Chapter 21: The Sage of Storms
Naruto Uzumaki's eyes opened, taking in a filthy and dimly lit sewer. He stood in refuse-laden, cloudy water that came halfway up his calves. After his first few visits to his mindscape he'd started visualizing himself wearing knee-high boots. It made the walks through the twisting tunnels slightly less unpleasant.
Of course, before that he'd tried actively re-imagining his mindscape, but that didn't work. In theory he should have been able to craft his inner world into something more pleasant, like a stretch of forest outside of Konoha, but after repeated failed attempts he'd come to the conclusion that the Kyuubi was probably resisting the change. He didn't understand why the demon fox wanted its surroundings to be so dismal, but any change he made was gradually undone in his absence.
Naruto navigated the sewer tunnels easily, heading for the point of maximum malevolence until the tunnels opened up into a vast chamber half-sealed off with golden bars and an elaborate seal over the lock. Two baleful red eyes stared out from the darkness beyond. What do you want, kit?
Naruto suppressed a shiver. In the mindscape the demon didn't speak; its voice resonated through his head. "Just checking in on my favorite passenger, seeing how things are going," Naruto replied lightly.
Massive teeth flashed in the darkness as the Kyuubi grinned at him. I expected you sooner. Come to scold me for my little trick?
Naruto shook his head, his reflective eyes intent. "Why would I? After all, if I was as selfish as you I'd have no complaints about the Soul Mirror. It gave me the power to save my friends from Han in the Land of Earth. It gave me the most amazing woman I ever could have asked for. I'm still put out with you over what you tried to do to Ino, but even there you failed. She's strong, and she'll recover. You, on the other hand, will still be in here."
The Kyuubi's mirthful chuckles hummed through the sewer chamber, creating ripples in the water. "What's so funny?" Naruto asked.
Short-sighted as always, kit, the Kyuubi explained lazily. You never have been able to look past the next step, the next fight, the next battle. What's funny is that you think I failed; you think you've won. The game has barely started.The Kyuubi shifted forward, its massive head moving up into the light, its mad, glowing red eyes boring into Naruto. I almost feel sorry for you kit, so I'll explain. I've been a prisoner of your line for more than a century. I've learned patience in that time; I've learned to plan ahead. Have you?
"You're bluffing," Naruto growled.
The Kyuubi laughed again, its expression gleeful, malicious. Am I? Kit, I could speak a few words and shatter every bit of happiness you've found. But I'm not going to. Watching you stumble along thinking you're in control is just too much fun.
Naruto shook his head. "You know what I think, Kyuubi? I think you're the one who desperately needs to believe he's in control. I accept events beyond my influence and change what I can. I think you're the one who wants to forget he's in a cage."
A snarl that shook the room was followed by a violent tremor as the giant fox slammed its shoulder into the bars of its prison, one massive paw shooting out from between them, coming to a half less than a meter from Naruto's face. He didn't flinch, just watching the trembling claws straining to rend his flesh before being withdrawn into the cage. "Temper, temper," Naruto murmured, shaking his head. "You can't harm me, remember? I guess my dad never considered that you might try to attack me with a gift of chakra – kudos for thinking of that, by the way – but those claws won't hurt me."
Just you wait, kit,the Kyuubi panted. You've tied yourself to a demon far older and meaner than I. He won't always be your friend; you've already seen it. You're a tool to Uzumaki, nothing more.
"You're probably right," Naruto murmured. "But that, at least, I know wasn't part of your plan. You tried to hide his existence from me. I remember that dream." The sewer shook gently around them once, and then again. Naruto looked up at the ceiling, his gaze losing focus a moment later he vanished, pulled back to the world of the waking.
The Kyuubi curled up to rest with the departure of its captor, but one last sly grin crossed its face. Oh kit… you believe I didn't want you to find your ancestor? Go on thinking that… the Kyuubi yawned, and then its glowing red eyes slid shut and its breathing slowed as it settled down for a nap.
Naruto's eyes opened, taking in a stone ceiling of his bedroom in Uzushio, and the lovely face of his girlfriend hovering over him, her mirrored eyes crinkled with concern that eased when their gazes met.
"Naruto-" Hinata cut off with a surprised squeak as he hooked an arm around her neck and drew her down for a kiss. She made an exasperated noise in her throat, but surrendered willingly enough to the embrace. When their lips parted she gave him a fond half-glare. "Jerk; I was worried. You wouldn't wake up at first."
Naruto sat up in bed. "Yeah, sorry; I was having a talk with the other demon in my life," he slapped his stomach as he spoke. Then he got a better look at Hinata and blinked. "Hey, wow… where did that come from?"
"Do you like it?" Hinata asked, a pleased smile crossing her face at his nod. She twirled slowly, the knee-length cape of dark blue silk she wore billowing out at the motion. It covered her shoulders and was clasped below her throat with a broach in the shape of a silver beetle with sapphire eyes. Hinata wore a wrap-around top of a paler blue fabric that covered her breasts but left her midriff bare, displaying a wealth of smooth skin stretched over toned muscle. A skirt of the same pale blue hugged her waist and fell to her ankles, which were adorned with silver anklets carved with herons. Finely wrought silver bells hung from the sides, tinkling musically when Hinata moved.
"Chaim sent up a wardrobe full of clothes like this last night," Hinata explained. "I've never even seen pictures of what people wore in Uzushio before its fall, but this style… it's nice for the climate, if a bit revealing."
"I have no complaints," Naruto replied honestly, ogling her. The brief top didn't wrap nearly as tightly as kunoichi chest bindings, so Hinata's generous assets were well displayed, including a triangle of tantalizing cleavage below the cape's broach.
Hinata grinned in response. "I didn't ask where the materials came from; probably stolen goods. But they've all been adjusted to my size. Now I know why his niece wanted to take my measurements last week."
"Well you look amazing," Naruto told her. Hinata's hair was done up above her head with silver pins that had sparking sapphires worked into their ends, and matching earrings sparkled on her lobes. Naruto decided that the outfit made her look like a tropical princess; a delicious princess. But even as he shoved away that distracting thought, he remembered what day it was. "Oh, crap; what time is it?"
"You have plenty of time," Hinata assured him, "Your outfit is a lot simpler than mine. Although you probably should get up and take a shower."
Naruto nodded and climbed out of bed, heading for the shower. Uzumaki had something big planned, and he'd asked Naruto and Hinata to attend the event, which was to be held in a newly refurbished amphitheater on the edge of Uzushio. A month ago it had been filled with the rubble of a fallen tower, but the Exiles had cleared and then repaired it with the same zealous industry they had applied to repairing other parts of the slowly reviving city.
After his shower, Naruto emerged to find that Hinata had laid out his outfit on the bed. "We're sure this is formal wear?"
Hinata nodded. "As weird as it seems, yes."
Naruto sighed. "Well, if all the other guys will be dressed like this then I guess it'll be okay." He picked up the pants, which were knee-length shorts dyed bright red with virulently yellow palm trees stitched on it. When the outfit had been presented to him along with others like it in the closet, he had been shocked to realize that the embroidery was done with gold thread; it was oddly ornate for pants that looked like something a beach tourist would wear.
Hinata helped him slip into a robe of dark blue silk like her cape, this one adorned with a large eye on the back done in silver thread. It was open in the front, leaving his defined pectoral and abdominal muscles on display. Its sleeves were short, ending above his elbows. "I feel like a particularly tacky boxer," Naruto complained as he examined himself in the mirror.
Hinata, standing behind him, licked her lips. His breath caught when her fingers traced over his taut stomach. The Kyuubi's seal was invisible at least, as it always was when he wasn't actively using chakra. "You look fine to me," she purred in his ear, "and at least this will be easy to get you out of once the ceremony's over; that's more than can be said for Konoha formal wear."
Naruto groaned quietly at the sultry promise in Hinata's voice, but couldn't help a smile. That was something that was his alone; no one else around them knew how daring and naughty his reserved and proper Hyuuga princess could get when no one else was watching. If only he'd known about Hinata's hidden depths years ago. All that wasted time…
"I could get out of them right now," Naruto pointed out hopefully.
Hinata shook her head with a look of playful regret. "It took half an hour to get my hair like this. No mussing it up until after the event."
"Now that's all I'm going to be able to think about," Naruto griped.
"Oh, poor baby," Hinata exclaimed, dancing away with a grin as Naruto turned and tried to draw her close for another kiss. "Here, you're still missing these 'training weights'." She lifted up the torc that High Priest Chaim had delivered personally, the muscles in her arms standing out from its mass. When she slipped it around Naruto's neck he could feel the weight; the thing was solid gold, as were the bracers she slid over his hands and onto his forearms. All three pieces were carved in a manner similar to the exterior of Uzushio's towers, with spirals mixed in with other angled designs. Looking at them was almost hypnotic if you did it for too long, and Chaim had proudly explained that the heavy jewelry set was a perfect replica of the pieces that had been lost in Kon's rebellion, a set that had been created by Uzumaki himself and worn by his eldest male descendant for generations.
"Yeah, I'd have to hide these if Rock Lee ever visited," Naruto grunted as he adjusted to the weight of the gold adornments. "He might bankrupt himself trying to compete." Hinata snorted with laughter.
Last of all, Naruto donned his Konoha hitai-ate, not on his forehead, but worn around his waist as a belt like the aforementioned Rock Lee did. Hinata was wearing hers on her upper arm, hidden under the cape until she moved. While neither of them saw any harm in dressing like the locals for whatever Uzumaki had planned, they wanted to retain at least one gentle reminder that they were shinobi of Konoha.
Naruto and Hinata left their quarters, and joined the flow of the tower's other residents who were leaving as well. A few glances around showed them that the Exiles were all wearing outfits like theirs, though few were anywhere near as ornate. The Exiles all gave them a respectful distance, so it was noticeable when Jiraiya fell in step beside them as they descended the stairs. "That's some colorful getup," he observed. "Don't tell me you two are going native." The Toad Sage's tone was light, but there was a note of caution to it. For his part, Jiraiya was dressed as usual, having turned down the offers of local garb.
Naruto snorted, turning so Jiraiya could see his belt. "Hardly, sensei; just being polite to our host; it doesn't cost me anything – other than a little dignity if pictures make it back to Konoha – to wear all of this."
"I wouldn't be too sure," Jiraiya replied. "Uzumaki does understand that you're not staying to be his right hand and participate in the rebirth of 'glorious Uzushio', right?" Jiraiya glanced warily at the people around them, making sure none were close. "We've already stayed here too long."
Naruto shrugged helplessly. "I've mentioned it a few times, but Uzumaki always changes the subject; I'm not sure if it's sunk in. I didn't think it was the right time to confront him about it while he was in the mood to teach me. I guess I'll try talking to him again after this event."
The rest of the trip to the amphitheater passed in silence, listening to the growing sound of the crowd and marveling at how many people had gathered in Uzushio in such a short time. When they arrived, Jiraiya disappeared into the crowd with a silent nod, while Hinata and Naruto were ushered down to the stage, where High Priest Chaim was waiting. Like Naruto he wore abbreviated pants, his white with seashells in black thread. His robe was white as well, and his only jewelry was the gold pendant carved with Uzushio's spiral. His exposed chest was deeply tanned and marked with the occasional scar; his stomach showed not a centimeter of fat despite his age. "Welcome, Chosen One, welcome!" The old priest embraced Naruto briefly. "Welcome to you also, my Lady," he added to Hinata, bowing over her hand.
"Thank you," Naruto replied. He looked around as thousands of people filled the rows of stone bleachers around them. "What is all of this about? You and Uzumaki have both been vague."
"Ah! It was not my intent to mislead," Chaim apologized. "In truth, Lord Uzumaki merely informed me that he wished to address his people, now that the last ships from the Barren Isles have arrived. I know no more than you as to the content of what he wishes to say, but I'm certain it will be significant."
"I see," Naruto murmured.
"The last ships have arrived?" Hinata inquired. "So everyone who wished to leave the Barren Isles is here?"
Chaim looked amused. "Everyone who lived on those islands has come, my Lady. The villages we inhabited in our exile now stand empty. Only the outposts and sea forts we built for defense remain manned, and the families of those soldiers and sailors are here, safe under Lord Uzumaki's protection."
Hinata's eyes narrowed slightly, and Naruto found himself thinking the same thing; that sounded a lot less 'voluntary' than Chaim had made it sound initially. If everyone from the Barren Isles was here, some form of persuasion must have been applied. Naruto reminded himself again that in spite of his gentle grandfatherly mien Chaim wielded a great deal of power, even more so now that Uzumaki had formally affirmed him as high priest.
Five throne-like seats rose from the back of the dais, and Chaim ushered Naruto and Hinata to be seated on two of them. He took a third, and just minutes later the noise of the crowd rose to a deafening volume as Uzumaki and Konan entered, the former dressed in plain gray as he always was, the latter dressed like Hinata and the other women, though her cape was black and her top and skirt red.
Uzumaki took the largest chair, one designed for his three meters of height, while Konan took the seat closest to his side. Her silver eyes were full of rapt adoration as she gazed at Uzumaki. Naruto saw Hinata shiver slightly, and his hand bridged the gap between their seats to rest on hers. That will never be you, his gaze told her silently, and she nodded with a wan smile.
When the crowd had settled Uzumaki rose to his feet and stepped forward, eliciting a new roar of adulation. "Welcome, my children!" Uzumaki's voice boomed out, cutting through the massed voices despite having no obvious means of amplification. He waited for the cheers to die down. "Today, I stand before you to say: your long exile… is OVER!" Louder cheers greeted that pronouncement.
"Look around you, my faithful, and rejoice. Your once-scattered numbers have now gathered here, and together you are STRONG! What lay in ruins at treacherous hands is being renewed. This arena was rebuilt by YOUR hands. Every shop, every farm, and every dwelling you raise is testament to one truth: this is your HOME!"
Naruto listened with half an ear as Uzumaki continued; he couldn't deny that for a former island hermit, the demon was a pretty good orator, and the gathered people were eating it up, cheering his every statement and bit of praise. His thoughts drifted to things to come, returning to Konoha especially. He wasn't homesick, exactly; he enjoyed travelling, and had spent six years away during his apprenticeship. Still, he was eager to return to his forested homeland, where the air smelled of leaves and growing things, not the salt tang of the sea.
It wasn't until he felt Uzumaki's attention on him that Naruto started paying full attention again.
"None of what has come to pass would have been possible without Naruto Uzumaki, the Chosen," the demon proclaimed, "the last of my old blood, and the first of the new!" The cheers were for him this time, and Naruto waved sheepishly. He'd decided during his stay in Uzushio that respect was nice, but adulation was definitely not his thing. Still, he got to his feet good-naturedly and stepped forward to join Uzumaki at the demon's beckoning. Halfway across the stage he saw Uzumaki frown, his stormy eyes going distant. A moment later, Naruto sensed what his ancestor had; a strange, sinister chakra seeping up from the very stones of the amphitheater.
"Show yourself, intruder," Uzumaki shouted, and the crowd's tone changed. First to confusion at Uzumaki's words, and then alarm as dozens of pale shapes flowed from the very rock. Each one was identical: a vaguely male figure, tall and leanly muscled with short-cropped brown hair. They wore no clothes, and were apparently sexless; their crotches and chests were neutral expanses. The shinobi and soldiers among the crowd moved to confront the intruders, but none of them were armed, and Uzumaki raised one hand in a stand-down gesture. "Who are you to intrude upon my domain uninvited?"
The pale man-shapes turned to him but didn't reply; the demon got his answer a moment later when one last figure flowed from the ground, on the dais in between Naruto and Uzumaki. This one looked like the others on the left half of his body, but its right side was pitch black with a glowing yellow eye. In addition, woody jaws like the mouth of a flytrap grew from its shoulders to frame his head. Most telling of all, it was wearing a black cloak covered with red clouds.
"Zetsu!" Konan exclaimed. "You shouldn't be here."
Zetsu turned to Uzumaki. "You've taken something that doesn't belong to you, demon." Its voice was a harsh rasp, and the flytrap jaws flexed slightly when it spoke. "My master offers you a chance to return her."
Uzumaki only laughed, shaking his head. "So the rinnegan wielder sends a messenger in his place to bark his demands; amusing." The demon's stormy eyes studied Zetsu for a moment. "Where did he find a remnant of…" he trailed off before shaking his head, "it matters not. Konan is mine now, and I will not consider the request of a man too craven to make it himself."
"Konan is a member of the Akatsuki. She is one of us. Release her from your hold," Zetsu replied, ignoring the angry rumblings of the crowd as it defied their god. A few of the shinobi in the stands attacked the white Zetsu, but they evaded the attacks with eerie agility, sinking into the stone entirely in the face of determined assaults and emerging elsewhere.
Uzumaki's gaze turning to the blue-haired kunoichi. "Konan love, do you want to return to the Akatsuki?"
Konan shook her head immediately. "My place is with you, my Lord." She looked at Zetsu pleadingly. "Please go back to Nagato and tell him… tell him I'm sorry, but I belong here. I hope he'll understand."
Zetsu didn't even look at her. "Uzumaki, we both know that she'll say whatever you want her to." Then the Akatsuki turned to Naruto. "He listens to you; persuade him to release Konan. It will be in Sakura's best interest."
Naruto's eyes narrowed and he felt his own temper rising. One of the big reasons he wanted to get back to Konoha was to make sure that rescuing Sakura happened quickly; they knew where the Akatsuki were hiding now, thanks to Konan's volunteered information. Sakura was being held in Ame, in the Land of Rain. "If you know what's good for you you'll let Sakura go," Naruto replied gravely. "If you don't, I will come and take her."
Zetsu smiled disturbingly. "Perhaps you might, eventually. But I think your pink-haired friend would prefer your help now, as opposed to later. By the time you fight your way to her, there may not be much left to save." Zetsu drew a small object wrapped in white cloth from his cloak and tossed it at Naruto's feet. Kneeling cautiously, he saw dried bloodstains soaked into the cloth.
Naruto was distracted from his examination by a ragged gasp from Hinata. He looked up to see her byakugan active and a sick look on her face. "Oh god," she said numbly, "it's Sakura's…"
Naruto hastily unwrapped the cloth bundle and a pit of ice formed in his gut at the sight of a woman's severed right hand. Even if he hadn't known Sakura well enough to recognize the limb as hers, the pinky finger was still sporting the ring he'd bought her by mail order during his apprenticeship when she'd written to let him know about the completion of her medical training.
Naruto wasn't aware of having crossed the distance between himself and Zetsu, only becoming aware past the film of red covering his vision when he saw the plant-man sprawled on the dais with a swollen cheek and registered the ache in his knuckles from the blow. "I'll kill you for that!" Naruto roared.
"You can try, jinchuuriki," Zetsu growled as it got to its feet. "You might even succeed, but poor little Sakura will suffer all the more for it."
"Tell it to someone who cares." Uzumaki – forgotten by both Naruto and Zetsu in the heat of the moment – flickered forward and appeared behind Zetsu. He sank his sharp fingers deep into Zetsu's shoulders where the met the flytrap mandibles. Then he started pulling, and a raspy scream escaped Zetsu's lips.
"What are you doing?" Naruto demanded, shocked out of his anger.
Uzumaki grunted with effort, and the hideous sound of tearing flesh filled the arena; from the corner of his eye Naruto saw more than a few spectators vomiting at the sight. Strangely colored blood arced through the air, soaking Uzumaki's robes and spattering Naruto as well. When the fountain of gore ceased Zetsu had been torn in half, and Uzumaki dropped the twitching pieces on the ground.
"Why did you do that? You heard what he said!" Naruto exclaimed, horrified.
Uzumaki snorted. "It's still functional," he growled. "I was just getting its attention. Constructs like that don't die easily; it's not even truly alive."
Looking at Zetsu's halves, Naruto stared in disbelief. They were still moving, the bleeding had already stopped, and as he watched plant-like tendrils emerged from the halves, meeting in the middle and tugging them closer together. Glancing up at the stands of the amphitheater, Naruto saw that the white copies had all retreated into the ground at the dismemberment of their dual-toned leader.
"Then why did you do that?" Naruto asked. "They might hurt Sakura!"
Uzumaki shrugged. "There are only three bonds on you. This Sakura is not your mirror-wife."
Naruto shook his head, chilled by Uzumaki's casual indifference. "No. She's my teammate, my friend!"
"Then I offer my condolences on your loss," Uzumaki replied, not sounding all that bothered.
"Sakura is still alive!" Naruto protested.
"Not for much longer, if she's near that thing's master," Uzumaki rumbled ominously. "Being dictated to by that cowardly spawn of my little brother has made me wroth, the second time he has done so. A lesson is in order while his messenger puts itself back together." Uzumaki strode away from Zetsu's slowly regenerating halves, and Naruto followed.
"Wait, what do you mean?" Naruto demanded.
Uzumaki didn't reply. When he reached the center of the dais he turned to the milling crowd and spoke. "Hear me, children of Uzushio! The assassins who attacked my Chosen, slew my High Priest's loyal guardians and attempted to halt my awakening have once again slunk from the shadows to threaten our haven. Their master cowers half a world away and believes he is safe! He will learn now how wrong he is!"
Naruto freely admitted to himself that his ancestor was starting to scare him. "Uzumaki, please talk to-" he never got to say 'me', because a titanic pulse of chakra from Uzumaki physically drove him back and to his knees.
All around them the air shimmered, and a moving image took form, large enough to cover the dais and spill out to fill much of the amphitheater. It was a vast city displayed in miniature, sitting in the middle of a lake. It was filled with proud steel towers rising high into a sky filled with roiling clouds that poured rain down. The image was ghostly, and Naruto could still see Uzumaki standing in the middle of the illusion he had conjured. Examining the city, Naruto recognized it as Ame and had a sinking sensation that he was seeing the city as it was at that moment. He could see rain sleeting off of buildings, the rippling waters of the lake, and even tiny specks of people moving through the soaked streets.
"When my little brother walked among men, they gave him a name," Uzumaki roared at Zetsu as the plant-man's black half levered itself up on one elbow, its yellow eye wide at the image the demon had conjured. "They called him the 'Sage of the Six Paths' in homage to his power. Mortals once gave me a title as well, remnant. Is there enough left of you to remember what that was?" Naruto saw Zetsu shake half of its head mutely. "Speak, my children," Uzumaki called out to the audience, "what name was I given by your ancestors in another age?"
Almost a hundred thousand voices in the amphitheater and beyond roared as one: "THE SAGE OF STORMS!"
Uzumaki's chakra poured into the image filling the air. Half a world away the clouds high above Ame flinched as through struck. Gradually their movement changed. Their west-to-east progress slowed, and they began to swirl, rotating around the city. Far below the turbulent skies, the surface of the lake began to churn and swirl as well.
The churning clouds spun faster and faster, and then began to descend towards the lake and city. "Oh god," Naruto whispered. He'd seen waterspouts before on the seas; this one looked like the same principle, but a hundred times as large. Before it even touched down the waters of the lake swelled and rose, and such was the detail of Uzumaki's summoned image that Naruto could make out tiny people being swept up in waves as docks were torn apart and the outer edges of Ame were inundated. "Uzumaki, stop!" Naruto called out.
"Not until the snake has learned his lesson," the demon replied grimly. The gargantuan mass of swirling clouds touched down, hurling not only water into the air, but pieces of buildings, whole carts… and flailing human figures. The storm's fury hit the outskirts of Ame first, but it was working its way into the more populated areas, flood waters and howling winds its harbingers of doom.
"Sakura's somewhere in that city," Naruto cried out.
"I will mourn your loss," Uzumaki told him coldly, "but I will not be dictated to."
Naruto's mind reeled. He was dimly aware of Hinata stepping up beside him, gripping his arm tightly as she too braved the chakra storm around the ancient demon. "No one questions that the Akatsuki must suffer, Lord Uzumaki," she said. "But Ame is home to more than half a million people, by recent estimate. Surely not all of them are deserving of death for the crimes of their rulers."
"Soon Ame will be home to only the dead. It will stand as a grave and a warning to any who would challenge me."
Naruto stared at Uzumaki in shock, stunned both by the callousness of the demon's words and the devastation slowly consuming Ame all around him. "You're talking about genocide!"
"That's one word for it, yes," Uzumaki agreed. "I prefer 'education'."
Naruto went cold inside. He saw Jiraiya leap from the crowd onto the far side of the dais. His sensei's eyes were hard and intent. When their gazes met they nodded silently at each other. Sensei won't stand by and let this happen, and neither can I.
"Kage Bunshin!" Naruto formed his signature hand sign, and copies of the blond jinchuuriki appeared all around him. They paired off and started forming rasengan, but before they could charge Uzumaki waved one hand irritably. A wall of dense, silvery chakra followed in the gesture's wake. It dispelled the clones when it struck them, and physically bowled Naruto and Hinata over.
From the other direction Jiraiya attacked with a stream of blazing toad oil that melted stone where droplets struck, but Uzumaki held his other hand up in a halting gesture and the blast was stopped by a silvery barrier just meters from him, even the heat failing to pass through.
"Cease this foolishness," Uzumaki chided Naruto and Jiraiya.
"I can't let you destroy a whole city," Naruto replied as he climbed to his feet and let the Kyuubi's burning chakra engulf him. Shrouded in the fox cloak he was able to advance on Uzumaki, step by step.
"This outcome is beyond your influence," Uzumaki told him calmly. A glance at the image of Ame showed Naruto that smaller buildings were succumbing to the pressure of wind and wave by the score, and even the large steel towers were swaying under the assault.
Sakura's trapped somewhere in that! Urgency drove Naruto forward. He saw Uzumaki's hands rise and braced himself for another attack, but before it came the demon staggered and doubled over, cradling his face in his hands. "Miserable witch," Uzumaki cursed.
Naruto didn't hesitate to ponder the cause of Uzumaki's faltering. Putting on a burst of speed, he leapt up and brought both chakra-wreathed fists down hard on the back of Uzumaki's head. The power he put into the blow was such that Uzumaki was driven to the ground hard enough to crack the stone where his body met it. All around them, the storm ravaging the phantom image of Ame faded slightly in its fury.
Uzumaki retaliated with an omnidirectional blast of silver chakra that drive Naruto back several meters and prevented him from closing in again. Uzumaki climbed to one knee, throwing his head back, and Naruto saw what had caused his discomfort. Two warped images of Hinata were climbing out of the surfaces of his eyes, the parts of their bodies taking on more normal proportions as they slid free from the narrow openings.
"I didn't know you could do that," Naruto murmured to his girlfriend.
"Neither did I," Hinata panted, her expression strained and one hand extended towards Uzumaki, "but hey, they're mirrors."
Because he was looking at her, Naruto saw Konan rise from her seat and flicker forward. "Hinata, look out!" She appeared behind Hinata, pieces of paper flying from her skin and folding into a sword as the Akatsuki kunoichi swung her arm forward.
Hinata's byakugan was active and she saw the attack coming, but such was Konan's speed and her focus on drawing clones from Uzumaki's eyes that she didn't dodge completely, hissing in pain as Konan's paper blade cut into her extended right arm; only the plate of her hitai-ate halted the blow short of severing her limb entirely. Hinata danced away from Konan's follow-up attack, blood flowing down her arm from the deep wound.
As Naruto moved to protect Hinata her mirror clones finished emerging from Uzumaki's eyes. The demon glared at them as he rose to his feet, and silver light poured from his stormy orbs, washing over the clones. Two copies of Hinata became two dozen, but rather than attack Uzumaki, they turned and charged Jiraiya en masse. "Swamp of the Underworld," the Toad Sage called out. A wide stretch of the dais turned to sticky mud, trapping many of them, but others leapt free and forced Jiraiya to defend himself from flashing hands that threatened to debilitate him with Gentle Fist strikes.
Confident that Jiraiya could handle himself Naruto closed in on Konan, whom Hinata had maneuvered around so the Akatsuki's back was to him. Naruto lunged forward, but before he could strike Konan, Uzumaki vanished from where he had stood and appeared between them. Committed to his attack, Naruto's momentum carried him straight into Uzumaki's backhand strike, sending Naruto sprawling to the ground, his head spinning from the force of the blow.
Before Naruto could rise Uzumaki was there, his foot pressing down on Naruto's neck. Uzumaki's feet were possibly the most inhuman part of him; instead of five toes he had only two in front and one curving backward, each one flexible and multi-jointed with claws on their tips. Those toes wrapped around Naruto's neck in a tight grip. With Uzumaki's weight bearing down on him only the fox cloak was keeping his neck from breaking, and he could feel the Kyuubi's orange chakra barrier fraying under the pressure of Uzumaki's even denser power. Naruto slashed at Uzumaki's leg with his fox cloak claws that could carve through steel like butter, but they left behind only light, pale blue scored lines on Uzumaki's darker blue skin.
Pinned down, Naruto could only watch Hinata's battle. He'd seen her fight a number of dangerous opponents, including Deidara, and she had killed Sasori, but against Konan's speed and flawless technique, and with a deep wound taken early on, she couldn't keep up. The blood loss took its toll quickly, and Konan battered through Hinata's guard before felling her with a trio of kicks that walked up her body; stomach, sternum and the last a brutal foot to the face. Naruto winced at the audible sound of his girlfriend's nose breaking, and watched her fall to the ground, knocked senseless. "No, stop," he cried out as Konan's blade descended for a killing blow.
"Enough love," Uzumaki commanded, holding up a hand. Konan's paper blade halted against Hinata's defenseless throat, its tip pricking the skin and drawing a drop of blood. "I have not yet decided that my son's mirror-wife must die." Uzumaki's dire gaze returned to Naruto's prostrate form. "That is up to him."
Grimacing, Naruto let his hands fall to his sides. "You win," he growled. With so many people around him Naruto couldn't risk any more of the Kyuubi's power even if Hinata wasn't now a hostage. Jiraiya had dispatched the reprogrammed mirror clones, but was now surrounded by Exile shinobi. Anger glittered in the sage's eyes as he raised his hands in surrender.
"That was never in doubt," Uzumaki told him. "I enjoy testing myself against my sons, but it is far too soon for you to challenge me, Naruto. Even Kon, at the height of his power and with an army at his back, chose treachery rather than facing me openly. You would be wise to remember that. Now observe how little this defiance of your accomplished."
Uzumaki returned his attention to the illusion of Ame, and this time Naruto could only watch as his ancestor harnessed the storm once more, driving it to new heights of fury. The wind and massive waves began to take their toll; one massive tower fell into the lake, its impact creating even more waves. Others followed, and with his head on the ground Naruto had a front-seat view of Ame's people dying in droves, picked up and battered to death by the howling wind, swept under the raging waters, and crushed by collapsing buildings. "Please, stop this," Naruto begged. "You've made your point!"
"Not until there's nothing left," Uzumaki grated. "Not until that tower falls." The demon pointed to the tallest and sturdiest of the towers in the center of Ame.
Soon the center tower was the only one standing, and from its depths, tiny figures in familiar garb emerged. A blue-skinned giant leapt upon the towering waves and rode them, directing them around the tower with his own chakra. The bounty hunter Kakuzu emerged on a high balcony, and white masks with bodies of black thread emerged from the folds of his cloak, battling the wind and waves with elements of their own. A skinny man in an orange mask with a single eye-hole leaned out of a window, and a huge wave about to crash into the tower was swallowed up by a whirling vortex, vanishing into nothingness.
It was a valiant effort, but Naruto couldn't help but note that the Akatsuki were only protecting their tower; the rest of the city was left to drown under Uzumaki's onslaught. Still the storm intensified, until the six eerie bodies with purple eyes emerged from the top of the tower. The handsome one called the Deva Path looked up into the sky, somehow staring out of the illusion at Uzumaki, who gazed back with contempt. His expression melted to anger when all six formed hand signs in unison. At the base of the tower the flood waters churned, and then exploded upward. A vast statue emerged from the depths, standing several stories tall. It was a hideous creation with rough, whorled skin, gangling limbs and nine eyes, only one of which was open. The ambulatory statue threw its head back and roared, and the shockwave drove the waters and winds back. Its mouth opened wide, and a blinding beam of light shot forth, arcing across the lake and tearing apart the incoming waves. Then the statue tilted its head back, and the next burning blast rent the clouds above.
"That fool has no idea what he's playing with," Uzumaki growled. His gaze turned to where Zetsu had lain, only to discover that the strange plant-man was no longer there. Shaking his head, Uzumaki cut off the flow of chakra into the illusion. The wild storm assaulting Ame faded quickly, leaving incredible devastation in its wake. Only the central tower remained standing; the rest had collapsed to the ground or sunk into the lake, leaving behind tumbled ruins eerily similar to how Uzushio had looked when Naruto arrived. The island itself was smaller, its very soil and stone torn away by the force of Uzumaki's assault.
Save for the regrouping Akatsuki, nothing moved as the image faded. Half a million people… the number echoed through Naruto's mind, but his thoughts reeled away from the immensity of it. Amid those thoughts, another intruded. I hope Sakura was in that big tower. The selfish thought made him feel guilty, but he had no time to dwell on it. Uzumaki's foot released its clawed grip on Naruto's neck, and he stooped to grasp the top of Naruto's robe and haul him to his feet.
"You are strong, Naruto, but you have yet to learn what is important," Uzumaki informed him.
"I know what's important," Naruto shot back. "The people I care for are important. Doing what's right is important. Murdering an entire city isn't right!"
Uzumaki sighed. "You are naïve. The hands of mortal leaders are no cleaner than mine, and you choose to serve them." The demon gestured to Hinata and Jiraiya. "What of your duty to your mirror-wife and teacher? Your ill-advised assault could have ended in their deaths." Uzumaki glanced at Konan. "Patch up that wound on her arm before she loses any more blood." Konan nodded silently and dispelled her paper sword before kneeling beside Hinata, staunching the flow of blood from the wound on her arm.
"I didn't make my choice nearly as easily as you did," Naruto retorted, "so now what?"
Uzumaki crossed his arms. "Now you have a choice to make, young Naruto. I can use you and your mirror-wife here, but I need to know I can rely on you. I can teach you no more unless you are willing to demonstrate your loyalty to Uzushio and to me. If you cannot stand with your kin, your true people, then you will remain as you are now; a novice. The deeper mysteries of the Soul Mirror shall remain forever beyond you, and without my blessing your children will not inherit the full measure of your gift."
"If I refuse to join you, you'll kill us?" Naruto demanded.
Uzumaki looked surprised, shaking his head. "Kill you? Never; Naruto, Uzushio will always be a home to you and yours, whether you acknowledge it or not. But if you currently lack the strength to stand with me and do what must be done for the sake of this land and our blood, then perhaps it is best you return to your Konoha."
Naruto blinked; he hadn't expected that. "You'll just let us go?"
"Of course," Uzumaki rumbled. "You will return in time, when you have become wiser. Uzushio is the only true home an Uzumaki will ever have. You may believe that forest village is your home, but you will learn otherwise in time. They will fear you and mistrust your divine blood. They will turn on you in time, and when that day comes, you will be welcome to return." Uzumaki examined Naruto. "That is your choice then. I see it in your eyes. Chaim!"
"Yes, my Lord?"
"Prepare a ship for my son. He and his companions will need a means to return to the mainland."
"As you wish, my Lord," Chaim replied. He fixed Naruto with a disappointed, disapproving look for a moment before departing.
Naruto carefully unlaced the gold bracers he had been given, laying them on the ground before removing the torc and doing likewise. "Your children may want these someday. I won't be returning for them," he said quietly.
"Never say never young Naruto," Uzumaki replied, looking amused. "The future may surprise you. Know that you will always have a safe haven here."
"I'll keep it in mind," Naruto muttered, before moving over to Hinata. She groaned, and her eyes fluttered as he knelt beside her. Konan stepped back silently. "Ow," Hinata said quietly in a nasal voice as her eyes opened.
"I'm sorry," Naruto murmured in response. "It's my fault you got hurt."
"Ib's fine," Hinata protested. "You dib what you hab to." She grimaced. "My nobe is broken," she complained. Heedless of the blood covering her face Hinata reached up and straightened it with a grimace, green energy springing from her hands to heal the cartilage. "That's better," she said more clearly after a few minutes, snorting out a clotted mess and wiping away the worst of the blood on her face. Jiraiya had rejoined them, grim and silent. "So what happened?" Hinata looked around.
"We lost, Ame died, we're leaving," Naruto told her succinctly. "We're going home on the first ship available."
"Good," Hinata replied. "It's past time."
"Agreed," Jiraiya noted shortly, glancing over his shoulder at Uzumaki, who was now ignoring them as he calmed down the crowd, who mostly just seemed awed at his display of power. "If I didn't know what the Akatsuki were planning to do, I'd question if our lives were worth the cost of unleashing that monster on the world."
Looking at Hinata, Naruto couldn't fully agree with that sentiment; she was alive because of Uzumaki. But he understood where Jiraiya was coming from. Ame had vanished in an instant, but he suspected that the repercussions of what Uzumaki had done this day would be felt for a long time to come. "Let's go pack and get off this crazy island," Naruto murmured.
"Let's," Hinata and Jiraiya said at once.
Twelve Hours Earlier
Sakura Haruno woke abruptly. Her eyes opened in the darkness of her bedroom and for a moment she lay still, processing what she could hear and sense. The pounding of the rain on her window wasn't what had disturbed her rest; that was omnipresent in Ame. It had become soothing to her. Something else had woken her.
By instinct Sakura reached for the covers with her right hand, only to brush over them with the stump that ended at her wrist. It had been weeks since the day that the Akatsuki's leader had taken her hand, and while she'd recovered from the blood loss and shock, it still ached every day. Gritting her teeth, Sakura pulled back the sheets with her left hand, and climbed to her feet. Moving to the window, she flicked the drapes aside. Streetlights below illuminated the road she lived on, largely devoid of people at this time of night. Rivulets of moisture sheeted down the window.
Then lightning flashed and Sakura flinched back, jade eyes going wide. A broad streak of the liquid running down the outside of her window was not water but blood, brilliant crimson in the sudden illumination.
"It's time to leave." Only years of shinobi training kept Sakura from jumping, screaming or both at Itachi's voice so close behind her. Instead she whirled, glaring at him. He wore a damp travel cloak with its hood up, and carried two packs. He set the smaller one down in front of her. "Get dressed."
"What is that?" Sakura hissed, pointing at the offending window.
"The surveillance team assigned to you won't be making their next report window. We need to be gone before then," Itachi informed her succinctly. "Dress like an Ame kunoichi, but leave the head scarf off for now." He held up a hand to forestall questions. "Quickly please."
Muttering under her breath, Sakura complied. Itachi went into her bathroom, and she heard him opening the bathtub's taps, of all things. When she had dressed herself in the gray tunic, trousers and boots of an Ame kunoichi she went to the bathroom doorway, seeing that the tub was filling with cold water. "What are you doing?" Sakura demanded.
"That collar needs to come off," Itachi replied. "Come here." He patted the spot beside him next to the tub, and Sakura moved in, sinking to her knees.
Sakura obeyed, and before she could demand answers, Itachi gripped the back of her head and plunged it down into the cold water filling the tub up to her shoulders. Sakura resisted the instinctive urge to struggle, going still instead. Have to trust he knows what he's doing. A moment later intense heat washed over the side of Sakura's neck. From the corner of her eye she could see the water around the collar there flash-boiling as something dark and flickering that looked like fire hit it. She forced down the scream that wanted to bubble up out of her lungs as the steam seared and blistered her skin.
Sakura felt Itachi grip the collar and rotate it one hundred and eighty degrees. Then the flash of dark heat hit again. Sakura was mentally cursing the pain and a certain brooding Uchiha when her trail of thought cut off at the sight of the collar in two halves falling to the bottom of the tub with a metallic 'clink'. Instantly she forgot about the pain, her head rising out of the water when Itachi drew her out.
Pressing her left hand to the burn, Sakura trickled healing chakra into it while Itachi applied a towel to her soaking hair. She glared at him from under its folds. "You said you couldn't get it off," she complained.
"I wasn't sure if that would work until recently," Itachi replied. "I saw no need to experiment and risk informing Pein of my capability before it was needed."
Sakura was about to retort when she saw blood trickling from around the edges of Itachi's left eye as his sharingan faded away. Instinctively she reached up to touch his cheek, sending a trickle of her chakra into him, a quick diagnostic jutsu. He caught her hand and pulled it away, but not before information flowed back to her, and Sakura's eyes widened. "Oh, Itachi," she breathed. "You're going blind! What happened?"
"Nothing we can discuss at this moment," he replied quickly. "Pein is now aware that your shackle is broken. We need to move."
Concerned questions burned behind Sakura's lips, but she nodded. Running came first; she could see about healing his eyes when they were safe. She tied on a head scarf over her mostly dried hair and shouldered the pack Itachi had brought for her. He opened her other window – the one not covered in blood – and they took to the steel vanes that formed Ame's shinobi highways. A glance back showed Sakura multiple bodies sprawled across her rooftop; it looked like Itachi had taken out three squads of Ame ninja, and she'd heard nothing.
As they leapt between perches Sakura saw Itachi flick his cloak repeatedly. Each time a half dozen or so crows emerged from its depths, winging off in pairs. Sakura's eyes followed one pair and blinked in surprise when they blurred, images of Itachi and her forming around them. He was sending out dozens of genjutsu decoys, she realized.
Only once during their flight were they challenged, a trip of Ame shinobi who looked to be jounin dropping down silently from above. Steel flashed in Itachi's hands mid-leap, and by the time Sakura landed on the next vane it was over, body parts raining down on the empty streets below.
When they reached the edge of the city Sakura and Itachi dropped down to street level, sprinting for the bridge. "Take the gate house," he told her. "I'll deal with the sentries." Nodding silently, Sakura poured chakra into her legs and leapt high before they reached the floodlights around the bridge's base. She landed on top of a light post and jumped again, arcing into the air. Raindrops pattered against her face and clothes as she reached the apex of her leap and started to descend, the roof of the gatehouse below her. Grimly, Sakura charged her right foot with chakra, and released it at the exact moment of impact. She'd reduced solid ground to broken craters with such an attack, and its effect on masonry was equally devastating. The solid-looking poured-concrete structure collapsed, broken chunks of the roof falling on those within. The screams she could hear when Sakura landed on top of the rubble told her that someone was still alive, but she doubted they'd be doing any pursuing.
Itachi had not been idle, and Sakura heard bodies striking the pavement in a staccato beat as her mysterious guardian dispatched the rest of the bridge guards. He waved to her, and they sprinted onto the bridge, pools of electrical light widely separated by the dark spans connecting the island to the shore of the lake.
It was in one of the dark sections that the next attack came. Itachi scooped her up in his arms faster than she could see, and they blurred forward split-seconds ahead of a roaring wave that had climbed up from the lake's placid surface to sweep them off of the bridge. Itachi halted and Sakura regained her footing as they both faced the single towering figure blocking the bridge ahead of them.
"What do you think you're doing, Itachi?" Kisame Hoshigaki demanded of his partner, his wrapped great sword Samehada gripped in his right hand, its tip resting on the pavement.
"Leaving; get out of my way Kisame," Itachi replied succinctly.
Kisame shook his head in bemusement. "That's not how this works Itachi, and you know it. You're really going to betray Akatsuki? I thought you were smarter than that; and for what, pinky there?" Kisame snorted. "She must be a hell of a lay." Sakura's cheeks burned at the unwelcome images and fantasies the crude suggestion dredged up. The giant fist-man shouldered his sword. "No one leaves Akatsuki. Step aside, Itachi; I'll kill the girl, we'll say she got the collar off and was trying to escape, and that'll be the end of it."
Itachi stepped between Kisame and Sakura, his eyes turning red once more, and shook his head deliberately. "I can't allow that. Walk away, Kisame; don't make me hurt you."
Kisame laughed, whirling Samehada and causing the bandages to fall free from its toothy expanse. "Don't mistake me for Orochimaru, Itachi. I'm not so easy to-"
Sakura and Itachi both saw the white shapes drop down from above and behind Kisame as he spoke. Neither of them reacted, but some instinct or sensed threat caused Kisame to begin a turn to the side as they reached him. A dozen clay birds in formation plunged out of the rain and detonated less than a meter from the giant swordsman. He didn't get his blade up in time, so the shockwaves battered him mercilessly, shredding his cloak and throwing him violently to the pavement. Itachi blurred forward. Sakura couldn't believe anyone could still be conscious after a blast like that, but Kisame's sunken eyes were opening and he was starting to rise when Itachi reached him and delivered a vicious kick to his partner's head. A quiet groan escaped Kisame's lips and he slumped down again, this time remaining unmoving.
Beating of much heavier wings intruded on the silence. Itachi swept Sakura behind him warily as a huge bird landed with Deidara on its back. The blond bomber held up his hands inoffensively, the mouths in them offering reassuring grins. "Easy there, yeah? Fight's over." Deidara hopped down from the bird's back.
"Why?" Itachi demanded.
"Because I owe your girl," Deidara replied evenly. "She's patched me up twice and didn't try anything sneaky in the process. Because what the Leader did to her is wrong, and I don't want to see it happen again."
Sakura flinched guiltily because sabotaging the healing had occurred to her, but fear of Tobi had stayed her hand the first time, and respect for Itachi the second. "I'm not 'his girl'," she muttered.
Deidara grinned. "Sure you're not, yeah? Anyways, every patrol from here to the border is alerted already. You'd have to fight for every meter. Fortunately, I'm a genius." He jerked his thumb to the animated clay bird behind him. "Hop on. She'll take you past the border and land when she runs out of chakra."
"Thank you, Deidara," Sakura said sincerely, stepping past him and climbing onto the pale bird's back.
Deidara's hand fell on Itachi's shoulder as he followed Sakura, and the Uchiha looked at the bomber questioningly. "Someday, you'll have to give me that rematch, yeah?"
Itachi nodded shortly. "When we meet again," he replied before climbing up behind Sakura on the bird's back. The construct wasted no time spreading its wings and throwing itself into the air. The bridge receded quickly, and the last glimpse Sakura got of Deidara was the bomber walking down the bridge back towards Ame, hands in his pockets.
The clay bird gained altitude quickly, and when it passed through the clouds Sakura looked up and gasped, seeing the moon and stars for the first time since waking up in Ame. She realized she was shivering, not just from the sight but from the chill of the wind at their altitude. Itachi leaned forward, wrapping her in his cloak, and Sakura almost resisted the embrace before surrendering to it, resting against Itachi's chest, accepting his warmth. Once the adrenaline of the escape faded Sakura felt weariness from her interrupted rest dragging at her. Her eyes slid shut, and she fell asleep in Itachi's arms as they winged their way south.