PROLOGUE
From the darkness, four figures kept the waterfall and its two statues in their line of sight.
The statues were more than two times the height of the Hokage Tower and the sound of water falling at the base was steady. The border of Sound and Leaf was empty, except for the four standing by. The quiet screamed out their intrusion since nobody came here except to face their end. Here, the Hokage was unsettled by the difference in air quality, it felt thicker and damper by the pounding water than the too-close bodies and bustling lights of the village. Lights that had been left flickering only an hour or so before. It was so quiet that the Hokage merely wished he felt as still. What he wouldn't give to slow down and let old things go.
The Third, so-called for being the Fire Country's third leader in history, Hiruzen Sarutobi, stood with former students Orochimaru, Jiraiya and Tsunade. They were sullen and did not care to catch up over friendly conversation.
Long moments passed. Jiraiya sat appearing to meditate while Orochimaru watched Tsunade pace. The Third merely looked on at the statues, contemplating something none of them could know.
"Does this pain you, Tsunade?" Orochimaru asked at last.
She chewed a finger and said, "You wouldn't understand."
"Oh, I do. You're used to getting to the heart of things. With a blade or a punch."
Tsunade turned on a heel and glared at him.
"Forgive me, still sensitive, I see," Orochimaru said. "Tell me, though, why is it you fear seeing a comrade close his eyes for the last time? Have you not seen it plenty in the battlefield?"
"Shut up," she said and turned her attention to the Third. "Are you sure about this, Hokage?" she asked. "The Akatsuki are criminals and can't be trusted. Have you allowed for the possibility he'll be snapped up at the last moment?"
"I trust him," the Third said, and he looked at her warmly, "like I trust you." He was some mixture of kind and serious and did not share any of Tsunade's misgivings. What they were about to do would mean saying goodbye forever, but it also meant the lifting of something heavy.
"I think you should just be careful not to have too much hope," she added, quietly.
"He says he trusts him, he trusts him," Jiraiya piped in, annoyed. "Leave it alone, Tsunade."
Orochimaru, who was comfortable with pain, added his own thoughts: "The Uchiha is too smart to make a joke of this. With your inhuman strength, Tsunade, and your medical expertise, the Hokage is well-protected from tricks, I'm sure."
Tsunade didn't mind hearing a compliment but that it came from the snake-nin made her skin crawl. He had betrayed Konoha and there he stood, deathly pale in the starlight, about to witness a secret bigger, maybe, than the Kyuubi sealing.
Tsunade was not a petite woman so the heat affected her more than some. Tsunade was known especially for her large bosom, so infamous Jiraiya had recorded its breadth in one of his Icha Icha Paradise books unbeknownst to her. The night air was refreshing after a hot day, even so she kept herself covered head to toe in case of a chill. She did not like to be unprepared and she liked even less that she was waiting on someone she would prefer not to see.
Tsunade's nerves were pulled taut by the impending operation. She jumped at a small animal that broke a stick as it moved about. When she reacted a little too quickly by grabbing for a kunai in her utility belt, the creature scurried off.
Orochimaru was curious still, watching Tsunade's movements. Known for his intellect, Orochimaru did not learn so much by leaving many questions unanswered. "Have you done something like this before, Tsunade?" he asked.
"Of course," she said, without thinking, watching how the ground changed as she took each step.
"And did you pace so much last time?"
She stopped. "I…don't know."
"I would like to offer some unsolicited advice, if I may," he said. She appeared to be entranced, he paused, only when his yellow eyes met hers did he continue. "Everybody talks about death like they know what it is. We all know someone who's died but we've not been the hand to do it. It is different to know something as it is told to you and to observe something right before your eyes. It will take you out of your body and bring you firmly back in to it at the same time, to see it yourself. You know the kind of power you have, Tsunade, and you are wise to be scared but this is a kindness, not murder."
"I am not like you. I don't get off on this, watching people—" she stuttered, and used her hands to show she was searching for the words. "—die."
"No," he said, and smiled. "It is not the dying I enjoy. It is the possibility. The life lived and gone, in the flicker of a candle. Poof." He gestured too, and his yellow eyes glinted in a way that disturbed Tsunade, shaking her from her trance.
"You are a snake," she said, angrily, realising she'd been caught up in something against her will.
The Third stood beside Tsunade and made a gesture that stopped her before she unleashed a punch that would have broken Orochimaru's face and then some.
A fifth figure appeared, the body hidden within a dark cloak patterned with red clouds. The uniform of the Akatsuki, a group of rogue ninjas known for being oath-breakers, resistant to the would-be powers of any of the Kages of the Five Countries.
The Hokage was an old man, his eyes not what they were but he recognised their guest immediately. Itachi Uchiha.
"Evening," the figure said.
"Good evening," they each replied in turn.
Hiruzen cleared his throat to announce proceedings were in place. He gestured to the people beside him. "You might know these faces already, Itachi, these are the Great Sannin: Orochimaru, Tsunade and Jiraiya." The Sannin bowed deeply as they were introduced. "They offer their utmost thanks and are honoured to be here tonight. Tsunade will perform the extraction you requested. Orochimaru will preserve what he can. Jiraiya is here as witness, a trusted ally of Konoha."
Itachi bowed deeply in return, cast a quick glance at each of them but said nothing. Itachi knew well enough the exploits of the Legendary Sannin. Of all living ninja, these were Konoha's best and something of missing-nin themselves. Tsunade had not always been a ninja, for one. Between losing bets to poker machines, she had drunk herself stupid trying to forget the ninja way. Then, she met the whiskered boy, Naruto, who showed her that living didn't mean just waking up each day to take another breath. After that, Tsunade single-handedly revolutionised the ninja world's understanding of medical jutsus. Zero to hero, it would seem.
Jiraiya was a different story. He had refused to comply with an orthodox path, opting to write romance novels in his spare time. He had turned down the role of Hokage more times than anyone, living or dead, had bought a loaf of bread.
Then there were rumours surrounding Orochimaru: what was said about the snake-nin was far more blasphemous. Orochimaru was known to be a hyper-ambitious genius with a quest for knowledge that knew no bounds. The bodies uncovered in Orochimaru's hide outs grew in number as the years wore on. Konoha's best kept secret after this.
"Itachi, you know this process is irreversible and will result in your immediate death. Are you sure you wish to continue?"
Tsunade looked away when the Third asked that: she did not want to see even a flicker of hesitation or she might not be able to go ahead herself.
"Do I live the rest of my life afraid, Hokage?" he asked.
The Hokage nodded. "Very well. Do you have any last words or requests, as we discussed?"
Itachi handed the Hokage a small note. The Hokage grabbed it, pursing his lips together. He was ashamed to say the boy was forty years his junior and too young to bear this burden. He had been dealing with a fall-out not his fault for far too long.
Many years ago, Itachi's younger brother had been found among the remains of the Uchiha clan. Their wooden homes and the Uchiha fan up in flames had smothered Konoha in so much smoke that the smell had lasted days. Sasuke did not know why the family had been annihilated. Only that Itachi had the answers.
"Sasuke will come," Itachi said, bringing Hiruzen firmly back to the present. "I want you to tell him, Sarutobi. The truth."
Itachi's intensity owed to the keen intelligence in his eyes, a sharpness shared by kunai, hand blades or any of the other sharp tools at a ninja's disposal. Even Orochimaru, the Third's favourite pupil by far, shared some likenesses with the Uchiha. Orochimaru had been orphaned and he was not above a dalliance with crime, having weapons hoarding, Tailed-Beast extractions and life on the run under his belt until now. The deal the Third struck with Orochimaru after finding his experiments was not without its critics. Four years ago, the Third had installed a chakra suppressant into Orochimaru's system and his lab of victims had gone up in flames. This, or become part of a collection of ninja rotting in a castle surrounded by a lake of lava.
"Of course," the Hokage said. "You have my word. As a ninja, you have served Konoha well. As a member of Akatsuki, you have been our greatest resource."
Deciding there was no need to explain further, Orochimaru stepped forward and drew an unusual seal above and below Itachi's eyes. The shape was similar to the Hyuga cursed seal but curved like the tear drops of the Uchiha Sharingan. Like four fish finding separate paths to the centre of a pond.
Tsunade handed Itachi a small vial of liquid, a recipe she made sure would be painless. "When you're ready, drink it slowly and we'll lay your body down," she said. The last part she said more quietly, reluctant. In a different scenario, Tsunade's yellow-hazel eyes would have been fiercely fixed on Itachi to aim a square, chakra-empowered punch on behalf of Konoha and the Uchiha clan. That night, she was not game to fight him. She understood he was a dying man anyway.
About an hour later, when Tsunade confirmed there was no more heartbeat, Jiraiya and Orochimaru lifted the body onto a stretcher.
They exchanged a few sorry glances but only Tsunade with her free limbs put a hand on Sarutobi's shoulder, assuring him this was the right thing to do. Sarutobi reached up in thanks. Silence.
They expected a long walk back.
TO BE CONTINUED.
Author's notes: I promise nothing but if you liked, please leave a review and let me know! If you didn't, also good if you told me why as it only helps me get better.
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