Oh dear, I was waiting to get to this part. I hope you're all excited as I am...
Or not. Just going to cry over here. Also, I don't own Naruto. Kishimoto made that clear when I sent him my pairing suggestions.
Warning: The Konoha Council (specifically the civilian and elder sides), Sasuke, Sakura, Kiba, Ino, Neji, and a majority of Konoha's civilians will be bashed throughout the story. Naruto IS a female in this revision, and will be referred to as 'Naru'.
I have also decided that while the story will follow what I had in mind for 'The Return of the Crimson Eyed God', Madara will not play as big of a roll as he originally would have. I changed the pairing too, so that should be a fun little surprise.
I was honestly planning to get this chapter out at least a few weeks ago ago, but we lost internet for a bit, so I haven't been able to update. To all of those whom have waited so patiently, thank you, and I hope this makes up for it.
Arc: Introduction Arc
Chapter 1: The Aftermath of Her Death
It would be three hours after Mizuki murdered Naru, leaving her corpse on the floor.
Three hours before anyone was sent searching for her, leaving a frantic council chamber.
Three hours before anyone had found the poor young girl's body sprawled out in a clearing.
Three hours before the Hokage was reported to, and he sealed himself up in his office for the night, the nearly-silent sound of crying being heard.
The one that had found Naru's body was a ten year old boy by the name of Uchiha Itachi. He was one of the few in the Uchiha Clan that expressed emotions outside of the clan home, often showing extraordinary kindness to everyone he had met. He was a chuunin, something quite remarkable for his age, and there were even talks of him rising to jounin soon. He had ebony hair, with a slight amethyst tint coloring his already dark hair. His bangs were fringed so that they framed himself, and the back was put into a loose ponytail, which reached a bit past his shoulders. His eyes were a darkened gray color, yet still reflected the warmth that the boy had shown so much. He was also one of the few to go into mobs and protect Naru, but often did it under a henge. After all, it wouldn't do well for the Uchiha clan if their heir was discovered severly injuring civilians for whatever reason.
"Oh my God...no...not Naru...not nee-chan..." Itachi began muttering, as he knelt near the fallen girl's body, scooping her up into his arms. As he stood at full height, he softly hugged the body to his chest, his tears beginning to slip out from the corners of his eyes. He had already had enough death in his short life time, thanks to the war he was born into, but now, to be holding the victim of something his fellow villagers did...it made him sick to his stomach. Itachi slowly willed his tears away, knowing it wouldn't be good for him to be seen as such. He as the heir to the Uchiha...he had to be strong for them, and for Naru.
Luckily, Itachi didn't have to walk far, because a shinobi had jumped into the clearing, his own eyes downcast in sorrow. This shinobi was Maito Gai, the 'Youthful Green Beast of Konoha'. He was sporting a bowl-cut, and he had kind black eyes. His eyebrows were something of interest as well, because they were large, almost like caterpillars. He had a green jumpsuit on, and wore the traditional jounin flak jacket. His forehead protector was wrapped around his waist, having been converted into a belt.
"Itachi-kun...I'm sorry you had to see this..." Gai began, only for Itachi to calmly hold up his hand to politely stop the man.
"It's alright, Gai-sempai...It's best that I found her before any of the bigot shinobi did. She didn't deserve this...it just isn't fair." Itachi whispered, and Gai walked over to him. As he did so, he carefully took the body from Itachi's arms, letting the Uchiha lash out on a nearby tree.
As Itachi vented his frustration, Gai just watched with his own sorrow-filled gaze, knowing that stopping the heir would not be helpful for when they returned to the village...they had to bring it to Hiruzen, and the bastard civilian council. Suddenly, Itachi stopped, dropping to the floor as he held his hands up to his face, covering his outburst of tears. After calming himself down, Itachi slowly returned to Gai's side, sniffling a bit.
"Itachi-kun, will you be okay to travel into the village with me? You know what they'll be saying..." Gai questioned, and Itachi nodded. Getting that confirmation, Gai began walking ahead, trying to keep his own emotions in check.
As they did enter through the main roads of the village, it was just as Gai had expected. Many civilians had began giving cries of cheer, running down the streets, and going into their houses, most likely to inform others that the 'demon' was dead, and they could all be free. The bolder ones had began shouting praises for the two men, along with many calls of appreciation. Something that was even more disgusting, was the amount of shinobi that began joining in, as they came across the scene.
Soon enough, the entire street was filled with dancing civilians, many of them singing horribly-thrown together songs that were meant as an insult to the Kyuubi. Some even had the audacity to light off fireworks in the middle of the street, which caused Itachi to hope for them to blow up in the civilians' faces. As they began nearing the Administrative Building, a few civilians, already drunk, had made their way up to the pair, asking them multiple questions. Some of the various things they asked were things like 'What was it like to see the little bitch die?', and 'What did you do to kill her? We might need to take care of another demon if one shows up again...'.
Luckily for the civilians, a full squad of ANBU was dispatched once the noise had gotten too loud, and they had arrived just in time. As they dropped down from the buildings, they were met with quite the unusual scene. Four civilians were laying on the ground, groaning in pain, as Gai stood over them. Itachi was crouched near the Jounin, a few shuriken in each hand, as his Sharingan blazed in the night. Before they could get any further in injuring the annoyances, one of the ANBU had reminded Gai of what needed to be done, and he returned to a calm state, his eyes closed.
The matter all started when Hiruzen had ordered the search once Hiiro had leaked the information. It was quite the lengthy ordeal, due to the civilians. Once they had brought in Hiiro, cries of praise had erupted fromt he civilian council's side, sans for Junjo, as they called the man a hero for what he had done. Many of the clan heads had looked towards them with shock, and they had to hold Kakashi back, whom had tried to bolt out of his seat with a kunai. The rest had gone like this...
"Hokage-sama, might I ask just WHY THE SNAKE BITCH IS HERE? SHE COULD BE A SPY FOR OROCHIMARU, WE MUST EXECUTE HER NOW, FOR SHE HAS FOUND OUT MEETING PLACE!" Sairen screeched loudly, only for a kunai to lodge itself in the wall behind her. Anko just stood there beside Ibiki, whistling innocently. "SEE? SHE JUST TRIED TO KILL ME. IF IT WASN'T FOR MY AMAZING SKILL AT DODGING, I'D BE DEAD!" Honestly, Anko just wanted to tear the loud bitch up with a sickle, and she was about to do so, before Danzou spoke up.
"If you would have paid attention, you whiny little skank, you would have noticed Hiruzen say she was coming." With that, Sairen stood up, and began screaming at Danzou, whom had casually started a conversation with Fugaku so that he could ignore the banshee in the room. Seeing that Danzou was no longer paying attention, she tried to begin a rant about how Anko was a traitor, only for the snake mistress to launch another kunai.
"SEE HOKAGE-SAMA, SHE TRIED IT AGAIN!" Sairen cried, willing tears into her eyes to try to make it look convincing.
"Hey bitch, if I wanted you dead, you'd be dead. Those were warning shots, but apparently you're too much of a dumb-ass to realize that." Anko spoke, a mixture of boredom and hate appearing on her face, as she regarded the pink haired monkey. This led to even more arguments, and the other members of the civilian council tried to lash at Anko too, but it had little to no effect. In fact, Anko managed to gain the upper hand by mentioning that she was the one that went out and defended Konoha, while they, as Anko said, "sat on their lazy fat asses and counted their money". This escalated the yelling even further, and Hiruzen simply sighed, and nodded at Ibiki.
Ibiki had marched up to Hiiro, the man shaking slightly as Ibiki leaned in close, as if inspecting him. Feeling the interrogator's impatience, Hiiro had to force himself not to cry. That would only make things worse for him, and he didn't want to be further on the wrong side of Ibiki any more than he already was. Suddenly standing up, Ibiki had a twitch in his eye, as he was starting to get annoyed by the civilians' antics. Turning towards their side, where they were STILL trying to get under Anko's skin, he released a large amount of killer intent, narrowing his eyes at the supposed 'higher power' of the village.
"I swear to Kami, if you arrogant mother fuckers do NOT quiet down, I will nail you to a fucking cart, and parade you around the damn village, for obstructing justice. Do we have ourselves clear, you horse shit eating fetus fuckers?" With that said, Ibiki turned back around. The civilians wisely chose the option to be quiet, because all of them knew that Ibiki would go through with his threat, and the Hokage would not stop him. If anything, the Hokage would be on the cart, asking them about whom should replace them. Junjo was still excluded from this little ordeal, and had actually taken to glaring harshly at her fellow civilians.
Ibiki had brought out a stray kunai, glancing at Hiiro, before turning his attention towards the cold metal before him. 'Damn...as much as I want to brutally cut this shitstain up, he is still counted as a civilian, and as such, I cannot use lethal force...' Ibiki thought darkly, before leaning in forward, yet keeping his distance from Hiiro.
"Alright...now, would you like to tell me why you attacked Uzumaki Naru earlier in the day?" Ibiki asked, his stern voice laced with a promise of pain if he were to began spouting lies. Unfortunately, for Hiiro, he just didn't catch that tone, and had given the interrogator a smile.
"Of course! You see, she had decided she wanted to attack m-" He never got to finish, because Ibiki had punched him in the stomach, landing a solid blow on the civilian. The tied up man could only hang his head low, gasping for the breath that had exited his system from the impact. As he began breathing again, he coughed up a bit of spit, landing it on the floor near Ibiki's shoes.
"Now then...shall we try this again? Why did you attack Uzumaki Naru?" Ibiki repeated, this time adding a bit of killer intent along with it. Hiiro had audibly gulped, and was now shaking a bit, as he felt a feeling of helplessness.
"S-she...I...I a-attacked h-her for n-n-no...re-reason.." He barely stuttered out, before Ibiki launched his foot forward, kicking the man in the chin, and sending the chair backwards. As Hiiro gasped in shock, he soon found himself in a painful situation. Ibiki had moved towards his side, and placed a single heel on Hiiro's chest, stomping hard on his ribcage.
"No more bullshit. If you lie again, I will kill you. Then do you know what we'll do? We're going to invade your mind, and find all of your friends, and kill them too. Do you want their deaths on your head?" Ibiki questioned, and motioned for Anko to bring him what looked like a drill.
"NO! IT WAS A PLANNED ATTACK. ME, AND A FEW DRINKING BUDDIES, DECIDED WE WANTED TO KILL THAT LITTLE BITCH! SHE'S BROUGHT NOTHING BUT PAIN TO US, EVEN AFTER THESE FIVE YEARS!" Hiiro screamed, for Ibiki had began twisting his heel into the man's sternum.
"Alright, now let's hear some more...what did this little plan entail?" Ibiki questioned, using the kunai he had brought out earlier to further intimidate the man. Hiiro just cried a bit, before answering. He had tried to stall, but the painful reminder had jolted him, showing Hiiro that he would not be allowed to hesitate.
"The first attack was only the beginning! The rest was supposed to go on tonight..."
As soon as Hiruzen heard that, the pipe had dropped from his mouth, his eyes wide. It had all been a carefully planned trap from the start, so that Naru's normal protectors wouldn't get there in time? As soon as he heard Hiiro's statement, the aged Hokage had quickly stood up, before turning his attention towards one of the ANBU in back.
"OX! NOTIFY ALL AVAILABLE SHINOBI THAT THEY ARE TO FIND UZUMAKI NARU, AND BRING HER HERE UNHARMED! As for you, Hiiro...you're going to be put into prison for life...right after Ibiki has his way with you, no holding back. We're going to know all of your little sins by the time we're done with you..." Hiruzen spat, trying to keep his own fear under control. He only could pray that nothing happened to Naru...
And that brings us to the current events...
Outside the room, the spouses of the council members were waiting in boredom. They were aware that it was going to be like every other council meeting, or so they thought. The normality was shattered by the arrival of Itachi, followed by Gai, whom was holding a blanket wrapped figure. He had done so, so that the civilians would not notice the girl inside the bundle, and insult the little girl's memory even more.
Uchiha Mikoto, Itachi's mother, had ran up to go greet her son before anyone else could even question their appearance. The only thing the people outside the council chambers knew, was that there was a summons for every available shinobi to search for Uzumaki Naru. As Mikoto grabbed onto her son with relief that he was okay, and hadn't gotten hurt in 'the commotion', that feeling was quickly gone. She saw Gai walk past her, and with a single glimpse, Mikoto saw whom was wrapped in the blanket.
Shock seemed to fill the Uchiha matriarch, as she glanced away, sorrow beginning to work it's way into her system. The person that Gai had been holding...was the daughter of her late best friend, Uzumaki Kushina. Now...she was gone too. Mikoto reflected on the girl's face...the normally blue eyes open wide in shock, the blond bangs sullied with dirt, and her mouth open ajar, as if silently screaming. Then, Mikoto remembered a teenage Kushina, whom 'couldn't wait to have kids' when she was older. Mikoto had always thought Kushina would be a good mother, albeit a bit over protective. Mikoto even remembered Kushina wanting a girl, stating that 'boys would be too boring to teach, with their short attention span'. Mikoto had giggled at this, but now, she was weeping at the thought.
Kushina had even confided in her that she wanted to rebuild Uzushiogakure, and wanted a daughter because the ruins needed a 'woman's touch' to brighten things up. Though the dream had temporarily died with Kushina, and Mikoto wanted to do everything to help Naru, but with this...the dream had died all together, along with the Uzumaki clan. As Mikoto collapsed onto the floor, a myriad of emotions flowing through her, Itachi could only hold onto the woman with mute shock appearing on his features.
As this happened, Gai had approached the doors to the council, pushing them open with immense force. Hiruzen was about to reprimand Gai for such unnecessary force, until he glanced at the jounin. He nearly fainted when he saw the grim look upon the normally eccentric man's face, and braced for the worst. Hopefully, Naru would be okay...
'Wait...what is that Gai is holding?' Hiruzen wondered to himself, staring intently at the covered object in Gai's arms, before voicing his thoughts, his voice controlled as much as it could be. Although, the shinobi could still hear the slight fear in the elderly leader's voice. "Gai-kun...what is that thing you are holding?" As that question hit Gai, Hiruzen nearly had heart failure as the man looked down, a look of shame on his face.
"Gai? What is it, Gai?" Kakashi asked, standing up to confront his rival, only to freeze upon seeing the figure in the bundle. "Oh Kami...please tell me this is a joke..." Now, the man had everyone's attention, the council staring intently at the pair at the front of the room.
"I'm sorry, Kakashi...she was dead when Itachi-kun got there..." Gai muttered, but everyone could hear it. Kakashi could only accept the bundle, for Gai had held it out towards him. Kakashi just seemed to craddle the figure a bit, his one visible eye moist with fresh tears. The other ANBU could only watch as their former captain slowly, but surely, began to break down.
'Sensei...I've failed you, again. First Obito...then Rin...then you, and Kushina-sama...now, Naru too?' Kakashi thought, trying his best to school his emotions, but failed horribly. Kakashi then proceeded to turn towards the council, more specifically Hiruzen, and called out the news, albeit in a shaky tone.
"Hokage-sama...I'm sorry...but she's gone." With that said, Hiruzen immediately cupped his face with his hands, shuddering a bit as he tried to hold back the tears that so desperately wanted to get out. His granddaughter...had been slain by the very village she wanted to protect, and had unknowingly protected since the day of her birth.
However, a wave of disgust hit every single shinobi in the room, as the civilian council burst out with cheers. Junjo excluded, for she had immediately gotten up out of her seat, and punched the man closest to her. The civilians would have kept celebrating the death of the 'demon', but the combined killer intent of all of the clan heads, the ANBU, Danzou, Kakashi, Gai, Ibiki, Anko, and the Hokage himself quickly put them all to a complete stop, seeing as a few of them has passed out. It was then, that Hiruzen noticed the small smiles gracing the face of the elders on either side of him, and was immediately sent into a small rage.
"ANBU! I WANT YOU TO BRING ALL OF THE CIVILIAN COUNCIL, EXCLUDING JUNJO-SAN, AND TAKE THEM TO THE ANBU HOLDING CELLS! IT IS CLEAR THEY KNOW SOMETHING ABOUT THIS!" Hiruzen bellowed, the order ringing throughout the room. As the ANBU went to fulfill the command, Hiruzen turned on his two advisors, leveling a glare at them. "As for you two...if I find out you two had ANYTHING to do with this, I will splatter your brains all over these council walls. I could easily kill both of you right now for your treason in the past, going behind my back as much as you did, but I kept you around on the Damiyou's orders. Though I can easily find a loophole in that, so you two had better PRAY to your God..." Hiruzen whispered, hatred within his voice. As he stepped down from his podium, he was met with Danzou's smirk.
"Welcome back, my old rival." Danzou said, gazing intently into the Hokage's eye.
"It is glad to be back. Now then, I want you to bring Naru's body to the hospital. We will perform an autopsy, and find out just how she died." With that, Hiruzen walked out of the room, heading towards his office. He was going to need some sake to get over this night...
Outside of Konoha...
Mizuki was still whistling, as he reflected back onto the week that had just flashed by. Everything had gone so smoothly for the chuunin, he was beginning to wonder if he had the Hyuuga's supposed divine connection to fate. Strolling through the forest, he let his silvery hair fling about, as the bounce in his step increased. He was actually surprised that he felt this happy, but as he reflected upon recent events, he just couldn't help but grin.
First off, he had passed the Chuunin Instructor Exam, which was the standard test for Chuunin that wished to teach at the Academy. It was Mizuki's second time trying to get the Academy Instructor rank, seeing as he was denied the first time. This was because of an event on a mission preceding the test, where his teammate 'mysteriously died', and he was a prime suspect. As such, Umino Iruka was given the rank, even though Mizuki felt he didn't deserve it.
Second, he had received a special tattoo from his master, Orochimaru, which gave him instructions to brew a potion. Said potion would skyrocket the Chuunins abilities, or so he had been told. The only downside was that the ingredients would take a long time to find, and even longer to create the perfect mold for it. Mizuki cared not, though, for it granted him power. Power he wanted to be the at the top of the mountain, far past those that Mizuki was overlooked for.
And the third, and final reason, was that he had killed the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Kitsune, Uzumaki Naru. He had strangled the girl to death, and had tried to break her mentally while she was dying. That was a major bonus in Mizuki's book. He knew that Orochimaru-sama would be pleased as well, because he wished to throw a wrench into Akatsuki's plans, which Orochimaru didn't agree with, even though he was a member. He would be heralded as a God in Konoha, for getting rid of the damnable bitch that held the Kyuubi.
Or so he thought.
As he started down the long narrow path in the forest that led to his lover Tsubaki's house, he felt a sudden change in the night air. Shaking off the feeling as just wildlife in the woods, Mizuki continued onwards, not paying attention to his surroundings. If he did, he would have seen a single glowing eye watching him from a distance, a murderous glint in the person's single visible eye.
Mizuki had assumed a quicker pace after he heard the noise, however, and gave a relieved smile to himself, when he saw Tsubaki's home within his view. Glancing at the cottage, Mizuki let out a breath he did not know he was holding, and continued on. He was about to enter the clearing his lover's house sat upon, when a rustle in the bushes startled him. Feeling the unease slip into his system, Mizuki turned around, kunai in hand, scanning through the dark forest with a sharp gaze.
"Who is there? Show yourself!" As Mizuki tried focusing his sight to see if there was anything out of place, he thought he saw a glowing red orb in the far distance, but as he blinked, it was gone. Shrugging it off, and not finding a thing out of the ordinary, Mizuki continued towards the house, the satisfactory grin now stretched upon his face yet again. As he got close to the door, he was about to knock, but then heard some rustling sounds. Pressing his ear towards the door, he could only let his eyes widen in shock, as he heard his lover speak out in a breathy moan;
"A-ah! Iruka-kun, f-faster..." Was all he bothered to make out, as he removed his head from the door. Feeling anger boil up within his system, Mizuki stepped away from the door, before launching a kick at the handle. With his adrenaline-fueled attack, it burst the door open, and Mizuki rushed in with a kunai, glancing inside the room with narrowed eyes. He was going to kill them both, for playing him like a fool...
Gazing at the corner where the bed was, he could see the two figures beneath the covers stop moving, and they had turned their heads to gaze upon the furious chuunin. On Tsubaki's face, a look of shock, fear welling up within her eyes. As for Iruka, he met Mizuki's glance full on, and smirked. As Tsubaki began to let tears leak from her eyes, Mizuki could have sworn he saw Iruka mouth 'She will always be mine', a pleased glint in his eyes. Both of the figures were still covered in sweat due to their activities, and there was still a certain scent in the air, that seemed to piss Mizuki off even further.
"WHY, TSUBAKI? WHY THE HELL WOULD YOU DO THIS TO ME?" Mizuki screamed, his voice strained as he tried to control his anger, "JUST HOW LONG? HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN FUCKING HIM?" With that, Mizuki's own tears began to surface, but did not fall just yet. As the question sounded around the room, Tsubaki merely looked down, closing her eyes, as she held something akin to shame on her features.
"About a few months since we started going out...I know I told you to wait...but Iruka just seemed so lonely, I just had to cheer him up somehow..." Tsubaki muttered, and Mizuki felt something snap in him. Tsubaki had told him to wait until they were legally adults, seeing as they were sixteen bordering on seventeen now. While it was common for ninja to have intercourse at this age, and even earlier ages, Tsubaki requested she kept her family's tradition. Yet, once again, Iruka got special treatment, just because of his parents being killed in the Kyuubi attack.
Mizuki was so sick of Iruka getting treated better by EVERYONE. 'I'm constantly overlooked...like I don't even exist. It's like compared to Iruka, I'm simply a shadow without something to cast it...but no longer...' With that thought running in his head, Mizuki ran up towards the bed, and raised the kunai high above his head. He took this time to study his soon-to-be-victims' expressions. Tsubaki was showing fear? She didn't deserve to. However, on the contrary, Iruka seemed almost...happy? It was too late to contemplate, and Mizuki had bloodlust flowing through him...so he plunged downwards, closing his eyes as he made contact with flesh.
And that is when he felt something change around him.
As Mizuki reopened his eyes, he didn't see the covers strewn about from bodies entangled beneath it. He didn't see various articles of clothing thrown about the floor. Hell, he didn't even see a sweat-covered Iruka. No, instead...
He saw the shocked face of his lover, Tsubaki, whom was laying the bed, bleeding out upon the sheets. The kunai had hit dead center, right into the woman's chest. As Tsubaki glanced upwards, Mizuki could only watch with wide eyes, as she shakily outstretched her hand, her breath becoming more ragged, as her eyes grew dull.
"Why...Mizuki-kun?" Was all she managed to whisper, before her arm went limp, and fell to hang over the side of the bed. Mizuki could only stare in despair. He had just killed the one person in his life, that he found himself truly loving. There had never been any Iruka to whisk her away from him. There had never been any hesitancy in Tsubaki's voice, when she blushed and told him 'I love you'. There was no reason for him to end her life...
Yet he did. As Mizuki fell to his knees, he began shaking violently, feeling his vision distort. Self-loathing began overtaking his sytem, as he cried into the empty room. He didn't even notice a cloaked figure appear behind him, an orange mask with a flame pattern darting across it being the only thing visible. The cloaked figure reached a single arm out, and grasped Mizuki's shoulder, before forcing him to turn around.
"Touji Mizuki, I presume?" The voice definitely belong to a man, yet it wasn't anyone Mizuki could identify. Although, Mizuki could only feel fear, as he glanced into the man's one visible eyehole, showing off a fully matured sharingan. The three tomoes spun madly in the crimson orbs, as the man kneeled down to make himself level with Mizuki.
"Y-yes...I am...who are you?" Mizuki stuttered out, all of his senses telling him to back away from the man at once, but his body just didn't want to respond. Not that the man obviously minded.
"Oh, me? I'm not anything, or anyone. I merely exist...however, if you must call me something...perhaps Tobi will do?" The man, now identified as Tobi, answered the chuunin almost as casually as one would talk about the weather. Shrugging his shoulders, the cloaked figure then took out hold of Mizuki's neck, straightening himself up, as he brought Mizuki off of the air. As the chuunin sputtered, and tried to break Tobi's hold, the masked male rose an eyebrow beneath the mask. "This is quite nostalgic, isn't it, Mizuki-san? I thought it be best to give you the same way of being killed, as the way you killed my plans. Poetic justice, some would call it. Although, I would not know, poets are not that common in this era..." There was a hint of humor in the man's tone, as he tightened his grip.
"S-so you made me d-do this?" Mizuki wheezed out, desperately struggling to break free of the grab. The masked man simply chuckled, before staring at the chuunin.
"Whatever are you talking about? I didn't make you do anything, as fun as that would have been. You killed your precious 'Tsubaki' all by yourself. Good show by the way, unjustified murder is certainly the way to go. After all, Konoha is an avid practitioner of betrayal, seeing as the Senju and Uchiha clans like to turn their backs on the truth, preferring the lie they can love, and as such, the rest of the sheep follow suit." Tobi explained, and although his face was hidden, it was obvious to tell there would be either annoyance, or hatred scrawled across his face.
"W-wait...p-please..." Mizuki gargled, and luckily, the masked man was feeling in a merciful mood at the moment, so taking out his free hand, Mizuki soon found himself with a kunai digging into his jugular. As soon as he the chuunin had gone limp, Tobi threw him threw the window, shattering glass all across the place. However, any of the glass that would have landed on the man, had gone through him, as he traversed the room to grab Tsubaki. Giving her corpse a bored glance, Tobi repeated his actions, letting her body land on Mizuki's, to form an 'x'.
As Tobi walked outside, into the clearing the house sat upon, he was greeted with the sight of a plant-like man leaning over the bodies, a hunger-filled expression on it's face. The creature itself had a venus fly trap cover around it's head, which concealed an actual human looking face, sans for the two clashing skin colors. The right side was a midnight color, while the left was white as snow. There was also the distinct glowing yellow eyes that held anticipation within them. The plant-like man only wore a red-trimmed cloak, with the front opened up a bit. It had red clouds with white outlines stitched into it, making it look like bloody clouds in the night. Tobi simply shook his head at the plant man's antics, before staring at him.
"Zetsu, you shouldn't consume so eagerly. You don't know how filthy these people are..." Tobi spoke, and Zetsu could practically feel the smirk lingering underneath the man's mask. Giving a sigh, the black side of Zetsu had decided to speak first, his eye narrowing as he recalled the mission.
"Tobi-sama, we have yet to locate the body of the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki. While we were sure of the location, we were deterred by ANBU swarming the location..." The darker half reported, and Tobi sent the cannibalistic creature a curious glance, and the giddy voice of the white side pitched up. "Yeah! We felt a massive burst of the Kyuubi's chakra, and then it completely disappeared! When we found where it came from, there was nothing, zip, nadda!"
Hearing this, Tobi merely scratched his chin, contemplating the circumstance. While the thought, he had unconsciously moved forward, and sat upon the two bodies Zetsu was preparing to feast on, earning him an annoyed glance from the plant-man hybrid. Letting his single visible eye show shock, Tobi immediately stood up, the sound of laughter accompanying his rise.
"That's it! When the Rikudou Sennin had integrated the Juubi into his flesh, he had gained a psuedo form of immortality, from what I remember seeing on that tablet within the Naka Shrine. It was from the Juubi itself, the power to surpass the Gods themselves. When he separated the Juubi into nine different parts, he gave them abilities that were derived from the Juubi..." Tobi began, pacing back and forward in his spot.
"Like what, Tobi-sama?" The darker half inquired, and the white half merely gained a grin, "Yeah, you never do explain things fully..."
"Well, the Ichibi has complete control over sand; The Nibi has control over the infamous 'Blue Fire', along with the rumored 'control of the dead'; The Sanbi has the ability to split itself, and cast deadly genjutsu at will; The Yonbi is able to use lava; The Gobi uses it's massive strength, and to serve as an example, it is about a hundred times stronger than that of Senju Tsunade; The Rokubi uses Bubbels; The Shichibi can harden it's skin to be stronger than even steel, and it can fly; The Hachibi uses Ink-like attacks; And finally, the Kyuubi, being the strongest, and the beast I have the most knowledge on, has several techniques the others don't. Such as creating massive twisters with a flicker of it's tails, a massive blast of fire with a mere thought, and the ability to overpower several of the Bijuu at once. So...would it be out of the question for the Kyuubi to gain a way to free itself from the Shiki Fuuin at the last moment, and appear somewhere else?" Tobi finished, and Zetsu immediately understood what Tobi was trying to get at: The Kyuubi was probably resting somewhere desolate, and he would need to be found.
"Well, should we leave them alone, seeing as they didn't really end your plans, Tobi-sama?" The Black half questioned, motioning towards the bodies, a hint of curiosity in his voice. Tobi simply scoffed as he stared down the bodies, as if he saw them beneath his notice. Which they were.
"No...go ahead and eat...It'd be bad if Konoha found these bodies so soon after the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki's 'death'. I will be returning to Amegakure to give Pein his orders...don't take too long." With those words, Tobi had disappeared into a swirling vortex, all traces of the Sharingan-wielding man gone. Zetsu merely shrugged, and turned towards the bodies, the anticipation in his eyes reaching their max.
It would only be a few minutes before there was no trace of the two ever being there.
Konoha: Day Time
Hiruzen stood on top of the Hokage's Administration Building, preparing for the assembly of Konoha to declare the death of their Jinchuuriki. While most villages, such as Iwagakure, and Kumogakure, actually treated their Jinchuuriki with the proper respect, Konoha was sadly not like that. If the civilians, let alone most of the shinobi populace, couldn't recognize the difference between a box, and it's contents, then what hope was there for understanding? That was the question Hiruzen had asked himself every morning, for the past five years of his life.
However, Hiruzen knew that things were about to get worse. With the distinct clacking of geta, the Sarutobi clan leader could only close his eyes. His student had returned to the village, no doubt hearing about her goddaughter.
"So, sensei...it's been a long time." The man's normally playfun tone was gone, replaced by cold that did not belong. Hiruzen pinched the bridge of his nose as he regarded his student. He hadn't aged a bit since he last saw him. His long white hair was still as spiky as it was long, the mane reaching past the middle of his torso. He still wore the two-piece jade outfit, covered by a red haori with two yellow circles on either side. The man's face was stern, and the chin was bulky, instead of pointed.
"Yes, it has, Jiraiya...I assume you're here for the funeral?" Hiruzen asked, and tried to keep his composure as he felt the unmistakable feeling of guilt well up in his stomach. It was like a jar of nails shattering inside of the aged man's stomach, and he could barely keep himself from breaking down in front of his student, as he remembered the young Uzumaki's face, which was normally bright and cheerful, turned dull, and lifeless. To see the same cheerful girl in his dreams, parading around in his office like old times, in his dream, turn into a nightmare as the thought of her being gone from the world invaded his mind. It was like when Biwako died, all over again.
Jiraiya didn't answer, but instead, walked to stand behind his teacher, bearing witness towards the large crowd that had began clustering in front of the tower. While many knew it was supposed to be a day for mourning, many civilians had decided to go in the clothes they had passed out in, seeing as the parties stretched into the day, and some were even arriving from parties that had been going on. The clan heads, along with several of their clan members, wore black outfits, signifying their respect for the girl. Kakashi, Gai, Asuma, and Kurenai were also in the crowd, along with Ibiki, and Anko. All of which were wearing darker clothing. Surprisingly enough, as Hiruzen scanned the area, he couldn't see the Ichiraku Family anywhere in sight.
As Hiruzen turned towards his silent student, he could only watch as the man came close to summoning Gamabunta upon many in the crowd, rage filled eyes glaring at the various people that were still gathered, celebrating Naru's death. Turning on heel, the Gama-sennin glanced at the Hokage monument, before shaking his head in sorrow.
"It must pain the founders of Konoha to see what this village has come to...a village that when created, had imagined equality for all, not with others being 'higher', or 'lower', than others. Hashirama-sama, Tobirama-sama, and Minato would all be ashamed in this village. However, like me, they are also ashamed in you, Sarutobi-sensei, for letting it escalate to this point. You are the Hokage, act like it. Otherwise, I might as well defect, like Orochi-teme did." With that said, Jiraiya used the shunshin to disappear from the room, leaving the Sandaime to address the crowd in his lonesome. Coughing into his hand, Hiruzen easily gathered the attention of all the people gathered there.
"Greetings, denizens of Konoha. As most of you know, there was a young girl in this village, around the age of five, and she was a very special person. Her name was Uzumaki Naru, and she was the jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi. I trusted you all with that information five years ago, hoping that my people would be accepting, and extend the Will of Fire towards someone who also felt pain because of the Kyuubi's rampage." Hiruzen stopped, feeling an immense wave of disgust boil within him, as he heard several snorts of disgust, and even several shouts of 'Lies'. Having enough, the Hokage switched from 'Grandfather Mode', to 'God of Shinobi' mode. "ENOUGH! SINCE YOU ALL WISH TO CALL EVEN YOUR HOKAGE A LIAR, WHY DON'T I TELL YOU THE TRUTH? I AM DISAPPOINTED IN EVERY LAST ONE OF YOU! NONE OF YOU COULD EVEN COMPREHEND THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER, AND FOR THE SHINOBI WHOM DISCRIMINATED AGAINST THE GIRL, YOU SHOULD GO HOME AND SLIT YOUR STOMACHS OPEN RIGHT NOW FOR THIS STUPIDITY. YOU WISH TO KNOW THE TRUTH, WHY DON'T I TELL YOU JUST WHOM YOU KILLED? NARU WAS THE DAUGHTER OF NAMIKAZE MINATO, AND UZUMAKI KUSHINA! YOU ALL KILLED THE YONDAIME'S LEGACY!" With that, he was met with plenty pairs of shocked eyes, and calmed himself down.
Letting them take it all then, Hiruzen stared down several ANBU within the crowds, silently giving the signal to act. As he did this, they created a single pathway through the crowds, so that there was a clear pathway. As the doors to the Administrative Building opened, three figures were carrying out a casket that was quite small. They were Uchiha Mikoto, Uchiha Itachi, and surprisingly enough, Hyuuga Hiashi, were carrying it. As they walked down the clearing, several people were tempted to throw things, but could not, for they would be insulting two of the highest clans in Konoha. Such an act could warrant public execution, and the disgracing of their families should they share the same intent.
"As such, we are going to bury her with her parents...the parents she should have had from the very beginning..." With that, Hiruzen retired inside, the ANBU lingering only long enough to give the three with a casket enough time to walk forward without interruption. As soon as they got away from the majority of the people, the ANBU dispersed themselves one by one, before appearing somewhere nearby the three, watching them from the shadows, should any bold ones get an idea.
Surprisingly enough, nobody rushed after them in a desperate attempt to get one final shot at the Uzumaki girl. While many of them still held a stance of hatred when concerning the girl, almost everyone in the clearing knew that disrupting the dead usually ended bad, so out of self preservation, they kept back. Although, about five people were...'escorted' away from the premises by ANBU, because they were going ot throw something. Hell, one of the people was going to throw an explosive-tag wrapped kunai. Not the best idea...
From within the crowd, Uchiha Sasuke eyed his mother, and brother, carefully, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration. As his gaze lingered on them for a few more moments, he turned towards Fugaku, and tugged on the sleeve of his robes. Feeling the pull, Fugaku raised an eyebrow at his son, before sighing. "Yes, what is it that you want, Sasuke?" The Uchiha patriarch questioned, his eyes still wary of any possible attackers that wanted some last minute vengeance. Sasuke huffed at the formality, but shook it off.
"Tou-san, who is in the box? Kaa-chan is crying, and Nii-san looks like he wants to hurt something." Sasuke stated, his question surprising the elder man. He expected it to be related to why he had to be here, but gave his son a pleased smile. Reaching down towards the young Uchiha, Fugaku merely ruffled the boy's hair, before returning his attention towards the crowd. "Tou-san? Tou-san, answer me!" It was actually quite funny, to see the younger boy pouting, while stomping his foot.
"Well, Sasuke, the person in that box was someone very important to your mother. Her name was Uzumaki Naru, and she would have been your adopted sister, had the elders, and civilian council, not intervened. She should have been in the Uchiha clan from the start, seeing as Mikoto-koi had legal rights to her, because she was Naru's godmother. Although, it appears as if Konoha has become too corrupted by the stupidity of the civilians." The last part was muttered to himself, but Sasuke caught it anyway.
On the inside of the building, Hiruzen was trying his best to console himself, trying to remind himself that he was the Hokage, and that he had to be strong. Though it didn't quite help his resolve, if he burst out with a sob when he dared to glance at the Yondaime's picture. It was first taken at orientation, with Minato giving the camera a stern face. Hiruzen remembered it like yesterday...but then, Kushina came around, and brought the biggest smile on the man's face. It was on that day, that Kushina had found out she was pregnant, and the couple couldn't be happier. Of course, due to Minato's infamous actions in the Third Great Shinobi War, they were married in secret, so that none would target Kushina to get to him.
Although, that plan seemed to have crashed. The Kyuubi itself decided to rip from Kushina as she gave birth, and had a hand in killing them both. Even now, the Kyuubi had single handedly ended two clans at once, just from the attack five years ago. 'If the damn beast wasn't sealed within her that night...she would still be here...I hope you're burning in Hell, Kyuubi...' Hiruzen thought with distaste, before bringing out a bottle of sake. He needed a drink to ease his mind.
At Konoha's Memorial Stone...
Kakashi stood in front of the stone, his eyes gazing over the names of Konoha's fallen heroes. While this was a daily ritual, today was special. Instead of merely glancing at the names of fallen comrades...he got to add a new one. Even years of emotional training could not help Kakashi, as he openly broke down in front of the stone, kneeling before it. Taking out a kunai, Kakashi closed his eyes in remorse. He had promised Minato-sensei...that should anything happen to him, he'd take care of the man's daughter.
'And as usual...I broke that promise.' Kakashi thought to himself bitterly, the stinging in his eyes not gone yet, as he tried drying his eyes. He had lost the only family he had left, and it was horrifying. To know that everyone he had cared about, had died...it was crushing for the poor man. Shaking his head, Kakashi brought the kunai to a free space on the stone, thinking of the many memories he had shared with the young girl.
As he remembered all of the good times he had with her, even tucking her in at night, Kakashi calmed himself enough to sing the song that was uttered to Naru's sleeping form, as Kakashi left the room.
"Hush little angel..." Kakashi began, nearing the tip of the kunai towards the stone.
"Dry those eyes.." With that, Kakashi began carving the first kanji, trying to keep control of himself. He didn't want to break down like that...he had to be strong. He was an ANBU Captain, for Kami's sake! It wouldn't do well for Konoha's elite to be so open...
"I'll be with you tomorrow, as we fly through the skies." With that, Kakashi clamped his eyes shut, feeling particularly sick at that moment. Using a medical technique he had copied ages ago, he tried easing the pain coursing through him, but it did nothing.
"And if you not see me there..." Kakashi finished carving at that point, and stood at full height. He shook his head, thinking of everything that had occured. Perhaps he would go to the bar later with Asuma. It was probably taking it's toll on him too, seeing as his father was probably in hysterics. After all, Naru was basically family to the Sarutobi clan.
"Just know that Uncle Kakashi will always care..." As he finished, he turned away from the stone, staring at the clouds that began gathering within the skies. Hearing the distinct sound of thunder, Kakashi began walking down the dirt path that led back towards the village, intent on drinking his problems away, then getting sleep. He would probably request a mission, and throw himself in his work again...not like it mattered. It barely helped the pain. Giving the stone one last glance, Kakashi stood motionless as the rain began to pour down. "Gomen, Obito...Rin...Minato-sensei...Kushina-sama...Naru-chan...it seems I have failed yet again...maybe soon, I'll be with you..." With that, Kakashi turned on heel, rushing into the woods. He didn't notice that Jiraiya has just arrived through the trees, a bouquet of red roses held in hand.
Jiraiya said nothing, but walked up towards the stone, his eyes burning with pain. Staring at the memorial, Jiraiya could do nothing but sigh, and shake his head. It felt like Minato was pissed at him from the Heavens for not being there more...and Kushina would probably kick him back down to the Earth, when it was the Gama-sennin's time.
"Hey, kiddo...we may not have met personally, seeing as I was busy..." Jiraiya broke off there, feeling embarrassed. He was not only talking to the stone, but he was giving it excuses too. "Ugh, anyway, what I wanted to say, was I'm sorry. I tried sending in funds to help you, and hopefully you got them...However, knowing the council, they might have taken it for themselves. They were always greedy bastards, the civilians anyway." Coughing into his hand, Jiraiya set down the roses in front of the memorial, giving it a small smile as he observed it. "I hope you like the roses, gaki. Wherever you are, I hope you find peace." Jiraiya just used the shunshin to disappear.
Although, should he have stayed longer, he would have seen something quite beautiful.
As the rain let up a bit, there was a glimpse of a rainbow across the skies, and as that happened, the wind had picked up. The cherry blossom trees around the area, suddenly released some leaves, letting it swirl around the memorial for a moment. It looked like a dance of sorts, with the wind being the conductor of the melody they moved with. However, shortly after it began, it ended. The rain picked up harder, and the blossoms fell to the ground, scattered within the grass. Although if one looked closely enough, the roses that Jiraiya had set on the ground, were surrounded by some of the blossoms in a perfect circle.
An Unknown Area...
Light encircled an Octagon-shaped room, fluttering through the glass panes that dotted the walls. The room was quite similar to that of a church tower, sans for the religious symbols, and artwork. Within the tall room, there was a podium directly in the center, that rose high though rhe room, ending only about fifteen feet from the ceiling. At the top, there was a pool of water, with a bell hanging overhead. The water seemed to swirl about, as if a force was constantly moving it. Appearing in a swirl of light, a man that looked to be of about sixteen years of age had appeared before the pool, accompanied by a woman that looked eighteen.
The man was quite pale, yet wasn't 'ghost' looking, like those whom were albino. Hehad shoulder-length, spiky, shining silver hair, that parted towards the left, as the right side hung over his shoulder. He had a sharp chin, and a calming smile. Although, his eyes were quite offsetting. He had black sclera, and blue irises. He wore a simple white kimono the stretched a bit past his ankles, along with azure prayer beads that were hung from his neck.
The girl shared his skin tone, yet she looked much more...exotic, to say the least. Her pitch black hair was long, and silky. It stretched to her waist, where it had a stone-gray tint to it. In the front, her bangs were fringed in the middle, with the rest swept to the side, where they draped over her shoulders, stretching to her chest. She, like the one she appeared with, had a charming smile, and her eyes were a charcoal color, yet had warmth in them. Her outfit was also much more extravagant than her companion's. She wore a pitch-black kimono that stopped around her shins, where it was gilded with a bright white. Unlike the man, she wore crimson high-heels, with black legging. She also wore a silver haori over her attire, which had the kanji for 'Shadow' on the back.
The man stepped forward, gazing into the water, as he sat down on the edge of it. He was sitting atop his legs, tilting his head curiously as if he had found something of great interest, like a child that saw a toy they wanted. The girl simply sighed, before walking up to the man, lightly smacking him on the head.
"You know, Shini-kun, if you wanted to spend time with me, all you had to do was ask...your big sister isn't so busy with work, that she would forget her brother." The girl scolded, waving a finger in front of 'Shini-kun's' face, but the boy never broke his gaze from the water. "Come on, Shinigami...you should be working too, not caught up with some short-lived interest in the mortal world's activities..." Again, her brother ignored her, and still stared at the water, unmoving. Facepalming, the woman began walking towards the edge of the platform, and was about to leave, when the boy called out.
"Wait, Yami...it's happening! Come look, you'll be amazed!" Shinigami exclaimed, excitement filling his voice. The water was turning a scarlet color, as a vermilion tint swirled about in the middle. Seeing the strange occurance, Yami reached into her sleeve, and brought about what seemed to be a simple dagger, but Shinigami held up his hand to stop her. "C'mon now, don't ruin the fun. I worked hard on this!"
Yami just twitched, before flicking it back into her sleeve. Sitting down beside her brother, she could only stare in wonder, as the water began really fizzing. It was like she was watching a light-show, as the various colors danced about the water. Suddenly, a light red beam erupted from the water, causing the siblings to jump back from the water, equally curious looks etched upon their faces. It had only lasted a second, but the beam was actually quite beautiful. The water had began clearing up, and Yami peered at it, a shocked look on her face.
"Shini-kun, you can't be serious! You know how pissed Kami will get if she finds out about this! Hurry, we have to send her back, and out of our portal between the worlds. It's not too late, we can find a way to g-" Yami was cut off yet again, as her brother began giving a laugh, an insane like grin upon the God's face. "Shini-kun? You're sort of scaring me here. We should get her out of here."
"Relax, I have no intention of letting Kami find out about my side project. It has been so long since I've found such a worthy candidate..." With that, Shinigami turned to analyze the figure in the pool, his grin stretching further as he looked her over, seeing the seal that was visible on her stomach glow brightly. The figure looked to be about twelve years old, and she was quite stunning for the age. She had long, golden hair, with red tints striking through it occasionally. It reached the middle of her back, and the bangs were parted in the front, her left eye covered by hair. From what could be told from her single visible eye, they were a slate color, and looked as if they had been unfocused for a long period of time. The girl's skin tone was pale like the other occupants in the room, but also looked a bit tan.
"I swear, if you get our asses in trouble, I had no idea about this..." Yami muttered as she actually did disappear this time. Although, it seemed like Shinigami was too enthralled with the girl in the water to pay any attention, and just simply waved his sister off, even if it was right after she had left the area. Giving the water an inquisitive stare, Shinigami coated his hand in a blue light, before lowering it towards the tip of the water. As this happened, it seemed like the water surged a bit, glowing a bright blue, before fading back to it's normal colors. The woman underneath the water began to float in midair, before she calmly landed atop the water, being guided by the Shinigami's now outstretched hand.
As he snapped his free hand's fingers, the woman was coated in a pitch black cloak, although it seemed tattered from use. The girl's eyes had changed color, to a burning crimson, instead of a dull slate color. Now that he could see clearly, he grinned as the three whisker marks on each cheek began to fade away slowly, becoming only pencil-thin at the end of the process.
There seemed to be a disturbance in the area, for Shinigami felt as if he
"Come now...you've been asleep for quite a long time...isn't it time you got up..." Shinigami began, outstretching his arms, as if awaiting the girl to come hug him, like she was greeting an old friend. The girl simply stared at him, her gaze still glazed over, but not lifeless either. Showing his sharp teeth, the Shinigami continued, his eyes showing a hint of playfulness.
"...Uzumaki Naru?"
Yeah. I'm a bit disappointed in myself. This took forever to upload because of the internet problems I was facing. Hopefully, I won't be maimed too badly. But yes, I will try to keep updating frequently, instead of being a tease. Thank you for all of your kind reviews, and hopefully, your patience didn't fade away to the point where you thought the story was dead.
Now, good night, and have pleasent dreams.
~Yatero