I
One
Sarada's silver headband gleamed in the moonlight. She closed her eyes and began to weave hand signs. She opened her eyes, to see the ginger-haired man was gone.
"Congratulations," he said, right in her ear, "you've disappointed me." She drew a kunai and went for his head. Her eyes widened as the blade passed right through him. He grabbed her wrist. With his free hand, he slipped his hand onto her neck. She shut her eyes in pain as glowing markings appeared down her arms.
"Since you are an Uchiha, then let's have a battle of the eyes. Bring honor to your clan and defeat me."
"Fine," she said, activating her Sharingan, "let's do it." The man's Rinnegan began to change, the tomoe replaced by a design, Sarada gasped. It's like the Mangekyo Sharingan, only the design is inside the Rinnegan. It can't be...
"You're Seido Uzumaki!" she said, "the Seventh Pain!" Seido chuckled and pressed his palms together, smirking.
"Well, you certainly are smart," he said, "but let's begin the battle." Sarada's vision began to distort. She realized that Seido was pulling her into his eye. She couldn't fight the pull, no matter how hard she tried. She blacked out for a quick second.
When she opened her eyes, she was in a weird place, somewhere entirely different. Seido was on a stone edifice ahead of her. His katana was out of sight. Sarada looked down and saw that she was on a square pillar too. It doesn't matter, she thought, drawing her kunai. She leapt off her pillar, just as Seido began to speak.
"This is my own world…" he said, "I rule everything here." Sarada passed through him. Damn, she thought, he just fazes through my attacks! She activated her Sharingan. He performed his first hand seal. Boar. The second, Dog. The third, Bird, Monkey Ram. Without biting his thumbs, he placed his hand on the ground. She landed on a square pillar behind Seido, but there was someone else. Someone that he summoned.
The man was a Hyuga, with a transplanted Rinnegan. His Byakugan was activated, veins nearly consuming the skin on his face. His head was shaved on the right side; the remaining follicles were swept over to the left. His slashed headband was of the Hidden Leaf. His face was unmistakable. She knew him.
"Chusei?" she said. Chusei was silent as he weaved the same Summoning hand signs. He bit both his thumbs and placed them on the ground. In a cloud of smoke, a Cloud shinobi and a Sound shinobi appeared. The Cloud ninja opened his eyes. In both sockets, the Mangekyo Sharingan was apparent… he had to be an Uchiha. He opened his left eye wide, and a stream of blood ran down to his jaw.
"Amaterasu!" he announced as the black flames materialized around her ankles. Sarada shrieked in pain as the Cloud Uchiha opened his left eye, the white part becoming covered in veins. "Inferno Style: Paralysis Jutsu!" Sarada began to feel a burning sensation as she struggled to move. Chusei created eight Shadow Clones, each of them striking her chakra points. She was paralyzed; blood ran from her mouth. The blond Sound ninja became encased in red chakra. His teeth sharpened into fangs. He sucked in a condiserable amount of air and released it in short bursts, creating vacuum bullets aimed at Sarada. Finally, Seido placed his palm on her stomach. When he pulled back, a glowing blue wisp with Sarada's figure came out in his hand. Sarada collapsed on the stone structure, the black flames disappearing.
…
Torine watched Sarada collapse in the path. Seido stood in front of her, unharmed. Sarada looked up, the wind blowing through her hair. Torine raised an eyebrow, thoroughly confused.
"What's going on?" he asked. Chusei closed his eyes.
"They're battling with genjutsu," he said, holding up his fingers in a Tiger hand seal, "do you remember when she came at him and grabbed her neck? It is a parasitic mark that feeds on her chakra. It also allows me to see through her eyes, and how she's using her chakra. From the looks of it, she lost the battle."
"That would make perfect sense, because she only has the Sharingan, and he has the Mangekyo Rinnegan, such a power that Hagoromo Otsutsuki himself couldn't obtain," Izumi added.
"Yes," Chusei said, "it seems so that as soon as Sarada activated her Sharingan, she attempted to cast a genjutsu on Seido. But Seido, being as forward thinking as he is, cast another genjutsu on her simultaneously. Of course, Seido had the more powerful eye, and overpowered her genjutsu and trapped her under his."
"Forget I asked," Torine huffed, taking out a bag of cookies. He ate one, chewing very loudly.
…..
Seido smirked, but only slightly. He could see it now! All the work his father put in was about to pay off. All he had to do was kill her and Konoha would be his. But his father's, Nagato's, voice began to play in his head. If you want someone to do something, you must never resolve to violence to get it. Remember, Seido: Peace can only be attained if you respect the dignity of Man. I learned that the hard way. Seido thought he wanted to kill her. But he did. She's at his mercy; it's so easy now. He unsheathed his katana.
"It is time," he said, "for a reality check." He raised the sword. Forgive me, Father, he thought as he brought down the sword. Drops of blood fell to the ground from light pink hair. Sarada watched in shock as her mother fell to the ground, barely clinging to life. Tears fell from Sarada's eyes. She took her mother head in her arms.
"No…" she sobbed, "stay with me, Mama! Don't die...please…"
"Sarada," her moter coughed, blood running to her chin, "...just do what's best for Konoha." Her mother took a shaky final breath before closing her eyes for the last time.
"Do you hate me now?" Seido said, "Tell me, do you understand pain? Now, do you know what it's like to lose something close to you? Only because Konoha is a valuable asset to the Akatsuki am I willing to make a deal." He pressed his fingers together into a triangle. "Magnet Style: Iron Cage!" Iron bars rose up from the ground and trapped Sarada inside.
"What is the deal?" Sarada asked, struggling to free herself, grinding her teeth as she did so.
"In exchange for your life, you will renounce the Hidden Leaf and all in it," Seido answered, "and transfer ownership to me. Of course, I can do nothing to influence your decision, but I strongly insist that you accept." Sarada stopped struggling, giving up. If I can just outsmart him, she thought, then I can escape and rally my shinobi.
"And if I don't?" she inquired smugly. Seido seemed to think for a moment. Yes, Sarada thought, got him. He began to make hand seals. He placed his hand on the ground, not even bothering to draw blood. Chusei and a much more powerfully built Stone ninja appeared. They were carrying Boruto and ChoCho in chakra strings. The muscular man laid them down. They were both unconscious.
"If you don't…" Seido began, "my, what a question." He slipped his sword out from under his cloak. "If you don't, I'll just kill them and leave you hear to bear the emotional pain of loss, as well as the physical pain of hunger until you die inside that...um, spacious cage you're in right now. Is that answer sufficient?" Damn it, Sarada thought, it's like he can read my mind! Seido unsheathed his katana, raising it. What to do, Sarada thought, beginning to panic.
"Stop!" she called out, "I give you Konoha! Just don't hurt my friends!" She began to cry again, the tears falling to the iron floor of the cage. Seido sheathed his katana.
"Well," he said, "it takes an intelligent person a lot to admit they've lost. Tajima, pick up her cage. You three will be imprisoned until further notice. And Sarada, don't try anything irrational, because remember…" he began to disappear, distorting the air around him. "...I see it all."