Firstly, some tearful thanks to my (I think) first reader, who favorited my story, animatedgemini. Please review it too, if u have the time!
Note: I'm pretty sure, whoever reads this fanfic will be an ardent Naruto follower, so, some clarifications- time period, as you might have noticed, is a little later than the actual timeframe. Sasuke is 20 now, and this makes the time he learnt the Grand Fireball around 5 years. This was done because in the prologue, Inazuma Uchiha is only 1-1.5 years, so I had to compensate for his age. So he is 15-16 years of age, and hence not a kid. Hence, it was better for me to give him a bit more leverage in terms of power. The Fourth Shinobi World War has just commenced. 2. As for the triskelion, Google it to get a clearer idea. The most elaborate picture of it on the Google images previews is exactly it.
Time frame: 15 years later, Konohagakure
The skies were tensing significantly. Clouds swirled and played about in a nimbus of grey, swirling orbs. Sunlight filtered in pale, weak streams on the shattered landscape. Eighty kilometers outside the perimeter of Konoha, amidst the basted, rocky landscape, lay the latest Akatsuki hideout. The grotesque outline of a Zetsu keeping watch could be seen only to the trained eye, and an urgent conference was taking place in the deep crevices. The makeshift war room was silent. Water trickled down in small rivulets and made its own gurgling melody. Madara Uchiha sighed. The room was littered with resurrected Akatsuki members, and they all sat in a mundane manner. Kabuto Yakushi leaned against the wall, with a new strategy developing in his brain. His face had a mildly irritated expression. Madara, ever so secretive, had, as usual kept some of his plans to himself. Now it involved a latest addition to Akatsuki. The candidate was being fetched by two loitering Zetsu clones, and Kabuto was mulling over this random variable.
Madara, to his own surprise was feeling increasingly impatient. He forced himself to calm down. Soon, footsteps could be heard. Madara got up from his 'seat' and suddenly had the air of a show host. The meager light revealed none other than Sasuke Uchiha, a Zetsu guiding him towards the room. Sasuke had bandages on his eyes, and he sat down heavily. Madara sat down too. What was taking so long? He fumed inwardly. His attention turned upon Sasuke. "How are you feeling?" he asked. "Fine." was Sasuke's curt reply. Madara activated his Sharingan. He could see the increasingly high concentration of chakra around Sasuke's eyes, and he knew that Sasuke's eternal Mangekyou was almost ready. He smiled in quiet satisfaction. More footsteps ensued. Now, the two Zetsu's were back, and they prod the boy they held between them lightly. The boy wore Akatsuki robes, and a high hood, making his features invisible, and more so because of the scant light. The cloaked figure removed its hood, showing his face. He had a fair complexion, much like Sasuke's. His hair framed his face perfectly, and was black in color. His hair partially covered his eyes, and upon closer scrutiny, you could just make out the olive irises. He was slightly taller than Sasuke, and his presence, though not imposing, seemed to fill the entire room.
Kabuto raised his eyebrow in Madara's direction. Madara got up, and introduced the boy cheerily. "This is another ghost from our pasts! Allow me to introduce, Inazuma Uchiha!" Sasuke stirred visibly at the mention of the Uchiha surname. "Uchiha….?" He murmured. Kabuto's boredom was now replaced with extreme interest. "Indeed…? And where was this one?" Sasuke was looking blankly into space, searching for the same explanation. Madara was clearly enjoying the attention he was getting. His old persona, Tobi, seemed to surface momentarily. "Well…the last place I would have expected him to be…The ANBU!" Kabuto was slightly skeptical. One of his snake-tails hissed. "Indeed? And you just recruited him, I suppose?" Madara did not appreciate the sarcasm. But he did not let his temper show, either. He merely chuckled. "I had 'recruited' him a long time ago…in fact, a few years after the Uchiha Massacre…But." He stopped momentarily. "I think he can speak for himself, can he not?"
All eyes quietly turned towards their new member. He was unusually silent. "Speak." Sasuke commanded him. Kabuto immediately interjected. "Wait. Before I hear any more, may I know precisely why a new addition to our ranks was needed? I thought we already had all these." He gestured towards the emaciated bodies, courtesy of his Impure World Resurrection Technique. They were lifeless, as Kabuto had not sent his chakra into them yet. "You have indeed hit it on the spot, Kabuto!" Madara exclaimed. "Why indeed? Well, he does have his talents…" Kabuto was not amused. "And those are…?" Madara faced him directly, his mismatched eyes boring through Kabuto. "Why don't you see for yourself…?" he taunted. Kabuto rose to the taunt. "Maybe I will….but is he willing?" Madara simply said- "Show him."
Madara, helping Sasuke, Kabuto, and the latest Uchiha all flickered to the top of their base. It was a rocky expanse, the flat top of a mountain. And then, the ANBU opened his mouth. "Do we really have to do this…?" he muttered. His voice was hypnotic, with a tincture of sadness. Madara nodded. "Just a little demo, that's all. He doubts your abilities, you know?" he gestured towards Kabuto, who was standing a good distance away. Sasuke sat down on one of the rocks. A Zetsu appeared to record and help Sasuke view the fight. Kabuto smirked. "Come on! I don't have all day! Or should I make a move?" The other did not reply. "Fine, then…"said Kabuto. "I was itching to try these powers anyway… Summoning technique: Snake summoning!" Eight larger than life sized snakes appeared and bred their fangs menacingly. If the Uchiha was scared, he did not show it. The snakes shot out toward Inazuma. He muttered."Shunshin no jutsu." And body flickered out of harm's way. The snakes hissed and turned towards his new position. Again and again, he dodged, and the snakes failed. Kabuto was beginning to get bored. "You're fast, but that won't affect the outcome of our fight if you don't attack…" He flicked his wrist. The snakes moved with an unearthly speed, and one of them suddenly caught the Uchiha off guard. The snake twisted and turned, and constricted…to find its prey vanish in a puff of wind chakra. The true Inazuma flickered slightly to the left. "Wind clone...vacuum bullet disintegration." The wind chakra dissipated into high velocity vacuum bullets, and the nearest snake was ripped to shreds.
Kabuto tensed. "Oh please…"he smirked. "Keep your parlor tricks to yourself!" The remaining ones attacked with a maniacal killing intent. Inazuma flickered high above. "Time to make these troublesome snakes disappear…" he muttered. Two more shadow clones of his appeared to his side. The cupped their hands to their lips."Fire Release: Grand Fireball." Three comets of blazing fire cascaded and reduced the area to ash. The smoke cleared, and not a single summon was alive. "Hmm…" Kabuto started thinking. He summoned some more snakes, and decided to run in himself. The Uchiha closed his eyes in the face of impending danger. And opened them, to reveal a matured, three tomoe Sharingan. Kabuto's mind raced. So he is an Uchiha after all….the Sharingan certainly raises the challenge. The snakes and Kabuto launched themselves at him. Inazuma avoided their attacks in an almost lazy manner, as though Kabuto were attacking very slowly. Kabuto was angered. "Chakra scalpel- snake teeth infusion!" he shouted. The snakes opened their mouths, and instead of fangs, there were modified chakra scalpels.
Inazuma merely had one reply. He looked at Madara. Madara nodded. He said. "Mangekyou Sharingan." The tomes vanished, and a triskelion-like sign appeared in his eyes. Sasuke looked at the fight with renewed interest. Kabuto was on the defensive, and he sent one of the snakes at Inazuma. Inazuma merely dodged. "I won't be holding back now…" he muttered ominously. "Besides…you irritate me." He added. Kabuto's mind gaped at the audacity of this….fool. His voice rose with every syllable. "Don't…Underestimate…ME!" he yelled and ten more snakes appeared. Their chakra enhanced fangs glinted evilly. The Uchiha did not even register the change. His hands wee a blur. "Fire…Thunder…Wind." He muttered in sync with his hands. "Kekkei tota. Celestial Release." The chakra around him shifted, and expanded. Kabuto's eyes widened. The Uchiha opened his fist. Pure white chakra streamed through it. He pointed it at Kabuto. "Celestial Release: Solar Ray." The firmament simply EXPLODED. The clouds gave way, fleeing out of sight. The sun was shining even brighter than before. Kabuto could feel the heat wave rush through his body. The sun, appeared like the harbinger of hell, and a clear white wave of pure light streamed through the sky, crashing against the Earth with a phenomenal fury. The terrain simply did not hold, and Kabuto's snakes did not even stand a chance. Kabuto screamed with a voice he did not know he possessed. The ray was SCORCHING him! He felt his life slip from his grasp. Orochimaru's powers were simply too puny to withstand this…this heavenly power. He smiled. The Uchiha was good after all… and maybe Madara wanted to terminate him anyway. As hell raged around him, somewhere in the back of his mind, something twitched. Why would Madara want to kill him? He was the one controlling the Impure World Resurrection Summons...Then what is this? Something isn't right…
The Tsukuyomi shattered around him, leaving him gasping for breath. Uchiha Inazuma was standing with a bored expression. "I decided to dispel it…"he was saying. "Couldn't stand your screaming, anyway…" His Mangekyou bored into him with laser-like intensity. Kabuto's mind shattered. It was all a…Genjustsu? So powerful…
With those thoughts, Kabuto Yakushi fell to the ground. "Give him medical attention. His mind is too stressed…" muttered Madara, clearly pleased with the turn of events. Sasuke Uchiha was standing, his expression a mixture between incredulity- at Inazuma's abilities, and disdain-at Kabuto's weakness. Inazuma Uchiha just murmured…"Didn't even need to use my actual celestial release…what a weakling…"
Well, that'spretty much it for the 1st chapter. I know I might have made Kabuto a little weaker than the original, but then, I hate the guy. He's quite overrated, even in the Data book! (This is a personal opinion, btw.) Please, read and review, and give me your ideas.