Seconds of Eternity
Warning: AU. Meaning there will be some drastic and not so drastic changes to the original storyline. Expect some blood, gore and confusing usage of words. Some characters will be OOC. Also contains OC, who play a part in the story.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, I only own the whole galaxy.
Legend:
"Speaking"
'Thinking'
Prologue
Three figures could be seen discussing something in a room in low tones, candlelight shining upon their forms, when the rest of the room was dark, bare of windows, thus obscured from the sun and prying eyes.
"Why did you called us, Danzo?" asked a feminine voice, who belonged to one of the figures. What was seen of her wrinkled face and hunched figure, indicated that she was an elderly woman about sixty years old.
"There is an important matter that needs to be noticed, honorable advisers," another figure answered with much rougher and lower voice, belonging to aged male with half seen face and scars under his eye. A small smirk adorned his lips.
"Cut the pleasantries, Danzo. What do you want?" the question came from the final figure, which was a sixty year old male with a small beard.
"I am also curious as do what this importance is. Especially considering that it requires absence of the council, the Yondaime and Sarutobi," said the woman again.
"Patience Koharu, Homura," the man's smirk widened and he continued, "As you know some of the other five Great Hidden Villages are in possession of the Biju and trying to use them, often thru the means of a human sacrifice, which is perhaps currently the best way to control their violent and potent chakra, thus having an advantage over others, including us."
"That is quite true; however the jinchuriiki projects prove to be unstable resulting in being more of a threat to their own village than to us, so I don't comprehend how that is of concern," stated the woman now identified as Koharu.
"When your words are correct, they don't secure us from the high possibility that a way to improve success of controlling the jinchuriikis or those demonic powers with other means may be even the beasts themselves, would not be found in the near future," replied the hunched figure named Danzo.
"And you propose to us to hunt down and subdue with ninja wires a Biju in the middle of Fire Country, using ourselves as bait?" came the sarcastic remark from the other male. "You are perfectly aware that according to information we have the only ones that are captured and used are the lesser tailed, Gobi and further are much more dangerous and harder to defeat, not to mention sealing will be on whole different, currently unknown level. Considering above all the fact that only seen in the proximity of our village was Kyuubi, the price will be too high… Ten shinobi and a contained Biju is not my vision of the bright future. The last known brief contact with it was even before foundation of this village, so I doubt that it will show up somewhere near us tomorrow."
"And the Sanbi's existence is only theoretical, there are no records even legends regarding the three-tails, so I don't see where this is going, Danzo," added the woman while rolling her eyes at the fellow advisor's words.
"You and your ironies, Homura," said Danzo with a harder edge, face showing some annoyance. "But which of my words allowed you to conclude that my idea consists of capturing a Biju?" the smirk was back on his face with full force as he gazed upon the other two occupants of the room, who had slight surprised looks on their faces. "I never even mentioned about looking for them."
"Is that so? So I believe you have another plans in mind, better yet a scheme, as always, don't you?" now it was Homura who asked in annoyed voice. "What did you mean then?"
"A jinchuriiki counter," was the simple reply.
"A jinchuriiki counter?" Koharu turned her face to look at Danzo fully as she continued "If I follow correctly, then you are hinting on a person, who needs to be on par or stronger then a jinchuriiki, or in worse case scenario be capable to hold against a tailed demon? I apologize, but this is ridiculous. When there are a dozen shinobi in our village that are perfectly able to deal with a jinchuriiki, some with relative ease even, but a Biju? The power to subdue and bind them to will is lost with the Shodaime, no other member of Senju clan ever shown even the slightest hint of having the potential to control their bloodline as our Great Founder did, not to mention that the clan is almost dead, having only one member of their blood alive. And when she is one of the best kunoichi ever born in Konoha, her mental health is disturbing, and it's highly unlikely that she will consider producing a child, who, I might add, may not even have the right genetical inheritance. Of course the mokuton bloodline is not lost to Konoha, but…" by then her voice was getting a little angrier, " we have no idea what results of such foolish experiment on that poor child could be, especially considering it was Orochimaru's doing, who knows what else that man did…" she took a breath of air to calm herself down. Koharu didn't know why, but that specific report about one of Orochimaru's experiments when he was still in Konoha greatly affected her. "The only other available option is an Uchiha, the sharingan proved to have an effect on some extent on the Biju as well, however, dealing with the Uchihas is a high risk, the village does not need a second Madara..." her eyes narrowed as she trailed off, but then continued with more relaxed face, "Currently only the Yondaime is strong enough to leave from a confrontation with one of beasts alive, but even for him it could be the hardest battle ever fought. And I am completely against risking loosing such young and promising Hokage in an attempt to give a village an edge against others," she finished.
"Dear Koharu, if I did not know better, then I would think that you have some mother instincts clouding your judgment," the hunched figure smirked then continued, a small sigh escaping his lips, "But again you jumped to false conclusions, my idea does not concern the old Konoha clans and bloodlines, more of a… how should I say… creating a new one," upon seeing the raised eyebrows Danzo elaborated, "You see, my men found a very interesting… document, an ancient manuscript even…" here his eyes twinkled.
"Oh and what did your little treasure diggers found this time, please, do tell?" asked the other male fake pleading.
The scarred man took an envelope from his black grey robe and gave it to the other two occupants of the room, "This."
They opened the envelope and took out the contained papers; most of them indeed were quite old. After a brief scanning Koharu spoke, "Some of the symbols I do not recognize."
"Indeed, it is a more ancient dialect, but there is a full translation on the other paper. It took one of my best decoders some time to decipher the precise meaning" replied Danzo as he watched and waited for the reaction, which was bound to come. 'And here it is,' he thought with a smile.
"Danzo… do we look like Orochimaru's siblings to you?" asked an incredulous Homura.
"I agree, Danzo, this is immoral, something that could fit the likes of Orochimaru, as my teammate bluntly pointed out," added the elder woman.
"Immoral is a light word compared to this. Three blood sacrifices? A high chance of the receiver not surviving or as it says: "The Entity might decline the request for blessing and kill the one who shall be blessed"? What ritual and entity does this text describe even? I never heard about the likes of this!" exclaimed the glassed eye elder.
'What a predictable reaction,' thought Danzo as he gazed upon their slight shocked features. "Calm down. I believe this document contains knowledge of the ancient ways, perhaps the origins of bloodlines, a blessing ritual, a predecessor of shinobi arts, a historical prove that people were aware of existence of chakra and it's usage before the times of Rokudou Sennin. This completely changes what we know about chakra and history of our world, our outlook and ideology. And it's only the beginning… a beginning of countless opportunities and a path to knowledge that bound to change the cores of our world," seeing as he had their interest he continued, "Yes the risk is high, and indeed we are not even aware of possible consequences of this ritual, but even the worst outcome will be outweighed by the gained," he finished with the same monotone low voice that he always spoke with.
"Your words hold some truth, but this is too dangerous, especially considering the fact that it requires sacrifices, meaning this is something that falls under forbidden label," Koharu spoke calmly.
"The term 'dangerous' describes every day of our existence. The three of us know perfectly well, that the peace is only calmness before a storm, unlike what naively think both the Sandaime and Yondaime. There will be an another war in the near future and this is what might insure our village's victory," he said while intently watching their reactions, 'Time for the final strike,' "Of course there is a chance that it will backfire on us, but every eventuality is already provided by me. And you are wrong, adviser, this ritual holds no risk for the users, only for the receiver, therefore it is not under category 'forbidden'. As for the blood sacrifices, there are no specifics, even some common thugs will do."
The advisors exchanged glances and Koharu asked, "It seems you thought it thoroughly… Tell us then, who will be the receiver, and how are you planning to decrease the possibility of fatality?"
"I know a perfect candidate. Tell me, what you know about Shuzuka Futaru?" inquired Danzo.
"Her? Isn't she one of those orphans 'adopted' by the village by Sarutobi during the Second Great Shinobi War? If I remember correctly, her origins are outskirts of Amegakure; current rank Chuunin, has potential, but lacks the drive to improve, loyal to Sarutobi and not the village… Is that her? And seems to me she is not someone to be called 'perfect candidate' material," spoke Homura.
"Yes. But I'm surprised that you still don't know…" trailed off Danzo.
"Don't know what?" asked Koharu.
"She is pregnant, four weeks to be exact. And most important is the identity of the father… its Namikaze Minato," at that the two other conspirators widened their eyes. "I see you finally figured it out. Apparently, there is some attraction between them, and a month ago they acted upon it… However that's not important right now."
"So your candidate is Yondaime's unborn child?" asked Koharu with narrowed gaze.
"Yes, the child most likely survive the changes that the 'ritual' will bring, and I am quite certain that the 'entity' will accept him for the 'blessing' as well," seeing their skeptical looks he continued, "I understand your doubts; this 'ritual' is not the most pleasant activity, especially if the village itself gets a wind of what I am requesting you to help to do with Yondaime's heir. But this is not for our profit, or ambitions, it's for the village. The fact that it is the Yondaime's heir ensures that the child will have a role model, the drive, loyalty and not to mention the potential, he will begin a new dynasty, feared thru all of the countries... this will ensure our position as the strongest village," spoke Danzo, his usual monotone held tinges of inspiration and pride for his ingenious plan.
"You are talking like there is nothing that can go wrong," chided Koharu, still looking unconvinced.
"Of course there might be many problems on the way, but they will be dealt with. We just need to ensure that it won't end up in killing the child. So, do you agree?" asked the scarred man.
The advisers exchanged glances again, silently communicating with each other and Homura replied, "Fine, but all responsibility will be on you, Danzo."
"It settled then. I will contact you soon and give all the details. Be prepared," and with those parting words he left the room, shortly followed by the other two.
It was a silent night; moon shining in star filled sky; the forest's peacefulness disturbed only by rustling mice and hunting owls. Silent figures could be seen walking on a trope, overgrown by grass and various bushes, giving impression, that this part of the forest is rarely visited by humans. Finally they stopped in a small clearing near a very small hill, more of a mound, completely covered in roots and moss and other plant life.
"We are here," stated one of the figures. Raising his hand, he revealed a shining object, which in closer inspection was a long knife or a dagger, and started cutting the various plants and roots. When finally done he sheathed the object back in his cane and gazed upon now clearly visible entrance to a cave within the mound. He then lighted a candle and stepped insides, closely followed by other figures. The narrow tunnel led the travelers down, further under the hill; they walked for about thirty seconds till they stepped in a more spacious room. The moon could be seen thru cracks in the cave's ceiling, taps of dripping water were heard, disturbed only by the sound of breathing.
"Well… this place is quite… comfy, don't you think?" asked a male voice, while the owner looked over the room with curiosity, "Has a homey feeling to it, only needs to be redecorated a little."
"Be silent, Homura. Now is not the time for your humor," said another, female, voice also inspecting the room they were in. Like the mound and the tunnel the room was completely covered in moss, spider webs could be seen in various places. In the center was something akin to a pedestal, an altar, right under the largest crack, allowing the moonlight to illuminate the altar and the space near it. On the walls were engraved various images, most were damaged by time and barely distinguishable, the ones that were undamaged resembled humanoid forms and, oddly enough, crescents. It was hard to tell their purpose, perhaps it was a tale or a warning, but for the visitors it was not important. On the floor there were three holes, not deep, but rather shallow, and at least one meter wide, each hole was on one of altar's side, forming a triangle, and was connected to the altar by engraved lines.
"Let us begin," said the first figure, the leader of this endeavor. Four other figures put down the bags they were carrying and opened them, revealing four people, who obviously were unconscious. They then placed three of four unconscious figures, who were male and naked, in each hole, the fourth, which was an also naked young woman, with long black hair, was put on the altar. "Guard the entrance. Make sure that we are not interrupted by any means."
"Hai, Danzo-sama," they saluted in unison and vanished, leaving only the leader and other two inside.
"I hope, that you do know what to do," said Danzo to the other two.
"Yes, we did our homework, lets just get this over with," replied Homura, while rolling his eyes. He moved to stand between the altar and one of the holes, the other followed, taking the same position.
All three of them made a seal and started chanting in unison: "We call upon thee, hear our plea…" The moonlight in the room was getting brighter. "The One who walks between day and night, sun and moon, death and life…" The three unconscious figures started stirring. "The One, who saw the unseen, heard the silence, felt the nothingness, tasted the forbidden sin..." Moaning was heard from the three, which lay in the holes. "Reveal to us the moon at day, the sun at night, the death in silence, the life in nothingness, the taste of sinful…" The three figures suddenly started to cough blood, cuts appeared on their body. Blood started to leak from their mouths and cuts slowly filling the holes. "Let the blood show us the path to the unseen…" By now the male figures were fully bleeding, the blood that gathered in the holes slowly flowed thru the engraved lines towards the altar. When it reached the altar, symbols that looked like seals or runes started to glow eerie red. "We ask thee, for moon's gift, sun's curse…" More blood reached the altar and now half of it was covered in the red glow. "We pray for day's shadow and night's light…" Hoarse cries and screaming was heard from the three bloodied bodies. "Show us the color of nothingness; tell us the noise of silence; open the forbidden door…" The altar was fully covered in crimson seals, glowing brighter with every passing second; the naked woman was squirming in her dreamless sleep, her body covered in cold sweat. "We plea upon thee, The One who gives feeling to numbness, color to blindness; life to death…" The runes were appearing on the woman's torso, concentrating on her abdomen, glowing with the same eerie crimson as the altar. "Grant the chosen the sinful taste…," the glow was becoming so intense, that it was hard to see anything thru the red mist, "…the forbidden desire; grant the chosen Your Eternal Blessing…" They started to chant the same line over and over, while the screams, the smell of blood and the red light were getting unbearable. "We plea The One to bless this chosen!" and with this final line the young woman gave a silent cry, the seals on her body and the altar started to disappear, the screaming stopped as well. The room was silent, labored breathing could be heard from the sacrifices, no traces of blood were seen on the floor or the altar; only the moonlight shined with crimson hue…
"It is done," stated Danzo.
"Yea, and it took more chakra then I thought it would," replied Homura, while panting.
"She is fine, and it seems that there is no damage done to the child either. It went well," stated Koharu, who was examining the woman; her voice held some relief, which she felt and didn't try to hide.
"That is good to hear, but whether it was successful or not, we will know later. Let us leave," said Danzo.
Unknown to the three, the male sacrifices regained consciousness. Barely alive they looked at the place they were in, but instead of a cave they saw a plain white field, blood was staining the snow under them. In the center stood the same altar, a woman with pale skin, long ethereal silver hair, dressed in white kimono adorned with silver crescents was standing near it. Her fingers were tenderly caressing the abdomen of peacefully sleeping figure on the altar, while she whispered soft words. The moon shone with red hue, giving the field a mystical appearance. As life was leaving them they gazed upon the sky seeing a full moon… glowing a tender crimson white color…
