Chapter Twenty-One
"We're close now, Danzou-san," Even said quietly, a slight tightness in his chest at the sight of the crumbling amphitheater.
"I know. I've been here myself, Even. Did you not fully realize?"
He blinked at those words, and at all that the statement implied. Since Danzou had known of this place, then he had likely known of the legion of dead. No matter that the souls remained with Jeninki and were not truly at rest; they had been made to forfeit their human lives, and their bodies were clearly only corpses. It should have been investigated and ruled upon as to whether this was mass-murder. Yet, the only thing that had brought Jeninki into custody and put an end to his poaching had been his misuse of a forged mission contract to secure two of the victims. For however long Danzou was aware of Jeninki's 'village', he was guilty of complicity in the effort. To a degree, his collusion made possible the event that took Even's face, and forever changed his life.
Little of redeeming value in any of the ROOT endeavors had been revealed so far, despite paying close attention and gleaning more facts here and there in an attempt to put the puzzle together. The grand plan that justified orders such as lying to the Hokage, executing Konoha nins who interfered, leaving wounded comrades to die…what exactly was it? The revelation he expected had never come. More and more, it seemed impossible that any of this could be of benefit to the village. What was Danzou's secret motive behind restoring the man who had taken the lives of so many? What assurance was there that he wouldn't take up where he left off?
The man in question had already sensed their approach, and met them as they began to descend into the amphitheatre. It was provoking, the sight of the tall, dark-haired figure ahead of them at the base of the age-worn stairs. It gave Even a stab of memory from the first time he traveled this way, struggling to keep up in his exhaustion and poor condition as Jeninki had bolted down the steps ahead of him. His stamina was no longer wanting and the situation was very different; both men had undergone drastic changes in their appearance. But the Uzingan user's aura was instantly recognizable, virtually the same as it had been that last time they stood on the weathered stone.
"Well, gentlemen, I was expecting you about now. I even allowed for your slower travel times, Danz. I could tell, you really are getting on in years." Jeninki's fresh young face smiled, his long, black hair lustrous and unbound. He appeared ready to burst with happiness and energy.
"The aging has become unmanageable," Danzou frowned. "You are aware of that."
"We'll address it, have faith. Oh, it is so good to have everyone here! Do excuse me, Iruka-kun, I've just been giddy since I summoned my villagers back. They cling so tightly now, it feels like I've been in the bosom of a group hug for hours." He wrapped himself with his own arms and gave an illustrative squeeze. "Just delightful. They'll settle down soon, but until they do, I'm thoroughly enjoying it."
He wore a beatific expression, and there was no denying that the shinobi Even had abducted to host the Uzingan user was strikingly attractive. His charming look belied the dangerous behaviors the man was capable of. His power was not activated, and only the slightest sparkles of gold hinted at the power in the depths of those vibrant brown eyes.
"Your judgment isn't always reliable when you first gain new flesh, Hidata," Danzou cautioned. "At least try to focus on the situation here."
Jeninki sighed and, somewhat reluctantly, grew more attentive and serious. Still, he seemed to be a bit off, not as quick to respond as he could be.
While it was merely an observation for Even, it was an intense aggravation for Danzou, waiting nervously like a beggar, hoping fiercely that Jeninki would hurry and dole out his portions of youth and lifespan.
"This is our barter, then?" Jeninki said finally, once he turned his full attention back to them. "You'll return what's rightfully mine?"
"He's not an ox or a melon. He's a shinobi with free will. I won't enslave him to you if he chooses to remain with me. He has the right to decide his own fate in this. But I did bring him. You're welcome to try and convince him to stay, and if he chooses to do so, I will release him to you. That's my offer, Hidata. I think it's fair, don't you? You didn't force him to stay the first time he came here, did you? Things have changed irrevocably for him. Make your case as you will, but then, you should allow him to reconsider." Danzou said his piece and waited.
"No, you're right…I didn't force him. He wasn't well-informed as to what he was agreeing to then, I must admit. And when he wanted to back out, I did let him go. Didn't I?" Jeninki waved a hand in invitation for them to follow, turning to start down into the underground passageway. He hesitated at the entrance, pausing to let Even get close enough to touch his face, impulsively stopping him from going any further. To his credit, the man in ROOT armor didn't flinch at all.
He removed Even's mask and carelessly let it drop to the soft earth at their feet.
"This is getting better at a snail's pace. Danz, you need to keep up with the healing. You're too slow, you should have had this done by now." A disapproving frown creased his lips, but only for a moment. His hands were careful as they traced across the rigidly watchful face. The touch was soothing and warm, fingertips charged with slight healing force.
"I've been busy, as you might recall," Danzou said dryly. "What with saving your ass and all."
Jeninki grinned. "I believe I've even missed your smart mouth."
"Restore me, Hidata. My chakra is so tired I can't properly apply the healing when I try."
"Very well. I'll do it now," he said with slightly exaggerated patience.
Danzou's pulse raced in anticipation. In minutes, he would have what he came for. And if Even decided to refuse to become one of Jeninki's villagers, he would be in a better position to battle to take him back, if it came to that. He didn't think it would, though. He truly believed that Even would decline Jeninki's invitation sincerely, and that because he was sincere, Jeninki would let him off the hook.
But ultimately, it didn't really matter that much. Whatever did or didn't happen to Even, Danzou needed these age and lifespan adjustments. Bottom line, he would have slit Even's throat and paid in blood to get Jeninki to fulfill his promise if it was necessary. Nothing was more important than the extension of his vitality.
There would always be some way to forward his plans, with or without Even, just so long as he lived on to do so.
It always came as a shock just how casually powerful the Uzingan user was. There, unhurried in the light of the entranceway, he turned away from Even and reached out without any apparent preparation. He made light touches on the old man's cloth-draped shoulders and arms, and raised a hand as if in a royal wave of acknowledgement. He then slammed the heel of that hand into Danzou's forehead, taking a deep breath and producing a long, sweet, perfectly pitched note that seemed to be a song in itself. When he fell silent and pulled away his hand, the deed was already done.
Danzou stared with an irrepressible grin at the smooth, youthful hands protruding from the sleeves of his robe, where seconds earlier the clawed fists of age had been. Instantly, after the pulse of power that accompanied the songlike sound, he felt it all: the new ease with which his lungs drew air, how his straight sturdy legs held him upright, his back drawing him upright, tight and strong, bearing his body in perfect posture without effort.
Without looking he knew that his face would be smooth and handsome once more. He turned to show it to Even, in his excitement forgetting that he had permanently quelled most of the reactions he hoped to elicit. But Even never saw the result of Hidata's power on his master. He had been directed to turn away at the last moment by a blind shove of Jeninki's free hand, and for lack of a counter-directive by Danzou, he had complied.
Jeninki had already moved back and was reaching out to start on his next task, taking Iruka's arm and preparing to pull him along.
Danzou's inner celebration stilled. The reedy, dry quality to his voice had changed; a more resonant tone gave warning. He moved to block their path into the subterranean tunnel. "Remember. You agreed to give him a choice, Hidata."
"I did." He paused to regard his potential villager, returning his dark, piercing, unmasked stare. "It's going to be your choice, Iruka."
"I am ROOT now, that is my place. You released me from my commitment before I pledged to this one. I would not abandon that post or my oath willingly. I…"
"Ah, now wait, not yet…I must interrupt. Let me finish. It is going to be your choice. But you will not make it this moment. There's more that you need to be aware of, so that your choice is an informed one. A…fully rounded one."
Jeninki's hand slid down the dark-armored arm as he smiled. He was in no hurry, and he didn't seem to be worried about the outcome at all. "You'll have your chance to make your decision. You'll have time to mull it over as well. But we need to get some things straight first. You must listen, and pay attention. There should be no misunderstanding this time."
"It isn't like it has to be all or nothing, not if he remains in ROOT, Hidata. You'll still be working with him. He'll be our go-between. He might even stay over to assist you now and again; I'm perfectly willing to share," Danzou said placatingly, trying to soften the blow. He could afford to be magnanimous now. He was young and alive, and in striking distance of several of his fondest wishes. Even had already been rejecting the offer to stay here. Things were going incredibly well so far.
Jeninki caught Even's arm again and held tight. Even tugged, but stopped when he met serious resistance.
"Release me."
"No."
Even's hand came up in warning, a prelude to forcing his release if Danzou would allow it; but his master held his tongue, merely watching the scene play out, and he lacked permission to act on his own. Jeninki's response was swift; he made a swiping blow with his free hand, nearly too fast to be seen, and a long, horizontal cut appeared across the width of Even's chest, neatly sliced through the supple leather just in between the chest armor and the hard plates of the shoulder caps. Blood welled up instantly and cascaded in a dozen narrow falls of crimson down the terraced front of the polished black armor.
"No disobedience will be allowed. Let me apologize for the wound, however. It isn't a punishment. A certain amount of bloodletting is necessary in order to begin. "
Jeninki's hand now radiated chakra through the armor and beyond, and Even's reflex to jerk away when he realized it was countered by the taller nin's intruding forces. The blood cascading from the chest wound began to sputter and give off steam; its temperature rose to the boiling point now as it left his body, increasing further until the end of each rivulet ended in nothing but a hiss of vapor.
The assault of chakra was thick and colorless as it funneled in through the breach in the breastplates and flesh. It seemed to find its way into Even's system with its own instinct, invading to flood into his bone marrow and seeping to the tip of every finger and toe until he was helpless to move on his own.
His face turned up as it obeyed the foreign chakra, and his wide open eyes met Jeninki's unguarded. The golden whirlpools of the Uzingan had only started their motion and he felt their pull with total familiarity.
"Now, hold on," Danzou said, rising quickly. "Not that way. You mustn't…"
"No, this part isn't negotiable. I need to see to this through. And then, he should hear the truth. He needs to know what his choices truly are. What causes he will be champion of, as your soldier or as mine. And he needs to truly hear it with his heart as well as with his mind." Jeninki, engaged though he was with his subject, had no problem freezing Danzou in place so he could not interfere. "I will make him whole once more."
"It's too late, you stubborn oaf. You'll ruin him. All of the effort we've both expended will be for nothing." Danzou's objection was heartfelt but subdued. He could see that there was no stopping this now. There would be no last minute reprieve.
"For you, with your limited powers, it would be impossible, I agree. But I can perform this procedure, and I intend to do so without any further debate." He returned the focus of his sparkling gaze back to the motionless shinobi. The gold flecks were swirling slowly, their influence just getting started. With only this slight bit of connection, he clearly saw and understood Even's reaction, although he was held motionless. The embattled shinobi sensed what was about to happen, and he was railing against it, trying with every force of will and every skill he possessed to free himself to prevent it. His struggle was ineffective; the freeze was solid and well-applied, the chakra invasion complete, aided by the fact that he had not tried to evade it when it had been cast upon him. His obedience had worked against him.
"I know this will be difficult for you, Iruka. You must have some misgivings about the way things have been going, I would think. You must know by now that when you lose the ability to use all of your nature, part of the truth is hidden from you. Emotion has a quality of intuition all its own. Without it, your puzzle will always be missing the final pieces. " Jeninki smiled almost apologetically, his handsome young face betraying just a bit of regret. The initial discovery, when he looked within, was worse than he had anticipated. The chakra he found severed and sectioned off had already begun to deteriorate severely. Danzou's methods were as cold and cunning as ever. He had accelerated the putrefaction process instead of just leaving it to the natural progression of things. The clever man had been hedging his bet, and it had almost worked. It would be close, but as rotted as Iruka's emotional center had become, it should not be irretrievable.
"It's Even. His name is Even," Danzou corrected dispiritedly, although he sensed that Jeninki's use of his shinobi's previous name was purposeful, intended to show his refusal to accept the evolved persona. The two figures stood as one silhouette against the daylight, framed by the rough-hewn supports to the entrance. The position they held did not alter. Danzou suspected the image was one he would always carry with him as it etched itself on his captured gaze.
The deeper he penetrated in order to manipulate the chakras, the more invasive his connection became, one that allowed Jeninki to pick up very detailed thoughts. Even was projecting protesting thoughts at him fiercely, since it was the only thing he was free to do, but his former cellmate did not let it interfere with his work. Yes, he agreed through their linked awareness, it was not fair, and yes, Even had become a stellar performer given his less-than-promising career up until ROOT. And yes, he fully understood that Even had no desire whatsoever to be made whole once more. Reminding him that he might not feel that way as Iruka did not change his attitude. Even fully believed that Iruka was voluntarily sacrificed when he became the excised piece of himself; what he felt to be his weak, undesirable side. If that weak side were to be lost, the loss was expected and entirely acceptable.
But Jeninki had made his pact with the entire man, and he would only be allowed to renege if he did so in the same essential self as he had been. The man he wanted in his village was more than this battle-ready passionless animatron. Besides, he paused for a moment to reflect…if he were to take Iruka from his mortal shell as is, right now… would he reunite into one self or would it doom him to be fragmented forever? He really wasn't sure how or if that would work. In light of that, it reaffirmed his determination to take the next steps.
With a staggering intensity of concentration, he began the process of reversing Danzou's division of Iruka's being. He removed the first barrier and brought the banished mass to rest against the functional center; by weakening the area where they touched until a tiny breach occurred at the junction, he reintroduced the vital, steely-strong central core to the suffering, starved, critically ill emotional forces. The Uzingan spun madly with the effort.
Having been devoid of feelings for so long, the murmur of their approach was more provoking to Even than the battle cry of any enemy. He felt the pressure of its unfolding presence and tried to steel himself against the full impact. It started gradually at first. In small, stinging hits, reminders of frustration, humiliation, loneliness and fear nipped into his core regardless. Love and loss, aching need, hope and despair…he prepared grimly to fight them off, he had no need or want of them, they would only make him less of what he had worked so hard and given up everything to become. The growing barrage pierced his defenses but failed to find connection …until an opportunistic pang of emotion slipped through and took a fierce hold, an irresistible force with a familiarity he embraced at once.
It was his old friend anger; raging anger, at being manipulated once more with no regard for his will. A trace of the feeling found a foothold and erupted into a flow of outraged accusations, furious thoughts aimed like an arrow at Jeninki.
It was all the confirmation the larger nin needed: the ping of a still-alive emotional response that had made it back into the fold. His smile of victory was only slightly lessened by the knowledge that it was hatred and anger, and that it was directed at him for his role in all of this. These were the breakthrough emotions that had breached the weakness in the border and lured the stolid ROOT mindset into breaking rank. It was only the taste of anger, small and slight, yet it felt like it filled the universe in the vacuum in which Even experienced it. But when he gave in and allowed that feeling to run its course, it opened a pathway he could not control or seal off. His newfound emotions were microscopic in comparison with the avalanche that began to thunder in through the newly reopened portal.
No amount of shinobi training, force of will, or manly mettle could hope to withstand such a shock without reaction. While still largely quiet and held in place by Jeninki's power, Even's frantic struggle for survival was just below the surface, pressing for release against the powerful Uzingan control.
"Damn you!" Danzou growled. His own, inferior Uzingan powers refused to activate as he called on them in a last-ditch effort to counter Hidata's controls." Don't do this!"
Jeninki was repositioning, pausing to prepare his mindset before engaging in the next level of the integration. He spared Danzou a reply, although he did not look away from his subject.
"It's too late to turn back. I have set all of the wheels in motion. The blood has been spilled. It has already begun," Jeninki said softly, turning Iruka's face up with a gentle hand. The pain he saw in the large, dark eyes saddened him. "It's all right. I'm going to help you. This next step in the procedure is going to be the worst of it; it will be very hard on you, I won't lie. But then, I will lessen the disruption and I will maintain control until you achieve basic reintegration and balance. Gradually, we will put you back together again, and then you can make your choice. You have three, you know. Because it isn't between my village and Danzou; it's between my village, Danzou and Konoha. Neither of us are looking out for the best interest of you sworn homeland; and you…"
"Shut up, man! Speak for yourself. My plans will make for a better Konoha! I…"
"Shut up yourself, Danzou! You want to overthrow the Hokage and take the village for you own. That isn't the same as being loyal to Konoha as we know it. My loyalties are with my own people and my vision for their charmed existence. I do not pretend otherwise, nor have I ever."
Iruka and Even were both only distantly aware of this conversation, and while they made out the words to a degree, the shock of thrusting Iruka alongside Even was so severe that the news made little impact. Short term memories were beginning to short-circuit, and life since the separation of his chakra began to lose continuity in both spheres of his mind, large chunks of his recent past burned away like film stopped too long in the destructive heat of a powerful projector.
Jeninki gripped Even's head with both hands to solidify their connection, setting his own feet apart in a steady stance as he used the Uzingan to reenter the tumultuous battlefield that the shinobi's consciousness had become. Small smudges of blood from Even's wound had found their way to Jeninki's fingertips. From there, they had passed onto Even's face; a face still showing the remnants of their last adversarial encounter.
Iruka's shocked plunge back into the main life-sustaining power of his being was not voluntary; he was sucked into the vortex. The unnatural separation tried to resolve itself the moment Jeninki removed the barrier and set the pieces in striking distance. He was no longer equipped to withstand pressure. He had been robbed of access to his ability to reasoning, and had spent too many days without it trapped in darkness, all the while experiencing a slow and certain death. All of the emotions connected with that process had been fermenting, with no logic to temper them; now, the catapult back into life and light was nearly as unbearable.
The new self he helplessly smashed into and through, damaging it severely, was efficient, capable and far more worthwhile that Iruka had ever hoped to have been. His intrusion snapped the firm moorings of his counterpart's logic and drained the nearly invincible strength and inhuman resilience down to nothing in a racing heartbeat. The head-on collision was catastrophic for them both.
The shoe was now on the other foot; it was Even's turn to experience an impending death of sorts. The ROOT persona could not remain existent for long, invaded with such emotional turmoil. The flood of emotion, negative energy amplified a hundredfold by its state of decomposition, tore through the flawless shinobi persona and began to deconstruct it as well.
Logically, he knew at once that this level of damage would be impossible to survive intact. Without Jeninki's force tightly supporting him, maintaining his continuity as the corrosive fusion tore him to bits, he would have ceased to exist already. But for Even, letting go and dying now because it was an easier end was not an option. If he could somehow prevail, it would be his duty to do so, and giving up was a luxury he was not to be afforded. Although every fiber of his essence was torn to shreds and had more than earned the mercy of death, he hung on, weathering the damage that Iruka's chakra unwillingly delivered as it shot through and burned into him.
Jeninki began to infuse a softening chi, to lessen the harsh grinding of the reintroduced elements as they were irresistibly drawing back into one another. It was a delicate operation conducted with the force of a volcanic eruption, no easy task to try and preserve both Even and Iruka until the two reunited as they should. If one or the other were to gain dominance too quickly, not only would the imbalance alter his personality in unpredictable ways, it would also allow the chakra rot to sicken the entire lot as badly as Iruka's imprisoned core had been, and incurable madness could easily result. It was already an issue as the emotional element had intruded with more damaging force than expected and the Uzingan power had not suppressed it quickly enough. Even's persona had taken that initial, critical hit the hardest.
For Iruka the sudden release from sure annihilation was a maelstrom of mixed emotions, unchecked by any balance of logic and reality. Horrified at the destruction his rescue was causing, he would have stopped it if he could. Everything was happening to and around him, but he had no power to influence the events in an way. He was overwhelmed, too gravely ill to take any action, and without the aid of reasoning to counterbalance the heavy burden of holding the entire emotional bag. The pressure that shot him back into the life-giving stream of connected consciousness turned him inside out in the process. The disorientation was complete in every way. As he helplessly rode the infusion into Even's being, he was as beneficial and welcome as a deadly virus.
Jeninki was bringing Even's elements back into form around Iruka's seething mass, settling them together and slowing the rate of mixture, removing some of the frenetic power from the emotional forces to strengthen the decimated logical infrastructure. There would need to be healing applied very quickly once things were set together correctly, else the rot would spoil the system despite its restoration. At least now the outermost fields were rejoined. Once the masses were settled enough, he would restore integrity to the retaining walls of the chakra system first, a basic necessity for survival.
Minutes passed. While the two stood unmoving now, staring into one another's eyes, there was little evidence that anything remarkable was taking place now. Locked under the procedure, the only indication of distress the dark-armored man displayed was that of great difficulty in breathing. But Jeninki had made another slight step toward his goal, and the chakra system was closing well enough that he was ready to begin sealing it. It was the last step before directly addressing the turmoil that would be caged inside. His concentration was still first rate, and the sealing was going smoothly when he was interrupted.
"Company," gasped Danzou. "You have to go, now!"
Jeninki had become aware of it, too, at the same moment Danzou voiced that warning; occupied though he was, he detected the approach of the men the same as Danzou's revitalized young senses did.
He had been careless in starting a procedure of this magnitude without concealing them somewhere first. But he had been distracted by his disagreement with Danzou, and overanxious to have Iruka back again before it was too late to restore him. And now, after expending so much chakra to restore the ROOT leader's youth and in the restoration of Iruka, he would be at risk of losing any protracted battle.
"He might not survive if I break off now, the two spheres of chakra are realigned and connected but I still hold the majority separate at the breach," Jeninki said through gritted teeth. "It will allow the elements back together too abruptly if I just seal this and stop. It will destroy him, or at minimum, his sanity."
"They'll stop you anyway, they won't understand," Danzou said. "You can't let them see you!"
Danzou, for once, was speaking the truth. If Jeninki didn't get away now before he was detected, his advantage of secrecy would be lost.
Instead of peacefully hiding out here, unknown to the world, he would be a hunted man again. There would only be moments to make this decision before the swiftly approaching intruders were upon them.
tbc