Chapt. 37- The Family Tree
(Shigure's P.O.V)
(2 months later)
I had traveled around the past few months with Deidara on a few minor missions before we set out to find Naruto. Deidara didn't give me shit anymore, and hardly talked to me unless absolutely necessary, which couldn't have been any better. I had his respect, but more importantly he feared me.
I had heard news from the akatsuki that just a little while ago Kakuzu and Hidan had been defeated in battle. I was even more shocked to learn that it was Naruto who had been there fighting them. I wasn't too surprised to hear Hidan lose since he isn't really tough if you know about the ritual, but Kakuzu dying meant Naruto was much stronger.
Kakuzu had faced Hashirama, and was an extremely tough opponent, and to hear him go down to the kid I trained, made me proud yet worried. I wouldn't have guessed in a million years that Naruto would progress so quickly. It didn't matter though, as the other big news going around was the death of Orochimaru. He was rumored to be killed by his pupil Sasuke Uchiha, and Tobi requested Deidara and I to have him a priority just under the nine tailed fox. I asked Tobi what he wanted with him, and he just told me to have Deidara or me face him.
Today, Deidara and I were flying around on his clay pigeon as usual scouting some part of northern fire country, and I was lying down while he used his little eye scope. I couldn't care less really, the kid was smug and complained a lot. I'm actually starting to feel my age a little bit. Just out of the blue, Deidara scoffs to himself.
I sit up and ask, " You got something?"
" I sure do. Hang on tight, yeah." Deidara replied back as he took down the clay bird for a landing.
I looked around, and saw nothing but I knew somebody was out there hiding in the trees. I motion for Deidara to stay on the clay bird as I jump down to ground level. I get down and look around again, and I can sense the entity in the northern direction.
" Come out, I know your hiding." I yell out the person.
After a few moments I see a teenage boy come out of the trees and present himself. I immediately recognized him as Sasuke Uchiha, and Deidara looked very eager to blow him up.
" Shigure, you should let me fight him. I've always wanted to fight Itachi's little brother." Snickered Deidara.
" Remember, this kid killed Orochimaru. We have to be on our guard, and not be reckless as you usually are." I reply back and get a frown from Deidara in return.
Sasuke seemed pretty fed up with Deidara and I talking as he said, " Where is Itachi."
I give him a shrug and say, " Dunno…or maybe I do know. Why should I tell you?"
The kid obviously took the bait from my taunt and fiercely spat back, " Tell me or I won't show any mercy."
" Seriously kid?" Deidara chuckled.
" Sorry, but it will be you who ends up begging for mercy." I say as I get into a fighting stance.
" You'll regret this." Sasuke icily replies back as he activates his sharingan.
" Take this runt! Katsu!" Deidara shouts as he hurls a lump of clay at Sasuke and detonates it.
I took off running toward the explosion, and out of the dust cloud a bolt of lightning flies out, and a step out of the way just in time. The smoke clears and I clearly see that he is emitting the lightning though his sword. I decide to go at him full speed and attack with taijutsu, so I rush in and dodge another lightning bolt before I reach him. I start by sending my usual weird timed kicks and punches at him, and thanks to his sharingan he is holding his ground for the moment.
Meanwhile, Deidara has taken to the sky preparing a special C4 bomb as he waits for an opening. I finally get off a good hit, and he disappears in a plume of smoke.
" It was a clone! Watch out!" I shout back to Deidara, as I recall back to the first dust could where he must have switched.
Just as I said those words, Sasuke appeared behind Deidara and shoved what looked to be a chidori through Deidara's chest. I didn't panic since I knew Deidara was actually inside the clay pigeon expecting some sort of event like that. Sasuke's eyes widened as his arm was glued to the Deidara clay clone and the pigeon. Deidara dropped out the bottom of the bird and landed on the ground while he detonated the trap.
I immediately turn my attention to the woods, since I could now feel Sasuke's chakra over there.
" Yeah I got him! Art is a bang!" Deidara happily chanted.
I frowned and replied, " He used a genjutsu on you, idiot. He's still alive."
Deidara suddenly looked very mad for being deceived so easily and formed a few hand signs and said, " Clay style: Clay Ants!"
I watched many clay bugs crawl out from Deidara and march into the woods toward Sasuke's presence.
Sasuke stepped out of the forest and let loose his lightning chakra into the ground, halting the ants.
" Just as I thought, you use earth based techniques. You will not be able to defeat me with these types of jutsu, and with these eyes there is no fooling me." Sasuke smugly said to us as if he had already won.
" You think you have us beat? Try this, Water style: Aqua Vortex." I shout as I let loose a huge twister if raging water from my mouth to flood the area.
Now with the ground wet with puddle and mud I had the advantage. I saw Sasuke up in a tree looking down on me.
" You really think those kinds of attacks will work?" He arrogantly said.
" Nah, but your to sure of yourself." I replied back in a laidback tone.
" I have you now! Katsu!" Deidara shouted blowing up all the ants submerged in my muddy water near Sasuke.
" You see, my muddy water reanimated the clay ants. I wasn't aiming for you at all silly kid." I bluntly said to the now hidden Sasuke.
" I couldn't read his exact location since he was masking his presence, but I just kept scanning the area. I suddenly realize that Deidara looks off. I look into his visible eye to see it's dilated. I immediately recognize he's stuck in a genjutsu that must have been placed once he lost focus after blowing up the ants, yet again he was too reckless. Just as I was about to free him, I jump out of the way to dodge a lighting bolt coming in from the tree's impaling Deidara through the chest, yet missing me.
Deidara's chest cavity looked ravaged, and I was certain he was dead or will be shortly. I look to see Sasuke across from me in the clearing.
" Well that's one down." Sasuke mumbles to himself.
" Don't think for a second you've won. This has only begun!" I shout as I weave the hand signs to activate my juinjutsu seal.
He looked a little taken back by my jutsu, and went along to use his own juinjutsu, which looked like the typical Orochimaru seal.
" Yours is nothing compared to mine. Now, you will suffer." I state as I remove Shibuki from my back.
He raised his own sword in preparation for my attack. I had to follow Tobi's weird order to capture him alive, which made this even more of a pain. I couldn't cast genjutsu on him, so I guess he would have to get a little diced up.
" The power of the Uchiha is more than you possess." Sasuke assertively stated as he charged in with his blade.
I rushed towards him as well, and we exchanged blows for a brief time. His swordsmanship was on par with mine, which wasn't saying much since I don't really have a set technique. I just swing my sword fast and strong with basic kenjutsu, as where Sasuke was using a much more refined technique, but trying to deal with my superior speed and force.
I saw an opening, and with one hand I did four quick seals and said, " Water Style: Water body brace."
Sasuke's eyes widened as water shot up from underneath him and bond his arms and legs from moving as if it were rope. He really should have been aware where the puddles were.
Just as I thought he had been beat, Sasuke turns into a poof of smoke. I had been caught in a small genjutsu, but that was going to be the last time. Now I'm going to bring out the big guns.
" You must think your hot shit right now, huh? Let's see the pride of the Uchiha deal with this!" I shouted as I blink my eyes, and when I re-open them I show two sharingan active staring back into his eyes.
" Impossible! Who are you?" Sasuke said with letting a little panic seep into his stoic voice.
I decided I wouldn't reveal all to him and replied, " I'm a relative of yours. Don't assume you and Itachi are the only one's left."
Sasuke seemed a bit distraught by my words and replied, " I don't care who you are, but you are going to tell me where Itachi is!
I coyly responded with, " We'll see, but this fight is over."
Sasuke's eyes widened in horror as he realized he was standing in a small puddle of water. He looked down to see a hand emerge out of the puddle and trap him in a water prison jutsu.
" How…" Sasuke said to himself.
" I'm an elite water style user, you can't count me out." I said back to him.
Just then Sasuke released a huge amount of chakra and broke free from my prison. The only reason he broke it was because my body wasn't directly connected to it.
" Not bad kid. Unfortunately though, I have other business to attend to, but if you wish to see Itachi go to the Uchiha hideout east of here. He's waiting for you. I'll be waiting for you if you survive." I said in an haunting tone.
" Interesting. Why are you letting me go though?" Sasuke skeptically asked.
" My orders were to just locate you. Also I didn't care for Deidara, so you did me a favor there, and along with that I wanted to gauge your skills." I honestly replied.
He seemed confused yet slightly thankful for me helping him. I had done my job perfectly by snagging his interest in my sharingan. If he survived Itachi he would be drawn back to me to learn some answers, and if he died oh well. I couldn't help but feel Tobi had some very strange plan with letting Sasuke roam freely to Itachi. Something was very fishy about this whole situation and how it is transpiring. There was something more to this plan than just the bijuu. I could sense something horrible pending in the future if something wasn't to be done, and I may need Sasuke on my side eventually. I could not let Tobi get to close to him to complete his moon's eye plan.
As Sasuke left to the direction I told him to go, I gathered Deidara's body and buried it. I didn't feel the need to have a gravestone since the guy was a complete twat. Once I had taken care of that I headed back to the base to meet back up with Tobi and Kisame to tell them what had happened. It would be on hell of a walk on foot, almost wish I could make a huge flying bird out of water….
(Sasuke's P.O.V)
I ran as fast as I could through the woods to meet back with the rest of my team. I would tell them to leave me be when I would fight Itachi if the directions given to me by Shigure, which I believe what the loud one called him. I couldn't shake the image of his sharingan from my head though. He did look a bit like a Uchiha, so I wasn't sure if he was lying or not. This is frustrating me so much. I would need to talk with him in the future.
I reached the meeting spot in about 20 minutes, and saw everyone there.
" Eh Sasuke, what went on? Sugiutse asked as he took a sip from his canteen.
" I now have Itachi's whereabouts. I'm heading there right now. It is about a day away from here. Once we've reached the place, I will go in on my own. It is something I must do on my own." I state in a stern tone.
" Understood." Jugo replies
" Are you sure you won't need any company?" Karin asks in an annoying tone.
I give her a frown, and she quickly crosses her arms and nods with disdain while Sugiutse cracks a smile.
" Wow. Can't you handle a little separation at all?" Sugiutse teased.
" Shut up!" Karin yelled back as she punched him in the head and his head turned to water reminding me of something.
" Sugiutse, do you know anybody related in your clan by the name of Shigure?" I ask while they bicker.
They stop right as I ask the question and he says, " Not that I know of, why?"
" Just came across someone with a similar ability in the akatsuki today, that's all. Now, let's get some rest since tomorrow will be quite busy" I respond and everyone gets settled in for the night.
I still couldn't shake the sharingan I seen from earlier. Why did it seem familiar?
There ya go. Hope you liked that last hook at the end and the chapter. I'll have more posted soon enough.