Disclaimer: Refer to chapter 1.
AN: Chapter title: Target Practice
The situation had grown too far out of his control. There was no other way to describe what was happening anymore. Naruto...Naruto was dangerous. Whatever loyalty he felt, it was not aimed towards the village. His most recent actions once put under examination had more than proven such a thing. His pride from the title he took as 'Caesar', the ideas that had filled his mind from it, would not bring him to betray the village. He could not be driven to do such a thing for it betrayed the title of 'Caesar'. The immense pride he held towards his strength, the idea that he could take on and vanquish any foe placed before him, served as the only assurance that he would not stab them in the back. Still, he was only a short-term ally.
An ally could become an enemy in the blink of an eye.
And an enemy who knew the village so intimately, who had lived in it all his life, was a threat he could not ignore. Not again, not so soon after his once pupil had tried to decimate his former home, would have succeeded if they did not have such an ally. His strength remaining an unknown, his status as the Kyubi's Jinchuriki, the vitality of an Uzumaki, and so many more factors left him with too many advantages when the inevitable arrived.
A war, for there was no mistaking what he pursued, that pitted Konohagakure against Naruto Uzumaki would end in their defeat if he did nothing now.
Information would be the only thing he could collect now, would lessen the heavy weight of the unknown he was burdened with, would allow him to create a plan, to create a foundation to build upon at the minimum.
Information he was sure was stored in his ever-rising tower.
He would need an infiltration team.
He began to draft the mission for the ANBU Black Ops in his mind.
'Naruto can't be present if I'm to do this. He at the minimum must be gone, occupied elsewhere on a mission. Sasuke Uchiha is another matter, one I can deal with. With both gone, it will be easier for a team to get me the information I need.' It was with a heavy heart that such thoughts came to mind. He knew how to distract both, how to send both away from the tower, leave his force of clones without either of their leadership.
It was something he couldn't dwell on.
It needed to be done.
If Danzo was in the office, he would task this mission to him and his Root organization.
As much as it pained him to consider it, an expendable squad would be best for the assignment. Even if the worse came to be and capture was imminent, Root was trained not to break under interrogation and knew enough ways to silence themselves long before it would come to that. They, regardless of who he chose, would have to conduct such an assignment under a masquerade of the elite of either the Sand or Sound, dissatisfied with their defeat, manic in their devotion to the idea of bringing the Hidden Leaf to a swift demise.
Such a thing in mind, his mind drifted to those who specialized in demolitions, sabotage, those who made use of techniques foreign to the Hidden Leaf to better conceal the truth nature of the infiltration as a desperate attempt at revenge.
"How did it come to this?" He queried an empty office. He took up his pipe once more, breathing out a cloud of smoke to disperse across the room. "How can an old man repeat the gravest mistake of his past again?" A humorless laugh emerged, was so soon gone in a silent room. "Have I grown too old to gain anymore wisdom?"
'Will you really be like him, Naruto?' He could not help but think back to the child who had once been so lively, been so endearing, had refused to allow others to drag him down, who had loudly proclaimed a dream the aged Hokage once fully endorsed.
He could not help but think of a time without the chaos of this Caesar title, without the madness that had swept through and taken a hold of Naruto down to his very soul.
He could not help but think of his students once more.
His eyes turned to the photograph he should have cast aside long ago, throw it away into a box to never see daylight again, burn it to ash, anything but keep it.
The past stared back at him, tirelessly reminded him of his mistakes.
The past served as a glimpse to the future, what would come again if he failed to act.
Away from the office of the Hokage, the Legate of the Orange Legion stood alone.
He hadn't held a bow in many years. He could only dimly recall his last memory of such a thing, of his excitement, his eagerness to spend the day with a particular man.
Any further recollection would only lead him to rage. Such things were cast aside, only the memory of the bow in his hands was needed. The proper footing, the proper position for his hands. None of them involved the man who had been with him that day, who had once instructed him in the proper technique.
He focused on the target illuminated by torchlight instead.
Another arrow struck the target, veered off to the right from striking the bullseye in the center. He wasn't surprised at such a thing. His accuracy with shuriken and kunai remained great but it was a different story with a bow and arrow. He hadn't expected to strike the target with his first attempt and had been surprised he had managed such.
He drew another arrow from the quiver at his side and drew back the bowstring.
"You've been watching me for a while now." He didn't turn to face his observer, let the arrow fly and strike the target once more. He was slightly above the bullseye. He was satisfied with such a shot. His accuracy was improving.
"Observant as always Legate." The Centurion of the Fifth stepped forth, flanked by two of the Centurions of his Cohort he trusted the most. He stood to the right of Caesar's chosen Legate, observed the row of targets that he had spent his time practicing his archery on. "Your message requested a meeting with me."
"It did." Sasuke fired off another arrow, struck the target slightly below the bullseye. He lowered the bow in his hands. "I want to speak with you on a number of things, spare Caesar's valuable time with things I can address now." In the blink of an eye, his Sharingan appeared, swept over the targets. "Firstly, we must speak on how you plan to occupy the Land of Wind, specifically the Hidden Sand."
"I have considered many avenues but none of them will be as effective as I hope." The Centurion of the Fifth called forth a bow from the seal he bore with pride, accepted the arrow Sasuke offered him. "I find I must request your aid Legate. Your clan was renowned for their strength and were entrusted to police the Shinobi of Konohagakure. I suspect you have valuable insight to offer."
"I must admit, I have little to offer. I was too young when my father was killed but he was always keen to give advice on such a duty, what it required." Sasuke drew back his bow, took aim with his next arrow. The Centurion of the Fifth mirrored him, took aim at one of the unmarked targets next to his own. "He told me it was necessary for stronger Shinobi to bring other Shinobi to justice. I never placed much thought into such words, never considered what they truly meant until recently. I can only hope my understanding has grown since I first heard them. I believe his words meant this: To enforce order among the strong, you must be stronger, you must be united, and you must be just. The Shinobi my father pursued were dangerous without question but were unable to escape from my father and his officers."
He released his arrow.
It struck just to the left of the bullseye.
The Centurion of the Fifth released his arrow.
It struck far to the left of the bullseye.
He offered another arrow to the Centurion of the Fifth.
It was accepted.
"But Caesar's Legion is not a thing comprised of Shinobi." Sasuke drew back his bow once more, take aim at his target once. The Centurion of the Fifth turned his eyes to him instead of the target, did not bother to take aim once more. "Caesar's Legion is made out of his loyal Legionnaires, his Centurions. Overwhelming force will be required to subdue the Shinobi of the Hidden Sand. That is why Gaara will accompany you once you depart the Land of Fire. A truly difficult task lies before you Centurion."
"No task is too great for the Fifth. If Caesar commands it, I and my Legionnaires shall storm the gates of the underworld themselves." The Centurion of the Fifth turned his eyes back to the target. He drew back on the bow in his hands. "The Hidden Sand will bow to Caesar's will, be it willingly or with our blades at their throats."
"That is what makes the task before you so difficult Centurion. It will not be bowing to Caesar." Sasuke's words once more drew the eyes of the Centurion of the Fifth to him, the crimson glare of the two Centurions with him burned on his back. "You will not leave and be acting in Caesar's name. It shall be under the authority of the Hokage, his order issued by the authority of the Fire Daimyo."
"Nonsense." The Centurion of the Fifth turned his focus back to the target.
His arrow struck near the left outermost edge of the target.
His grip upon the bow tightened.
"I serve Caesar's will and Caesar's will alone." The Centurion of the Fifth lowered his bow as the Legate measured his shot.
He struck to the right of the bullseye.
"And Caesar must adhere to the commands issued by the Hokage." Sasuke did not draw another arrow, lowered the bow in his hands. "It is the nature of Caesar's loyalty to the village. The Hokage has decreed he must lend the strength of his Legion to the village, to the frivolous demands of the Fire Daimyo. Until such a time comes where such things are no longer required, you will not act under Caesar's will within the Hidden Sand."
"Then why must my Legionnaires occupy such lands if Caesar does not will it?" The Centurion of the Fifth's red eyes focused on the Legate of the Orange Legion.
"Caesar has decided to adhere to the orders of the illustrious Third Hokage." The Legate of Caesar's ever-growing Orange Legion offered an arrow to the Centurion of the Fifth. "With such a thing in mind, all actions undertaken by the Fifth Cohort of his Legion shall be under the will of the Hokage, the will of the Daimyo."
The Centurion of the Fifth did not snatch the arrow from the Legate's grasp. He took aim just as the Legate did the same.
"All actions of you, your Centurions, and your Legionnaires within the Land of Wind shall be done under such absolute authority." The Uchiha took his time to take aim upon his target. "The Jinchuriki that served as Caesar's foe shall be yours to command to further enact such absolute authority."
"I see." The Centurion of the Fifth did not fire yet. He focused on his target just as the Legate did. His blue eyes were unclouded by wrath, by rage at what he had believed to be disrespect to his Caesar. "All actions I undertake in the Land of Wind shall be done under the order of the Hokage, of the Fire Daimyo."
The Legate released his shot.
It struck slightly more to the right of the bullseye than before.
The Centurion of the Fifth released his shot.
It struck closer to the center of the target even if still skewed towards the left, approached a middle distance between the outermost ring and the bullseye in the center.
"If I am to occupy the entirety of the Land of Wind, I will need more than my Cohort even if I was to bring every Century within it to twice its normal strength." The Centurion of the Fifth accepted the next arrow offered by the Legate. "I will need more than mere tents for my Legionnaires to dwell in within such a hostile land."
"Once the meeting was finished, I dispatched messenger birds to the Land of Waves. I have ordered the blueprints I believe you will need to be drawn up. I requested simple forts that can be constructed with the labor of your Legionnaires and simple techniques to supplement heavy equipment. Silver Fang made use of them in the past and I have had scrolls prepared with the required hand signs." The Legate took up his next arrow from the quiver at his side, observed his target as he spoke of things to come with the Centurion of the Fifth.
"What of the Fifth's presence within the village itself?" The Centurion of the Fifth drew back his bow. "Caesar's orders were rather clear in what he requires to be done immediately."
"I will not dictate where you decide to issue commands from Centurion." The Legate drew back his bow as well, took aim at his target once more. "I simply implore you to remember all the assets you will have available to you within the Land of Wind and what you will lack. The aftermath of this attack has proven we cannot fully rely on Caesar's seal as we have before. Supply routes for the Fifth will need to be established as further insurance to your success."
"I have already called for maps. I suspect I will need to devote two of my Centuries to security, I've already informed the Tesserarius of both of these new duties." The Centurion of the Fifth turned his eyes briefly to the Legate to his left. "What of the prisoners? Will they be entered into my custody?"
The Legate let his arrow fly before he spoke.
It struck the closest yet to the bullseye, hitting the right side of the ring just before the center.
"Caesar must first meet with the Hokage. Once he has given over the prisoners the Third requests, he will likely give the remainder to you Centurion. If he has another plan in mind, I will push for you to have enough for your needs." The Legate drew a new arrow just as the Centurion released his own.
Once more he struck near the middle of the target, if slightly closer to the bullseye than previously.
"Will I be free to execute the lot of cowards?" The Centurion of the Fifth accepted the offered arrow from the Legate.
"I cannot say for sure. Only Caesar may decide for certain." The Legate drew and readied his next shot. "I must ask, if you are given the freedom to, how do you intend to bring about their end?"
"Some will need to be crucified, simply enough to surround the building the Kazekage once ruled from. The rest will be put to death by Caesar's once foe, Gaara. He will hopefully be armed and armored to serve as one of Caesar's Legionnaires by the time the Fifth arrives in the Hidden Sand. The message such a thing will send shall keep others in line." The Centurion of the Fifth readied his shot.
"And the rest of the Kazekage's children?" The Legate released his arrow.
He struck to the left of the bullseye, perhaps a quarter of the way out from it.
"They will be prisoners of the Fifth like the rest but I believe I cannot kill them." The Centurion of the Fifth released his shot before he continued.
His arrow struck a similar distance as the Legate's, striking closer on the left side of the target. The two shots nearly mirrored each other.
"Perhaps I will have them feel the lash or barter such a treatment with the Fourth Kazekage. If he does not care for his children, they will be lashed by my Centurions for all to see. I might even leave them for all to gawk at for a few days, let the desert sun tan their flesh. If he does care, I will still lash them but perhaps not for all the Hidden Sand to see. He will understand the cost of going against…" He seemed to grimace as he spoke his next words. "…the Hokage." The Centurion of the Fifth's dismissive tone earned the eyes of the Legate when he turned to accept another arrow from him.
His bow was lowered in his other hand as he offered the arrow to the Centurion of the Fifth.
"Perhaps?" The Legate didn't draw another arrow. The Centurion did not take it from his hands.
"Perhaps." The Centurion dismissed his bow, turned to face the Legate in full. "Do you disagree with my plans Legate? Have you forgotten my purpose here? I have come for your counsel above all else. If you disagree with what I have said, speak such a thing to me now, provide me with solutions that I myself, that my Centurions, could not see ourselves."
The Legate turned his eyes back to the target.
The grounds were silent.
"If you and your Centurions believe such a thing is truly wise, lash the children." The Legate of Caesar's Orange Legion spoke. "Simply be ready for the consequences."
"Consequences?" The Centurion of the Fifth could not help himself. He laughed at such a thing. He turned back to his target, accepted a quiver from one of his Centurions. "It I as you yourself said Legate, I do not act under the will of Caesar while I occupy the Land of Wind. I serve the Fire Daimyo, the Hokage, instead." His tone was jovial, almost mocking, as he spoke. "Those within the Hidden Sand sought to destroy the Hidden Leaf. If anyone is to suffer these consequences you speak of, it is them."
"Then I will be frank with you Centurion, this will backfire." Sasuke hadn't bothered to take up his bow. "Have you forgotten already what I told you? You mistake what the Third did in the Land of Wind for the norm when it is to be the exception. That was to enforce order, to prove to all who called such a place home of Caesar's will, that his glorious Legion, that his magnificent Empire, now ruled the lands. What you intend to do, inflicting such a punishment on what many will see as children, on what others will see as the living legacy of their village, will only make it all the harder for the Fifth to act within the Land of Wind. I warned Caesar himself of this and I will give you the same: The Fifth will be seen as invaders at the best, oppressors at the worst. If you aim to create order through such actions, you will fail."
"And what force can the Hidden Sand marshal against my Legionnaires, Legate?" The Centurion of the Fifth abandoned his archery in full, nearly threw the bow to the ground as he turned in full to the Legate. "We have already laid waste to their best in their foolish attack. I will drag the Kazekage himself into the village in chains if I must. Nothing they possess can dare to stand against the might of the Fifth!"
The Uchiha turned and met the red eyes of the Centurion of the Fifth with black eyes.
"We will simply not agree on this I see." Sasuke's voice was cold in relation to the near fire of the Centurion of the Fifth. "I am not surprised you do not understand Centurion." His tone became official, issued a command, with his next words. "I will maintain custody of the two children of the Kazekage until the Fifth Cohort is raised to Caesar's standard. Perhaps then, we can return to this discussion. Time will hopefully give ample growth to your senses."
A growl nearly ripped free of the Centurion of the Fifth.
The Legate didn't care for it.
"You are dismissed Centurion Uzumaki."
It took a moment for blue eyes to return behind closed eyes.
"Legate." Once the Legate returned the Legion's salute the Centurion of the Fifth immediately turned on his heel and left. His two Centurions laid a hand each on their blades as he passed, their red eyes locked onto the Legate of Caesar's Orange Legion. Once he stepped past them, they turned and followed after him.
Sasuke turned his eyes to the two targets down the range.
He took up his bow and readied his shot.