Author's Note: This chapter was not easy to write. I had to revise it many times to try to get it to flow better. Hope you like it. Please read and review.
"How…how can you live with yourself?" croaked Anko. Her throat was so raw and sore from her painful screams. Her lips were dry and cracked and a thin trail of blood ran down her back from her neck.
"The sadist of Konoha is upset with a little torture?" Kabuto laughed openly. "At least this is for a purpose. We are a lot more similar than you think, Anko-chan."
Anko weakly tried to spit out the blood in her mouth. But even that was a too strenuous task. It came out as drool and saliva mixed with blood.
She struggled to lift her head up to him. "I'm not like you," she said weakly. "I could never do what you did to me…not to anyone. It's…you're…unforgivable."
Kabuto grabbed her chin and forced her to look at his spectacled and amused face. "You know, I had always hoped that we would have understood each other better. We shared the same master, some of the same techniques, and the will…the will to prove ourselves. You do this by distancing yourself from Orochimaru. I did this by embracing and improving his works. And now I'm standing here and you're chained there."
Anko didn't reply. She feared any response would give her even more pain. Kabuto smiled, satisfied by Anko's submission. He stood up and made to leave. Before doing so, he playfully slapped Anko's neck. And even he winced a tiny bit when the bloodcurdling scream filled the room.
OOO
"There are a lot of birds," Neji noted absentmindedly to no one.
Indeed, Neji had never seen a Konoha sky as crowded as it was now. Birds were flocking to and fro the Hokage tower. They were messenger birds of that, Neji was certain. They flew like real birds but their chains rested in the thin messages they carried on their talons.
Something large had happened, Neji surmised. And he'd bet his life that it had something to do with the Shadow Summit.
His Byakugan was active and he casually watched the latest flock of birds, black like a dark plume pushing through the clouds. Even with a casual glance of his Byakugan, Neji was able to ascertain the bird's origin. These were Kumo bred. Neji held many suspicions. Over the past hour, the amount of messenger birds wasn't the most bizarre thing. The sheer amount of different birds was what caught Neji's attention. They weren't all coming from Kumo. Birds of all the lands flocked to the Hokage tower. Konoha was calling in all its spies.
The power of Neji's Byakugan saw everything even as his mind was saddled with worries and misgivings. The birds of this flock were odd. There was something…amiss with these birds. Neji wished he could watch the birds more closely, but he had problems of his own, problems that reeled his head from the clouds.
"You are truly gifted." Hiashi Hyuuga had once said to Neji. "You see more than any of us."
Neji sighed. He was on his back in a grassy field. His gift was active as it had been ever since he had left the tent. He had fought many battles but never before had his gift saved him as much as it had this time. He bit his tongue. It was too soon to conclude that he had been saved.
He had once counted 7 birds where there were 8. Had he done so again? Had he missed something? Had someone seen him? Were they even now reporting his actions to the village? Were people on their way to bring him to justice as he laid in the grass?
His eyes continued to see but his mind had drifted back into unpleasant thoughts. He found himself travelling back through his memories already to past hours in the morning while he was in the Hokage tent. Neji had no delusions. What he had done would probably reshape the course of the rest of his life. If any one found out, they would call it treason. And they would be right.
Neji began sweating again. His heart raced at a rapid pace. He had spent his afternoon calming himself down from the events of the morning but already, his disposition for calmness failed him.
"It couldn't be helped," Neji told himself quietly, trying to calm his own unrest. "It couldn't be helped. They had already written her off as dead anyway. I had to do it. I had to! She forced my hand! She sealed her fate the very moment she woke up. Konoha wouldn't have survived this. I did the right thing. I…I did the right thing. Didn't I?"
His Byakugan saw a figure in the distance. Subtly, he reached for a kunai within his robes, wrapping his fingers around it and grasping it tightly. He wasn't afraid. He was determined. He already had Konoha blood on his hands. A little more wouldn't damage him anymore than he already was.
"Neji!"
Neji's head snapped towards the figure after hearing the familiar voice. He identified it and breathed easy. He resumed his previous position, now more annoyed alongside his anxiety.
"Go away Tenten," he shouted. "Now isn't a good time."
"Now's the only time," Tenten retorted. "What? You think I don't know?"
Neji froze up. He was almost afraid to ask. "What?"
"Your hand," Tenten pointed. "I know you didn't get that from a tough fight, at least not with another person."
Neji almost laughed upon the revelation. "This?" he raised his hand. "This is nothing, don't worry about it."
"You need to stop acting like this isn't a big deal!" Tenten cried. "People don't bust open their hands for no reason! If it's Hinata…we can-"
"I told you, I'm fine," Neji hissed." And this, this is the least of my concerns right now."
"You're not fine," Tenten softly replied.
Neji turned away, frustrated with his partner. "You don't need to worry about me, Tenten. I'm doing enough of that for the both of us. Anyway…hey, have you noticed the birds lately? Do they look strange to you?"
"Damn it, Neji!" cried Tenten, exasperated. "I didn't come here to talk about birds!"
Neji turned his head back to the clouds. "Well...a lot of people are about to."
OOO
"Anything!" Shikaku bellowed with all his might. "Give me something!"
"We still don't know anything!" cried Homura.
"I don't care if we empty the whole damned nest!" roared Shikaku. "We need information! We need Danzo's location to rendezvous! If his message is right and 3 Kage have been injured, one beyond saving, Danzo might very well be being pursued as we speak! Find out! How did this happen? Send the damned birds! We need intel now!"
"We must deploy the ANBU!" shouted Koharu.
"Without a location, it'd be a blind chase and a waste of men," snapped Inoichi. "Our hands are bound until we know the Hokage's location or his return path."
"There's no way he'd ever reveal that in a message," Homura yelled back. "Not with all that's happened! He can't risk the message being interception and his position being compromised!"
"I need more birds!" Shikaku boomed. "I need messages sent to any teams we have near the 5 Nations borders! I want reports on enemy movement! And until we receive information otherwise, we have to assume Iwa, Suna, Kumo and Kiri are all hostile states. Get the birds in the air and get me those reports. Call on the ANBU ranks! Put them on high alert, ready to deploy on a moments notice! If we see movement along the border, we need to react immediately!"
"What's the size of Iwa and Kumo mobilization?" Koharu demanded. "Send a bird to our contacts in the area. We need to know if they're serious!"
"The Sage himself wouldn't believe this," Inoichi spoke. "This is absolute madness! A single message has just thrown the entire world into chaos!"
"I was a fool for thinking this would end well," Shikaku berated himself. "Alert the Fire Daimyo of the situation. Tell him Konoha recommends he mobilize the Feudal Guard. He has a standing force of 8000 men. If worst comes to worst, we'll need them more than ever."
Papers were flying. People were roaring. Birds were screeching. And chaos ensued with no intention on letting up. And the cruelties continued. An ANBU ninja had appeared beside Inoichi, gravely whispering in his ear. The Yamanaka clan head stiffened at the words and dropped the messages he had in his hand. Amidst the commotion, Shikaku took notice.
"Oh god," Inoichi whispered.
"What is it?" demanded Shikaku. "What happened?"
Inoichi parted his mouth slowly. "Tsunade-sama…she's…."
He spoke the words but Shikaku couldn't believe them. His knees shook as he struggled to stay upright. The world had come crashing down upon their heads. Konoha was in flames. They didn't know where Danzo was. Shikaku had to shake his head violently to part Tsunade from it. Ill thoughts such as those had to wait. Right now, the world had been set to war.
OOO
"You're the Mizukage?" Naruto gasped.
"Was," corrected Yagura, dryly. "To Kiri, I'm a forgotten blemish. And I wouldn't have it any other way. I disgraced myself and I left. To those who knew, I told them to speak of me as dead. Because I am. There is no life in me now, only the desire to correct my mistakes."
"Why are you here?" Naruto asked.
Yagura motioned to the still bleeding body. "I'm here only because my chase led me here. I have…business with my old students. This place…it brings back bad memories."
Naruto felt an inexplicable resentment towards the swordsman who called himself Yagura. Haku placed a hand on his shoulder but he shrugged it off.
"So you destroyed this city?"
Yagura turned away. His face was still youthful but his eyes showed all the ages of the world. "I did."
"Why?" demanded the Jinchuuriki, angry and livid.
"Don't start again, Naruto," Haku cautioned him. "He's a Kage."
"A disgraced Kage, Haku," Naruto corrected.
Yagura raised an eyebrow. "Haku?"
"Yeah," Naruto challenged, testily.
"Naruto, don't," Haku nudged him.
"Haku Yuki," the blonde repeated, pointing to her. "She used to follow Zabuza. You gonna try to kill her too?"
Unconsciously, Naruto had positioned himself between Haku and Yagura. Yagura still wore a strange look on his face. It lasted several moments. He resolved it but his eyes continued to bear an enigmatic description.
"Curious…" he murmured. "…Don't worry. I bear your companion no ill will."
"You asked me why I did this to this city. And the simple reason is because I was ordered to," Yagura stated. "And I was weak…too weak to stand up to my superior…to weak to crush the small yearning of conquest that festered deep within me. No doubt you seek answers, Uzumaki. And after all I've done to you and this city, I feel obliged to indulge you. But understand this, Naruto, Kiri is not Konoha. There was no predisposition to stability. We didn't have some herald like your Shodai Hokage to shepherd us. We had to find our own way there through blood."
Haku suddenly gripped Naruto's arm tightly. Her eyes welted, as she struggled to compose herself. "The Bloodline Purges," she whispered.
Yagura ignored her, wrapped up in his own tragedy. "I cannot guarantee that you will not hate me once my tale is done, Uzumaki," said Yagura. "But know that none hate me more than I hate myself."
Naruto sat and listened. Haku sat as well, her arm locked in his, already foreboding this account that would touch her too closely. Yagura sighed heavily and began.
"Your first Kage…he did more than found a village," Yagura murmured. "He established a culture of tolerance and understanding. Those with kekkei genkai in your village are revered, no? They are praised and accepted. Yet in the east…things are different. The Bloodline limits were not gifts but curses. They are hunted and prosecuted. There has always been blood and chaos in Kiri and no matter the era it always comes in the form of the lineless fearing those with powers imbued through blood."
Yagura closed his eyes. "I was a young boy and for the first few years of my life, there was stability. The last Bloodline Purge had ended a while past and many believed it to be the last of these transgressions. But on my tenth year, they began anew. Peopled had profited from this peacetime. Clans grew and flourished into proud organizations. And in a single instance, the hateful will of the masses turned them into fleeing prey and hiding victims. There was blood and death everywhere."
Haku turned away. Naruto wrapped his arm comfortingly around the shaking ice-user. This man's words melted the frozen wasteland that Haku had buried her memories under.
"Ninja sold out their bloodline comrades. Children sold out their friends. Even spouses turned on their partners. It sickened me. The hatred for people who were merely different could not be justified no matter how many times it happened or how many people supported it."
Yagura held his sword in one hand and balanced his student's blade on the other. "And so, I grew older and more determined. I sought out people to end this cycle. I found a boy who had strength and chakra greater than the sea itself. I found a lad who could turn himself to water. Another I discovered had the ability to turn water to ice. There was also a girl that could alter light without any effort at all and another boy whose eyes could see all. A small whelp I also found with astonishing extrasensory abilities. And lastly, I found a boy who could turn his bones to weapons and rock hard steel."
"The seven swordsmen," Naruto concluded.
"Yes. They were orphans, beggars or hated children near the edge of their lives or sanity. I took them in. I shielded them from the coldness of the outside world and assured them that they had a place and a purpose with me. I taught them to become strong. I taught them to be loyal to the Mizukage and to the village. I…I thought that if people could just see my students and how strong they were despite whatever power they had in their blood, people would look past these mutations and accept the bloodline limits. I loved my students and I needed Kiri to love them to….to see them as they were, ninja of Kirigakure, not simply monsters and mutants."
Naruto wondered what would have happened if Yagura was from Konoha. Would have taken Naruto away from the orphanage and protect him from the disdainful stares of the villagers? Haku also pondered this, wondering what had went wrong and why she hadn't had the future Yagura had promised.
"It wasn't easy," Yagura spat. "The damned Third Mizukage did everything to halt my efforts. The only time he finally acknowledged my students was when he gave my students and I a mission – the most important one any of us had ever undertaken. Destroy Uzugakure. That was our charge and a tall one at that. Many had tried and all had failed. The nigh impregnable city had been the deaths of many ambitious warriors. I wanted so badly to prove my students…to stop the Bloodline Purges. I accepted, knowing that I'd be destroying the pinnacle of civilization, a place so far advanced in culture and all manner of shinobi disciplines that it put us all to shame. "
"And how did such a great city fall?" Naruto almost growled out.
"I haven't the heart to recount it to you," Yagura said. "But the proof is before your eyes, Uzumaki. 8 swordsmen infiltrated the city and razed it…its knowledge, its citizens…its life. And then it was over. We conquered the city and returned to Kirigakure to the celebration of all. I thought I had finally won my students peace and acceptance.
Yagura's gaze turned cold. "But I had been deceived all along. My mind had not been my own. It had been penetrated so delicately and deeply that I could have lived my whole life without ever having known it. A genjutsu of unfathomable intricacy." Yagura paused and looked up at Naruto. "No doubt you're tenant must have already alerted you to this. I was the Jinchuuriki of the Sanbi, the three-tailed monster."
Naruto's sheer shock betrayed him and he tried to appear unmoved but to no avail. Naruto wasn't keen on letting this man know that his seal had been frozen and that Naruto had been cut off from all the Kyuubi, including the demon's insights. Naruto winced slightly and had to keep his hand from drifting to his seal. The Kyuubi was acting up inside of him. He could almost feel his seal, rattling restlessly to the perversions of the captive within. The Kyuubi had been excited.
"The Sanbi Jinhuuriki," Haku whispered, amazed and terrified.
"He knew that I had been placed under a genjutsu," Yagura continued. "And only my will forced him to tell me the truth."
"Then who did it?" Naruto asked, darkly. "Who tricked you into sacking Uzugakure?"
"My superior," Yagura mourned. "The Sandaime Mizukage. He had manipulated my mind so craftily that even I did not know my mind was not my own. But you know the worst part, Uzumaki? I think…I think I would have done it anyway. That was the worst part."
He stood up and hid his face from the listening pair. His fists gripped the delicate handles of the two swords as if they were relics. Naruto was rubbing his stomach tenderly now, knowing that even if he wanted to, he hadn't the strength to stand up angrily again.
"I wanted to prove that they weren't monsters," Yagura grimaced. "So much so, that I became more a monster myself with this act. My people cheered. Their long-standing rival had been displaced from their throne of supremacy. But I had bought love with death. The lives of countless innocents had been bartered for my student's admiration. I would have sacked the city with or without the Mizukage's treachery. But the fact that he did in fact ensnare me led me to confront him. We battled and I struck his arm deeply with my blade. He vanished and somehow, I was left with office of Mizukage."
"If you hate me, it would be deserved," Yagura spoke. "I've earned it. And if we had met a year ago, I would have gladly submitted myself to your judgment however merciful or cruel it would be. But I have grown wiser, at least somewhat in my late days. Fate gives me a final opportunity, not to claim glory and honor. Those things I will never have. But I do have the chance to correct my mistakes and end the monsters I have bred. I will not die until that day comes."
"You have heard my story, Uzumaki. Now tell me yours."
Naruto spoke and Yagura listened, intently. He hung upon Naruto's every word, almost as if Yagura owed him it. Haku also, marveled and listened to the tales of Naruto Uzumaki, many of which he had neglected to tell her on their journey. Naruto felt as if he had talked for years. His account left him tired, weary by the effects of his own life. He had half the mind to just stay here in this abandoned city and live the rest of his days without the turmoil of the outside world, the politics of Kage, the wars of countries or the malice of the Akatsuki. His thoughts mixed with the pain of his seal. It was throbbing terribly.
"He knows nothing of the city…or its people" Yagura remarked.
To Yagura's understanding, this boy definitely didn't look the type but his attitude made up for it.
"I killed his family and destroyed his home," Yagura thought bitterly. "And he is a Jinchuuriki like me. The very least I can do is help him here."
"I can't help you directly, Naruto," Yagura said. "And I cannot linger here long. My path lies with my remaining students and if the hunt is abandoned for too long, I will lose them again. I will give you what guidance I can, however. In the night of the infiltration, a man approached me, holding neither shield nor sword. He walked down the steps of a temple to me. He looked sternly at me and he said to me that No degree of time, would ever wash away my sins. He told me that the people of this city would remember what I'd done. And one day, I would not be able to escape their wrath."
"When all was done, I went back to the temple," Yagura noted sourly. "But it was empty and I could not find him again. If you intend to cure yourself, Naruto, you'd best look there. It is the highest building in Uzugakure bordering the west wall. Pass the bridge and the guardian towers. You will find it adorned with the symbol you bear on your back."
Naruto rose, unsteadily. He had been sweating profusely. He felt very strange. A dark feeling was pooling in his stomach. It had started the moment Naruto had caught sight of Yagura. It jumped in his gut when he realized he was sitting across a fellow Jinchuuriki. The freezing seal was failing him. He staggered in Yagura's directions, Haku supporting him with an arm over her shoulder.
Naruto stopped suddenly. He lowered his eyes. "How long were you a Jinchuuriki?"
"Twenty-four years."
"Did it get better? The…the crashing and howling and the voice making sure you never get a moment's rest? Did all the…havoc go away?"
The older man didn't answer for a while. "No."
And wordlessly, Yagura slipped away.
Naruto fell to one knee. He felt very spread, in a way no one ever should. It was as if the forces of the universe were each puling him in different directions. He wondered if this was what it felt like to eventually fade out of existence. He looked down at his body, half expecting it not to be there.
"Naruto, get up," Haku pleaded, grabbing his arm and hoisting in on her shoulder once more. "You got to get up. We can make it to the temple."
Naruto merely grunted. The cold and warm feeling of Haku's touch raised him slowly to his feet and he dragged one foot in front of the other. It felt almost as if he wasn't even here. It felt like the last remnants of a dream before one woke up. It teetered the line of reality and dreamscape. Naruto wondered if he'd wake up in the next few moments to find himself behind the bars of the Kyuubi's psyche.
"I thought it was okay," Haku panicked as she forced Naruto to continue moving.
"I don't know what happened," Naruto wheezed. "I…think…the Kyuubi. It saw a Jinchuuriki empty of a host. It sees the possibility of freedom. He's doubled his efforts, Haku! I can feel it. His teeth are grazing my mind. Those blood red eyes…they're on me. My head…Everything feels wrong…he's messing with my seal…my…me!"
"We'll make it," she promised him. "Have some faith in me. I'll get you to the temple if it's the last thing I do."
Naruto could think of nothing but one step after the other. Marveled stone faded into cursed journey. All wonder of his external world vanished and the only thing that could capture his mind was his internal realm of torment and the inescapable whips cracking over his head. He wished it was something he understood. It was pain, but never the type he could have ever described to anyone. It hurt and tortured and devastated him beyond anything a blade could do. But it couldn't make him bleed or bruise or welt. He staggered and breathed hard but not from imbalance or winded lungs.
The crashing was getting worse. The wild shrieks intensified beyond anything Naruto had yet heard. Deep within his mind, a golden gate stood worn and battered but intact. And it enclosed a dark endless chasm, with an evil so unforgiveable, people would rather not know. But that malice took form in red eyes and bared teeth. It flung itself and all the might and malevolence it commanded against the gold doors. It screamed and shook the bars, the horrible sound echoing down the halls. It made noises so ungodly Naruto was shaken to his core. It was something more wicked than any craft or idea man could possess. It was simple hatred, bereft of reason or cause. It pooled in Naruto's mind, screaming and screaming and screaming. And almost a beacon to the apocalypse it rang with the devil's toys.
Once upon a time, four years ago, Naruto was shoved off a cliff. He fell into the abyss with only the hope of summoning a frog to save him from the hellish end that wished to take him. He had delved into his mind and saw that evil, unnatural and accursed. So much was it inexpressible and beyond understanding, Naruto remembered afterwards that he had conversed with the fox, that they had exchanged words and came to an agreement between man and beast.
But now, with the might of the Kyuubi being thrown will all force against Naruto, he realized that it had never happened. His young mind had fabricated that scenario to make sense of an entity so far beyond comprehension. How had he taken the power? What were the Bijuu? With the full weight of one, crushing Naruto into the ground, he knew at least, he had never spoken with the Kyuubi. In fact, he knew that to be impossible now. No ear could ever withstand or perceive the indiscernible screeches into words.
The Bijuu. Man had given name to such a thing impossible to understand. It wasn't creature, or beast or even demon. They were altogether beyond comprehension and all manner of resolve. It's shrieks and cries echoed things not of this world.
Naruto could keep his pace up no longer. He couldn't even lift his eyes to see where he was within the city. Every step he took, closer to his goal, the spasm of pain and torture reeled his mind to the brink of insanity. The noise was more painful and more destructive than any word Naruto could use. The pain erupted even if he couldn't physically feel it. The feeling was so peculiar and indescribable and unbearable that he collapsed. He wanted to scream but the pain would persist. His stomach was enflamed. He wanted to gut his stomach but the pain would persist. The pain and curse that tormented him was not of this physical nature.
"I can't!" Naruto screamed. "I…I can't keep going. I can't."
Haku knelt down beside him. She was panicked and beyond alarmed. She held him in her arms as he twitched and moaned. She tried to calm the both of them, stroking his hair and cooing him, glad Naruto could not see the tears rolling down her pale face.
"It's okay," she whispered. "It's all going to be okay. Just a little bit more, Naruto. We're almost there. You just need to have a little faith in me. Come on, you can do this. We can do this."
"I can't," Naruto voiced, barely audibly. "I can't, Haku." His voice was trailing into madness. "I don't have the strength, Haku."
"I do!" Haku yelled at him, desperately. "Don't give up on me, Naruto. We can make it. We're so close. We've come so far already! We can't just give up."
He blinked and saw Haku's beautiful face. His eyelids closed. And he doubted he would ever open them again. Though he saw only darkness, somehow, it got even darker. Another screech was heard. If ever Naruto could have come any closer to understanding what the Kyuubi was, it was in this moment, where he knew if it felt anything at the moment, it was joy. The golden doors were spinning now. They were unhinged, rotating on an axis, stirring up a roaring draft. Neither party could cross but both were intently watching for which direction the golden doors were stop spinning. Was this seal that protected Naruto for so long, continue to face him? Or would the door spin round and his father's seal now forced to imprison Naruto?
He was fading. He could feel it. Even in his own sub-consciousness he was losing himself. It would be soon. At least the howling would end. Maybe then…maybe then he could have…it. And if the last thing Naruto ever saw was Haku, he couldn't be too upset.
"This is what it's like to die," Naruto said. "It's not so bad. In fact, I feel better than I have in ages. Well, dad, mom, Kakashi-sensei, Ero-sennin, I guess I'll be along shortly."
OOO
"Kumo forces are closing in to securing their borders," Ibiki reported. "If we don't make it to the border before they blockade it, we will be trapped in this Land."
"They want to make sure none of the Kage leave the country," Hiashi remarked. "They have more international leverage if they have the Kage for ransom, especially with the loss of their own…"
"All the more reason for us to leave with haste!" Ibiki urged. "We should return to Konoha at once."
"Not yet," Danzo said. "Before I return to Konoha I must seek counsel with the High Master of Yugakure."
"What business with the Land of Hot Springs is more important than getting back to Konoha? Ibiki questioned.
Danzo looked to Hiashi expectantly. "One of grave importance."
Author's Note: The Naruto universe, I feel, lacks subtlety or at the very least, any real emphasis on intangible forces (beyond the typical love and hope). That's how the demons and the Bijuu are portrayed simply as big bad monsters with tails and familiar characteristics. The subtlety, I find does not lie in the size of the beast or his physical power that he imbues Jinchuuriki with. The subtlety I see lost is the very nature of the Bijuu as some manifestation of simple evil, something impossible to portray in a fox or a turtle or what have you.
So don't expect to have any silly conversations with the Kyuubi or any real sense of partnership or engagement. The Kyuubi is simply supernatural with a much grander domain and an incomprehensible and limitless force.
