Naruto
The Divine Sharingan
By: Lady JenDragon
Disclaimer: No…no, I don't own Naruto.
Authors Notes: Comic-Con 2006 was a great time. Recommend it to all you comic fans who couldn't make it this year. Naruto seemed to have burst on the scene this year. Last year, I don't remember seeing any memorabilia available. Now, it's everywhere. Scored some freebies. Also, there were plenty of people dressing up as your favorite characters. We had the whole team represented from Naruto to Asuma though I don't remember anyone going as the Third Hokage. Itachi's, Akamaru/Kiba's and Kakashi's costumes were the best out of the bunch. Kudos! Got a picture too. Maybe I can email it around. I don't have a website to post this kind of stuff on yet. Okay, enough with Comic-Con. I could go on forever. On with the story.
Chapter Ten
Uchiha Duel
His shadow intimidated his offspring most of the time. Uchiha Makumo, the resident archivist of the prominent Uchiha clan of Konoha, glared down at his six year old prodigy daughter. The Sharingan genes bypassed her elder brother, culminating in a powerful form within the small feminine figure staring up at him with large eyes. She was too young to fully understand the duty she must under take to ensure that the Uchiha clan survived.
"Nakane, you must do it!" Her father reminded her. "There are many who will want to acquire the knowledge our family has accumulated over the last few hundred years. We must prevent them from getting it."
Nakane glanced at the torch her father held out towards her then shifted her gaze to the pile of thick books she clutched in both hands. All the work her father did to record the history of the Uchiha clan would be lost if she followed orders. Books she borrowed many times to study and never returned to the secret room that escaped the fire her father started prior to their departure from the village. Now that he knew the books existed, he refused to allow her to keep them. Her adult Hidden Leaf Hiate-ate, a bit big for her head, hung at a slight angle over her left eye.
"Father, who is after us?" Nakane looked up at her much taller father with one eye, worry in her voice. "Why must we destroy all knowledge?"
"Bad men will forever hunt us. My role in the clan assured this fate." He hung his head low, his eyes firm upon his daughter. "We live in dark times, Nakane. The forbidden techniques written down and kept by our family make us a target despite our leaving the village. Many will pay high level ninja's to kill us to take our clan's secrets."
"But…we will lose everything." Nakane clutched the books tighter.
Uchiha Makumo kneeled before his daughter, staking the torch into the ground. He placed both hands on her small shoulders, squeezing them gently.
"Sometimes, we must do what is best for everyone." He laid a hand on her shoulder. "That includes destroying what is most precious to us. Nakane, the clan will never be as strong as we once were. Many of our enemies are counting on this to infiltrate our ranks."
"There must be another way!" Nakane backed away from her father. "I can hide them where no one will find them. We…we could…"
"The faith you have is childish and naïve. Our enemies are counting on this in hopes of preventing any more destruction." He paused several moments. "But, it's not just our enemies we must prevent from acquiring our written knowledge. There is talk amongst the elders that civil unrest has begun in the younger generations. Many want to bring back the forbidden techniques to prove the Uchiha clan has not weakened."
"People will die!" Nakane could barely speak. "These techniques were banned for a reason."
"Exactly." Makumo smiled. "You understand more than you let on."
"Father, why must our family be so damned?"
"Life is most difficult on those blessed with the position to do great things." Makumo stood up. "It's never about what's best for the clan. It's what's best for Konoha. If the Uchiha clan secedes from Konoha, many ninja will die in the inevitable war. We must not turn on our own kind to save the clan's history."
"We are trying to preserve our future…not the past?" Nakane asked ruefully.
"That's my girl." Makumo nodded.
Nakane tossed the books onto the grass near her feet. Her father retrieved the torch nearby, handing his daughter the fire. She looked up into his face before reaching her hand out. He gave her the torch, watching her solemn face closely. In a swift arch of her arm, Nakane set the books on fire, her eyes trained on the growing flames.
Orange, yellow, red and blue flames flickered before them, highlighting the two figures. Nakane watched as Uchiha clan's history and secret techniques burned at her feet, saddened that the history of one of Konoha's more prominent families was now gone forever.
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Nakane clicked back to reality. Naruto was her closest asset but not close enough to keep him safe if their new enemies decided to attack. She heard Kakashi suck in his breath as Itachi's right hand appeared from beneath his cape, shurikens between his fingers. Itachi must have used this technique on him the last time they met, the Tsukiyomi. Tsunade was more than descriptive in her orders.
"Uchiha Nakane…" Itachi spoke dangerously. "Prepare yourself."
She heard that statement many times before. Nothing unusual about men attempting to prove how powerful they were against her. Itachi's words bounced off her, making her eyes narrow in doubt. Itachi may be a powerful Sharingan holder, just a she, but could he use other techniques? None of the mind techniques would work on her. According to Kakashi, Itachi favored the mind techniques.
"Itachi, tell me one thing." Nakane refrained from smiling. "How far have you gotten with the Kaleidoscope?"
Itachi considered his opponent. How had she heard of the Kaleidoscope Sharingan? Only a few members of the clan knew about the forbidden technique.
"You possess the forbidden technique archives." Itachi said evenly, lacking all tone.
"I don't." Nakane resisted the urge to bring forth the Sharingan from within. "Those were lost years ago. I made sure of that."
Itachi narrowed his eyes over his collar. His Sharingan in full color, he searched the information given to him by his organization 'Dawn' in his head regarding the archives.
"You lie."
"Who are you to call me a liar?" Nakane reached behind her back with one hand, pulling a kunai from its place on the belt. "I destroyed those archives to save Konoha when I was six. No one can use them ever."
"Join us then." Kisame appeared beside Itachi.
"Never." She retorted immediately.
Suddenly, a rush of water crashed through the forest. Nakane turned in time to see the Water Dragon aiming for her at high speeds. In one quick movement, she leapt through the air. She glanced down to find water swirling around the ground, Naruto going under.
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Tsunade stood at the window behind her desk in the lonely office of the Hokage in Konoha village. The desk was the only furniture in the room to keep her company contained several piles of unending and unfinished paperwork. Her arms crossed loosely, she turned at Miss Shizune coming in with out anything in her hands. 'More bad news,' Tsunade decided.
"What is it?"
"Team Seven still has not returned." Miss Shizune did not know why the Hokage asked her to check on this team. "It has been five days since they were sent according to the guards at the gate. Do you want a team to go look for them?"
"No." Tsunade shook her head. "I was merely curious. The White Ninja is accompanying Team 7 back to Konoha from that region. If there is a problem, they should be able to take care of it."
"I wanted to ask about that." Miss Shizune was speaking for a large number of Jounin curious about the rumors Tsunade started. "The White Ninja has never stepped into Konoha before. At least that we know of anyway. Many of the ninja are curious about the person. Seems the secret's leaked out about the White Ninja's return to Konoha and Team 7's departure to that same region. Even the civilians are passing along the rumors."
"Nothing stays secret for long, does it? I'm doing this as a favor." Tsunade looked out of the window. "The White Ninja is coming for a meeting. Konoha will open its gates to our most respected ninja."
"Respected?" Miss Shizune narrowed her dark eyes inquisitively. "The White Ninja's a legend, Tsunade."
Tsunade sighed openly, clasping her hands together. No sense in keeping the information a secret anymore. Many of Konoha's neighboring countries knew. Somehow, the information leaked out just after the Third died. A most suspicious turn of events in her opinion, Tsunade concluded. But then, who was she to question the logic of the Third Hokage?
"The White Ninja is a cover for someone we all know. In stories mostly." Tsunade set her eyes on her trusted assistant. "I guess it'll get out anyway. The White Ninja is Uchiha Nakane."
"The little girl whisked off in the middle of the night all those years ago?" Miss Shizune's eyes widened. "She's really the White Ninja?"
"Yes. With over 500 S-class missions, 735 A-class missions, 339 B-class missions, 245 C-class missions and 1 D-class mission on her record, how could I turn down bringing her back home to Konoha? She turned Jounin at age seven and has been on missions ever since, mostly alone."
"No wonder she's never stepped foot in Konoha." Miss Shizune felt her knees weaken. "When has she had time? Can I ask about why she's finally coming home?"
"Has something to do with the Hokage Blood Seal I received earlier this week." Tsunade replied evenly, slightly bored. "Nothing's going to be easy about her return."
Miss Shizune nodded her head that she understood. Nothing more was said on the subject, reverting to a more professional style to pay some attention to Konoha business. There was too much to do to be idle these days.
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Nakane landed on a tree branch high above the receding waters. Naruto and the others disappeared from the ground, using their ninja tactics to hide from the enemy. She pursed her lips, scolding herself for being careless. Itachi liked to use diversions to take his enemy's attention from the true attack. It almost worked.
"What is he up to?" Nakane whispered.
Suddenly, she felt his presence at her back. She ducked, just missing the Kunai from scraping against her neck. Allowing herself to fall out of the tree, she landed softly on the wet ground below. Itachi followed her closely, using high speed to try to hit her weakened defenses when she let her guard down. The smartest thing to do would be to draw out the battle, let his chakra decrease during the fight and allow him to maximize on the Sharingan. Weakening him through his Kekkei Genkai would be helpful to end the battle her way.
"You are well trained." Itachi commented.
"You expected less?" Nakane kept her feet nimble, ready for anything. "What do you really want? "
More shurikens appeared between his fingers from beneath his cloak of black with red clouds. Nakane concentrated, finding no more water coming towards them. He was after something else. 'But what?'
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Sasuke broke free from the thick vegetation, having wrestled himself away from Kakashi's firm grip. The water helped him to escape, allowing him the opportunity to confront the man he wanted to kill. Yet, not much time passed since their last meeting. There was no way he could match that level, not in his current condition. Sasuke's brow furrowed, gathering the anger, rage and hatred he felt. He would not allow that man to leave without facing any consequences. That man would pay.
Confronted with Nakane and Itachi upon his arrival in the field, he froze where he stood. That man stood icily facing Nakane, watching her with detached interest. Just as that man had done to him the night that man killed his clan, his parents. 'Damn!'
"Nakane…" Sasuke began. "Careful."
"He's not here for you, Sasuke." Nakane replied.
A burst of orange broke free from the green forest beside Sasuke. The young Uchiha barely dodged the enthusiastic arrival of his teammate Naruto.
"What's going on?" Naruto asked Sasuke, his eyes on Itachi.
The guy who tried to accost him before when he went with the pervert Sannin ninja, Jiraiya. Where was Itachi's blue friend, the one with the Samehada stick thing that could dissipate his chakra on contact? He looked around for the guy. Then his senses picked up on something. They were coming fast.
Naruto dodged four kunai thrown at him from an unseen location from high in the trees. Sasuke leapt to the side rather than throw himself up into the air. They landed side by side, their arms in attack formation. Where was Kakashi-sensei and Sakura?
"Look out!" Naruto shouted, finding the blue guy heading towards Nakane from behind.
Nakane already felt the presence of Itachi's companion coming for her. Still, Naruto wanted to contribute to the battle. At that moment, Itachi chose to attack her as well. With fast movements, she positioned herself and readied weapons. Both were strong Taijutsu masters and would be difficult to defeat together.
Kakashi appeared beside Sasuke, his eye shifted from the battle to Sasuke then back to the battle between Nakane and Itachi. Metal weapons clashed against one another in a streak of blue/black/white and black/red colors.
Sakura ran to where her teammates stood mesmerized by the all out battle between the Uchiha clan members. She skidded to a halt, dodging a flung shuriken at the last second. Regaining her composure, she joined Sasuke by his side. Naruto stood at the front of the group, his hands on his hips.
Kisame landed in front of Hatake Kakashi, an evil smile on his thin lips. His yellow eyes against his blue-gray skin gave him an eerie look. But, Konoha's copy ninja did not flinch. In fact, Hatake appeared bored by his sudden appearance.
"Time to deal out some pain."
Kisame lowered his Samehada at Kakashi and his three Genin level ninjas. Kakashi narrowed his eye then reached up with his left hand, pushing up his Hitai-ate. The Sharingan eye with the vertical scar over it stared back at him.
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Nakane dodged, twisted, pivoted and blocked many of the superficial attacks. Itachi mastered his Taijutsu well and knew the most effective ways to utilize the method. She felt her body humming from the intense fight. Still, she was amazed how long Itachi could maintain the Sharingan even during battle. 'His chakra control must be amazing.' A skill he either learned at an early age or he been born with the ability, she surmised.
"Give up." Itachi said. "I will have the clans archives."
Nakane shook her head, blocking an attack with her left hand. Suddenly, Itachi appeared behind her as well as to both sides. Her eyes widened. 'Kage Bunshin!' She smiled then her body disappeared in a crack of smoke. Nakane held a kunai to Itachi's neck the closest to his original position.
"They are gone!" Nakane insisted.
"Not from you." Itachi said quietly.
That was her biggest mistake. Nakane felt his hand grip her arm tightly. Her legs suddenly gave way, unable to keep her body balanced. She felt the power of her Sharingan rising to the surface. Itachi wanted to force it out.
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Naruto noticed over the blue guy's shoulder that Nakane's arm was gripped by Itachi, Sasuke's elder brother. She appeared distressed, her eyes focused on the ground. She flashed her eyes skyward, he could tell the Sharingan eyes were called forth. With a sudden rush, he launched himself passed the guy with the sharkskin, aiming for Nakane. 'What could he do against the elder Uchiha?' All he knew, he could not stand around and do nothing.
"NARUTO!" Came Kakashi's warning toned voice.
Too late! Naruto felt the sharkskin sword slam into his abdomen. Pain registered as his body flew upward then laterally towards Nakane. He pulled his arms in before landing in a hard roll, allowing his body to absorb the shock of the hit as he skidded across the uneven ground. He would worry about the final damages later. Attempting to get to his feet, his legs did not respond. Was he paralyzed?
Sakura stood shocked that Naruto remained alive after a hit like that. Her teammates arms moved slowly, the pain must be unbearable. This blue-skinned guy was dangerous. Way above their ninja level. Kakashi-sensei seemed to already know their enemy. Her hands clamped over her mouth, Sasuke ran towards the blue man just as Naruto did.
Kakashi was quicker to respond this time. His hand gripped Sasuke's collar, yanking him backwards hard. Naruto suffered severely for his attempt to get to Nakane. Sasuke would not escape with a similar fate. Itachi and Kisame wanted to keep them separated from Uchiha Nakane.
"No Sasuke!" Kakashi glanced angrily over his shoulder at his ninja. "This is way above you."
Sasuke clenched his hands into fists. He hated not being considered strong enough to face a tough opponent. His sensei had little faith in him. A fact he resented.
"Kaka-sensei." Sakura began then screamed.
While he had been distracted, Kisame appeared beside Sakura, gripping a handful of her pink hair. He pulled her closer to him, tightening his grip. Sakura whimpered, trying to hold back the pain and crying out.
"Kisame." Itachi's cold voice pierced the silence. "Do not harm those people. They are not of any interest."
The man named Kisame snorted in disappointment behind her, jerking Sakura around in front of him, launching her at Kakashi. Sakura tripped over the uneven ground, her arms flailing for balance. But, the blue-skinned man shoved her too hard to maintain any control.
Kakashi caught Sakura before she fell.
"Sensei!" Sakura looked at Sasuke.
"Hurry up!" Kisame growled impatiently.
Kakashi wondered why Kisame would become so impatient. Then he glanced at Itachi and Nakane. His eye widened. Itachi lowered his head towards Nakane's upturned face, as if to kiss her. He heard Sasuke's shock escape the young ninja beside him.
"What's he doing to Nakane!" Came Sakura's panicked question.
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Nakane felt the full Paralysis Technique at work on her body from the neck down. 'Damn! Where had Itachi learned it? It was a forbidden technique.' Itachi allowed his eyes to accumulate the necessary chakra to utilize the technique fully during their battle. Again, his tactics were well thought and executed exceptionally well. Little time remained if she wanted to escape another forbidden technique, the SHARINGAN KISS.
Itachi lowered his lips towards hers.
Nakane veered her eyes, her Sharingan fully empowered, towards Naruto's aching form. He was awake and the only one close enough to possibly make it work. The young ninja was her last resort. She could not break the technique unless she possessed another source of chakra. Her eyes began to whirl, letting the speed rev to full motion. Nakane concentrated on Naruto's form, penetrating his open mind.
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Naruto squeezed his eyes closed, trying to absorb the pain. The severe pain dished out by the blue guy. Once he got his body to respond to his commands, he would make that guy pay! Suddenly, he felt a chill overwhelm him. He began to shiver.
His eyes opened to a black, orange and green colored world. As if he was reading a comic book. The pain remained, his body curled on the ground, his arms crossed over his abdomen. He looked up to find Nakane standing over him, smiling warmly.
"Naruto." Nakane's voice echoed softly.
"Nakane…" He stuttered, unsure what was going on. "What…what's going on here?"
"I need your help." Nakane kneeled beside him. "Itachi is trying to steal information from me. I will need to use your body but I need you to volunteer. The pain you now feel will disappear once I possess you."
Naruto nodded immediately, his arms tightened across his abdomen. He did not need to think about it. Anything to stop this pain and paralysis. He trusted Nakane not to hurt him.
'What…what are you going to do?' Naruto asked, tears streaming from his eyes.
Nakane smiled at him, placing a hand on his forehead.
"It's okay. You will become my protector."
Naruto liked the sound of that and allowed himself to become possessed by Nakane.
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Itachi lowered his lips towards Nakane, her face turned from him. He reached up with his other hand, turning her face to him. He jerked his head slightly, confused by what he saw. Her Sharingan eyes were whirring. Itachi dismissed this as unnecessary. In a few seconds, he would have access to the Uchiha archives.
A shadow fell across Nakane's expressionless face, the immense chakra unmistakable. 'How can this be?' Itachi looked up just as Naruto's fist knocked him backwards. His grip on Nakane never wavered. Naruto punched him three more times.
Suddenly, Nakane's body began to glow a shimmering blue color, intensifying with each passing second. The threesome seemingly exploded in a gray-blue cloud. Debris, grass and chakra filled the air around them.
Itachi flew backwards through the air dazed. Kisame skidded before the tree, just in time to catch his companion, preventing any further injury.
"Itachi!" Kisame laid Itachi on the ground.
"Leave." Itachi whispered.
Kisame grunted then put Itachi's arm around his shoulders, lifting the Uchiha's weight easily. He hated they once again allowed Hatake Kakashi to live. The younger ninja nor Itachi's younger brother did not matter. He performed the necessary seals with one hand. They disappeared in a small gray-white cloud.
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Kakashi skidded to a halt where Nakane and Naruto lay together unconscious on the ground. Kisame escaped with Itachi. But not before Nakane injured him with that varied form of the chakra-ki technique she used previously.
"Sensei." Sakura checked both Nakane and Naruto's vitals. "What was that?"
"I don't know." He pulled his Hitae-ate down over his Sharingan. "What ever it was, Itachi didn't account for it."
"Itachi tried to kiss Nakane." Sakura pointed out.
"The Sharingan kiss." Sasuke's voice was barely audible. "It's forbidden."
Kakashi spun around to face Sasuke, Sakura blinked at him. 'Could it be true?' He wondered just how much Nakane knew about the Uchiha clan considering her father was one of the two archivists for the clan. He rubbed his masked chin.
"There's a forbidden kiss?" Sakura tried to hide her excitement.
Sasuke ignored Sakura, his hands in his pockets again. They did not understand how bad things could have gotten had that man succeeded. He glanced at his sensei, then realized Kakashi knew exactly what that man wanted to obtain.
"Sakura, some kisses can bring death." Kakashi set his eye on his only female ninja. "Nakane used another technique, namely controlling Naruto, to prevent the kiss from happening. A last resort. But why would Itachi attempt that here? He would need more time to extract what he wanted."
Sasuke remained quiet listening to Kakashi speak his thoughts. His sensei certainly knew more about Sharingan than he let on earlier. Why did he not inform him of these techniques? He frowned, his shoulders tensing up as his anger rose. Did Kakashi not trust him to handle learning more about his clan?
"The Sharingan Kiss can get information from someone then?" Sakura clasped her hands together behind her back. "Does it always end in death?"
"That's what it's known for." Sasuke put in.
Kakashi, Sakura and Sasuke eyed the unconscious pair. Sakura felt a bit nervous learning just how dangerous Nakane truly could be. Was it safe to hang around her? Better Nakane than just alone with her team. She did not think they could have taken the pair alone without Nakane's help, even if Nakane did seem to be their main target.
Kakashi had little information to work with regarding Nakane's alter ego, the White Ninja, except that all of her missions were kept secret despite the class listing. He placed his gloved hands on his hips, eyeing Nakane with intense curiosity. Why had she been kept a secret by the Third Hokage?
Sasuke did not want to think about anything else but learning more about the Sharingan. The best way, keep his mouth shut and his ears open. Sakura seemed best at asking all the right questions their sensei always answered every time. Perhaps, he could talk with her later to make sure that trend continued. Kakashi seemed guarded around him recently. That man had something to do with it. Sasuke sighed irritated.