The Price of Vengeance

Another dawn broke a ribbon of sunlight over the horizon. In a shadowed corner of Iwa, where the first light had not yet touched, a farmhouse sat doused in shadow, still and silent and its family not yet awake.

Save for one.

Akira was staring at the darkened ceiling above him. Sleep had not come easy, and he found himself once again trying to pry into his memories after a bad dream had left him aching and nervous.

His brow furrowed, and his eyes narrowed, as if he concentrated enough, sheer willpower would bring to mind what he'd lost.

But nothing came. Nothing at all, save for a vivid image of bright blue eyes. Akira saw these eyes many nights as he dreamed, but never got a good look at this person's face, and he was never able to remember when he woke.

The memory was so shadowy it was hard to tell if this person was a man or woman. But often in his dream, Akira was running after them, calling for them, or wrapped in their arms. He was kissing them, or even making love to this person, but all he could remember when he woke were their eyes. And there was a name.

Sasuke.

The name caused a stirring within his heart, made it ache, and he didn't know why. He hated the feeling; it made him angry. Though he couldn't be sure if the name was the blue-eyed person's, or even his own.

He kept this name to himself, like a jealously guarded secret, and had shared it with no one.

He tossed and turned, but finally gave up. Eiji would be awake within an hour or two anyway. He leaped out of bed, restless and agitated, haunted by his dream. Akira dressed quickly. A clean black long -sleeve, and pair of slightly faded though sturdy black pants.

He reached for the sword, which rested in a brown leather holster complete with a strap. He slipped it on, the strap crossing his chest, so that the sword rested across his back, easy to access with his sword hand if he ever need to reach back for it. Ever since Kanako had showed it to him and told him the sword was his, Akira rarely ever left without it. It was the only clue he had of his past. He crept out of his window; he didn't want to disturb Eiji or Kanako by using the front door.

A gust of icy wind blasted him in the face, and he sucked in a breath, invigorated. The cold helped to clear his head, shake the sleep from the corners of his vision. He leaped from the window (which happened to be on the second floor of the house. The first time Kanako had seen him do this, she'd screamed and had begged him not to kill himself because he had so much to live for. He'd laughed) and landed with grace effortlessly on his feet, steadying himself.

He took the dirt road into town, taking his time walking down the path, listening as the earth began to wake and the darkness around him faded to soft gray. By the time he reached the village square it was already busy and awake, buzzing with voices and barters. Restaurant owners often came at daybreak, eager for first picks of the best of the vegetables, the leanest of meats. A vendor, hollering about the pears he was selling caught Akira's eye and quieted, looking away.

Many villagers were still wary of him. Maybe it was the sword. Maybe it was because he wore all black. Maybe it was because he was quiet and didn't say or smile much. He marched forward, smirking at the thought of making the vendor uncomfortable. He stopped by the kiosk, taking a seat on a stool and cracking his neck just to see the man's eyes grow wide.

Really, making people nervous was too much fun when they thought you were evil.

But the vendor composed himself. The thin older man pretended not to notice. He tried selling a pear to a woman passing by, pointedly ignoring Akira, who rested his elbows on the wooden counter. The vendor became agitated, twitching slightly.

"Can I interest you in some pears, miss? They would go lovely in a fresh fruit salad along with your breakfast!" The young woman paused, looking in Akira's direction. She fluffed up her blond hair, eyeing Akira instead of the pear. She smiled distractedly at the vendor. Her face was lovely, heart shaped with a small, pert nose and full rosy lips. She had a slender, long neck.

But Akira could only appreciate her looks so much, and he looked away from her, much to her disappointment.

"I'll take one," Akira said, nodding at the pears, startling the vendor. The vendor frowned, the lines in his face deepening. Akira dropped some coins on the wooden counter, and the man grudgingly tossed the pear at him.

Akira wiped the fruit on his shirt to rid it of a smudge of dirt, eyeing the young woman who was now talking to a young man. He had to be her brother with that face and hair. Tall and lean, with a little muscle.

The young man had grabbed the woman's elbow with a smile, about to herd her somewhere else, when he caught Akira's eye. A slow grin tugged at his lips, and he took on a more relaxed stance.

Akira smiled, leaning against the counter with a devil-may-care posture and took a loud bite out of his pear.

He liked the young man's hair color. It was bright like sunshine. The woman walked forward, but the young man paused just long enough to flash Akira a pearly white grin.

His eyes were blue. Akira hummed with satisfaction as he took another bite. He liked the eyes.

Sexy. Very nice.

Akira's dark gaze roamed unabashedly, and the young man smiled all the wider. His sister called for him.

"I'll catch up!" he called back, and stopped by the kiosk.

"Excuse me, sir," he said the vendor, sitting down next to Akira, "I'd like to buy a pear." He looked over his shoulder at Akira.

Akira took another bite.

...

Despite the chill, Akira felt very warm. The heated breaths puffing past his lips were misting the early morning air. A muted groan bubbled in the throat of the blond man before him. He had him pushed up against a wall in an alley between a pawn shop and a restaurant, his hands splayed against the brick. Akira's nose was in his blond hair. He smelled like cloves. Exotic.

"Kiss me," he murmured, biting back a moan. Akira chuckled between thrusts, distracting him from this request by snaking a hand around his waist to grip his arousal.

Akira's latest fling shivered in anticipation, his request forgotten as Akira began to pump.

It became an erotic dance.

Forward, back, pump, groan, moan, squeeze.

Akira sucked in a breath of air in a pleasured hiss. He was growing impatient, however. He was here to pleasure himself, to get the roaring out of his blood, to try and ease the ache in his chest whenever he dreamed of the blue eyes. Pleasuring his new friend at this point almost felt like a chore. His one-time partners had always been willing however, and this one was no exception.

Akira had taken one look at his hair and eye color, and was sold. The young man had seemed shy at first once they left the vendor, walking in silence like two strangers who just so happened to be walking in the same direction. Akira hadn't been so sure if he was even the type to accept his advances, but he wooed him quickly, and now the blond was against him, breathing hard and moaning.

He was almost there. He closed his eyes. The young man tried tilting his face back towards Akira's for a kiss. Akira reached up and quickly grabbed hold of his chin, forcing him to look forward.

He was almost there.

Then it was over quickly. Akira pulled out with a sharp hiss, ejaculating into his palm. The youngman seemed disappointed by this, turning around and trying to bring Akira close, but Akira gently pushed himself away.

He was sated. For now.

The young man blinked, as if dazed by the speed of it all, as he pulled his pants back up clumsily. Akira nodded at him with a lazy grin and began to walk off, the ache in his chest now a hollow feeling that he was beginning to abhor.

This time, sex hadn't made him feel that great. He hadn't even asked the young man what his name was.

Slutty. He shook his head, ridding himself of the thought.

"Wait, hold on a sec." The young man grabbed onto Akira's hand. Akira looked back with a tired sigh.

"What?"

The young man faltered before saying, "Think I'll see you again?" He smiled nervously, shoving his hands in his pockets.

Oh, fuck. Akira closed his eyes and sighed. Damn it. He was such an asshole.

But he couldn't find the strength to care on the guy's behalf.

"I…I'd really like to see you again," his fling said. Akira watched him for a second, before he leaned forward, brushing a stray strand of blond hair out of his eyes. The blond sucked in a hopeful breath, cheeks flushed from the gesture.

"Once is all I need," Akira whispered in his ear. Like I'd see the same guy twice, he thought with a scowl.

He disappeared down the alley, trying to ignore the young man's heated curses. But, hell, he should have known what he was getting into. Who had sex like that, not even knowing your name, and didn't know what was coming afterward? Maybe he wasn't used to that kind of male attention and quickly got absorbed in it. Maybe he didn't get it that often. Maybe Akira should have never had him. Irritation swelled in his chest.

Fuck it. Wasn't his problem the guy couldn't keep his pants on, even if Akira had been the bastard who'd slipped them off with his own hands and pretty words. He probably deserved to get slapped or punched one of these days, and for some reason, he looked forward to the sting. It was better than feeling numb.

By then, the sun was high in the sky, and Akira relished its warmth. It left him wondering for a moment. He thought of his fling again. His hair had been yellow.

Why did that make the feeling in his chest even worse?

That night Akira dreamed again. Dreamed of the eyes, the blond hair. The name. Sasuke. He had woken up gasping, cursing, and had sat at the edge of his bed waiting for the sun to rise.

It was driving him mad.

The next morning, while hoeing and tilling with Eiji, Akira decided to ask a question. If he was found in this village, it was possible that wherever he came from wasn't far. In that case, there was a small chance this Sasuke person had been heard of within the village.

He almost didn't ask. A part of him still wanted to guard it, like a jewel or something precious, so it couldn't be stolen from him, or made to look like cheap junk with no value.

"Have you ever heard of a person named Sasuke?" Akira asked suddenly, breaking the silence. Eiji, who had been sleepily going about his business was suddenly alert, his eyes narrowed and suspicious.

"Why?" he asked, careful not to sound too demanding. But Akira could hear the sharp edge to his voice, and he wondered if he'd made a mistake.

"I just remember hearing the name, is all. I remember it from somewhere," Akira answered honestly. Eiji was quiet a moment.

"There are more than one Sasuke in this world, I'm sure, but there is one in particular that many people have heard of lately." Eiji struck the ground harder, with more force than he needed to. Akira fidgeted.

"Who is he?" Akira wanted to know, his heart beating a little faster.

"No one you'd want to cross paths with. He's part of the Akatsuki," At the mention of this, Akira's heart fell a little. Maybe this wasn't the right person.

"So he's dangerous?" he asked flatly.

Eiji nodded, grim. "Very. Though, he hasn't been seen in months. Maybe someone did the little fucker in." Eiji wiped the back of his hand across his forehead and seemed satisfied with this logic. Akira paused, staring at the gouges he'd made in the earth. He wiped his face with his shirt

"Maybe," he said quietly, before striking the earth again. He turned suddenly, senses picking up on something.

"Eiji, someone's coming." Akira pointed down the road.. Eiji stopped to look over his shoulder. Sure enough, a second later, a pinprick of a man could be seen bounding down the dirt road towards the house. Something was wrong, Akira could sense it in his gut. He tensed, and noticed Eiji was holding his hoe so tightly his knuckles were white. His face was twisted in a grimace.

Slowly, the neighbor got larger as he ran down the road, until he was close enough for Akira to make out the neighbor's dirt and sweat streaked clothing.

There was blood on his shirt.

"That's our neighbor, Takashi." Eiji noticed. The man coming down the road was now waving his arms. He opened his mouth to cry out, and one word rang out in the still early morning.

"RAAAAID!" Takashi screamed. Akira looked to Eiji, whose face had gone white, his eyes large with sudden fear. Suddenly, Takashi fell, face first in the dirt. Akira hurried to him.

In an instant, he was at the man's side, but Takashi was unnaturally still, not lifting his head from the dirt. A pool of dark blood was beginning to seep from underneath his prostrate form.

Akira flipped the man over, and noticed a kunai had embedded itself deep in his belly. A ninja's weapon. Akira stumbled away, adrenaline beginning to pump through his veins. Eiji was already running down the road to the house. The field they were working on was two miles away from it.

It was the first time, since waking up weeks ago, that Akira had felt fear. He bounded forward, easily meeting up with Eiji.

"You can get there faster than I can!" Eiji huffed, face blotchy and red. Akira nodded in understanding and sprinted ahead. He'd be there in a matter of a few minutes, as opposed to the ten or longer it might take Eiji to run the two miles.

Soon Akira saw the farm house looming white in the distance. He ran harder. Faster. He had lost sight of Eiji a while ago.

The moment he raced up the yard, the sun had completely broken free, and Akira hardly noticed the chill. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary from the distance he was at. He breathed a sigh of relief, but when he got to the door, he hesitated.

It was open, but only a crack. His heart hammered against his ribs, and though Akira knew no religion, he prayed as he gently pushed the door open and looked inside.

He screamed in anguish.

Blood. Devastation. Debris. Everywhere. To his left Kanako was lying on the floor, on top of Kaoru as if she had thrown herself on top of him in order to protect him, multiple odd stinger-like spikes embedded in her back. Kaoru had been struck in the neck, and he gazed lifeless up at the ceiling.

Emiko was nowhere to be seen.

Akira fell to his knees by Kanako and Kaoru's side, silent tears falling. He didn't even realize he was crying.

No, this couldn't be happening. This was wrong, it had to be.

Horrible images surfaced in his mind, and he realized they were memories of childhood, of days long gone. There was blood…everywhere. Empty streets. It was dark. He only wanted to go home…see his mother and brother, but when he walked inside, he only found death.

A cry ripped from Akira's throat, bending him over, but it felt like it was bending his body in half.

"Uchihaaaaa."

A deadly, low voice hissed, and Akira snapped his head back up, the cries lodging in his throat as he sprang to his feet. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end. The name sent a shockwave through him. It was…familiar.

Akira looked around the living room, but the intruder was in the hall. A grotesque silhouette was sitting in the dark, and Akira recoiled in rage and despair when it stepped into the light.

Emiko's hair ribbon was caught between that monster's claws. Half of the creature looked human and male, but the other side of his body was deformed. The other side of his human face was a different shape, sharp and triangular with a beady red eye, half of his body covered in tough gray skin with spikes sprouting from underneath his wrists and shoulders. The arm on the grotesque side was unnaturally long, fingertips nearly dragging across the floor as it walked. The spike-like claws dug in and sliced through the carpet as it stepped forward.

Rip. Rip. Rip.

Akira had to keep himself from yelling and charging forward blindly. He trembled, a rage he couldn't remember ever feeling beginning to take hold.

He wanted that monster's blood spilled, it's body torn until it screeched for mercy. He clenched his fists, reaching back to grip the handle of his sword, glad that wearing it had become habit.

The creature grinned, revealing sharpened teeth."Uchiha," it hissed again, and struck.

With a flick of its claw-like hand, several spikes shot out towards Akira with incredible speed. In a flash, he had withdrawn his sword, using it as a shield to deflect the spikes.

With a roar, he charged at the beast, sword raised. It fanned out its claws, its middle one lengthening until it was the size of a small sword.

The beast slashed and jabbed, but Akira held him off. Seeming to grow bored of sword play, the beast pulled a different move. The spikes on its back seemed to glow, and bent its knees, shooting more of them Akira's way. Some ricocheted off the ceiling and walls as Akira dodged wildly.

He noticed the spikes were imbued with chakra, and so Akira resorted to his own. He had no idea how he knew how to do it, but the knowledge was there. He leaped away, dodging the chakra laced spikes and forming seals quickly, taking a large breath.

A cackling fireball exploded into existence, barreling into the hideous creature. It screeched, a blood curdling sound that made Akira wince, and it was thrown through the walls of the living room and tumbled outside, leaving a gaping hole in the house.

Little tongues of flame spluttered to life on pieces of furniture and on the debris that littered the floor. Akira waited, sure the blast hadn't killed the monstrosity, and sent chakra through his sword, making it sizzle to life with lightning. He stepped forward, his hand gripping the sword handle so tightly it hurt. He hoped the creature was still clinging to some sort of life just so he could-

"UCHIHA!"

The creature sprang towards him suddenly, popping up out of nowhere, slashing with its claws. Akira sliced through the elongated claws. The creature's eyes widened, and it brought its strange hand to its face in disbelief, eyes wide and confused.

It gave itself just enough pause for Akira to stab it. He had a hunch about the gray wrinkled skin, and so he stabbed the monster in its human side. The lightning sword sliced through the flesh like butter, the lightning electrifying and paralyzing the creature. It screeched again, and Akira drove the blade through the body so forcefully he plowed it into the ground.

The monster was pinned to the floor with the sword. Akira hovered over the creature, face contorted in rage and still streaked with the paths his tears had made.

"Who is Uchiha?" he demanded. Blood dribbled out of the side of the creature's mouth. It looked confused for a moment.

"U-Uchiha…" it croaked, and suddenly screeched once more, struggling as though it hadn't been pierced through the stomach and had regained its vigor. It tried to shoot chakra spikes once more, but it couldn't direct them as neatly. Akira merely sidestepped the attack. He stood up, bringing a foot down on the sword handle and driving it further through the body. The monster bellowed, writhing, and shrieking.

"Who is Uchiha?" Akira roared. When the creature failed to answer, he stepped upon the sword again.

"Who is it? TELL ME!" He sent more lightning coursing down the blade, and the creature seized with all the added electricity. The human hand of whatever the fuck that creature raised shakily. It grinned and pointed its index finger at Akira's face.

"U…Uchi…" It spluttered as it died.

"No. You don't get to die until I tell you to!" Akira hissed, but he knew it was dead, and that enraged him beyond belief.

"Tell me! Tell me!" He screamed as he plucked his sword from its body and stabbed it repeatedly.

Kaoru.

Kanako.

Emiko.

He could see the little boy from his misplaced memory again. Himself. He was hunched over his murdered parents. The little boy was alone. So very, very alone. And enraged. And terrified.

Sasuke.

Akira howled with rage, bringing the sword down once more, his vision blinded by tears. He didn't understand. Didn't understand why the only people to have cared for him needed to die this way. He could have saved them. He could have protected them-

"Akira! That is enough."

Akira brought the sword down once more, his clothes and face covered in gore. With a curse, he brought the sword up again, but a hand grabbed his wrist.

"Enough," Eiji whispered, his voice dead. Akira let the sword clatter to the floor.

"I…I should have gotten here faster," he gasped out. Eiji stared at his wife and son, tears silently running down his face, the spark of life usually in his eyes faded to a dull sheen.

He bent his head and squeezed his eyes shut, taking a shuddering breath.

"No. No. Don't blame yourself."

Akira looked through the hole in the house. He thought of Takashi, of the neighbor screaming about a raid.

"Why is it so quiet?" Akira asked suddenly. Eiji didn't say anything for a moment. He kneeled by Kanako and Kaoru.

Why was it so quiet? If there was a raid, where were the others? Where was the fighting?

Eiji didn't say anything. He ran out of the house, shouting for Emiko, leaving Akira alone in the house. A while later he returned, looking lost. He stood by his wife and son for a long time. Akira watched him. Finally, Eiji got on his knees and stared, as if sheer will power would make his wife and son stir back to life. Then , as if he had just come to understand what had happened, he clapped his hand to his mouth, but it didn't stop the heart-wrenching sob that slipped past his lips.

"Oh God! Oh God!"

Akira slouched heavily against the wall, listening to Eiji's wails, his eyes dry and stinging. His body felt like lead, his heart and mind numb. He listened. Listened to Eiji, listened to the distant screams that finally echoed from far away, listened and felt small explosions from the other distant parts of the village.

The house was on the border of the village, in the middle of farming fields. It was likely something could come along again, but not too likely. Sure enough, nothing else came. It grew dark and quiet, save for Eiji's sobs.

Akira watched the fields, looked to the horizon blowing smoke.

Should Akira have risen to fight? Gone straight into battle and helped the others? They had ninja, they didn't need him. Someone else could save them, because he sure as hell couldn't. And he didn't want to leave Eiji.

He and Eiji sat there well into the evening. Eiji had pulled Kanako's stiff body off of Kaoru. The boy looked so small, so innocent, in death.

Don't ever leave. It's like having a brother again.

The memory twisted Akira's heart. Eiji was now lying beside them, his hand reached out to be in Kanako's, Kaoru pulled close to his body so that he was in the middle.

It was the most depressing sight Akira had ever seen.

He rose, unable to bear it any longer. He stumbled off to the pond he and Kaoru had practiced at, and lost it. He fell to his knees, gagging on a sob, his breath caught so painfully in his lungs it burned and seared. He gagged, gasped, and sobbed, staring at his reflection. Shakily, he got to his feet. Kanako and Kaoru may be dead, but Emiko…

"EMIKO!" Akira shouted, looking wildly around the woods. He called for her again, and shot off into the trees to look for her. He searched until he came to accept that she was gone. He knew she wasn't in the wood, but he'd refused to stop looking. Finally he stopped, leaning against a tree, exhausted, emotionally spent. He drifted into a light slumber, and dreamed of the the haunting blue eyes that so often visited his dreams and caused his heart to ache.

He woke with a start, and began to reach over as if feeling for someone, until he realized it had all been a dream. He was alone. There was no one here…no blue eyes to comfort him now. The thought made the sadness and anger churning within him even worse.

The moon took to the sky, and the stars were bright and clear. He could smell smoke. He wondered if Eiji was alright. He ran. He returned to find the house on fire, Eiji standing outside it, looking drained.

"I can't live in that house anymore," he whispered. Akira said nothing to that.

"I…I couldn't find Emiko," Akira said as he watched the house burn.

Eiji closed his eyes. "Neither could I." The two watched the house burn in silence.

...

When Akira opened his eyes the following morning, he believed he'd had a nightmare for one blissful moment. Then he realized he was sleeping on the cold hard ground next to Eiji, and he noticed the charred skeleton of the farmhouse. Weary and stiff, the two newly made nomads set off down the road, and into town.

Fuck the war. Fuck this masked man Akira had heard about.

The town was in ruins. Charred ruins. There were people still bleeding and dying in the streets as all available (and short staffed) medic nin lined them up in the streets and busily treated them.

Pained moans resonated through the morning air, and people shuffled past. Some recognized Eiji, but once they noticed Kanako and the children weren't at his side, they kept a wide berth. Akira watched their breath fog out before them and rising to join the silvery morning mist that clung to the earth. The two men traveled in silence, heads bowed, not looking at the wounded, until a voice called out to Eiji. Eiji seemed both surprised and uneasy by the acknowledgement. He was being addressed by a thin, nervous looking old man.

Akira looked over curiously.

"It's Norio," the old man explained quickly. "He's gathering a group! I think he's gone off the deep end! You have to come see this! Please, talk some sense into him, Eiji, he's been looking for you."

Eiji seemed like he wanted to walk away, but he nodded solemnly, placing a firm hand on Akira's shoulder. Eiji beckoned him to follow. They walked deeper into town. In the shadows of an alley, by the very pawn shop Akira had fooled around by the other day, stood a large group of men. Some wounded, some dressed like ninja, others appearing to be ordinary villagers.

At the head of the group, a large blond man with a rough beard, and a gash gouged into his cheek caked over with dried blood, smiled at the sight of Eiji. Akira guessed he had to be Norio. Norio's smile faded when he noticed Akira.

"Who's this?" Norio growled, eyeing Akira suspiciously. Eiji clasped Akira's shoulder. Akira glared.

"This is Akira. He's a good kid, Norio. You can trust him," Eiji insisted tiredly. Norio grunted.

Norio beckoned them forward with a jut of his chin. "Fine, let's go." They were ushered into the pawn shop, where the group gathere. The shop's counters were upturned, trinkets littering the ground. It was cold.

"Now," Norio, began roughly, and all chatter died down. "We can't sit by idly anymore until the fucking Akatsuki run us all into the ground and kill our loved ones!" There was a murmur of agreement, a few curses and cries.

Norio smiled grimly, pleased by his reception. "There's been a domino effect of raids on nearby villages. Sooner or later, it was going to happen here. When I heard, I was out of town. I'd gone to visit my brother in a nearby village," he paused, as if it had suddenly become difficult for him to continue.

Norio cleared his throat. "Once I heard, I got here fast as I could with a few men I trust more than anything. We were too late, but able to drive some of the beasts off. We didn't need ninjutsu to crack some skulls. Listen up, most of you are here today because you're good men. You're on the village council, or even associated with the ninja or police force. Or maybe you're just a fucking plain good man. Either way, you're here because I want you here. I want you to listen to this."

Akira listened as Norio spoke about the Jinchuuriki (oddly, the term sounded familiar to him, but he couldn't figure out why) the Akatsuki was after, and that the vessel was the sole reason for the war.

"There's only one Jinchuuriki left," Norio cried over the men's talk and battle cries, pacing back and forth, "A young man from Konoha known as Naruto Uzumaki. It's said he's a legendary fighter, a real hero," he paused here to allow cynical laughter and a chorus of boo's. Akira frowned by Eiji's side.

Norio waved at them for silence. "But no one has seen or heard of this hero in months. We all know why! He's in hiding, running from the war. This man is the reason our children are living a nightmare, the reason why our villages are burned, why our friends and family are dying, and he won't even show his fucking face to fight. Wanna know what I say?" he growled, and was met with a crescendo of voices. Akira looked around him, looked at the faces of the men screaming for justice.

He felt lost in the sea of faces.

Norio cupped his hands around his mouth to yell over the noise. "I say, we stop hiding behind the Allied Shinobi Forces and waiting for them to care enough to send more ninja. I say we end this. Together! We might not be able to take the Jinchuuriki head-on, but if we work together, we can do this. We can end this war!"

The roar was deafening now, but someone from the back shouted out.

"What the hell are you suggesting? That we kill the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki?" A man asked incredulously. Akira waited for the answer, watching Norio coolly. Norio's lips stretched into a threatening smile.

"Yes. Take out the Jinchuuriki, and Madara Uchiha has nothing left!"

A chill ran down Akira's spine.

"Have you lost your fucking mind?!" another man spluttered. "We can't take out a Jinchuuriki! That's suicide!"

An argument began, but Akira was lost in his thoughts. Eiji remained silent, watching Norio with an unreadable expression on his face. Akira kept thinking of the name the creature had hissed, and the name Norio had just said.

Uchiha! Uchiha! The monster had hissed.

Akira thought of the monster, pointing at him, a grin on its hideous face. Someone jostled him as they tried to come to the front of the group to yell out their opinion, infuriatingly enough. He shoved at them, but the person didn't care, or he didn't notice.

"We have fighters, we have ninja, we aren't capable of such a feat by ourselves!" The debate continued.

"We wouldn't be alone, we'd be working alongside others from different villages! We have a plan. We're taking action into our own hands now! Fuck the Kages, they haven't done shit for us. Tell me right now what the Hokage has done for the villages? For the towns and cities? Now tell me what she's done for the Hidden Leaf." There was a terrible silence, and Norio continued, "Now our homes have been destroyed, our friends and loved ones have been killed, while we wait for the Hokage to do something. So listen up, those who are interested-"

"You're doing this all because the man isn't fighting? He's a single man, not an army, Norio," Eiji said suddenly. The room quieted. Norio glared at him. Akira looked over, surprised.

"He's a man with incredible power who's choosing not to use it, when it could damn well save his country. Maybe it wouldn't, but the point is, it could. If he's going to keep it to himself and play lap dog for the Hokage, he's the whole reason for this mess. I say we do him in. End it while we can. While he lives it'll never be anything but chaos. Take what Madara needs, and he can't win the war!"

Eiji spoke up over the uproar that followed, "You really don't believe in this country's ability to take care of itself? We're not the military, Norio."

Norio pointed at him, and the gesture was almost lethal, like holding Eiji as swordpoint. "I'll tell ya one thing, cousin: if this world's ever gonna make itself right, it's gotta fight, with everything it has. We have to stop relying on the ninja and hidden villages and take matters into our own hands! We're hiding behind the ninja like frightened mice, but if they're not as strong as they claim to be, what's a mouse to do when it's faced with a cat?" Norio wanted to know. His gray eyes were as cold as ice as he said it. Judging by the dark look that eclipsed his face, Akira decided he would be wary of the man. Eiji shifted beside him.

"Eiji, where's Kanako and the children? It's surprising to see you without her talking out of your mouth for you." Norio said suddenly. A look of rage and immense sadness passed over Eiji's face. Akira frowned, fingers inching towards his sword.

"I said where's your family?" Norio demanded again. Akira shot a glance towards Eiji, who had lowered his head, silent.

"Where is your family, Eiji?" Norio shouted. The room was quiet as death as the men waited for Eiji's answer. Some had averted their gazes out of sympathy.

"That's enough, Norio…" Eiji whispered. Akira was gripping his sword handle tightly now, but no one seemed to care or notice.

Norio said, "What's being done is not enough, and now your family's dead because of it. You're telling me you'd rather sit here, and rot away in your own misery, after the Akatsuki murdered your family? You're telling me that you're going to do nothing? You don't want to avenge them? What kind of spineless-" Norio didn't get much farther, because Akira had had enough. He drew his sword, and in an instant was in front of Norio, who had angled his head back in surprise to keep from getting pricked between the eyes. Those who were armed in the room drew their weapons. Akira didn't lower his sword.

"That is enough," Akira said quietly. Norio, stunned at first by the kid's audacity, recovered quickly. He smirked, holding up his hands in defeat.

"You got guts, kid."

Akira didn't take it as a compliment.

"Try to break him, and I swear to high heaven I'll break you in half," Akira hissed. Norio raised an eyebrow, clearly amused but not threatened. Eiji fidgeted nervously, hissing at Akira to come away. Norio barked out a laugh.

"I never took you for a coward, Eiji. Now it's a boy fighting your fight? I thought we'd be together on this one." Norio's voice was strangely hushed, angry, disappointed. Akira wondered how close the two cousins were; he heard Eiji speak of Norio since he had woken up. Norio waved his hand in a dismissing gesture, pushing past Akira like nothing had happened.

"I'm done here," he growled at the group, casting a glare at Eiji. "If anyone wishes to join our cause, we're leaving at dawn. We meet at the village border, on the east side." He walked away without sparing Eiji or Akira a second glance. The group of men slowly trickled out from the lobby, leaving Akira and Eiji. Akira waited for Eiji to move.

Slowly, like an old man with stiff bones, Eiji turned to leave. Akira followed closely behind, head bowed. Eiji was eerily silent the rest of the day, his eyes open but seeing nothing.

They sat, huddled under a thin blanket, by the side of an old apartment complex, watching people pass them by. Most were packing up, leaving town, tugging their crying children behind them. Some were doing volunteer work and helping those in need. Somone was using their house like a soup kitchen, and dozens of people milled in and out for a bite. More than once, Akira saw some men from the meeting, passing them by with eyes as hard as flint.

Akira thought of Kanako, of Kaoru, of Emiko…

His heart burned for vengeance. He looked over to Eiji, who was still pale, who had still not spoken a word since that morning. Dread and anger welled in the pit of Akira's stomach like ice. Something about Eiji's eyes chilled him to the bone.

"We can fight for them, Eiji," he found himself saying. Eiji said nothing. Akira's temper bubbled over.

"Don't you want to fight? Don't you want to do anything?" His voice rose, quivering with rage. Still, Eiji said nothing. He only looked away. So they sat in silence. By evening, Eiji had curled into his blanket on the concrete. Akira couldn't get him to get up.

By night, after leaving to find them something to eat and upon his return, Akira found Eiji was gone. He stared dumbly at the abandoned blanket for a while. He wanted to scream at the injustice, at Eiji's refusal to do nothing, at Eiji's surrender.

How could anyone just sit there? His head hurt.

Akira turned abruptly, a fierce determination fueling him, leaving the blanket behind in a pathetic little pile. Grimly, he walked to the east side of the village. He didn't need to guess what happened to Eiji, and he didn't need to see, either. It would only numb him further, and he couldn't really feel much of anything anyway at this point. Anger was the only emotion that coursed through him steadily.

Akira would see him avenged, would see all the Yamagatas avenged.

Come early morning, Norio was pleasantly surprised to find Akira among the gathered men. He grinned, something that, to Akira, seemed more predatory than welcome.

"So you've come."

Akira shrugged, crossing his arms. "I can't ignore what's been done."

"What happened to Eiji?" Norio asked suddenly, glancing around. Akira looked away, nearly shaking. Norio frowned.

"You pushed him to his limit," Akira accused dangerously. Norio barked out a laugh, as if it was the most absurd of accusations.

"If he did anything to himself, it's his fault, not my own. My cousin always was weak," Norio said. Akira glowered at him. Felt like throttling him.

"Don't give me that look. Not like I can't relate. They took his wife and kids? Yeah, well, they took mine too," Norio's expression turned dangerous when he said, "My wife was pregnant with our first." A shadow eclipsed Norio's broad face, and he grimaced, eyes shining.

"I was fighting, and I had hidden her beneath the floor, we had a little crawl space. She was…far along. One of the monsters found the door and ripped it up. Pulled her up the by the hair. Mauled her right in front of me while they cornered me and watched me try to get to her." Norio was shaking now, and when he spoke, his voice was low and deadly.

"I'm going to kill as many of those sons of bitches that I can. I'm going to kill them, and I'm going to savor every moment of it. I'm not gonna do myself in like some weakling because I can't handle it. I'm going to avenge my Saiyuri, and I'm going to do it right. We'd never have had those monsters in our village if it wasn't for the little fucker we're going to track down. If it wasn't for him…Saiyuri would be alive." Norio ground out.

Akira said nothing, unsure of whether to pity Norio or despise him. The man's blame was misplaced, Akira knew, but at this point, he found he didn't really give a shit.

He fingers itched for his sword. His whole body quivered in anticipation of battle.

Akira needed a little vengeance of his own. If that called for a little blood, he would gladly spill it.