"Tsunade-sama," Mitokado Homura continued with a grim smile, "welcome back to Konoha. You have been missed." Homura paused to allow the crowd to cheer and then made his request. "Please, along come with us. The Elder Council has assembled. There is much to be discussed."
Tsunade looked as though she'd swallowed something sour and almost turned back to punch a hole straight through the gate and abandon Konoha again. However, something in the villagers' expressions stopped her. The Slug Princess wavered, and at last relented.
"Fine," the woman muttered, crossing her arms. "Let's get this over with."
Chapter Three: Ruses and Temptations – The True Horror
Disclaimer: Naruto's not mine. I'm not getting paid to write this, et cetera.
The various mutterings inside Konoha's council chamber went silent when Tsunade enfftered the room, with the Third and the two advisors Homura and Koharu at her back.
"Tsunade-hime," Aburame Shibi's reserved voice broke the quiet, as the man's head inched downwards with a measured respect. The Aburame looked relieved, knowing that Tsunade would be able to heal his son's condition now that she was back in the village.
"From here on out, call me 'Godaime-sama,'" the Slug Princess replied as she strode across the chamber to assume the Hokage's place at the head position. "Now then, let's get right down to business," she continued, sitting down. "I want to hear a complete report on the border situation. I've been brought up to speed a little, but I want details."
Tsunade's clipped, businesslike tone caused several civilian council members to stir in a nervous manner. She had no interest in tolerating ceremonial niceties as her esteemed predecessor had. The clan heads and other shinobi representatives concealed grins. The Third Hokage blinked with complete surprise, taking his seat near Tsunade, as though he hadn't even been aware that she was going to accept the nomination. Danzou noticed his nemesis' expression and attempted to hide his sneer.
"To this point," the advisor Homura began, his tone somber and serious "there have been no changes with regards to the Hidden Sand. However, we expect that Iwa will begin the invasion soon, and we do not expect a decimated Suna to hold out."
"During the Hokage's most recent absence, the Sand's council has sent us a message to request assistance," Koharu continued, making no distinction as to whether 'Hokage' meant Tsunade or Sarutobi, "claiming that the alliance breach was due to Orochimaru's machinations, and was not their true intention."
"Those bloodless worms have the gall to come crawling back to us when their necks are placed on the line," Danzou observed, his scarred visage twisted with loathing. "There is no reason to commit our shinobi to a losing cause. Let the miserable traitors die."
"Yet, when the lips are removed, the teeth will grow cold," Sandaime countered, now the Hokage's highest ranking advisor.
"Sandaime-sama has a valid point," a bored-looking Nara Shikaku concurred. "I'd much rather us have a weakened Suna living next door than a militant Iwa. It'd be a huge mistake to let the Rock capture all that ground to use against us. Better to keep the Sand as a barrier between us and them."
"I see no reason to be concerned," Danzou sneered, hands gripping his cane. "Iwagakure is weak, and we will serve them as we did Suna and Oto. Konoha has never been bested in war, and our shinobi will continue to triumph over all enemies."
"That's a presumptuous boast," the new Hokage commented, her voice dripping with mocking scorn. "I seem to recall hearing about how a single Missing-nin cell almost managed to decimate this entire village and all its shinobi less than two months ago."
Tsunade's precise words caused an undercurrent to sweep through the council chamber. The Akatsuki attack and the widespread devastation it had wrought had dealt a blow to Konoha's pride and prestige. The Slug Princess had no qualms about grinding raw salt into the unhealed wound, knowing that the blatant reminder would serve to humble the pompous councilors.
"Indeed," the grizzled war hawk acknowledged in a poisonous hiss, "a most regrettable incident, an embarrassment precipitated due to our illustrious Sandaime being more interested in chatting over tea with the Fire Lord than in protecting our Great Tree…"
Danzou stopped short and shuddered ever so little in his seat as a subtle killing intent permeated the air, aimed straight at him. Sarutobi stared hard at his nemesis, warning in no uncertain terms that the scarred man was coming close to crossing a line – one that Hizuren was all too willing to meet him at, now that the retired leader no longer had his mantle and sworn oaths as Hokage to restrain him. Danzou regained his composure and met Sandaime's glare in equal measure, stubborn pride overbearing common sense, as all present – even the civilian representatives – knew that a shinobi duel between the two irreconcilable, bitter archrivals would result in a one-sided massacre.
"That's enough," Tsunade said, her strong voice ending the tense altercation in the chamber as she turned to Homura and Koharu. "You can continue with the report."
Danzou spared the new Hokage an appraising glance, knowing that the blonde woman's intervention had saved his skin, though the one-armed veteran would never acknowledge his debt.
"Yes, Godaime-sama," Homura stated, relieved that his old teammate had not been provoked into murdering his longtime nemesis, "in addition to the Iwa/Suna situation, Kumo has begun to move their shinobi southward into Rice Field, where some unknown power has stalled their advance." Homura stopped to take a breath, pushing his glasses up his nose. "Despite this, however, we must assume that the Cloud will prevail, and we know that their ultimate destination is Konoha."
"I'd thought that Orochimaru's Hidden Sound was located in Rice Field," Sarutobi mused, no longer concerned with Danzou, "though I can't imagine that he would care to impede Kumo's campaign."
"The Sound has vanished without a trace," Koharu said in a low voice, "or so it seems, at least. The reconnaissance teams we sent into the area reported observing no signs that hostile shinobi were based there." Sarutobi's other teammate likewise paused, picking her words with care. "The locals have instead been whispering tales about monsters lurking in the wilderness."
"I'm sure that snake bastard didn't quit with his twisted experiments when he got caught red-handed here." Inuzuka Tsume ground out, gnashing her sharp teeth. "His guinea pigs must've gotten loose somehow, seeing as he seems to have abandoned them and hightailed it outta there."
"That's one possible explanation, or he might have set them loose on purpose," Shikaku, ever the able strategist, suggested, scratching at his goatee. "I wouldn't doubt that Orochimaru might predict that Konoha would launch a counter invasion against Oto and leave us a little present, but his trap sprung on the wrong victims."
The chamber became a literal din as the various councilors suggested theories. The single overall general consensus was that Orochimaru was alive somewhere, biding his time until he could menace Konoha once again, even though his upstart Hidden Village seemed to have been decimated. Tsunade rubbed her brow and glared towards Sarutobi, as though blaming the chaos on him somehow. The old man shrugged, having no real response, and at last the irritated Godaime raised her arm and drove a hard punch into the ground, causing the entire chamber to quake and sending dust rising into the stale air.
Though Tsunade's method violated all debate procedures known to human civilization, it had an immediate impact on the council, halting all conversation in an instant. The elders looked in shock towards the Hokage, noting the vein pulsing on her temple. The clan heads looked about the chamber at their shocked civilian counterparts with more than a little amusement, though the degrees varied. The Inuzuka pack leader almost burst in into mocking laughter at their expense. Meanwhile the dust settled and revealed a small impact crater where Tsunade had struck the ground. The Slug Princess looked around the room, demanding order, and not a soul dared to challenge her on the point.
"No matter what the cause might be," Danzou sniped, staring around the silent room at his silenced colleagues. "Kumo's threat represents more than reason enough not to extend help to Suna."
"I must agree with Elder Danzou," Hiashi spoke in his cultured voice, to no-one's surprise, given his clan's storied vendetta against the Cloud. "Let us all consider that Kumogakure commands not one, but two demon containers." Hiashi stopped to allow the reminder to sink in. Tailed demons and jinchuuriki were a sore topic, given Konoha's harrowing experience with the Nine-tails. "To allow such horrid weapons to approach our homeland would be an unmitigated disaster."
To their collective credit, the elders didn't break into rambling conversation this time, but instead looked towards the Hokage.
"I also agree," Tsunade declared. "The Sand has dug its own grave and will now have to lie in it. Now, with that, I would like to declare this meeting…"
"There is one other matter to discuss, Godaime-sama." Danzou then dared to interrupt her as she started to rise, his lips curling into a malicious smile.
The blonde Hokage stared at the scarred elder and then towards Sandaime, who was regarding his nemesis with a narrowed glare, suspicion evident in his expression. The kunoichi let out a bothered sign and sat back down, wishing that she could tell Danzou to kiss her ass and leave the room, despising the council and detesting having to deal with her own unwanted advisors.
"Let's hear it, then, Danzou," Tsunade countered, lacing her hands together, her voice like ice.
"Sarutobi-sama's escort squad returned a man short, with no explanation given," the war hawk stated without preamble, uttering Sandaime's title as though it were some vile curse. "I should think, given the previous discussion concerning the Hidden Cloud's two jinchuuriki and the tangible threat that such tools pose, that this council might want to know what has happened to Konoha's." Danzou then leaned over his cane, leering at Hiruzen. "I would like to ask that Uzumaki Naruto's most recent mission leader explain his apparent," he paused again, enunciating the last word, "disappearance."
The retired Hokage bristled ever so little in response to the scathing insinuation in his rival's voice despite the truth in it. Mutters began to break out around the chamber, 'monster' and 'traitor' discernable among them along, with various claims to have 'known all along.' Some appeared to be surprised at the news, others smug and still more concerned. Homura and Koharu were among the latter group, as were the clan heads. Naruto's inclusion in Sarutobi's retrieval team had not been made general knowledge, not even to the council.
"Ah, I might have allowed him to take a little vacation," Sandaime retorted, his tone nonchalant, as he knew that it would antagonize Danzou. "No-one can argue that the poor lad hasn't earned a little personal leave, given his recent meritorious services during the invasion."
Danzou was not amused, nor did Sarutobi's blatant and dismissive lie take him in.
"This is not a laughing matter," the crippled man snapped, reacting as predicted. "That overindulged whelp is vital to Konoha's war machine, as our most potent weapon. He must be returned to the village at once and his unauthorized absence punished."
"That won't be happening," Tsunade said in a curt voice. "His present assignment necessitates deep cover and is crucial to this village's interests. He won't be recalled to Konoha until I've made the decision that it's needed."
"Forgive this man's impertinence, Godaime-sama," Akimichi Chouza then spoke in a serious rumble, the large man looking between Tsunade and Sarutobi, "but I am having a hard time believing that our Hokage would choose to waste an asset such as him on a long-term non-combat assignment with two potential wars looming. Perhaps it would be more accurate, as Elder Danzou has stipulated, to conclude that he has gone missing."
This was nothing less than a diplomatic accusation that the new Hokage was concealing Naruto's status. The blonde Sannin stared the Akimichi patriarch down, intent upon making her dominance known. She was Hokage now, and the council's incessant meddling in the village leader's business was no longer going to be tolerated. Uzumaki Naruto, Missing-nin or otherwise, was Tsunade's concern and no-one else's, both as a Konoha-nin and as an agent in the Hokage's personal guard, until she dictated otherwise.
"Perhaps, and perhaps it would be a whole lot smarter," Tsunade parroted right back, knowing that Chouza was right on the mark but unwilling to admit as much, "not to insinuate that I'm a liar. I know where the brat is and what he's doing, and that's all that's important. I won't hear the issue again."
The Slug Princess had nothing save her sensei's vague theories on the latter point, and precious little more on Naruto's actual whereabouts.
"Meanwhile," Sandaime continued, "Konoha has precious little resources to spare right now, given the mounting situation on our borders. That is," Hiruzen added, looking at Danzou, "unless some hidden, special shinobi corps exists that could handle this matter." The Third watched with amusement as his nemesis seemed to put his utmost into maintaining his strict composure, battling his anger at being taunted about his outlawed Ne. "The village cannot spare an elite hunter squad to chase down a teenager."
"Don't utter such nonsense," the scarred elder growled, pocketing his pride so as not to hint at his secret, that Konoha's roots still ran as deep as ever. "I do not contest the Hokage's decision. Time will reveal the truth," Danzou stated without the least doubt. "Discretion is not Uzumaki Naruto's strongest suite. The brat cannot help but reveal his hand to us."
"I said that's enough," Godaime hissed, starting to lose her temper. "Now then, since the illustrious Konoha council seems to be content to waste precious time bickering over a kid, I'm outta here. Unlike some people, I have actual business to attend to, such as inspecting the village." Tsunade then turned back towards her apprentice, who hadn't made a sound during the entire meeting, as she rose and started to leave. "Let's go, Shizune."
Shizune paled and nodded, trailing behind her enraged master. Meanwhile the elders looked about in surprise and shock, unable to comprehend being dismissed in such a manner. Sandaime had a worried expression as he stared at his pupil's retreating back. Danzou, however, appeared to be amused and even pleased with the new Hokage's act.
XXXXXXXXXX
Kusanagi in hand, Naruto stood silent and cautious in the mist-shrouded grove in the mountains ringing the Rain's industrial capital, observing his opponent. Uchiha Itachi stared right back at him, tilting his head ever so little, as though attempting to puzzle Naruto out in the drizzling rain. Their Akatsuki cloaks were draped over a tree limb in the near distance. Naruto almost wish that he'd kept his, as he was shirtless and it was fucking cold right now.
'Guess you're not gonna make the first move,' the blond groused, bored with the inexorable waiting game. 'Typical.'
These sparring matches had become commonplace in the three months since the battle and Hanzou the Salamander's demise. Following the capital's capture, the madman Pain had instituted a wider, more extensive purge aimed at wiping out all traces that the murdered leader had ever existed. Friends, relatives, business associates and even mere acquaintances – all those who held even the slightest connection to Hanzou were being hunted down and exterminated.
Naruto and Itachi hadn't been ordered to participate in the slaughter, though the blond jinchuuriki wouldn't have minded much. The latter had instead dragged him back into the mountains to train, rather than relaxing in the metropolis. Pain and Konan were preoccupied with their own business, working to consolidate their new regime, and neither had been bothered to care about the two teenagers' departure. For his part, the blond shinobi was now growing a little irritated with having to rough it in the wilderness non-stop. The results were more than worth the inconvenience, though.
"Let's begin, Naruto-kun," the illusionist muttered in his careless monotone, Sharingan not even activated.
The blond glowered and struck without acknowledging his opponent. Naruto switched Kusanagi to his other hand and tensed his right arm, which then changed into a thick serpent and rushed towards the Uchiha traitor, hissing and snapping as it extended to inhuman lengths. He was getting much better at using his cursed seal on a partial basis.
Itachi sidestepped the incoming attack, as expected, and Naruto then directed his monstrous snakelike appendage to sink its lethal bite into the nearest tree. The corrosive poison caused the wood to begin to rot and wither upon contact. The jinchuuriki retracted his serpent arm, reeling towards the tree at a high speed. Naruto slashed at the motionless Itachi's head with his glowing sword as he made his pass, prompting the Uchiha to duck low. Itachi then turned and launched the Housenka towards his moving opponent's back.
"Fuck," Naruto hissed under his breath due to the blazing missiles closing in behind him, knowing that he'd been suckered.
He released his bite grip on the tree, and then circled behind and began to scramble up the rotting trunk. Itachi's attack plowed into the wood near where Naruto had bitten and tore right through, causing the trunk to shatter and the timber to plummet towards the ground. The demon vessel stood atop the smoking lumber and kept his stare leveled on the Uchiha as he rode down towards the ground, sheathing his sword and running through hand seals at the same time.
Electric charge began to crackle around the blond, and he opened his mouth and spewed a high-powered lightning bolt at his opponent. Itachi avoided Naruto's jutsu with casual, nonchalant ease, and the charge grounded out as it made contact with the rain-soaked mountain earth. Then, still covered in residual lightning, Naruto dove towards the illusionist, measuring a crushing punch at Itachi's head. Rather than evading, Itachi's hand snaked out and grabbed the other's wrist. The Uchiha then gripped his throat with his remaining hand and threw him down hard into the ground.
'Creepy bastard,' the blond growled in his mind, rolling with the impact as Itachi closed in on his position.
He used his momentum to land upright and blocked the Uchiha's opening salvo. Naruto had no chance to counter against Itachi's lightning-speed taijutsu, but he was at least able to maintain his guard and avoid being hit, which was more than he could have ever hoped to manage three months earlier. Regardless, the exchange was leading him nowhere, and he knew that he would slip up and get tagged sooner or later. He'd might as well have it happen on his own terms.
Naruto picked his moment and, rather than dodging, stepped into a punch. The impact made his head snap to the side, but due to Itachi's lithe build, the blow lacked the power needed to hurt the powerhouse demon container, even though the Uchiha hadn't pulled his punch. Naruto's unexpected amove caused his opponent to pause enough to allow the blond to land a vicious sledgehammer punch. The blow sent Itachi soaring backwards into the air, where, rather than crashing to the ground, he appeared to levitate in midair. The illusionist remained emotionless, staring down at Naruto, who then realized his predicament.
'Genjutsu, shit!' He groused, not knowing when or how Itachi had snared him, given that he had never activated his Sharingan. For all Naruto knew, the entire duel to the point might well have been taking place in his imagination.
He concentrated chakra into his brain and snapped the illusion, right as Itachi's blade plunged deep into his back. Naruto gurgled and spat blood, but then grinned. The Uchiha managed to Shunshin right in time to avoid the sudden explosion, as Naruto's Kage Bunshin detonated. Mud and rock rained into the air, scattering all over the secluded mountain grove.
"Impressive," Itachi droned into the rain to no-one in particular, as Naruto was now nowhere to be seen. The illusionist was relaxed beneath a tree, at ease despite being involved in an intense battle. "I almost didn't notice the substitution in time. From this point on, I'll be more cautious."
His Sharingan blazed into existence. Naruto might have grinned, had he been in position to see it. The Uchiha then had to leap aside, as a serpent's head burst through the muddied earth to swallow him whole. Itachi launched a Grand Fireball at the reptile, but his attack had no noticeable impact other than enraging the summoned serpent. The hulking creature slithered right through the jutsu and back towards the Missing-nin.
"Hn," the Uchiha grunted, almost looking amused with the situation.
Itachi didn't bother to avoid the oncoming monster's charge this time, but instead stared hard at the snake, his Sharingan spinning. The summoned beast then halted in its tracks next to Itachi, and the illusionist used another quick Shunshin to escape as a second reptile emerged through the ground. The motionless initial serpent then turned about and rushed to attack its colleague, hissing and biting. The second serpent's mouth opened and Naruto leapt out, landing on the ground between the two battling creatures.
"Bah, cheap trick," he spat at Itachi, who arched a brow in response. 'Mother fucking genjutsu,' he added in his mind, not at all amused with having his summon turned against him.
"There is no such thing as cheating in battle, Naruto-kun," Itachi stated, repeating the phrase that Naruto had uttered several times in the past, though the blond doubted that the illusionist knew as much.
The jinchuuriki dismissed both serpents, causing smoke to explode into the air around him. Naruto ducked his head on instinct as several shuriken whizzed past his ear, and leapt outside the smoke. He then saw the shuriken pass him again, too late to evade the metal shinobi wire coiling around him, binding his arms to his side. His position allowed him to make no resistance when Itachi pulled back on the wire and reeled him in like that poor old cock pheasant, slamming a brutal knee into Naruto's stomach. The blond almost lost consciousness as the air stored in his lungs was expelled against his will.
His training allowed him to remain coherent enough to see Itachi drawing his weapon and he rushed backwards towards a tree. The illusionist cocked his head and strolled in Naruto's direction, keeping his blade at his side as he made no particular haste about it.
The Kusanagi then unsheathed on Naruto's mental command and extended to its normal length. The glowing blade moved to intercept Itachi's quick tanto swipe, which would have ended the match in accordance with their agreed terms. First blood was the prevailing rule, though the earlier instance didn't count, as the victim was a clone. Itachi's swirling crimson gaze narrowed in thought as he pushed against Kusanagi, which didn't budge in the least and changed positions to shadow him when he moved to circle past it.
He then had no more time to ponder the matter. Naruto concentrated chakra into his right leg and brought it crashing down into the mud, causing the wet soil to shake around him. The overall impact wasn't quite what it would have been under drier conditions, but the resulting shockwave tremor was still enough to almost knock Itachi down. The Uchiha Missing-nin retreated via Shunshin as sharp earthen spikes shot upwards in a ring around Naruto, allowing his opponent time to escape. The blond raised his arms, directing the Kusanagi to slice through the wires binding him in place.
"Let's see how this one works, then." Naruto whispered, making hand seals.
Kusanagi then divided into two identical blades, and this process then repeated thrice more. Sixteen glowing white swords hovered in the air around him, all pointing right at Itachi. Naruto motioned with his hand and all sixteen weapons streaked towards the illusionist, changing directions and surrounding the slate-haired genius's position. Itachi looked among the replicated swords now circling around him and then back to Naruto.
'Try this on for size,' the jinchuuriki thought, grinning in anticipation as he prepared to give his newest invention a trial run.
The mind-controlled weapons all struck at once, circling and darting at the Uchiha, who blinked in response and glided about to evade the endless sword strikes as well as he was able, but it was a hopeless battle. Naruto's blades pressed Itachi hard, operating outside his visual scope to negate the Sharingan's prediction. The dance continued until the illusionist backpedaled to avoid six incoming slashes, but was grazed along the ankle with a seventh outside his peripheral vision, opening a minor wound. The Kusanagi replicas vanished in an instant and the real weapon returned to its triumphant wielder's hand.
"Oh ho ho ho," Naruto couldn't help gloating, almost unable to believe that he'd bested Uchiha Itachi, as he'd never even come close until this match. "First blood to me, I win."
Two things then transpired at the same moment. The wounded Itachi disappeared into nothingness and a sharp pain resonated along Naruto's arm. He glanced down to see Itachi's disappearing tanto and the thin line sliced into his bicep, across his ANBU tattoo. Blood trickled down his arm, though the negligible cut healed over within seconds. Naruto realized at once what had happened.
"I believe that makes me the victor," the genius's monotone then sounded behind Naruto, no conceit in his voice as he deactivated his doujutsu.
The blond sheathed his sword and crossed his arms with a bitter scowl, coping with the knowledge that he had been no closer to winning than usual. He again had no clue when his sparring partner had placed him under another genjutsu, but it was quite apparent that he'd been dancing upon the Sharingan master's invisible strings all along. Itachi's slice had broken the illusion that the blond hadn't even known that he'd been trapped inside.
"You're a bastard," Naruto snarked, not quite serious, "a cheap, underhanded bastard."
Despite his griping and somewhat bruised ego, Naruto had reason enough to be pleased. His new Kusanagi-based attack would have scored him the win, had he not been trapped in a pre-existing illusion, meaning that it would kill most other enemies, and Itachi would never be his opponent in a real battle. No-one else would be able to catch him in a genjutsu without his knowledge with the same ease as the Uchiha could. Moreover, he had managed to push Itachi into using his Sharingan this time, which was real progress.
"I'm certain that I was born in wedlock, Naruto-kun," Itachi replied in a smooth voice, reaching a manicured hand towards his hair to wring out the rainwater. He then cleaned his bloodied blade and strolled over to reclaim both his and Naruto's Akatsuki cloaks. "That should be enough training until tomorrow morning."
Naruto blinked, surprised that Itachi had attempted, though without much success, to make a wisecrack. Though, having had several months to become acclimated to Naruto's presence, the reticent Uchiha would now on isolated, random occasions condescend to indulge the jinchuuriki with small talk, depending upon his whimsical disposition. Though Itachi was a genius among geniuses, humor still seemed to be something alien to him.
"Fine, whatever," the container conceded with a shrug, his pride still smarting over the loss despite all common sense. "Next time, I'm gonna kick…"
The threat that Naruto knew that he couldn't back up with action was cut short when Itachi grimaced and reached towards his temple. The blond looked on, and whatever had happened to the older teenager passed in a moment. Itachi then put on his cloak.
"The Leader summons," the Uchiha explained the situation in a succinct manner, without needing to be asked.
Hearing Pain mentioned caused Naruto to think back on the megalomaniacal Akatsuki Leader, who was the reason behind the blond's current obsession with training, as well as Itachi's. That man, or men, or God, or whatever Pain was, possessed radical powers and no doubt had even more ridiculous strength that Naruto still hadn't seen. Pain had made Hanzou the Salamander look like a snot-nosed Genin. To kill him, Naruto would require more power and skill, much more. He would die in mere seconds in combat against the Leader as he was now, and he knew it.
"Heh," the blond jinchuuriki sneered, reaching back to scratch an itch on his neck, "we lowborn mortals had better get a move on then. Not a good idea to keep 'God' waiting."
The situation wasn't hopeless, however. He was getting sharper, his speed and power improving with each round with Itachi. More than that, Naruto was getting smarter in the process. Fighting the Uchiha was like human chess taken to the most extreme level, so much unlike taking on someone like Kisame, where he knew more or less what to expect. Itachi's mental games and misdirection schemes were innumerable, and the Uchiha was not an opponent who could be overcome with strength alone, much the same as Pain. Naruto was learning to counter those cerebral tactics and answer them with his own. Moreover, he and Itachi had some working knowledge about the Leader and his Rin'negan, having seen both in action, and would be better prepared when the critical moment came than Hanzou had been.
'Now, if only I could stop getting put under genjutsu,' he still couldn't help thinking.
"There is no need to return to the capital," Itachi stated, his voice mild. "The organization has its own special method to communicate orders over long distances."
The Sharingan master then sat down in the grass and assumed a meditative pose. He then ran through a quick seal sequence and proceeded to pass out, or so it appeared. Naruto moved in closer and waved his palm next to the Uchiha's head. No response. He then reached over, hesitating a moment in the process, and poked Itachi's temple, a dangerous presumption under almost all circumstances. His head bobbed back and then down again.
'Lights are out and nobody's home,' Naruto almost whispered, his hand gravitating to the Kusanagi.
The temptation to kill him was almost unbearable. Itachi was sitting there motionless and helpless as a vegetable. Removing his head would open up more doors than Naruto could hope to imagine. Uchiha Itachi's death could serve as Naruto's ticket to an unconditional pardon in Konoha, or a pass into whatever Hidden Village he desired with another war looming and perhaps even Jounin rank. He could march right back through the gates to his home village and be received as a hero.
The price on the illusionist's head – an almost inconceivable reward totaling more than a hundred million ryo – in addition to the evolved Sharingan located therein could bring him wealth surpassing his wildest dreams, and that would make all things possible, even putting together his own organization to oppose Akatsuki. Furthermore, to become the man who sent Itachi into his grave would make Naruto into a legend in his own time, perhaps equal to his old man, granting the blond-haired jinchuuriki the thing he desired most: to be known and respected throughout the shinobi world.
He looked down, noting that his sword was now in his hand and extended to its proper length once more. The voices within his head, whether those were the juin, the demon inside his stomach or his own darkest subconscious, were whispering to him to seize the moment that would never come again and to murder Uchiha Itachi. Naruto knew that the proposal was good advice, and that the older teenager had manipulated him into a hopeless situation and that this was his one golden chance to make his escape and survive.
Yet, knowing all this, he still didn't strike. His conscience, or what precious little he still had, hasn't been what had stopping him. Itachi was no innocent, and had committed reprehensible crimes that the whole world knew about, not that Naruto possessed a moral high ground in comparison, as he had done similar things and had reveled in doing so. He plopped down onto the ground against a tree, glaring at the still Uchiha in the rain.
'Arrogant bastard,' he sniped with the same base insult again, still glowering at the motionless Akatsuki member.
He doubted that Itachi had even given a thought to lowering his guard. Naruto didn't know what the quiet illusionist was thinking. Perhaps he didn't care whether he lived or not, or he might have been so secure in his mindset that the thought that Naruto might kill him had never so much as crossed his mind. The older teenager had never struck him as having so little common sense, but then again, he was the Uchiha Itachi.
Furthermore, this was no isolated incident. Naruto could recall all the chances that Itachi had 'given' him to stab him in the back, whether it was allowing him escape his clutches in Tanzaku-Gai, and indeed helping him to do so, or giving him the chance to run in River. Each time, however, there had been a catch, either the stolen scroll or the clone he had sent to trail Naruto's movements in secret. The blond thus decided that that was his real answer. Itachi was a sick creep who liked to mess with his mind, and there was no more complicated explanation. The even simpler alternative, that the other trusted Naruto not to murder him, didn't even cross his mind.
Soon enough, Itachi stirred and rose again. Naruto didn't know how much time had passed while he had been thinking. The Uchiha looked towards the sword still resting in his companion's hand and tilted his head in understanding, seeming to know what Naruto had been contemplating doing, but seeming not to be the least bit surprised or concerned. Itachi's blasé attitude towards his training partner almost stabbing him in the back both irritated and unnerved the jinchuuriki.
"That sure was a quick pilgrimage," the blond sneered, all too willing to disrespect Pain…so long as neither the Leader nor his blue-haired bitch was in the area to catch him in the act.
"You and I are being dispatched to Rice Field to gather intelligence," the Uchiha stated, now in business mode and disinterested in acknowledging Naruto's banter. "Our spies report that the Raikage has decided to marshal Kumogakure's two jinchuuriki in order to rupture whatever impediment has been halting their village's southward advance. Pain has commanded us to measure their capabilities."
That was…interesting. Naruto had missed his chance at taking on another jinchuuriki the last time with Sabaku no Gaara thanks to that weirdo Kimimaro and Orochimaru's meddling, much to his own demon's chagrin, not that Naruto much cared what it thought now. Not that he thought that it would have been a real contest.
"Fun," Naruto said and meant it, more than willing to venture into a war zone and raise a ruckus. "I'm calling dibs on the Hachibi. Have to settle the pecking order and all that mess. You can have the Nibi," the blond continued on in a magnanimous voice, as though he were doing Itachi some great honor.
The Uchiha glanced back over at the blond while tucking his arm into his sleeve and putting on his rain-drenched Akatsuki kasa. Naruto, who had remained shirtless to this point, shook out his cloak and then slipped it on over his bare chest.
"You would be ill-advised to provoke combat." Itachi murmured, shaking his head. "Remember that neither vessel can be killed now, lest Pain visit the same onto us. The mission parameters are to observe and nothing more."
"Right, sure," the demon container said, waving warning aside as he was known to do. "Let's head down the mountain to the village. I need a decent meal and a real bed to sleep in, and then we can leave in the morning."
Itachi nodded, expecting the demand, and the pair started down the mountainside. Naruto kept his sword in his hand, humming a little tune in his head as he walked behind the illusionist. Neither shinobi could have known then that their hazardous reconnaissance mission would turn into much worse, leading them both into a scenario that would be remembered as a nightmare even more terrible than the absolute worst that Itachi's sick mind could have ever conceived with Tsukuyomi, in which two demonhosts were but the most pedestrian horrors.
XXXXXXXXXX
Far to the Elemental Continent's south, in the archipelago known in collective as Umi no Kuni, a certain pale-skinned, serpentine Missing-nin wore a bitter scowl as he examined his latest experimental specimens in their holding containers. Orochimaru had precious little to be pleased about in recent months. His attempt to sunder Konoha and assassinate his old sensei Sarutobi had ended in a humiliating loss in which the Sannin had almost perished, and his attempt to subvert Uzumaki Naruto had gone no better.
His organization had been reduced to a complete shambles, due to the rout at Konoha's hands and then Akatsuki's raid. Though Orochimaru had somehow managed to kill one S-Ranked attacker and use his possession technique to make the other Akatsuki into his new host, the 'win' was a narrow and hollow one at best. Had Kakuzu not made a rare mistake in taking Orochimaru's bait, the serpent would now be a dead man and his head mounted onto some exchanger's wall.
"Ergh," the snake man then grunted in pain and had to use a hand to brace against the nearest wall, as his new host pushed against him again.
The Jashin cult member Hidan did nothing but add to the Hebi Sennin's consternation. The Hot Springs Nukenin was ever resilient despite having his spirit trapped deep with Orochimaru's subconscious, almost as though he possessed a true immortal soul due to his pathetic cult's kinjutsu. Hidan did not appreciate his position, and he thrashed against his restraints on a regular basis in an attempt to wrest back control over the host. The man's enraged cursing and screaming resonated deep within the Sannin's mind during his more spirited outbursts, irritating Orochimaru not a little.
"Agh! Mother fucking piece of heathen dog shit!" Hidan's nasal voice shrieked at him. "You just fucking wait 'till I break outta here! I'm seriously gonna bite your fucking throat out and shit down it, and then I'll sacrifice your rotting corpse to Jashin-sama! You'd better fucking believe you're going to Hell for this transgression, asshole!"
"Be silent, vulgar wretch," Orochimaru hissed aloud, exerting his dominance to quash the meddlesome cultist's spirit down again and exhaling a heated breath as the voice went mute once more. "Ku ku ku," the serpentine man chuckled into the lab, wishing that he had someone around to vent his ill temper upon.
He didn't, unless he chose to retrieve some luckless specimen to abuse. He again looked into the aquatic holding tanks, which contained kidnapped locals who had been altered into mermen, to use a generic and colloquial term. Hoshigaki Kisame had been the inspiration behind the research, which was nearing completion now that Orochimaru had returned to this poor place and taken a personal hand in the research. That second-rate lab rat Amachi, an assistant who had been given control over the place and its mission in his master's absence, would never have achieved workable results on his own.
That scientist had since been reassigned to leading raids on mineral shipments with the one positive result that his experiments had managed to produce, a mindless little girl whose name the serpent man didn't care to learn. No doubt the man, who believed that he was a rare genius, viewed the grunt work as the deliberate insult that it was. Soon enough, Orochimaru would be able to mass produce aquatic soldiers similar to the girl, and then he would be able to tighten his stranglehold over the archipelago. From there, he would proceed to extend his grasp into the neutral non-shinobi nations along the seaboard and move across the ocean into the barbarian lands on the southern continent. For those ends, he would also require the materials that Amachi's raids were bringing in.
'I might have lost my holdings on the continent, but I will rebuild my empire and emerge stronger than ever,' Orochimaru vowed. 'There is no need to rush. After all, an immortal has all the time in the world.'
Orochimaru knew that his advantage lie in being inconspicuous. He was quite content to recuperate and observe as the Five Great Nations tore one another apart in the war that he had orchestrated with his covert alliance with Suna and attack on Konoha, even though it hadn't succeeded. He rather doubted that his old village would survive the war, what with his weak old master retiring and passing on his mantle as Hokage to a person somehow less deserving than the withered baboon had been to start with.
'That dissipated slag, Tsunade,' he hissed in his mind, the knowledge that Sarutobi had named her – the weakest Sannin in his opinion – to the position that he had once denied Orochimaru sticking in the serpentine man's poisonous craw. 'Even that ignoramus Jiraiya would have been a more suitable choice.'
The Hebi Sennin then halted his musings and turned, sensing someone approaching his position. He knew that Amachi and his raiders – Orochimaru's remaining supporters that numbered less than a mere two dozen in all – were not due to report back until sometime next week. That meant that the interloper had to be…
"Kabuto-kun," Orochimaru spoke aloud, now recognizing the silver-haired man's presence, amused and surprised that he was back so soon.
His latest meeting with Sasori must have taken much less time than anticipated. The pallid man had known that Akatsuki would never leave him be, but to have his old partner hunting him down, as he'd learned when the puppeteer had contacted his plant Kabuto, was nonetheless disconcerting. The Scorpion had a much more intimate knowledge as to how Orochimaru's mind worked compared to his associates and would not be lured in and overcome with the same ease as Hidan and Kakuzu had been.
"Orochimaru-sama," the medic-nin answered back, emerging into the darkened lab. "I have some rather interesting news to report."
Orochimaru made a show about pressing his hands to the water tank nearest him and peering into the live contents, while using the glass to observe Kabuto's image behind him. He wondered whether his old partner was even aware that Orochimaru had broken his mental control over Kabuto, and that the medic was his servant now, and not Sasori's.
"Oh, I have no doubts," the snake man said with a leer. "First, however, I would like to hear about Sasori's movements. Please tell me how the grand hunt progresses."
Then, there was a chance that Kabuto had changed sides, and was now working against him on the Scorpion's orders. The bespectacled man had a treacherous disposition that his master well knew about and took amusement in. The snake was likewise aware that he was in a precarious position at the moment, with an unstable host and his network in ruins, and that he wouldn't have even given so much as a second thought to abandonment had he been the one in his personal assistant's current position. Nevertheless, Orochimaru hoped that this wasn't the case, as he would hate to have to kill Yakushi Kabuto. The medic's skills were rather invaluable, nigh irreplaceable.
"He'll be scouring around Iwa next," Kabuto reported with a smirk, the dim light in the room making his glasses shine. "I've planted enough evidence at our old outpost in the region to convince him it's still in regular use."
"Excellent," the Snake Sannin purred, crossing his arms beneath his chest and letting out a sinister chuckle. "Now then, let's hear that interesting news."
"Right," the silver-haired medic said, pushing his glasses up his nose, "according to the latest intelligence I've received, it would appear that the long-running civil war in the Rain has come to a dramatic end. The rebels attacked the national capital and killed Hanzou the Salamander three months ago, or so I've been told." Kabuto then halted his report, pausing to gauge his master's reaction.
"You're right," Orochimaru ground out, attempting to maintain his composure, "that is indeed most interesting."
However, underneath, the serpent man's head was pounding with rage. He knew, and he knew that Kabuto also knew who'd led that rebellion against old Hanzou. Pain and Konan now had their own village, which meant that Akatsuki had its own village, which in turn meant that Orochimaru's previous calculations about the organization's present resources had been invalidated, and the setbacks incurred due to Kakuzu's death were rendered moot. He had counted on the Falls-nin's loss crippling Akatsuki's operational potential and putting the group into a rebuilding position, much the same as his own. Now, however, he was still crippled while Akatsuki had an entire nation at its disposal.
"That's not all," the medic-nin went on, his tone sounding rather smug, at least to Orochimaru's ears. "You'll never guess who took part in the battle."
"Enlighten me," the snake man turned about with a predator's grace and hissed at his personal medic, lacing his poisonous glare with enough killing intent to reduce a lesser man to a quivering mess.
Kabuto almost took a step back and cleared his throat. The sweat that rolled down the medic's temple was evidence enough that he'd gotten the message loud and clear. He realized that he'd pushed Orochimaru's tolerance to its limit, and that additional cheek might well have lethal consequences, his valuable skills be damned.
"Uzumaki Naruto was there, dressed as an Akatsuki member." Kabuto said without preamble this time. "He seems to have abandoned his village."
The serpent man blinked and stared at his subordinate through slit pupils. His lips morphed into a twisted grin. He began to chuckle, which soon turned into maddened laughter. This time, Kabuto did take that protective step backwards, as Orochimaru had now lost all control over his emotions and was growing ever more unhinged with each passing moment.
"Ku ku ku…that little shit," the serpentine madman rasped with murder written all over his countenance. "He vexes me to no end."
His language was still more evidence that his rage was overruling all sense. Orochimaru never swore, considering such vulgar speak to be beneath his matchless intelligence and noble carriage. Killing Uzumaki Naruto outright was no longer enough to appease the mad Sannin. No, he planned to take the insolent jinchuuriki alive and bring him back to his lab stronghold, where he would then dissect him with a dull, rusted scalpel, one little piece at a time.
"I have to admit, I'm disappointed." Kabuto said in a light and conversational tone. "I'd pegged Naruto-kun as having more intelligence than this."
The Sannin said nothing, still stewing in his anger towards the idiotic child who had looked askance at his service and then turned right around and entered Akatsuki's, and had stolen his prized weapon in the process. However, Kabuto's words soon sunk in and his rage bled down and turned into contempt. Perhaps Naruto was ignorant towards Akatsuki's agenda, but he had nonetheless sealed his own death warrant in going there. Pain would never let him go, and would use him until the time came to kill him.
'First, however,' the snake man thought as he glanced towards the table that held his old hand, pleased with the knowledge that he still held an upper hand against Akatsuki in one respect, 'he'll have to come and retake those rings. And I will be waiting.'
"No matter," Orochimaru said at length, waving the matter aside. "The stupid brat will perish right alongside his new comrades."
The silver-haired medic nodded, quite content to move on while his master was back in a reasonable mindset.
"There's something else to report, also," Kabuto then stated in a chipper voice. "Rice Field seems to have been struck with a strange, unknown plague. There are stories about people mutating into monsters and attacking others, who in turn either die or undergo the process themselves."
This news brought Orochimaru's good humor back, and the madman at once adopted a malicious grin, thinking with twisted glee about his last scheme and the unexpected results it had produced. He had poor little Juugo to thank, it seemed, whose rare genetic problem had served as a basis in creating the serpent man's cursed seals. Orochimaru had held prisoners in his North Base to be used as guinea pigs in the process, in which he introduced the special protein that he had developed using Juugo's genetic code as a basis into their human bodies.
Most had perished and others had mutated into hideous demons similar to the seal's highest level, uncontrollable berserkers who could do nothing except maim and kill. The juin that he had placed on Anko-chan was the completed process that this research had produced. Orochimaru had kept those earlier experimental specimens locked up tight. Kabuto had then released them all into the wild upon leaving the region on the serpent man's orders.
Now, however, the condition seemed to have evolved over time into a transmutable pathogen – a lethal virus similar to rabies, the Snake Sannin supposed. This plague was now spreading through Rice Field and creating more despair than Orochimaru could ever have anticipated. Perhaps it might even continue to spread into surrounding shinobi nations. He quite hoped that his homeland would soon have the chance to experience his newest, though accidental, horror.
"Dear me," the serpent man then whispered, pretending innocence, "how terrible. I do hope a cure can be developed."
"Indeed," Kabuto concurred, likewise insincere. "In the meantime, though, I'd like to head back over there and capture some live samples. I would be quite interested in reproducing this disease. For research purposes," he added, as though he had no plans to put whatever results he might achieve to use.
"Please do," Orochimaru said with a smile. "I too would like to examine the possibilities."
The silver-haired shinobi bowed and took his leave with a smirk. Orochimaru kept his maddened gaze on the medic as he disappeared and then slithered over to sit down in his high-backed chair. He was excited again, ecstatic with the chaos that his plan had sown. Rice Field was the single largest rice producer on the continent, hence the name, and harvest season was looming. The disruption there would cause shortages all over, including in the Hidden Villages.
"Famine," Orochimaru chuckled into the darkness, "war, pestilence and unavoidable death. Ku ku ku…"
He couldn't wait to see how this new ingredient would intermix with the turmoil brewing now on the mainland, and he alone was in the ideal position to sit back, relax and watch how events transpired. The snake man was certain that it would be quite the show.
'Fools,' he thought, sneering at both Konoha and Akatsuki, his greatest enemies, 'you've both made the same mistake. You never should have allowed me to survive. And now, you'll all suffer for that oversight.'
XXXXXXXXXX
"No more damned rain," Naruto's voice sounded out beneath his bamboo hat.
Itachi didn't bother to glance over, in step beside the blond, though Naruto could tell that he too was relieved to escape the torrential downpours in Ame. The pair had crossed into Rice Field via its western border two hours earlier, taking a roundabout route through Taki and Kusa to make it to their destination whilst avoiding their mutual homeland. Neither Missing-nin had much interest in clashing with the elites that were no doubt patrolling the borders now, given the impending Kumo invasion. Itachi had his cautious nature, and Naruto hoped that he'd be getting his requisite action later when the Akatsuki pair ran into Kumo's two jinchuuriki.
'Fuck the Leader and his orders,' he thought, 'as long as the Cloud starts it.'
"You're rather enthusiastic this morning," his 'partner' muttered, a bit irritated with the noise disrupting his quiet time.
"I'm dry," was the unapologetic response, as Naruto removed his kasa and the sunlight poured into his golden blond hair. "You know," he continued, now looking over at the illusionist, "something's weird out here. I haven't seen a soul since crossing the border. You'd think there'd be people out working," Naruto then pointed towards the rice paddies visible in the distance, not a soul tending them.
Itachi nodded, no doubt having noticed the same phenomenon. The older teenager halted his brisk walk to dismiss a shadow clone that he'd sent to scout the road ahead, looking to make certain that there were no people about. Naruto meanwhile sensed something wrong in the air that he couldn't believe had hadn't noticed earlier.
'This is,' he whispered in his head, danger senses alight but not scared, 'not human…'
"Yes," the Uchiha agreed in a low voice, though Naruto didn't know whether he was concurring with his earlier words or with his unspoken thoughts, "something is amiss here. Not even a continental war should impair rice production."
Itachi then resumed his walk. He passed Naruto and then turned down a side road that headed towards the south-east and appeared to lead uphill. The jinchuuriki blinked and replaced his kasa, and called out to the Uchiha's retreating back.
"Er, Itachi-san" the blond stammered, "I thought we were taking the main road to the north," he went on, curious but unwilling to push the Sharingan user too much.
"The nearest village is a ten minute walk in this direction," he said in a calm voice and motioned Naruto to come along.
The demon container shrugged and acquiesced, running along the ground while Itachi moved into the trees above. He knew that the other shinobi was right, and that there was no sense in running headlong into the unknown. There was something wrong, and the pair intended to gather some intel. The Cloud contingent was going nowhere, except perhaps in the Akatsuki duo's direction.
The trip didn't take long, as the two adopted 'mission speed,' using chakra to boost their movements. Naruto and Itachi arrived at the poor village soon enough, and noted that this place too seemed to be deserted, at least at a glance. This time around, the blond took the initiative and leapt onto a ramshackle wooden hut, so as to get a better look inside. He saw nothing, and leapt back down into the town square. He turned to see Itachi moving into the street behind him, and crossed his arms with a scowl.
"Now what in the Hell," Naruto started to grumble, but the incoming attack cut his moment short.
The blond sensed the attack coming at once, and whirled to see the winged monster rushing towards him. He whipped out the Kusanagi on instinct, lengthened it and removed the creature's head in one careless motion without taking the time to attempt to learn what it was. The bleeding head arced through the air, and Itachi's Grand Fireball incinerated the headless corpse in the same instant. Naruto noted that the Uchiha had to have reacted to the attack quicker than him, to hit at the exact same time given his location.
"I could've handled that alone," he hissed back in a childish manner.
"Hn," was the response, as the illusionist was more interested in examining the attacker's head than in nursing his companion's ego.
"That thing's not human, whatever it is." Naruto noted, keeping his hand gripped tight on his glowing sword. "Now we know what's been spooking the locals."
The thing did have a certain humanoid appearance, but last Naruto checked, people didn't have horns or crimson skin. Itachi knelt over the head, and the jinchuuriki noticed that he had activated his Sharingan and was using his Bloodline Limit to memorize the skull in pinpoint, excruciating detail. The genius soon nodded and stood, but he didn't deactivate his crimson heritage. Naruto took the occasion to glare and punt the head across the path into a building.
"Interesting," was the rather inappropriate word that Itachi used, considering that a mutant demon had attacked them.
Naruto had no time to vocalize that opinion; however, as a girl's loud screaming then pierced the air. He glanced over to his companion, who was instead staring at the sound's origin point, which seemed to be on the path leading into the village outskirts. The blond rushed right towards the scream and removed his kasa once again, hot blood quickening in anticipation. Behind him, Uchiha Itachi shook his head and moved into action behind his impulsive partner. Thus began the charge into Hell.
End Chapter Three
Next Chapter: Two Akatsuki members do battle with a horde of berserk mutants while attempting to rationalize the source behind the unidentified demonic creatures. In Konoha, Danzou works behind the Hokage's back and assumes the initiative to expose and punish a traitor. Naruto undertakes a dangerous assignment and runs into serious trouble.