Reverse II: Red.
A/N: Hey there, Wildfurion here with the second chapter of Reverse.
Though relatively new, this story gets me pretty hyped up- especially because well, it's the first time I actually write something about Naruto. I have to admit the number of stories in this tag is pretty much…gargantuan, to say the least. 400k…wow, simply wow.
I thought I'd only be able to update this fic monthly, yet I've gotten some free time from College so…yeah, wrote this one sooner than expected. Things will go a bit slowly during this first chapter, until we reach the timeline of the first Naruto anime. Then things will be happening a bit faster.
There had been very few views, though that is expected- I guess. Naruto's such a popular anime, so the number of fanfics is pretty huge. I guess this number will only grow as I write more and more chapters, not forgetting about quality of course.
I'll be replying to the reviews now.
-hinatayvonne: She'll be getting a Summon soon, though defining which chapter is quite difficult.
-Autistic Weaboo: Here it is, chapter two ready and proofread. The next one will take a bit longer, as Med School's been quite harsh lately.
-ArabellaDoesIt: Thank you. This story's as amusing to me, as it is to you- sometimes I don't believe it actually came off my head.
Wildfurion
"Mercy did not exist in the primordial life. It was misunderstood for fear, and such misunderstandings made for death."- Jack London.
Disclaimer: I don't own the Naruto series, I only own this fic.
Reverse II: Red.
Outskirts of Otogakure
It felt almost as if my body had been trampled by a pack of Indian elephants.
It's been almost three moons since Kabuto performed a complex surgery upon my body- basically dislocating my joints and modifying my tenketsu so that they could innervate their surroundings- in order to give me more flexibility.
'Damn you, Kabuto.'I silently curse him as I feel my metatarsophalangeal joint twisting in a way it wasn't really supposed to do. My entire structure felt as if it had been fused with a jellyfish's, and practically every movement ended up turning awkward. 'To make things worse, father had to send me in a mission.'
Barely managing to dodge a farmer's scythe without a resemblance of my usual grace, I somehow manage to toss a shuriken at the bulky bald man- piercing his external carotid with the sharp blade. He falls down to the ground, and I finish him off using taijutsu.
Kidōmaru's smirk only grows wider as he watches me try and handle the peasants, dazzled by the effects of anesthesia and with my limbs feeling like they might fall off at any minute. Though he surely had my back, the four-armed brat seemed to be having fun watching me suffer. "Any help would be appreciated, Kidōmaru!"
As he had yet to become one of the Sound Five when I came to this world, Kido lies bellow me in the "scale" of power at Otogakure- he had the level of an average Genin, while I had reached Chunin level under Orochimaru's insane training regime. "My, my, Uzumaki-hime-sama." The boy rebukes teasingly, a pair of kunai pressed in between his right index and thumb. "But I can see you're handling them quite well..."
It was his revenge for my…enthusiasm during our spars.
Ignoring the fact Kabuto's surgery had severely weakened me- which wasn't an expected outcome- my father commanded three of his disciples- me, Kidōmaru and Tayuya- to organize a small raid against a farming village neighboring Otogakure.
According to Orochimaru, the Sound Daimyō had previously transferred all of the settlement's taxes directly to the Hidden Village; yet some of the farmers refused to pay tribute, believing it better to store up supplies for the coming winter. 'They forgot one thing, however…nobody says no to Orochimaru and survives.'
The local chief was the first to die. Taken by surprise by Tayuya and me, the old man and his sons never stood a chance- and now added to the growing pile of corpses that formed at the center of the small plaza. Father never specified the death toll, trusting whatever number that could satisfy my thirst for blood was enough.
And I am thirsty- though the poor civilians were mere straw men for Kabuto, who was the only one I wished to kill right now.
"You…you monster!" A black-haired man with a mustache furiously charges at me and- to my shock- he has a sword at hand, its blade expanded and reinforced with blue chakra as it came for a killing blow. "Die!"
*Clang*
"Geez, haven't I told you to protect the princess, Kido-roba?" Tayuya snickers, having blocked the man's sword with her kunai. "This sucker's strong, be careful." She then dodges another slash with ease- though the blade does graze her short red hair a bit, before going for a stab of her own. "Do you recognize his sword?"
"A Samurai…but what is he doing here?" I inquire as I focus my chakra onto my mouth. Tossing in a few shuriken as Tayuya distracts the man, I prepare one of my powerful jutsus just in case.
"Probably a retiree from the Daimyō's army. His sword is longer than the average katana, so be careful, Kannon."
"Very well. I'm not holding back then~" I can barely hold my excited grin as I quickly form the sequence of hand seals needed: Mouse → Tiger → Dog → Ox → Rabbit → Tiger → Monkey. "Katon: Housenka Tsumabeni."
Breathing my fire chakra onto shuriken, I launch several of them at the enemy- hoping to kill him and end this fight for once. The Samurai's fast for his age, however, and takes a huge leap backwards, dodging all of my projectiles while blocking Tayuya's Ninpou at the same time. 'This guy's good.'
"You won't put me down so easily, brats." The swordsman states with a menacing glare- his dark blue eyes alternating between the three of us. While Kidōmaru opted to stay mostly out of the fight- preferring to watch me struggle against civilians- both Tayuya and I could see the experience in the man's eyes. He was a fighter, and quite a good one- probably a veteran of many battles. "I won't let you do further harm to this village and its people!"
Heroic, isn't he? Excitement burns within me, as I prepare for what's going to be the first decent opponent in weeks.
"I'll cover you both, so make sure to get rid of him!" Kidōmaru says while tossing a kunai at a charging woman with a cutlass.
"Riiiight~" I purr out cutely, though the emptiness in my bright green eyes reveals just how little I care about the deaths around us. There's only one prey: the black-haired Samurai. "Are you ready, Tayuya?"
"Tch…of course I am, Kannon."
"Well then, shall we begin~"
The Samurai charges at both of us, taking advantage of his strength to try and smash Tayuya with brute force. Yet my fellow kunoichi manages to push him back with a powerful kick to the chest, deciding to use Taijutsu to create an opening for my Katon.
"Ninpou - Mushou de Hitei!"I attack him with my Ninpou, forcing him to block it with a strong pulse of Chakra from his sword. This leaves his left flank open, however, and my partner stabs him at the thigh with a kunai before backing down. "Katon: Housenka Tsumabeni!"
Feeling my reserves beginning to strain after using too much of my Katon against the other villagers, I reduce the scale of my attack to only a few flaming shuriken. The target, however, is not the man, but the dry grass we fight on. With a grin, I make my next move, tossing three bottles of highly flammable oil onto the flames. "Try and block this!"
The result is a gargantuan explosion of flames so hot and destructive; I feel the hairs of my skin being charred. Though it is my natural affinity as Kannon, Fire Release keeps surprising me with its devastating capacity.
'This is it.' I thought, watching as the chakra-powered fire starts to consume the grass surrounding the swordsman. Experienced or not, there was no way such an old Samurai could survive against the flames. "We're done here, Tayu. Let's go back home."
I then turn around my heels and start walking back to Otogakure, ignoring the Samurai's screams of pain as my Katon consumed him. Tayuya watched for some minutes, as the flames consumed the retired swordsman's body before- having lost their supply of chakra- starting to dwindle into embers. She then rushes after me, and is swift to offer me a shoulder once she notices my weird march.
"Very impressive indeed, hime-chan." Kidomaru snickers from his spot on a tree branch- few steps away from the narrow, dark, secret trail we were taking back to the base. "Even when pressed against the wall, she refuses to use her eyes against a lesser opponent. Though…"
"One more word, Kido, and I'll rip your tongue off." I state with a glare, feeling as exhaustion begins to kick in. While my reserves did allow me for some liberties with Chakra spending, the fact was that I ended up facing off against a samurai after burning half of a village during our raid.
"Ohh, I'd like to see you try, Princess."
Before I could answer to his provocation- a sudden presence steals the breath out of me. "Everyone to the ground, now!"
Barely a second later, and I catch a glimpse of an immense sword cutting the air above mine and Tayuya's heads. It is the Samurai, and his entire body glows blue with the chakra he's releasing.
The man had seen better days. The entirety of his left arm was charred, and his sword hand had ugly burns- his face was missing an eye, and looked as if it had been turned into coal. "I'll not allow you to leave unpunished!"
In my confidence, I had underestimated the old man's resilience. The Samurai in this world were as widespread as in ancient Japan, and served directly under their lords- keeping the countryside safe and maintaining the ninjas at bay. "Princess." I hear Kidomaru remark seriously. As he had yet to received the cursed seal from my father, the boy's still the level of an average Genin. "Do your eyes feel like working today?"
"Even if I had enough chakra left in me to use them, I don't believe they'd be much of help here." I hiss back to him, never taking the eyes off the Samurai- who clashes against Tayuya as we speak. My closest friend in this world seems to be having a tough match against the swordsman, even after he'd been severely injured by my Katon. "Go and help her, Kidōmaru. I have a plan, so keep him distracted."
"Don't get us killed, baka-hime." The older Genin snickers, before dashing towards the man- tossing kunai and shuriken at him before going for close quarters combat.
'As if.' With I grin, I begin to prepare for a decisive move against the wrinkled warrior. Channeling whatever chakra I have left onto my feet, I conceal myself with basic Genjutsu before starting a slow climb an old, large pine tree. 'I hope this works.'
Once reaching the lowest branch, I silently observe the battle bellow me. Tayuya keeps engaging the man with a combination of Ninpou and Taijutsu, blocking off his attacks with growing difficulty- as she's about as tired as I am; Kidōmaru, on the other hand, prefers to keep his distance and constantly tries to incapacitate the man's legs with projectiles.
'Wait…wait…' Using the last drop of my exhausted reserves, I form a bad imitation of Kabuto's scalpel. While certainly not as precise as his, I'm sure a cut from my version could cause quite a lot of damage- if the right muscles were severed. '…now!'
Practically throwing myself down upon the Samurai's back, I lash at his back with the scalpel, using it to sever any muscle I could reach in my position. The man lets out a bestial roar of pain, and shrugs me off him in a brusque movement.
But the damage had already been made. With his shoulder muscles dilacerated, and many tendons and nerves severed, the man's arm falls limply to his side.
No words could properly describe the smirk that forms on my lips when the man's sword hits the ground. If I were to use my artistic sense, I'd say it was the physical manifestation of Asmodeus' lust for blood.
"Well, well~" With a giggle that would fit perfectly in 'The 120 Days of Sodom ', I slowly make my way towards the incapacitated man until mere centimeters separate us. "Seems like my new toy has yet to break~"
"Oi, Kannon." Tayuya walks up to my side and places her hand on my shoulder. "There's no time to play. There may be reinforcements coming after him as we speak…"
"Hmpf…fine." With a cute pout- one of the many girly expressions I managed to learn in this last four years- I pull out my kunai. Turning my eyes back to the man, I lower myself to his eye level- placing my blade under his neck. "You're lucky I'm in a hurry. I'm not one to give out quick deaths."
I don't even need to look to know Kidōmaru turns pale like a ghost when hearing the casual tone in which I say those words.
Otogakure- Main Base.
Where I come from, chakra is a very ancient spiritual concept of Hinduism- with each of them being part of the subtle body; they were believed to be embedded within the actual physical body, whilst originating within the context of mental and spiritual fields. Here…here, however, things are slightly different: in this world conceived by the mind of a very creative mangaka, chakra is a form of mystical vital energy produced by every individual. Basically, it has the most diverse functions- including jutsus- and without it, a person dies.
Of course there's much more information about chakra, yet I hadn't paid too much attention to the series- and even my photographic memory can't help me with this.
The fact is: manipulating this power is not as complicated as I expected it to be…
I sit down in silence at my room, eyes closed in meditation. An open scroll lies in front of me, containing a new jutsu Orochimaru's instructed me to learn. 'Now, let's try it again.'
Fūton or Wind Release - one of the five basic "natures" of chakra- is basically the ability to manipulate air. While very strong against Lighting, Wind-based Ninjutsu serves mostly as a fuel to my Katon- hence why Orochimaru insists on me learning how to use it.
"I see you're still trying." I hear a voice playfully remark, and open my eyes to see Tayuya leaning against my bedroom's door. After having her wounds treated by Kabuto after the battle, the older kunoichi looks fresh and ready for action- wearing one of my shirts combined with loose cotton pants. "Don't be too hard on yourself, Kannon-chan. Else…"
Without further warning, Tayuya playfully tackles me to the ground- before she starts rubbing her cheek against mine.
"…I'll not be able to play with this soft body of yours!"
"Gee…Tayu, you're weird." Is my response- which, as usual, is accompanied by a sigh. "What if someone walks in?"
"Then I'll just tell them you're feeding me with your cuteness~"
Strangely, the closest thing I have to an actual friend in this world is Tayuya- who has yet to join the Sound Four. As one of the few girls in Otogakure, the older girl was initially cold towards me (as she seems to be towards everyone else), believing me to be an arrogant prodigy like any other- yet eventually warmed up, and began showering my person with her…peculiar affection.
By mimicking some of her traits when she acted like this, I managed to further improve my…girly ways.
"Anyways, how long have you been trying this new jutsu of yours?" The girl inquires with a small grin, letting go of me before taking a seat on the floor.
"Since we returned from that raid." Despite the problems with the Samurai, our little expedition had been a great success- and the village in question paid the owed tribute without any further resistance. Satisfied with the outcome and knowing full well we deserved a good rest, Kabuto had decided to grant us an entire week as free time. "With the bonus that my body feels great now…"
With the deleterious effects of the surgery now gone, I could feel the great changes my body had undergone. If I were just half as flexible as I am in this body back home, the Cirque du Soleil would have hired me as their main star- that is a given.
A pity I wasn't born with the same powers as Kannon in my previous life. Life would have been much easier.
"You know, Kannon-chan. I envy you sometimes."
"Why's that? I thought you were my best friend, Tayu~"
"You're smart, talented and beautiful. No wonder why you're Master Orochimaru's favorite." She then taps my forehead with her index. "Nee, how do you feel? About that fight, I mean…"
"We underestimated him. I had exhausted my chakra reserves before, and was winded by the surgery. Kidōmaru seemed to be having fun seeing me struggle…" I must confess it was hard to hold the laughter back when I saw Tayuya's scowl. "You did the most against him. Without you there, I don't know what would have happened."
"You would have won anyways you sadistic bitch~"
"Sadistic? Me?" I inquire, batting my eyelids innocently- yet another girly gesture I've struggled to learn. Sadistic? Perhaps, I'm more of a neutral character instead. "To hear you think so low of me, Tayu~"
We continue having our casual chat for a few minutes, before Kabuto walks into the room- not even bothering to knock on the door.
"Don't you know how to knock, Kabu-chii?"
"My apologies, Princess Kannon." Harry Potter replies with a slight bow, though the smirk he wears on his face show how serious he truly is. "But I came to warn you of Master Orochimaru's return."
"Was the mission I success? The one to the Land of Hot Water, I mean…"
"You should ask the Master personaly. He's summoning you to his presence, after all." He was about to turn to leave, but stops- returning his gaze to me before adding. "We have a visitor, so you should probably take a bath and put on…" the older boy then indicates my gown with a gesture. "…proper clothes for the occasion."
"I'll help~" I hear Tayuya cheerfully state behind me. I could almost see the light in her eyes at the prospective of groping me. "Come on, Kannon-chan. You'd better not leave the Master waiting."
And it is at moments like this, that I miss being a man so much.
Thunder makes itself heard in the darkness of the night.
The white woman had come for me again that night. Possibly the only figure in this world capable of making my calculating mind lose its usual serenity, she visits my dreams in nights of heavy rain- as if only to keep me awake through the night.
My gaze is lost at the forests surrounding my hiding, as I- already knowing sleep would not come to me today- try to recollect the meeting earlier that day.
I used to think of myself as evil- until I personally met Sasori of the Red Sand.
While the manga gave off quite a lot of detail about his disturbed, sociopathic personality- in part, derived from the loss of his parents during a War- yet meeting the man in person was an entirely different experience.
As I had tea with him and father- in a ceremony somewhat similar to my neighborhood's tea parties- the man's personality slowly unveiled before me.
While his true face was hidden inside a puppet- Hiruko is its name I believe- I could take in bits of his true nature from the smallest of details in his talking. Much like myself, Sasori seemed to have denied the existence of many meaningful aspects of life, including morality and goals. His words were carefully measured, even when he talked to his supposed partner about a mission; he seemed to have little patience, however, much like his cannon counterpart…
Yet the climax had yet to come- when father decided to leave me alone to tend to our "guest". Probably as a test for my court abilities, in case I needed to infiltrate a palace or pleasure house as a kunoichi.
This time, Sasori's attention laid entirely upon my person.
'Girl' was what he called me. The legendary puppet master of Sunagakure probably thought me too inferior to him to even bother about my name.
We talked for about an hour, before he finally decided to leave. At first, Sasori asked for details about the hideout- mostly its location and specifics, stating it would be an useful base for the Akatsuki. 'As if I would fall for that…'
"You are an Uzumaki, aren't you?" He inquired in the deep and hoarse voice he used when speaking through Hiruko. Having probably noticed I wouldn't tell him much about the hidden village itself, he seemed to have decided to ask about me instead. "I thought your clan to be dead decades ago. How come you became Orochimaru's possession?"
"I'm not one of your creations, Sasori-dono." Was my polite, yet slightly cold response. While Orochimaru's intentions with me are mostly unpredictable- besides his desire to use me as his vanguard against Konoha- I have no intention of living this new life of mine as his toy/new body. He trained me as his strongest disciple, and that was all. "Father told me much about your…puppets. I hope to achieve such skill one day."
"Huh? So he told you about me? Tell me more."
"Well, to start things off…" I flash him a small grin. "…why don't you show me your true face? I've heard your hair is the color of blood like mine *giggle*"
"You're smarter than I thought, girl. Very well, since you already know, I'll show you my face…"
In a puff of smoke, the large, hunched body of Hiruko fades away- in its place, sits a young man, dressed in the same Akatsuki robe as the puppet. With the same looks as his series counterpart, the true Sasori has wide, dark brown eyes and shaggy red hair- which, if not for his chakra signature, could have passed him as an Uzumaki like the one whose body I possess. His face is plain- the idea poker face- and devoid of any emotion.
Unlike me, he didn't need to wear the mask of a little girl of almost seven.
"Red indeed. Might I say it, you are quite good looking, Sasori-dono." I compliment with a giggle, despite feeling the cringe inside me. Calling a man who had not only a wire, but the whole essence of Caligula inside his rotten soul handsome- of all things- sounded something only a silly girl would do. Little girls my age aren't that smart, though, so…
"Pretty words for a little crimson hummingbird. I wonder if Orochimaru was the one who taught you to sing so well."
"Maybe he did, maybe he didn't. Why don't you ask him instead?"
"Because you are here, little one." The puppet-man then sips from the hot, honeyed tea. I can't help but think how he processes that- in a puppet body, I mean. One of the things chakra allowed were anatomic modifications which are quite impossible to understand- especially with a mentality of a normal human physician. "What more has your Father told you about me, Uzumaki-hime?"
The air in the room seemed to freeze for some seconds. Now Sasori was actually interested in my person- as evidenced by the emphatic tone he used on my name. His hollow eyes stare down at me with the curiosity of a tactician- a puppet master, staring at a potential doll. 'I'll have to be careful.'
"Father doesn't tell me much about the Akatsuki." I lie with an innocent smile. While Orochimaru did tell me about some of the members- especially when comparing me to them- I had little info upon the organization's activities. All in all, I'd say my level of intelligence about the nukenin was reasonable at best. "He told me you're strong, however. Especially when using the Third Kazekage."
For some seconds, Sasori merely stares back at me in complete silence. He seems to study my words thoroughly, though no glimpse of surprise makes itself known on his expressions.
I knew from a special that he was the one who fought against my "father" when the latter began probing the Akatsuki. If I remember things correctly, Sasori did beat Orochimaru in this battle- though the Sannin was purposely holding back with the intention of stealing Pain's Rinnegan. "Oh, so you know about the Kazekage as well?" The man finally rebukes with cocked brows. "You seem to be sharper than any kunoichi of your age, at least the ones I've met. Are you even a Genin yet?"
"Officially, no. Though I do have some skill. At least that's what people say~"I wouldn't tell much about my skills- especially when that was concerned. I had yet to learn how to control it, so it'd be wiser to keep it secret for the moment. "I'm still under training, however."
"I see…"
The rest of the visit follows in comfortable silence. I serve him some more tea, which Sasori accepts with quiet nods- as he silently studies my movements and, most probably, my chakra. One did not need to be a skilled sensor to evaluate an Uzumaki's chakra- the clan I was reborn in seemed to have very strong life force, after all. Besides that, Uzumaki women seemed to be especially fit to becoming Jinchūriki, with their exceptionally powerful chakra.
I only hoped his interest didn't go too far.
I'd rather not become a puppet, after all.
When his curiosity finally seems to be sated, Sasori gets up from his seat- Hiruko's armor forming immediately around him, complete with Akatsuki robe and hat.
"I'll be taking my leave now. The clouds are turning dark, and I'd rather not spend the night here because of rain." He then turns to leave- moving in slow steps, as he usually did when wearing the puppet-armor. While internally sighing in relief, I made sure to make my expression relatively…disappointed for his leaving. "I appreciated our talk, Uzumaki-hime. Farewell."
"Are you sure you won't want to stay the night, Sasori-dono? Father could provide you with the accommodations." I extend the invitation with a polite smile-like the older kunoichi once taught me.
"No. However…" The Puppet Master then turns his menacing eyes back to me. Hiruko is a very ugly thing, especially when looked up close, and though a bit shorter than me- looked quite scary. "...should you take interest in the Art, you know where to go. You seem to have the control needed to master it, after all..."
Hiruko's scorpion-like tail then slowly makes its way towards me, stopping barely millimeters before my left eye. "…you managed to keep whatever there is in your eyes hidden from me. As expected from an Uzumaki, I presume."
No further words are said, and Sasori leaves as silently as he'd arrived.
And- deep in my mind- I couldn't help but wonder what would the other members of the Akatsuki be like in person.
Chapter End
A/N: That's it, I guess. Again, a chapter of medium length- as it makes it easier to update.
There are no planned pairings, and I don't think any will happen until much later in the story. My inspiration was the Saga of Tanya the Evil, after all- and this MC's supposed to be an agent of chaos.
Thank you for reading Reverse, and don't forget to leave your thoughts on the reviews.
Listening to: Relaxing Piano music.
Doing: Studying about Ischemic Stroke in the Cerebellar Arteries.
Status: Tired, I guess.
Wildfurion
