starts to defy Konoha.

The thought brings a lightness to her steps, a guiding light for her to follow after dithering in the dark for so long. She will change things. If not for her, then for her orphans, for Gai, for Neji. They don't deserve to live in a world like this, and if she has to become a monster to free them, then... she'll do it.

Neji does not appear for their training sessions for a while, only turning up once to tell her that the entire clan is on lockdown while they make 'internal investigations' to 'prevent such a tragedy from occurring with the Hyuuga'. The way he spits it out makes her skin crawl, and she can't stop herself from grabbing his hand.

"Be safe," she tells him desperately. He stares at her for a moment, eyes wide in shock, before giving her hand a single squeeze.

"I'll try."

He disappears as quickly as he came, leaving her to continue training alone. Her movements are more fluid now, but she knows that her form is undoubtedly full of holes due to the lack of a teacher and sparring partner.

The Academy starts up, and she finds herself surrounded by familiar strangers, faces she only knows through a story she never read, but is now in. It feels like slowly being choked, because now she really can't deny anything anymore, not when she looks at the children in her class and knows who they will become. Just like her first class, she finds herself isolated, though the Shinobi children are far better behaved than the civilians.

Iruka is... strange to have as a teacher. Just like her last one, he tries to ignore her most of the time, but he treats her less like a non-existent entity, and more like a troublemaker who shouldn't be given attention. As a result, her work gets comments and criticism, whereas before, she simply got a grade. Not only that, but he's genuinely invested in improving her mistakes in class, though he gets disproportionately more annoyed with her than with anyone else. Still, she'll take him over Teru or Mizuki.

She doesn't have to deal with the latter much, but when he interferes, he does it well, usually causing her to learn something full of holes or otherwise incomplete, which makes Iruka yell at her for not paying attention, while she stumbles backwards to figure out where she went wrong.

Mizuki is an arsehole, and his treatment of her makes her blood boil. Iruka is on thin ice, and god, how desperate must she be to consider Iruka's own form of hatred more tolerable than the more overt cases. Maybe he's kind to her version of Naruto, but right now, he's lashing out at a fucking eight year old for something they had no control over.

Time passes fairly slowly, but Nana finds herself learning more and more, while her hands tremble less and less. She can hold her weapons without wanting to cry and beg for forgiveness, she can spar with her classmates without constantly hesitating in the fear of hurting children. It makes Kurama proud, but the sour pit in her stomach remains.

It's a necessary evil, she tells herself. Once she's strong enough to change things, she never has to do anything again.

She can do this.

She has to do this.

(Maybe if she keeps telling herself that, she'll eventually believe it.)

Kanna stares at the door in front of her, trembling hands clutched around a slip of paper. It's been almost a year since she's seen Nana, and now that she has the opportunity to... she swallows heavily.

She's been so desperate to hold her child again, to comfort her through the brutal training she must be going through, but any time she asked for her location, Kanna would be denied.

"Civilian interference is not recommended. You would just interrupt her studies," a receptionist at the Shinobi Housing Association told her, refusing her request without any thought. It made her furious the first few times, but after being threatened with arrest... she stopped.

Now though... now she has to talk to Nana. How Ryuu got her address, she has no idea, and god knows she can't ask him now, but it's a gift she won't question. Can't question.

After another moment of hesitation, she raises her fist to knock at the door. The crumpled piece of paper tucked inside her clothes presses against her stomach like a knife, and she is hyperaware of the fact that if she's caught with this, she'll be executed.

Kanna wonders if that's what happened to Ryuu.

A few minutes pass, and no-one answers. She looks cautiously to the side, watching the identical doors of Nana's neighbours to make sure no-one is going to come out to investigate – and knocks again, more desperately this time.

She has to talk to Nana. Not just for her own sake, but for Ryuu's too. Her darling child has to be told what happened, has to learn what Ryuu told her, has to know-

"K-Kanna?" A voice stutters out behind her, and she whirls around, breath stolen at the sight of the little girl in front of her.

"Nana," she whispers out, hand automatically reaching out to grab her, and the younger girl latches on. But she doesn't linger.

"You can't be seen here," she hisses out softly, eyes darting around in worry, and Kanna feels her heart sink. But Nana doesn't let go. Instead, she opens her door and pulls her inside, quickly locking behind them.

"Were you followed?"

"N-No, I don't think so?"

"Good. Good."

For a moment, neither of them move. And then Nana smiles, a small, sad thing, which makes Kanna want to weep. She rushes over to the child and pulls her into a hug, holding her tightly against her chest.

"God... I missed you so much," Nana says, voice choked with emotion, and Kanna can't keep her own tears from falling.

"I'm here. I'm here, little one. Everything will be okay."

For a little while, Kanna forgets about the letter stuffed into her clothes, forgets about Ryuu and their missing status, forgets that they are in a village that would punish the two of them for doing this.

For now, they are just family, family that has finally found their way back to each other, and that's all they need.