Chapter 11
Just Fugaku stepped up to address the clan he noticed two of the Elders sneak out. He signalled Itachi to follow them while he kept an eye on the remaining ten. As he addressed his clan he kept his voice; firm but honest.
"My fellow clansman, it is true that I am the clan head: a responsibility that will be passed to my son and so on. However, leadership is made useless if it lacks the commitment and trust of those following. There have been some grievances shared by a lot of you, and I understand where you are coming from. Yes our current status in the village is worrisome, and yes there are some rights that we have as founders. But the trend and the option that some of us are considering is unspeakable.
As a clan head I have a responsibility to represent this clan to the Hokage and the village council. And I do my job to the best of my ability, but as a father I am ashamed of what this clan has become. As many of you would have noticed, my son Sasuke doesn't stay in the clan compound. This is because I failed as a father; I chose the clan over him and his brother. I have made peace with my children but the scars of the neglect that they endured as sons will never truly disappear.
I have decided to stop putting the clan above my family. The clan wants to eliminate the village and the people who have given my sons the love and examples that I failed to give them. We are one family and if we can't agree on that then, it doesn't matter whether we are treated like royalty or paupers we will never be truly happy. Moreover the rights that we are claiming are nothing compared to the price of going through with this plan. The price for doing this is that our children will grow up with the burden of knowing that their fathers and mothers started a civil war killing who knows how many people over respect and pride. If we do that then how we better than the image the village already has of us…"
"Great speech Fugaku really great speech" said Kai Fugaku's father and one of the Elders "you have really inspired this old man to stand up and fight for what is right. However, before I do that I have a few questions for you. Are you saying that we should just forget the things that we have had to endure, and forgive this village? After everything that they have put us through, not to mention what they failed to do when Shisui died? Do you take our pain and suffering so lightly that you would presume to think that a few strong words will change our minds?"
Fugaku narrowed his eyes and looked directly into the crowd; Tsume was right, it was time to show his clan who is in-charge.
"Today I am presenting each and every one of you with a choice: those who wish to stain the streets of our home with blood stand on the side of the Elders. You feel that enough is enough and something drastic must be done, no one will stop you from making that choice. But if you still have hope for this village then stand with me; I refuse to destroy or harm this village. However before you make your choice know this; once you choose a side you cannot change your mind, no matter what happens."
"Now, now Fugaku it hasn't come to that"
"Yes it has father" declared Fugaku "choose now or I will assume that you all have chosen the side of the Elders"
"Fugaku calm yourself we shouldn't argue I am sure that with…"
"Father if you don't stop talking right now I will show you exactly why I am called Konoha's Dark Wolf"
The tension in the dojo was thick and heavy. The clan did not want to choose Kai, not after all that they had heard. But right now they were scared of Fugaku who looked every bit as dangerous as the Bingo book portrayed him. Kai felt that it was time to implement plan B
"Fugaku you really shouldn't stand so proudly, especially not after what you did"
Fugaku started leaking KI; tone grew cold and dark
"Excuse me?"
Unmoved and confident Kai pressed on;
"You know what you did Fugaku, please don't let me say it before the clan. I wouldn't do that to my own child; especially after you begged me not to. It wouldn't be proper to tell everyone that you are responsible for the death of your siblings."
The shock Fugaku felt lasted only a spilt second, and then his KI flooded the entire dojo. He centred it on his father who was visibly sweating; he expected the comment to break his son, not awaken the Wolf in him.
"Uchiha Kai you are on your last words" gritted Fugaku "I suggest you choose them very carefully"
Kai knew that he could not go back now or else he will lose the advantage. After all he had proof of his allegations, forged proof yes but hopefully no one will be able to tell the difference,
"Fugaku my son I have copies of your diary right here"
The two elders who left earlier stepped forward with the copies; which they handed to a random Uchiha.
"Please read these copies for everyone to hear" said Kai
"No need they are fake copies"
Kai glared at him
"How dare you accuse us of forgery, we are the Elder council"
The random person went poof revealing Itachi under a henge, with his Sharingan activated
"Everyone who can use their sharingan please look at the document"
Now to the normal eye the copy was in Fugaku's handwriting, but the Sharingan was not normal. They picked up tiny differences in the copy; differences that Fugaku would never make. This once again tipped things in Fugaku's favour that is, until the Elders attacked. Their plan C was to kill Itachi, Mikoto and Sasuke forcing Fugaku to step down from his position. Unfortunately for them Kai had awoken the Wolf. Fugaku's Sharingan spun and changed into the Mangekeyou. He trapped five of the Elders with Tsukoyomi; the torture killed them. Once that happened Kai realized that they were all done for; he and the remaining Elders tried to escape. Fugaku was faster; two Elders fell before they knew what hit them. The last two, Kai had managed to escape, were scared shitless. Fortunately for them, Fugaku had other ideas
"I am not going to kill you. You will stop poisoning the minds of our clan members against the village, understood?"
They nodded their heads so fast Itachi thought it would fall off. Everything went smoothly after that. Fugaku's leadership was accepted with open arms. The remaining Elders spent the night in the police cells as punishment for their treason. As for Kai, he made his way to secluded part of the village. When a vortex opened in front of him, and before he could say a word he was killed from a blade to the chest. His assailant vanished into another vortex, disappointed that his plan failed.
The next day
Sozen clan household
Once they were done with breakfast, Sasuke and Naruto were set to go. Sai however went back to his room. When he returned they saw him seal Force Edge into his arm.
"Uh Sai you do realize that we are going to the academy right?" asked Sasuke
Sai blinked "Yes I do"
"So why are you carrying Force Edge ttebayo?"
Sai titled his head; as if to say he couldn't believe there were asking him that.
"Have you two forgotten our luck of getting attacked by people who want us dead? I just want to be on the safe side."
Kari sweatdropped; the funny thing is that Sai was right. Her grandsons had a knack for attracting trouble. Turning to them she instructed them to follow their brother's lead. After gearing up, so to speak, the family made their way to the Academy. On getting there Kari gave them hugs and wished them luck. She gave them their class number, directions and left for home, promising to pick them up after school. While in the hallway they kept discussing how the academy was going to be.
"I just hope we don't have a boring Sensei" said Naruto "history is bad enough, if I have to listen to a boring history class I will lose it"
"Dobe if it is not practical you will lose it"
"I look forward to learning perhaps our Sensei will be able to answer some of my questions"
Sasuke and Naruto shared a look. They sent a prayer on behalf of the person who was unfortunate enough to be Sai's Sensei.
"Well this is it room 106" said Sasuke
Naruto smirked mischievously "wait Teme let's make an entrance"
Sasuke deadpanned then promptly shoved the door open
"Sorry dobe no weird entrances"
Naruto glared at him while Sai smirked at their antics
"Stupid Teme; ruining my fun"
The second they entered all eyes were on them. It looked like their Sensei wasn't here yet. Thing about shinobi in-training is that they made assessments in seconds. The girls saw three badass boys; but wondered if they could back up their looks. The boys simply saw competition. Naruto decided to introduce him and his brothers; smiling wide he looked at them.
"Yo everyone my name is Sozen Naruto" said Naruto "and these are my brothers Sasuke and Sai"
"Pleasure to meet you" said Sai
"Hn"
Sasuke grunted and went to seat down. Naruto stuck his tongue out at him; sometimes Sasuke's cool attitude pissed him off. Sai directed him to the desk Sasuke was; they couldn't afford to fight on their first day here. The class noted the differences between them: Sasuke was the cool, nonchalant one; Naruto was the mischievous one; and Sai was the mediator. Although before any interactions could be made their Sensei walked in: the first one had brown hair tied into a spiky ponytail with a scar across his nose and dark brown eyes. The other one had mop-like white hair with light blue eyes.
"Hello everyone welcome to another school year. For those of you just joining us my name is Iruka and this is my assistant Mizuki."
Iruka looked at his assistant only to find him leaking KI. He was glaring at something; when he followed his line of sight he saw a blond boy with blue eyes. Wait a minute were those whiskers marks on his face, no it can't be. Mizuki's cold tone brought him out of his musings
"Why don't you introduce yourself to the class new kid?"
Naruto shoulders sagged.
'I guess people hate me even here'
"Sozen Naruto"
"What did you do to get your name changed Naruto"
The amount of venom he used to call his name made Iruka wince. It also confused the class, especially Ino. She remembered seeing people glaring at Naruto in the mall the other day. The question is why; and why did she get a headache whenever she thought about him or his situation?
"Mizuki that is enough" chided Iruka "it is good to have you in our class Naruto, what about you two; what your names are?"
"Sozen Sai"
"None of your business" said Sasuke
He was openly glaring at Mizuki; daring him to try something. Iruka sighed; while he could insist he introduce himself he did not want to increase the tension in the room. Thankfully Sai saved him the trouble
"His name is Sozen Sasuke Iruka-sensei"
"Thank you Sai" said Iruka "Okay class we are going to be studying bukijutsu today. So I want everyone to follow me outside now"
"I say we accidently stab that fool for what he just did" gritted Sasuke
"Sasuke we can't do that he is our Sensei" said Sai "also there is no way that you make something like that accidental enough to fool Baa-chan. Hey Naruto, are you okay?"
"No; I don't know why I thought the academy would be different. How about we give the asshole a good reason to hate me?"
"What are you talking about Naruto?" asked Sai
"Follow me"
When they got outside they noticed Iruka and Mizuki standing beside three targets. Everyone was instructed to hit the bulls-eye using 10 Kunai. The minute Mizuki saw Naruto and his brothers he ordered them to the spot hoping to shame them. He was going to regret that decision. Naruto drew ten kunai and with speeds no eight year old should have; he sent nine of the ten kunai dead centre. However, one of the kunai 'accidentally' nearly neutered Mizuki
"Gomen Sensei" said Naruto
Sasuke smirked deviously "now that's what I am talking about"
When it was Sasuke turn he also got a nearly perfect score. However, the last kunai shaved half of Mizuki's hair off; everyone chuckled at the new haircut. Mizuki knew that he was being targeted; what he did next however only worsened his case. Sai previously didn't want to join but when he saw Mizuki hide behind a student he got pissed. So like his brothers he got a nearly perfect score; his one miss cut Mizuki's pant waist and his briefs, unveiling little Mizuki in all his glory. Mizuki shrieked and flashed away, but not before Naruto took a couple pictures.
"Yep I feel better now" said Naruto "nice shot Sai"
"You know you shouldn't attack your Sensei" said Iruka
"And our Sensei should not judge a person by rumour and speculation" said Sasuke
"Iruka-sensei we are not going to apologize for anything" declared Naruto "I am not what he thinks I am and I refuse to seat back and let him walk all over me. Do you understand me?"
Iruka blinked "I see; well good luck. You three are very good"
"And we are really nice people ttebayo, not demons. I mean come on we are eight for ramen sake"
Iruka decided that he was right; it was time to bury old wounds.
"Just be careful alright?"
"Hai Sensei"
Once that was settled Iruka went back to the testing; but now everyone knew who the strongest people in class are. The fact that they were ridiculously handsome on top of it made the Sozen boys the most popular guys in the school. This gave birth to their fangirls. In the Land of Hot Springs a certain pervert suddenly felt very proud of godson.
Hokage Training fields
Kakashi was unsure as to why the Third had called him here. He hadn't still forgiven him; but this was better than paperwork. When he arrived at the centre he saw the Third waiting for him. Something itched at the back of his mind but he put it aside.
"Ah Kakashi-kun thank you for coming"
"Sure what's up Sandaime-sama?"
"Well it has come to my attention that you are now the Godaime Hokage; a Kage of your whole village"
"Yes I am. Sandaime-sama what is going on here?"
'Why oh why am I getting the feeling that I should not have come here?' thought Kakashi
"Kakashi the Kage title is held by the strongest in the village. And for a village like ours we have a history of having legendary Kages. The First was a sage able to control the nine bijuu. The Second was the greatest strategist and water user in the world, till date. The Third is called the God of Shinobi for a reason. The Fourth was the Yellow Flash. Every one of us is marked SS-class in the Bingo Book with a Flee on sight warning. But the Fifth is an A rank shinobi, that won't do"
"So you will take back the seat and allow me to retire?"
The Sandaime scoffed
"Oh God no; even if I do that history will still show one Hokage who was not up to standard."
"So what are you going to do about this?"
The Sandaime pulled out his pipe and took a drag before saying
"Well I am going to start giving you solo missions. They will push you allowing you earn your Kage title. I will also start training you."
Now every Shinobi knew the importance of training. And the chance to be personally trained by the Sandaime Hokage himself; that was an opportunity no one will want to miss. However Kakashi got to the level he is by trusting his instincts; right now they were telling him to run like hell.
"Yo look at the time" said Kakashi "well I have to get going. See you later Sandaime-sama."
"Oh of course you are free to go"
Kakashi remembered the last time the Sandaime used that tone. He nearly got neutered for leaving. He groaned
"You are not really letting me go, are you?"
The Sandaime blinked "Of course I am; if you decide to not train and uphold the tradition, I won't stop you. But remember this Kakashi-kun; I am not as young as I used to be. So sooner or later this village will face an attack that they can't handle. Our enemies will believe that Konoha has grown weak and they will not hesitate to 'test' the waters."
Kakashi sighed "And it will be my responsibility to defend the village"
Hiruzen nodded slowly "if you can't handle it then where does that leave us?"
"Tch I hate it when you get like this" said Kakashi "but I can't deny the fact that you're right. So when do we start?"
"Right now"
Within a blink the Sandaime buried his staff in Kakashi's stomach sending him crashing into a tree.
"Fuck me" groaned Kakashi
"Now, now such language is unbecoming of a Hokage" chided Hiruzen
"Fine then, fuck you for not warning me" gritted Kakashi
"Well surely you didn't think that Tsunade created her monstrous strength from thin air did you?"
Kakashi groaned "I take it back; fuck me"
"Oh stop complaining I barely put any strength in that attack"
Kakashi got up and was about to lift his headband when he received another strike in the jaw. It sent him flying into a branch
Kakashi cursed "oh for fucks sake"
Hiruzen wagged his finger
"No Sharingan; you rely on that implant too much"
"Is this training going to be an excuse for you to beat me senseless?"
"Astute as always now up we go"
Just as he got back to his feet he heard
"Incoming"
He was slammed in the back of the head and got a face full of dirt. After that he refused to stand up.
Hiruzen shrugged "Well I did warn you. Now Kakashi a samurai would not attack you because you are down; fortunately I am not a samurai."
A spike in chakra forced Kakashi to jump just in time;
"Earth style: Earth Spike Jutsu"
"You gotta be kidding me"
Hiruzen blinked "What I am holding back I swear"
Kakashi twitched and while he was calculating how fast he can run away the Sandaime's chakra spiked again
"Fire style: Flower Phoenix Jutsu"
"Shit!"
'Ah I have missed torturing a student' thought Hiruzen
The truth is that the Sandaime knew Kakashi had an SS class Nin in him. The boy was a prodigy for a reason; just as soon as he beat the laziness out of him. Kukukukuku
Outskirts of Konoha
Kabuto was waiting for his master's arrival. The message had been very vague; but he got the gist of it.
"Are you him?"
Turning around he noticed a child with grey-ish blue hair; cold eyes wearing a white top with a purple sash and black pants with black sandals
"Am I who?" asked Kabuto
"Are you Naruto?"
Raising an eyebrow in interest Kabuto replied
"No my name is Kabuto; who are you?"
"Sora" the boy replied
"I see well Sora, why are you looking for Naruto?"
"I need to kill him so that I can be free of this"
That was when Kabuto noticed the covered arm and the amount of demonic chakra leaking off it
"Who sent you here?"
"A snake"
'Interesting, what are you up to Sensei?'
"Tell me Sora-kun, did the snake give you anything apart from Naruto's name?"
"Yes an injection with black fluid and this paper. I will place this paper on Naruto, and then I will inject myself with the black fluid and kill him"
"Is it okay if I see them Sora-kun? I am a friend of the snake"
When Sora gave them to Kabuto he smirked
'A five pronged seal and the demonic extract. Judging from the blank look in his eyes he has been brainwashed to kill. Otherwise there is no way an eight year old will be comfortable with attacking someone else. But why this one, what makes this one special?'
"Thank you Sora-kun but before I take you to Naruto" said Kabuto "why do you want to kill him?"
"To free myself from the Kyuubi's chakra" Sora said plainly
'He's a jinchuriki?! But that's impossible Naruto is the jinchuriki for the Kyuubi. But if what he just said is true then'
Kabuto cackled "very well Sora-kun wait here and I will bring him to you, okay?"
"Okay"
'Oh Orochimaru-sama you are truly an evil genius'
Konoha Ninja Academy
Lunch Time
The Sozen trio were currently hiding on the roof of the school. They were hiding from the scariest thing ever. To truly understand their fear let us go back a few minutes.
Flashback
Iruka had just dismissed everyone for lunch, when a girl came up to them; blushing and giggling.
"Um do you guys want to have lunch together?"
Naruto and Sai were about to give their consent when Sasuke had a very bad feeling. Seconds later another girl came up to them and pushed the other girl aside
"No have lunch with me, not her"
"Who do you think you are? I came here first"
"Yeah so what?" asked Girl 2 "How is that important?"
Just as those two were about to start fighting two girls appeared behind them with wide eyes
"We won't fight you can share us"
And that was the beginning of the end. The first two jumped the other two and then every other girl decided to join in. The boys didn't stick around after that.
Flashback end
From their perch they could see the girls searching for them. The words 'marriage' and 'children' kept flying about; they were eight for Hashirama's sake. The scary part is that some of the girls wanted pieces of them: like their hair and clothes. There was even one girl who just wanted to stare at them indefinitely.
"Girls are so weird ttebayo"
"Definitely; this kind of behaviour is illogical"
"Forget that Sai" said Sasuke "we need to find a way to stop this"
"That may be difficult"
Turning around they noticed Kabuto standing behind them. The excited smirk on his face sent shivers down Naruto's spine. Naruto still did not trust him. Sasuke was thinking about something else
'How the hell did we not notice him standing there? Also if he is that good in stealth why is he still a Genin? No normal Genin should have that level of stealth; unless he is hiding something.'
"Oh hello Kabuto-san" said Sai "we have not seen you in a while"
"Indeed Sai-kun. I actually came to borrow Naruto, if that's okay. I promise to have him back before lunch is over."
Naruto's eyes narrowed at the request. His gut told him that Kabuto was hiding something. Sasuke felt that way too. After all the assassination attempts on their life he knew when someone was playing with him.
"And what exactly do you need me for Kabuto?"
"Oh I will explain on the way Naruto-kun" said Kabuto "but we really must get going"
Now that got their attention. Sasuke turned to Naruto
"Go with him we will see you when you get back"
He however communicated a different message silently: go with him we will follow behind.
"Alright Kabuto lead the way"
"Excellent now we must hurry time for lunch is almost over"
After they left Sai turned to Sasuke
"Now do you see why I carry Force Edge around?"
Sasuke rolled his eyes "yeah whatever let's go"
"Wait if Kabuto was able to sneak up on us how are we supposed to tail them without him knowing?"
Sasuke looked up in thought then smirked
"You know what they say: you can't escape the eagle's eye"
"Nobody says that"
Sasuke clicked his tongue "just listen"
With Naruto
Kabuto was excited. That was all the information Naruto needed. They were heading for the village outskirts; at a fast pace. Naruto knew that Kabuto was not strong enough to kill him. But that is what had him worried. Kabuto was smart enough not to try to take him out. Which begged the question: what was going on here? He subconsciously fingered the seal holding Arashi. His grandmother had instilled a strong dislike for unknowns in him. But perhaps there was a way to get some information.
'Kyu are you there?'
Kyuubi grumbled. He was having a nice nap.
"What is it brat?"
'Do you sense anything up ahead?'
Kyuubi frowned "No I don't. Better question: why are you walking into a trap?"
Naruto pouted
'I'm curious, besides it's not like he can hurt me'
"Ever heard of the saying 'curiosity killed the cat'"?
Naruto rolled his eyes.
'Come on Kyu Kabuto is about to play a big hand here. Aren't you the least bit curious of what it is?'
"And what happens when the hand he plays is above your league?"
'I have you; and Sasuke and Sai aren't far behind. We can handle this'
"Don't say I didn't warn you kit"
Kyuubi was about to recede when he sensed something, familiar. A few minutes later he found out what it was. Kabuto had led them to a clearing; where someone was waiting for them. It was a kid Naruto's age; with dead eyes.
Naruto blinked "uh what the hell is going on here?"
"Is this him?"
Kabuto smiled evilly "Yes this is him, you two have fun now"
The confusion Naruto felt doubled when Kabuto, teleported away. The kid in front of him didn't even look dangerous. Naruto then made a warrior's greatest mistake; he underestimated his opponent. He noticed Sora running towards him; instead he focused on trying to find a trap. Sora rewarded him by slamming a seal on stomach. The seal knocked him off his feet; and locked down his chakra network. Sora tried to take advantage of the situation. Thankfully Sasuke showed up and blocked the follow-up strike. A kick sent Sora careening away from them.
"Naruto are you okay?" asked Sai
"Damn it" groaned Naruto "my chakra is out of control. I can barely use it"
"You guys need to see this" said Sasuke
Naruto saw three things that proved he severely underestimated his opponent. The bandages on his right arm came loose; revealing a demonic arm wrapped in purple flames. Sora chucked a vial containing black liquid: his eyes turned pitch black. The area then became flooded in KI; all too similar to the Kyuubi's. Sasuke was about to ask if he was a demon. However his question became irrelevant when Sora's body was covered in red chakra.
"Jinchuriki" said Sasuke
Sai cursed. They really had the worst luck, ever. He knew Naruto was not at full strength. But he also knew Naruto was too stubborn to let them fight alone. He sighed as they all drew their blades. It was time like this he wondered if someone liked putting them in hard situations. Sai was stunned when Sora charged them at speeds that were, impossible. Sora drove the shock out of them, literally. During the brief mid-flight Sora's right arm extended and grabbed Naruto; he grounded him. Sasuke activated his sharingan and launched an offensive
"Fire Style: Dragon Flame Bomb"
The technique hit dead-on; Sora didn't consider it worth dodging. Luckily Naruto was able to jump away. Sasuke warned them just in time to avoid Sora's response. A new crater was made from Sora's fist. After his counter missed Sora looked at Sasuke;
"You are Uchiha Sasuke; the snake wants you and Sai, alive" stated Sora "but the Kyuubi must die"
Naruto growled "Great just fan-fucking-tastic, another assassin. Who the hell is the snake ttebayo?"
"Move it" said Sasuke
"Sai, ground him" said Naruto
Going through hand signs Sai said
"Earth Style: Underworld"
"Dobe tell me that you have a plan" said Sasuke "Cause that won't hold him long"
"I working on it damn it" gritted Naruto
"Please hurry" said Sai "This guy's tough"
Naruto suddenly had a thought. He had a hunch they could use Sasuke's lightning affinity to stop Sora. Turning to his brothers he said;
"I got a plan, but it is a long shot. Also we may end up destroying the landscape"
"Don't care" said Sasuke
"Okay let's go"
As they raced after Naruto they heard an explosion: Sora was loose. Naruto led them to a lake. They had jumped across when Naruto, stopped. Sasuke couldn't see how this was going to help them.
"Your plan is to what, drown him?" asked Sasuke
Naruto ignored the comment; turning to Sai he said
"I need you to drag him into the lake."
Fortunately Sai was quick; Sora had arrived.
"Earth Style: Mud Dragon Jutsu"
Naruto watched the dragon wrapped itself around Sora and dragged him under. Once that was done he told Sasuke
"Lit it up"
When Sasuke heard that he smirked; he palmed the lake's surface and called out
"Lightning Style: Zeus Field"
The lake lit up like the Fourth of July. Sora crawled out twitching madly then promptly passed out. The boys relaxed in relief; just as the Sandaime, Kakashi and Kari dashed into the clearing. Sasuke could not help himself
"It took you guys long enough. What did you stop for ice cream on the way?"
Naruto rolled his eyes then he ran up to meet them. Lifting up his shirt he asked;
"Baa-chan, what is the heck is this?"
Kari noticed the five pronged seal over Naruto's Eight Trigram Seal. It was too perfect to have been done by an eight year old. She decided to handle the seal before asking for a briefing.
"Hold still dear" said Kari "this is going to hurt"
Naruto gulped;
"Hai Baa-chan"
"Five Pronged Unseal"
Naruto grunted "crap that hurt ttebayo"
"Suck it up Dobe"
Naruto growled "Teme how about I do it to you, so we'll see how you like it?"
"Now, now boys" pacified Kari "Can you brief us on all, this?"
"Also who is this young child?" asked Hiruzen
Naruto scoffed "'Young child' my ass. Jiji that jerk would have killed me if Sai and Sasuke hadn't showed up. Apparently he and Kabuto share the same master."
"And who is their master?" asked Kakashi
"Well we didn't really get a name" said Sai "but he called him: the snake. Whoever that is, wants Sasuke and I alive and Naruto dead"
Sasuke raised a quizzical eyebrow when all three adults groaned.
"Orochimaru is the snake" declared Kari
"Eh how can you be so sure Baa-chan?" asked Naruto
"Orochimaru is smart enough to have spies in our village and yet arrogant enough to unveil them. He is also a snake summoner. He desires to learn all the Jutsu in the world, quickly. For such a feat the Sharingan will be, beneficial."
"Well that is not going to happen" said Naruto "no way are we letting him have Sasuke"
"Aw thanks Dobe"
Naruto's eye twitched at the suggestive tone
"You just had to be a bastard and ruin the moment, didn't you?"
Sasuke smirked "I have no idea what you are talking about Na-ru-to"
"Before you two start fighting" said Kari "why don't you tell us what happened here?"
"Sure thing Baa-chan"
Just before the briefing started, Kakashi sent an ANBU after Kabuto. He came back once the explanations were done.
"Hokage-sama I have some bad news"
"Yes what is it?" asked Kakashi
"I couldn't find Kabuto" said Scorpion "however I tracked his chakra signature. It appears he had a hidden agenda"
"Well out with it" urged Kakashi
Scorpion flinched "Sorry sir; Kabuto and someone else kidnapped Mitirashi Anko. We tracked their scents. But the trail vanished in the Eastern part of the village."
"Wait Anko-nee-chan has been kidnapped?!" asked Sasuke
"We were the distraction" realized Sai
"Did you get anything that will help us identify who this someone else is?"
"Negative Sandaime-sama" said Scorpion "however we retrieved a piece of bone at the scene. It has been sent to the hospital for identification."
Kakashi did not like this one bit.
"Tell the Elders to meet me in my office immediately. Then hand this child over to the Interrogations department." Said Kakashi "We need to find out what he knows, or at least who he is. Kari-san you can take the boys home. We will take care of this"
"You're going to find her right Hokage-sama?" asked a worried Sasuke
"Yes we will Sasuke" said Kakashi "get some rest."
Hokage's Office
Fugaku and Tsume were tense; with good reason. After the incident yesterday with the Uchiha, they deserved a small vacation. So to be called in for an emergency meeting today; it was troubling. The question was: how bad the situation is? Thankfully they didn't have to wait long. When the Sandaime and Kakashi walked in with strained expressions; their tension tripled. Throughout the briefing Fugaku could feel his heart dropping: he nearly lost his son to Orochimaru. However that wasn't the worst of it;
"Orochimaru used the diversion to kidnap Mitirashi Anko. ANBU found traces of a struggle between Kabuto and an unknown assailant on a training ground. Unfortunately the trail disappeared at the Eastern part of the village. How they managed to escape we don't know. All we have is an unconscious eight year old. The child had brainwash seal on him; so information wise the child is useless."
"Hokage-sama I don't mean to be forward here" said Fugaku "but we need to find that girl. She is very precious to my family; especially my son."
Kakashi sighed "Fugaku I don't know where to go from here. The only explanation as to their sudden disappearance is skeptical, at best. The Sandaime speculates that Orochimaru reversed summoned them somehow. So if anyone has any ideas; I'm all ears"
"Can reverse summoning be tracked?" asked Tsume "does it leave a trail any kind of trail?"
Sarutobi stroked his chin in thought;
"Honestly no; however it is a space-time ninjutsu. So there is a trail we can follow. But it will require some very dangerous tracks. Space-time ninjutsu is not a joking matter after all."
"But we can track it" asked a hopeful Fugaku
He was not looking forward to telling Mikoto and Itachi: Anko had been kidnapped by her worst nightmare. Only Kami knows what Itachi would do; especially if there was no way to find her.
"Yes we can track it but this is based on speculation. There is no way of knowing if it will work, or what the consequences will be."
"We understand Sandaime-sama, tell us" said Kakashi
"Very well space-time ninjutsu leaves a trail that can be followed by a summoning animal. The way I see it, I can summon Emma to use the technique. But he will need someone who knows Anko's chakra to direct him, and can keep up with very high speeds. So a Sharingan user who is familiar with Anko will be best. However, like I said this is uncharted territory, even for me."
"We have to try. I will inform Itachi of the news." Said Fugaku "We will meet you at the spot where Anko disappeared. Where exactly is this place?"
"Training Ground 44" answered Kakashi
Fugaku raised a quizzical eyebrow. He wasn't expecting that.
"Very well; I will see you there."
Before he left though Tsume raised a query
"I don't like the idea of sending a thirteen year old on a solo S class mission. It feels as if we are just handing Orochimaru a free Sharingan."
"She has a point Sandaime-sama" said Fugaku
"That is why I am sending Emma with him. Emma can reverse summon all three of us when they touch down. I wouldn't send him in alone either."
"Thank you Sandaime-sama" said Fugaku "I will be going then"
"Good luck" said Kakashi
Uchiha clan household
Itachi was restless. It was a feeling he was not used to. This morning he woke up with an uneasy feeling in his gut. At first he blamed the feeling on the fact that he would not see Anko today. She had told him that she had some things to take care of. But then in the middle of lunch with his father an ANBU showed up. The posture the agent had deepened his anxiety, especially when he said the Hokage needed to see his father immediately. The only reason he hadn't shadowed them was his dad promised to fill him in on what happened. That was ages ago and the man still wasn't back.
'Damn it where is he?' thought Itachi
As though summoned, his father walked in; with a dire expression on his face.
"Dad what happened, is everything okay?" asked Itachi
"Itachi we don't have a lot of time. We need to get to the Forest of Death."
"Dad what"
"Now Itachi I will explain on the way"
His father's vague explanation did wonders for Itachi's heart rate. If not for the urgency in his voice Itachi would have protested. As it was he simply followed behind, trusting his dad would explain soon. When the Forest of Death came into view Itachi nearly began hyperventilating. His condition worsened when he saw the Godaime and the Sandaime along with Tsume; ready for battle. Itachi was getting fed up with being in the dark. Turning to his father he all but demanded an explanation.
Kakashi raised an eyebrow "you haven't told him yet?"
Taking a deep breath Fugaku addressed his son
"Anko was kidnapped earlier today. We suspect Orochimaru is involved. Normal tracking methods have been ruled out, so Emma is going to try to follow the chakra trail. We suspect they reverse summoned themselves away. But he needs someone with a sharingan eye, who is very familiar with Anko's chakra to direct him. It is the only option we have at the moment. This is uncharted territory, but should you land safely Emma will summon us to support you."
Itachi knew; this was not the time to get emotional. He drew on his battle face; cold and calculating. Turning to face Emma he activated his Sharingan
"Let's go"
Meanwhile with Anko
Pain was the first thing her mind registered. It took a minute for her to process how she got hurt. The first thing she remembered was heading to Training 24 to train when… She shot up when she remembered what happened. Kabuto and some guy named Kimimaro attacked her. Kabuto she could have taken down but Kimimaro was another case entirely. At some during the fight she learnt they were working for Orochimaru. How her bastard of a sensei got his hands on a Kaguya she didn't know.
Looking around she hoped against hope she would be in Konoha. That hope was dashed; she was in an underground cell. That means she was captured by Orochimaru's lackeys. She knew how slippery Orochimaru was so chances of her being found were slim. So it was up to her to get out of here. They had chained her to the ground and she didn't have the physical strength to break free. However she wasn't out of tricks; using her hairpin she got to work. Twenty tense minutes later she was free, but when she approached the cell door she heard the laugh that haunted her dreams.
"Impressive as always Anko-chan, my how you have grown. Tell me; did you miss me as much as I missed you?"
Fear gripped her. Her former sensei was standing right in front of her, with a sick smile on his face
"Orochimaru" gasped Anko
Orochimaru chuckled "so you haven't forgotten me; I was afraid that your time with that Uchiha boy had changed you. I have to say though bagging yourself the Uchiha clan heir, I am impressed. Does he treat you well my dear?"
She couldn't breathe. She couldn't think. Not because of the KI that he was leaking but because Orochimaru had Itachi in his sights. Knowing the sadist only Kami knows what he would do to him.
"Hmm what's this you look so pale my dear, perhaps some food will help?"
That was when he did that stunned her: he unlocked her cell door
"Well come then let us get you something to eat" said Orochimaru
"Hai"
Orochimaru's eye flashed dangerously
"Oh so meek what ever happened to my fiery viper? Don't tell me that that boy is responsible."
"NO!" screamed Anko "I mean he didn't do anything"
"Hmm well just say the word and I will make sure he joins this lot here" gestured the Sannin
Looking around the dungeon, she nearly puked. There were human beings; some with missing parts and others with additional parts. When she saw a young girl Sasuke's age with multiple scars, her heart broke.
"How could you do this? How could you do this to them?!" roared Anko "They are human beings you fucking monster. They deserve to be free!"
Orochimaru smirked "Ah there's my viper"
Anko growled "I am not yours. I will never be yours. I don't care if I die here I won't let you hurt this people anymore"
Orochimaru laughed "Ah yes I have missed you my little viper. As proof I will humour you, let us see how much you've grown. But be warned I get bored fast so try to make it entertaining. And no I am not going to kill you; I still have use for you after all. So let's begin."
Orochimaru's KI flooded the area causing her to stumble back. But she was not going to give up; she was going to save these people or die trying. She knew that she had one chance here, especially given the fact that she was injured and low on chakra. Before she struck though the KI disappeared;
"How ill-mannered of me, do you want a soldier pill my dear? My men really did a number on your reserves after all. You know what here take that one it will help. I can't have you passing out on me just when things get interesting."
Anko knew that her Sensei was arrogant but this one time she was thankful. Oh did she have a surprise for him. After taking the pill she formed a single hand sign and vanished into a cloud of leaves
"Konohagakure no Jutsu"
"Oh interesting what does this technique do?" asked Orochimaru
Obviously Anko wasn't about to answer that. However Orochimaru wasn't called a genius for nothing.
"I can't sense anything but leaves. So you divide your entire chakra into bits and then henge them into leaves. Then using a genjutsu you mask your scent and footsteps. My, my Anko you have grown. Unfortunately as long as you stay in that form you can't attack anyone. Leaves are at best a distraction nothing more, and yet they use all your chakra to swarm your opponent. So tell me what use is this annoyance in a fight?"
'You are about to find out' thought Anko
While he had accurately analysed her technique there was more. She and Itachi had worked to develop this technique to suit her strengths. It was time to turn it up a notch. She coated the leaves with wind chakra. The next thing Orochimaru heard before he was nearly diced alive was;
"Leaf Style: Hidden Daggers"
All the leaves struck tearing at Orochimaru viciously; flashing through hand signs he called out;
"Wind Style: Wind Dome"
Unfortunately Orochimaru used the one technique Anko hoped he would. The wind dome prevented most attacks but she was using wind chakra as well. She knew that as long as Orochimaru was inside that dome he couldn't move or sense anything outside of it. So quickly she called out what she hoped would be the finisher;
"Leaf Style: Butterfly"
Innocently named the Butterfly technique was anything but. The leaves formed a butterfly that charged the dome; just before it struck the butterfly lit up with fire chakra. When it hit Orochimaru's scream was drowned out by the blazing inferno. Anko used the remaining leaves to open the cell doors, releasing the prisoners.
"Quickly let's go"
Jailbreak was cancelled when Orochimaru appeared in front of her, he was pissed. He grabbed her neck and slammed her on the ground. He ordered the prisoners back into their cells. The look on his face scared them shitless. Well, all except the little girl who refused to go back into her cell. Her defiance only served to piss him off further. Looking at Anko under him he said
"This is for your insolence"
Anko watched in horror as his hand extended and went through the little girl's chest. She watched him lift her, like some kind of exhibit. She saw the light disappear in her eyes and she heard her last words.
"Don't stop fighting Anko-nee-chan"
Anko screamed when the little girl died. It felt like Orochimaru had ripped her heart out as well as the little girls'. When the pain and shock passed a new emotion took hold of her with a vengeance: hatred. Standing up slowly she growled
"I will kill you, with my bare hands. I swear I will kill you, you sick son of a bitch!"
Roaring she charged him blindly only for him to backhand her to the wall. The blow caused her to pass out. Then Kabuto busted in
"Orochimaru-sama the Godaime, Sandaime and Uchiha Fugaku as well as Inuzuka Tsume are here"
Orochimaru clicked his tongue in annoyance
"Take Anko"
"I don't think so"
Looking up he saw his sensei's summon which means his sensei was close.
"Kabuto we are leaving. We'll come for Anko another time."
And with that they disappeared
Konoha Hospital
This time when Anko came to she noticed she was in the Konoha hospital
"Oh my dear you're awake"
Turning she noticed that Mikoto was beside her bed with Itachi. Itachi had bandages around his eyes.
"Itachi"
"I'm glad you're okay Anko-chan"
"What happened to your eyes Tachi?"
"I used them to lead the rescue team to you."
Anko blinked "How is that possible?"
"Reserve summoning Emma, the Sandaime's personal summon, could use the technique to track you. However they needed a sharingan user who was familiar with your chakra to direct him."
Her heart swelled with gratitude and love when she heard that
"You're always sacrificing so much for me, even when I don't deserve it"
"What happened over there Hidama-chan?"
Tears swelled in her eyes when Mikoto called her that. It was a reminder that she was part of a family, this family. She broke down in tears because she didn't deserve to be part of this family. Mikoto held her and tried to calm her down
"It was my fault Kaa-chan" sobbed Anko "Orochimaru killed a little girl right in front of me, and it was my fault."
"Oh sweetheart" breathed Mikoto "tell us what happened"
And so she did, but at the back of her mind all she could saw was her failure. Orochimaru had killed her because of Anko stood against him. She was dead because of her. When she finished she said
"I will understand if you're angry or disappointed in me. If I didn't try to fight back she would still be alive. I was reckless and stupid and I failed."
The hold Mikoto had on her tightened
"Oh my little firecracker, that was not your fault. I am so proud of you for standing up for them and trying your best."
"But I failed. I couldn't save anyone"
Itachi's voice cut in "One hundred and twenty"
Anko blinked "What?"
"Your kidnapping led us to a place that held one hundred and twenty people, including three pregnant women. You saved their lives Anko. I am sorry about the one you couldn't save I truly am. But she told you to never stop fighting, that means you need to forgive yourself."
Anko knew he was trying to console her but;
"Every time I close my eyes all I can see is her dying face and my failure to do something about it. I don't even know her name."
"Uchiha Akira"
Turning to Mikoto she asked "what does that have to do with anything?"
Mikoto smiled at her "Fugaku recovered the little girl's body from Orochimaru's hideout. I told him to put her on stasis, under the clan's name. So how about we name her and give her a burial worthy of an Uchiha."
"What will that do?"
"We can give her the greatest honour we can give to the dead: meaning. We will bury her as an Uchiha; a member of one the noble clans in Fire Country. We will always remember her as a hero who inspires us to never stop fighting for the ones we love. Uchiha Akira will always be remembered as a hero who gave her life for the benefit of others; gone but never forgotten."
Suddenly the image she had of Akira changed. She remembered her smile as she told her to never stop fighting. For the first time since Akira died she felt like she was going to be okay.
"Uchiha Akira I like that, thank you Mom"
"Oh I love you so much my little firecracker nothing is ever going to change that I promise"
After sharing one last hug together Mikoto got up "I need to go check on Fugaku"
"Thanks mom"
After she left Itachi took her place on the bed causing Anko to remember his eyes
"How bad is it?"
"Not as bad as it looks trust me. Just a day or two with this bandages then I am good to go"
Anko lowered her head in shame "I'm sorry I always seem to be putting you in trouble"
Itachi hugged her
"It is more than worth it, you are more than worth it"
They adjusted themselves so that Anko was sitting in between Itachi's laps with her head on his chest
"I was so scared Itachi"
"Me too, if there wasn't already a plan to save you I don't know if I would have been able to stay sane. I am so glad that you are okay I don't know what I would do without you"
"Nor I you"
Raising her head she got a mischievous idea
"I bet that you can't accurately kiss me right now"
Itachi simply smirked, in that damn Uchiha manner; I mean seriously his clan had the patent on deviously handsome smirks. He then kissed her square on the lips stunning her, pulling back he said
"You were saying"
Hitting him lightly on the chest she said "you're cocky you know that"
"Very but you love me for it"
"Watch it Uchiha or I will swipe that smirk straight out of your face you understand?"
Normally her sweet tone would have been enough to make him flinch. But he had nearly lost her today so he was just happy to see her alive and back to her normal self
"Hmm and how pray tell do you plan on doing that?"
"Do you have any value for your hair or should I set it on fire and post pictures of your new haircut around the village?"
That actually made Itachi flinch because he knew she could actually do it
"Hai I will behave"
'Yep still got it'
"So what's next?" asked Itachi
"Well Mom did leave us here by ourselves. So about you show me just how good you are at kissing with bandages around your eyes"
Smirking Itachi bent down to kiss her again before he sensed something heading their way fast
"What is it Tachi-chan?"
"Looks like Kurenai found out what happened to you"
Anko groaned
"Aw crap she is not going to be happy about this"
"Indeed good luck"
Anko blinked "Wait what"
"Well you girls need some alone time so I am out of here"
"Wait you can't just leave me here"
Itachi kissed her and then vanished three seconds later Kurenai busted through the room only to hear Anko scream "traitor"
"Itachi was here wasn't he?"
"Yep so Nai-chan what's up?"
The look that Kurenai sent her made her wish she could follow Itachi's idea of vanishing
"Do you have any idea how worried I was hmm? I was in the middle of a great book when an ANBU friend of mine ran in to tell me what happened. I ran like a crazy person to the Hokage tower only to find out that a rescue mission had already been put into place. So I had to seat on my hands waiting for any kind of news and…"
If there was one thing that both impressed and terrified her about Kurenai: it was her ability to scold a person for hours on end. The last time she saw it, it was because Itachi had been too slow to take out an enemy. Boy was Kurenai mad; she almost pitied Itachi the lecture she gave him lasted three hours straight.
"And you are not even listening to me!"
"Uh oh come on Nai-chan it's not like I planned on getting kidnapped today"
Kurenai sighed as she calmed down "I know Ko-chan I know I was just so worried about you"
"Well if you really want celebrate my return you can treat me to dango and we can call it even"
"Hmm, well since it is you who worried me. You will take me shopping, and then we will go to the spa for a mud bath. Then we can call it even."
Gaping Anko could not believe what her best friend was planning. Normally for a girl this was a vacation but Anko was a tomboy. She hated mud baths; why would anyone willing put mud on their body and let it dry?
Shivering in fear and possibly disgust she pleaded with her best friend
"Please Nai-chan shopping is bad enough. Please no mud baths, you know I hate that crap"
"It is cute that you think that you think you can get out of this. Now let's go shopping"
"Wait I can't leave the hospital you know I haven't been discharged yet"
"Nice try Ko-chan but I already have your discharge papers here all signed up see?"
"But Nai-chan I don't want to" whined Anko
Meanwhile in a room above them a young child was awakening with the world's worst hangover
"Hello there child what is your name?"
"Sora who are you?"
"My name is Inoichi and I am here to ask you a couple of questions"