Suzu: So much explanatory dialogue you may perish.
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- Vainglory -
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Chapter 25: Choosing Sides
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"Every truth has two sides;
It is as well to look at both, before we commit ourselves to either."
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Aesop
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His body was broken. This was a small price to pay. Although the tips of his fingers were burnt with demon scars, and the sinews of his body newly restrung, ligaments repaired but creaking, the hum of his chakra sizzling in uneven spurts, Minato's heart was full.
And as he let the familiar edges of his jutsu tug him forward, Minato looked down at the steady weight in his arms, lifeless, just a shell of its former self.
"Thank you."
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[Four hours prior]
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He swung his monstrous cleaver down—cackling in delight—at the soldier before him.
And oh! It was metallic and sweet, like the rusted iron of his broad sword.
Blood.
Blood.
Shige's nostrils flared.
The general surveyed the landscape, his eyelids half closed. His pale hair was matted and dripped with the red stain of his enemies. Dotted bits of mud clumped at his cheek.
The scene was grim. The trees met the overflowing river—that is, its shores overflowed with prone bodies scattered about, never to move again. The scenery crawled with amorphous, liquid Kirigakure mercenaries. They wore similar snarls, predatory, as the grim shouts of their victims bubbled into nothingness when their bodies hit the river.
Shige laughed, half-manic.
In the next instant, three kunai were pointed at his throat.
"Get lost, vermin, and take your pathetic excuse for shinobi with you!"
The Konoha nin who had shouted had hazel eyes like saucers. The man's hands, clutching the kunai, were outstretched and shaking.
Hozuki Shigetsu grinned back lazily.
"Pathetic, you say?"
A heady mix of anticipation, mirth, and bloodlust sang through his veins. The song was as fast and swift-running as the flooding river beneath his feet. "Then tell me… what does that make you?"
There was barely a splash. Shige's body dropped into the river, and instantly melted shapeless into the shallow tidal whirlpool, his frothy liquid limbs wrapping around six legs. The three startled Konoha shinobi struggled to leap away, to no avail.
"Get 'em, boys."
Shige's bubbling chuckle had barely subsided in the water when several sets of snapping jaws emerged.
They met only air.
Quick as a skipping rock, a shadow skimmed across the water's roiling surface. Then, three writhing Konoha bodies were dumped unceremoniously on the gritty shore.
The snapping jaws of Kiri's men followed. The river water rose and became a live thing, shaped like a torpedo-head shark, jaws opening, its height threatening to engulf even the smaller Hashirama trees at the river's edge. The watery apparition let out a very real, earth-shaking screech.
Another roar from the shore met the tide of the river. The great wave of water crashed against it, and then, as if bowing in acknowledgement of the opponent's power, collapsed.
The river frothed feebly back into its bed.
"No manners."
A red-haired woman stood on the shore, grinning. She turned to look back at a blond man behind her.
"And you said our Kiri division was the cream of the crop."
"Shige said that. Not me," returned the man.
He was busy removing the Konoha hitae-ate from the shinobi who'd been rescued. They lay, breathing heavily, sputtering water from their lungs and looking worse for wear.
If there was a malevolent river spirit, then it was not happy with losing his prey.
The water turned dark, splashing angrily against the muddy shore. A tall, muscular male form emerged from the churning river. His face was twisted with anger.
"Yeesh, they're slimy-looking," commented the woman. "Do something about it."
"More Konoha filth?" the Kiri mercenary roared. His many rows of teeth glinted like miniscule daggers.
"Rude." The redhead sized up her opponent as he stalked from the riverbed. His hulking figure was twice the size of hers. "I'm way too awesome to be lumped in with Konoha."
"Liar!" The mercenary lunged.
"No, actually," said the blond, wincing as the woman's chakra flared. Chains shot from her body and wrapped around the veined, bulging neck of the Kiri mercenary.
"Hey! Don't hurt him. He's technically working for me."
"Too bad for you. Ever heard of job interviews, Minato?"
That was the pause the Kiri mercenary needed, as he dissolved into liquid again.
Again, the river surged, lapping well into the shoreline. Shortly, the muscled mercenary reemerged, his arms ready to crush the woman's lungs. Two punches later, the Kumo mercenary was laid out to dry on the shore.
A steady clapping was heard from the river.
Then, like a grinning tanuki, Hozuki Shigetsu emerged.
"Bravo! Brava!" the pale man sang.
Shige clambered onto the shore, shaking his head spectacularly to dry himself.
"I figured you were here, Shige," Minato sighed. "I had hoped you'd intervene earlier."
"And miss the fantastic show?"
Kushina gave Shige a once-over. "Job interviews, Minato," she sighed.
The Hozuki's pale hands rubbed together as if he were truly delighted by their company.
"Don't look so grim, Yellow Flash. My guy may not have had the pleasure of meeting his esteemed leader before, but he's real hard to persuade with just words," Shige prodded his comrade's unconscious figure with a toe. "Anyways, words hardly do you justice, dude."
"You too." He turned to the redhead. "Words hardly do you justice either, Red."
Kushina pointed an uncertain finger at herself. Shige nodded happily while Minato said a little prayer for the guy.
"The name's catching on," Kushina moaned. Noya and Bato's nickname spreading was the last thing she needed. Her fists bunched reflexively.
This only prompted a low whistle from the offending character.
"Red hot and fierce. How 'bout Habanero, then?"
"A pepper?"
"Hold on," said Minato quickly. "Judging by how many peppers these guys put in their local cuisine, it's the highest compliment." He gave Kushina's back an awkward pat to calm her. In return, she muttered something like "nerd".
Shige took the moment to stalk over to the other prone figures that had been hauled to shore. The pale man was about to dispatch the Konoha nin with his sword (easy decapitation job) when a sudden force against his swing stopped him.
Minato's hand pressed against Shige's blade edge, which, painted with blood, retained its exceeding sharpness. But the Yellow Demon's eyes were sharper still—like blue chips of ice. After a brief moment, in which Shige forgot to breathe, Minato closed his eyes and stepped back. He was still positioned between Shige and the immobile Konoha nin.
Kushina's firm voice floated over from behind.
"Leave it, Shark Face."
Clearly, she wasn't happy about his earlier nickname. But it seemed that wasn't all. The babbling of the river was the only sound for a few tense seconds.
"I thought it was war?" Shige's tone was light. "These were my orders, no? Take Konoha?"
"There are limits," said Minato.
"These guys aren't fighting back anymore," came Kushina's voice. She approached slowly, her footsteps crunching the sand and pebble underneath.
"Oh, but I saw the way Konoha ravaged your people, Habanero," tutted Shige, bloodlust still coursing through his veins. "I was there and saw the whole thing. Don't you want to give back tit for tat?"
He thought he felt the air move.
Then red hair floated into Shige's vision. He felt the lock of warm, pulsating chains against his neck.
"Call your men down," whispered Kushina, her breath tickling the back of Shige's neck. "We've taken the shore. Anymore, and you go too far."
"Fine."
Shige relaxed his arms, and inhaled the crisp air.
"But one last thing… don't you think we've been winning too easily?"
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"We're winning too easily."
Nara Shikaku shifted uneasily. Unfortunately, several pairs of eyes beside him caught everything. Shikaku's movements could not be passed off as a casual readjusting of his body against the steady creak of the Konoha galleon, which tossed slightly in the elevated waters of the riverbank.
"We've got far fewer casualties, not counting Suna's battle against Kumo. But even they've retreated successfully. No Konoha reinforcements in sight."
Outside, all was eerily tranquil, after the rainstorm. The lapping of river water against the hull calmed. Shikaku, Bato, and Chouza stood in a circle facing inward, looking at each others' reticent faces and trying not to break that calm. In the dim interior of the boat, none of them made a move.
"Three reasons," Shikaku said finally. If his voice trembled, no one commented. "First, we've been meticulous in picking our battleground. We have the advantage of surprise and geography, with the river here, and with Suna's reinforcement from the back."
"Hn," affirmed Chouza. "Those Kiri mercenaries live up to the stories."
"Second, Konoha's best troops are fighting elsewhere. Danzou has 'em stationed to conquer a continent, not to defend the village against several armies and two tailed beasts."
"There's still something I don't get," said Chouza. "What about the Special Ops soldiers? They usually do front lines work for us, and charge in ahead. But there weren't that many when I was deployed to defend the Fire Country border."
"That's the third reason that this was the optimal time to attack Konoha," explained Shikaku. "Those clones' greatest strength is also the greatest flaw. I led a unit myself, so I would know."
"Know what?"
"There's a recharge time."
"Recharge? What's that mean?"
"Not physical rest, mind you." Shikaku tapped his head lightly with his forefinger, his smile grim. "For new mission parameters to be encoded, and old data to be refreshed."
Bato's face twisted in consternation. "So they're not human?"
"They were never intended to be. The perfect soldier meant full obedience. Troops that would charge any battlefield, kill any target. That level of finesse means sacrificing some human functions." Shikaku spat out 'finesse' wryly.
As time passed, the shadowy recesses of the ship's hull seemed to creep closer, stark against the dim light shining in from above deck.
"Yo!"
All their heads swiveled to meet the new arrival. Shigetsu stood dripping on the last step, peering into the dark as if trying to figure out what the others were up to.
"Stop standing there like a rock," called Shikaku.
"S-Swear to me first that you're not doing dark magic."
"That again?" Shikaku rolled his eyes heaven ward. "Scouting went well, I guess? How many Konoha nin did your men kill out there?"
"Enough," said Shige, inching closer once he was sure no one was in the middle of occult activities. "Maybe around a hundred and fifty."
Chouza stiffened, looking very pale.
"This is not exactly the time for guilt!" said Shige. "You set me up for this."
"I'm not looking to guilt trip anyone," said Shikaku, though he also seemed pale. "I want to know when Konoha reinforcements will arrive."
"Konoha forces around Iwa should be back soon," said Chouza grimly. "Messengers were sent out a day ago."
"No, they should be here already," muttered Shikaku. "If Konoha's really putting up a fight, we should start losing the more it drags on. Even Kumo should be in worse shape."
"You planned for us to lose?" Bato frowned.
"No. Our trump card was Minato prompting mutiny among the Konoha reinforcements. But we've barely had a chance to use it. Speaking in probabilities, it was a quick win, or a long loss."
"Then what are you saying?" said Shige.
Shikaku let out a long, slow breath.
"That Konoha has given up."
"Bullshit," swore Shige.
"We're no slouches," muttered Bato. "It was a hard fight, up and down the river."
The Kiri leader stood up, incensed as Shikaku remained silent. "How can Konoha have fucking given up?" the shark man cried, voice escalating. "You're mocking my men?"
A very different voice piped up this time.
"Who's given up?"
Four heads turned to the two new arrivals, who had appeared close to Minato's seal and the reverse toad summons circle. Shige gave an undignified yelp and plopped to the floor in a tangle of pale limbs.
"I said," Kushina repeated. "What's this about Konoha giving up?"
"You guys sure took your time," Shige complained, from his ungainly sprawl on the floor. He clutched at his heart dramatically as the others looked on. His grousing was a poor cover for his paranoia that Minato's entrance was actually a demon summoned in the occult fashion. "I could've finished scouting faster than that."
"There's no one for miles who's approaching," reported Kushina. She looked down. "We covered more ground than you could have, Shark Face."
"Welcome back." Bato gave one of his rare smiles.
Minato nodded, pausing particularly toward Chouza. "Good to see you all."
"Belated congratulations, you two," the Akimichi beneficent grin called forth the image of a bodhisattva. "She seems perfect for defending you against your fangirls, Minato. You know, you somehow got more fangirls after you became missing."
Kushina turned an interesting shade of scarlet, before slamming her hand against Minato's chest to push him away. The blond blinked haplessly before trying, and failing, to stifle his grin.
"I still question your taste in women, Minato," deadpanned Shikaku, as he watched with a twinkle in his eye. "But thanks for choosing Kushina. She's proven useful."
"Aw, gee, I missed you too," said Kushina.
"Unfortunately," Shikaku replied delicately.
She stuck out her tongue as Chouza laughed and Bato coughed.
"Back to business, Akatsuki," announced Shige, jabbing a finger midair. "You explain yourself, Shikaku."
"I was saying," sighed Shikaku. "That I think there's something we're missing. A piece of the equation I've overlooked."
"Which is?"
"Maybe Danzou's letting us win."
"Or maybe Danzou doesn't have any schemes left. He's sick and injured," said Kushina. "I saw him almost bleed out in Orochimaru's lab."
"If your Hokage's on his last legs," muttered Shige. "Then no wonder Konoha troops aren't here. He seems like a selfish bastard who doesn't care what happens to the village once he kicks the bucket himself." At the incredulous looks from around the circle, Shige shrugged. "Hey, that's what the Mizukage would've done."
Before they could renew their debate, Minato's eyes became haloed in orange.
"Intruder," Minato announced. "One person. He's on deck now."
Chouza made a move to go above deck. "I can grab them and throw them off again."
"What if it's Kumo's or Suna's Kage, or even Danzou?" Kushina whispered.
"Hold it, Chouza. We'll work on the brains with the brawn, buddy," Shikaku instructed, not unkindly. The Nara put a hand around his mouth like a makeshift trumpet.
"Announce yourself! We won't hesitate to capture and torture you!"
The footsteps above deck halted, then resumed. All eyes turned to the stairs. A set of muddy boots descended the wooden planks until a lone man in a dark skullcap stood at the base of the stairwell. Even haloed by the filtered light from above deck, he looked anything but a saint.
"Torture's not exactly your specialty, is it, Nara?" the man greeted.
Shikaku's knuckles clenched white.
"How'd you find us here?"
"Yamanaka Inoichi owed me one. I got him out of Konoha."
"You didn't have to get him tried and tortured, though," muttered Chouza. Unmistakable anger shook his voice.
Morino Ibiki's face was impassive. "I did what I could."
"You…" Chouza started.
"Listen, I'll make it up to you. I have intel, and a present." Ibiki held out a gnarled fist. "You'll be very interested in both."
"What intel?" Minato asked.
"The present first, I daresay. In greeting."
The blond stared silently into a face that was unparalleled in its professional blank-ness, it felt like he was back as a celebrated young jounin, sipping tea across from the man who'd first told him about the Hyuga incident. That meeting was years ago now.
"Okay, then, what present?"
Ibiki's veiled gaze slid away from Minato to find the sole female in their midst.
"A scroll. It should be familiar."
"Like, a powerful scroll?" said Shige, eyes and teeth gleaming. "To help us?"
Kushina cut in, her voice sharper than a razor. "No, quite the opposite."
"In a way, you're both right," mused Ibiki. His impenetrable eyes remained focused on Kushina.
"Minato… is this the new cat you were talking about that morning?"
Minato smiled slowly. "Your memory's impressive. As expected."
"They didn't promote me because I'm bad at my job," said Ibiki. "I'd thought you'd be better at yours, Flash."
"Stop," grumbled Kushina. "Are you here to goad information out of us? Or do you want a deal?"
Shikaku shook his head, standing and dusting off the non-existent grime from his pants. "He wants a deal. A troublesome deal."
"What deal?" frowned Bato.
"I shouldn't have to repeat myself." Ibiki shifted, made his feet made no move forward. He merely moved his arm level with the ground, outstretched toward Kushina.
"This is a present. I don't need it, so I'm giving it to you, girl."
In Minato's mind, the pieces clicked into place.
Quick as lightning, he stepped in front of the hand. "Give it here, Ibiki."
"What?" Kushina's eyes were large and stormy. "Don't touch it. What if it's a trap?"
"You've guessed it already. And you'd definitely recognize it if he enlarged it again," said Minato. "Trust me, Kushina."
All eyes were trained on the blond, as Minato stretched out his own hand below Ibiki's. The older man's fingers separated, and a miniaturized scroll fell into Minato's palm.
"Explain," Kushina commanded.
Minato's eyes bore into the scroll in his palm. Finally, he sighed, and gave a wan smile to the redhead beside him.
"Not that it matters, but I win my personal bet," he sighed.
The rest of Akatsuki looked on like their leader was touched in the head. Maybe the scroll was a trap all along. But the scroll was still furled. Whatever booby trap was inside would not be triggered, since Minato wasn't stupid enough to—
"Fucking idiot," hissed Shikaku.
Minato had already finished unfurling the scroll, which opened with a puff of smoke. He didn't have to spare more than a glance at the contents; the markings along the seal and its worn edges were familiar. They were Danzou's markings, mixed with Jiraiya-sensei's, underneath. It was just as the mission he'd received long ago had described it, before he'd went to retrieve the misplaced scroll from that concubine Hinako. And then, fatefully or not, met a certain redhead on the dance floor.
Minato smiled.
"Kushina, you didn't eat the scroll after all."
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"This is a bad idea," said Kakashi.
Noya sniffed. "It's a brilliant idea. All brilliant ideas are bad, at first."
"We should regroup with the others," Kakashi insisted.
But they kept walking ahead.
Kakashi was definitely insane, now. Today was the day mankind finally discovered: insanity was contagious, and Kakashi had caught a large dose of it from Noya. That's why he was voluntarily walking with one of the captors who'd tied him to a ship for the better part of last week.
"Just this once, I'm gonna let you be a scaredy cat and leave," crowed Noya. "We're at the gates. I'm going into Konoha to look for Big Boss and Red. So I'll let ya go now, no questions asked."
At the silence, the Ame man whirled back to assess the masked boy.
"Weeeeell? Now or never, brat."
Another pause.
"S-Stop calling me that," grit out Kakashi, as he took another step forward.
The outskirts surrounding Konoha were eerily deserted. Large patches had been charred away by fire. Though the smoke had already settled thanks to the heavy rain earlier, the ground beneath still stunk with hunks of burned debris. Noya and Kakashi made their way over to the gates in relative peace, until they found a small band of stragglers waiting for them.
"Chill out and put that away," sighed Kakashi.
Noya's sword swayed and lowered. "Oh, just brats. Real brats."
Indeed, the seven hooded figures were no more than children, all around Kakashi's age. The kids had smeared mud on their faces and their hitae-ate, but there was no mistaking the Konoha design of their clothes.
"It's Kakashi," one of them said in awe. He was a bit on the scrawny side, and looked at the masked boy as a fan might look at something between a rockstar and a deity. "He's back! Again."
"Why didn't you guys flee like Minato told you to?" Kakashi frowned.
"Woah," whispered a tiny girl. "And he's on first name basis with the Yellow Flash!"
"We know already! Didn't you see them talking by the gate?" scowled another child.
The chorus of excited murmuring erupted at this juncture, and the children looked torn between rushing in on Kakashi and fighting with each other for first rights to ask questions. This small celebrity session was soon quelled by Noya. The Ame man singled out the boy that had spoken first.
"You there. Scrawny kid, yeah." Noya twirled a finger. "You haven't answered Assassin-Kid's question. Why're you guys still here?"
"We didn't want to be relocated. Konoha's home," answered the boy.
"Yeah," added another girl. "And I didn't want to walk to Amegakure. That's so far."
"Ame's, like, cold and wet. Konoha beats that any day, even if it's kinda unstable right now," said a slightly taller boy. "But things're cool, since we're taking the village back soon."
"Who's taking what back?" stressed Noya, pulling at his own ears and blinking rapidly. "Earlier, you said Ame? As in Amegakure?"
"Did Mi—did the Yellow Flash tell the refugees to go there?" asked Kakashi, poker-faced.
The kids all turned to look at each other, as if surprised a reputed genius like Kakashi didn't know.
"No, we just got word from a carrier bird an hour ago," said the scrawny boy. "The larger group of us is traveling ahead. Konoha's elders are at Ame now."
"Yeah," another voice confirmed. "Amegakure's being annexed into Fire Country."
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A figure moved against the lengthening shadows. Soon, the sun would wink away past the horizon, and nightfall would descend. Danzou heaved his body against the roof's wire barrier, listening to the rusted creak as the metal wires twisted against the rubble barricading it from falling down the building's side.
Another shadow slunk across the rooftop.
"What do you want?"
"Just to serve my Hokage."
"Orochimaru."
"Not in a good mood? Minato put you off?" The Sannin began to smile, but then the snake man winced as if the movement caused him slight pain. No doubt his fight with Tsunade had not left him unscathed.
In due time, he recovered. "Well, let me remind you that the Iwa alliance was a great success in the northwest."
Danzou stared out into the rows and rows of rooftops, all in sharp relief against the orange sun. The orb burned in the sky as if it were about to burn out.
"It is just the beginning."
"It's an important one, to conquering the whole continent. So glad Homura and Koharu got it done, eh? Their clone entourage grabbed them a juicy prize. So in a way, they owe us."
"Why are you here?" Danzou repeated.
"To say goodbye."
"To kill me?"
"Don't kid yourself, Hokage-sama. You've lost. I don't deal in losers." Orochimaru paused. "Tsuande-hime was a special exception."
"Then you're here to pity me?" Danzou's throat made a sound like a laugh. It gurgled in the back of his throat, the timbre like illness rather than mirth.
"No, just to deliver my message. With that last dose of medicine, I've made sure you'd last long enough to hear it."
"Well, get on with it. Waiting shortens my lifespan."
Orochimaru chuckled. Then, his arms opened wide to the mauve and periwinkle heavens.
"I'm officially pulling a Minato. I have no allegiances but to myself!"
A flourish, then silence.
Danzou almost—almost—smiled.
"I was waiting for the day, Snake. But I never realized you hated Konoha this much."
"I don't. But Homura and Koharu are both diplomacy bobbleheads, so weak without a lynchpin on their team. Their only vision for Konoha is self-preservation. You're ten times preferable to those two, Hokage-sama."
If Orochimaru expected thanks for his roundabout praise, he didn't receive it.
"But they'll be the ones to carry on my dream," said Danzou.
"They're just another usurper in line." Orochimaru amended. "I'll be the one to achieve your dream of unifying the ninja world. I'll be the one to achieve all dreams."
"Big words."
"But until then," said the snake sannin, his shadow retreating as smoothly as it had entered. "Consider me your newest missing nin. I'm leaving Konoha to those who want to squabble in the sandbox for it."
Orochimaru let something round and small roll from his hand, toward the roof's barrier that the Hokage leaned against.
"This is a parting gift for you. I advise you to use it against the kyuubi's host. And if that doesn't work, then you can kill yourself with it."
Danzou said nothing and waited.
"Play well with the other kids in the sandbox, Hokage-sama."
The evening's colors changed.
The old man's vision hazed over slightly.
He saw the shadows lengthen further.
"Big words, Orochimaru…" Danzou finally breathed into the sunset. "Big words for a man who quits as soon as he sees a setback. You deny it, but you and those two councilors are perfect for one another."
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Shikaku's fist never connected.
Chouza had leapt in front, and Minato had moved Ibiki out of the way of the shadow bind that the Nara had sent soon after his punch.
"When?" Shikaku breathed heavily. "Why not tell Inoichi as soon as you knew?"
"I didn't know for sure until now," said Ibiki. "The Council itself never knew for certain whether it had to leave Danzou behind. Maybe they decided only when Minato started to win against Danzou."
"Then how could they get into Ame that quickly? Spark a revolt?"
Ibiki's interrogator-like calm was extremely useful now. The group's members all seemed poised on a knife's edge, ready to pounce on him if he dropped another revelation.
"They were officially in hiding weeks ago. Homura and Koharu didn't enjoy living in a place with Kumo just outside their door."
"Are we changing plans, then?" asked Bato. A muscle in his jaw twitched. "Ame's gonna be wiped out."
Shige made a derisive sound. "Some creepy Konoha clones, and two old people from the Konoha Council." Shige checked off the list on his fingers. "Uh, why is this a threat to our guys in Ame, again?"
"Because Iwa's there, too," ground out Shikaku. "Because I hadn't counted on Iwa getting through Suna to get to Ame so easily. I didn't think the Kazekage would actually come join the war effort here."
"The only thing we miscalculated was people's willingness to help us," said Kushina. "Real ironic."
"What now?" Chouza asked.
Shikaku swept a hand through his hair. "We... we surrender the Ame base."
"No!" cried Bato immediately. "Not so easily!"
Kushina glanced uneasily at the individuals around the circle. "Listen, maybe we should talk this through."
"What choice do we have?" Shige drawled. "You heard the report. Akatsuki's two core members are locked up."
"All of Hanzo's old council apparently still hated Yahiko enough to betray him as soon as Homura's offer came," said Shikaku. "I should have seen this coming."
"Transitional governments aren't exactly a game of chess."
"We can still make it back and lead an invasion to reclaim Ame," said Bato. "We can't just abandon them."
"We can't just abandon Konoha either," said Chouza, sadly.
"They've forced our hand well," Shikaku laughed bitterly. "I never thought Danzou would play such a move. No—likely he didn't. It was Homura and Koharu who decided to abandon him."
"Exactly." Ibiki intoned. "You're a genius, after all, Nara."
"Hah. Some help that's been." Shikaku rubbed his temples. "I'm out of ideas. This is not rational decision. This is—"
"Something you decide with your heart."
At the stares directed toward her, Kushina pinked. "Hey! I know. I feel stupid saying it too. But I believe in all of you guys. I would never have agreed to this with any other group of morons."
"Speak for yourself," scoffed Shikaku. But he was smiling.
"Minato?"
The blond shifted slightly. His eyes, previously closed in thought, snapped open at his name.
"I think there's no time to lose."
"We go to Ame?" Bato asked.
"We sweep things up here with Danzou first." Minato's voice was resolute.
"If this is a personal grudge…" Bato began in frustration.
"It's not that simple!" Shige chimed in angrily. "You think my men just wanna leave a thing half-done?"
In an instant, Bato and Shige both stepped forward, as if they were about to come to blows. Kushina moved fluidly to restrain them, her chakra humming in almost tangible waves, slicing across the thick tension among the circle.
"It's logical," said Shikaku, softly. "Listen, Bato, I get it. I really do. But I defer to Minato on this, since he's our main firepower. I can't decide for him what he's to do, and we'll need his help to take back Ame."
"Red!" Bato's normally calm eyes were wild. His hands grasped to take her arm. "Kushina, you're strong enough! You can take back Ame with me!"
"I…" Kushina's emotions were torn. She tried resolutely to ignore the stares of Bato and the others. Minato's gaze was especially guarded, as if he were trying with all his might to conceal any worries he had about her transforming again. But in her heart of hearts, she knew she had to make a choice, now.
Her next words surprised everyone.
"Ibiki, a word."
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The dusk sky cast a pink and purple glow over the empty village. Distantly, some sounds of fighting rang from the thickest parts of the forest beyond. Danzou's lone figure stood on a rooftop, bandages rewrapped around his arm and eye. He cast a deceptively small silhouette against the watercolor horizon as he surveyed his village
There were only mice now, in the village. Filth among the rubble. Perhaps he would need to clean things up a bit before the final showdown. He wasn't one for drama, but surely that was how the other parties liked it? And the Yondaime, despite appearances, could prove magnanimous.
Ah.
Danzou spotted two interesting mice. One was almost a rat, replete with fangs.
He didn't need Izanagi to move himself quickly in front of the two.
"Are you coming or leaving?" the Hokage asked, watching the two smaller figures flatten themselves along the Konoha gate walls in shock.
"S-Shit." Kakashi stopped breathing in the clearer, cooler evening air. Beside him, Noya tensed.
"And who's this with you, Kakashi?"
The Ame man—clearly not doing a good job of blending into the wall—swiveled around slowly.
"Noya," he said, all false cheer and cheesy grin. "And you must be the freaky old man I've heard about."
Danzou gave no response. Kakashi felt the waves of chakra surging around the Hokage, but Noya seemed unable to sense it.
"Not offing us on the spot? You're not as trigger-happy as I'd heard," said Noya.
Danzou closed his dark, beady eye. "Others think things like: 'Konoha is an aggressor nation. We will burn it to the ground. That's why we burn them, first."
"Didn't work, did it?" Noya said. "Not like with Red's Whirlpool, which didn't even have enough people to protect itself."
"Loyal, I see," sighed Danzou. "That's not bad. Unlike some people."
Kakashi tensed. "Who?" he asked slowly.
Danzou's voice became wistful, as if he were quoting someone. "'Pulling a Minato.' Pffft."
Kakashi and Noya looked at each other in surprise.
"I feel like him laughing just killed a puppy somewhere," muttered Noya. "Don't get me wrong, I don't like puppies. But your leader is capital C creepy. Maybe creepier than Hanzo."
"You're Noya from Ame, then?" Danzou asked. "You're here because you're aware Ame is getting new leaders?"
"Just heard," drawled Noya. "We were wonderin' when you were going over."
"I'm not invited," the Hokage sniffed.
Noya's returning stare was almost comical. He seemed to vacillate between gaping and pinching himself, and settled on pinching Kakashi instead.
"L-Liar," said Kakashi, with difficulty. "We may not be as strong as you, but we can delay you from going to Ame."
"I'm truly not invited. You are talking to the wrong person, young Kakashi."
"And what's that about pulling a Minato?" asked Noya. "Tell us the truth."
"Orochimaru said that," Danzou explained slowly. "He said he was pulling a Minato. No allegiances but to himself, as I recall."
"Hey! Hey! Something's not right here! When did Big Boss become the poster child for selfishness?" Noya frowned. "That's not right. He left Konoha because you never gave him a choice."
"There's always a choice. I set up Minato for his mission."
"You 'n I aren't gonna see eye to eye, are we?" said Noya.
"But the Yellow Flash could have been so much more," Danzou continued pointedly. "Just like your father, Kakashi."
Kakashi's fist trembled.
"Don't listen to him, brat." Noya flapped a hand in front of Kakashi's livid face. "He's playing mind games. This is elementary school gang stuff."
Kakashi's expression flickered and settled. "Let's end this, then," the young assassin said, voice unwavering.
"I could." Danzou nonchalantly pulled out a small cloth-wrapped sphere from his sleeve. "Orochimaru left this bomb. I have half a mind to use it, since I'm barely able to stand now. But should I waste it on you two?"
"What about your eye jutsu?" Kakashi hedged, voice starting to quaver now at the thought of the arm full of Sharingan that Danzou currently had hidden under his sleeve. "The one that can transform the kyuubi?"
Danzou's lone unbandaged eye narrowed. It was a thinly veiled threat, no pun intended. "Ibiki didn't come to you with the scroll? Or maybe the rest of Akatsuki is hiding this from you?"
"What the hell are yo—" Noya's outburst died on his lips.
"I figured he would seek you out first, before returning to Konoha. Then, he would weigh his options. That man will side with the ones he thinks will help Konoha survive."
"And that's not you?" Kakashi hedged.
Danzou remained impassive. "Once, it was. But perhaps we all outlive our usefulness."
"You're deranged," said Noya. "I barely knew what that word meant, but it's you 100 percent, buddy."
A pause.
"I wanted the best for Konoha," said Danzou.
Kakashi closed his eyes.
"So did the Wh-I mean, the Yellow Flash," the boy stumbled. "But you sacrificed them."
Noya frowned."Don't diss Akatsuki's boss! He's ten times the man you are!"
"Yes. I hear Minato's the leader of your little gang now. How vain. He's been playing a game of house in Amegakure. But I wonder how long that will amuse him."
"W-What do you mean?" Noya wavered.
"If Minato had to choose," said Danzou, softly. "Which would he protect? Konoha, or Akatsuki?"
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Kushina waited until she was sure they were out of earshot, in the corner of the ship, their voices hushed to whispers.
"So promise me," she seethed.
"My promises are only as good as yours."
"I've already promised you. You can guard me until the end. But if Danzou gets the upper hand against Minato, you promise me now that you'll use the scroll. My way."
"Are you sure?" Ibiki's fingers ghosted over the scroll's swirling seals. "The design feature isn't clear to me."
"You need my blood on the seal to trigger it." Kushina bit her thumb. Ibiki watched, silent, as the woman smeared it across the paper. "This is my personal seal to you. If it comes to it, then finish this jutsu the way I showed you."
"Won't the effects be permanent? What's in it for you?"
"Hey! Let's just remember what's in it for you. The rest of the kyuubi's existence, to protect Konoha."
Ibiki paused. It was usually difficult to discern any emotion from his face, but, clearly, the man was shocked.
"Why ask me, then? Why not have your teammates do it? They suspect me, anyway."
"It's because you don't have any ties to me. You should be happy our priorities align right now. Isn't Konoha where your loyalty ultimately lies?" Kushina whispered.
"What if I say no? Or I betray you at that juncture?" Ibiki frowned. "Again, I don't understand what you have to gain from this. That makes you untrustworthy."
"I'm not untrustworthy, I'm stupid, okay?" Kushina huffed. "But I'm willing to be stupid if it means Minato gets the chance to change history. I don't want to see him waiver, anymore. He taught me that I'm good for more than killing people and conquering stuff. I'd never wanted to be useful until I learned something simple: that I wasn't just a tool."
Ibiki stood speechless.
"Don't feel burdened. This isn't an ultimatum to you," said Kushina. "It's a promise to the two Konoha people I like most. One is already dead, and the other…"
"Minato," said Ibiki, shaking his head.
Kushina didn't miss a beat.
"Well, it's simple, isn't it? I want him to live."
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tbc
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Suzu: Tbh, this chapter kinda beat a horse dead. Like, the themes of this fic have been run over and pancake'd by a truck. But I needed to tie up loose threads in a less subtle way while still being subtle. Ha, does that even make sense?
Here's the breakdown of the hints re: seal and what it does/who made it: It's been alluded to in several earlier chapters that Jiraiya stole many techniques originally from Whirlpool. They were stolen by Jiraiya under Danzou's orders immediately after the Mito incident, and the Sandaime's death. These sealing arts were then augmented by Danzou himself, hence Minato's orders to retrieve one of the Hokage's forbidden scrolls once it had gone missing. As an unimportant Easter Egg, Hinako the Concubine clearly had some connection with Whirlpool, or someone from Whirlpool had tipped her off to get the scroll back. Hence, both Whirlpool and Konoha are after the scroll, the night Minato and Kushina reunite. As for what techniques Minato's seen, the "Danzou" parts of the scroll have been replicated and modified in the scroll that affected Kazu from Kumo—she went insane because her "mind" was erased. I can't tell you now what the seal meant for Kushina does. But it's clear that it's a variant of erasing one's consciousness, and that someone who loves Kushina wouldn't want to use it.
Okay, enough chit chat. Next time, the conclusion!