I Do Not Own Naruto. I do Own Any Ocs I decide to use.


Change Log: I have made several changes to all chapters of my story. Changes for this chapter include but are not limited to structure, character interactions, battle sequences, personal quotes, and the beginning of the cataclysmic effects of the entirety of the Brotherhood Cabinet being released. I also took the liberty of rewriting everything into a more crisp version of itself. I apologize in advance if you do not like my changes but if you do I suggest reading from the beginning once again to acclimate to all changes.


Part 1: To Heal Is To Forgive.


Mayfly briefly opened her eyes to the feel of a simple swaying motion all around her body. She wondered about the new sensation before she realized that she was being carried.

Her strength was completely gone, she forced her eyes open just a little more. The face slowly swam into focus before her. The very same opponent she had lost to not long ago.

For all the information swimming around in her mind she couldn't figure out why the enemy would be gently carrying her anywhere. Her eyelids droop and she coughs up blood onto her chest.

Ai gasps in surprise easily seeing the internal damage with her Byakugan.

"We need to hurry Hiashi otherwise she won't make it."

Hiashi nods and they pick up the pace towards the hospital. Mayfly closes her eyes with surprise, they were trying to save her life... but why?

She was expendable, a thing created in a test-tube for a limited amount of violence. She wasn't supposed to have any lasting intelligence or personality... and yet... she desired to live.

Ai removes one hand from Mayfly to push the door to the hospital. The moment they step through the door a young man with silver hair and a high collar short gasps.

His keen eyes could already see the women in the arms of the two Hyuga was in serious danger of dying. He rushes over and relieves them of their burden before running in the opposite direction.

"I need spare medical ninja for the Regenerative Healing Jutsu right away! Room two hundred sixty three!"


Danzo quietly took a seat on the couch in Hiruzen's office with a weary sigh. Supervising the return of stolen items was... troublesome to say the least.

In all that effort the only thing he was delivering in person were the pristine eyes of Ai Hyuga. The issue was that she wasn't at home at all.

Hiruzen turns towards him as he sighs, "I invited Homura and Koharu for an update on Project Evaporation."

Danzo smiles to himself releasing his cane, "Excellent news. I am really curious about the outcome."

"I have a question for you Danzo, what will you do if the Hyuga decides not to accept your apology?"

"Simple, I give them an even larger gift. A one of a kind gift that I have been saving for a special occasion."

Hiruzen scratches his chin, "You don't mean..."

"I do of course."

Hiruzen leans back into his chair with amusement as he waited for his two old teammates. Danzo was sneaky but they both did what they thought was best at the time.

It was true they were guilty of hurting others, and for this they were truly sorrowful. Then there was this trump card, the icing atop of the immaculate cake of an apology.

"This is worth more than any amount of money we could possibly give them."


I was just beginning to recover my chakra when my awareness began to return to me. My eyes snapped on at the feel of foreign chakra invading my system.

A pair of purple ringed eyes snapped open to stare into my blue ones. I a cold feeling of dread sank deep into the pit of my stomach.

I hear the Nine-Tails roar from all around me and a second pair of eyes open, red and slit down the middle. The Nine-Tails quickly flushes my system of the foreign chakra.

I cough violently and sit upright in the real world heaving a weary sigh. My nose twitches at the unmistakable smell of frying bacon saturating the room.

"I know your awake Naruto, don't you have training with your sensei?"

"I do... but I feel weird right now. Things aren't quite one hundred percent..."

"They will cast you aside like garbage." The Nine-Tails whispered in my ear.

"Making excuses?" She inquired curiously.

"I think the fur ball is just being a dick..." I groaned painfully.

"They will betray your trust." He growled louder this time.

I grind my teeth together trying to wait the pain out. The truth occurs to me right then, it was my teeth that hurt so much. They were growing longer and thicker.

I raise my wrist to my mouth and bite down hard, blooding pouring from the new wound. My shaking stops and I release my wrist, the wound healing almost instantly before my eyes.

"I can sense chakra from a Rinnegan... this is not good."


Kabuto crouched working with three other medical ninja to save the life of Mayfly. A drop of sweat slowly worked its way down his brow and onto the floor.

His colleagues were confused about the condition she was in, but he knew already. This was a human created in a test-tube. One of Danzo's to be precise, imperfect yet capable.

That wasn't even including the misshapen Byakugan, she was unnatural. With growth this advanced the sky was indeed the limit. With enough chakra you could form a nearly instant army.

The green chakra faded from his hands as well as his colleagues. He wiped away the excess sweat from his brow and turned back to Ai. He pulls out a brown clipboard.

"Where to start..."

Hiashi sighed aloud with clear annoyance. He had seen and heard it all.

"Give it to me straight Yakushi, how much to fix whatever ails her?"

"One hundred thousand ryo flat, she has severe internal injuries you know."

Hiashi face palms then looks at Ai sheepishly, only receiving a glower in return for his troubles.

"Fine, save her please. We will pay in full."


Danzo and Hiruzen look up at the office door at the sound of even knocking. It was finally time it seemed.

"Come in."

The mood of the room was already beginning to turn grim as Koharu and Homura entered the room. This was a business visitation and nothing further.

Koharu was quicker than Homura, "Have you heard back from Ivan or Iroha?"

"No, they are in a precarious position as is. If they were to send off a summoning animal they would die, it's quite simple." He waved her off quickly.

"Forgive me for being suspicious of Yagura under a blatant Sharingan Genjutsu." She huffs crossing her arms.

Homura cuts in before an argument can even begin.

"Hear us out Hiruzen, we can't deny Yagura's background. Jinchuriki don't just become prejudice as suddenly as the wind changes."

Danzo turns away from gazing out of the window with weary sigh. Everyone had different plans and ideas for Kirigakure.

"I partially agree with Homura things don't seem to be adding up quite like they should. What would Yagura get from systematically weakening his own country and destroying the most versatile bloodlines in all of the Elemental Nations?"


I glance up from my wrist as Naomi drops down a plate filled bacon, eggs, and toast in front of me. She looks at my solemn face with critical eye, quickly noticing the elongated incisors.

She makes a grand show of sighing before sitting down next to me. A serious expression marring her pretty features.

"Naruto, I need you to look at me ok."

I nod glumly and stare into her onyx eyes. She opens her mouth to reveal her own teeth. My eyes open a bit wider as the elongated fangs trademark of the Inuzuka Clan.

"I don't want you to feel strange Naruto, believe me when I say all people have something strange about them. For me that happened to be my parentage, I am half Inuzuka and half Uchiha."

I nod as the sharp elongated incisors begin to make more sense than before. An outcast among the Uchiha. It couldn't be any worse than not awakening the Sharingan at all.

"Sometimes we won't have control over things in life. The choices we make and our attitude are what determines the future."

I nod thinking about her words to me as she stands up again, pausing beside the door in deep thought.

"You need me, not them."

"We will watch each other's backs from now on of course. Because we are family."


Kabuto pushes his wide brimmed glasses back further onto his face with an eerie smile. The lenses hide his eyes for a moment.

"I need a little time, but if you give me a little under an hour I'll have her on her feet."

As he expected she visibly tensed when he mentioned home. What an unfortunate existence, it reminded him of his own identity crisis.

The smile leaves his face at the undeniable feeling of another presence minus the chakra signature. The Shinobi like feeling was not lost on Ai or Hiashi either.

Shinobi and regular people all had the feeling watched fear response inside their bodies. The difference was that the feeling was usually very real. A presence without chakra was a dangerous presence indeed.

He sighs quietly and looks back at Ai, "If you would like to stay for the procedure it can be arranged."

Ai nods with an air of finality while Hiashi remains distracted, Byakugan active. He was looking for the person responsible but couldn't see anything amiss.

There was no way this person could continuously be sitting inside his blind spot as he swiveled his head. This person was stalking them and was quite overt about it as well.

Hiashi deactivated his Byakugan with a shake of his head, it didn't really matter. If the person threatened them later they would get exactly what they wanted.


Hiruzen frowns at this statement, it was indeed true. Bloodlines should be the pride and joy of any country. Kumogakure was the perfect example of their desirous prestige.

"Under normal circumstances I would say we should mind our own business and look out strictly for the Leaf Village... but that is precisely the issue. We only think about our own village, how can we ever hope to ease the tension when that is our mindset?"

Homura scoffs, "You think one act of random kindness is going to make them suddenly forgive and forget? It won't work on Kirigakure, and it certainly won't work for a place like the Hidden Rain."

Hiruzen turns his palms towards him, "We must start somewhere if we are truly serious. Wounds can't heal with the blade still in them."

Danzo grumbles under his breath, "Tell that to the Raikage."

"You have to face facts Hiruzen, people won't forget overnight. The tragedies of the past are destined to hurt the future."

"Then we must consider this the first act of random kindness amongst a new throng."

Danzo looks at the clock in the office before standing slowly. It was just about time for him to get going.

"I trust your judgement Hiruzen, if you can come up with a way to patch up old wounds without endangering your life then I am all for it. I must go rendezvous with Lady Hyuga to return what belongs to her."

Hiruzen smiles as Danzo begins to shuffle away, a sentiment mirrored by Homura and Koharu. What they did, they did for Konoha.


I stop chewing as Naomi opens the door to her house, the distinctive sound of ninja wire being pulled taut. My eyes widen in surprise as the door explodes from the outside filling the room with ash.

I raise my hand to my mouth to suppress a cough and a hand grips my shoulder. I turn in surprise to the calm face of Naomi standing behind me.

I turn my eyes away from the now non-existent door to the sound of several kunai imbedding into the side of the house. She activates her Sharingan and pushes me away as the entire left side of the house goes up in flames.

I stare into the fire as the smoke slowly begins to dissipate, a man in forest green camouflage appearing. His demon mask glows in the vibrant light.

He drops down into the house without uttering a single word. A full sized sickle slung over his shoulder as he studied us. He takes a threatening step forward.

He allows the weight to drop the sickle to the ground while he gripped the handle. Naomi shows me the palm of her hand, never taking her eyes off of him.

"Stay behind me."


I briefly wonder if this was a coincidence or if this had always been planned. I raise my hands into the Ram seal, I could see through the eyes of the people I raised across the village.

Ai let out a quiet sigh as she activated her Byakugan, the dull feeling of killing intent heightening as they moved further away from the hospital.

"Hiashi..."

"I know, there are two of them."

The Shinobi hiding amongst the trees pulled out one of his kunai and reaches forward. The blade bites into the wire he had set up previously sending kunai and shuriken towards his intended victims.

They rotate until they were back to back, raising their palms defensively. They shouted almost as one, and his eyes narrowed.

"Eight Trigrams Air Palm Wall!"

The compressed wall of air forced the hidden Shinobi to leap into the air to avoid being crushed landing ten feet away in a crouch. Hiashi ignores his presence and tosses two handfuls of shuriken back the way they had originally came.

They curve along a fluid path shredding the shrubbery to pieces before another Shinobi dives out from the bushes and moves into a barrel roll. He finally comes to a stop and stabs his camouflaged tanto into the ground.

The other Shinobi slowly pulls out his full length katana, the morning sunlight glinting off his demon mask. They begin to circle the Hyuga duo like predator stalking its prey, probing for exploitable weakness.

Ai watches them carefully, mindful that so long as she was operating independently she would be without her shroud.

"Do you think they are after...?"

"It would appear so."

Hiashi cracks his neck and Ai feels a second consciousness enter her mind, her eyes flashing white for a moment. Her stances slackens and the two Shinobi charge forward.


Danzo closes the door to the office gently before his senses and alarm bells begin to go off. His Dojutsu quickly confirms a retreating figure sprinting down the hallway.

He quickly begins to pursue at a subdued but deliberate pace, molding chakra to eventually incapacitate the intruder. He clutched his hand into a tight fist causing wood to appear from the surrounding walls and ground in an attempt to ensnare the intruder.

She dodges and weaves around the reaching wood limbs and even does a front facing leap over the ones reaching up from the ground. He extends his right arm and a thick branch slowly sprouts from his wrist.

He breaks it off like a sword and then tosses it like a javelin towards her as she leaps.

"Wood Style: Cutting Sprigs Jutsu!"

The branch pierces her abdomen cleanly and then brutally multiplies impaling her multiple times. With her diminished speed a root quickly gets a hold of her waist.

At his beckon she is dragged so that they are face to mask. With her chakra safely suppressed he reaches forward and snatches off her mask to reveal pain filled black eyes.

"How did you evade our Barrier Ninjutsu?"

When he doesn't receive any response at all he tries another question instead.

"Who were you trying to really collect information from exactly?"

Her eyes glaze over, partially from pain among other things. Her eyelids slowly begin to lower as she begins to fall asleep.

I'm... so sorry master... I have failed you. I only wish... that I could have made it up to you... somehow.

She forcefully bites down into her tongue as hard as possible, feeling it give instantly. The blood quickly fills her mouth and unseals a pill from the roof of her gums.

She smiles inwardly, finishing her goodbyes before swallowing heavily, blood and all. It only takes a moment before the cyanide pill begins to work her body going numb as she begins to spasm and flail around.

Danzo allows his eyes to widen as foam spews up from her mouth, blood red foam along with a severed tongue. She slumps forward and he allows her to fall from his wooden grasp, different emotions welling up inside him.

For a moment several his ROOT members flashed before his eyes. That was the same protocol that he used in his own programs. Were his ninja truly so loyal, were all Shinobi that dedicated?

He reaches down and slowly closes her eyes to the world. It was the least he could do for her. The least he could do for any loyal Shinobi.


The Shinobi lunges forward and takes a wide sweep with his sickle hoping to end the battle with a quick decapitation. He had no such luck as Naomi merely ducks backwards and grabs onto the edges of the counter.

He raises the elongated sickle and brings it down towards her abdomen as she pushed back to balance herself on her hands safely above him. He looks into her eyes for a moment before her legs ensnare his neck.

He struggles for several moments as she cuts him off from oxygen between her legs. He lasts for fifteen seconds before going slack and she kindly releases him.

She immediately drops off of the counter to kneel beside his prone figure. I stare slightly disturbed for several moments before gulping internally.

Note to self... never get between a Kunoichi's legs if you can help it.

She gently lifts his head from the ground and removes his demon mask to more closely inspect it. She frowned at the generally generic looking face, yet intricately welded mask.

The previously unconscious man slowly turns his head to look into her eyes. His eyes betrayed no sign of malice, only an emptiness she was unaccustomed to.

"I'm sorry... it was nothing personal."

His eyes close again something triggering inside his body causing him to combust. Within moments the only way to tell he had been there at all were the ashes.

She looks away from the ashes and back to the intricately welded mask, squeezing it gently. It was a Shinobi rule, never show your feelings, no matter what. When you are given an order to give your life, you do it.

"I'm sorry too."

She turns to me with a sullen expression, quietly foreboding.

"Naruto, you should get going. I have to clean this mess up, and then I have to go report to the Hokage."

I nod and turn to leave her in peace, wondering what exactly I had just witnessed with my own eyes.


Ai snaps back into focus at the last moment and parries the tanto with the palm of her hand, sending it flying away. He immediately breaks off the engagement to put distance between them.

Ai raises her hands at his retreating figure sending a wordless Air Palm in his direction. He raises his arms to cushion the blow but still managed to dent the trunk of the nearest tree.

The problem with the Byakugan was that it caused your brain to focus on multiple things at once, because you could see everything. She glanced at Hiashi who was carefully avoiding every swing of his opponent's katana to her own assailant slowly standing on his own two feet.

To her surprise he abandoned all formal means of Taijutsu and just charged at her with the intent of a physical tackle. She shifted into a stance to meet his charge head on.

Hiashi smirked as the fool went straight for the charge while the Shinobi directly in front of him took his shift in position for an opening. He internally sighed at the foolishness.

The man moves forward plunging his sword with both hands in an attempt to impale him. Instead of dodging he simply allows the sword to go into the opening between his arm and body entrapping it there with relative ease.

The man begins to sweat as he loses his grip on the sword, beginning to receive an onslaught of palm and finger strikes from his abdomen to as high as his collarbone.

He takes another involuntary step back and Hiashi brandishes his katana and with a precise swipe severs his arm completely. The pain garnishes a scream from the silent Shinobi and a crushing kick sends him flying, his arm hitting the ground moments after his body did.

He deactivated his Byakugan and turned to see the man in midair launching towards Ai, he smirks again as her hair begins to flay out with the buildup of lightning natured chakra.

"Eight Trigrams: Lighting Palm Rotation."

The Shinobi got a single moment to think about his life before colliding with the dome of lighting chakra. Unlike the rest of his comrades his body was thoroughly destroyed with her jutsu and didn't require further intervention.

Ai disappears in a Teleportation Jutsu and reappears near the resting Mayfly to make sure she was alright. Hiashi merely walked over to the assassin he had knocked unconscious. The moment get got close enough the corpse was set aflame and quickly became ash before eyes.

He stopped for a moment to frown, reaching down to pull the ash caked mask from the pile. He studies it for a moment before attaching it to his clothing and turning to his wife.

"Ai dear, I will handle the report to Lord Hokage. Get her to safety as soon as possible. I will be back at the compound soon."


Danzo stands back up and turns to Hiruzen who had followed him out into the hallway. A contingent of ANBU standing behind him at the ready.

"The Leaf Village has been breached by enemy Shinobi. Sound the village alarms and scramble the Police Force. Flush the intruders out of our system as quickly as possible."

The ANBU nod and disappear from their sight, while Hiruzen turns a sullen look to his former teammates. He opens his mouth to speak when he notices one of the ANBU remains. Captain Crow to be precise.

"This was not coincidental in the least was it Lord Hokage? They came for a reason, and it wasn't information."

Danzo turns to look away from him unwilling to meet his eyes, while Hiruzen stares directly into his eyes.

"Your right, they could care less about information. They are trying to lure us out into the open to finish the job from many years ago. It is an invitation we shall not be accepting."

Crow turns to leave but stops just short, feeling another question appearing in his mind.

"If it would keep our village safe I could..."

"No... allow us to handle the demons of the past so that you can look at the problems on the horizon."

Crow nods and disappears in a murder of his namesake. Homura places a hand on Hiruzen's shoulder calmly.

"We can face the past as one to prevent the newest generation from ever having to know of it. We can still stop it."

They could only hope it was still fixable.


As I walked back towards my apartment to get ready for training with my team. The longer I thought about what had happened this morning the more confused I became.

The oppressive feeling of being watched surrounds me, this was person letting you know they were there. It wasn't killing intent, it was suffocating and ominous chakra.

"Naruto Uzumaki, Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tailed Fox and Shinobi of Hidden Leaf Village."

I turn around slowly to face the unknown person speaking to me. A dark black hooded robe covering his frame. As I stare into his purple eyes I realize he wasn't a person you could just run from and expect to escape.

"The accursed wielders of those eyes are idealistic imbeciles and ticking time bombs."

The same eyes from before, purple ringed eyes that looked as though they could see everything. He raises his right arm slowly to point at me, his eyes narrowing.

"I have a deal for you Naruto, you would be wise to listen closely."

I turn back around to face away from him, it wasn't like facing him gave my any better odds anyway.

"I will fix the sealing formula you so desperately desire with relative ease."

I could feel an exchange coming into effect, with the option of denial meaning death.

"In return you will release a brother long overdue for freedom from his prison."

He turns and starts walking towards my apartment, not evening waiting for confirmation. I scratch my head and follow reluctantly.


Part 2: A Dangerous Offer! The Winds of Change Begin to Blow.


The man decided I wasn't quite moving fast enough and disappeared from sight. I look around for a moment before continuing towards my apartment.

His chakra seemed to be surrounding my path, almost as if he was watching me even now. The sense of foreboding coalescing with my apartment as the epicenter.

I slowly begin to scale the side of my apartment trying to block out the sinister presence that was now fluctuating. It made me sick to my stomach, like rotten food.

"This malevolent presence... and chakra even more ominous than my own... walk away you fool."

I ignore the voice of the Nine-Tails and finally scramble over the metal railing to the roof my apartment. The man in the black cloaks scowls at me from the door, his patience waning.

The Brotherhood would save this world from itself... it was only a matter of time. The only thing people could do was slow them down.

As I finally move closer to the door he opens it himself, his eyes narrowing with unrestrained glee.

"Shall we begin?"


Ai was enjoying herself just a little bit, the feeling of never getting tired was a sensation that almost made her feel transcendent. Almost.

She gently sat down Mayfly onto a white mat on the ground, wincing at the absolutely broken expression on her face. It was the look of a puppet with cut strings no purpose.

Ai considered just leaving her to her thoughts, this entire situation made her uncomfortable. She finally decided to say with a sigh, dropping down onto he knees.

"Listen... I'm not exactly sure what to call you but you need to understand that you're more than just an experiment that failed."

"Yeah? What exactly would you know about being an abomination created to hurt others, Lady Ai?"

Ai allows her gaze to harden at the harsh pronunciation of 'Lady' in her name. That only came later of course, her original reason for creation was a brutal failure.

Ai unconsciously began to grit her teeth, lighting natured chakra lifting her hair up a bit. Her power was linked to her emotions even after years of training.

"I was not created to harness the lightning nature, I was created to advance the Byakugan beyond its current abilities. Instead my Byakugan came out worthless and unusable."

"So you just serve a different master now then?"

Ai shakes her head, the lightning slowly dissipating as she calmed back down.

"I protect and serve my home with the mutations that came after my abandonment. I am a Hyuga evolved to a level unattainable through natural means. At the cost of a happy childhood."


Deep down within the bowels of the Leaf Village a man took full advantage of the current chaos to carry out his objective. Specifically beneath the Torture and Interrogation building.

The sound of his cane fills the hallway like clockwork, his lips curl into a serene smile as he receives the update that all his subordinates were now dead.

"Gotta love pawns eh... now I only need to hold up my end of the mission."

He sniffs the air and abruptly halts his movement and reaches into his pouch for his ninja tools. He looks down for a moment before pulling out a smoke bomb and a kunai.

He simply drops the smoke bomb to activate it then patiently waits for it to fill the corridor. He then raises his hands into the Ram Seal to focus his chakra.

"Release."

With a simple fluctuation of his chakra the area of effect Genjutsu was dispelled revealing a sealing array etched into the wall.

He cuts into the fingers of his left hand with the kunai and then places the handle into his mouth. Huffing irritably as he began to draw his own matrix of seals over the first.

"What I would pay to be an Uzumaki right now... that clan haunts this world even in shards."

He pauses pulling out a small handheld watch checking the time with a raised eyebrow. He replaces the watch and licks his hand free of the remaining blood. His substituted body was running low on chakra.

He drives the kunai into the center of the overlaid seals, smirking as they both shatter. Gripping the edge of the revealed door he opened it with a single heave.

He peers into the dim room for a moment before stepping inside. He pauses allowing his eyes to adjust before pulling out a metal chair to sit. Listening to the rhythmic breathing of the second occupant of the room.

He folds his leg over with a sigh, the man's breath hitches at the sound. His face morphs into a wicked sneer as he absorbed the scent of fear rolling off the man.

"Mizuki... I have come to clear up some loose ends in the Leaf Village. Its time you be of use one more time before you disappear forever."

Mizuki grits his teeth from under the cloth covering his face. Slowly feeling and testing the limits of chains holding him down.


Yin walks inside behind me and closes the door me with a click. He grabs his wrist for a moment, a flicker of purple lighting curls around his arm.

The device is finally complete, the time of reckoning as finally arrived.

He extends his arm towards me shaking off the malicious grin dominating his face in favor a neutral look. He was truly excited, it was the beginning of the end.

"Shake to our deal... and neither one of us will be betrayed."

I remain in place for several moments before the spike in his killing intent prompted me to take the gloved hand. His grip tightens and then purple sparks begin to travel up my forearm.

My eyes widen and my mouth opens to shout in pain but all sound if muffled by his other hand. He could feel and see it, the exchange of chakra traveling between their bodies.

His eyes glow a vibrant purple from the excess power and he releases me, his entire body covered in yellow sparks on my own chakra.

I shake with the brutal influx of foreign chakra and he chuckles with general mirth. He raises his hands into an unfamiliar hand sign causing his chakra levels to skyrocket.

He gazes at me dispassionately before gripping the wrist of his right hand behind his back.

"I must thank you for your cooperation up until this point Naruto and I will hold up my end. This next part though doesn't require you... you will only be in my way."

His fingers begin to glow a vibrant purple at the tips one after the other. The symbols for each element bathed in the flames illuminating the face under his hood.

I find myself unable to move a muscle, his eyes glow as he molds chakra internally. He lifts the top of my jumpsuit to reveal my stomach seal already visible.

I plead with my eyes as he rears his right arm back, but his neutral face becomes a sneer as he slams his fingers into the seal.

"Five Pronged Seal!"

Drool begins to slowly come out the side of my mouth as I begin to lose consciousness. The glow of purple chakra finally subsides and he releases me, five markings appearing over my original seal.

He turns away from my prone form and picks up the Scroll of Sealing. Ignoring the sound of alarms beginning to blare all across the village. It was time... finally time.

"Today the world will once again remember the name of the Brotherhood who will save the world from itself."


The staring match between them intensifies until Mayfly unconsciously activates her Dojutsu. Veins spread across the temples of Ai in return as white eyes stare into one another.

Mayfly grinds her teeth into each other as the fire returns to her spirit.

"Am I supposed to feel sorry for you or something?"

"About as much as I feel sorry for you, which is near none."

They look away from each other frustrated and flustered with one another. Ai considers getting up to leave but her conscious orders to her to stay. She looks back at Mayfly before pinching the brow of her nose.

"Look here, if you're going to live in my house you need better manners."

"Hmm... or what? You gonna toss me out like trash if I don't?"

"It must hurt being all alone and waiting for the person in control to toss you aside."

Mayfly growls and attempts to sit up on her own, the physical strain quickly taking its toll on her weakened body. She finally collapses back into the same position, biting deeply into her bottom lip to draw blood.

Ai looks down to avoid the scathingly painful glare she was now receiving.

"The differences are much larger than before you know. Rather than a new master you entered two families willing to forgive you for the mistakes of the past."

Mayfly stops moving altogether to stare at the ceiling, mulling over what she was being told. She deactivates her Dojutsu finally releasing the hold on her bottom lip.

"Because you are neither Uchiha nor Hyuga... but an amalgamation of both."


Mizuki allows his eyes to narrow as the man stabs his kunai into the table seated between them. The man switches to a more comfortable position with both his legs on the table.

"Your guess is as good as mine, as far as I know the Scroll of Sealing was destroyed in a confrontation between Leaf Ninja."

The man strokes his jaw thoughtfully for a moment, "A likely story but the fact remains that I can still sense the chakra of its prisoners in the village."

Mizuki allows his eyes to widen at the implications of this truth, it meant that brat had swindled both him and Hokage out of the scroll.

"Well, since you don't know where the Scroll of Sealing is I need the name of your employer. The benefactor who just so happened to benefit from keeping the scroll out of my hands."

"You'll have to forgive my ignorance as a simple pawn in plan as large as this world."

The man's eyes narrow at the snarky comeback eyeing the kunai for a moment before returning his attention to Mizuki.

"I want you to get a message back to them, explain to them that standing in the way of my ambition will result in termination."


Yin yanks open the Scroll or Sealing to proper section before channeling the stolen chakra through the device. With his free hand he places his palm against the blank white page.

A moment later the Uzumaki crest appears with four Tetragram seals around it. He focuses even more intently and seals begin to spread across the room connected by the main formula.

The Scroll of Sealing begins to glow a harsh white and the seals finally come to stop covering the entire room from start to finish.

He breathes in deeply before forming an unfamiliar hand sign causing orange flames appearing on each of his fingertips to symbolize the elements.

He raises his arm before slamming it down onto the central sealing matrix, causing smoke to billow out and fill the room.

"Five Pronged Seal Release!"

It drains his chakra for ten seconds with nothing happening at all. Then the seals strung out across the room begin to retract into his open palm causing him discomfort.

The orange flames finally disperse from his fingertips and the white smoke is reabsorbed back into the Scroll of Sealing. He raises his palm to his eyes to see the Kanji for seal disappear.

He heaves a weary sigh as his Rinnegan slowly begins to dim from lack of chakra. He finally stands wobbling slightly as the shock of what he was seeing sunk in.

Standing before him were four figures he not seen for over fifty years already. A mechanical man shrouded in a dark grey robe alongside a women in a black and white cloak.

He pans his eyes slowly to the right to see a man in light lime colored robe next and then finally to the end. A man in brown tattered cloak face hidden within the engulfing darkness.

Yin sighs and claps his hands together releasing a controlled burst of chakra to fill the entire room.

"It's time to wake up from your slumber brothers and sisters."


"Of course... an amalgamation deserves a piece of both pies. You have not one family to lean on... but two."

Tears slowly begin to form in the eyes of Mayfly as Hiashi enters the room with a small stack of paperwork. He stops moving unnoticed taking in the touching tight before him before turning right back around with a smile on his face.

"Do you... do you think... that one day I could find someone to love me like he loves you?"

Ai smiles wide and proud for a moment better as she reminisces about the good times of her life.

"I wish I could say that there are silly men like that all over the village... but I would be lying. People come and go but those who remain are few and far in-between. I was sincerely lucky..."

"Aren't we all...?"

Ai activates her Byakugan to see Hiashi approaching the room slowly again. She turns to Mayfly with a sad smile.

"No... some of us fall through the cracks or get dealt a deadly hand in life."

Hiashi walks back in with less paperwork and smile, things were beginning to look in their favor.

"I have retrieved confirmation from the Hokage that our visitor can decide to no longer be a visitor. Live with us or the Uchiha... possibly both if you so choose."

He strolls over to them both and gently sets the paperwork down.

"I'm glad to see we all get along, because we must stick together as family. Through thick and thin... rain or shine."

He places his hand out palm facing down, following closely by Ai.

"Permission to second."

"Permission granted."

Mayfly giggles and places her hand over top theirs, "Motion carried."

He picks up the paperwork and hands it to her gently before shifting into a more comfortable position.

"The last thing of importance is suitable name to register you under. Your ANBU codename just won't due, Mayfly."

Ai snaps her fingers to get the attention of them both excitedly.

"I have a perfectly symbolic name! Shinko Hyuga-Uchiha, the true Hyuga and Uchiha."

"That settles the matter then if there are no objections... welcome to our family Shinko."


The man grins and grips the handle of his kunai grinding it into the table threateningly.

"Thank you for partial cooperation Mizuki for your reward you have earned a swift and painless death."

He stands twirling the kunai effortlessly before taking aim. Mizuki allows his eyes to narrow as he tracks the kunai.

The man rears his arm back and sends the kunai flying towards Mizuki but his attention is dragged elsewhere. He turns around and looks almost directly up with a quiver in his voice.

"No... this cant be... we are all going to hell..."

Mizuki catches the tip of the kunai in the within the links of his chains sighing with relief. He quickly gets a hold of the handle and prepares to toss it back at the distracted man.

His eyes snap back into focus much too slow the kunai slamming directly into his back. His body quickly dematerialized into nothing more than tiny granules of dust.

The dust swirls around the air for several moments before flowing out of the room with the aid of chakra. Mizuki slams his bare fists into the table in frustration.

What the hell is going on upstairs?


The brown cloaked man opens his eyes first, glowing an almost pure white. He flexes his joints slowly and his silver cloaked counterpart awakens next.

Yin bows down onto one knee as the newly freed and awakened readjusted to their bodies. The brown cloaked man looks at Yin for a moment and then the women with the black and white robe.

"Yin-Yang please suppress our chakra as soon as you're able."

She nods and raises her hands into the Ram seal, the chakra inside the building fading into nothingness. He smiles at the bowing Yin before motioning for him to stand.

"All of the Brotherhood Cabinet present and accounted for. Traveler, Yin-Yang, Truth-Seeker, Coexist, Yin, and Yang."

Nods of confirmation all around the gathered causing a single nod from Traveler.

"Resume activities from fifty years ago, free every single brother from captivity."

Truth-Seeker and Coexist disappeared in separate Teleportation Jutsu while Yin-Yang remains in place. Traveler turns towards my unconscious and snoring form lying on the ground before looking at Yin.

"That boy is the reincarnation of Asura Otsutsuki is he not?"

Yin takes a look at my prone form before looking back at his brother.

"I hadn't even thought about it, that explains his familiar chakra signature."

"He also carries around the Nine-Tailed Fox, Kurama inside him. I hate Jinchuriki but there is no other human I would trust more than Asura."

Yin nods the sentiment but a flicker of doubt appears in his mind.

"So we allow him to remain alive?"

"He also does more of a service to us if he remains alive."

Yin nods again and picks up the Scroll of Sealing taking careful note of the initial sealing formula for the Reanimation Jutsu. He would fix it just as the deal foretold. It was the least he could do.

This was entirely simple process that simply involved writing another less complicated seal over the original. Linking the seal with the user to cause a system restart. After that... just add the power of the Rinnegan.

"Be sure to fix his seal after you finish his sealing matrix. We don't want the Third Hokage on our trail too early. He might just tell the other Kage if he discovers us."

He forms the Ram sign to focus his chakra into the seal after acknowledging his brothers words.


Naori smiled as she stood well out of the way of the medical ninja implanting her eye back into her skull. It made her feel infinitely better to know she didn't have to grow up without it.

She lightly nibbles on her knuckle out boredom but immediately stops at the distinct feeling of pain. She turns her palms over to stare at them, a faint white light beginning to engulf her figure.

She was beginning to feel again, and she could most definitely see. The creases and abnormalities in her skin begin to seal over and disappear. Smoke begin to billow out of her newly forming pores.

"Strange things are indeed happening today, who would believe I really am returning from the dead?"

The bright white light grew stronger and stronger until her chakra begin to fade along with her Sharingan. The light filled the hallway and even caused her to close her own eyes.

When she opened them again the light had faded from her skin and a potent steam was lifting off her person. She paused for a moment before looking into the glass, white sclera staring back at her.

"Gods help me." She breathed to herself as she messaged her smooth cheek.


Ai laughed alongside Shinko at one of Hiashi's less than stellar jokes when she noticed the strange looks she was receiving. Hiashi turns away to retrieve a mirror and Ai begins to feel the strangeness they were seeing.

Shinko activated the Byakugan half of her Dojutsu to observe Ai's chakra with a slight frown.

Her chakra is almost refusing to sit still, how strange.

Hiashi returns with the mirror, holding it up so that Ai could clearly see her rapidly glowing person. She activated her own Byakugan to take a look at her arms and legs frowning at the squeamish way her chakra was acting.

Her chakra begin to quickly flat line into the ground, with no chakra to even sustain her Byakugan. The light grew in intensity causing both Shinko and Hiashi to deactivate their Byakugan's and cover their eyes.

As the light slowly died back down Hiashi gasped while Shinko gaped at the different Ai sitting in front of them. Smoke slowly drifted off her person and all marking of the Reanimation Jutsu were nowhere to be seen.

She finally cracked her eyes back open, rubbing the corners gently before staring into the mystified eyes of her husband.

"Ai... but... but how?"

She frowned for a moment but looking into the mirror again saw white sclera under lavender pupils staring back. She looked back up slowly in shock.

"I'm alive..."

Hiashi nods numbly while Ai jumps up and down like an excited schoolgirl.

"I can't freakin believe it! I live again!"

Shinko grins if this meant that her family would be sticking around for quite some time. Hiashi wasn't sure if he should feel relieved... or afraid of what might come next.

"Wait hold on..."

She eyes slowly begin to crack and splinter in multiple places before crumbling away. Her Byakugan quickly disappeared to leave her blind.

"Ai... are you blind?"

"At least until I get my real eyes back. Danzo said he was going to personally return them."

Shinko nods slowly, "So we wait."


Yin sighs and releases the Ram sign to start replenishing his own chakra. He receives a pat on the back from Traveler.

"I could feel the success of the jutsu chakra transfer no need to tell me. I also took the liberty to fix Asura's seal, we will need to take our leave while the dust is still in the air."

Yin nods and stoops down to roll the Scroll of Sealing back up. It was time for the Brotherhood to temporarily fade into the shadows.

Yin-Yang and Traveler disappeared from the apartment and Yin hesitated to allow himself a glance at the snoring form of Aura's chakra. He couldn't help but feel he should have killed him.

He shakes his head to banish the last traces of his doubt and disappeared without a trace. He had orders to follow after all.


Tears slowly began to roll down her face as she reveled in the feeling of her own flesh and her own chakra. Naori didn't have quite the topped of reserves to use her strongest jutsu but she could feel the ceiling again.

Her train of thought was interrupted by the feeling of a tap against her shoulder. She turns to the sight of a bowing doctor who no doubt had great news from his body language.

"Excellent news, the surgery to implant her eye back into her skull and link it with the optic nerve was a one hundred percent success. Dani is going to be alright."

She bows back respectfully, "Thank you for your hard work. We all appreciate it."

He smiles and leaves her to her own thoughts, but as it seemed right then and there... maybe... just maybe things would be ok.


The three Hyuga turned to stare at what would be considered a true spectacle. Danzo Shimura, last of the powerful Shimura Clan and foundation of the Leaf Village arriving to return what was stolen.

While couldn't really see she could sense his presence, and she heard the audible click of a preserving jar being sat beside her.

"Lord and Lady Hyuga, I plead with you for forgiveness for the transgressions against you both personally and to your families as one. I was out of line in treatment of one of our most loyal and powerful clans, and I can only hope to show how sincere I truly am."

Ai smirked to herself as she picked up the jar with her Byakugan floating around inside. She could hear the offer in is voice underneath the truly sorry part of his words.

"I assume you came with a major peace offering, something we can't deny even on a good day."

Danzo smirked back in response tapping his cane lightly.

"There is a story to this... but I will start from the beginning for you. I have been experimenting with creating bodies from rapidly dividing cells, Mayfly was the first long-lasting one. You see... my first was an already dead copy of person..."

Hiashi allowed his eyes to widen at what Danzo was effortlessly implying. He couldn't possibly have meant he was still alive. Could he?


Part 3: A Potential For Greatness In A Turbulent World!


I arrived at Training Ground Seven nearly three hours late after waking up feeling sick to my stomach. I felt exhausted and the Nine-Tails was being unusually quiet and docile.

It wasn't adding up but I definitely didn't have the strength to start an argument with him. The harsh glares I received from my teammates quickly disappeared as our sensei appeared just behind me.

He looked haggard and agitated and his hair looked to be weighed down by lack of sleep or too much stress. His eye watches me carefully for a moment, before seeing we were both a mess.

"Yo... apologies for being late. It has been a rough night for all Jonin and the Leaf Police Force. As if things couldn't be any better there was a Jonin assembly this morning to discuss village security. So you will have to excuse how things aren't going on schedule."

Sakura blinks in surprise at his genuine excuse for his tardiness, the only thing missing in this situation was his orange book.

I suppress a dry chuckle as he reaches into his pocket, but instead of an orange book a red one appears. He suddenly looks up from the cover as if he had forgotten we were here too.

"There has been a slight change of plans my cute little Genin. Instead of D-Rank missions today we will begin mission training."

Sasuke was already disliking the path that was being carved out for them today, he wondered if he should voice his displeasure.

"In this Shinobi world and life of ours you must be ready and prepared for any and every situation that faces you. To do this you must be proficient enough to scale and descend off objects safely without the use of your chakra."

Sakura patiently raises her hand into the air, interrupting Kakashi's train of thought.

"Exactly how do you plan to teach us that sensei?"

Kakashi eye smiles and points over the village and into the distance were many mountains stand. Sakura pales and shakes her head in numb denial. Kakashi merely nods enthusiastically.

"Yes my Genin... you may have guessed it but we are climbing a mountain precipice without the use of chakra."


Once we all arrived at the main gate to the Leaf Village Kakashi began his lecture anew.

"This challenge and exercise I have issued upon you my students is all about physical conditioning. To build up and tone ones physical energy, a major component of chakra."

He pauses for a moment and looks into the tree line.

"As long as you're in the Land of Fire the primary mode of transportation is from tree to tree. Which means you must learn to use the chakra-enhanced leap."

Kakashi turns back away from them and then puts away his beloved novel. He crouches down and disappears in a burst of speed propelled upward by chakra.

I watch mystified for several moments until he lands twenty five feet away on the lowest branch of a tree. Sasuke watches the entire thing with his undeveloped Sharingan.

"Alright I got it."

He copies the movements of Kakashi perfectly disappearing and reappearing on the same branch. He steadies himself and turns to look at us expectantly.

I narrow my eyes in concentration and sprint forward sending chakra to my feet. The ground caves in under me forming an impression as I am propelled into the air.

Kakashi looks up in surprise as I land directly in front of them, but chalks it up to my massive reserves. He shrugs and turns back to the lone Sakura, gesturing with his free arm.

As he expected she didn't have much trouble landing beside Sasuke. He turns away from them and starts leaping from branch to branch towards their second real challenge.


I bang my head against the side of the sheer cliff side as Kakashi ties his own arm behind his back. Sakura paces with apparent nervousness while Sasuke calmly chips away at a stick his kunai.

"What if we fall sensei?"

"Then you die." He said nonchalantly as he secures the rope.

Sakura pales again while Sasuke merely grunts. He wasn't fooled by this scarecrow Jonin.

"Honestly Sakura, if you fall start using your chakra. It's not like I'm sealing you and then making you climb."

A bead of sweat runs down the back of Sakura's head and I shove my head into the cliff again. Kakashi looks at me curiously for a moment.

"You should stop before the hospital finds you."

When I don't respond he starts climbing the mountain alone, only using his one arm. I stare for a moment before steeling myself for the inevitable.

Sasuke cracks his neck and drops the sharpened stick. I crack my knuckles and clutch the sheer rock surface. I dig my fingers in and start climbing with Sasuke not far behind.


I wheezed heavily, pausing in my ascension of the mountain. I was complete mess and yet Kakashi wasn't sweating at all.

A bead of sweat slowly rolls between my eyes as I catch sight of a determined Sasuke passing me by. I go against my aching muscles and get back into gear.

"This is a lot harder... than it used to be... I must really be out of shape..."

I chuckle nervously as my foot catches on a loose rock shelf which gives immediately. The tumbling rocks fall below causing me to look down with wide eyes.

Sasuke smirks as I nearly lose my grip but my determination flares I get a hold of myself. I scowl into his grinning mug feeling my temper skyrocketing from his smugness.

"Keep grinning when I beat you to the top."

"You're on."

Kakashi realized how close to the end he was and decided to kick it up a single notch. Closing his eyes for a moment before his heart began to speed up.

Open!

His strength returned full force and with a single hand pushes himself up the final distance. I watch stunned at the quick display of speed while Kakashi merely unties his arm.

He takes one good look at us before sitting down out of sight. He unseals three bentos from a scroll and then goes back to reading.

I move first over the edge, landing flat on my face in front of him. Sasuke is next his face set in an angered grimace but lacks the energy to make a fuss.

Sakura struggles over the edge last in much the same manner while Kakashi simply snaps his book shut. He looks up at the setting sun for a moment before looking back at us.

"I'm very proud of you three. You exceeded my expectations and the dynamic of this group is perfect for front line combat."

He pushes the boxes forward and stands up, looking back towards the village.

"I have to get to a meeting with the other Jonin back at the village. Today's training exercise is officially over."

With his parting words spoken he waves and disappears in a puff of white smoke to cover his Teleportation Jutsu.


As we calmly eat our food Sasuke breaks the silence with a statement of desire.

"I just can't wait until this serious training is over. I want a massive change of scenery, preferably outside the village."

I swallow the mouthful of rice and wash it down with some water. I then turn to look at him strangely.

"You want a mission outside the village?"

"Nothing too spectacular, I just want to see the world out from underneath my brother's shadow."

I grunt at this shoving the rest of the ball of rice into my mouth, much to the chagrin of Sakura.

"I always heard you were much better with the ladies than Itachi."

"Only because he's been fawning over this prissy Uchiha since he was my age. Even with his status as nearly tied with Shisui she ignores him."

I wince at the thought of Itachi the prodigy not excelling at everything. It seemed everyone had problems they could never escape. Perfection was myth.

"Imagine you had everything you ever wanted but one thing. I imagine Itachi's life isn't all rainbows and sunshine."

Sasuke stands up after eating his food Pill and blows a tuff of hair from his face.

"The day I come across a girl I want and can't have is the day I eat dirt. Not before. I'm going back to the village."

"There is always another story... you should hear Itachi's or this girl he likes. There is supposed to be a reason for everything I've heard."

He ignores my voice and continues walking to the edge of the sheer cliff side. He then disappears over the edge in a freefall.


I look up into the sky now bleeding orange and decide that we all should be heading back home. I launch onto my feet and take off after Sasuke with Sakura on my heels.

A short time later we arrived back at the village entrance to the sight of two Chunin preparing to lock up for the night.

As I rush through behind Sasuke he abruptly stops almost causing me to run into him. He sighs excessively loud and turns to look at me with clear irritation.

"Shisui keeps telling me I need to be nicer to the people of the Leaf and especially you. He also told me to extend a courteous invitation to one of his premium Genjutsu classes."

With the offer on the table Sasuke turned and started walking back into the village. Sakura quickly runs after him asking if she could go.

I chuckle to myself for a moment before the decision was made to attend Shisui's lesson on Genjutsu. It sounded interesting to see a master of the art up close and personal.

I start making my way to follow Sasuke when I sense another presence slowly approaching. I pause the distinct sound of wooden tapping concrete emerging from the shadows.

I turn around to look at the bandaged face of Danzo Shimura. His face remains serious as ever as he approaches me.

"Good evening Naruto, I'm glad to see your training is going as planned. We have serious business to attend to if you don't mind."

I nod and he pauses to think before he exposes his right hand to the setting sun. A small plank of wood begins to emerge from the center of his palm before my eyes.

"Some time ago when I lost my arm I undertook an old project that began with Orochimaru. I assimilated the DNA of Hashirama Senju into my own body to gain limited use of the Wood Style."

"All the better for the village, but why tell me about it?"

He pauses for a moment as the wood retracts back into his skin.

"The research for me in particular has reached a dead end. My DNA can only stretch so far before I truly become one with nature."

"I'm guessing you are about to embark in a totally different direction in hopes of more fruitful results?"

Danzo nods and motions for me to follow as he walks out of the gates. He waves to the Chunin guards who nod to give consent.

He pauses at the side of a large oak tree, tapping his knuckles against it.

"The answer is simple enough to understand. Instead of forcing his cells to assimilate to an unknown we let them attach to the closest substitute."

"I don't quite follow Elder Danzo."

His fingers forcefully puncture the trees trunk in a painfully loud snap. I take an involuntary step back as the literal life begins to fade from the tree.

The bandages on his right arm are ripped to shreds as he absorbs the entire tree. He shakes his arm lightly, copious amounts of white steam lifting off of it.

"As you can see, the Shimura Clan was partially compatible in the opposite direction. While I can create the Wood Style manipulating preexisting living things are absorbed."

My eyes widen for a moment as he begins to walk back towards the village after covering up his arm.

"His closest blood relatives with the best chance of assimilating completely with the Wood Style are..."

He finishes with a smirk of his own approaching a distance where he would be out of earshot.

"The Uzumaki Clan... should you decide to accept the offer of Hashirama's burden come find me or the Hokage."

I stared at his back for several moments as he reentered the village before looking into the sky.

The First Hokage's infamous jutsu... I'm not sure I'm worthy of such power. If I can ever be as noble as Lord Hashirama.


I sigh and stuff my hands into my pockets, ready to begin to short trek to the Uchiha Dojo.

It didn't take much imagination to figure out which building I was looking for. If the small group of Genin loitering was anything to go by of course.

The moment I get within five feet of the metal doors to the dojo they begin to creak open of their own volition. I scratch my head nervously at how creepy this situation was.

Peer pressure quickly began to take hold of the group as Sasuke strolled into the dojo. His bravado prompted me to quickly follow behind him even though the entire scene so far was sketchy.

A bead of sweat slowly begin to roll down my forehead as the doors shut behind us with a thunk. Sasuke turns around with his Sharingan activate, a frown forming on his face.

We slowly disperse around the dojo, not a single person feeling the air being saturated with chakra. The ground begins to ripple and distort beneath our feet as it seemingly begins to come to life.

My feet begin to sink into the now soupy ground and I start to panic without a rational explanation. Sasuke immediately jumps back and onto the wall with his chakra.

He pauses for a moment with his Sharingan active.

"Is this... Genjutsu?"

Slim black ninja wire melds out of the wall and encircles his wrists and ankles. He struggles for a moment for the wires tighten causing him to yelp in pain.

It is Genjutsu.

"Hello and welcome to the Uchiha Dojo and my Genjutsu Theory class. What say we begin the lesson in earnest?"

When his distorted voice receives no answer the illusion begins to fade from view. I begin to slowly slide out of the floor and Sasuke falls back to the ground.

Shisui slowly phases out of the ground at the center of the room with a huge smile plastered onto his face. He dusts his hands and shoulders off.

"Apologies for that area of effect Genjutsu but I needed to gauge your skills quickly. Of course that wasn't necessary for my regular students but in my defense... it was hilarious to watch."

He places his hands into the Ram sign, Sharingan still active.

"Introductions now, I don't care if you don't like the people around you."

He points to pale girl on the far side of the room. Easily the most isolated of the entire group. Just trying to blend in with the scenery.

"I am Yakumo Kurama."

Her attitude was disinterested and seemingly bruised. Sakura slowly whispers to Ino after hearing the name.

"Temporary truce, isn't that the unstable girl? The one who receives special instructions because she's hazard?"

"Kinda like Naruto?"

Shisui's blood didn't take much to boil in this instance. His chakra spiked and both girls fall backwards into a dream world of his creation.

The village and possibly the world would never truly learn from past mistakes. It is because we cannot forgive that the pain of the past can burden the present, and smear the future.

His three tomoe spin slowly as he looks into the ceiling, hoping for wisdom to assault him. Grandfather Kagami would surely know how to change things so they went the right way.

He finally comes to a concrete decision, snapping his fingers to end the Genjutsu punishment.

"I hope we all have learned a quick but effective lesson. I'm going to be quite clear from the beginning because I can see darkness creeping into this room. This is a safe place for all my students, and I won't tolerate a lack of empathy."

He pauses to let his words sink in before sighing.

"Alright, we shall continue if there are no other problems or objections."

Sasuke slowly nods in an indignant fashion with a scowl to boot.

"Sasuke Uchiha."

Shisui nods and his fingers twitches to the next person to his right. Regardless of personal bias he had a job to accomplish.

The pink haired Genin points to herself for a moment before smiling widely.

"Sakura Haruno."

"Speed it up." He orders.

He sighs annoyed at the negotiable pauses. This wasn't social hour of course.

"Ino Yamanaka."

"Hanabi Hyuga."

He claps his hands together.

"The lesson begins now. Genjutsu falls under the broad category of Yin Release. Illusions created by your opponent will negatively affect the chakra in your mind."

He pauses and starts making an assortment of hand signs, too many for just a single jutsu.

"I am going to cast a Genjutsu over all of you that will affect all five of your senses at once. Prepare yourself accordingly."


I made the mistake of blinking and Shisui was gone, his presence had disappeared from the room.

Sasuke flips out one his kunai and stabs it into the floor. His eyes widen at the kunai cracks and falls apart. He crushes the remains into his fist for a moment.

"There has to be a way out."

I study the room from corner to corner, and to be honest I couldn't tell I was in a Genjutsu at all. It was like a hyper-realistic version of the real world.

It must be eating his reserves like crazy to create something so realistic with your own imagination. I began to wonder just how much chakra it would take to suppress the chakra of the prisoners.

I place my palms firmly together to get a feel for my chakra. To disrupt a Genjutsu of this magnitude would require damming up all my chakra. Just like before I initially feel none of my chakra, but I continue searching.

Sasuke stares at me for several moments unable to activate his Sharingan. He then decides my plan was the best plan because he didn't have any ideas.

I could feel it then as Sasuke tried to connect, a raging tidal wave of my own chakra. At the moment it was near uncontrollable, but I was beginning to develop an even more genius plan.

If I could supply the chakra, then Sasuke could direct it to a person who could possibly control it. I grin as Sakura links with us on cue.

I force my chakra to the surface and Sasuke begins to pass it to Sakura. The pressure inside the Genjutsu begins to increase until the very walls begin to creak with chakra.

With Sakura in control of the rapidly releasing chakra, the walls behind us began to crack. A glowing white light pours out from the quickly forming cracks in the wall.

I stare in wonder for a moment before the cracks begin to open up into a large white hole. I cover my eyes as the entire room destabilizes and begins to suck me out.

I hold my ground for a moment before the light envelopes me. The wall quickly stabilizes and rebuilds itself leaving the rest of occupants to stare in wonder.


Shisui sneezes once, wiping his nose with a spare handkerchief. He replaced the cloth as my breathing becomes erratic.

He looks down in surprise as all of Team 7 begin to stir from one of his most powerful Genjutsu. The ability to render your opponent unconscious and unable to use their chakra to escape.

His face unconsciously began to spread into a smile. This was interesting, this Genjutsu was much more effective on a single powerful target. It was an easily passable obstacle to a group.

The only strange thing that was nagging in the back of his mind was that they were Genin. It was intriguing to say the least, he would study them closely.

"How long was I out?"

"Would you believe that it has been three hours?"

He scratches his chin for a moment, maybe he should release the rest from the Genjutsu. The ultimate goal here was to show them how far they needed to travel to escape such a Genjutsu.

He claps twice and his unconscious students begin to sputter as if they were drowning. He cracks his knuckles and then his back. The soreness was definitely something else.

"Alright guys, we are done for today. The next time we meet, we will be doing the same thing again. Until you can escape perfectly."

He pauses at the feeling of a blank presence within the room. The concrete ceiling creaks for a moment before an ANBU drops down beside him.

"Lord Hokage and Elder Danzo wish to speak with you Shisui-san."

Shisui hesitates for a moment causing the voice to become insistent.

"They requested your presence immediately."

He frowns for a moment running through his mind for possible reasons to request his presence officially. He turns to look at the curiously staring children and jerks his thumb towards the door.

"You fine pupils know the way out I'm sure."

He turns back to the ANBU and disappears in a Teleportation Jutsu after a curt nod. He would stay strategically ahead of this ANBU, then he would address concerns go home.


Not even a full five minutes later Shisui appeared in the Hokage's office. Danzo and Hiruzen both glance up at his expected arrival with dual grim expressions.

"Immediate report on Yakumo Kurama."

"She is stable and growing more so every day."

Danzo stares at him for a moment before opening a manila folder in front of him. Shisui narrowed his eyes while Hiruzen chose to remain silent.

"I was hoping we could have an open conversation about this without going behind each other's backs. Yesterday there was an incident that caused a devastating fire in the market district that ate into the house section of the village."

Shisui began to subconsciously grip his pants in frustration. He had hoped that the incident would be sealed and forgotten.

"She started a fire in vicious anger Shisui, this is a travesty. I thought you had this under control. We stuck to your plan like you asked, she absorbed the majority of her powers from Ido. I can see it didn't fix the problems that were already there though, did it?"

Hiruzen raises his arm to silence Danzo from speaking any further while staring intently as Shisui.

"If she cannot learn to control her emotions and stop blaming a demon that no longer exists. I wanted to inform you directly, if Yakumo kills anyone else... she will be put to death."

Shisui stares at them with a harsh expression for several moments before reaching down to his belt. In a small puff of smoke unsealed medical records are thrust onto the Hokage's desk.

"I'm sorry not every child is as resilient as our Jinchuriki to prejudice. Not everyone can shrug off malice and hate and be ok with life. Let me just make this clear, if you put her to death... it will be through me first."

Shisui turned to go, but Danzo's voice halts his footsteps.

"You would choose the safety of a girl who can't control her emotions over the lives of a village full of innocents? What happened to you Shisui?"

"The world happened."

He said calmly before closing the door behind him leaving the office in a dreadful silence.


Part 4: Danzo The Tactician! Yagura Estranged!


Danzo looked into the darkening night sky through the window of the office hoping for an ounce of good news today.

"It's almost time Danzo."

Danzo turned to look at Hiruzen with a serious expression. He knew all too well.

Four masked figures sat laid atop calm waters five miles outside Kirigakure. On a direct line between Kiri's main island and Konoha.

"Can you confirm target area with Byakugan?"

"Spider confirms target area is clear, we should continue moving forward."

Hound pauses for a moment as he quickly accesses the situation. It indeed was go time.

"Proceed."

"Understood captain Hound. Beetle Jamming Jutsu."

He raises both his palms to face the island and his sleeves begin to stir ever so slightly. A cloud of his parasitic insects pour from his sleeves and scatter across the entire area.

He turns back to the rest of his squad.

"Give them time to disperse with my chakra."

Hounds nods, "We move in thirty seconds, we have a civil war to avert."


Danzo lifted his head slowly in the dimness of his laboratory. In the dark he with his highest level commanders poured over the notes of the First Hokage.

Countless sleepless nights and countless experiments had led Danzo to the final conclusion that the cells of the first Hokage fed on life energy.

Based on Kinoe and himself the amount of life-force dictated the control over the Wood style. From limited to limitless in himself and Naruto respectively.

He was now utterly convinced that should he successfully weave the DNA into an Uzumaki's chakra coils something spectacular would happen.

He shuffles the papers back together and closes the file. He slowly takes a seat, the feeling of serious ecstasy coursing through him.

The time is almost here... and the trail ends with you Naruto Uzumaki.


Four shadows burst up and off the surface of the water as the time struck zero. Within moments each member of the group crouches down on the sands of the beach.

Hound turns to Mantis, "Set up, we need to be ready to ambush the patrol investigating this chakra."

Three heads nod at his order and four ANBU disappear from sight in several directions. Hound grinned from underneath his mask at the feeling of several presences approaching the beach.

He whistled once to alert the rest of his squad and held up a thin sheet of material in front of him. He disappeared under the sand with the material overtop his body.

The time for action was drawing near, all they had to do was be patient.


Danzo breathed in deeply through his nose, his right hand twitching with exertion. A white tube slowly begins to protrude from his palm as a bead of sweat falls from his chin.

He quickly waves away the Foundation ninja preparing to assist him and starts walking towards his main objective. He stopped in front of the stray dog and shoved the tube into the middle of its back.

The dog snapped at him irritably but a moment later its eyes glazed over. Danzo grimaced as their hearts began to sync up with each other.

After a couple more seconds of sharing life energy Danzo forcibly removes the tube from the dogs back. The dog remains silent for a moment before raising its head in a howl.

Danzo took several steps back as its fur began to grow out, and its fangs grew larger. The tube began to slowly retract back into his palm as the dog turned feral eyes to look at him.

Danzo turned towards his ROOT captain with a smirk.

"Mark this experiment on the books as a success."


A group of six Kirigakure ANBU slowly began to patrol the beach for signs of foreign chakra. The insects previously suffocating the air were gone, leaving an ominous silence.

The first of the ANBU to get near Hound felt hands grip his ankle before he was pulled underneath the sand. The other five ANBU turned and quickly began to make their way over to help him.

The moment their backs were turned wood planks exploded from underneath the sand and ensnared another two. Leaving the last three in the manji-formation.

"What the hell is going on here?"

The ANBU turned when he didn't receive an answer to find an empty desolate beach. He forced himself to remain calm reaching for his kunai to find his pouches gone.

He pats himself for a moment before an arm wraps around his neck from behind. Three others figures emerge from the sand in the attire of the same Kiri ANBU.

Hound dusts sand off his shoulder before punching the final ANBU in the gut. The man huffs once before slumping over into an unconscious stupor.

"Hide him and get back here as soon as possible."

Hound sighs as Tiger disappears with the unconscious ANBU, reaching up to slowly reposition his mask. The misty air and humidness was starting to make him nervous.

They needed to finish the mission and get the hell out of this country. He could only hope he made it back in one piece.


Danzo tapped the top of the wooden cage holding the now feral dog enhanced by the impressive life force of Hashirama. It was unlike anything he had ever come across before and it intrigued him to no end.

Danzo clicks his teeth at the interruption to his musing, the sound of a Teleportation Jutsu behind him. He turns to look at the mask before returning to inspecting the dog.

"I trust you eliminated the threatening anomaly on the border without trouble?"

He nods, his mask glinting with an unasked question.

"Lord Danzo, this last target I engaged at the border. The one who became ash and disappeared without a trace. He used a strange jutsu you have come in contact with before, but why is he here again?"

"This is not some simple thing Sai, this situation is complicated... and dangerous. When the past returns the people of the present will rise up to drive it back. I will protect such things with every fiber of my being."

Danzo turned away preparing to leave his Foundation for the moment, gesturing to the cage.

"Store that hound for further research and study, I have much to think about."


Hound allowed Spider to lead the squad from this point on, his Byakugan would be invaluable. He took up a position just behind him to make the most effective use of his Sharingan.

"Captain Hound, the latest intelligence reports were accurate. A castle has been erected and surrounded by metallic fortifications outside of Kirigakure's city."

Hound pauses for an instant to think before speaking, their next actions were critical.

"Can you calculate the total amount of chakra inside the castle and fortifications?"

Spider nodded and focused even more chakra into his Byakugan so that he could see further. The chakra became dense and clearer the longer his gaze lingered. The entire castle was filled with chakra heavy individuals.

"That's our target captain Hound. Yagura is probably inside that building. I'm willing to bet that he is in fact, it would explain why it has so many guards."

"Then that is our target, prepare for infiltration of the uppermost level of that castle."

Spider looked back at Hound for a moment before continuing forward even faster than before. The moment of truth had finally arrived.


Danzo slowly made his way through the solemn night towards his home. With so many things going well this day, he was in no hurry to end it with slumber.

He sighs and suddenly halts his advances, greeted with the sound of a cane and soft footsteps. He closes his left eye in irritation.

"You might as well reveal yourself, I have seen Genin do much better tailing than that."

"You try being deathly silent with a cane and no chakra Elder Danzo."

Danzo turns around completely to face the slowly appearing man. His eyes scrunched up in amusement quickly becomes anger.

"I don't appreciate your repeated interference with my dreams Danzo. The moon will stain red with the bloodshed that the Elemental Nations shall soon face."

Danzo opens his left eye again and turns back around to show the intruder his back.

"You have made your point, either strike at me or get out of my village."

The man scowls and allows his anger to smolder for a moment before crumbling back into ash. The dust quickly scattering to the wind as if it never existed.

Danzo continues moving, his resolve unshaken in the least.


The solitary Kiri soldier guarding the eastern most side of the castle Yagura resided in yawned loudly. He wondered why his leader didn't just post his ANBU here instead of regular forces.

As he lowered his hand he heard the sound of Shinobi sandals sinking into the marshy ground. He instinctively reached for two handfuls of Shuriken.

"You messed up whoever you are. I know you're there come on out."

He takes a step forward in the direction of the sound before another sound of moving air causes him to look in another direction. He curses himself before the feeling of a knee slams into his jaw.

He flies backwards into the castle wall headfirst and grunts once before his lights go out. A hand grips his head for a moment to look into his vacant eyes before releasing him.

"You might have been a little too rough Hound, we just needed him out of commission."

Hound ignores their words and points straight up towards the top of the castle. As far as he was concerned the mission was of the utmost importance.

"We need to move, start climbing."


Danzo arrived home soon after his encounter with a past enemy. He just needed to get a diagnostic scan of his arm before heading in to speak with Hiruzen.

Few really knew of Danzo, and even fewer understood how his mind truly functioned. He desired stability within his nation and the rest around it.

After looking back over his many years he had come to the conclusion that this was never possible. One country would always be above the rest and those below the top would hate them with all their hearts.

He let out a sigh and sat down with his right arm out. He was past his own glass ceiling of power. He was well aware he was now approaching the final wall of growth.

His assimilation was nearing its limit and he was getting older. A green light shines inside the darkened room as Danzo focuses on other things. The time for decisive action was drawing nearer and nearer.

"The arm is near perfect assimilation Lord Danzo, these routine scans will end then."

"Delightful, your payment is at the hospital, and I have business to attend to."


Yagura paused in his studying of the maps of Kirigakure at a sudden feeling of unease. His Water Clones quickly follow his lead at the feeling of several presences.

The window suddenly slides all the way up on the far side of the room. Yagura picks hos Bo staff up quickly, his eyes flashing with the Sharingan.

They quickly move through the window one at a time, faced with four Water Clones and Yagura himself. The Sharingan fades to be replaced by his regular pink eyes.

Hound springs forward first two kunai in his hands.

"Take out the Water Clones first!"

Yagura and each of his clones grunt before spitting out water onto the floor in front of them. The water quickly condenses into a mirror for each of the Leaf ANBU.

Yagura waves his hand towards us, "Water Style: Water Mirror Jutsu."

Hound was completely prepared for this, raising his hands together with the kunai in the center. Now was time for a tactical mind.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu."

An identical copy of himself springs into existence and bypasses the mirror image to go straight for the Water Clone. Yagura allowed the surprise at the maneuver show on his face.

Hound put the chakra directly into his foot, impacting the side of his Bo staff and directly into his face. The original Hound grinned as the mirror image broke apart alongside the Water Clone.

He slowly stood back up to look at the smoldering Sharingan eyes of Yagura.

"You will die here."

"We shall see."


Danzo was lost in deep thought as he shuffled towards the Hokage's mansion. He wondered just what information Ivan and Iroha would bring back for the Leaf.

He was honestly afraid, but the fear was for the village and the ANBU team they had sent. His Foundation worked from the shadows to protect the village so that others could forever bathe in the sunlight.

All across the Elemental Nations there sat people just like himself, living in the shadows. There were no exceptions, because every village needed a group to do the dirty work.

Just like he had agents in Kirigakure Joseki would have Sand ANBU creeping around as well. In the end both men desired the same thing, to protect and gain the upper hand.

Danzo was well prepared for the Sand Village's interference. His current actions served to provide a barrier from annexation. Yagura would soon return to his previous senses.

Once this was over they would bring valuable intelligence back to the Leaf as leverage. They would just have to keep their eyes more than North for the next few months.

Then again, who knew what the near future truly held for this turbulent world.

Yagura inhales sharply, molding his chakra into water while Hound prepares to defend himself. His cheeks expand with excess water, a silent jutsu.

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"

The two jutsu collide and the fireball immediately loses to the water. The jet suddenly becomes less widespread and much more pinpoint tearing a line of destruction across the entire room.

Hound had never imagined such power could come from the Three Tails. It was apparent the Leaf had underestimated their adversaries.

Hound took inventory once, happy to see only one Water Clone still standing. He charged in a low crouch as Yagura ended his water jutsu. His eyes narrowed with glee.

He slammed the butt end of his palm into Hound's chest, sending him flying across the room and into the wall. Coral quickly began to grow from the point of impact to dig deeply into the wall.

Hound grunts in pain for a moment before Yagura turns to look at the remaining ANBU. The three ANBU quickly began to rush him, while Yagura simply begins to spin his Bo staff.

Yagura begins to build up chakra again, water compressing in his stomach. Tiger knew they had to end this quickly before help came, or Yagura transformed.

Hound to his credit began to build the chakra into his right eye, all the chakra he could muster at the moment. The end of this fight was only after draining and then returning the real Yagura.

They were running out of time though.


On the final leg of his journey to see Hiruzen he notices a lone ANBU attached to the ceiling long after dark. An impressive Genjutsu veil on top of all that.

He raises an eyebrow in confusion, the office was already empty for today.

"Apologies if I startled you Lord Danzo, the ANBU detail for the Hokage usually moves to his home after hours. He has yet to leave, so neither shall I."

Danzo nods in an almost subdued fashion as he continues up the stairs. He was still very much lost in thought about what the future held.

"Carry on Rat."

Danzo deliberately opens the door to the office slowly, he often looked tired himself out of choice. Hiruzen was cut from a different cloth though, he wasn't one to abandon sleep in favor of raw data.

"The experimentation on cells of the First Hokage are complete."

He finally looks up from his paper work, eyes haggard but coherent. He let out a weary sigh before dropping his pen to look at Danzo.

"Give it to me straight, how successful were they?"

The Hokage was no fool and he had been lucky enough to know both Hashirama and Tobirama in his youth. Power in all shapes and forms came at a wicked cost either at the beginning or at the end. Blood would be spilled over it in the end for sure.


Tiger cracked his neck once before ending his mock charge with a handful of kunai. Yagura unleashed his second torrent of water to deflect the kunai and knock them down.

Yagura growled as he felt Tiger very much alive behind him now. Tiger slammed his palms into the ground and wood rose from the floor beneath him to constrict his legs.

He stoops down to grip the wood but two fingers slam directly into his collar bone. He twitches for a moment before collapsing onto the ground.

Hound breathes a sigh of relief as the wood begins to slowly force him back into a standing position. The Sharingan manifesting in his eyes only seems to amplify the hate in his heart.

The wooden planks slowly force him to look into the eyes of the now prepared Hound. As their eyes connect, Hound feels the immense amount of chakra change his Sharingan.

His sons Mangekyo Sharingan appears in his right eye for a moment, long enough to break the jutsu cast on Yagura. This proves to be painful for both Hound and Yagura as blood slowly leaks from his eye.

Yagura screams one last time before the Sharingan fades from his eyes and he slips into unconsciousness. Hound sighs in relief while Mantis forces the window all the way open.

"We need to go."


Danzo reaches into his shirt and unseals the latest reports on his successful test subject. He looks at them for a moment before dropping them in front of him and sitting down.

"Some might consider it a failure, while others might consider my findings a real treasure trove. I can now say with certainty that those with Uzumaki blood running in their veins are the best recipients."

Hiruzen smirks for a moment before growing deathly serious.

"Your efforts are truly futile if Naruto reject yours offer. The burden of such power would crush most men, and he not yet yearns for the power."

"You're not thinking far enough into the future Hiruzen. These next few years are absolutely essential for us in case you've forgotten. He would be the figurehead we need, the Nine-Tailed Jinchuriki with complete control along with a new young Hokage."

Hiruzen chuckled at the last bit, tipping his hat and sitting back in his chair. Truth be told Danzo was one hundred percent right on a pragmatic level for sure.

Thinking in the best interest of the village would certainly mean forcing Naruto to accept the burden of Hashirama's cells. He just wasn't quite sure that it was the correct path to take.

Making your secret weapon hate the village was a horrible idea, anyone could see that. This had to be an appealing thing, enticing even.

"How about we make a deal with the boy? If he accepts the cells, we tell him all about both his parents."

Danzo chuckled at the cruelty in that barbed offer. Here people thought he was the only conniving bastard inside the village. There were plenty old pragmatic elders lurking in the shadows.

They just didn't know it yet.


Spider appears by the incapacitated Hound and begins striking at the infamous coral of Yagura. It was tough, but like any crystalline surface it could be broken by attacking its weakest point with sound or chakra.

Hound feels his heart start pounding at the sound of an alarm blaring throughout the castle. Yagura groans from his place on the floor, while the sound of footsteps grows louder.

Spider jams his hand directly into the coral, the structure cracking and finally breaking apart. Spider hazards a glance towards the window to find both Tiger and Mantis safely outside.

He breaks away the rest of the coral and forces Hound to his feet.

"We need to move sir, I know you must be feeling drained but we need to leave."

Spider carefully places his arm over his own shoulder and throws them both through the window. They freefall for a moment as the doors to the room open up to reveal Kirigakure Shinobi.

Wooden limbs encircle them both to gently break their fall before sitting them down on the stone. Hound clutches the ground for several seconds breathing raggedly before being offered a Food Pill.

He crunches down on it, feeling his body create more chakra to use. The Mangekyo Sharingan slowly fades in his right eye, leaving him feeling much better.

"We have yet to be discovered, we need to get to the coast."

With all the ANBU on the same page they began the trek back to the coast amidst the chaos ensuing around Yagura. No one had died either, so far the mission was textbook.


Danzo paused midsentence at the feeling of chakra. They had done it.

"They have successfully freed Yagura, they need exfiltration immediately!"

Hiruzen drops his pen and starts a set of hand signs, causing a circular sealing array to appear in the center of his office. He finally stops by slamming his palms together, the circle beginning to glow a bright white.

Danzo quickly copies Hiruzen, adding his chakra into the mix. The light growing even purer and brighter before their eyes.

"Let's bring them home safe Danzo."

Danzo turns his serious expression towards Hiruzen, their thoughts were nearly one.

"Without a doubt."


Hound cursed the stiffness of his midsection as the feeling of chakra began to grow stronger behind them. With a couple miles until they reached the beach the journey had quickly become a race against time.

The only glimmer of hope at the end of the tunnel happened to be the head start the disgruntled squad had. If they were luck it would be the only advantage they really needed.

Hound is jostled out of his thoughts by the feeling of being hoisted off his feet. Tiger spins once before tossing him in the general direction of the coast.

Mantis catches him a moment later while Hound allows a bead of sweat to run down his face.

Odd idea, but I cannot deny its effectiveness.

A giant ball of concentrated water lands near their position as they arrive back at the beach. Mantis sits Hound down who immediately begins writing a matrix into the soft sands.

Tiger turns to face the advancing forces along with Spider. It was time to use the environment to their advantage.

"Earth Style: Rampart of Flowing Soil!"

The ground bordering the bank slowly began to shake before rising above the beach. The Kiri Shinobi wobble on their feet for a moment, giving Spider his chance.

"Your turn Spider."

"With pleasure."

Spider allows his hands to move in a memorized blur, his stomach filling with water.

"Water Style: Liquid Bullets!"

Firing to hit the edges of the newly formed rampart sent dirt and dust particles all over the area. Hound finishes the seal, causing it expand and grow along the sand.

The matrix fills in with a pure white color causing their ANBU tattoos to burn. With no further words each of the ANBU place their palms over their tattoos.

They disappear in a burst of bright light along with the sealing matrix, leaving gaping Kirigakure Shinobi. Another figures watches with dissipating interest, his Sharingan flashing in anger.


Part 5: The Fragility of Peace.


Danzo and Hiruzen release their hands as the symbols slowly begin to fade back into their original black color. Four puffs of smoke signifying the Reverse Teleportation Jutsu had been a success.

The Hokage sighs in relief at seeing his ANBU return home in once piece. He takes a seat and Danzo smiles as he follows along as well.

"I trust your adventure in Kirigakure was both heartwarming and informative. Please tell me all about it over a hot meal this evening."

Danzo blinks in surprise as Hound collapses onto the floor without responding.

"Ivan?"

Rat appears beside the Hokage thrusting is pipe into his hands before appearing beside the ANBU. He stoops down and easily lifts Hound into his arms.

Tiger stares for a moment as Rat props Hound up against the couch before facing them again. Hiruzen sighs wearily smoke exiting his nostrils.

"Alright, it's time we talk about the current situation. Masks off and privacy seals up."

Hound coughs in surprise looking at his squad before reaching up to remove his mask. As the rest of his squad follows his lead Rat reluctantly activates the privacy seals.

Hound drops his mask into the couch by him, staring directly at his Hokage.

"Alright Ivan, its explanation time if you don't mind."

Ivan pauses for a moment before activating his Sharingan, this would be easier to explain by showing him through a Genjutsu.


Meanwhile northwest of the infamous Leaf Village, deep within Earth country in the heart of the Hidden Rock Village minds began to stir.

The legendary Onoki the Fence-Sitter was thoroughly enjoying the bittersweet taste of Sake after his longest drought. He couldn't remember why he quit at this moment.

His weary gazes flickers up at the feeling of another presence approaching his office. He scratches the side of his head for a moment in annoyance.

"This day has been beyond long and difficult... you better have the best damn reason in the world to be disturbing me."

He blinks in surprise as his threat deflates under the nervous expression of his flesh and blood son. It wasn't any better than an advisor but Kitsuchi wouldn't be here without good reason.

"I'm sorry dad, but I need to be honest with you. You're worrying me, and your worrying Kurotsuchi with how you've been acting."

Onoki stares at him for several seconds before sitting the saucer of Sake down. This was no simple thing to explain, even to a man who had been around as long as his son.

"Have you ever stopped to wonder why the Chunin Selection Exams breed hatred during peacetime? You probably never noticed that despite the malice between villages the Daimyo remain unaffected."

Kitsuchi pauses at the seriousness of what his father was implying. It did make sense when he thought about it though. No matter how much bloodshed they endured the Daimyo would be having a tea party that same week.

"Let me make sure I understand you pop, you think the Daimyo profit off of our many wars and then laugh about it?"

Onoki holds his hand with his palm facing upwards with a serious expression. A small white geometric cube appearing in his hands before being violently crushed.

"Think back to the battle of Kannabi Bridge for a moment. After the Yellow Flash successfully destroyed the bridge and Konoha began to push into Earth Country the Daimyo called for peace."

He pauses, grinding his teeth together in anger at the memory. It had taken him so damn long to see what they flaunted to their faces.

"That war left a deep-seated hatred for the Leaf Village in our blood when the real cause of our pain was at a tea party with the rest of the Daimyo."

He pauses before his anger skyrockets at the confused look on his sons face.

"I will put it in simple terms, if you hate Konoha you remain blind to the real enemy. The one hiding in our backyard."


East of the infamous Hidden Rock Village on the highest mountain peaks of Land of Lightning stood the Village Hidden by Clouds.

Every village leader has different coping mechanisms they use to keep up a brave face. The Raikage was no exception to this rule, frequently pushing his body to its absolute limits with exercise.

He pauses in his weight training at the whizzing sound of an object racing towards him. Without looking up at all he catches the sword coated in lightning natured chakra with ease.

His eyes narrow as he gets a good look at the sword before smoke spews from his nostrils in pure fury. His grip tightens around to the sword before he finally calms himself.

"Bee!"

"Yo bro, don't worry about the status quo! You just need to go with the flow!"

As Bee continues to rap the Raikage charges the sword with his own lightning natured chakra. His stare truly became murderous as the rhythms continued.

"I mean, it's so late you're getting delirious and if not for me why not Mabui?"

His voice totally disappears as the lethal weapon soars past his faster than he could track. A deep cut appearing above his left eyebrow moments later.

A takes a deep breath before sitting back down, his murderous glare still at full strength. There were just things in this universe that didn't make sense.

"Do you ever stop yourself to question the severity of the situation you are in Bee?! Once inside a deep pitfall you should stop digging!"

Bee paused indefinitely at the harsh scolding, his brother's words cutting deep. The entire village was on edge because their great leader was on edge.

"Our very existence is on the precipice of annihilation or complete domination. One wrong move and we could scatter to the wind, but on the other hand if we play our cards right we walk away with Byakugan and the Sharingan."

Bee stares intensely at his brother for several moments before scratching his chin.

"Why must other nations suffer for ours to prosper?"

A does not answer his brother, instead opting to leave the room. It was easier this way of course.


Far southwest of the Hidden Cloud Village stood the undeniably weakest village of the Great Five. This hidden village was the Sand, famous for producing the nation's strongest Kage and Wind Style users.

The current Kazekage of Sunagakure is Rasa, earning the moniker Gold Rush in his younger days for his use of the Magnetism Style. The Hidden Sand embodies the will of sacrifice that all Shinobi must suffer through.

For the price of power weighs infinitely on the shoulders of the strong for all eternity. The punishment of a thousand sleepless nights befell Rasa for his choices.

To tear a family apart at the seams with death and alienation had finally began to catch up with the man. He was beginning to feel the effects of remorse on his soul.

Even now with the weight of the world bearing down on him the world was becoming clearer. He was starting to see his own mistakes in high definition, and the mistakes of the nation as a whole.

For the same reason that the Great Five bore the name Kage was exactly the same reason smaller nations desired it. Deserved it even.

The skies above his home began to stir in the dead of the night. The changing of winds also clued him in.

"A storm is coming."


Thunder boomed down above the desert as he finished his thought, the sand trading itself for the silty shores farther east. The relatively new immaculate castle was already under deconstruction.

The two yearlong estrangement of the Mist's Mizukage was officially declared null and void. Yagura had just finished storing his remaining things away when two presences entered his room.

He looks back at them for a moment before looking forward again. He was tired of being drilled into the ground by questions. There were things he didn't understand either.

"Lord Mizukage how long do you plan to beat yourself up about this?"

"You misunderstand the current situation. Someone was manipulating me, and for this I can never truly be trusted again."

The male Shinobi looks at his female counterpart before taking a voluntary step towards Yagura. Yagura moves instantly warding him off with both his hands threateningly.

"I thought you might like to know Lord Mizukage, while the intruders from earlier this night escaped I have an idea about their intentions."

Yagura pauses in his thoughts, wondering if this would be the answer to his questions. Why his memory was hazy and blurred, why it was clear now.

"It was Leaf Shinobi, a powerful Uchiha borrowing an even more powerful ocular jutsu. You weren't released my lord, you were saved."

Yagura remains in a stunned silence while the man activates his Byakugan. His face remaining completely neutral even under the threat of his Jinchuriki Mizukage.

"If I may be so bold Lord Yagura, I think it's time to pull in the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist and find Utakata. With things finally coming together, catching our Missing Ninja should take top priority."

Yagura nods his head, the resolve slowly coming back into his eyes as the last traces of Sharingan chakra exit his system. The Mizukage was finally back.


Leaving behind the damp shores of Kirigakure in favor of even more wet place located snugly between the Leaf, Sand, and Rock.

A place that never truly stopped weeping for the sadness it saw all around it. At least as the legends go of course for the Hidden Rain Village.

In the reality the perpetual rain and thunderstorms of the Hidden Rain are a byproduct of the segmented mountains surrounding it. While small and isolated the country remains powerful and feared.

Each action for him was deathly serious in the long run, unlike the Great Five he didn't have the luxury of making mistakes. He played a mean game of Shogi after all.

Hanzo sighed into his breather before looking up into the sky, not flinching as the rain pelted his face. The salamander underneath him shifts slightly, not bothered by the rain or soft soil in the least.

"I have a question for you Ibuse old friend. What would you do once you've hit your glass ceiling? Do you strike out of the unfair world or find some obscure way to push through?"

Ibuse remains silent for several moments before rumbling, loud enough to shake his master. Hanzo lowers his face from the sky to look into the distance.

"That's what I thought, maybe a little bit of both for good measure. I can say for certain that it will happen someday bud."

He pauses smiling to himself bittersweet as it was, "May the rain cleanse my bountiful mistakes in my rise to power."


If you were to go directly northeast of this depressing country you would find the nation's largest exporter of rice and Sake. The Land of Rice Paddies or as of late the Land of Sound.

Formerly without an official hidden village to call its own the country now knows different. The Village Hidden by Sound, founded and nurtured by Orochimaru of the Legendary Sannin.

Orochimaru was just receiving an interesting report from one of his most loyal agents in the Elemental Nations. He intrigued to say the least, excited even.

"Danzo that cunning bastard has actually managed to make use out of test-tube science to actually create a person. How ingenious that man has become in his long life."

"Lord Orochimaru, what is your plan of action? Should I return to the Leaf for my duties immediately or perhaps something else?"

Orochimaru turns away without a care in the world, while other occurrences frightened village leaders it excited him. He would make the very most out of every situation, it was his nature.

"Nothing in our plans has changed at all Kabuto, return to the Leaf in the morning. I do have one order though, increase the training regime of my Sound Genin. I would do it myself, but this Snake Clone is just about out of chakra."

Kabuto bows to Orochimaru once more before leaving to attend to his orders. Orochimaru closed his eyes to concentrate for a moment before he reverted back into a snake.


Directly west of the Hidden Sound is the Village Hidden by a Waterfall, bordering the Land of Earth. Their current village leader is Kenji, what he lacked in Shinobi skills he made up for with intelligence.

He tended to be on opposite sides of the equation with his son Shibuki, with different ideals and ways of doing things. His son still had much to learn before he could ever take over.

"Shibuki, I need you to understand that this is nonnegotiable. I also have a question for you son. Do you know why Fu was chosen to be the Jinchuriki of the Seven-Tails this time around?"

Shibuki glares at his father with annoyance, he hated being lectured. He was just stating his opinion.

"I assume you're going to tell me father."

"It's in her blood you fool, we are using the same sealing method and formula and yet the beast has yet to attempt to escape. She can even fly if you've seen her at all."

Shibuki frowned as what his father was saying began to make more sense to him. Previously to Fu the Seven-Tails had broken out of its hosts multiple times a year.

Before Shibuki can respond the two Jonin Kegon and Yoro appear in the doorway after carrying out orders from his father. Followed closely by a darker skinned Kunoichi with spiky mint green hair held in place by an orange clip.

She pauses nervously as both Kenji and Shibuki turn to look at her. A bead of sweat slowly making its way down her forehead.

"Something wrong, what's up chief?"

Kenji continues to stare at her for several long moments before smiling.

"I can't tell you how glad I was when I see you put out an application for the next Chunin Selection Exams."

She gawks for a moment, he was proud?

"Yes! Can you recommend me?"

Kenji grins almost deviously for a moment before nodding seriously.

"Already recommended Fu my dear, it's about time the world heard from the Hidden Waterfall again."


The final destination is directly south of the Hidden Waterfall Village in the Land of Rivers. A relatively peaceful country easily forgotten and tread upon by other nations.

Truth be told though, something very sinister was always brewing below the surface. Inside one of the many ramparts dotting the landscape was an old but deadly group known as the Akatsuki.

Ten figures stood in a smothering silence atop the glowing fingers of a giant earthen-colored humanoid statue with spike-like protrusions on its back.

The silence continues for some time before a single member of the ground opens his purple ringed eyes. His chakra surges and the statue begins to shift and fidget from its place inside the earth.

"I have fully synced with the Gedo Statue, the hunt for Jinchuriki shall now commence."

He pauses as he feels another hand on his shoulder, he turns to look into the orange spiraled mask of another member of the Akatsuki.

"Let's not forget that the hunting of Jinchuriki comes after the proper funding is received. Just syncing with the Gedo Statue is not enough, we need a plan of action of course."

His Rinnegan eyes flash with anger for a moment before a much more serene voice speaks up. The entire Akatsuki turn to look at the strangest looking member.

The top part of his head slowly begins to open up, not unlike that of a venus flytrap. This reveals a man perfectly bisected down the middle in black and white.

"Our intelligence is far from complete as you know, villages have effectively been keeping their Jinchuriki under the table."

As the darker half finishes speaking his counterpart ushers him to be quiet. Two polar opposites worked in almost perfect sync.

"Complete collection or not means nothing to us Black Zetsu. The One-Tails Jinchuriki is boy named Gaara of the Desert. Relatively stable and relatively loyal. He will still slaughter anyone that gets in his way though."

Pain nods his head slowly, a Jinchuriki flaunting their power was easy prey for the Akatsuki.

"Kumogakure lacks a strong enough Barrier Ninjutsu to detect our presence and have two Jinchuriki. They have also somehow harmonized with their beasts."

"Yugito Nii is an espionage, sabotage, and demolition specialist that holds the Two-Tailed Cat. She is often out of the village for long periods of time, and even we lose her during these periods of off the grid time."

Pain blinks once, his expression completely unreadable from behind his high collared outfit.

"So from what I gather she must be captured within a certain timeframe."

Zetsu nods and continues his report.

"Bee is the Jinchuriki of the Eight-Tails and is also considered perfect. I regrettably have not seen him transform, but he is supposed to be destruction incarnate. We should exercise extreme caution."

"Information regarding the Three-Tails and Six-Tails of Kirigakure is minimal even by our standards. Yagura is the Three-Tails host and is rumored to have complete control over his Tailed Beast although we have yet to see it."

"The Six-Tails Jinchuriki is a missing ninja as of right now and we have not seen him ever. His notable abilities are also a mystery."

Zetsu pauses in surprise as one of the silent member of the Akatsuki slammed his scythe into the ground. Anger flashing in his eyes.

"What the fuck are you good for if you can't even get near the Jinchuriki? I vote we sacrifice their sorry asses to Lord Jashin."

He pauses as Kakuzu glares at him, an unspoken threat passing between the two. The room grows cold as if he were prepared to do battle right then to shut him up.

Zetsu coughed, while his white half chuckled clearly amused by the interaction.

"The Five-Tails and Four-Tails of Iwagakure have not seen their own village in years. The Tsuchikage allowed them to wander the Land of Earth after disdain for them became much too profound to handle."

"Their names are Han and Roshi, and while their abilities are an unknown for us. The fact that they rarely appear together and never receive much assistance from the village makes them easy prey."

Pain nods, closing his eyes. "Now... onto the main course of this evening."

"Takigakure remains completely hidden from our eyes and so as their newest Jinchuriki. I'm afraid the Chunin Exams would be the best chance to capture them."

Pain nods his head slowly, "I will pour resources into finding Takigakure's mission patterns. It will take time though."

"The concern of the matter truly falls on the youngest of the Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tailed Fox. Because of Konoha's Barrier Ninjutsu getting in undetected is impossible. Coupled with the fact that we have no idea who he or she really is."

"These details pose a considerable risk to us because we must seal the Tailed Beasts in order for the statue to function correctly. When means we must leave that Jinchuriki for last. If he or she were to somehow sync with the Nine-Tails..."

Pain nods again, his eyes glowing with power. There would always be loose ends to tie into a knot, but it would take patience and power.

"When the time finally comes to seal the Nine-Tails chakra into the statue I will retrieve him personally. I will also retrieve the Eight-Tails if there are no objections."

When all he received in return was a silence he jumped down from the fingers of the Gedo Statue. All eyes in the room follow him for a moment before he speaks again.

"Continue your individual activities, this meeting is now adjourned."


He continues walking only to stop at the louder than average coughing of one of the members of the Akatsuki. He turns around to stare at him emotionlessly.

Kisame pauses halfway between the Gedo Statue and Pain, his wrapped sword still on his shoulder. He felt a warning was several leagues above necessary.

"I didn't want to interrupt before... but I came across some disturbing information. As you know rumors have deep roots in reality, I caught wind of a man hoping to plunge the world into the Fourth Shinobi World War."

Orochimaru paused for a moment allowing his eyes to widen in horror. The war didn't scare him one bit, but who was doing it was enough to cause alarm. It couldn't be...

"This man's name happened to be Hiruko, a Shinobi who disappeared from the Leaf Village in the younger days of the Sannin. While that is ninety eight percent of the information I have on him, I know he's after Kekkei Genkai."

Pain continues to stare while Orochimaru was busy delving into the past, the damnable fool was still alive after all.

"Do you know which Kekkei Genkai he is after?"

Orochimaru asked seriously, Kisame paused in thought but he was able to dredge something up.

"I think I heard the Shade Style mentioned once or twice."

"Then its official, that madman is after the Four Noble Kekkei Genkai of the Elemental Nations."

At this Pain did frown and so did Kisame, what exactly were the Noble Kekkei Genkai and why was this the first time he had heard of them?

"I'm not surprised you haven't heard of the Noble Kekkei Genkai. I will explain it simply, these bloodlines have been around long before the Great Five were established. They are neither bound by clans of people, appearing randomly in select individuals and disappearing for short periods of time after death. I'm afraid if he got his hands on all four there would be very little able to stop him."

Pain nods again, lost in deep thought. This was interesting news to say the least.

Kekkei Genkai as old as my own, truly these four must be worthy foes. Hiruko must die before he interferes with the Akatsuki.

"Thank you for the information you two. I don't think I can make this any clearer, find Hiruko and rip him to shreds. I'm going now, if you need me you know where to find me."

With these parting words Pain began to walk away again, leaving the Akatsuki to their individual thoughts. Orochimaru narrowed his eyes before looking up at the Gedo Statue.

The Akatsuki would have to disappear, there was no way that he was going to sleep for the rest of eternity. He had to find a way to topple this organization as quickly as possible.

He paused as he begin to analyze the other members of the Akatsuki and a plan slowly began to form in his mind. He was on the inside, and what better way to topple an organization than from the inside?

"Hidan, can I have a word with you before you leave?"

"What for?" He asked gruffly.

"About the future."

Hidan stared for several moments longer before huffing and walking towards the exit. This was just the beginning.


x


That war left a deep-seated hatred for the Leaf Village in our blood when the real cause of our pain was at a tea party with the rest of the Daimyo.


AN: Massive Update 6/27/15