Bit of a surprise for everyone, as exams are barring down on me harder than expected, I decided to push through and deliver the story in it's completion before the end of the semester (had to in order to fulfill a promise I made a friend). As such, you get a double post this week, and then no posting for about two months while I get settled into summer and get a bit of a back log of work done to help prevent future shortages. Hope this makes up for my lack of posting the last couple months, and be sure that there will be some definite sequels coming (I give you the title of the next one in the next chapter, also posted today). Hope that all of you enjoy the work, and as always, read and review!
I do not own Naruto or any affiliated characters in any way, shape, or form. Hope you enjoy!
Just in case, here are some other disclaimers: I make no claims of ownership over Hiromu Arakawa or Noriaki Kubo in real life or their fictional works. May their great works be always appreciated. Kudos to anyone who can figure out who these people are and get the slight jokes I make in the chapter.
xXxXxXx
Hidan had a look of complete boredom on his face as Kakuzu patiently slithered an eyeball from under his robes out onto the tree in front of him. The eye twitched right and left, animated on a single thread of the ex-Takigakure ninja's strange body. It was a simple brown eye, and looked to be freshly plucked from a corpse. In the dirt lay a broken and bleeding body of a Suna-ninja, one that Hidan had offered to Jashin-sama only a short while ago.
'Figures a traitor would die so quickly…that barely even counted as a sacrifice. I'll have to do better when we find our targets.' Hidan fiddled with his scythe, running a cloth up and down the chain and surface, cleaning off the fresh blood. His eyes were brooding and impatient; Kakuzu knew the two of them were immortal, so why did he always take so damned long to complete a mission? "Kakuzu, why the hell are we not just rushing in and killing these heathens, huh? I mean, I know you are a complete pansy ass shit, but I hate waiting!" His partner remained completely passive, focused only on the moving stalk.
"Listen, I don't want to rush in and face a heavily armed position unprepared. If you hadn't noticed, a few of those members we're chasing are Uchiha…the same as Master." Kakuzu was completely focused on his task, unwilling to rise to the barb of his partner as he searched the clearing in front of him.
"Uchiha? I thought that pansy of a leader of ours was going to destroy that heathenish clan?" Hidan had not noticed the special Uchiha chakra, and was fairly annoyed at himself for missing the detail. Though the immortal was loath to admit it, the truth was that he feared the eyes of that clan. They made the powers of Jashin-sama seem as nothing before their exposed might.
"Apparently a few will have escaped. He will want to know of this development, and will need to be informed quickly." Hidan grimaced as he identified the Konoha stronghold, managing to take note of the bombs and light flares. 'It will be impossible to ambush them, they have the clearing set up just so…on top of that, I believe that someone rigged up air-strike measures, so there is really no avenue of attack open. Plus, there are now three Jinchuuriki in one location…' The temptation of the reward money for such a prize was devastatingly high, but the odds of capturing such a prize were just as astronomical. Grimacing as he came to a decision, Kakuzu turned to his partner and shook his head. "They have a readied base, and far too many operative Shinobi. Even if we were to attack, they would surely defeat us…" Hidan rose to his feet angrily, rage glinting in his ruby eyes.
"That's bullshit! No-one can take us, we're both damned near immortal!" Hidan had already grabbed his scythe and was walking towards the direction of the encampment. "If you're just too much of a chicken shit to fight, then I'll go on by myself then. I'll kill all of them, and make an offering to Jashin-sama out of the lot!" Kakuzu sighed and brought his tendrils out to ensnare and trap his partner.
"We are damned near immortal, Hidan, but only damned near. What would happen if they isolated us, destroyed all of my masks, and then held you in place while they chopped you to pieces?" Hidan grimaced and spat on the ground in front of him, right at the nearest tendril.
"So the hell what, it's not like they know of our powers. We can just rip them to shreds and capture the kids. Once we've done that, it's gonna be child's play to haul the brats off to that puissant Master." Hidan had started to move again, pushing through the tendrils that were attempting to block his path. Kakuzu merely thickened the number of them present, creating a canopy that the man could not slip past.
"Regardless, Master was very specific that we not show off our powers right now. We need to lay low and wait to build up our base more powerfully. Rushing in and attacking now will throw our plans out of line and cost the organization precious lives and money." Hidan once more spat on the ground and now raised his scythe to begin slashing at the tendrils. Before he could, a number of the threads had reached out and grasped the weapon. In an instant, the object was removed from Hidan's side and tossed back into the clearing. It landed with all three blades down into Mukade's cold corpse. Hidan growled and lashed out at the threads, rage now apparent in his every fiber.
"You and your damn money! Fuck money, and fuck those bastards out there! We can fucking kill those pricks in an instant if we wanted to!" Hidan continued to struggle, and so missed the opening of the tendril curtain behind him.
"Lightning Release: False Darkness Jutsu…" A thunder bolt, about as wide as an elephant, raced from Kakuzu and struck Hidan in the back, jolting the immortal. "That's the sort of pain that's waiting out there Hidan, because they have a third Jinchuuriki with them. On top of that, Suien obviously did not fulfill his role as requested, allowing the Konoha brats to slip through his fingers. Mukade also failed to perform, so now we are left with an uncertain situation facing powerful foes. I for one, am not inclined to enjoy that kind of destruction tonight…" Hidan twitched in the blasted crater he had been standing in. His skin was quickly reforming, growing back into place over charred bones and skin.
"Shall we do the immortal zombie routine then? We usually do that when we have a group we want to wear down…" Kakuzu groaned as he looked at the sadistic grin on his partner's face. That look only came out when there was no reasoning with the man. "I go in, all by myself, and get taken out after possibly killing one or two of their members, then tomorrow, you come in and find my corpse and raise me from the dead. Every few days, I come back and wage war on them once more, a demon raised from hell to send them to Jashin-sama…" A three-bladed scythe flew through the air, sailing perfectly into the waiting grasp of Hidan. The smile on the man's face was completely murderous, and his pearly white teeth shined in the moon with the cultist's silver hair.
"Have it your way then…just make sure to not get fried or blown apart too much. Resurrecting you from that is always such a pain…" Kakuzu idly watched as his partner smirked, slinking away into the darkness. "Whatever you do, leave the targets alive. Master needs them for the plan, and I would hate to see you waste all of those potential profits…" A single raised middle finger was the response from the other man before he disappeared into the night.
xXxXxXx
Naruto and Sasuke were being led back to the rear part of the cavern by Kankuro. The older boy had been given the job of keeping the younger kids together, along with a still slightly bedridden Temari. Mikoto had returned to the ward for a few brief moments, but was almost immediately called back out by Shikaku. When the pineapple-head noted that both Fuu and Baki were rested enough and ready for combat, the man had pulled them out to the front lines. Fuu had accidently let slip that, 'this all is going to be too troublesome…' which brought an unusual grin to the black haired man. That little bit of flip had apparently gotten her the unenviable task of reviewing the man's organization.
Fuu looked over the battle plan that Shikaku had drawn up, trying to make sense of the various positions her team might be expected to take. The placement of seal snare spots over all of the claymore mines had been fairly easy, and the trip wires that crisscrossed all over the clearing gave Fuu an easy advantage for placing electrical attacks. Kubo's positioning though was easy to understand though; he was the last line of defense should an enemy breach all the way into the clearing. If the enemy was still going strong at this point, he was to pull back and withdraw from the combat, taking the children with him. If not, Kubo was a definite powerhouse to have in reserve, allowing him to overpower any remaining opponent.
During combat, Fuu was to act as a figure-head for the attacks, using her powerful lightning abilities to draw enemy combatants' hostility. Hiruma was then to use his sealing abilities to redirect any destructive jutsu back towards the enemy that drew too close to the kunoichi. Mikoto was going to be held in reserve alongside Fugaku, and use their Sharingan to both evaluate and analyze the abilities of the opposing party. Together, the two would then strike at any weak point they discovered, allowing them to possibly secure a decisive victory quickly. Shikaku, Inoichi and Chouza were all going to be acting to capture any high priority target using their infamous teamwork. Baki was going to be working as a sniping expert, using his wind jutsu to increase the power of the claymore explosions, as well as directing all shrapnel away from the allied forces. Tsume was merely to mark any enemy that entered the clearing with her clan's specialty stink bombs. It would allow any such target that escaped to be traceable via a nearly odorless chemical disguised in a typical smoke bomb.
As Fuu puzzled over the plan, Shikaku was standing, arms clasped behind his back and feet wide apart, as he looked over the battle preparations. His mind was a blur as he mentally ran through every single bingo book person he could imagine that might want to target this group; Iwagakure was a top priority, as was Yukigakure or Amegakure. All of them had tense relations with Konoha, and all were fairly nearby in terms of being able to attack and harm the area. Each of them also held issues with Takigakure, making the area a hotbed of activity. There was even that rogue group from the Land of Rice Fields that was acting up recently. His frown only grew as he looked out at the battle ground, imagining hundreds of horrific fights similar to this in the last war; it did nothing to settle the veteran's nerves.
The man was shaken from his reverie though by the sudden movement of Inoichi Yamanaka. Rising from a sitting position, the blonde turned to his troubled friend and nodded; the enemy would be among them shortly. From outside the circle of light, a single individual walked haughtily into the clearing. The man was holding a large scythe over his shoulder, all three blades glinting in the artificial light of the clearing. He wore a black cloak that had red clouds patterned across the front and back. Silver hair, and glinting red eyes rested above a psychotic smile.
"So, you all are the bunch of pansies that Kuzu-chan was worried about?" The affectionate title held a great deal of sarcasm and contempt as the murderous eyes swept across the clearing. The man spit once and lifted that massive scythe, turning the red blades towards the man's torso. "I'm not impressed…Forbidden Art: Blood Spawn…" The weapon flicked inwards and imbedded itself into the man's torso. Withdrawing it just as quickly, the weapon was flicked harshly to the side, causing pools of blood to appear. In an instant, creatures of twisted figures and spiky protrusions rose from the ichors'. "Now my children go and bring forth the destruction of Jashin-sama…" The creatures had taken on the shape of jackals, low slung to the ground and without eyes or ears. They had spikes extending from the knee joints and elbows, and a maw of even more jagged edges opened as the beasts roared and leapt forward. They landed on the mines of the clearing, destroying everything in sight as the smell of sudden explosions filled the air. Several of the trees in the clearing fell, quickly shedding far more darkness on the battlefield as the sealed light was hidden. Throughout the deluge of explosions, Hidan stood in the center of it all, darkness and light flickering over his ever growing grin.
"There's only one of them! Ino-Shika-Cho trio attack!" What shadows there were began to warp quickly towards the man, but he just jumped into the air. Giant hands came from the hillside to grab him, but the man merely smirked and slashed his scythe at them, forcing them back for an instant.
"Now you will now the pain of Jashin-sama! I'll make it quick since I have so many heathens tonight!" The scythe was quickly back in Hidan's hand, and his tongue reached out and licked the blood from the blade. Symbols formed on the ground around him, and the man reached out and held his head in place with one hand.
"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!" The blast of wind blared through the clearing, howling as it hit the now skeletal appearing figure. The man was knocked back and out of his circle, though his features remained skeletal.
"Damn you, I'm trying to educate here! You'll get your turn as well, just you wait!" Hidan barely paused to recover himself, already intently dodging shadows that closed in on him. 'I don't know what those shadows do, but I definitely do not like the look of them…' The man vaulted and dodged from side to side, leaping off of the fallen tree limbs and trunks.
Kunai whizzed past him as he maneuvered and suddenly he felt himself rooted to the ground. In the flickering light, the man could just make out the kunai that had missed him and had imbedded in his shadow. 'Shit, got careless there I guess…hope they leave me in at least a few pieces…' The technique held Hidan fast, and he grimaced as a group of ninja approached him. His circle was only five feet away though, so if he could get blood from a few of them, he could at least make an escape.
"I've got him Shikaku..." Giant hands reappeared, bandages forming over a long gash in the right hand of the man. They reached out and gripped the immortal, and Hidan felt the jutsu that restricted his movements fade away completely. The constriction around his torso was painful, but Hidan paid it no mind. It bothered him more that the large man that approached him did not share in his discomfort at the moment.
"Who are you, and what do you want with us?" Hidan grinned in the were-light of the clearing, smiling as he noticed the clearing being cast in only the light of the moon.
"Your jutsu depends on the shadows, and now there's only the moon to help you…what's more…" Hidan bit down hard on the inside of his cheek, drawing blood. "A blood moon casts so little light…Forbidden Art: Blood Moon" The man turned skyward and lobbed a mixture of blood and spittle into the air, which quickly transformed and cast itself across the sky, blotting out the moon and shading it into a red pall. Chouza began to grimace as he felt his wound pulse once or twice before he fell to the ground. Blood had begun to spread at an unbelievable pace, spreading over the form of the warrior, coating him in skin of edges and jagged protrusions. Joining with the sound of the crunching transformation were similar sounds, all coming from where the explosions had been detonated. A shrieking call chilled the bones of the Konoha ninja as the blood hounds reformed before their very eyes.
"Ninja Arts: Mind-Body Transfer Jutsu" Hidan swayed slightly, and his grip on his scythe loosened for a second. In just that moment, Shikaku took a gamble and dashed forward, quickly knocking the weapon away. Hidan's eyes snapped wide open at this, and the Nara knew the jutsu had failed to take full possession.
"You idiot heathen! Without that I can't control them! Oh well, this is going to be fun for all of us now…" The man's hand slashed out quickly, reaching for the Nara's face with long bones at the ends of his fingers. The slash just missed, but the Nara widened his eyes in realization. In an instant, the Konoha ninja had flashed over to the scythe and grabbed the weapon.
"Fugaku, smash this thing! It's a medium for controlling the man's powers!" The Uchiha had his blade ignited as he flashed high into the air, the strike landing powerfully on the surface of the weapon. A small crack appeared on the middle of the haft that then raced up and down the length of the haft. As it broke, a whirl of red and black rushed out from the artifact.
"You're all screwed now, fuckers! You unleashed Jashin-sama's wrath!" Hidan began to cackle, his skeletal form bellowing as countless other monsters poured forth from the broken scythe. The man raced back towards the circle he had drawn on the ground, smiling widely as he landed within the symbol. "Now, face my hoard of blessed avatars! Know the pain and share in it with me!" Countless blood creatures raced towards both the man in the circle and the Konoha ninja, coming close to overwhelming the groups.
Fugaku slashed out and attacked the monsters, his blade severing clean through two or three at a time as he flashed through the clearing. Shikaku and Inoichi were evading as best as they could, firing out explosive kunai left and right. Tsume and Kuromaru were flashing into the clearing quickly, disappearing in blurs of fangs and sword as they hacked through the horde of monsters. In mere moments, the Konoha ninja had managed to avoid serious harm, though each of them had been scraped or cut at least once or twice. The only one without injury was Fugaku Uchiha.
Shikaku leapt back and watched in horror as the slain pools of blood fled back towards Hidan, where the remaining horde was panting around the circle. Hidan smirked in the dim light as the slick ichor covered his torso and opened his mouth wide as it poured down his throat. The blood poured down his open gullet, some slipping past and falling back to the ground only to crawl back up his chest. After a moment, the flow stopped, and the specter spat onto the ground. From the pools of blood, figures rose up and took on stances similar to the various ninja. A sound of crunching accompanied the noise, and the hardened shinobi had to fight to hold down their bile as skin and musculature formed to cover the summoned doppelgangers.
Shikaku found his eyes flashing over to his left as he saw the hulking form of blood covering Chouza shatter and break into numerous pieces. Throughout the fight, the figure had remained completely still; now the blood fell away and began to move quickly towards Hidan. Chouza fell flat onto his hands and knees, panting as he gained control over himself once more. Similar to the others, a large look-alike of the Akimichi formed in front of Hidan.
"Now all of you heathens are screwed! Enjoy the pain with me! It's sure to be satisfying!" All of the figures flashed forward, leaping to engage and attack the others. Before they even got close, a blast of lightning raced across the figures of blood and sinew, halting them in their tracks. At the same time, the majority of the Leaf ninja fell to their knees, convulsing as pain racked their bodies in the form of electrical shocks.
Hidan for his part, burst into cries of ecstasy and joy, "Shit, yes! That hit the spot..." The man had an orgasmic look on his face, even as his own body twitched from side to side in pleasure. A smile split the man's face as he looked on at the Konoha ninja. "Now, let's see how you really scream!" A small rod flashed into the man's hand, extending into a solid black pike. The blade flashed high and plunged towards the man's torso, only to stop an inch or two away from connecting. Hidan struggled to move the implement closer, but found his body rigid and unmoving.
"Shadow possession jutsu success…Sorry, but you're not going anywhere." A single wire line ran from Shikaku to Hidan, illuminated by the remaining lightning scattered across the various unused tripwires. The shadow solidified along with Shikaku's grin, "In fact, you and I are going for a walk…Mikoto, Baki, once I've got him out of that little circle I want decapitation and dismemberment jutsu fired off as soon as possible." Hidan continued to struggle against the shadows, his eyes brimming with rage as they fell onto the Nara. Shikaku moved the man outside of the group and breathed a sigh of relief, only to stare in bewilderment at the laughing lich in front of him.
"This won't stop my pets, you know? You damned heathens are all still going to Jashin-sama!" The horde raced once more towards the group, only for lightning to arc out once more and stop the plasmid monsters. "You goddamned bitch, why don't you come down here and fucking fight!" Fuu grinned from her place atop the hill, shaking a single finger in front of her face.
"You have a very bad mouth, young man! I'm going to have to educate you on proper manner's, aren't I?" A wicked grin was splayed over the girl's face as lightning once more crackled over her frame. Lightning continued to pour from the girl as the monsters were held in check,
"Thanks, Fuu. Mikoto, Baki, I've got him in position I think…" The Nara had shadow-marched the strange figure out of the clearing, leaving him on a mound of downed trees.
"We'll take it from here, Shikaku." Mikoto's clawed hand-wraps glinted in the moonlight, glowing an eerie blue as chakra raced along the edges. "Clawing Winds Jutsu!" Sickles of wind raced as the woman clawed first one hand, then another through the air. The blades hit Hidan along the arms and legs, dropping the man into bloody pieces. As the chunks fell to the ground, Shikaku noted the lack of blood spray.
"Hm, you Konoha ninja aren't too bad with wind attacks I see. But your accuracy leaves much to be desired…Wind Blade Jutsu!" Baki slashed a single hand across his face, and a massive front of wind whipped through the clearing. As it dead, Hidan's torso was separated into several pieces, his head most notably flying and falling at Shikaku's feet. Shikaku turned to complement the two, but jumped back in surprise at a loud yell coming from below him.
"You fucking heathens! You cut off my goddamned body and cut me into fifty million fucking pieces! Screw you!" Hidan's head moved from side to side, animated only by a small stump of neck and the ability to move back and forth slowly. Shikaku stared at the moving head, blinking in surprise. The man shrugged, reached into his pocket and drew out a simple gag. Moving quickly, the Nara positioned himself behind the talking head. "Where are you going, huh? Come back here! I'll bite your legs off!" Hidan was trying to turn himself around to get a glimpse of the shadow user. In a flash, the gag was sealed over Hidan's face, silencing the talking head whose eyes were attempting to disintegrate the other man.
"Good job, Mikoto, Baki. I'm going to go bury this head somewhere so we don't have to listen to it. You should check over the others, I don't think they're too injured." The other two ninja nodded at the man, turning their attention back to the other combatants. The blood monsters had already dissolved, and the rest of the group seemed to be panting while sporting only minor wounds. 'Still, for a single warrior to give ten powerful shinobi this much trouble is unbelievable…We're really lucky his partner didn't decide to fight with him, if he had we probably would have lost a lot of the people on this squad.' Inoichi shook his head as he turned to face his long time ally.
"How did you know what we would be going up against, Shikaku?" The Nara smirked at this, turning to face his friend with the lunatic looking head under his arm. It squirmed once or twice, and the man bopped it on the head sharply to shut it up.
"My clan keeps extensive medical records. One of the subjects of interest for us was the research being done in Yugakure under the cult of Jashin. Once this guy started spouting off stuff about the cult, I knew we needed to fight all out to kill him." Shikaku smirked and pulled a pipe and some tobacco out of the pouch on his chest. "Nice work on the telepathy jutsu by the way, it was really nice not having to say anything to set up our attack pattern." Inoichi shook his head from side to side with a grin on his face.
"Yeah, but my wife will be rather angry when I tell her I used that on other people…she's already steamed enough that I want to use it with Ino…" Shikaku took a single draw from his pipe as he commiserated with his friend.
"Yeah, women are troublesome at times, I agree…well, we better get everyone cleaned up and healed. No telling when this guy's partner is going to show up." Shikaku hefted the grumbling skull and punted it over towards Chouza. The large man had taken the most extensive wounds over the course of the battle; his head was covered in numerous burn marks from where the cursed blood had poured over his skin. "Mikoto, when you get the chance I want you and Fugaku to burn that trophy." The medic barely even looked up from her work before nodding once solemnly. In an instant, she had returned to her task at hand.
"Well, that all went about as well as we could have expected…guess it gets easier from here, right?" Inoichi settled a hand onto his partner's shoulder, who merely began to chuckle. Inoichi frowned, a puzzled look crossing his face.
"Easier? Inoichi, now we have to deal with politics!" The Yamanaka merely blinked once or twice before laughing along with his comrade.
xXxXxXx
Shikaku frowned at the gagged skull that lay on the ground. The red eyes of the man still stared up at him relentlessly, hate filled and manic. They had tried burning, electrocuting, cutting with blade and wind, and even crushing the immortal's skull, and nothing had worked. With time running out, and with that unknown powerhouse still lurking nearby, the group had been forced to adopt a field expedient burial. They left his scattered parts all over, and buried the head last. Inoichi had even tried to enter the mind of the undead juggernaut, only to be repulsed by the man's freakishly strong will. Sparing the skull a last brief grimace, Shikaku kicked the head into the awaiting hole in the ground. Chouza covered it up with a shovel, and the group turned to head towards the Waterfall Village. As they did, Shikaku looked over the group.
No one had been extensively harmed during the fight, but wounds and scrapes were abundant. Mikoto had been fairly drained from her own activities, and the breaking dawn paid testament to the groups' stamina. Chouza still could not fully utilize his injured hand; something with the attack from the berserker had thrown off the experienced ninja's chakra control. Fuu was lagging as well, her frame weary and her two friends supporting her under both of her arms. The kids were close at hand to the Takigakure-nin, Temari and Kankuro standing slightly off to the side from Naruto and Sasuke. Baki hoisted the still resting Gaara over his shoulder, bringing up the rear. The boy had yet to wake from his unnatural slumber, and if they did not reach the village by the afternoon, his health would begin to quickly deteriorate.
Fugaku and Mikoto lead the group with Tsume, the three using their senses to scan the area. Of the entire group, those three were the most rested, making them the natural choice for point guards. Shikaku and Inoichi were bringing up the rear; with Inoichi's sensing abilities and Shikaku's trapping expertise, there was a good chance they could stall any ambush. 'Still, we're barely hanging together as it is…the last two days have been particularly rough on the group…'
Solemnly, the assembled ninja made their way to the village entrance. Fuu reached into her pocket and pulled out a small sealing kunai. Noriaki took the proffered item and threw it into the deluge of water. The falls parted, cascading to either side as if repelled by an invisible boulder of immense size.
"That will hold the gate for a few minutes while we all enter. If you have documents to present, you should get them ready now." Fuu's voice struggled to come out over the roaring waters, but Shikaku managed to catch the important parts. The group stepped inside the falls, and rounded a corner, coming to a vista of beauty. The adults all smiled wanly at the image, and the kids seemed to brighten as well.
Naruto turned to Sasuke, nudging him slightly in the ribs, "This place is prettier than Konoha, you know?" The raven just nodded, his eyes wide in wonder as he gazed at the giant tree that centered the village. There were trees ringing the village itself, and all of them seemed to connect back to the center. Light poured through breaks in the trees, casting everything in a green morning glow. There were shapes moving about in the village proper, an area that ringed the still pool around the massive trunk. Forges could be seen, their morning smoke extending upward from the center ring in pockets here and there.
"It's much nicer than Suna, I'll admit." Naruto and Sasuke both turned to look at Temari, who was smiling happily over the site. "Hey, after the talks end tomorrow, you want to go swimming together, Naruto?" The boy blushed a bit but nodded his head. Sasuke smirked to himself, turning to walk into the village.
"Hey, Sasuke, wait up!" Naruto shouted to his friend's retreating back, who merely turned to look over his shoulder with a sardonic smile.
"Sorry Naruto, but I'm tired and really want to rest. You can catch up with your fiancé on your own." Both Naruto and Temari face faulted at this, turning to yell denials back at the boy. Fuu came up from behind them and placed a hand on both of their shoulders.
"Come on you two, Sasuke's right. You'll just have to arrange your little play-date tomorrow." Fuu chuckled lightly as the two kids both shot her a petulant look before being led back to their separate groups.
xXxXxXx
"There's just so much green…I've never seen this many trees, have you?" a young boy of around fourteen stared wide eyed at the forests surrounding Konoha, taking in the sight of the giant wooden gates and thick ringed wall.
"You and the other kids need to head back inside the carriage. The jonin will manage the exchange at the gate." A woman of twenty with blond hair and stern features gripped the shoulder of the kid, leading him back towards a sprawling caravan. Around the necks of both individuals hung headbands of the lightning village, testament to their professions.
"Ah, come on Yuugito, we've been cooped up in there for most of the trip! Now that we're actually here we should at least get to see the place!" The boy was trying to squirm away while shooting pathetic glances at the older ninja.
"You know the puppy-dog treatment doesn't work on me fusoi. Get back in there and act like a chuunin. You have to pull the role off convincingly now that you've been promoted." The boy shot her a dismayed look, but then pulled away suddenly and ran to the cart.
"Hey, get everything together you little punks! We have to be ready to meet with the diplomats in a bit and I bet none of you are ready, are you?" The youth that had been clambering out of the cart suddenly jumped like frightened cats, running about to gather up food, bags, and other gear that had gotten strewn about on the trip. The yells and commotion faded into the background for Yuugito as she looked on the village of the fire nation.
'For such a peaceful area, there is a lot of security on those walls…' her eyes played over the sets of guards and seals that ringed the great wall of the village, noting that many of them seemed to be active and alert, despite the noon-day sun. 'This level of security does not seem to match our arrival either, as no one is moving around at a heightened pace as we approach. Either they are expecting us, or there is something going on behind the scenes.'
Yuugito kept her guard up as they approached the giant gates, sparing a single glance to check over the company and assure that everything was in order. Fusoi had done his job well; everyone was at attention and in formal ranks. Her pride was short lived though as she noted the yawning of the gates in front of her, and a small delegation party standing at the ready to receive them. The man that approached had blonde hair and eyes of deepest sadness. They were rimmed with dark circles, and the blue in them seemed to be that of a dulled sapphire.
"I, Minato Namikaze, welcome you to Konoha. Under the treaty between our villages, you and your allies will be given housing and food for the first month you are within the village. After that, it is up to you to fend for yourself. The villagers have been informed of your arrival, and are anxious to meet all of you." The words were automatic, and lacked the emphasis of a diplomat such as a Kage.
"I understand, and accept your invitation. We are tired from traveling, and have pushed ourselves a bit too hard to arrive early for this meeting. If it is at all possible, could we put off diplomatic negotiations for the time being, and see that my company is given rest and quarters?" Yuugito was emotionless in her delivery, but she pitched her eyes and face in the way she had been trained to communicate empathy and confusion toward her counterpart's state.
"That would be most agreeable. I will have Hazashi-san here escort you to the Hyuuga estates. They have agreed to watch over you for the time being, and to provide the basic amenities that you may require. As for long term housing, a new district has recently opened up, and will be available for the majority of your company to move into within the month." Yuugito blinked once, her only indication of surprise. It was uncommon for a village to clear out space for new long term residents.
"Thank you very much for your hospitality. I look forward to meeting with you tomorrow to further discuss the details of the agreement between our villages." Yuugito bowed deeply, returning her gaze up to see that the Hokage had only inclined himself ever so slightly in response. His gaze was elsewhere though, and an aura of sadness pervaded from the normally mighty figure.
As the parties paths diverged, Yuugito felt her eyes linger on the older man. There was an emotion stirring deep within her, something that had not happened since she completed her training at eighteen. She was out of practice with identifying such things, and found herself wanting to know what it was that had stirred within her. 'This is an interesting village…perhaps there will be some good things about a change of venue.'
xXxXxXx
Minato breathed a sigh of relief as the Kumo ninja departed. He had been forcing his emotions down through sheer force of will, though they craved bloodshed of those that had harmed his fledgling family. The strength required to force him to speak following protocol brought pangs of guilt to the normally stoic shinobi. He could only think of Kushina as he stood there, thinking back to the hospital bed where she lay. The medical ninja and genjutsu experts had crafted a convincing enough lie about her state of health. Now, she rested in false-life in a hospital bed, dead to the world and to him. The genjutsu even crafted the illusion of breathing, and warmth in her hand, so long as he did not break out of the mindsnare. The medical ninjutsu kept her seemingly alive, lost in a coma of shock due to miscarriage.
The reality of his life made the Hokage hate himself and his position within the village. 'Kushina, and Naruto, will have to suffer this lie unknowingly, but I have to bear the entirety of it alone.' His eyes fixed on the retreating forms of the kumo ninja, and he felt his hands tighten into fists. 'In order to honor her death though, I must accept murderers into my village. Forgive me, Kushina.' The Hokage leapt into the air, his signature kunai flashing across the sky as the man disappeared in the swirl of the void.
xXxXxXx
A single eye snapped open as the sound of ragged breathing reached the listener's ears. Kakashi looked up at Minato from the corner of the Hokage office. Sunlight played into the room from behind closed curtains, backlighting and dimming the room. Papers that were usually well organized lay cluttered across the tabletop, with piles brimming near the base of the desk.
"Sensei, are you sure you wish to be back on acting duty as the Hokage?" Kakashi was worried for his mentor, physically and emotionally. The normal bright eyes of the Hokage were dimmed and faded. "I could technically take a temporary position?" Minato shook his head, regaining his bearings.
"I'm sorry for losing myself for a moment there. I was too distracted to check if anyone would be in my office." The blonde raised his head and hardness shone forth from his eyes. "What did you discover in regards to the Uchiha incident?"
"It looks like only nine of the Uchiha youth survived the civil war. None of the clan elders survived the stasis technique they were placed under, and few of the youth survived as it is. The only good news is that the survivors all hailed from main branch families. So long as all of them have children, the Sharingan will remain within the village." Kakashi pulled a report log out of his pack and handed it to Minato. The older man set it to the side on the desk and nodded for Kakashi to continue. "The worse news though is that most of them remember who it was that struck down their parents." Kakashi watched the other man carefully for any clues about the perpetrator.
"Itachi, correct?" Kakashi nodded. "Good, he did his job properly then. I need to explain the conflict within the clan to the public soon. The decided upon story is that there was internal clan fighting, and that Itachi was sent into the battle to limit the casualties against the rebels as much as possible. The main family decided that there had been no movement from the acting Hokage's to instate an Uchiha as Hokage ever since the time of Madara." Kakashi lowered his eyes, but nodded in assessment.
"That is indeed the case. The truth seems the most logical argument as well. Still, why did Itachi leave the village after the battle?" Minato smiled slightly at this question.
"He didn't. We are going to fake his death, and entomb him in the Uchiha shrine as a hero of the clan. Without his actions, the clan bloodline would have likely died out completely." The jonin hid his surprise well for the plan; only his visible eyebrow raised in response.
"That's going over the heads of Fugaku and Mikoto a bit, don't you think Sensei?" Minato shook his head in disagreement, and pulled a scroll from within his desk.
"This was signed by Fugaku and Mikoto, as well as the elders of the Uchiha clan over a month ago. They knew of the coming rebellion, and were trying as much as possible to forestall the civil dispute. I broached this plan with them after the spring graduation, and though they wished it to not occur, they gave permission for the entombment should Itachi be forced into this fate." Kakashi took the scroll from his sensei and turned to leave. There was a hint of anger in his eyes as he did.
"Would you have allowed this to play out as it did if Obito were still a part of the Uchiha?" Minato flinched at this, shoulders tensing and face settling into a mask of indifference. "Obito was part of the branch family, so why was effort spent saving the bloodline over the people?"
Kakashi turned and faced his teacher, whose head was bowed with a great weight. "Can you convince yourself that you chose your comrades over your mission, sensei?"
"I had to save the clan Kakashi. If I didn't, there might not have been any future Obito's to be born. I know I had to forsake the branch families, but I'm taking the long view on this matter." Kakashi's head tilted ever so slightly forward, but whether it was in acknowledgement or distress was not clear. A moment later, he had left the office.
Minato sighed and began raising the curtains to the office chamber. Summoning up three shadow clones, he set them about fixing things up and organizing the place. The use of the clones clawed at his heart though; Kushina was the one who had demonstrated the technique to him in the first place, hoping it would give him more time to spend at home. A knock on the door roused him from his musings. "Come in." His voice sounded hollow and cracked.
"Lord Hokage." The voice of a purple haired woman in a ponytail greeted him, her brown trenchcoat completely buttoned in his presence.
"Anko, what can I do for you?" Minato gestured her to a chair as the clones cleaned in the meantime. "I apologize for the mess, the last few days have been fairly stressful for me, as you can imagine." Anko nodded, and Minato took the second to notice the rings under her eyes. 'Kushina was always very kind to you; she treated you much like a younger sister, and helped you through your travesty with Orochimaru.'
"Thank you, Lord Hokage, but I'm only here to report from the ANBU mission that Hatake-san and I were assigned." Minato nodded for her to continue. "After locating and investigating the loyalty of those Uchiha in Root, it was discovered that all of them fell on the side of supporting the village. That being said, they were given a recent urgent mission by Danzo days before the attack that involved them journeying into Rice country en masse. There has hence been no report from that group, and they are considered MIA."
Minato steeped his fingers in front of his face, his eyes once more agates of concentration. "Did Danzo give any sort of response in regards to their current status?" Anko nodded once, pulling a scroll from within a front pocket of her trench coat.
"The full report is enclosed therein. Danzo has also requested a search party not be sent out. Such an action could further jeopardize their mission if a party were to draw attention to their presence." Minato frowned at this, some hidden meaning tickling at the back of his mind.
"What mission did Danzo have them on, Anko? Root is not normally authorized to act outside of the village without the Hokage's permission, unless it regards missing ninja." Anko's face tightened at the mention of missing ninja, her hands fisting at her sides.
"They were searching for Orochimaru, Lord Hokage." Minato nodded as such, already coming to several conclusions about the possible damage that might hold. "It is mine, as well as Kakashi's opinion, that ten Uchiha operatives should have been able to bring such a target to ground had his location been correct." Anko was a touched surprised when Minato smirked and shook his head lightly.
"There may be another group involved Anko-san. For now, I want you and Hatake-san to keep a very close eye on Danzo. I also want ANBU to tighten security around my wife for the time being. Her current state gives far too much of a chance for my opponents to prey on." Minato's voice hitched slightly on 'wife' and darkened on 'state'. To an outside observer it would have gone unnoticed, but Anko picked up on the burden of her leader.
"She'll pull through Minato. She made it through the birth of Naruto, and through the extraction of the nine-tails. If anyone can make it through some simple medical problems, it's Kushina." Anko's voice was consoling; one of the few people she ever was serious around was Minato and Kushina.
Noting the downcast look Minato took, Anko took a step forward, hoping to comfort her friend and mentor. "Please leave Anko-san. I…I can't talk about Kushina right now." His voice stopped her when she had neared the desk. "Thank you for your concern; I'll keep you informed about how she's doing."
"Sure thing, boss." Minato smiled weakly at the old nickname, memories of seeing Anko when she was a little kid flashing back to him. "Just know that I'm here if you need to talk." Minato nodded, and in a moment he was left in the office to himself.
Settling back into his chair, Minato smiled wanly as he looked over the village.
"Hah, a punk like you thinks that they can be as great as one of the Legendary Sannin? Look at your spiky blonde hair and goofy face!" A short Anko stared up defiantly at him; she was a third his age, and was still mouthing off to him, despite him substitute teaching at the Academy.
"And what would you know, huh? I'm three times your age and your instructor for the day; you should show respect for your elders." Minato was surprised at himself for getting bent out of shape over some kid. Still, teaching was turning out to be one hell of an experience.
"Your still a punk! All that means is that I have to listen to you because you're older." The girl proceeded to stick out her tongue at him and run off to the playground with the other kids.
Minato held himself back from running after the kid, opting instead to settle in over the load of homework he now had to grade.
Later that day, as he was heading back to his apartment, Minato noticed one girl sitting off by herself. She was crying, and was on her own. Minato went over and approached the girl, but she flinched and tried to run off when he got closer.
"Hey, wait a second, what happened?" His voice caught her, and she turned to face him again. It was the little girl from before, and there were bruises over her face and arms. "Did the other kids do this to you? Which ones was it?" Anko shook her head, and instead ran up and buried her face in Minato's stomach.
"Don't be mad at them, their just stronger than me still. Once I get strong enough, I'll never let them do this again." The girl sobbed into the front of Minato's shirt, crying her eyes out. Minato, nonplussed for a second, began to awkwardly comfort the girl, running his hands up and down her back in a gentle manner.
After awhile, her sobs subsided and she pulled back and away from the older ninja. "Look, if you want to get really strong, the best way isn't going to be to try and hurt those who wronged you. The best way is to protect those you care about. Now tell me, why did those other kids do this to you?" Anko sniffed once or twice, nodding her head a bit.
"I told them that I wanted to be able to serve and protect the Sannin someday…they just laughed at me, and said the Sannin don't need any protection…" her voice faded off for a second before she turned big eyes and tremulous voice on her audience. "But everyone does sometime, right sensei? That's why people need ninja, is to protect them, right?" Minato nodded, and smiled down at the girl.
"That's exactly right Anko. Even the Sannin need those who will look out for and care for them. So pursue your goal, and go after it. Don't let others stand in your way, alright?" The girl nodded, a fierce determination lighting in her.
"Thanks. For a punk who looks like a flake, you're alright!" Minato blanched a bit at this, but smiled when he saw her sticking her tongue out at him. "I hope to see you again, boss!" Her voice echoed back to him as she jumped across the rooftops.
'Maybe the next few weeks as a substitute won't be so bad after all. Who knows, I might be able to help her keep those bullies away from her.' Straightening, Minato turned and headed across the rooftops, gunning for his apartment.
As the memory faded, Minato turned to face his mountain of paperwork. Several of the clones were hard at work, and turned to give him a dirty look. "Come on, boss. You can't just slack off and leave us with all the work." Minato grinned and started flipping through the papers on his desk.
His mood darkened after a few seconds though, his thoughts drifting back to the rouge group he still needed to address. 'Somehow, Madara and other elements are moving through Konoha and gathering intelligenceon us rather easily. Whatever their method of infiltration, I need to discern where this element is, and quickly. Otherwise, diplomacy between villages will be the least of my concerns.'
xXxXxXx
Temari rolled her eyes and sighed. 'These diplomatic meetings are getting really old, really fast. They drag us all out here for a document signing, but we have to greet, socialize, drink tea, and where these horrendously hot kimono in the dead of summer!' Cooling herself with a small folding fan, she looked around at the others. Baki was similarly uncomfortable, though his face gave none of it away. Gaara was seated calmly, arms crossed over his chest and looking none too pleased about the whole affair. Kankuro was somehow still in his all-black outfit, and was keeping a face of absolute neutrality. Only the twitching of his fingers gave away his aggravation with the situation.
The whole party was seated at one of three long tables, set up to allow a center area for diplomats to come and address the group about the treaty components. Whether it was silk merchants, arms dealers, or nobles wanting a say on who got what missions and at what rate, every individual had a say in the matter. Which meant the last day or so had been spent going over these details.
On Temari's side were all of the Suna ninja, and across the open space for petitioners, there was the table full of the Konoha ninja. Temari caught Naruto's eye, who smiled at her and then rolled his eyes comically about the procedure. She smiled at this, stifling a giggle, and gave an imperceptible nod of agreement.
Temari had to admit, as much as a blockhead as the kid could be, he was still sweet in his own way. He blushed a lot whenever she reminded him of the age difference, and was really sensitive about his height, especially since everyone, including Gaara, was taller than him. Still, he was quite gregarious, and had even gotten some of the local kids to come and socialize with them at the beach the other day.
She smiled on that memory, remembering how perplexed Kankuro had seemed at the thought of having outside interactions with others. Gaara had remained as far back from the group as possible, but had been surprised when some of the kids came up and asked if he wanted to build sand castles. That had left the poor kid completely confused for a minute or two, but before long there was a giant castle that had ramparts and everything standing on the beach.
Temari flicked her eyes over to her younger brother, and was surprised again when he caught her stare and raised the corners of his mouth ever so slightly. After he had awoken from his prolonged sleep, he had apologized to both Kankuro and Temari. He then had gone on to explain what happened with Yashamaru, and why he had been withdrawing from them ever since. Temari had embraced him, crying over what had happened. Kankuro for his part remained mostly quiet, but clapped a hand on his shoulder, promising that the two of them would try to find more time to spend with Gaara.
Gaara's wide eyes, and tentative smile were all that the two of them needed to know that things would be alright.
"As that is the last petitioner, we are now ready to close the talks and begin with the signing of the Tri-village Treaty. Would Naruto Namikaze, Gaara Sabaku, and Fuu Heiki please step forward." Temari was roused out of her musings, and turned to face the head table of Takigakure ninja. Fuu was walking around the table, and was escorting Gaara to the front. Naruto walked on his own from his side to stand in front of the head table.
A large scroll had been placed in the center of the table, and attached to it by chains were two other identical rolls of parchment. The proffered one was unrolled, and three large empty sections were placed in front of them.
"Place your hands in the ink provided, and channel chakra into your fingers. The mark you leave will be signed to you then, and will mark you as a representative for your village. Each of these scrolls serves as a binding commitment to the treaty. Any of the representatives who ever partake in combat involving their jinchuuriki against a member of another of the respective villages will have their name removed from this treaty. As a copy of this will be presented to each of the respective villages, it will be a testament to the level of faith and cooperation that exists between our people." The diplomats voice rang clear through the room, and excitement could be seen in many of the members eyes. For the younger generation, it was a chance to end the dreadful talks, while for the older generation there was hope for lasting peace.
"Sign your full name, your age, and the name of your tailed beast in the space provided. This contract is spiritually binding, so do not be concerned by any changes you might feel internally because of this document. Also, be warned that the document will sense if you are lying." As the words and names were scrawled across the paper, Temari watched closely. She noticed that Naruto and Gaara were around the same age, though Gaara was slightly older. What struck her as odd was the age that Fuu signed. 'She better not be trying to trick the thing, the guy just said that the seal will tell.'
A flash went up from the scroll as the three stepped back, and Temari sighed inwardly. 'I knew that there was no way that Fuu was 87, that would make her as old as the second Kazekage.'
The diplomat stepped over to inspect the document, and nodded once. "Thank you very much. Copies of this scroll will be taken by the advance party from here to the respective villages. Please note that the order will be first to the Hidden Leaf Village, where a ritual concerning the marriage meeting of Naruto Namikaze and Temari Sabaku will take place, as well as further discussion on the reconfiguring of market and mission price between our villages with the civilian council." Temari blinked several times as the session broke up, going about their separate ways.
'What? But she signed that document incorrectly? What's going on here?' Temari kept her voice in her head, but she began to watch the Takigakure ninja as closely as possible. 'We've already been attacked several times since we arrived on this mission, and all of them have been near Takigakure. Something is not right here…'
xXxXxXx
Well, that's all for this chapter. Race on to the next one and see what else is in store to come. There will be angst, drama, and a much needed plot development before a slight teaser for the next arc as well. Hope you all liked the story, cause it's racing to the climax!
Just a point of coolness at the end, the story has over two hundred alerts which I find to be astounding. Thanks so much for the support everyone and I hope to see your comments as we wrap this sucker up!