Back and forth she heard the constant mating calls of insects outside her window. In the late afternoon the noises didn't rise as harsh as the early morning hours, but it was something she could do without. Several times she'd wished the insects belonged to the Aburame Clan. Those things never made noise, or maybe that was just the Aburame clan itself. Tsunade gazed outside her office window contemplating going out for a drink, but her assistants ears were sharp! She'd never fully slide open her balcony windows before hearing Shizune's screeching.
Moving her hands to her temple for comfort she sighed, it gave her a headache just thinking about it. Turning away from the window, and again toward her desk she reached into a drew pulling out two chilled Saki containers popping the cork on one she took a long gulp. Finished she slammed her hand on her desk releasing a harsh breath into the air. The saki from Kusa always left a strong bite on her tongue.
Looking ahead at the never ending paperwork that deemed her attention she picked up, and dipped her quill in ink. Back to work.
Tsunade Senju, Godaime of the Village Hidden in the Leaves, War Veteran, Sannin, granddaughter to Hashirama Senju, Genius Medical doctor, and a Drunk. These were the titles of Konohas Elected Kage.
The recent death of the Third, a forgein invasion, rogue mercenary groups committing terrorists attacks around, and in shinobi territories Tsunade had plenty on her plate. The constant pressures of daily council meetings including the constant stares she received though not as many when she was younger, now they look at her body wondering if she could handle the stress of birth.
Being the last Senju in known existence, and a female as well the political pressure was always staggering. Konoha was in a drought morally, and would soon need to be placated or else active shinobi suffer in the field.
With the rebuilding of Konohas superficial damage many foreign informants had already delivered news of the villages current state. Proof of that was Iwa now occupying small fishing villages near Kusa's eastern borders. They were watching for openings in border defences, and while none were found attempts were made. The marshlands of Kusa were wide, and deadly yet three Iwa shinobi were caught, detained, and interrogated. Nothing gained from the genin who were simply told to patrol further than usual, eager for advancement they did as told. Their corpses were later found inside multiple alligators that populated the marshes.
Signing a few final documents she tossed her quill, and massaged her hands. It was late, Shizune had already notified her that she was leaving for home. Turning to the large glass balcony windows she looked into the village square wondering what tomorrow would bring. Today was calm for the most part mainly due to her canceling of all meetings. Standing preparing to leave she was halted by a knock on her door. "Enter!" The golden blonde ordered. She was ready to leave for some sleep, but when Jonin Commander Shikaku Nara entered face more grim than usual she stood tall. Whatever it was sleep would have to wait.
Shikaku walked to the Hokage with a thick red scroll in hand. S-Class information of the highest degree. Every shinobi war damn near started with a red scroll. Before handing it over into her waiting hands his low drawl like voice spoke. "Hokage-sama please dismiss your ANBU, and follow me." Shikaku obviously knew he was asking for a lot, but he needed her insight, and medical expertise.
Narrowing her eyes at the Jonin for only a moment she looked into a pitch black corner "Leave." Immediately the presence of three extra persons in the room was gone. Receiving a nod from Shikaku he handed over the red sealed parchment. Biting her thumb she slid blood onto a seal marked 'Classified Hokage Only' while applying chakra. Reading over the detailed scripts her eyes began to slowly widen in disbelief, done she poured in more chakra setting the message ablaze. Hazel eyes stared directly in Shikaku's own "take me there now!" Was her demand.
Leaving out the balcony window he quickly led her toward the Forest of Death, and while in travel she thought to herself 'another Uchiha, in konoha? When, and for how long?' These were questions Shikaku knew, but the importance of such information getting out could spell disaster. If the other nations knew the existence of another Uchiha they wouldn't send any genin into damp Marshlands. They would send Black Op agents directly into the heart of Konoha.
So deep into her own thoughts she never realized how far into the forest they've traveled. Looking behind her she spoke to the surrounding darkness. "Stay here. I'll return shortly." The the ANBU from before melded deeper into the shadows. Focuse returning she followed a striding Shikaku who made no sound as he moved, but he did clear his throat.
"He was born three days before the Kyubbi attack out here in these surrounding forests, his mother was Kydai Nara." He kept moving though he did look at her "my niece."
Tsunade knew most of her Jonin well, and Shikaku did not have a niece, because he did not have any immediate siblings. "You have no bothers or sisters, Nara." She stated plainly, and as a mater of fact. She watched his form as they continued to walk which she noticed they'd been doing for a while now.
"I had a sister" was his response. "She'd been sickly, and I'll most of her life." He stopped walking, as did Tsunade beside him. In front of them looked to be a abandoned military base crumbling with age. "She didn't leave the main house at all, and suffered from mild paranoia." Even with Shikaku's straight face emotion bleed into his voice. He never spoke of his sister. "When she was twenty she managed to marry, and moved into her husbands home. How she managed I'm not sure, but when she left her burden was finally relieved from the clan." Picking up a large stick he continued, but Tsunade raised a golden eyebrow at the Nara's behavior. "Moving up in my career, training in the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, and preparing to take over as clan head I'd neglected my sister. Later I found out her husband was a chunin who'd been mainly stationed in the Village of Hot Water." Tossing the stick into the darkness it was ripped, and shredded apart by shuriken which then embedded themselves in the surrounding forests. "While stationed in Hot Water somewhere during his service he was converted into the Jashinists religion."
Tsunade's eyes narrowed. "All practioners of that religion are to be killed immediately men, women, and children! So says the International Non-Aggression Pact following the First-" she never bothered to finish knowing that Shikaku was well aware. "Continue. Now!"
Looking to his Hokage "During their marriage he'd abused, and fed off her own fears, and paranoia constantly repeating of how only Jashin could heal her, during these years they'd have a daughter who was witness to all of this abuse. The constant slaughter of animals her father would commit for his faith, and the instability of her mother who would force her to pray night, and day beside her."
"While her father was insane he was a skilled chunin even a veteran of the Second war, he'd trained her early to become a capable shinobi, and loyal deciple of Jashin." Stepping forward he reached into his flak jacket pulling out what seemed to be more sticks, but closer inspection saw that it was twigs held together in the shape of a body with twine.
"She was a exceptional shinobi, but anonymous within the clan. Later in years her mother passed, and her father continued to slaughter animals, only now she joined in his rituals." Paying attention you could see him squeezing the doll harshly, but no so much to break it. "Do you know how the Uchiha, and Hyugga keep the blood lines so pure, and strong?"
Little by little the pieces began to come together "Inner marriage, and incest." She answered.
"He'd began to rape his daughter in his service to Jashin, and she'd allow it! In service to Jashin..." This and many more reasons were why all practices of Jashinism was abolished long ago. It was a sick, dangerous, and murderous cult.
"When she'd become pregnant he rejoiced with the news of a son. Planning another ritual on the night of the birth they delivered the child in secret...even further into the forests. Kydai exhausted from the birth she watched him take the wailing babe to a altar with a kunai in hand. Praying a final time he stood over the boy, and slit his own throat."
Tsunade never balled her fist so tight in her whole life. "The man who married my sister was Takeshi Uchiha, an outcast who never awakened his own Sharingan." When the Third called me to the scene I was horrified. Mine own niece dead from child birth, her father lay dead at the foot of the altar eyes wide. Surrounding everything was blood. From animals small, and large their blood was smeared on the walls in hand prints, and strange scriptures. A wailing babe being washed of the dried sticking blood." Finally he broke the stick figure.
Tsunade was horrified. She knew the evils of their world, but she'd never imagined it so close to home.
Walking forward he spoke mutedly "only three days old, and he'd awakened his sharingan."
Fourteen years ago
Inside a hastily set-up infirmary tent, moved Shikaku rapidly checking on his fellow ninja. All active shinobi were ordered to help in any way possible, but most were on search, and rescue missions looking for comrades who'd failed to check into their designated emergency stations. Genin had been stretched thin equally helping civilians, erecting large emergency tents for medics tending to patients. They were so short handed academy students were tasked with running back, and forth medical supplies from the main hospital from across the village. A shrill scream took Shikaku out of his day dreaming, looking to his left medics were trying to hold down a panicking female, and from the pins attached to her flak jacket she was a jounin. Assisting to help he grasped her shoulders pinning her down to the blood soaked futon with his help a medic took out a saw, and began to amputate her left leg; her screams didn't even fiil the tent. she wasn't the only one without any anesthetic
ANBU agent Tiger entered the tent disinterested in its on-goings. "Nara-san, the Hokage demands your immediate presence." The white porcelain mask muffled his voice on purpose. "You!" Getting a genin's attention Shikaku removed himself, and directed the terrified girls hands onto the passed out woman's twitching shoulders. The poor girl had never seen so much blood. It was everywhere.
Sprinting through the deep forests behind agent Tiger he could tell he'd never been this far in before, the further they went the darker the path became. With so much overgrowth in the top tree canopy's it was becoming very dark whatever the Third wanted it was beginning to leave a sickening twist in his stomach. Through the glimpses of what little light shinned down large rotting animal corpses littered the ground. This deep in the forest you needed to be at least chunin class to face these beasts.
It was getting hard to see now, but soon they approached another path illuminated by red glowing flares. With light he could see he was surrounded by tall hand made wooden pikes. At the very top were the decapitated heads of slain animals each with their mouths opened, and eye sockets empty. Walking closer he noticed the eyes had been gouged, scratched, and forced out of their sockets; likely when they were alive.
"Continue this path, Nara-san." was Tigers instructions.
Alone he walked, and soon spotted more, and more Black Ops agents some documenting what he'd already seen, but most standing guard hands on blade. The crunching of dead leaves beneath his feet, and the pounding of his heart was all he heard. Spotting a cabin he moved faster hoping to find his Kage, and receive a explanation. No door insight he made to go inside, but the familiar sound of a shushin halted his progress. In front of him stood Boar the captain of ANBU's Gamma squadron; he was supposed to be in Lightning Country killing the favorite wife of Lord Hikaru. The Lightning Daiymo's first born son, and successor.
Boar was tall, and quiet wearing the white cloak the glorified her station in Black Ops. "Registration." Now things were serious if he was being asked to confirm his identity. Behind him he heard the unsheathing of a standard ninja-to. He'd be cut down, and killed if he answered incorrectly "005491" he declared. A small burst of chakra alerted him to another watching him likely a Hyugga activating their Byakugan checking to see if his information was false. Any change in his heart pattern, and a blade would pierce his chest cavity. Boar shushined again disappearing from sight letting him once again continue his journey. Deep cover Black Ops sentenced to door duty told him one thing, whatever was inside would get him killed if not careful.
The smell of old blood swarmed his nostrils. The tangy taste of copper sat on his tongue. The wailing of a new born babe entered his ears. On the cabin walls were strange symbols which could have been mistaken for sealing scripts, but the amount of smeared dry blood everywhere saw this as a ritual. His brained worked a mile a minute trying to figure out what the fuck was going on. Through this whole situation the grimace on his face never changed, even with the phantom pain of his facial scars beginning to bother him. To his left was a open door where he heard crying, and the muffle of exchanging voices. Once his foot crossed the threshold his heart dropped in his stomach. The Hokage, and two more ANBU were inside, but what caused his distress was the large clan symbol on the northern wall in burgundy dried blood. the Nara clan symbol. Beside it was the Uchiha Clans iconic fan in equally dried blood, and in between both was the a upside down triangle inside a circle. The blood still fresh.
"Shikaku do you know this woman?" Brought out of his stupor he looked to the body laying on the floor. Female, young at least fifteen, black hair, Nara features. He'd met her very few times. He felt a pang of emotion hit him "she was Kydai Nara, my sisters daughter, and a chunin. She was mostly tasked with patrolling the boarders near Hidden Rain." He received a nod for what little information he had most likely it was already known. The Hokage dressed in full battle garb motioned toward the male on the floor "and him?" It took a while, but he was recongnized. "Takeshi Himura, my late sisters husband." Shikaku hadn't seen this man in years he'd thought him long dead.
"No, apparently this is Takeshi Uchiha" The Nara clan head had never moved so quickly looking into the eyes of his Hokage for confirmation he immediately found it. "He never activated his own Sharingan. The shame made him leave the clan, and change his name while also choosing assignments that stationed him out of Konoha's, and Fire Country's lands." Hurizen's form moved about the room toward the symbols in blood "Places like the Yugakure that still secretly practice the Jashinists religion." Shikaku had never heard of this religious group before, but Hiruzen explained further. "A illegal practice of human slaughter, and the sacrifice of human beings. During the first Shinobi war this cult like group had killed plenty during their years of infancy whilst also going unnoticed, but when the daughter of Water Country goes missing their eventually tracked down." Facing Shikaku "When she was found her body was dismembered only to replicate the symbol we see here." A nod in the direction of the upside down triangle. "Eventually the war ended, and the 'Non-Aggression Pact' included that all groups, chapters, and churches supporting such a religion would be destroyed, and all peoples practicing, preaching or documenting for future worship would be killed."
"Hokage-sama!" the startled voice of a masked medic alerted the two shinobi from their own conversation. The blood now cleaned from the new born she handed him to the Hokage while drawing her ninja-to. The cabing began to creek loudly as if the wood couldn't hold it's own weight. Shikaku, drew several hidden kunai, because they knew something he did not. They couldn't see it, but they felt it as the room got cold enough that they could see thier own breathes outside of the room was a pitch black hallway; no one was stationed there, but something was there lurking in the dark. With the child in his arms watching him sleep the Hokage didn't even seem to notice the strange happenings around them, but suddenly his face was stone. "The existence of your sister will be erasred, your niece, and her father. The mention of them will be punishable by death!" Stepping forward Hurizen moved into the hallway "I want this cabin burned, I want these surrounding woods burned. Burn everything." Fully engulfed into the abyss he spoke "Now!" The next thing Shikaku knew he felt a blaze of heat from jutsu powered flames, ANBU had began to purge the surrounding area.
Walking into the forests The Hokage looked into the open eyes of a whining babe; red swirling irises with one tomoe in each eye. The shadows seemed to follow them, the empty eye sockets of rotting animals watched them, but to Hurizen it was only another night. He stopped fearing the dark long ago.