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Chapter Text

Tanjiro and Nezuko don't remember how they died, only that they were at peace when they did. Muzan was dead. Of that they are certain. The world they awoke in is in some ways much worse than the one they used to live in, but in many ways, it is better. There are no demons here. Only men. Flawed, terrible men.

Nezuko is human again. For good this time. She doesn't know what to think of it. Sometimes she presses a hand to her mouth and all she can remember is the taste of bamboo and the unbearable hunger gnawing at her insides. She touches her teeth and marvels at their bluntness, inspects her nails and finds them soft to the point of discomfort.

Their family is there too. All of them. They don't remember like she and Tanjiro do, and that is a blessing. This much is enough for her and her brother to love this world, to put their faith in the village that they live in, for Nezuko to push down the memories of the times she was turned into a beast, unmade by the tragedy that robbed her of her family. It is enough for the both of them to decide to sully their hands so their little siblings won't have to.

To become one of those who endure. Those whose life's calling is to be strong to protect the weak, to dwell in the shadows so others can walk in the light.

It isn't a hard choice.

They have tread this path before. And though they left their first life more pure-hearted than they surely will leave this one, it does not matter so long as their family remains unharmed.

She and Tanjiro are twins this time, their souls too intertwined by the hardships they lived through for Fate to consider separating them for even a year. Nezuko likes it better this way. Her elder brother will not go where she cannot follow. Never again.

Shigeru, Hanako and Rokuta seem to know on an instinctual level that they are not meant for the path their older siblings decided to tread. They apply themselves in learning the art of farming charcoal instead, like their father had done before them. The kikusumi charcoal made with kunugi oak trees is especially beautiful, and renowned for its chrysanthemum pattern. It is used in tea ceremonies because it does not give off smoke or fragrance, and its sound is often described as gentle, like Zenitsu used to say of Tanjiro. This is what their civilian family is known for, and no one truly expected shinobi to emerge from the Kamado line of the Uchiha. There hasn't been a Kamado jounin since the Warring States Era, and they liked it that way.

As such, their mother fretted when they announced their intention to enrol into the Academy, and worried even more when they graduated. Every time they left for a mission, Kei held them into her arms hard enough to make her limbs shake and stressed her wish to see them back safe and sound, as if speaking it would make it true. Nezuko does not like worrying her, but this is the path they have chosen. They are accustomed to the life of a warrior, and Tanjiro can no more put down the sword than Nezuko can forget her need to watch her brother's back.

Their mother is at least soothed by the fact that the Third War is over, and her children operate in times of peace. Their father, whose illness was more easily cured in a world where chakra advanced medical skills to unseen heights, only trusts in his eldest children's skills. Tanjuro never seems to fear for their safety, or if he does, he hides it well.

Tanjiro and Nezuko make sure not to stand out. They establish themselves as a chuunin pair who work in tandem so well it would not do to separate them. Nezuko's talent in taijutsu and Tanjiro's kenjutsu are noted, and the pair's mastery over fire sometimes earn them a comment, but no one thinks them stronger than they present themselves.

It is said that, provided the two train hard, the twins might make jounin in five years or so. Guileless, they accept the compliment, and exchange an amused look. They who have fought monsters and were born with a Mangekyou they keep hidden, the only tangible proof of what they went through, do not need assurances regarding their skills. They accept the praise with a bow and a smile however, and never say a word about how much they hold back. It was Nezuko's idea. They would never push it so far as to letting someone die to keep their cover, but after all they went through, they are at least wise to the black-heartedness of humankind. They will not let themselves be used more than they allow themselves to be.

They live a quiet life, making no waves and simply basking in the simple joy of seeing their family reunited.

Until Uchiha Itachi forces their door open.

The Kamado line is an unremarkable branch of the Uchiha clan.

They used to be something in the Warring States Era. The Hinokami kenjutsu style had some renown, and the masters of this Uchiha line had caused a stir when they put down their weapons and took up charcoal farming, renaming their line after the stove they now used to accomplish their life's work. It was a big statement on their part, since the shinobi lines of the Uchiha clan usually named themselves after venerated kami. Eventually, the once renowned Homusubi line fell into oblivion, and the only remnants of the once famed sword style was reduced to a Kagura performance, much to the scorn of the more esteemed branches of the Uchiha.

When Uchiha Tanjiro and Nezuko joined the Academy, they reawakened a little of that interest. No one expected much of them; the two hailed from what was pretty much a civilian family — their potential to awaken the clan doujutsu notwithstanding — with very little to give them an edge over the students of more humble backgrounds. Besides, all eyes were on their clan heir, who fast-tracked his graduation and got a taste of the front lines the same year the twins enrolled. Uchiha Tanjiro surprised a little with his mastery of the sword, and though his kunoichi sister had no such inclination to pick up a katana, she impressed her Academy teachers with her more than adequate grasp of the Uchiha taijutsu style.

But the twins were middle-rankers at best, and their instructors made no note of them when it came time to assign them a team except to recommend they be kept together, which was not usually done with clan children. A little probing around showed them to be so in-tune with the other as to emulate a Yamanaka's telepathy, which was an asset in the field and attributed to their being twins. The recommendation was followed, and they were entrusted to jounin Hyuuga Tokuma along with Yakushi Kabuto.

It was noted that they awakened their Sharingan on their first mission and within minutes of each other. The mission report filed by the Hyuuga jounin did not record anything amiss, so the matter was not considered of any import. Similarly, when they passed the Chuunin Exams of Kusagakure within a year of their apprenticeship, it was chalked up to luck of the draw and particularly peaceful tasks. That their genin teammate, who failed the same Exams and devoted himself to the study of iryou-ninjutsu, had never bonded with them or his sensei was noted in Hyuuga Tokuma's report, then forgotten about. Antisocial genins were nobody's priorities.

Uchiha Tanjiro and Nezuko were thought to be as unremarkable as the line they hailed from. Promising chuunin, maybe, but hardly noteworthy.

Which is why Sarutobi Hiruzen was entirely blindsided when the twins brought in a tied up and unconscious Uchiha Itachi, reporting his attempted culling of the clan he was set to one day lead and submitting him to the Hokage's judgement. Uchiha Nezuko, clad in a lovely pink kimono with a hemp leaf pattern, looks barely ruffled despite the blood dripping from her nails. Uchiha Tanjiro is visibly upset and the tight grip he has on his sword shows how rattled he has been by the events of that night, but not more than the way his eyes are narrowed like flint, fixed on the traitor he has apprehended. Tanjiro and Nezuko have little siblings, thinks Hiruzen faintly.

The Sandaime is already thinking of how to handle that situation — namely figuring out how to handle the loyal shinobi they are justly treating like a criminal for his attempted kinslaying without revealing that Itachi's actions were sanctioned by his own office — when the kunoichi dripping blood on the Hokage Tower's floors throws him for another loop.

"He was not alone," Uchiha Nezuko tells him solemnly. Her voice is soft like cotton. "A masked man was aiding him and killed an additional twenty-three of our clansmen before we gave chase and he disappeared using an unknown technique."

"That..." Hiruzen takes a deep breath. Itachi alone, he could have handled. But if the man who released the Kyuubi has been sighted... "Gecko, call the War Council. Cat, you will take Uchiha Itachi to the hospital to be examined before bringing him in for his judgement. Take a team to monitor him. You will not let him escape."

Tanjiro often thinks about Tengen-san these days.

He wonders what the man would have thought of their new life, and the particular predicament they now found themselves in.

Uzui Tengen, who gave up the harshness of shinobi life for a nobler cause and valued his wives too much to sacrifice them for the sake of a mission would probably have left Konoha without a backward glance as soon as he realised where he had landed himself.

Tanjiro stayed.

He and Nezuko stayed for their little siblings and for their parents, who would not understand that leaving was an option, and because they did not wish to endanger their precious family after only getting them back. They stayed because the livelihood of their family was there, and because they thought the dream of the Founders of the village was worth protecting. Maybe Konoha had strayed and maybe peace was just a dream, but they would fight for it if it meant Rokuta, Hanako and Shigeru did not have to.

And until now, they did not regret their decision. Because they thought the village was safe. The Kyuubi's rampage was one thing; the creature was sealed once more and was not set to be released ever again. Konoha was not Suna, who could barely contain the Tailed Beast they stubbornly kept caged in their home. The village was not a perfect place, but they and their comrades were willing to defend it, and their family would be better protected here than anywhere else in the Elemental Nations.

Or so they thought, until Uchiha Itachi forced their front door open. Nezuko had to use her Combustible Blood technique for the first time since their deaths and Tanjiro had to unleash sun breathing techniques that burnt true instead of giving the illusion of heat. Until they brought the kinslayer to the Hokage so he could be sentenced to death for what he dared to do to the children of their clan, and Sarutobi Hiruzen was surprised at their strength and not at Itachi's crime.

Tanjiro is ambivalent about the clan he is now a part of. The members of the shinobi lines are often haughty and arrogant, and look down their noses at the civilian families in their midst, as if the farmers, weavers and butchers aren't doing work just as essential as theirs. The elders in particular rub him the wrong way.

But the children of the blacksmith next door played tag with Shigeru, and the old woman three houses away from theirs minded them when their father became bedridden and their mother needed to work and care for him. Sumire-oba-san read them bedtime stories and looked over Hanako's homework, helping her with her kanji. The jounin a block from theirs called on Nezuko and Tanjiro when they awakened their Sharingan and spent a week teaching them to use their doujutsu, the mutation so unfamiliar to them they found it frightening. Uchiha Izumi, born from a non-Uchiha father and scorned for it by some of the clan elders, sparred with the twins when they all had free time. She always gushed about Itachi, who she said was always kind to her.

Now that their clan heir has been taken off their hands, Tanjiro turns to Nezuko, who is breathing deeply, her hands clenched into fists. He spares a thought for Uchiha Mikoto, whose expression had shuttered when they had presented her with her eldest son, bound and dead to the world. She had only covered Sasuke's eyes and told them that the Clan Head was at the police's headquarters, which had been similarly targeted. She asked them to bring Itachi to the Hokage Tower so their leader could pass judgement upon him. She asked them to be advocates for the Uchiha.

It had been apparent that she knew what had prompted this madness, and no matter how well Itachi had played the part, he did not have Muzan's god complex. Something more rotten was afoot, and it threatened everything the twins hold dear.

And this among many reasons is why Tanjiro firms his resolve and thinks that the shinobi of the Kamado line will have no loyalty but to their own. He is not blind. Tension has been brewing among the clan leadership, but Tanjiro and Nezuko were either too young or too common to be made privy to their leaders' plans.

And their family almost paid the price.

Nezuko looks back at him. She presses her lips together. Tanjiro leans forward and grabs her hand, wiping the blood from it with his checkered sleeve. The sight of the familiar pattern seems to soothe her as much as the methodical motions. She unclenches her fists.

"Nii-san," she says, her voice soft and almost plaintive.

"I know, Nezuko."

His voice breaks as he says her name. They almost lost their family again. If they had been out of the compound... he can't imagine it.

They do not have time to grieve, however. The Hokage clears his throat, and the twins turn to him. He seems to hesitate before saying.

"If you would come with me, Tanjiro-san, Nezuko-san."

And he leads them to a lower floor, where the door to a conference room lays open, presumably prepared for the War Council that is to come.

They stand near the door, straight-backed like good little soldiers while the Hokage takes his place on the seat of honour at the end of the room. Two ANBU reveal themselves and stand at his side. People start filtering in. Shimura Danzo is first, looking displeased and considering at once. Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu come next, then the Hyuuga Clan Head. Shikaku Nara, the Jounin Commander follow, Yamanaka Inoichi and Akimichi Chouza walking after him. Three people Tanjiro doesn't recognise go in, followed by Aburame Shibi. Uchiha Fugaku closes the march, looking exhausted and aggrieved. This makes all the Noble Clans of Konoha along with the Village Leadership, notes Tanjiro, staring at his Clan Head.

The first thing the man does upon entering the room is look at them, press his lips together then send a poisonous look at Danzo, which Tanjiro does not understand.

But he does not like it.

"Fugaku, report," says the Hokage once the entire Council is seated.

"The Konoha Police Force has been decimated," states their Clan Head with a blank expression. "Seven officers were transported to the hospital before they succumbed to their wounds, but they were in a critical state and might not survive the night. They will likely not be fit for active duty even should a miracle happen. Fourty-seven civilian deaths have been reported, including nineteen children. All the elders of the Uchiha clan are dead, and out of the eighty-two active duty shinobi that were in the Compound, only twenty-one still live. They were all located in the Southwestern District, where the threat was apprehended."

"Tanjiro-san, Nezuko-san, anything to add?"

Tanjiro and his sister exchange a look. The boy understands from the way his sister is worrying her lower lip that she does not feel confident speaking in front of such a crowd. The years she spent in forced mutism have left its marks, and Nezuko is quieter now than she was during their first childhood.

"We apprehended Uchiha Itachi after he sliced open our doorstep at 2300 hours."

Tanjiro hears the collective sharp intake of breath this statement provoked, but he ignores it.

"He claimed that he intended to test his strength against the might of the clan, and that weak Uchiha would be culled. After three attempts to reason with him while protecting our civilian family from his assaults, we decided it was necessary to subdue him."

He should not even have granted him this much, he thinks bitterly, but Inosuke might have been right that his softness might one day be his undoing. He needs to get rid of the idea that because his opponents are not demons, they can be made to stand down, or it will kill him. He continues, staring ahead at the Hokage, whose eyes have closed in resignation as he methodically lays out the events of the night. Tanjiro's nose is as sharp as ever and the man smells like sorrow and guilt. It is all the more grating for the circumstances they find themselves in.

"We engaged the criminal and subdued him. We suspected he had already started killing because blood permeated the air after he forced our entrance door open. We did not know if he was acting alone, so we brought our family to a safe space where they have remained since. We returned and started counting the dead, which is when we realised that Uchiha Itachi had an accomplice. The unidentified suspect was killing his way through the Northeastern district. He wore an orange swirl mask and possessed one visible Sharingan. I cannot tell if it was stolen, but he did not smell like an Uchiha. He smelled like Hashirama trees."

"Your sense of smell is sharp enough to tell?" cuts off Lord Danzo, his eyes gleaming.

Tanjiro nods, but does not say more on the topic.

"He was using an unknown jutsu to get around, something reminiscent of the Hiraishin, and his chakra had no tangible presence. We gave chase until we reached the Compound border and attempted to apprehend him, but he jumped into the Naka river and disappeared before hitting the water. We retraced our steps, picked up the kinslayer and headed to the Clan Head's residence to check on our clan leadership. Clan Lady Mikoto directed us to bring the apprehended suspect to the Hokage Tower."

And here they are, is implied.

"Uchiha Itachi is currently under guard at the hospital, being checked for permanent damage before he is brought in to be interrogated," announces the Hokage.

"Is that really necessary," says Mitokado Homura, his eyebrows furrowed. "The man must be executed for his crime, surely."

Sarutobi Hiruzen hums, but says no more.

Tanjiro takes a discreet intake of breath. Mitokado smells like nervousness. He turns to his sister. Nezuko is looking at the closed door. He wonders what she's thinking about. Their family perhaps, hidden in the panic room they carved in the mountains, who would stay unaccounted for until the eldest siblings can ascertain if it is truly safe for them to return.

"I will be performing a Mind Walk before any execution if nothing else, Mitokado-san," counters Yamanaka Inoichi. "Any information Itachi might have on his accomplice is worth extracting."

"Uchiha Itachi is an expert in genjutsu. Are you not scared of the potential repercussions of intruding upon his mind?" says the elder in response.

The Yamanaka Clan Head shrugs.

"This is not the first Uchiha traitor I will interrogate." As he sees the smug look of the Hyuuga Clan Head, he adds, "Every clan has seen at least one of their members betray the oaths they have taken. Itachi's case surprises me more than most. I thought him loyal, bordering on fanatical. And Uchiha Shisui's death seemed to have made him even more so."

Tanjiro bites his lip. He did not know him well, but Uchiha Shisui had reminded him of Kyojuro. His reported suicide had shattered that comparison a little bit.

"Has it?" questions Lord Danzo. "Rumours say he was the one who killed him. And considering what occurred tonight, I am inclined to believe them."

The Hokage sends his closest advisor a sharp look. Tanjiro looks at the both of them, and an idea forms in his mind. He does not like it.

Aburame Shibi is the one who speaks up. "I thought that this Council was done with rumours. Why? Because the rampant disinformation in the Corps resulted in the suicide of Konoha's White Fang."

The ANBU at the Hokage's left flinches. That is Hatake Kakashi, thinks Tanjiro with sympathy. Of course mentioning his father during such a night would rattle him. Lord Danzo looks mullish. The Council keeps arguing back and forth, but there is nothing productive to be said as long as Itachi is not brought back to be interrogated. Instead, the topic shifts to logistics. The police force is gone, and someone must replace them. Hyuuga Hiashi of course volunteers himself for the task with unseemly smugness, but Uchiha Fugaku reminds them all sharply that he has not stepped down from his position as the Head of the Konoha Police Force.

The decision is made to take recruits from the Genin Corps and whip them into shape. Until that is done, ANBU will focus their missions inward. Tanjiro's Clan Head is displeased, yet he does not argue. He is in a precarious position; his son and heir is a traitor, and he has no allies in this room.

Lord Danzo tries to insinuate that he has suggestions to replace the lead officers lost during the massacre, but he is shut down by the Hokage, who smells so strongly like guilt and disappointment Tanjiro has to stop himself from covering his nose.

Nezuko twitches. A handful of seconds later, Uchiha Itachi appears at the centre of the room, guarded by four ANBU. His eyes are forced shut with seals. Docile, he lets himself be guided in front of the Hokage.

"Itachi," says the Sandaime, sorrowful.

"Hokage-sama," murmurs the kinslayer.

"Why did you do this?"

Itachi stays silent.

The councilmen exchange looks. They did not expect the Hokage to be so gentle towards the perpetrator of an unprecedented massacre.

"Yes, son," says Fugaku mockingly, "will you tell us why you killed your kin?" The man licks his lips. "Or rather, under whose orders?"

Chapter Text

Nezuko does not like this.

Everything about this situation reeks of a conspiracy, and she is quite sick of those.

Itachi, though his eyes are forced shut, stares ahead evenly. He is waiting for something, they can all tell. But only the Hokage seems to know what it is. The man has seemingly prepared for it as early as when he announced the War Council, because his expression shifts. Gone is the tired grandfather. The God of Shinobi barks, "Crow, report."

"I have been spying on the Uchiha on behalf of the administration for up to a year, and uncovered a conspiracy to overthrow the Hokage and place Uchiha leadership in its place."

Murmurs rise in the room, but no one interrupts the Uchiha Clan Heir. Nezuko turns to his brother, who is frowning. They knew things were happening, but they hadn't expected anything like this. A coup would be a blood bath, what were the elders thinking? The Uchiha are disliked and distrusted, it's true, but the situation has not yet reached a point where such measures are necessary. Integrating more into the village would have been a better way to handle things than whatever this is.

She shudders just thinking about it.

But Itachi is not done. He's only just started. "At the same time, I was monitoring an unknown who has been monitoring the Uchiha Clan for several years on the Hokage's orders. When I made contact with the unknown a month ago, he identified himself as Uchiha Madara and asked me to join his organisation. I reported this to the Hokage and was ordered to stall. I complied with the order and kept monitoring the unknown."

Nezuko blinks. Uchiha Madara would have smelled like an Uchiha, she thinks, trusting her brother's nose. But the man is also supposed to have died long ago. Something that might have sustained him could also have changed his scent. She restrains a frown at the idea. She is sick of immortals and their schemes.

"Today at 1900 hours, Councilman Shimura ordered the extermination of the entire Uchiha Clan on grounds of treason. He stipulated that the order would be carried out by me or by his operatives. I was given incentive to comply; if I carried out the order personally, my little brother would be allowed to live."

All eyes turn to Lord Danzo, who scowls at the Sandaime, rightfully holding him responsible for Itachi's full disclosure of his acts. The man prefers to operate in the shadows, that much is clear, and he oversteps his bounds as a Councilman by far. More interestingly, very few of the people present are surprised by this.

"At 1930, I consulted Sandaime-sama, who sanctioned Lord Danzo's order. We discussed my future as a covert operative since I would be unable to remain in Konoha following the completion of my mission. At 2115, I approached the unknown shinobi and asked him for help, hoping to gain his trust in order to uncover his goals. He stated he would first take care of the twenty officers of the Police Force currently on night shift, then come to the compound and assist me there."

He licks his lips.

"I prioritised the elders responsible for pushing the coup and their most fervent supporters then methodically dispatched every Uchiha in a circle-like pattern, starting from the centre of the Compound. I used genjutsu for efficiency, and most of the targets I dispatched were asleep when I targeted them," he says with an empty expression. He sounds dispassionate, but despair clings to him so tightly it is impossible not to notice it. "Clan Head Uchiha Fugaku sent a shadow clone around 2220 and enjoined me to stop. When I refused to comply, he sent several shinobi of the clan after me, whom I dispatched as well. I personally killed seventy-two of my clan members before I faced Uchiha Nezuko and Uchiha Tanjiro. The chuunin pair subdued and knocked me out after three attempts to get me to stand down, which I ignored in order to place them under a genjutsu, which was unsuccessful."

Itachi sounds faintly puzzled by this. Nezuko might have smiled if the situation wasn't so dire. As it is, she can only think about the fact that it is not only the kinslayer's fate that will be discussed in this War Council.

She does not know why the Hokage decided on transparency. She can tell it was prompted by Itachi's failure and his deep guilt at what he allowed to happen, the lengths he has gone to in order to preserve the peace in Konoha, but she does not see what his end goal is.

The only thing she sees is that the fate of her clan, and by extension that of their family, lies in the balance.

Tanjiro feels deep pain and empathy for Uchiha Itachi. He remembers having to choose between his family and the lives of innocents. Tanjiro had been paralysed by that choice, and Nezuko had needed to make it for him. It could have ended in tragedy, and he would have hated himself for his entire life no matter the outcome.

Itachi was alone in making that choice.

Alone and grieving for what he is guessing was his only support. Just because Itachi had not said a word about Uchiha Shisui's involvement does not mean Tanjiro cannot guess that he was also involved in spying for the clan.

"Are you telling me two barely promoted chuunin successfully subdued one of the best Uchiha operatives in the village?" says Hyuuga Hiashi scornfully.

What he is implying is that Itachi's reputation must have been inflated. What happens instead is that all eyes turn on the Kamado twins. Tanjiro grimaces.

"Yes, how did that happen?" asks Councilman Utatane interestedly. "No one has reported the promotion of noteworthy Uchiha chuunin, and yet they managed to do what their elders have failed."

The Sandaime looks exasperated by the pointless exchange, but he nods at Tanjiro and Nezuko, silently asking them to explain themselves.

"He was weakened, Hokage-sama," demurs Tanjiro, "and Sharingan-induced genjutsu can be disrupted by obscuring line of sight, which can be done by, " how does he say firing copious amounts of Hinokami kenjutsu techniques and detonating blood without sounding like a lunatic, "focusing on blinding your mark and using concussive force. Nezuko and I are also adept at using our teamwork against individual opponents."

"If it was that simple, it would have been done by our enemies before," harrumphs the woman who asked.

She subsides, though, and the room turns back to their most pressing concern.

"Hokage-sama," starts Nara Shikaku. "The way I see it, the most pressing order of business is determining the fate of the Uchiha clan. If they are judged guilty of treason, the next point to consider is whether extermination of the entire clan is an acceptable sentence. If they are not judged guilty, then this extermination is unlawful and the perpetrators should be charged for the crime. Only then can we determine the fate of Uchiha Itachi." He pauses, then looks around the room, his gaze lingering on the Heads of the Four Noble Clans of Konoha. "Now my question is such: who should determine the culpability of the Uchiha clan? You, Hokage-sama, who have endorsed their execution though you were not the one to give the order? The rest of the War Council, as the village authority most apt to answer concerns the Hokage might find himself unable to? Or should we request the Daimyo's presence? He is after all the man to whom the Uchiha Clan as a whole — and not just the sworn shinobi, who are under the Hokage's purview — owes his fealty," he finishes with a sharp look.

That, thinks Tanjiro, is a good point. The Hokage had no right to sanction the deaths of Uchiha civilians without the Daimyo's authorisation. They do not swear oaths to him. In fact, the Civilian Council generally takes matters of dissensions to Madame Shijimi, who has a semi-permanent residence in Konoha.

Judging by Lord Danzo's scowl, the man is aware of it. Tanjiro tries to avoid looking at him for too long, lest his control slip and his killing intent release. The man has ordered the death of his family and feels no remorse for it. The Hokage at the very least smells like agony and clearly attempted to hold himself accountable by having Uchiha Itachi reveal all the gruesome details of the order he was given. It is not enough to absolve him of guilt, but it's a start. Shimura Danzo does not have the decency to give them that.

"The Uchiha is a shinobi clan," protests Mitokado Homura. "They should all be tried as shinobi."

"My parents are charcoal farmers," says Tanjiro, unable to help himself. "Before my sister and I graduated from the Academy, there has not been a single Uchiha shinobi in our family line. Not since the Warring States Era. I can name up to eight Uchiha lines who are in the same situation. Teachers, healers, grocers, woodcutters... none of them have even heard about a coup. If you mean that our doujutsu makes us shinobi, I would hope you can refer me to the law you are using to determine such a thing."

"Your leadership has sentenced you to death, boy, not the village."

Tanjiro looks at the councilman with barely hidden disgust. They are so eager to see us all dead, he thinks, revolted.

"Have they? It is Konoha who is questioning our loyalty. It is Konoha who has released a kill order and requested our Clan Heir carry it out."

Itachi blinks slowly, surprised at being talked about. Tanjiro carefully does not cross his gaze. He does not want to see the emptiness in his eyes.

"And it is your Clan Head who has been fomenting a coup," cuts in Shimura Danzo sharply.

"Then execute him," says Nezuko, just as cutting. "If he is suspected of treason, put him on trial and execute him for the crime he has committed. Why are we paying for actions we have not committed? Why should my three-year-old brother pay for the actions of his elders when our families had no knowledge of a coup?"

"We have only your word for it," points out Nara Shikaku tiredly. "But that is indeed what a trial is for. Which brings me back to my question, who should be the judge of it?"

Everyone turns back to the Hokage, who seems to have aged thirty years during this exchange. When the silence keeps on too long, Uchiha Fugaku stands. The ANBU straighten, prepared to intervene.

"Let this War Council judge me and my suspected collaborators," he says with a sneer. "You have your witness," he adds with a bitter nod at his son. "You can hold an informal trial to confirm whether treason actually took place, who was involved and who was not, and whether it is enough to condemn all the conspirators involved to death. A Daimyo's representative can be sent for to decide if kin punishment is necessary to cleanse our sins, and whether this collective sentence encompasses the complete extermination of our Clan." He pauses and faces his colleagues. "I suggest you think less about the concept of guilt by association and more about how much you value the Uchiha Clan's labour and of course, our doujutsu."

"Very well," says Sarutobi Hiruzen. "Shikaku-san, will you preside upon this ruling?"

The Nara Clan Head nods. The Elders look outraged not to have been given this right, but Tanjiro does not understand why. They made it so obvious that they supported Danzo, why would anyone give them more authority over this matter than the man who presented himself as neutral?

Tanjiro feels helpless in a way he has not since his early days as a demon slayer. If this situation could be solved with sword skills, it would be so much easier. But being a shinobi involved a lot more politics than battling monsters.

When the demons are men, battles are fought with words as much as steel.

"Let us start then. Uchiha Fugaku, you stand here suspected of leading your clan to commit treason and plotting to overthrow the Hokage's Office. What do you plead?"

"I plead guilty on the second accusation, but I am not guilty of the first charge."

Tanjiro straightens. The councilmen all stare at the Uchiha Clan Head.

"Elaborate."

"I was not the instigator of the Uchiha rebellion. Furthermore, I cannot be charged with leading my clan to commit treason if I am not their leader." He smiles. It looks awful. Shadowed and despairing, but unbearably smug. "Let me explain further: the Elders of the Clan were the ones who proposed a coup. I opposed them at first, until I was swayed by their arguments. Everything they said was right. We were being pushed out of the village. Our shinobi were recklessly endangered during missions, our complaints to leadership were shut down. I was being talked over in Clan Council meetings, my kin had to create a hospital in the compound after multiple incidents where their wounds were improbably treated, those needing urgent care were made to wait and people died for it. No Uchiha has been made jounin since the Yondaime's death, applications to teach at the Academy are dismissed, never mind R&D or Intel."

Tanjiro and Nezuko exchange looks. Their father's application for treatment had taken time, but they hadn't yet known enough about this world to tell if it was normal or not.

Tanjiro turns to the other Heads of Noble Clans, who seem to be looking back on previous interactions with the Uchiha Clan Head. They are seasoned shinobi, their thoughts cannot be so easily read, and their awareness of his keen sense of smell means that they are taking care to mute the input they give off as much as they can. Suppressing scent with chakra is possible, if difficult. His attention is caught on one of the people he didn't recognise. The man is sitting next to Aburame Shibi, and he is not skilled enough to hide from Tanjiro's senses. The man smells like guilt. He must be from one of the departments Fugaku mentioned, thinks Tanjiro, alarmed. That does not bode well. If the Elders are not the only unbiased parties in the room, the fate of the Uchiha Clan hangs on a precarious balance.

"I yielded to my Elders," continues Fugaku. "And we reached out to kinsmen who would be sympathetic to our grievance. There were many," he admits shamelessly. Why wouldn't he? Most of his conspirators are dead. He is trying to save the Clan, not himself, understands Tanjiro, dismayed. "We kept the Uchiha shinobi who were below the age of fifteen in the dark, save for Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Itachi, who were deemed our best assets."

"What was your plan?" asks Akimichi Chouza curiously. "Itachi-kun said there was a conspiracy, but not what it entailed."

Itachi's eyes narrow slightly at the rebuke. He does not seem to appreciate being criticised for his succinctness.

"That is because he didn't know," admits Fugaku frankly, startling his son and his observers. "What, son, did you think I didn't know you had split loyalties? I didn't think you would go this far, but the thought that you would side against us did cross my mind. And we planned to sidestep this by forcing your hand," he says without shame. "We never intended to spill more blood than was necessary. The plan was to march peacefully to the Hokage Tower and request a meeting with the Hokage. We would have laid our grievances at your feet, Sandaime-sama, and asked that you name an Uchiha successor to show your willingness to address them. If that failed, Itachi would have faced you in single combat and won the hat with his own skills, because I believed in my son's ability to steer this village in a more peaceful direction."

"So your conspirators were intended to serve as decorations?" sneers Danzo.

The Uchiha Clan Head looks at him evenly. "They would have been there to stop you from interfering, Lord Danzo."

Nezuko looks at Itachi, whose face has slackened with the revelation. He looks so young like this. But she cannot forget the dispassionate expression he had when he sliced open their door and tried to get at their youngest siblings. She finds it hard to forgive this.

"I have two questions," announces Aburame Shibi. "Why did you claim that you were not the leader of the Uchiha, and what did you plan for the civilians you would have left defenceless while you were committing treason?"

"I stepped down from my position six months ago. If you have noticed, I have not attended a clan council meeting since," he says, addressing the four Heads of the Noble Clans, who nod in confirmation.

That was right after Uchiha Shisui's death, calculates Nezuko. She remembers Tanjiro's reaction to meeting their senpai. His sunny disposition and riotous curls had made him wistful, and he had thought of Rengoku Kyojuro much since then. For the first time since their reincarnation, he had considered reaching out to someone who wasn't family, something they hadn't thought to do when they were so focused on basking in the simple joy of retrieving what they had once lost. Their parents, their siblings, Nezuko's humanity, her ability to speak. They were so focused on themselves, but Shisui had made Tanjiro want to reach out. And then he died.

Selfishly, Nezuko is glad they didn't. Would they have been put in Itachi's position too, if they had gotten involved with his best friend and been dragged to the limelight? Or would they have managed to stop this madness before tragedy struck?

"And the civilians would not have been left unprotected. Some of my co-conspirators volunteered to lead them out of our ancestral land," he emphasises, and Nezuko wants to roll her eyes, "shortly before our procession to the Hokage Tower, so they would be away from the conflict as it occurred."

"Who is the current Uchiha Clan Head?"

"We have not appointed one. My wife, Mikoto, acted as Interim Clan Head while we were determining if Itachi was still a suitable option."

"What made you doubt him?" asks Yamanaka Inoichi.

"The fact that his crow summon had the eye of Uchiha Shisui in its socket," says Fugaku frankly.

Nezuko wants to growl.

Tanjiro looks repulsed, and she has to repress a smile at the thought of him attempting to do such a thing to Tennoji Matsuemon, the Kasugai Crow assigned to him by Oyakata-sama. She knows her brother considered signing the Crow contract, and only held off from requesting it because he didn't want to replace his old companion. Nezuko thinks he should have done it, if only because the not unlikely chance that the crow was reincarnated with them was too funny not to verify.

"You knew?" murmurs Itachi.

Uchiha Fugaku snorts.

"You are a prodigy, my son, but I have served Konoha for more than thirty years and been its Head of the Police Force for half of that time. I am not stupid enough to think you killed Shisui yourself, but you know as much as I do that he would not have chosen to kill himself if he hadn't been driven to a corner."

At this, he looks at Shimura Danzo once again. The councilman has not stopped scowling since the beginning of this "trial," and his displeasure only deepens at this thinly-veiled accusation.

"Are there any more questions for Fugaku-san?" asks Nara Shikaku. "No?" He rolls his shoulders. "Then I will ask some of my own."

The Jounin Commander proceeds to ask more technical questions of the accused man. He asks him for the specific dates of the rebels' meetings, the names of those involved and those in the know, how many of them are still alive following Itachi and the masked man's killings — twenty-three of them still live — and how many Uchiha are left — ninety-one, the number made up of thirty-two shinobi, including the seven critically injured officers, nine veterans, and fourty-eight civilians. He then interrogates him about his claims that the Uchiha were being segregated, prying out specific examples that would be verifiable with a follow-up investigation.

Then he asks Fugaku why he did not reach out.

The Nara Clan Head sounds tired when he does, and even more so when the former Clan Head's response is to laugh bitterly and say, "to who?". There is nothing more to say to that.

Nara Shikaku asks the man to sit, then turns to Yamanaka Inoichi. His teammate must have understood his wordless request, because he faces Tanjiro and Nezuko and asks them to step forward.

"Would you consent to a Mind Walk? We would like to verify your memories to ensure you were truly not aware of the coup. The same will be asked to you, Itachi-san and Fugaku-san, to verify the information you gave us. This is only a formality, he assures."

The twins do not have to think about it before accepting. There is nothing they wouldn't do to ensure their family's safety. They would split their own heads open and present their secrets to all asundry if it means that Hanako, Shigeru and Rokuta will be safe. If they must, they will fight or die trying to get their parents and siblings to the Land of Iron, the closest neutral territory on the continent. But Nezuko has little illusion of their chances should they make the attempt. The majority of shinobi might be weaker than demons, but they have numbers on their side and there are exceptional individuals loyal enough to Konoha to be a problem. Nezuko does not know how they would fare against Hatake Kakashi.

Their former Clan Head and Heir accept as well, though with more reluctance on the older man's part.

It is indeed a formality. Nezuko does not even have to hide their reincarnation; the Yamanaka Clan Head and Head of T&I does not find what he is not looking for. He does look at her oddly when he sees that the avatar in her mind representing her self concept takes the shape of a demon, but Nezuko doesn't doubt that the man has seen weirder in his career.

"All the information presented to the Council is accurate," says Inoichi when they are done.

"Then we should vote."

Nezuko holds her breath.

Nara Shikaku clears his throat.

"On the matter of Uchiha Fugaku and his collaborators' participation in fomenting rebellion against the Hokage's Office, the involved parties are charged as guilty, their sentence to be determined. A lighter sentence is recommended on accounts of the extenuating circumstances that led to this situation and the mishandling of the affair by the Hokage's Office. On the matter of the Uchiha Clan as a whole's culpability in the coup d'etat, the Clan as a whole is not determined to be guilty pending confirmation given by a Daimyo's representative, thereby making Councilman Shimura Danzo's order of extermination and Itachi's murder of his kinsmen potentially unlawful, their sentence to be determined. The fate of the Uchiha Clan still hangs in the balance, but this Council recommends a transfer of power to prevent the rise of any possible dissent."

At this he looks at Uchiha Fugaku first, then to Shimura Danzo, and finally to Sarutobi Hiruzen.

His meaning is clear; the Headship of the Uchiha Clan is not the only position that should be transferred.

Chapter Text

Madame Shijimi gives them the Daimyo's decision days later.

The Uchiha conspirators are in a cell, Uchiha Fugaku included, and Shimura Danzo has been temporarily detained along with Uchiha Itachi. They have not made an attempt to escape, the former likely confident in the Daimyo's verdict while the latter probably does not care.

Tanjiro and Nezuko have spent this time in limbo mopping up blood, relocating the Uchiha who were not implicated into the main compound to make them easier to guard and pointedly ignoring anyone's questions about the whereabouts of their family members. They would not be saying a word until they received the verdict.

When they do, the entire clan takes a collective breath of relief.

It is better than they could have ever hoped for.

The clan will not be subjected to collective punishment and the conspirators will be the only ones to pay the price for their foolishness. 

The Kamado twins have to seek out Nara Shikaku to obtain more information, but it is enough for them to be reasonably sure their family can be returned to the village.

They ask for an audience on behalf of the clan and go with a small delegation composed of Uchiha Mikoto, Uchiha Ryuu, a jounin who survived the night of the massacre and Uchiha Kimiko, the apprentice of the former miko of the Naka shrine.

It is telling that the three adults do not question their inclusion in the delegation, only nodding at them and starting their procession through the village. The civilians eye them with blatant curiosity and wariness. They know very little of what has transpired, the leadership having kept it all quiet as long as they could. What they do know is that the Konoha Police Force is entirely gone and their compound does not accept visitors at this time. It has given rise to a lot of speculation.

When they meet him, Nara Shikaku greets them with a tired nod and an offer of refreshments. The Jounin Commander doesn't waste time before telling them Shimura Danzo has been condemned to death, and the unit under his command will be reintegrated into the regular shinobi forces.

Tanjiro, who didn't know said unit even existed raises an eyebrow and moves on, listening to the man as he lays out more details of the situation.

The Sandaime Hokage has taken a leave of absence. Shikaku himself is interim Hokage until a permanent candidate can be elected.

"What will the village be told?" 

"We have elected to keep the situation as quiet as possible. The S-rank masked intruder and Councilman Shimura will be given full responsibility for the attack and a Bingo Book entry will be released calling for the head of the former. We'll send hunter-nin after him once the situation has stabilised, but I unfortunately cannot devote much time to his capture at the moment. That will be a job for the Godaime, whoever it is. We're hoping Sandaime-sama can convince Tsunade-hime to come back and take the hat, but we're not getting our hopes up."

Judging by how dead-eyed Shikaku is, it seems like the man expects to be named permanently to the post should the Sandaime fail.

"What about Itachi?" asks Tanjiro, biting his lip, clearly catching the unsaid name in the room. 

The Nara Clan Head looks impossibly tired. "He will be released back into the custody of the Uchiha Clan. As his crimes were all village-sanctioned, we cannot be the ones to decide his sentence. His fate will be in your hands." He pauses and looks at Mikoto evenly. "Konoha's administration strongly advises that you choose a new Head before you do this, but this is of course your prerogative, Lady Mikoto. Konoha's Clan Charter does not allow us to make this decision for you."

Without missing a beat, the kunoichi replies, "Uchiha Tanjiro will be our new Clan Head."

Ryuu and Kimiko nod as if this was a given. Shikaku does not look even remotely surprised.

Tanjiro blinks. "Eh?"

Nezuko and Tanjiro stare at each other, at a loss of how to explain to their family what happened in the last few days.

Their parents were obviously relieved to see them, having spent the past several days worried out of their minds for their eldest children, their clan and the village as a whole.

"Nii-san is Clan Head now," blurts out Nezuko, before her eyes widen in panic. That was not what she meant to say at all.

At the same time, Tanjiro says, "We were promoted to jounin."

Their parents exchange a look before taking a deep breath and giving them a gentle smile.

"Do you mind starting from the beginning, children?"

They grin sheepishly and explain.

The twins move into what used to be Uchiha Hikaku's house.

It seems appropriate. 

Like Tanjiro, the man never expected to be put in charge of the entire clan; Madara and Izuna were supposed to lead them all, and only dire circumstances led to his ascension as Clan Head. Hikaku only acted as regent, ceding the position to Izuna's orphaned son twenty years later, when the boy grew into a man capable of taking on that burden.

Tanjiro plans to take another page out of his ancestor's book and cede the Headship to Sasuke when he is old enough.

(Interestingly enough, Uchiha Hikaku's mother hailed from the Kamado line.)

Hikaku died without an heir and the house was primarily used to host diplomatic envoys from the capital. Shinobi of the Leaf or not, the Uchiha remained a Noble Clan and were sometimes required to perform the duties associated with this title.

Considering the circumstances, Lady Mikoto suggested her own home be used for this purpose instead, and Hikaku's home given to them. This came after several minutes of back and forth in which she insisted on moving from the main clan house and giving it to the new Head and his heir, but Tanjiro refused vehemently. He utterly failed to convince her, but Nezuko thankfully pointed out that uprooting Sasuke from his home after such an upheaval would be detrimental to his development. Considering the boy would have to live with the knowledge that his father was going to be quietly executed by the village and his brother's chakra bound after he witnessed him attempt to massacre their clansmen, this seemed like a reasonable enough objection.

Itachi himself took the knowledge of his fate with equanimity. When the twins told him he would be living with them to keep the rest of the clan from going after him, he only nodded and murmured it would be their right.

Tanjiro strongly suspects the boy does not care about what happens to him either way. He and Nezuko have already agreed to do their best to change that. Unfortunately, he cannot perform miracles, not even in this strange world where the impossible is in the grasp of anyone lucky enough to be born with chakra. 

Still, he will give it his best effort, like he does for everything.

Adjusting to his new role is difficult.

People treat him differently now.

His clansmen seem to find comfort in his and his sister's new positions, both as jounin and as Clan Head and Heir. They know them as the ones who apprehended the Kinslayer and ensured their clan received justice. The former is certainly true, but Tanjiro is not sure about the latter. He doesn't think the little they said during that fateful interrogation was enough to change anything. Konoha is simply more principled than they cynically had expected.

(If they had only known what the elders were planning, perhaps they could have resolved all this without so much bloodshed. Perhaps they should not have let themselves fade into obscurity and should have instead displayed their strengths, cemented themselves as trustworthy figures who could have stopped this madness before it started. 

Perhaps they could have saved Rengoku Shisui. 

Tanjiro swallows his resentment for the elitist fools and focuses on the present. No matter how much stronger he was than in his previous life, he could not fix cracks he did not see.)

The civilians outside the clan watch him with open curiosity. Now that a statement has been released, their wariness has slowly morphed into pity. The village also seems to breathe easier, though Tanjiro cannot attribute it to his ascension at the Head of his clan. It seems to have everything to do with the fact that Senju Tsunade has recently taken her place as Godaime.

She already has promised to improve the hospital, reinforce the village's barriers and foster an atmosphere of trust in the village. Her only controversial decision so far is to adopt the boy some villagers call a demon.

(Tanjiro and Nezuko had first been worried when they heard. After a quick investigation, they have found said demon had nothing to do with the tragic and terrible figures of their first life. He was only a boy who was dealt an unfortunate hand, and Nezuko was especially livid to see the scorn he suffered for no true reason. It opened wounds they had both thought had fully healed when they were reunited with their family.

Tanjiro thinks she might have the chance to reach out now. He makes a note to remind her of it.)

The shinobi are intrigued too. Tanjiro and Nezuko have been offered spars by several jounin. One of them, a particularly enthusiastic man clad in green from head to toe had been a challenge Tanjiro had enjoyed. 

His new duties are daunting. Tanjiro knows nothing of politics, and he does not understand why strength makes him a good candidate to attend Council meetings and handle the logistics of an entire clan.

Itachi observes him flounder for some weeks before offering to act as his assistant, which Tanjiro accepts with embarrassed eagerness. The former clan heir is visibly befuddled by his easy agreement, and Tanjiro doesn't know how to explain it. What Itachi did was certainly heinous and Nezuko definitely still holds a grudge, but he does appreciate the impossible situation he was put into.

If Itachi hadn't acted, Shimura Danzo would have used his apparent secret army to do the deed, and he would have had no guarantees that his little brother would survive. If he had attacked the councilman, his hopes to avoid a civil war between the Uchiha and the village leadership would have probably gone up in flames.

Tanjiro would like to think he would have found a different way, but he was not the one put into this position.

There are monsters in this world. 

Monsters with no soul. 

Uchiha Itachi is not one of them.

It would be easy to execute him. With the blood on his hands, he might even deserve it. The village certainly thought Fugaku and his conspirators should die for even thinking about betraying the village, and Tanjiro would argue that what Itachi did was much worse.

But that would be taking the easy path. Itachi should atone for his mistakes.

And to do so, he needs to live and see them for what they are.

As Clan Head, Tanjiro is in the perfect position to give him that chance.