Naruto

The Divine Sharingan

By: Lady JenDragon

Disclaimer: No…no, I don't own Naruto.

Author's Babbles: What a screw up! Didn't even catch that Itachi was COMPLETELY spelled wrong! Here's the corrected chapter.


Chapter Seven

Hidden Agenda

The small abandoned house would have to do until Akanta, Nakane, woke from her restless slumber. Every now and then, she twitched in her sleep in the only bed the place offered. Covered with a thick blanket, no one bothered to try to undress her. She lashed out at any touch. Sakura placed a cold, wet towel over her forehead, stroking Akanta's loosened long black hair fanned over the thin pillow. Whatever energy she had disappeared the moment the orbs returned to her. From what she knew, Nakane should not have survived such a powerful technique.

Kakashi leaned against the wall, his hands in his pockets, contemplating the next step. An unprecedented event, a Sharingan woman survived past one year, lay unconscious before him. And she survived the powerful Chakra-Ki technique. Sasuke would do anything to keep her alive, even if he had to die for it. The look in the young ninja's eyes told him that. Still, why had the new Hokage sent them on this mission? Tsunade appeared overly confident his team would have no problem with their mission to return sacred jars to the monk temple three days journey to the north from Konoha. Had this been a planned meeting to unite the two remaining Uchiha clan members? 'Plausible.' Kakashi sighed.

"Sensei, do we continue to Konoha?" Sakura queried.

"She's our protector specifically assigned to us by the Hokage herself." Kakashi folded his arms. "We must wait until she regains consciousness."

Sasuke stood over Akanta, contemplating the woman. He refused to leave without her, the only other member of his Uchiha clan known to be alive except for that man. Yet, he was apprehensive about being around her. No wonder women who possessed Sharingan traits were feared and often killed early in life. They were capable of techniques he never seen before. But then, men with power were also feared. Was it fair to call her a menace because she possessed power no Uchiha man was ever known to have? Philosophy was a slippery slope, Sasuke decided, walking out of the room, hands in his pockets again.

"What is she?' Naruto asked, taking Sasuke's place, bending over to take a closer look at the unconscious Akanta. "That was amazing. What technique was that?"

Naruto wanted her to wake up and train him more. Selfish, perhaps, but he had reasons. Akanta constituted a level of ninjutsu that out ranked sensei-Kakashi, possibly even ero-sennin Jiraiya. Her ability alone convinced him that this woman could help him on his path to becoming Hokage! And he was willing to train in anything that put him that much closer to his dream.

"Naruto, be quiet!" Sakura urged. "Can't you see we're all a little confused here?"

Naruto disappeared form the room to escape Sakura's glare, just missing Sasuke coming back in. Sasuke walked forward with another cold towel, handing it to Sakura. His eyes never left Nakane. There were many questions he wanted to ask. Many he needed answers to, for his own curiosity.

"She is the only female remaining from my clan." Sasuke whispered, standing beside Akanta, Nakane he corrected. "I will never leave her behind. Ever."

Sasuke turned to glare at Kakashi. His sensei did not intend to leave her behind in the field, Kakashi simply did not know how to proceed. He could see it in Kakashi's eye. Sasuke returned to Nakane's face. No wonder she knew how to get him to train better, teaching him to concentrate his chakra into points on his toes and fingers rather than just the bottom of his feet. The less chakra he used, the faster he would become, the less energy he used, the longer he could fight during battle. He understood her rationale now.

Sasuke knew the stories about Nakane as a child training to be a ninja. He grew up listening to everyone wondering what became of the poor girl. Her father always pushed her too hard, so they said. Now he knew, shoving his hands into his pockets again. Did her father know too? About her Sharingan traits? Is that why he whisked her away from the village, fearful if found out, they would kill her?

"Sensei?" Sasuke stared at Kakashi lost in thought.

"What bothers me more is what she said before she collapsed…" Kakashi began.

"The Divine Sharingan she mentioned?" Sakura offered. "What is that?"

"Someone with enough Sharingan power to be considered extremely dangerous." Kakashi offered the most obvious explanation. "Some believe the 'Divine Sharingan' possesses all traits of the Sharingan in a single body."

"Like Itachi?" Sakura asked curious. "He's been called the 'Sharingan Successor'."

Sakura kept her eyes trained on Kakashi, avoiding Sasuke's glare she could feel on her. But that did not mean they could not discuss his older brother. Itachi was considered a pretty powerful Sharingan trait holder. Certainly he created fear for the Sharingan power in those who cleaned up after the night he killed every member of his clan. Even Sasuke carried painful memories of that night, eternally haunting him.

"No, Sakura-chan." Kakashi shook his head. "Uchiha Itachi does not have the same power we saw in Nakane today. Not near enough. Nor does he have all of the traits known to the Sharingan."

"So, there's someone else out there with more power than her?" Naruto asked, sitting on floor just inside the door, having just come from the bathroom.

"Quite possibly." Kakashi breathed.

"That can't happen." Sasuke put in skeptically. "They often spoke about such things, wondering if it could happen. No one person can possess all the traits of the Sharingan. I don't know everything about the Sharingan but it's been well documented and archived by the Hokage of Konoha. That's an accepted fact among the Uchiha, there can never be a Divine Sharingan."

"But that doesn't negate that it might have happened, Sasuke." Kakashi surmised. "If Nakane's father separated from the clan to hide his daughters abilities, then another might have survived as well. We cannot dispel any possibility because we simply don't want to believe it."

"What happens if there is…a Divine Sharingan?" Naruto asked meekly.

"Some believe the end of the world, Naruto." Kakashi sighed. "The end of the world."

Which meant Orochimaru may be after that person, Kakashi surmised. Why had he just thought about Orochimaru? The Sannin escaped without the use of his arms when he killed the Third Hokage. Certainly, a ninja with his knowledge would know how to regain that power back. And he did want Sasuke for the purpose of possessing the Sharingan traits. Orochimaru would want to take over the Divine Sharingan's body. Men like Orochimaru were drawn to power, thirsted after it, greedy to take as much as they could. Why settle for a weaker Sharingan body after all? 'A scary thought indeed.' Kakashi shivered.

The four brooded in silence around the sleeping form of Nakane, their thoughts their own for now.

xxxxxxxxxx

Nakane opened her eyes, the plank ceiling above her echoed the sound of rain on the roof. She smiled slightly, warmth surrounding her. Then her memory reminded her of the situation. They were in danger! No, that was just a dream. She sat up in the darkness, the bed high above the three smaller forms on the floor below. 'Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto chose to sleep in the room with her?' Her hand went immediately over her left armlet and the tattoo hidden beneath the Hidden Leaf Hitai-ate. She sighed softly, her stomach growling.

Flicking off the covers, she would need food before concentrating on her next move. Team 7 did not abandon her as she expected they would have done. But they certainly feared her. Nakane shook her head, scolding herself for being so pessimistic. Disappearing from the bed, she reappeared by the threshold, peering out into the small living and kitchen quarters. Kakashi was no where to be seen.

Finding her backpack open and rummaged through on the table, she pulled a black-matt colored box from the front pocket, Naruto being the most likely the rummage culprit, missed during his task to find food. Noticing a bowl of partially eaten ramen, she took the bowl with her and exited the hut silently.

On the tiny porch, she sat down on the porch's edge, drinking down the liquid and fat ramen noodles greedily. Her hunger waned a bit, but she still felt hungry. A presence behind her stopped her drinking freely. She perked her head up, alerting her visitor that she was aware of him. His footsteps stopped.

'Do you always walk so noisily?" Nakane asked, sipping the last gulp of ramen.

"Naruto will be upset you finished his ramen." Kakashi said quietly. "He loves ramen."

He leaned on the threshold, his hands in his pockets. Sleep came uneasily for him tonight. Bothered by some unknown problem, his mind raced for answers. He felt sure there was one person who could answer them. And she remained in Konoha.

'I know." Nakane smiled slightly. "He would also love to be Hokage, too."

"Will you be fit to travel tomorrow?"

"Anxious to return to Konoha?" Nakane challenged lightly.

It was not her intention to bruise his ego or ruffle the feathers. However, she needed to know what Kakashi knew about his mission prior to departure. So far, he kept his mind clear since he discovered her secret ability. Kakashi had been well trained by the only one person she knew who could block his thoughts from her, the Fourth Hokage of Konoha.

"My ninja are capable of handling themselves."

"It's the Hokage you have questions for." Nakane smiled, her face still turned away from Kakashi. "You feel she withheld vital information before sending you here."

Kakashi expected nothing less of Akanta, Nakane, he corrected again. He watched her finish off the bowl swiftly. Nakane did not to turn to look at him, her face turned to the dark forest surrounding the house. Little could be hidden from Nakane. Kakashi sighed. He needed to teach his soldiers to control their thoughts and not let them get out of control. Even his mind-isolation training needed to be brushed up a bit. But his ninja were more important than himself right now. Naruto's thoughts were freer and carelessly open compared to the other two. Many times, he knew what Naruto thought just by staring at his eyes. To a psychic, Naruto was an easy target.

"Then again, so were you." Nakane retorted. "Uchiha Itachi easily manipulated you into feeling pain. Mind techniques are for those too weak to be true ninja."

Kakashi sighed again, failing to block her completely from his thoughts. "It's his specialty."

"He only played with your mind because you let him." Nakane answered.

Kakashi's eye widened then returned to half-drooping. He felt his anger rise, her statement taken as an insult, his hands fisting inside his pockets. 'Yet, did she have a point?' Was he able to shut Itachi out of his mind voluntarily? Then why did he believe there was no way to combat this technique?

"The Tsukiyomi technique is designed to…" Kakashi shivered at the memory.

But, Itachi chose not to kill him at that time. Kakashi hated to remind himself of that day. He had not expected the Sharingan successor to attempt the technique in Konoha or later on his brother, Sasuke. But, he believed that his friends were in dire trouble if he did not hold Itachi off. He had little choice but to face off with Itachi.

"A Sharingan trait holder should be able to recognize and defend himself." Nakane's voice turned serious. "Itachi could not kill you because the Sharingan in both of you would not allow it. No two Sharingan will ever be used to kill one another. Itachi used weapons to kill his clan."

"I am not a member of the Uchiha clan." Kakashi informed her. "Itachi…"

"You're either Sharingan or you're not." Nakane leaned back, turning to look at Kakashi, reassuringly calm. "Obito's gift would not have made you a home unless you were born with Sharingan traits. In your blood. You are of the Hatake clan, a lineage of noteworthy achievements and well known in Konoha. Probably a diluted form of Sharingan you possess, but Sharingan nonetheless. Your friend would never have seen the Sharingan in you unless he was dying."

Kakashi's eyes widen, his breath caught in his chest. 'What? Non-sense!' This could not be true! His clan, the Hatake clan were not connected to Uchiha clan. Utter ridiculous! He would have known about such a mergence of the two clans. How…how did she know about Obito? She spoke of…he jerked to attention as she faced him.

"You are in no position to deny it, Kakashi-kun." Nakane left eyebrow lifted slightly. "Someone from generations past must've been connected to the Uchiha clan. You may not be aware of it, but there's a connection. The power of the Sharingan is not some secret you can pull off a dead body and make your own. All those who've acquired the Sharingan from another possessed its traits in varying degree. There are no exceptions. Over the centuries, many Uchiha have married outside their clan, especially women. Clans have merged with other clans to strengthen them, sometimes in secret. It is not to say that the Sharingan is particularly selective about within whom it develops. Let me reiterate, the Sharingan in your blood will not allow you to be rendered dead by some mind technique, Kakashi." Nakane shook her head. "Same with Sasuke. You gave in to him because of ignorance. Itachi knows you are unaware of this ability to block…as most Uchiha were."

Nakane lowered her head. The Uchiha clan died at the hands of one of their own. No one knew about the block technique that would have prevented the slaughter. Too few had been trained properly to effectively use the technique. Those families were the first to be eliminated on that night. Itachi used the Genjutsu Tsukiyomi to render his victims complacent to their fate then sealed their deaths with weapons. 'Coward.' But, that was the purpose of his plan. He knew the clan would gather together against him. Itachi could not kill them all once they united.

Silence hung heavy between them. Nakane looked to where the road was just visible through the forest trees. They were not particularly far from being easily spotted by scout ninja. The morning sun began to peak on the horizon, blanketing the landscape with pastel rainbow colors.

"You can teach Sasuke?" Kakashi finally spoke.

'Afraid yourself?" Nakane smiled at the corners, her face away from him.

'I'm more worried for Sasuke." He shrugged, his mind clear.

"Liar." Nakane whispered.

Kakashi returned inside the hut to avoid responding. She sensed his ninja were just beginning to rise, having an early night the previous evening. Leaning back on her hand, Nakane watched the sun rise above the trees. Another day would bring a load of new problems she felt. Their dealings with that woman, Kagi, were not over yet.

xxxxxxxxxx

Kagi waited on the boulder impatiently tapping her foot. 'Three hours and he could not be damned to show up on time!' She traveled all night with the information about Uchiha Nakane. And now she played this waiting game. She should just leave and disappear into one of the other countries for a few years.

"You're here." The raspy voice announced behind her.

She turned her head to be greeted by Orochimaru's smiling pale face, if you could call it a face. An unusual man, she wanted this to be and over with. There were many things she needed to plan for other than playing informant.

"Finally!" Kagi got to her feet, jumping to the grass below.

"Your brother seems to be missing, Kagi."

"He got cocky."

"You were witness to it then?" Orochimaru pressed his finger tips together, with the newly regained arm strength he possessed.

"Yeah." Kagi shook her head. 'Wiped everyone out within a minute."

She glanced around, looking out for his little henchman, Kabuto. Where had the silver-haired servant gone off to? These two rarely were without each other. Kagi did not like Kabuto missing when she could not find him. He could be waiting to finish her off. She needed to be prepared.

"And the hands seals?"

"She turns her hands invisible before she uses the technique." Kagi narrowed her eyes.

Orochimaru was not surprised by learning this. 'To be expected of Nakane.' He knew that upper level ninja used illusionary tricks to hide the order of hand seals to protect the technique. So, her information was essentially meaningless.

"How long were her hands gone?"

"Four seconds." Kagi counted immediately once Nakane's hands disappeared. "Roughly thirty-two seals."

"An interesting and useful complex technique, don't you think?" Orochimaru knew Kagi did not care for him.

"She fainted afterwards." Kagi informed him. "Her technique is nothing more than a combination of chakra and ki together in one blast. One propels the other."

"Nakane survived?" Orochimaru inquired, interested.

"Of course she survived." Kagi frowned. "Why wouldn't she?"

"The Enemy chakra-ki blast is a last resort technique that kills its user as well." He smiled wider. "Nakane has discovered a method to re-use the technique without dying. And her eyes?"

"Sharingan, just as you originally suspected." Kagi answered simply. "But, she did not use it until the last second."

"And those she was sent to protect?"

Kagi's brow furrowed deeper, angry that she had not succeeded in killing the Copy Ninja Kakashi. Orochimaru knew they survived, his eyes conveyed that much. Nothing got past his attention. Every detail had been thought out and relayed to her to carry out. Orochimaru's presence would have alerted the new Hokage to his dealings.

"Survived." Kagi said through gritted teeth. "Unfortunately, she used the technique before a true battle broke out, taking the attention away from them. Kikaya succeeded in poisoning Kakashi. However, Nakane was quick with the anti-serum ointment. Sessha even attempted to finish him off."

"And was killed in the process." Orochimaru shook his head.

So sad to lose a beautiful sex ninja at such a young age, Orochimaru lamented shallowly. He had plans for Sessha once she returned from this mission. Alas, her service was terminated by Nakane. Another reason to push forward with his plans now rather than wait. His fingers touched tips as he walked towards Kagi.

"Nakane is with them now." Kagi did not make any attempts to get closer to Orochimaru. "It appears she will be escorting them back to Konoha."

"Good, good." Orochimaru turned from Kagi.

"Anything else?"

"Anything else?" Orochimaru repeated, his head slightly turned. "Going somewhere, Kagi?"

"Once I brought you the information, my original commitment to the mission is complete." Kagi restated the initial agreement. "I have done that."

"Of course." Orochimaru turned and stared at Kagi. "I hoped you would want to continue being of service. Your unique talents are extremely useful to me."

"I don't do that anymore." Referring to Sessha's occupation, a part of her past Kagi could not repair. "I work for myself now."

"I respect that." Orochimaru bowed his head. "So, sad our alliance ended so soon."

Kagi knew something was amiss. She should have known better than to get mixed up with him. Orochimaru never intended her to live past their agreement, a death sentence from the beginning. 'Bastard!' He would not get away with this! She may have lost her brother on this mission, but she would not die at the hands of this lunatic. Kagi waited but found nothing unusual. He wanted her to relax before he gave the signal to strike.

'Too late!" Came a voice from behind her. "You're mine now!"

Kagi glanced down at the kunai at her neck. 'Kabuto! Jerk crept up behind me using a concealment seal. Damn him!' Before she blacked out, she realized that Orochimaru did not intend to kill her after all. 'Oh no. Orochimaru wanted her body for himself.' Would he kill her soul when he took possession of her body for his own uses?

"She's a sex ninja?" Kabuto inquired. "She doesn't look like one to me."

Orochimaru watched Kagi fall to the ground unconscious. A beautiful woman herself, Kagi would make an excellent replacement body should he need one. He would examine her more closely once they returned to their private location. Any recent damage to the skin could result in the technique failing chaotically.

"Like Uchiha Nakane, Kagi has attributes far more appealing once she's uncovered."

Kabuto lifted a limp Kagi over his shoulder, able to carry her effortlessly. He followed Orochimaru back the way they had journeyed early this morning, their mission accomplished.