A/N Wow it's been a while since i've touched this story. Had to reread most of it to get the old gears working again to remember everything that had transpired. Sorry about taking so long to get around back to this, I was writing my Ace Combat 5 fanfiction, which is amazing.
Alright next matter to address...oh yes, over 72k views for this story?! You guys rock! This is my best fanfiction so far! I can't believe you guys will keep reading this stuff. Now, if anyone is keeping up with the manga and stuff, you will notice the identity of the Sage of Six Paths, er, I mean Hagoromo Otsutsuki's eldest son has been revealed as Indra, and the younger son as Ashura, I shall be formally announcing I shall be changing the name of "Ankoku" in my story to that of Indra, so no confusion shall be there.
Another matter, you may have noticed I have changed this story's name to simply "Red Dawn Rising". The reason for this is that since there are two parts with different names, it would be irrelevant to name the entire story after one part. Also the term for "Red Dawn" shall come into play during the latter chapters of this impressive story.
Also, my writing has since improved from the last time I wrote on this story, thanks to the extensive time I spent on my Ace Combat Fanfic, which has surpassed this story in word count and # of chapters, being at 36 chapters and over 107k words, so there will be a noticeable difference between the earlier chapters and the future chapters in grammar and stuff (Grammar Nazi mode activate).
Alright, almost done with the list...man this author's note is long, jeez, okay...I already have ideas for the ending of this story, it's going to be badass, just saying, and don't blame me if some of the stuff I write now is crap. It's been such a long time since I wrote on this that I've forgotten some of the stuff. No flamers please. Uploads will take a little longer than usual as well since I have to think up material. Once again, no flamers. And I hope, last but not least, I'd like to thank you all for waiting so patiently for me to return back to the helm once more. Once again, all stuff regarding this and stuff belong to Masashi Kishimoto blah blah blah.
Now, with further ado...I re-present to you all...RED DAWN RISING!
Normal Speak - Blah
Thoughts - Blah
Deep/Beastial/Savage - Blah
Chapter 3 - Under the Cover of Darkness
Kakashi and Genkaku departed from the penthouse and travelled down through the many levels of the Akatsuki Tower via elevator, the two silent in their descent. Kakashi glanced up at the digital floor counter and smirked when the counter reached zero.
"Let's go." he said as he elevator doors parted and they walked out into the Akatsuki's underground base located directly underneath the tower.
They walked over to one of the many doors and entered a large workshop filled with multiple puppet parts, tools and other half-finished puppets.
"Give me a second." said Genkaku dryly before multiple clicks resonated out from underneath his cloak, then out from it rolled a small scroll.
His scorpion tail snaked out from underneath the black fabric and unrolled the scroll, Kakashi observing as the cloak fell from his body, revealing the Hirashi puppet he used, only it was very different from its Hiruko predecessor.
Instead of the large mask that would cover its back and protect the puppet master within, there was no such thing and was instead occupied by a heavily armored and spiked spinal cord, the blade tipped ribcage protecting another pair of puppet arms. What purpose they were needed for was unknown.
"Release." rasped Genkaku before a plume of smoke expanded out from the scroll, the object sealed inside revealed to Kakashi being...another puppet?
"Who is that?" he asked with a nod to the person, Genkaku chuckling as he formed a single sign and focused on the puppet.
"It's me, of course. This is my real body." he said as as he uttered a single command and he instantly slumped over, a blue essence escaping from within Hirashi and floated over to Genkaku's body, phasing into a small metallic cylinder imbedded into his chest, the kanji for "soul" engraved on its surface.
Suddenly he jerked awake and his four arms, two flesh and blood while the other two puppet arms and surgically attached just above the shoulder blades, flexed and stretched a little. What was a little off was that his entire upper chest, throat, and lower jaw/mouth were covered by dark colored metal plates attached to the skin.
Truth was that when he was still a part of Sunagakure, a member of the ANBU and a master puppeteer, he was out on a search and destroy s-ranked mission to destroy a large bandit group outside the village when his team was ambushed and he was severely scarred by a fire jutsu that hit him.
His vocal chords were heavily damaged and he could only speak in a raspy, dry voice, and even then he could not speak for long. It would cause too much pain at times.
He slipped on his modified Akatsuki cloak with four sleeves and left it unbuttoned down to his waist, nodding at Kakashi to tell him he was ready to go.
Kakashi glanced at Hirashi's empty husk and raised an eyebrow, his red sharingans looking from it to Genkaku.
"Leave it to me." spoke Genkaku in a horrifyingly raspy voice while he raised his right hand and instantly, Hirashi was sealed into the scroll he had rolled out earlier, picked it up, and slid it into one of the many scroll holders imbedded into his back.
Kakashi nodded and he widened his left eye just a fraction of a centimeter, and soon, he activated Kamui and the two spiraled out of Genkaku's workshop to directly outside the Akatsuki Tower.
Kakashi's Icha Icha book slipped down from his right sleeve into his hand and he cracked open the small book, planning to read it as they travelled out from the city.
They never noticed the two sets of eyes observing them as they departed the city, watching from the shadows and waiting until they were out of sight until they stepped out from their cover.
"I can't believe we're being forced to do this." grumbled Nagato as they slid down the hill they sat upon and waited for Yahiko to rejoin him at the bottom.
"You're telling me. This sucks. At least when you were using me as a Pain I was dead." he replied.
Nagato had explained to him everything that had transpired when he had given his life to protect Nagato and Konan from the hands of Hanzo when they were younger, and of what they were in at the moment.
"Mhmm." agreed Nagato before, unwillingly, he started to walk forward to the city, Yahiko not far behind.
"I guess we're going then."
He narrowed his eyes at the approaching city and spotted the large Akatsuki Tower spiralling up into the night sky, it's bright neon logo becoming their beacon under the cover of darkness.
"We make our way there, go in, grab the kid, then get the hell out."
"Got it." agreed Yahiko before they broke into a sprint and leaped into the air, soundlessly flying over the tall gates protecting the city, over the guards and coincidently down into an alleyway between two buildings.
They were in the maroon cloaks they had been reincarnated in and the two blended in perfectly, having had the obvious cracks and fissures of a reincarnated soul vanish and Nagato's withered, emaciated self replaced with his younger, more youthful looking self.
Nagato nodded towards the alley exit and they pulled up the large hoods their cloaks wore and stepped out into the night life of the city, merging with the crowd of people clogging the streets of the city. He looked up and spotted the Akatsuki Tower straight ahead, grinning a little at Naruto's genius for thinking of it.
"Centering the tower right in the center of the city, so he can see everything from a full 360 degree view. Smart." he thought before they started to snake through the flood of citizens, no one throwing them a suspicious eye at all in their haste to get to the tower.
They saw a lot of folks like them pass through, so they didn't mind it.
"Guard patrol on the right."
Yahiko glanced that way and he shared his view with Nagato, the two making sure to avoid them until, at the right moment, they escaped the crowd for a more favorable way of transportation. They went from building to building until they reached a skyscraper sitting idle right beside the massive tower, its insides uninhabited for the time being...which worked out very good for them. They leapt over to the side of the massive skyscraper and used their chakra to scale the side until they popped in through an open window.
They were in.
"Alright, allow me to find our target." said Nagato as he closed his eyes and concentrated on the building until they shot open again and the two sprinted towards the stairs, avoiding the elevator.
"He's on the third to the top floor, just underneath the penthouse."
"Is that where...he is?" asked Yahiko as they flew up the stairs easily, Nagato slowly nodding.
"Yeah...Naruto…" he sighed deeply before they reached the stairwell door marked three and opened it, walking out right into a giant fireball zooming straight towards them.
"Shinra Tensei!" shouted Nagato as he quickly brought his hand up and dissipated the jutsu with a small scale burst, revealing the scowling Menma standing just a few yards away.
"Who are you, and why are you here? Answer soon or I'll kill you." snarled Menma with bared fangs, Nagato grinning at him.
"The resemblance is uncanny…"
"We're here for you. Come with us." said Yahiko as he formed a chakra rod in his hand and pointed its tip at Menma, Nagato forming one in his hand as well while he held his other hand at his side.
"Tell me who you are first." countered Menma, Nagato smirking before he looked Menma right in the eye with his Rinnegan.
"Very well...let's shed a little light onto this subject. But...that will have to wait for later. Bansho Ten'in!" he spoke as he raised his hand up and Menma was instantly flung forward at him, pulled by an unseen force until Nagato sent his fist right into his jaw, knocking him out cold with one punch.
"Come on, let's go."
- Penthouse -
Naruto groaned as he massaged his hand after writing so many papers today, manufacturing bills, job site applications and sign off forms...it was a nightmare. Suddenly he perked up a little and raised his eyebrow at the blunting of some chakra beneath him.
He got out of his seat and flew out of his office, running down some steps until he reached the floor right underneath the penthouse to watch as two unknown assailants broke the windows, one of them with Menma slung over their shoulders.
"Where do you think you're going?" he demanded with a low growl, the two turning back to see Naruto lower himself down onto all fours, his demonic chakra starting to bubble out from his skin.
"Take care of him." whispered the one on the left, the one on the right nodding before he let his partner escape through the hole in the window.
Naruto narrowed his eyes as the man grinned while his eyes were under the cover of his large hood and he growled again when the man crossed his arms.
"How about you just let us get away and I won't have to hurt you." he said, Naruto sneering as they began to circle each other, their eyes never leaving the other.
"Ha, fat chance. I'm going to rip out through jugular and tear the head off of your partner." laughed Naruto in a chilling voice, the man shivering a little at his casual demeanor towards horrifying death.
"Well, it seems to be the time that I take my leave. Au revoir...Naruto." spoke the man before he raised up his head and revealed his eyes to the Uzumaki, making him hesitate before he stepped off the ledge of the open window, Naruto running to the ledge to an odd sight.
The man was gone. Without a trace.
Naruto's chakra phased back into his body and cursed at his ignorance of the intrusion, his finger rising to the earpiece he had and pressing the small button, speaking some words before he turned away from the shattered window and ran down the hallway towards the stairs.
While he ran, he thought of this new adversary he had just encountered.
"How does he possess the Rinnegan? The only bearer I know of is Akayuri. I will have to sleep on this. Better contact the others of this dire situation immediately as well. I don't like what's going on..."
- Mountain's Graveyard -
Indra opened his eyes as he heard footsteps approaching him, his head turning ever so slightly to see out of the corner of his eye Nagato and yahiko approaching him with a struggling Menma in their grasp.
"Ah, thank you for your service." he said as he held walked towards them, Nagato and Yahiko unresponsive to his gratitude.
"So...this is that pesky Uzumaki's son…" said Indra as he observed Menma from top to bottom behind his mask, Menma growling at him with bared fangs.
"You're that guy from the crystal I broke...I recognize your chakra."
"Yes, that was me. My name is Indra Otsutsuki, or you can simply call me Indra." introduced the man with a small bow, Menma scoffing at him.
"Why did you bring me here?" he demanded, Indra chuckling as he held his hands behind his back and began to pace back and forth.
"For a single reason only. You can help me achieve my goal. That is why I brought you here. You did not want to stay there anyway, being a member of Akatsuki to you was how you say, "boring". And I faintly remember your father giving you quite a scolding after my escape, am I wrong?" asked Indra with a glance at Menma, only recieving a look of disgust.
"Yeah...you're right. But what makes you think I'll help you? You're evil."
"Not necessarily...I only wish to bring peace to the world. If someone gets in my way, I won't hesitate to slit their throat. And you will help me because you wish to prove to your father that you can handle yourself and be a capable fighter worthy of inheriting the title of Kyuubi." said Indra with a small smile, Menma's anger subsiding for a moment as he took in Indra's words and realized that he was actually...right.
"Yeah...that is what I want…"
"Then why don't you help me achieve peace...would that not prove your worthiness?" asked Indra, Menma slowly nodding before Yahiko and Nagato let go of his arms and Menma rubbed his wrists before nodded.
Indra smiled evilly behind his mask as the eye in his left hand closed tightly, a hint of red escaping from the skin before it shut tightly, Indra clasping Menma's shoulder and leading him towards the tunnel directly across from where they stood.
"You may possess the chakra of a Kyuubi, but I will be the one to show you *true power...all you have to do is trust me." said Indra, Menma grinning as they stepped into the darkness of the tunnel.
"I trust you...Indra."
A/N ah, tell me what you think. please.