Alive, to belong
The movements were gracious, it was almost like the blond was a flowing gentle wave of water. The ground did not dust when he touched, nor was there any sound, you could only see small amounts of wind clearing way for his feet to land; the speed was good and reflexes, well, he could test that, couldn't he? Itachi took out a kunai and watched Naruto move graciously in backwards motions as he avoided attacks from his clone. He weighed his movements accurately as the blond touched down. He watched the knees bend slightly as Naruto tried to leap into the air, the kunai slipped through his fingers silently, pushing the air away from its path.
When Naruto was just a foot off the ground, the kunai neared him, heading straight to his right ear. He didn't look but just twisted his head towards his left side while bending his neck backwards. The air being pushed aside by the kunai slapped him across his cheek harmlessly before he forced his body to land.
"If you want to join me, you can just say so, Itachi," Naruto said without looking at Itachi – he was busy with his clone and if he lost concentration, he would get hit.
Reflexes were also good, Itachi concluded: it was all the characters of a trained warrior. He was still just a little boy, same age as his brother. Naruto was just 13 years old. He was young. But age mattered not, much less in the shinobi world. Naruto symbolized this to perfection. He had no body mass of a giant, but if he moved, he certainly could disturb mountains. The mind might be young, but it could dissect and calculate large numbers that some people, no matter how old could not count without holding out their fingers.
He has always been like this ever since they meet 5 years ago.
Not so long ago, he had been the jewel of his clan, pride and joy of his clan, his parents and a target to surpass for little Sasuke. But nothing remained colored the same in the shinobi world. Not when men fought, shed blood for their beliefs. The pride that had carried him. The war, the needless destruction, and the understanding of what being shinobi meant, it all carried him to this edge, to this cliff where he could fall to his death at any moment. The tears did not mean regret. No, they only meant pain. If he was living in a fantasy and was given another chance he'd still bloody his sword and carry the sins of his clan. Itachi had no regrets. But he felt pain. It was unbearable, but he stood on both feet, the expressionless mask that had once become synonymous with his name glared at the masked men in front of him.
Madara Uchiha
That was at least what he called himself. Strange things happen. Forbidden jutsus to perform things a child would call miraculous or to use the term a child would use, out of this world, were available in all corners of the shinobi world. Madara could have survived. Yet, the art of not dying seems to be one no sage has figured out. In this world, everybody dies of old age, yet, a man stood before him, claiming to be Madara, defied nature. No, he did not die. He was alive. Curious scenario, he hid his face behind a mask that had apparently stayed there for too long that it was now part of his skin.
"I want you to meet someone, Itachi. He is also a member of the Akatsuki," Madara said, his tone dead, lone eye watching Itachi like a suspect.
"Who?" Curious or not, Itachi's expression did not change. He would not reveal himself so cheaply.
"I think you will know him, but you have not met him."
Itachi felt he sensed something in Madara's tone. He could not explain it. He frustrated himself for a millisecond trying to figure it out. The Sharingan was fully active when Madara activated his jutsu. The unique jutsu that seemed to bend space and time according to its will. He analyzed the warping, the black lines that seemed to mirror the spiral mask the man wore. Even as he did, as his curiosity deepened over the person materializing in front of him, Itachi felt the lone cold, dark Sharingan watching him. It gripped him into his position and reminded him he was dealing with the dangerous unknown.
The person who materialized in front of was not unknown. No, the spiky blond hair, the whisker marks. The thing that stood out was crimson eyes that mirrored his. But it was not so much of a shock him as much as the presence of this young boy. He was staring at Uzumaki Naruto. The boy, the Yondaime Hokage's only son and the Kyubi's Jinchuriki was standing in front of him. The boy supposedly disappeared from Konoha a week after the Kyubi rampage. No one saw him. Villagers were interrogated. Spies were caught and tortured. Hunts were made for five long years until the Sandaime finally grew older than he was and stopped the excessive searches for the blond.
"Naruto Uzumaki, one of the handful of surviving members of the prestigious Uzumaki clan," Madara stated. Although there was nothing in Itachi's face, he seemed to enjoy the silence from his fellow Uchiha. "He will be your partner on some missions. But more importantly, he will be continuing his training with you…" that said, Madara began to distort space before disappearing.
"Uchiha Itachi," Naruto started. "I have to say, I am quite honestly excited to meet you. I heard so much about you." He finished with a smile, fully matured sharingan staring up at the Uchiha.
He was smiling, but the tone was cold. Those eyes were unnatural for anyone not Uchiha, yet they seemed to fit in perfectly with the blond. They were implants, no doubt. "What have you heard about me?"
"You are incredibly skilled and recently, just massacred your clan," Naruto responded. He turned away from the Uchiha, and looked up. "The outside world is quite pleasant. I have yeaned to be out here, but permission denied me. But I am here, and maybe I will make a friend." The tone of his voice, quiet, thoughtful, a bit of emotion in it.
"You want to be friends with me?"
Naruto faced Itachi once more, head a bit tilted to the side. His eyes were not so cold as before and he seemed curious. "Is this not how friends are made? Or do you perhaps already have another friend."
"I have a friend, but nothing stops me from being your friend," Itachi managed, a small smile, it only lasted a second though.
Naruto shared Itachi's smile. "You are actually the fifth person I am interacting with. But I hope to understand more about friendship from you."
Itachi's smile disappeared. To think that the Yondaime's son would become this, he'd been reduced to this. How old was he now and yet, he has not met more than five people in his life. What would Konoha even say when it learns the son of its greatest hero has been raised by the leader of a group known as a mercenary organization but actually much more darker than that?
Looking at this child, this boy, Itachi wanted to help him. But he needed to understand him first. He needed to know more. How had things even come to this point? Did Naruto even know everything or at least a few things about himself? What was Madara even thinking when he stole Naruto from the Leaf? Had he truly been the one who set the Kyubi loose on Konoha?
They had a many experiences since then. Itachi had come to understand that although Madara stole Naruto from Konoha, he didn't have a problem leaving him with him because of one thing; Naruto had the mental defenses of an incorruptible god. He'd said nothing couldn't be colored but Naruto's mind was like a spotless mirror, it reflected all paints that tried to dilute it.
"Then let me join you instead of fighting a clone that knows how you think," Itachi finally responded as he stepped into the small training ground behind their hideout.
Naruto caught a high kick from his clone with both his hands. The clone dispersed before he turned to face the Uchiha. He stretched his neck muscles for a couple of moments before fully zipping his Akatsuki cloak. "Let us have a go at it then, I want to do this before Kisame returns. You know he is gonna want to join in."
No doubt. That battle hungry chakra powerhouse loved to fight. Whenever he got a chance, he didn't mind swinging a blade at either of them. "Rules?"
Naruto adopted a thoughtful look on his face before responding. "No Mangekyo," he quickly said.
"Acceptable," Itachi said with a slight nod of his head.
How many sparring sessions as he had with the genius Uchiha? Itachi was a prodigy in battle, yet cursed with conditions that wouldn't permit him to live out his full potential. Had things been different, this soul that cared deeply for the thing it considered its greatest love would have certainly lived to become one of the greatest shinobi to have ever graced the shinobi world. But circumstances would not allow it; they built an Itachi barrier and halted his path into greatness. A selfish world that would only do what was convenient to it.
The blood red eyes of his that burnt chakra without ceasing examined the Uchiha's movements. For these eyes, their thirst could not be quenched. As long as he had his eyes open, they would continue to take delight in his chakra. If they did not take a forced break whenever he slept, they would have probably killed him already. But these eyes were power. They helped him massively. They patched the gaps that would have otherwise been exposed if he fought naturally.
"I have never asked, how does it feel like to be known as the one man to massacre your entire clan? The village that once adored you now vilifies you," the villagers would probably stone him to death for killing the clan they never loved to begin with. It was very ludicrous. So ludicrous that Naruto found it amusing.
He darted towards Itachi, his small footsteps silent on the ground until the last step as he reached Itachi. His left foot made noise as he propelled him into the air, his body twisting anti-clockwise while he raised his right foot. He aimed his high kick towards Itachi's face: the Uchiha dropped back slightly, bending his body around his waist to avoid the kick. He watched it speed past his forehead while dropping both his hands to the ground. The palms stretched gently and cushioned him as he lifted his right foot. It connected with Naruto's left foot, with speed and power. The motion forced the blond to fall to the other side, pulled his upper downwards before gravity started to drag him to the ground.
Itachi pulled both his feet into the air, standing upside-down as Naruto fell down. He attempted to kick the blond in that position but Naruto blocked the kick with his right foot. Itachi used his hands to propel himself into the air. The moment he took up, he flipped once to straighten himself before making a distance. He already had two kunais when he touched the ground.
Naruto hit the ground on his back, but quickly stood up. When his body fully stretched, he noticed two kunais speeding towards him, side by side. An open palm separated them. It was almost as if they had been hurled to pierce both his eyes. Behind them, Itachi was charging. Naruto started doing hand seals before taking a step back; he tripped himself and started to fall backwards. He lifted his head to avoid the kunais; he noticed a thread behind each.
A second later, Itachi was above him – His right hand around his mouth. "Katon: Fire Dragon's Breath!" He released a large stream if burning flames from his mouth. The flames sped towards Naruto's falling small frame.
"Futon: Great Wind Breakthrough!" Naruto released powerful gusts of wind to counter Itachi's flames. The release of his jutsu propelled his body to hit the ground. His jutsu collided with Itachi's. Boom! The elements that feuded exploded into a powerful cloud of flames and violent gusts as they pushed for dominance over the other, but ultimately, they cancelled each other.
When the path cleared, Itachi was descending down, legs pressed together. Naruto was certain he would hit his chest. He rolled towards his right once. Itachi's feet crashed into the ground, missing the target. Small chunks of earth flew by as the ground grumbled. Naruto's outstretched left hand grabbed Itachi on his left leg, just above the ankle. The moment he did so, Itachi threw a kunai to the ground. Lightning burst from Naruto's hand, hitting Itachi, but the Uchiha conducted it through the thread holding his kunai and into the ground.
Quickly, he kicked Naruto's hand away before grabbing it with his right. He violently pulled Naruto above the ground and in front of him. He then twisted around, before slamming his right foot on the blond. The kick sent Naruto flying backwards.
Itachi threw a kunai while Naruto flew backwards. The kunai spread around the blond, with the thread tying him up. He was brought to a halt before Itachi released flames that spread through the thread before bursting into a cloud after hitting the target.
Itachi narrowed his eyes behind as he sensed something. His body twisted clockwise while the Sharingan worked overtime to calculate the movements of the wind enhanced kunai moving towards him. His right hand was waved as he twisted, it held a kunai. He swiped it towards the path of the incoming kunai. The moment they connected, it leaned to the left, knowing it would not be enough. He only managed to divert the kunai, and yet his kunai was cut in half.
Another kunai filled the air with electric currents. The wind enhanced kunai was fast but not fast enough. Yet, it held much destructive power to even pierce through his forehead. The lightning enhanced kunai was just fast. It was fast as lightning, almost impossible to dodge: Itachi was facing this kunai. When it seemingly pierced through his forehead, Itachi burst into a murder of crows.
The crows gathered a distance away.
"My actions were not for fame or anything. It does not do me anything to know the villagers hate me. I know the truth, my mission and I have no regrets for it, I am proud I served my village in the way I did even though no one will ever know. I believe this is the mark of a true shinobi," Itachi explained after materializing. There was a cut just across his forehead, he hadn't completely dodged the kunai.
"I really want to understand this pride that you feel. What even possess a man to kill his own clan, relatives for strangers?"
"The villagers are not strangers. When I became a shinobi, my duty was not primarily to my clan but to my village." Itachi explained in that monotone voice of his. "You can only fully understand through experience or if you belonged to something that you would protect over other things you love. Overall, it is the big picture of things. Shinobi must see above clan politics and personal beliefs to protect their village."
Naruto smiled as he darted towards Itachi. The Uchiha did the same; both took out kunais simultaneously and swung them towards the other. There was a spark when the kunais clashed. There was a brief struggle.
"I have two questions regarding your answer. Isn't it your personal ideals that led you into accepting your mission?"
Itachi pushed Naruto off balance because he was stronger. While the blond was taking steps backwards to balance himself, Itachi swung the kunai across Naruto's chest. The blond could not balance himself fully to completely avoid the kunai. It cut his cloak across his chest.
Naruto then tried jumping back. But Itachi moved quicker and grabbed his left foot before he could completely go away. The Uchiha tried to slam the blond to the ground with full force. Naruto couldn't stop his forced descend but he could still move his right foot. He swung it towards Itachi but the Uchiha blocked it with his left hand. However, this forced him to reduce the amount of strength he'd been using to drag Naruto to the ground.
Naruto crashed to the ground with his back and winced slightly. Debris picked up around him as his upper body was buried into the ground. He did not close his eyes to avoid the debris, not when Itachi was still holding him. Before Uchiha could do anything, he stabbed the kunai he held onto the ground.
After sensing a spike of chakra, Itachi let go of Naruto and leapt backwards. A burst of lightning currents hit the ground around the blond but quickly dispersed.
"My ideals were the result of my love for my village. I took the decision because of who I am. I cannot separate personal values from the decision I took, but regardless of personal values, you should never allow them to get in the way of duty."
"Duty, huh?" Naruto could understand that. He had his duty. It was dangerous. He didn't fully agree with it, but it was his duty. "That I can at least understand. But I do not feel the pride. I probably won't have regrets because I have nothing."
"That is because you have never tried to gain anything. You are with the Akatsuki and yet some of your actions seem to suggest you don't want to belong there," Itachi said.
"My second question was on account to that. I do belong to the Akatsuki and yet you seemed to suggest that I belonged to nothing. That is speculation, Itachi," Naruto said in a hardened tone and yet, he had a smile on his lips.
Itachi shrugged slightly. Did this blond person who smiled and talked with him about everything but himself actually belong to the Akatsuki? Naruto seemed to have another fire that he'd set up. Itachi could never figure out what he wanted to cook or if he even wanted to cook something and how that affected the agenda of the Akatsuki. He had even looked amused when he suggested he doesn't belong to the organization and even now he smiled.
"That is a question I believe only you can answer." Itachi ended up saying.
"I belong to the Akatsuki," Naruto said.
"In some ways, yes. You wear the organization's colors and seem eager to complete the tasks it hands you and yet I cannot shake the feeling every time you disappear that something is up."
"Speculation my dear friend."
"Friend? It has been years since, Naruto. In some level, we are friends, but not true friends. I have known you for these five years but I have still not known you, neither do I understand what motivates you," Itachi said to Naruto.
"And I thought I have been a good friend."
"What connects people is not simply that you listen and offer response whenever someone shares something with you. There must always be a reciprocal. It is the same with love, when you love someone who does not share that love it is unrequited. I told you things, but you never say anything. You want to understand what motivates me, and I believe you have. But you don't want me to understand you. You don't want me to know you. I have come to understand that you mostly do things to satisfy your curiosity."
Naruto stared for a couple of moments before facing the sky: nature was unlike a human. It did come with surprises. It only rained when there were clouds. The sun hit hard when it was clearly visible and looked closer but a human can be covered in dark clouds, roaring with thunderstorms and yet still produce volcanic heat.
He looked back at Itachi before responding. "I am studying. I want to understand this world. I want to understand what it means to be alive, to feel pain, to feel pride. These emotions feel very far away from me and I don't want to die without understanding them. I believe it is part of how people work. Yet for now, I am more concerned about understanding how the shinobi world works."
"That is why I say you don't belong anywhere. You are 'in' the Akatsuki but your eyes are looking elsewhere. Tell me, for what reason do you want to understand the world? Does it have anything to do with the goal of the Akatsuki? What happens when that understanding contradicts the goal of the Akatsuki?"
Naruto smiled. "But you just said it, Itachi: for the duty to what one belongs to, personal ideals must not interfere. I fight for the Akatsuki, regardless of what I believe."
"Why bother even learning? It is meaningless to learn simply for knowing. Knowledge is only valuable when you apply it."
"I have come to understand that by being around you," Naruto said calmly. "Perhaps one day, you will understand me, Itachi. Why do you continue to tell me your secrets even though you have such opinion of me?" Naruto asked curiously.
It was barely a smile, but Itachi's lips twitched slightly. "That is because despite everything, you have learned to understand me. You are not indifferent to it but act with that understanding. Besides, I want to help you as much as I can."
Naruto nodded. "I thankful for the help you have given me. To tell you the truth, there is no particular reason I have kept quiet about my personal life. It has nothing with trust or you. To me, there are just certain things I prefer not to talk about. But you have been patient. You have shared with me many things. I will share with you about how I came to be," he said before glancing towards his left side, and shook his head. "Kisame has returned," he said. "My loss on this one…" he said.
"Just one question," Itachi said. "Every time we spar, you always keep me from using my Mangekyo Sharingan. Even we are on a mission, you do the same. Why?"
"Because I know what using the Sharingan does to your eyesight. I want you to continue for a long time. If I can prolong that, then I would be happy. Despite everything, I respect you, Itachi. I respect your way of life and what you have achieved so far."
Yet, he had no respect for the achievements of the dead. Naruto had said it, 'nothing that is below the ground stands tall.' Itachi shook his head but he did wonder if the same would be for him. "And don't you suffer from the same side-effects? You are not Uchiha but it does not mean the eye doesn't suffer the same effects. It should put a strain on your body."
"My body is engineered to constantly heal such damages. I do not and probably will never have scars as long as I host the Kyubi. It affords me with regeneration of damaged muscle tissues. I said regenerate but the truth is that it does not, it just quickens the time to regenerate and that decays the muscle tissues quickly. That is why my body was engineered to heal with other means," Naruto said without explaining what.
He turned away from Itachi and faced Kisame. The battle loving former Mist nin just grinned towards him. Naruto ignored this. He could hear Samehada's giggles from where he stood. That glutton of a sword. He walked from the clear field and settled under a tree. Itachi came up and jumped up to sit on a branch.
Kisame followed shortly before taking out something from his pocket and then threw it toward the Uchiha, who caught it.
Kisame glanced at Itachi for a moment before staring at Naruto. He could see in the training ground that there had been some movements, besides that, Naruto had sparring session marks on him. "You two were sparring and decided to stop because I was coming back," he said, is right hand moving towards his sword. "I should just attack you now," he added with a smile.
Naruto held up both his hands just in front of him. As the treacherous Samehada loved to eat chakra, Kisame loved a good battle. He always wanted to have that full battle mode experience with Itachi but never got it, Naruto didn't give him either. At times, the man was almost like a child crying to be fed when he had just been eating a minute ago. "Please don't," he quickly said.
Kisame was silent for a couple of moments before deciding against attacking. It was best not to force the issue with a person who could just disable him with just one look and a second. "I just heard that your former partner is still kidnapping people for is experiments, Itachi-san," Kisame said with a smile.
Ah, yes, that treacherous arrogant snake. Itachi wondered what Pain had been thinking when he partnered him with that snake, perhaps it was because they were from the Hidden Leaf, but they were fundamentally different people. It all culminated to Orochimaru trying to take his body. Foolish man, had he really thought he would win? "Orochimaru has the desire to become immortal. His fear for death seems real."
"So is his contempt for it," Naruto added. He never did like the snake. To be quite honest, he tolerated the snake. In a perfect world without pain and treachery, Orochimaru did not exist. But he belonged in this world. To the world Obito wanted, he did not belong. "But I heard that he had found a village in the Sound."
"That is true," Itachi said.
"When are we going to invade and kill him? He is a traitor to the Akatsuki and considering what he wanted to do to Itachi, we simply can't let him continue to live."
The people who were 'right' and with 'power' determined who had the right to live. Everyone was born as a kicking flesh and blood, everyone learns to write and walk. What nobody learns is how to think. It was a strange thing that even though they all came into this world through their mothers, some people felt they had the right to decide some people can't continue to live. Naruto was not saying it was wrong or right. The lines between right and wrong were blurred to him. It was always a struggle to define the good and the bad.
"It is quite puzzling that although the Hidden Leaf declares him rogue shinobi, it has not marched to destroy his village, especially when they know what he is doing." Naruto said.
"Hidden villages do not care about anything happening outside their villages, especially when it does not affect them. If Orochimaru was planning to attack them, then they could move," Kisame said.
"Your former village is quite cold," Naruto said to Itachi. "But then again, so are you a cold person. Still, if there is a god in this world, he shall judge Konoha for its negligence."
Perhaps Nagato would do it. The man did hold a grudge against the Hidden Leaf. This was their problem and yet they were watching Orochimaru continue to terrorize innocent people when they tried to kill him for doing the same in their village. It was a sad disappointing state of things, but the god and his angel in Amegakure had the power to make things, but so did Konoha. If it charged, it could destroy Orochimaru.
Itachi looked down at Naruto; he wanted to tell the blond that his own father had been the leader of the very same village and probably the same thing would have been done even if he was in charge. But he held himself. He never talked about that part of Naruto's life. He didn't even know if the blond knew about his parents. "That is just how the shinobi world works and unfortunately, there is no god."
Itachi had seen the effects of war; he had seen death and destruction, his father had opened his eyes. If there was a god, he certainly wouldn't sip his tea and watch humans kill each other. Even the ground itself must be complaining about the amount of blood is has been forced to swallow, much less the rotten people it has hide within its belly after each war. Its stomach was a bone graveyard, if there was a god, he would have stopped such from happening.
"Yes, so it seems," Naruto said before standing up. "I'm going out," he said.
"Where?"
Naruto did not say.
Neither Kisame nor Itachi pressed – it was a familiar scene. The blond just liked disappearing. He didn't often say when he was gone; you'd just be surprised when you wake up. He was just that kind of person who sleeps with a woman, and when she wakes up on the morning, she only finds a reminder of his presence.
"Are all gakis that dangerous?" Kisame asked Itachi.
"I can still hear you," Naruto said without looking back. A moment later, he was gone from their view and Itachi responded.
"I don't think so," he said. Naruto was a unique case. There were things that stood out about him. His birth was even as unique as he was as a person.
"You are very close to him, don't you know what he does or is planning? I can't get a read on him," Kisame said.
Itachi shook his head. From where he stood, there was nothing but darkness that surrounded him. There thing about Naruto was that he knew how to keep secrets. He knew the definition of a secret. But there was also convenience about him. He would probably reveal them if he felt it was convenient. "I don't know, I don't ask because I know he won't tell, but I assume it has something to do with his studying of how the shinobi world works."
Valley of End
Obito's lone Sharingan stared down at the stream below. This was the place that was redrawn when Madara and Hashirama battled. They had been monsters in strength. To cause this much damage, the change in the landscape, it required overwhelming power. But then again, Madara did pride in being able to cause this much destruction. He reveled in such destruction.
His lone eye narrowed behind him. Naruto was walking towards him in a slow pace, eyes barely opened, hands behind him. He certainly did not walk like a brat; he roamed with the pride of an man in his prime. But he was still a child, at least in terms of age and body but the mind was much more twisted.
Naruto stopped beside Obito and stared down at the water. The air felt pleasant here. It was because of the fresh waters. It had nothing to do with the recluse beside him. If anything, Obito would dilute anything pure. His presence did not make things right, it made things wrong. But this was still the man who taught him a lot of things about this world and life in general.
Obito's eye shifted its vision toward Naruto without turning his head. "Where are you going, Naruto?" he asked in that dead tone of his.
"To a village nearby," Naruto responded in the same tone as Obito. "Should it really concern you that I am going there? You are the one who sent me to Itachi, and now you seem to grow anxious over every step I take. If you did not calculate things well why bother sending me in the first place?"
"I sent you to Itachi because I knew no matter what, he would not change you."
Even Itachi had admitted that much. Was he that difficult to twist? Was it because Obito had already twisted him that much that nothing else that no one says will matter? Naruto shook his head; it did not matter, as long as he got time to indulge in his interests. "Then why do you worry? Should it even matter what I do? I have always followed the Akatsuki's order. I don't i think I have even given you reason to doubt me. You also said it yourself, you didn't think Itachi could change me and let me put your mind at ease, he has not changed me."
Obito did not address this. But he did find Naruto's activities as a concern. He did not even know what the blond was plotting as he managed to keep things to himself. "I am worried that your actions might become a problem to our plan. I don't want you doing anything that may negatively affect the plan."
"I am doing nothing of such."
"Then why did you remove Zetsu's spores? With them, I could know where you were and what you were doing."
Naruto shrugged carelessly. "I found it annoying. I don't want someone spying on me like that."
Obito's hard stare continued at Naruto but the blond did not look at him, not even once since he stood there. As if he was reading his thoughts, their eyes met. It was the same stare. It wasn't that Naruto was doing something contrary to the Akatsuki, he just wanted to indulge in his little amusements and understanding of how things worked, even if it meant distorting certain events.
"You should not be the one lecturing me even, considering what you have done," Naruto added before looking away from Obito. "Tell me, Obito, do you still want to destroy Konoha?"
"No," Obito said. "I am more concerned with the plan. You still don't hate me even a little?"
Naruto shrugged. "Maybe," he said vaguely. "But it would not change an event that has already happened. It is as you said, my birth was to blame. If I was not being born that day, you would not have acted, and I would not have died. Besides, those two chose to die. I cannot blame someone for the choice they made. There were other ways to seal the Kyubi without death, but the Yondaime chose a method that would lead to death.
"I have been testing things. It is interesting really. In some cases, for someone to do something, an opportunity must be presented. My birth presented an opportunity, and you used that. Konoha would not have loved me either way. They wanted me dead. They wanted the 'Kyubi' to die for killing its loved ones. Had I lived there, I would have been miserable. You saved me, that is why I will do my part. My Uzumaki genes and the modifications should ensure that I survive. So, I will help you. People will be given happy dreams anyway."
Obito was silent for a couple of moments. He did not praise himself. He did not smile. But he had completed the perfect job with Naruto – his confidence had been proved true as Itachi had failed to even put a dent on the blond's mindset. "Just don't do too much," he said. "What has Itachi been up to?"
"The usual," Naruto said with a slight shrug. "He does not know the true purpose of the Akatsuki and will not do anything against it. His main focus is his younger brother. Admittedly, I am very curious to see this person."
"I caution you against revealing yourself to Konoha. At least not now when we have yet to begin."
"It won't change anything for us." Naruto responded carelessly. "Will Orochimaru be a problem?"
"Probably but he is irrelevant. There is nothing that can stop us from reaching our goal," Obito said in a hardened tone.
"There is possibility, it is only that it is very unlikely to occur as I believe that there is no shinobi alive now who can defeat Nagato," Naruto said in thought. "But regardless, he still has the capacity to ruin things. His knowledge of things is dangerous."
Obito could not disagree with that. "I will talk to Nagato…" he said.
Naruto merely nodded and then jumped down the statue, down toward the stream of water. There were a couple of drops that hit him as his flew downwards. The outside world was truly a joy. It was pleasant and refreshing. Nature was truly gentle and a friend to the human. It was no doubt what gave humans life.
The Hidden Leaf, one of the Great Five. This was a glorious village that has always produced exceptional shinobi. It has always been at the helm of things. Not all good things, of course. There were many dark things that would make many cringe and question its moral values. But for its success, its survival, the Hidden Leaf pulled all strings. In wars, it fought and some wars even occurred because of it. The past was dark. There was a heavy luggage filled with demons that must always be restrained in the darkness or the image this village has crafted would shatter and it would lose its grip on the position it has obsessively retained since its founding.
Hiruzen had foreseen many things. He has seen wars, their effects, the devastation, but had not really affected the Leaf that much. Because of everything he has seen, he has tried to steer the village towards peace. Naturally, the moment you show weakness, some people try to take advantage of it. He had been called naïve and losing his wits because of age. Perhaps it was right. Hiruzen has felt like 50 years have just walked over him since the Kyubi rampage.
Yet, despite everything he has seen, the deaths, the wars, the destruction, nothing had affected him as much as the disappearance of Minato's child. The villagers had celebrated. They had rejoiced knowing the 'Kyubi' was no longer amongst them. He had held Naruto in his hands and called him a hero who protected the Leaf by becoming its container, but the villagers had rejected it. They rejected Minato's wish. They had called for him to be killed before the Kyubi takes him over and the poor child had just been a day older.
Hiruzen had not been able to bring himself to tell them. He could not say the truth. He could not tell them that the child they wanted dead was the legacy of the man they hailed. In fact, they reason they even hailed Minato was because of Naruto and yet they rejected the young one. Hiruzen had never been so disappointed but when Naruto disappeared, he had raised hell, put the village on lockdown for a whole month. The Military police along with Anbu worked tirelessly, torturing and interrogating anyone they suspected, but there was no success.
Naruto had just seemingly disappeared into thin air from his crib.
Minato would not forgive him. Kushina would have killed him. She would have turned into a monster and went on a bloody rampage. The child she carried for 10 months could not disappear like that, yet he did. How would he explain himself?
Hiruzen nearly jumped from the window when Jiraiya appeared in a puff of smoke. He smiled thinly and took a step back. "Don't do that, Jiraiya. My heart is very fragile," he said in a tired voice.
Jiraiya, his last remaining student. At least he had done something right here. He should have loved this student more. But he had not and now his heart just could not. Sometimes he wondered if he could even feel anything or if his heart was wearing a mask.
Hiruzen went back to the chair behind his desk. His sat down and then opened the drawer. He took out his pipe and lit it up. Another habit he had taught his son. He had regrets even there. As he puffed up the smoke, he could see nothing but regrets. His ears seem to compose the lyrical song into his ear drums… regrets, regrets, regrets~ It was an annoying melody that threatened him to meet with insanity.
"You look miserable, sensei," Jiraiya commented seeing the aged look on the old man.
The Sandaime smiled. He had seen his reflection. "So do you, Jiraiya," he said. "I've noticed. I am old, I am afraid if I don't do light exercises to remind my body of the glory days, I will end soon," he said in a bitter tone.
"Are you sure you are not just going to kill yourself by doing that?"
"I had someone look at my condition. Besides, I know my body better," Hiruzen said with a slight shake of his right shoulder. "I am more concerned for you, however. You have thrown yourself into drinking and writing excessively."
Jiraiya put on a bitter look on his face but then attempted to smile. "You don't complain when reading the books."
"Well, I won't deny that they still occupy my time but you should not drown in them, Jiraiya. Orochimaru fell. Minato is gone, Tsunade is out there and refuses to return. Naruto is gone. We can't tell if he is alive or dead, I only have you, Jiraiya. I'm afraid if something happened to you, my heart would not survive."
"It is the only way I can think of coping. Besides, you still have Konoha."
"That I do and I am proud to have led this village for as long as I have. Hopefully, my successor will be just as proud as I was," Hiruzen said. "I will get to pick the second time…" he paused, glancing towards the sage, "Are you still not going to reconsider?"
Jiraiya shook his head. "I am not worthy, sensei. I am not worthy. But there are good shinobi around here, I am sure you'll figure, something out."
"But not one like you."
"You are not going to find neither anyone like me nor anyone like Minato," Jiraiya said. "We have failed miserably, haven't we, sensei?"
"Yes," Hiruzen nodded. He smiled bitterly. And he had started well. Konoha would celebrate him in his death. He has been nothing but a faithful servant in its eyes. But personally, Hiruzen had failed in many regards. He did not deserve praise. "I was here when Minato sacrificed himself. I should have done it. He had a long future ahead of him."
"I was not here. I was absent. I was also absent when Naruto disappeared," Jiraiya shook his head. He was frustrated, mad at himself for his failures. They could have been prevented, he believed.
"But we are both still alive, Jiraiya. Let us make something for what remains of our lives," Hiruzen said. "Still nothing, then," he said.
Jiraiya slowly shook his head. "Tsunade appears content in just gambling and drinking. But I still follow her closely. I still haven't heard anything about Naruto. Nothing. The trace is just cold as it was when he disappeared."
But there was thing that Jiraiya was fully convinced of, Naruto was still alive somewhere. It has been 13 years, yes, but considering that he was taken when just an infant, it was safe to assume he still lived. If someone had killed him, they would have heard the Kyubi was seen somewhere by now. The seal Minato used was not something that anyone could just remove. It was still strong then. Perhaps when it weakens then the Kyubi could be forced out, but that would kill Naruto. Even so, that would have meant that Kyubi was released. If someone had walked on that path, it would have been to use the power. But he still believed Naruto lived. Someone took him for a reason. They would eventually find him.
It was just a matter of in which state they would find him.
"But we will eventually find him." Hiruzen said. "And when we do, regardless of the state, what he has done, we must bring him back, Jiraiya. He was taken from us, someone has already manipulated him. We must bring him back!"
"We will sensei," Jiraiya was confident. He would do it even if he had to push a stick walking to get it done. Age would not stop him. The inability to walk would not stop him from walking towards any lead he receives.
Hiruzen did not respond, he stared at the door sensing a presence he barely tolerated these days. The hateful shrewd called Danzo stepped into his office without any manners. Hiruzen had invaded Foundation hideout, turned everything upside down looking for Naruto. He had all Ne agents interrogated and had threatened Danzo with banishment. He thought death would remove the misery, but being alive and far from Konoha would kill him as he would never be able to step back here and would only get to read about what was happening, to the beloved Konoha he so dearly wanted to possess.
"State your business," Hiruzen said as he removed his pipe from his mouth, his sharp eyes stared unflinching.
"I want you to give me Sasuke Uchiha. We lost the Kyubi because of your naivety, I will not allow the last Uchiha to fall away either!"
Yes, that was what Danzo cared about – the Kyubi. He did not care about Naruto. He only wanted a weapon to control and use for his purposes. "You will not get Sasuke. I have said this before and I will not be repeating myself."
There was no steel in Hiruzen's tone. He had known this would happen. He had known. But he had come here for this other reason. "Who are you going to put in charge of the Uchiha then? They are going to graduate; you cannot put someone incompetent to teach him."
"Kakashi will teach him," Hiruzen said. "You didn't come here to demand Sasuke or blame me for what happened with Naruto – you have another reason, state it quickly. Your presence is making me labor for my breath."
Danzo ignored the jibe and went straight to it. "I want you to put one of my agents in Sasuke's team. He is in their age and should fit in while providing competition to Sasuke."
Hiruzen put his smoke on his mouth before inhaling. He then released a cloud of smoke before staring at Danzo. "That is fine… I am not against receiving a skilled shinobi in my ranks, but you have to do something for me. In fact, bring this shinobi but you are being ordered to do so. You will remove all Foundation seals on him; the especially the one on his tongue that stops him from sharing secrets."
Danzo did not put up an argument. "I will send him over tomorrow…"
"Once you have removed or blocked certain memories," Hiruzen said. "But I have no plans to poke around. If you are sending him, you no doubt do it because he doesn't know much."
Danzo did not grace Hiruzen with a response. He simply turned and then walked away from the sensei and his former student.
Jiraiya did not comment on that exchange. He didn't care much about the Uchiha. He didn't care about Danzo. If given the order, he'd kill the war hawk himself. "I'm going to see someone. But you should know that Orochimaru left the Akatsuki some time ago and founded his own village. It is nothing but a web of hideouts. Itachi remains a member. His movements are hard to track down, as is with other Akatsuki members."
Town in Fire Nation
"Momma!"
A little boy cried with his toys, playing with other kids; the parents were standing a couple of feet away, talking amongst themselves while the children played. When the mother heard her child cry, she rushed towards him and picked him up from the ground. He hushed him, whispering a couple of words before he finally settled. She put him down and watched him crawl away to join the others, a small smile on her lips. Seeing he was playing once more, she turned away to join the others.
Naruto watched this from the rooftop of a building, watching the kids playing in the park. He didn't usually do this, but he never had moments like that. He never had anyone to pick him up when he was crying. It was all pain and training. He did wonder, how did it feel to be held by 'mother' how did it feel to cry out knowing someone would come for you? He didn't know. He never had a mother. He never learned the word 'momma'. He could only watch others. Perhaps a twisted part of him that yearns for normal wished he had experienced something like that. It did not matter regardless; he had grown from that stage. He could be independent now.
If he had stayed in Konoha, he probably would have been thrown into an orphanage. It would have been a living hell. A child walking around with tormentors yet not knowing why he was being tormented. The life would have been miserable as he grew older. There were no relatives, the parents were dead. It was a crime. It was injustice. It was everything that was wrong with this world. But what could be done? He knew how Jinchurikis were treated. He saw it.
"I didn't think you played with children," a man said after appearing from behind Naruto. He settled beside the blond.
Naruto's eyes glanced at the man: Dairoku, a spy of Sasori. The former Suna nin's network was a lifesaver. It helped him in many ways. Zetsu was there to provide information, but he tried by all means to avoid asking unless it was something harmless. Besides, he did not indulge in his games with that man.
"I am just observing," Naruto said. His eyes remained barely opened. He learned to do to this to avoid consuming too much chakra while using the eye. His body was used to it though, the chakra consumption, the narrow viewing angle. "What do you have for me?"
"I just came from Kirigakure. It has turned out to be a rather peaceful village. The discrimination that once existed is no more and it has been rebuilt well. I could not get closer to view the Mizukage but I am told she is a decent person," Dairoku said.
Perhaps Obito was just a sadistic bastard who did things for amusement. Naruto quickly crushed that thought. Obito did what he did to Kirigakure because of revenge. He wanted revenge over what happened to his beloved Rin. In Konoha, it was perhaps punishment to his father for failing to be there for his team. He was not there when Obito was forced to save Kakashi in exchange for his life, he was not there when Kakashi ended up killing Rin.
But he had been there to stop Obito from destroying Konoha. Of course, Obito would never admit this. To him, Minato was a failure who could not protect anyone, just as he failed to protect Rin.
Obito had not told him this, but for some reason, Black Zetsu had decided to tell him. He hadn't been amused but Zetsu had simply said it was necessary that he know why he was doing what he was doing.
"I should visit," Naruto said. "I have got the time to do so. It should be a good trip to kill time. They don't guard it like Ame, do they?"
"You can't get into Ame," Dairoku said. "Even if you get in, you don't get out. But in Kiri, you can get in. They are not that strict though, so you don't have to worry about getting in."
"I will go there, and do inform Sasori. I will see him when I return," Naruto said as he stood up.
"Are you going to do something?"
Naruto shook his head. "I am merely curious," he said.
"Sasori-sama wants to know what you plan to do with the Fire Daimyo now that you control him," Dairoku said as Naruto walked away from him.
"Tell Sasori that he needs not concern himself with what I do on my free time."
"You do realize that we will eventually know about it."
Naruto shrugged carelessly. "I am not telling you because you its something secret, I just want things this way. Besides, I'm the only one who knows and by the time you find you, the wheels will be in motion."
A week later
It was not easy being Naruto. He had to either travel around in a henge or just make sure that nobody sees him. He was the invisible brat who moved without anyone knowing, a ghost to the many nations he visits and yet very visible to the Akatsuki and his victims. Naruto was getting tired of it all. He just wanted to move freely. He didn't care if Konoha would send people after him. He would not be the first and as long as this world continued to spin, adding more days, he would not be the last. The majority of the Akatsuki members were wanted, so he was in the right company.
After getting himself a small ship, Naruto set sail into the sea. He didn't care if it would take time. He was fine with chilling in the ship while he enjoyed the warm conditions above the sea. It was relaxing and he was comfortable.
The waters were almost bottomless. If he fell down, he would most certainly die.
"Kyubi," Naruto started a conversation with the Bijuu inside of him.
"What?"
Naruto did not respond immediately. He walked away from the edges of the ship and laid down on the wooden floor, resting his head on both his hands. He closed his eyes and appeared in the familiar sewer. The cage that once held the Kyubi was not there. It laid there without anything holding it back. He had done this with intentions to learn to control the Kyubi's power, but he had yet to do it.
It had been a risky move on his part. Obito had said he should just manipulate the Kyubi with the Sharingan to make it give him its chakra. Naruto had contemplated on the idea but ended up deciding against it. When the Bijuu saw the Sharingan, it had lashed within its cells, trying to break free, the anger and hatred it felt had washed over him like a cold chill running through his spine. He had not run off and cut off all connections before calling Obito to do the deed for him, no, he had stood still and watched the Bijuu with an amused look. He had said nothing until the Bijuu finished stretching its muscles in fruitless exercise.
"Now I can no longer talk to you?" Naruto asked calmly.
"I have told you to keep those cursed eyes away from me." Kurama said with the hatred of the Sharinagn eyes clearly visible in his face.
Naruto shrugged. "You have trust issues," he said. But it was expected of the Bijuu that had enough hatred that nearly made him lose his mind. The Kyubi has not had good relations with humans and so, it hated them, even him. It hadn't been by choice that it was out of the cage, he had forced things.
Kurama laughed. "Says the brat who doesn't trust anyone," he said.
Naruto shook his head. He had no issues. It may appear that way but was not the case. He was still not going to correct the Bijuu nevertheless. "I have a question that I must ask."
"You are not going stop pestering me if I don't, what is it?"
"Unlike other people who deny your Intelligence, I don't. Perhaps it is because I am the curious type and am your Jinchuriki. Regardless, I know about the Jubi, the Sage of Six Paths and the nine of you. Nagato does not know what he is going to revive but I do."
Kurama shook his head. "You do not know anything about the Jubi or its power. Even if all the nine Bijuus fought together, they would not be able to do anything. And I alone can defeat the others in my full power. The Jubi is nature. In your fascination with nature, you have come to understand that it is both gentle and destructive and when destructive, no human can stand before it."
"And yet the Sage of Six Paths faced it."
"He was not like you. There is probably no human who can have the same powers as him." He wondered though, why did this brat seem interested in asking all these questions when he seemed to have no intention of stopping that masked man in his dream?
"I have come to understand that both Senju and Uchiha are direct decedents of the Sage. If you consider the amount of power Madara, Hashirama and now Nagato has, you can make quite the assumption of just how powerful the Sage was. But I am not concerned about that. From what you have said to me, the Jubi isn't just a mathematical combination of all Bijuus but it is more powerful than that. I get that. And I can see the plan would succeed with its power. However, what concerns is that the Sage went through the trouble of sealing away the Gedo Mazo and separated all of you. He obviously did not want the Jubi to rise again. If he did want this, why would he leave a stone tablet with ways on how one can revive the Jubi? It does not seem consistent with his 'peace' mission he is rumored to have ventured into."
Of all the humans to ask such questions, it had to be this brat. Madara had not. That masked human had not. "I do not have an answer to that," he said. "But it does seem interesting. Why do you ask questions?"
"I cannot be satisfied when there are shortcomings in a story. Everything must make sense for me. If it does not, I cannot ignore it," Naruto said.
"Why don't you ask that masked bastard?"
"He has not asked such questions because it ultimately does nothing, he is still going to become a Jinchuriki of the Jubi and enact the plan," Naruto explained lightly.
"You can read from the Stone tablet…"
Naruto shook his head. "Obito will not let me read. I think I may ju-" he trailed off and looked up for a moment. "I am getting careless. To think I would be so absent minded that someone would get onto the ship and even hold me by the throat. But you must have sensed this."
"If someone had killed you, I would have had a chance to escape and avoid being sealed in the Gedo Mazo," Kurama said with a toothy grin. "I'm afraid I still like my freedom."
"You have no freedom."
"You are going to die eventually and I will be free. It is with every human, isn't it? You live, mess up this world and then die," Kurama said.
Naruto just shook his head and disappeared from the presence of the Bijuu before he opened his eyes. He found himself staring at black eyes that were holding him by the throat. There was a large ship dwarfing his, about 23 pirates at the minimum. They were ransacking his ship, looking for valuables. There were scavengers like this in this world. Corrupt pieces of human flesh that can only steal. Such trash did not deserve to see the new world. They didn't need their perfect world. They deserved to be dead.
"There are no valuables, captain. The ship is empty."
"What a blow," the captain grumbled. "But this is a fine, brat. We can sell the ship and you. I am sure you will make the quite the price."
Naruto didn't have to look to feel the evil smiles. He was now a 'good' that was going to be sold in an underground market. Maybe he would be bought by a sadistic fart who likes seeing people hurt each other, or an underground doctor who likes cutting people up. Naruto would not wait to see such fate, nor did he pity those who fall prey to such worthless pieces of humans. He could slaughter them all and burn them in their ship. It would be less one problem.
"You think Gato would buy?"
Naruto's eyes connected with the man holding him and his body froze. He landed on both his feet. He placed the palm of his right hand on the man's chest where his heart was located and released a large amount of lightning. "Lightning Bullet!" It shot out like a stream of electric currents. It burst through the man's chest, completely burning his flesh and bones, leaving nothing. There was only a hole when Naruto removed his hand and the man fell down.
"Captain!"
"Shit, the brat is a shinobi!"
"He is just one brat! Take him down. We must avenge the captain!"
Ah, that was not music to his ears. Perhaps Orochimaru could enjoy hearing people scream like that, but Naruto did not. He just wanted them to shut up so he could return to the peace he was enjoying. He did not even want to have his ship bloodied by their blood. He would feel sickened lying in a place that has the blood stains of such human trash.
Without even saying anything, Naruto jumped from his ship and landed on the deck on the pirate's ship. He took out a kunai. They were just bandits; he could slaughter them all with just this one.
Three rushed towards him, shouting something he did not register – he simply had no intentions of listening to such people. It was them that made him feel like he did not belong to this world. The plan was worth the effort when the world was infested with such people.
Naruto ducked under a swing from behind him. He did not look back to the man. He just drove his right hand towards the man's throat and stabbed him with the kunai he held. He flashed behind the man and used him as a shield to avoid three swords being stabbed toward his chest. The swords ended up piercing through the man's gut.
Naruto pushed the man forward, forcing him toward the three. Another lunged from behind him, swinging a sword just above his shoulders on his left side. Naruto positioned his kunai around his shoulder and blocked the sword swing. He then pushed away, making the man go off balance. He twisted around, grabbing the man's outstretched hand around the wrist with his left hand. He channeled wind chakra into his kunai and cut through the elbow.
"Ahh!" the man cried in pain. Naruto did not care. He did not even bother finishing off the man. He just turned around to face the five slowly moving towards him in fear.
The Sharingan spun wildly and they all screamed in pain. Genjutsu to these people was the real deal. It was pathetic.
He picked up a sword from the hand he had cut down. "Come," he called the others. "I am running on schedule. I would rather not be late for my appointment with the Hidden Mist."
So, this is my latest project. It kept me obsessively busy until I had completed this part. I have always wanted to do another Sharingan story ever since I deleted Once Again… and this is it.
Please let me know what you think.
The Omnipresent Sage