Naruto: Endless Requital
Chapitre One: Clouds That Foreshadow Darkness
Written by: Lost Anthology
Current Location: The Raikage's Office, Kumogakure no Sato
Current Time: Into the evening; 07:24 p.m.
At the present time, the Raikage was not in any mood for jokes. To be perfectly honest, he had not heralded such a mood for what was estimated to have been near a year now. More accurately speaking; since the realization that his brother had almost been captured at the hands of Akatsuki. Even since coming to acknowledge the fact that his brother was in fact safe, the Raikage's anger was not so simple to quell. The attempt on the life of Kirābī itself was a barbaric act; an unforgivable one at that, and the ones who had attempted to carry out such an attempt would come to suffer. He was of course speaking of one Uchiha Sasuke and Akatsuki.
The mere thought of the name triggered a snarl that ravished from the mouth of the Kage as he stared from the window of his office; Kumogakure no Sato loomed 'peacefully' underneath his hate-filled eyes as he pressed the palm of his hand against the glass. He had taken it upon himself to want to put this Uchiha in his place… to his death and had demanded a meeting of the five Kage. However, such was not permitted at the moment for even after the year of time that had slowly – in his opinion – rolled by, Konohagakure no Sato had yet to fully recover from the attack, Akatsuki had left upon it.
A rather devastating assault it had been too, as Raikage had sent his most prominent team to declare his demand. Their return had conveyed nothing but shock, even upon the stoic face of Samui, the leader of the three-man cell. Almost that alone, was enough for the Raikage to wait. Despite the past issues that Konohagakure held with the village in the Land of Lightning, he believed their hatred for Akatsuki would be just as strong… perhaps even more, than his own. His brother had escaped, fairly unscathed from the encounter with Uchiha; despite Kirābī's drawn out storytelling of the Uchiha and his comrades, unique skills. Konoha had not been so fortunate; their entire village, practically destroyed by the attack. Having come to hear such news, the Raikage had almost considered the idea of invasion; such a time as this would practically guarantee Kumogakure's victory.
Yet, his sureness was not one hundred percent. If such damage had been done, and still Akatsuki failed... it surely meant there was a force to be reckoned with. That thought along with the acceptance that even if Konoha and Kumogakure had not held a treaty with one another, they were still on friendly terms, kept the Raikage in the Land of Lightning. He was uncertain of what power had brought an end to the attack on the Land of Fire's most prominent village – though the Nine Tailed Fox had crossed his mind – but until he could be brought up to speed, there would be no attempts towards the village again.
It was complicated and frustrating then to simply stand here in mute silence and have nothing going his way. No leads upon Akatsuki in four months and the meeting prolonged; the Raikage needed results before he grew irrational. And as if granting his wish, his head turned slightly to gaze at the now three figures, which knelt before his desk. Staring at them, he could not help but slightly feel himself relax as his still hard gaze wandered upon them.
The group known as Team Samui glanced up at the Raikage as he turned to face them fully. For a moment there was silence as none spoke, despite the unusual odd look that came over one of the team members; lollipop in his mouth, the shinobi known as Omoi frowned slightly as he stood and turned his attention past the Raikage and outside towards the village.
"You're not going to scold us again, are you?" He allowed his hand to rub the back of his neck as Omoi watched the Raikage bemusedly.
Before he could even give remark however, the kunoichi beside him rose; an incredulous look of annoyance on her face as she glared at him. "After a year of coming up with practically nothing, I think he's had plenty of time to grow tired of that option. Stop being such a pain in the ass, with your jumping to conclusions." It seemed to be starting once again in the same usual fashion: Omoi would negatively jump to an unusual and pointless conclusion and then Karui would grow annoyed and bring about an argument that was all together, unnecessary.
For the leader of the three-man group, Samui did not say anything but simply watch her Raikage as he seemed to grow slightly tense once more with the argument that had now began. It had begun with Omoi's comment but now it seemed to be taking an entirely different direction involving the flat-chest that Karui should have been ashamed of in the shinobi's opinion. Standing up rather slowly, Samui's hand reached towards her shoulder blade as a sigh escaped her. It was beyond her why she always held such pains at the most inconvenient of times, yet she made no verbal complaint as her eyes closed in compliance to the pain. Maybe Omoi had been right though; were her breast too big?
"Silence, now!" The Raikage's voice had certainly brought about just what his words commanded as Omoi seemed to slump back into a crouched position, while Karui turned to face him almost as though in a military at-ease, though she was simply teasing as she suddenly relaxed, and smiled slightly. Even being aware of the feuding Nin's skill, there could not help but be some question towards how Kirābī had brought them up as his students. Of course his brother was not so much different in terms of audibility… perhaps he was the source to it all, to begin with.
Setting the matter aside however, his eyes glanced towards Omoi, who did not meet his gaze, and then towards Samui. The shinobi's question played through his mind again, before his fists clenched and rested upon his desk. "You've returned with still nothing?" His tone was not threatening, but there was certainly anger. He had plenty of reason to be such; Akatsuki had evaded him for the better part of a year now. With the exception of the brisk encounter that had occurred only due to Uchiha Sasuke's wanting it seemed, there was nothing.
Seemingly agreeing with the Raikage's thoughts, Samui shook her head. "Our only encounter remains to be that in which the target, Uchiha Sasuke, confronted Karui, while she was alone." Karui frowned as she glared towards the ground; the moment had not been all that of a proud one from her point of view:
It had begun as nothing more than reconnaissance for Karui as the three-man team split in the surrounding mountains of Kumogakure. Despite their six months of failure, there had not been an ounce of give in the kunoichi as she steadily pushed herself forward. By first appearance, she would not appear to be much of a kunoichi, yet she was rather crafty when need be. Intelligence was not exactly her forte, but she managed and her knowledge of the surrounding land made her a force to be reckoned with – in her opinion, at least –.
The Land of Lightning was not necessarily known for its luscious forests; there was simply mountain ranges and occasionally open desert, and so it did not make it too difficult for Karui to maneuver herself in position on her designated path. She was traveling east to north where she would meet with Omoi who was coming from the west. Samui was would start south and spread out in both directions, leaving nothing behind; she was leader of this group after all. Karui said nothing of it as her feet touched the meek branches of a tree that bent slightly under her weight before rebounding an inch.
'Nothing unusual', she had thought to herself as she halted and came to a halt as she landed within a crouch upon the ground. The scant number of trees did well to cover her as a sigh of annoyance escaped her. This Uchiha Sasuke was more than she had expected; even when she had learned that Kirābī-sensei actually found a number of difficulties within the teen, she had not completely taken those words to heart. Believing her master to have gone easy on the boy and his comrades was what she had decided upon, but he had even spoken of reverting to unleashing the Eight Tails full transformation. And then having to use one of the tails as a means for escape… it did not sit well with her. She had to find this rogue shinobi… Uchiha Sasuke.
Finding no reason to stay in this spot any longer, Karui took off once again. The area where Kirābī-sensei and Sasuke's team had done battle was within her direction. Despite having searched over the spot numerous times, there could come no harm from doing so again. It was perhaps the frustration that made her want to do this; the need to find something, anything that would lead to the capture. She exited the small fray of trees before the lake came into view. The looming Cliffside that stood beside it caught her attention only for a moment, before she stopped before the edge of clear liquid. She stared for a moment, as if trying to see something that was not there. Hoping to see something that she had missed and in that very instant, she found it.
Better yet, she found him as his reflection shone like a mirror. For a moment, Karui believed it to be nothing more than a hallucination but it did not stop the kunoichi from glancing up at the top of the cliff, and finding the Nin enshrouded in the Akatsuki cloak, that flowed effervescently in the wind. Their eyes met for the briefest of seconds before Karui had seemingly vanished from her spot by the lake.
Sasuke had not moved once before feeling the cold metal of a tanto pressed against his throat. His eyes continuously glancing into the tranquil lake; something he was only seeing for the first time before his head lifted slightly to better accommodate Karui. She did not hesitate to press the blade deeper against his throat.
"Why? Why did you attack Kirābī-sensei?" Her voice emitted in a low growl. She was struggling to keep herself from slitting his throat here and now. The Raikage wished for Uchiha to be brought to him alive, however. Frustration was truly overwhelming in this instance. It did not help in the least, that Sasuke said nothing to her question.
"What does Akatsuki want with the Eight Tails and it's host?" Karui urged on, yet minutes passed on in silence. She snarled as her head hung at the humiliation this was presenting her. She was not doing a competent job at keeping her composure, but this was not a matter she was willing to fool around with. Uchiha Sasuke could not be allowed to be something she could fool around with. Despite realizing her orders, she pressed the tanto more firmly against his throat, before dragging it across and exposing the open gash for the blood to rush escape him. Instead however, there was only a cloud of smoke as the clone disappeared into nothingness, leaving a stunned Karui to stare at where it had once been.
"What was he to you?" His voice came from behind her and she whirled around quickly to see his expressionless face; his eyes that were unreadable gazed at her as she simply held up the tanto in a defensive manner. He did nothing however, before his eyes lingered down to the pool of water below. "Answer the question."
Karui could do nothing but stare at him quizzically. Why was he asking such a question to begin with? What did it matter what Kirābī-sensei was to her? A look of defiance spread across her face; it was definitely in her to retaliate and say something rebuking but the chance never came. Perhaps he had seen it coming as well, and so he had taken it upon himself to silence her.
"WHAT THE HELL DOES IT MATTER WHAT HE–" She hardly had time to register his index and middle finger tapping her upon her brow as he walked past her and towards the edge. Her reaction was far more than shock; she did not understand in the least what had happened, but she felt the trickle of blood flow from her nose as she fell backwards and stared out in front of her.
"You have no reason to look for me if the Eight Tails is safely within your possession… if we cross paths again, I'll kill you." His words had struck her deeply as she turned around to see him there, no longer. At that very moment, her breathing grew erratic and it was a short while before Samui and Omoi found her.
No one in the Raikage's office wished to recall that sight; the Raikage himself had not been there to witness the state the Uchiha had left Karui in, but he wished he had been. He wished he could have seen the trauma that spread through her body from his final words. He needed to see such a thing; it would have strengthened his resolve. It would have made his desire all the more justifiable, not that it wasn't already. Even after hearing the events told to him at least four times, it served as a reminder. It was that Kekkei Genkai the Uchiha Clan, which had done this to his kunoichi. The Sharingan was the cause for the assault on Kirābī; otherwise he would not have been surprised as he was.
By now, the Raikage was sitting in his seat, hands intertwined and his chin resting atop them. It was hard to remain calm, but assessment of the situation was at hand. He was not completely incompetent as to allow his rage to completely rule him. No. He had had an entire year to allow his rage to take command of him and with that recent memory brought up, it only served as a reminder of what was to be done. That event had taken place four months ago and Karui had recovered, almost as if the encounter had never occurred.
Samui knew better however. Being the leader of their group, she had watched over Karui since the meeting with the Uchiha. Whatever it was, he had done to her, and he had done it well enough to possibly permanently damage her. It was either that or go along with Karui's description that his 'intent to kill' was greater than anything she had ever felt. To the point where she constantly felt nauseated at the mention of it, until recently. As far as Karui knew, she was practically herself again; arguing with Omoi and being the excellent kunoichi that her Raikage required.
"We cannot take him lightly, Raikage-sama," Karui spoke up. Omoi's gaze turned upwards towards her as he sighed and closed his eyes. Sucking on his lollipop for a moment, he stood up once again before shaking his head.
"Didn't we already know that, from his battle against Kirābī-sensei? If anything, your encounter proves how weak your dumbass is." An exasperated sigh, followed by retaliation on Karui's part and the argument continued where it left off, leaving Samui and the Raikage in a state of growing annoyance.
After a few moments, another "Silence!" was issued before the room became quiet once more. All three Nin's gazes turned towards the Raikage as he rose from his chair and glanced out at the night sky. "If Uchiha Sasuke is capable of such feats, we might indeed have a problem. How such a insolent child could possess such power in the world is what I would like to figure out, yet if he is as dangerous as we have truly come to suspect, then this matter will be left to me or Kirābī once he returns." There was an immediate protest from Karui but her voice was drowned out underneath the destruction of the Raikage's desk… for a second time now. His fist rose, covered in splinters, as he worked to calm his breathing.
"I will NOT have some pup challenge my village. Kumogakure no Sato is a village to revere. Not a village to be beaten by a child who believes he will take over the world." The three Nin stood in silence, watching their Raikage before his hand called for them to disperse. They bowed before exiting the room and leaving their leader to stand over the remains of his frustration. He sighed vehemently as he fell back into his chair and turned towards the window.
Within a moment however, his eyes had grown wide and wild with horror. He had looked out the window only moments ago to see the starry sky that loomed overhead of his village, yet now… Clouds. Dark, black clouds covered the entirety of the sky. It was not simply coincidence… how could something like this be? There was an unsettling feeling welling up within him as he made to get out of his seat. Darkness was approaching his village… tragedy… but in what form, would it arrive? And when?
:: Author's Note :: Well… here it is. My first fan fiction and if it isn't noticeable yet, it will come to revolve around Sasuke. I realize that I definitely might have played the Ninja of Kumogakure, completely out of character, but I hope it turned out moderately decent. Anyways, as you can see, there's already a lot in store for the Raikage and his village and Sasuke's made his warning quite clear, I think.
Now that my lackluster message is through, I'll get to work on the next Chapitre. It'll be an interesting turn of events I think at how the story changes its flow, sort of say. Since there's quite a lot of questions left unanswered about Konoha, this will be the opening Chapitre for how their progression and rebuilding is going. You'll also see who I've decided to kill off (yes I might have killed off someone extra) and what's currently what. See you in a week's time. Hopefully. ^^