Okay, I'm going to tend to some complaints here that I've been receiving for the past six months. The first is regarding my grammar or lack thereof. I have no idea why so many people have been complaining about it of late when they never had a problem with it before in the past. Like what I've mentioned in several of my other stories I'm sure, my grammar had always been a problem that had been plaguing me for as long as I remember. And before you urge me to just simply engage a beta reader, my answer to that suggestion is no.
Let's just say that my track record with beta readers isn't exactly pleasant, since the first one that I've engaged all but fell off the face of the earth after a month. And as for the second, well, let's just say that I'm far from pleased when he/she took my 'edited' stories and used it as their own. All that happened a year or two ago, so I'm sure that you understand why I have such an aversion towards beta readers.
Secondly, I don't think that my story (language wise) is so bad that it is completely unreadable. I've read a few stories which uses of tenses and even language is worse than mine, and I still find myself reading it as the story is interesting.
And now, onto the questions that reviewers had. About the reason why Sayo forbids Danzo to tell Minato and the rest what she had told him, and why she had omitted a few details about Raven's Gate on purpose – more specifically the fact that Hiore is Kyuubi's kid. It has nothing to do with Sayo and Madara still bearing a grudge towards Konoha. True, they're still pissed with them, but they are still professional ninjas. They know how to keep their work and personal life separate. The reason why Sayo had specifically left out the detail of Hiore being Kyuubi's kid is to prevent a full-scale panic.
Think about it. During the time of the shinobi clan wars, demons and ayakashis and even spirits are a common thing, as are exorcists, shamans and onmyoujis. Hence, Sayo and Madara and even Seina are used to the knowledge of demons. Back then, there are demons that mingle with humans and have half-demon children. But in the current era where everyone – ninja and civilian, treats anything remotely demonic as the product of Satan, especially Konoha who particularly has an aversion towards anything Kyuubi related, do you honestly think that the people wouldn't panic if it is ever revealed that Hiore is Kyuubi's kid? The issue with Sasuke is already bad enough. If this particular information ever gets out, Konoha wouldn't be standing.
Lastly, a reviewer had asked me whether some elements of this story is inspired from Fairy Tail. Let me make things clear. I never even watched or read the anime/manga up until a week ago when my friend basically all but shoved his entire collection of Fairy Tail DVDs into my hands and all but forced me to watch it. Hence, Kyo's power and all that are just figments of my imagination, and is in no way related to Fairy Tail. But after watching Fairy Tail, I got more new ideas coming my way for this story.
Pairings: Madara/Sayo. Slight Rihan/Hinata.
Warnings: Slight Konoha bashing. Dark fic. Violence. Blood. Gory scenes. Lemon scenes
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters, but the OC characters belongs to me
Chapter Thirty Six: Three Years Later…
The desert winds and even landscape of the Wind Country had always been harsh and unforgiving, even to the people who had lived here all their lives. Hence, the ninjas of Wind Country had always endured harsh elements of nature when undergoing their training.
In some part of the vast desert that stretched as far as the eye could see, a group of ninjas wearing the hitai-ates of Tsukigakure no sato could be seen combating a group of black monster-like creatures, ignoring the harsh desert wind that is blowing into their faces.
Yukina Haku skidded backwards, and ducked to avoid having her head cleaved off by one of the demons' scythe-like arms. A sword went through its chest just then before it collapsed to the ground, unmoving, revealing Sasaki Rihan who is standing behind it, his White Dragon out and currently clasped in his right hand.
Somewhere to the left, Tatsuyama Kyo was hurling around projectiles that nailed every single demon in the middle of its forehead whilst also calling upon his spirit summons. Momochi Zabuza meanwhile was swinging his sword around dangerously. With every swing, one demon went down. Uchiha Seina and Uchiha Sayo were standing back to back, hurling jutsu after jutsu.
It had nearly been three years since it was revealed to the world that the Raven's Gate organisation is back. And since then, there have been demon attacks happening periodically. It is only of late when it started happening a lot more often. And those demons aren't at all like the ones that Sayo, Seina and Madara have been used to seeing back during the time of the shinobi clan wars.
This time around, the demons have near zero intelligence, and seemed to move on instinct alone, with their only motive to kill and kill. They are simply nothing more than beasts – not unlike the ones that the ninjas tend to hunt down from time to time.
"Damn it, you've got to be kidding me!" Sasaki Rihan panted, wiping some sweat off his brow, his arms trembling slightly. The newly promoted jounin was obviously exhausted, and honestly, who could blame him? "Is there no end to this?"
"We kill and kill, but more always takes its place after that!" Yukina Haku complained, freezing another two demons.
In the three years that had followed after the Raven's Gate fiasco, the team that comprises of Sasaki Rihan, Tatsuyama Kyo and Yukina Haku have gotten themselves promoted to jounin just a few short months ago when they'd attended the jounin exams held at Sunagakure.
Zabuza couldn't have been prouder of his team, and he couldn't resist bragging to his fellow Tsuki jounins that his team is going to take the world by storm, and possibly be the best ninjas of their generation.
With Tsuki's attendance at the last jounin exams held by Suna, Sunagakure was also quick to approach them for a possible alliance. The new Godaime Kazekage surprisingly turns out to be Sabaku no Gaara. The once homicidal teen had changed a lot ever since his seal had been fixed, calming down a lot more and had even taken the whole 'caring for others' thing to heart. And now, after three years, the entire village of Sunagakure adores their Kazekage, and if the rumour mill is to be believed, he had quite the fan club to his name.
At the time when Gaara as the Kazekage had approached Tsuki with a request for an alliance, the Tsuki delegate sent by the village had surprisingly been Uchiha Sayo, and she was more than willing to listen to what the teen had to say.
It had taken three months, but in the end, both sides were happy with the alliance agreement that was drawn up. It is basically similar to the one that both Ame and Tsuki had shared. Suna and Tsuki would both be exchanging techniques with each other, and their ninjas would also be often sent on joint missions together. And like what was also done for Ame, Sayo had even donated a highly complex seal to Suna that will allow them to hide their village from prying eyes.
And just like how Tsuki ninjas with wind affinities and superb chakra control were sent to Suna for training in wind techniques and the usage of chakra threads, several selected Suna ninjas were also sent to Tsuki for training in medic ninjutsu and seal training.
The sharing of techniques and joint missions had ensured that the alliance lasts, as both parties stand to benefit from it. And with Suna's military strength increasing as a result, they were never at a shortage of jobs as is the case from three years ago.
Tsuki however stubbornly refuses to have an alliance with Konoha, despite allying themselves with Suna. They had even stated that while they would agree to work with Konoha on missions occasionally, and maybe they would even help Konoha at times, they would never agree to ally themselves with a village that had half their population with heads screwed on backwards, and even treat all things remotely demonic and different as the product of Satan.
"Over there! They're over there!"
Right on cue, two Konoha teams showed up, being led by Sabaku no Temari. Sayo paid them no mind as she slashed another demon to ribbons with a no-seals wind jutsu. How many does this make now?
Right on cue, dark seal portals appeared on the sandy dunes, and another group of demons appeared, though larger and more menacing looking than the previous ones. Zabuza almost groaned.
"You can't be serious!" he groaned.
"Sayo! Some help please!" Seina complained, the exhaustion obvious in her form even as she threw another kunai at an approaching demon.
"Dear me. There's no helping it." Sayo sighed, raising two fingers to just in front of her face, eyes flickering from left to right at the number of demons that now surrounded them. "I bow to thee and beseech you…" A dark crimson sealing pattern immediately appeared beneath her feet. "The Twelve Gods that protect me. Appear before me! Come out! Suzaku!"
With a loud roar and a sudden strong wind that caused all present to focus chakra to their feet so that they wouldn't get swept off, a large vermillion bird appeared with a loud cry, breathing out a stream of fire that is as hot as it is powerful, hereby killing all of the assembled demons in one go.
"Well, that's it then." Sayo sighed as she dismissed Suzaku, exchanging looks with Seina who nodded.
"A spirit summoner?" Inuzuka Kiba cocked his head to one side in confusion. "Is she like Tatsuyama?" He recalled what Kyo had done in his match during the chuunin exams held at Konoha three years ago.
"Well, something like that." Seina who was near the two Konoha teams glanced at the Inuzuka.
"My spirit contracts are given to me by Sayo-sama." Kyo told Kiba. "Hence, our contracts are different. My spirit summons are bonded to me. In other words, as long as I'm still alive, they can exist in this world. Once I die, they return to the spirit world."
"But Sayo's are bonded to her via spirit contracts." Seina added. "They enter our world via spirit gates. Hence why Sayo has to summon the Spirit Gate to get them here. But Kyo doesn't have to do that. Hence the name for people like Sayo – Spirit Contractors. They are pretty rare, and only someone highly skilled with seals can do something like this. In other words, a seals master."
"I know that I've mentioned this before, but seals really can do anything, can't they?" Higurashi Tenten muttered.
"But it looks like we weren't needed in the end." Maito Gai stated, glancing at the numerous dead demons scattered on the ground around them. "That's good."
"This is the fifth one this week alone. And the demon attacks are getting worse." Sayo sighed, walking over to the Konoha group with Seina and Zabuza behind her. "If we don't do something fast, this world is going to be overrun with demons soon."
XXXXXX
"I just don't get it. How is Hiore doing this?"
Two days later in Tsukigakure no sato itself, Uchiha Madara had called for a meeting with his wife, his sister-in-law and even his somewhat student, Uchiha Itachi. The recent demon attacks are happening more frequently as compared to three years ago. And it is the pattern of those attacks that is worrying Madara. It is like their attacks are completely random, as it wasn't just heavily populated towns that were targeted, but even areas that are almost completely devoid of humans. If they can't read the demons' attack pattern, then they can't predict their next target.
"Probably portal gates." Sayo said grimly, looking at the map spread over the table that had several crosses here and there that marked the areas that have been hit by demons. Some of the smaller civilian towns had been completely wiped out as a result of the demons. "Hiore has demon blood in his veins, and not just any demon blood, but that of Kyuubi."
"And Kyuubi is the leader of the night, with Hiore inheriting that title." Seina added.
"In other words, Hiore can open gate portals that will allow demons entry into our world." Madara sighed. Can this day get any worse? "But what is his plan? Does he want demons to run free in our world or something?"
"Only Hiore can answer that. And from what I've heard from Orochimaru, Raven's Gate is beginning their move." Sayo told the room grimly. "Not even I can read Hiore's attack pattern. But everything that he did…there is always a reason behind it. Likewise, there must be a reason why he is creating portal gates everywhere. The question is what."
Itachi who had been extremely silent ever since the start of the meeting spoke up just then. "Could it be…that he's trying to weaken the boundaries between the human world and the demon world?" he suggested. "I mean, from what I know, the more demons there are in our world, the weaker the barrier that separates both our world will get. And if the demonic aura gets any stronger, probably, Hiore won't even need to open portal gates anymore. The demons on the other side can do it themselves."
"That's probably one of his goals. But whatever it is, why is he doing this? That's what we want to know." Seina sighed. "And up till now, we still don't know who all the members of his Inner Circle are. We only know there's five of them. Well, four really if you count Hiore as one of the members."
"Hidan of the Jashin; Kakuzu of the Five Hearts; Sasori of the Red Sands…" Madara ticked them off on his fingers. "And if we include Hiore, that makes four. So who's the fifth?"
Sayo glanced at her husband. "Who knows?" she said mysteriously. The redhead then got to her feet. "Sorry, but I have to go. I have a training session with Kyo today."
"Oh right. The last of his seals are coming off, right?" Seina realised.
When Kyo had first became a chuunin three years ago, Sayo had begun training him herself. No one in the village had complained, as everyone knew that only Sayo could teach Kyo what he has to know in order to keep his abilities and powers in check.
"Yeah. I'll see you around." Sayo sighed as she left the office.
XXXXXX
"All right. This is it for today." Sayo stated as she faced a panting Kyo who is currently hunched over on his knees, sweat adorning his brow, with his training clothes already littered with tears.
When Sayo had first started training Kyo, Madara had set apart a special training ground for his usage that had seals inscribed into the very foundations of it just so that Kyo wouldn't damage the plant life too much with his abilities.
"I can go once more." Kyo insisted, straightening his body up.
"No. You need to rest your body too, and you've just been on a pretty tough mission two days ago to combat those demons at Wind Country." Sayo told Kyo sternly. "Besides…" She pointed towards the sky, and Kyo blinked before noticing that dusk is falling. "It's getting dark, and it is never a good thing to train in the dark."
Kyo was silent for a long while, and Sayo raised a brow. "Something wrong, Kyo?"
"Do you think…that we can win?" Kyo asked at last. "Against Raven's Gate."
Sayo was silent. "We won't know if we don't try, don't we?" she asked. "Listen to me, Kyo. No power or jutsu in this world can be classified as 'evil' or 'good'. It only depends on how the user uses it. You, Rihan and Haku… And even all the others in your generation… You might just be the ones…" Sayo managed a small smile as she wiped away a smudge of dirt on Kyo's cheek. "You might just be the ones to end this eternal conflict that we have known ever since our time. Your generation might just be the ones to change this world."
Kyo smiled. "Yeah!"
Sayo managed to smile back at him even as Kyo bowed to Sayo and left the training ground. 'He's just like how you have been in the past, Zeref. I wonder… If it is you, what would you have done?'
"Madara, I have a question." Seina entered Madara's office. Her brother-in-law is currently reading a black covered book with his feet propped up on his desk, and she nearly sweat dropped. "Um… That isn't very elegant-looking."
"Who cares? No one will be coming in at this hour anyway. And I'll be leaving soon." Madara put his feet down on the ground. "What's up?"
"Hmm? Oh." Seina remembered what she'd come for. "I came across a strange name in our records when I was sorting it out. Who's Zeref?" She asked, and Madara froze.
The Tsukikage was silent for a long time, eyes resting on the two panelled photo frame on his desk. One part of the frame was a photo of him and Sayo. The second photo had him and Sayo with an unknown black haired man.
. "…Zeref. Tatsuyama Zeref." Madara said at last, an unknown emotion in his eyes. "The first Tatsuyama. He's our friend." He told Seina. "Me and Sayo. But he disappeared all of a sudden about fifty years ago."
"Who is he?"
Madara pondered for a moment on how to answer this question. The man had been important to both him and his wife, and even now, Madara still wonders if Zeref is still alive and out there somewhere still. "Sayo and I met Zeref not long after we'd left Konoha," he told Seina. "I was seriously injured after my battle with Senju Hashirama, and on the brink of death. At that time, it was Zeref who saved me."
"Is he some kind of healer?"
"Well, something like that." Madara managed a small smile. He fell silent once more, lost in his memories. "As the first Tatsuyama, he is remarkably powerful. Like me and Sayo, his name is known throughout the shinobi nations too. But not in a good way. Zeref is remarkably powerful. He can kill someone easily with just a snap of his fingers. And he can also heal someone, even snatching them back from the jaws of death if necessary. He is that powerful. I don't know where and how Sayo had met him. But when I'd woken up after my battle with Senju Hashirama, I then realised that nearly a week had passed since the battle, and that Zeref had saved me. It took me another month to even be able to get up from the bed. As a person, he is well liked. But he is pretty silent and not one with words."
"Rather like how you were before you'd met Sayo." Seina couldn't resist taking a jab at her brother-in-law.
"I guess so." Madara sighed. "When we'd first met him, everyone was scared of him. Mainly because of his abilities. I won't deny that even I was a tad bit wary of him. But Sayo was the only one who treated him like a normal person. And when we first started building Tsuki, he was the first person that Sayo had approached to come live in Tsuki. "Will you like to come with us?" That is probably what had earned Sayo a lifelong friend. For Zeref, Sayo is the first person who had treated him as a normal person, and isn't afraid of him. He'll rather die than betray her. Once someone had gained Zeref's loyalty and friendship, it is for life."
In fact, Madara had suspected back then that Zeref had probably loved his wife as more than a friend, but Zeref is still a man with honour, and he had never acted upon his feelings, unlike a certain someone whom he could name. About five years after they'd met Zeref, he had then met a young woman who is a remarkable healer, and both had gotten along really well, and they have then married not even a year after that. But after their first child was born, Zeref then vanished without so much as a word.
Zeref's wife had never said anything, but Madara suspected that probably, she knew why Zeref had disappeared. And probably… So did Sayo.
Sayo looked at the moon in the sky, with the stars shining like diamonds on black velvet.
For some reason, she suddenly felt very tired. Probably, living as long as she did would do that to someone. She knows that Seina is tired too, and probably, so did Madara. After all, Sayo had Madara, but whom else does Seina have apart from herself and Madara? Izuna is dead, and so is Haru.
Seina is probably lonely. Feeling almost like a stranger in the world that she is born in.
Just for a moment, Sayo wonders if Hiore did feel like she did. After all, the guy is older than even them. He had already been alive long before the age of the shinobi clan wars, and had seen the changes of time. Just how old is the guy exactly? Madara did suspect that probably, Hiore is already alive ever since the time of the Rikudo Sennin.
Kyo is progressing faster in his training than Sayo had anticipated, with his control improving by leaps and bounds. Probably, pretty soon, she can remove all the seals that she had placed on him when he was eight. Kyo is turning fifteen that summer. He is fast approaching adulthood. And out of all the members of the Tatsuyama clan, Kyo is the only one that is more alike Zeref than any other.
Sayo sighed. "Is this what you were talking about back then?" She then turned around and faced the black haired young man that is standing behind her when there isn't anyone else in the training ground awhile ago. "Zeref."
The man standing across from her looks to be about nineteen or twenty, with sleek and straight black hair that just reaches a little below his chin, with crimson red eyes. He is dressed in a black high collared shirt and black pants with boots on his feet instead of ninja sandals, and he even had a white sash wound around his shoulders.
It had been nearly fifty years since Sayo had last seen her old friend, but he still looks like he did when he'd first left the village. The official records had stated that Zeref is the first Tatsuyama, and that it is from him where the Tatsuyama bloodline had came from. But apart from that, nothing is known about him. At least, officially.
During the time when Madara was unconscious because of his injuries due to battling Senju Hashirama, Sayo and Zeref had talked. The man had talked about his past to Sayo, and the redhead could tell that he seems almost lonely.
He was originally a priest in a small village. One with purifying powers. In those days, people with Zeref's powers are often sought after because of all the trouble that the people have with demons and spirits. But after the village that Zeref is living in had accused his friend as a witch, and had burned her alive, he had snapped and killed them all. And even after that, his anger and hatred had overtaken him, and he had cursed at the gods even as he burned down the holy shrine.
Even as a ninja who had never placed much faith in things like that, Sayo knew that it is not a smart thing to do. And so it had been. Zeref had later told her that as punishment for destroying their shrine and cursing them, he was cursed by the gods, hence bearing the power of Life and Death as a result of the curse. And much like Sayo and Madara, he was cursed with the curse of Immortality.
That is the reason why he'd left after the birth of his son. He had told no one but his wife and Sayo his reasons before leaving. After all, sooner or later, people are going to realise that he can't truly age. His powers had already been feared enough at that time. If it is ever known that he can't die either, Sayo could only imagine the riots that would break out. Hence, to protect his friends and his family, Zeref had left. Sayo had suspected that probably, Zeref hadn't wanted to watch his wife and son die before him as well.
The worst thing that any parent could do is to watch their own child die before they do.
"Long time no see, Zeref." Sayo stated.
"Yeah." Zeref nodded to Sayo. "You hadn't changed a bit."
"The same to you." Sayo retorted, and Zeref smirked. "I kept my end of the bargain. It's time for you to fulfil yours."
"I know." Zeref sighed. "I've seen what has been happening. It's nearly time. But be careful. Hiore is no pushover. You should know this better than anyone else." He warned.
Both fell silent for several moments. "…Just tell me one thing." Sayo said at last. "Back then… Are you agreeing to this because of what had happened, or is it for something else?"
"…Zeref…! Stop!"
"You can't save her!"
"…Stop…! Just stop…!"
"…I curse the heavens who had given me this hell… Someday, I shall have my revenge!"
"…Will you like to come with us?"
Zeref closed his eyes briefly. "…I wonder," he murmured, before raising his head to look at Sayo once more. "But I will tell you one thing. I will never betray you. I just need you to trust me. No matter what happens… No matter what I have to do… I just need you to know this. Everything that I do… It is all for you. I swore a long time ago that I would never betray you. That's why… No matter what happens, I just want you to trust me."
"Like I always do." Sayo nodded. "I had never once doubted you, Zeref, and you know this. I trust you. More than anyone else. I will trust you with my life if necessary. I trust you to do what is right."
A strong wind picked up once more, causing Sayo to close her eyes. A whisper in the wind echoed in her ears just then, sounding suspiciously like Zeref's.
"…Thank you…"
When Sayo opened her eyes once more, she is standing alone in the training ground. The redhead sighed, and raised her head to look at the moon in the sky. How long has it been since she'd watched the moon like this?
"…I just need you to trust me. Do you trust me, Sayo?"
"Of course I do. What are you going to do?"
"To do what I must do. The name of the man that you've mentioned… I've heard of it before…"
"…Do you have to leave?"
"…Yes. But I will be back someday. And until I do, I want you to promise me that you'll keep my family safe."
"I will."
"…Sayo, I just need you to trust me…"
"You're as cruel as ever, aren't you?" Sayo whispered to herself. "…Zeref…"
XXXXXX
Just outside the borders of Tsuki no kuni, Uchiha Itachi who is just returning from a mission raised a kunai threateningly at the man standing across from him.
"What are you doing here?" Uchiha Itachi demanded.
Kakuzu smirked at Itachi. "I wonder why indeed," he said almost mockingly. "I've came here to offer you a place with us in the new world that Hiore is going to build."
Itachi's eyes narrowed. "I refuse," he said immediately. "Instead, why don't you just die?"
Without warning, Itachi suddenly flew forward, his hands already quick to form some hand seals for a jutsu. Kakuzu didn't seem afraid and merely stood there unmoving. Before Itachi could finish the final seal for the jutsu however, Kakuzu spoke once more.
"Even if Raven's Gate will revive your kid brother for you?"
Itachi froze in his tracks, his eyes wide with shock and with a slight glimmer of hope.
"You want to see him again, don't you?" Kakuzu said snidely.
"You're lying." Itachi shook his head. "There is no way you can do that. You can't bring someone back from the dead."
"Oh, but we can." Kakuzu said in an almost bored tone. "There is nothing that Hiore can't do. How about it? If you'll give us inside information on Tsuki and what they're planning, at the end of it, we'll revive Uchiha Sasuke for you. Not a bad deal, isn't it?" He smirked at the tortured look on Itachi's face. "How about it? Don't you want to see him again?"
"I…"
Kakuzu sighed almost exaggeratedly. "I see that you need time to think this through," he said. "Very well. One week from now, meet me here at midnight. I await a favourable response, Uchiha Itachi." He then disappeared in a quick shunshin.
The kunai fell from Itachi's grasp and clattered to the ground. Is what they're saying true? They can bring back Sasuke? His baby brother? He can see him once more? Part of Itachi wants to dismiss Kakuzu and Raven's Gate. They are after all the enemy that probably, the entire world will take on sometime in the future. But another part of him wants to take Kakuzu's offer. More than anything, he wants to see Sasuke again. He wants to tell him the truth behind everything and seek his forgiveness.
"I…" Itachi closed his eyes. "What should I do?"