Author's Note: Sorry for the long wait. Real life caught up with me, and unfortunately I got another story idea in my head for a Harry Potter fanfic that I couldn't get out of my head. But I have plenty of time to write now, so you can expect consistent updates for the next few months. Unfortunately, this chapter won't have any Naruko and barely any Sasuke. It's absolutely necessary that it occurs right here in the story though. The next chapter will have Naruko, but this chapter will give some needed insights to the events that will play out later. And now, let's start the show!
XOXOXOX
The ghostly mirage disappeared into the pond as Kurotsuchi caught her breath. It couldn't be… She'd imagined it right? She'd just imagined that flash of yellow. He couldn't be alive. He couldn't be back! Everyone knew that that murderer was long dead. She was… She was just on edge. Like everyone else, ever since that genin from Konoha had single-handedly defeated the One-Tails. That level of strength, at that age… Like the Uchiha and Senju of old…
Was this how grandpa had felt? Was this why he'd been forced to make a deal with the devil? Because he'd known that Iwa only had a few years before the might of Konoha became insurmountable.
But the devil was dead, and Iwa's time was ticking. They were fucked. Everyone in the village knew it. Yeah, Kurotsuchi may have just imagined The Yellow Flash, but it didn't really matter did it? The Yellow Flash had been reborn again as a child, almost as talented as Obi Uchiha. Iwa had no futur-
Something glinted in the pond's clear waters. Was something down there? Against her better judgement, Kurotsuchi dove in, and found the solution she'd been looking for.
In the bottom of the pond was a jar of two sharingans with a note attached to it.
Use them, destroy them, the choice is yours. Come back with ten-thousand ryo for more.
So… Kurotsuchi hadn't imagined The Yellow Flash. Someone had been guiding her here, and had wanted to send her a message: Taking these eyes would make her a monster, every bit as bad as the most evil shinobi in history. To use them meant making Konoha an enemy. To use them meant…
But Konoha killed Grandfather. Konoha had slaughtered so many of them, thousands a night! Fuck them! With the sharingan she could protect Iwagakura, with the sharingan she could subdue the beast within her.
She knew enough medical ninjutsu to perform the operation. She had to hurry, before she lost her nerve...
"Tsuchikage," Han said. "Did something happen?"
She had returned to Kiri with a new set of eyes and a new outlook for Iwa's future.
"Contact Kumo and Oto," Kurotsuchi said. "Let's setup a meeting. In Konoha. To talk about how we'll split the Land of Fire."
She smirked. She couldn't wait to fight him.
After looking at the mission details, she couldn't even find it in herself to be angry at The Copycat Shinobi. But Grandpa had died happy, knowing he had taken down Kakashi's teammate, knowing that he'd saved Iwa from its looming destruction.
It would be fun to destroy the prodigy who had killed her old man.
XOXOXOX
Push harder. Harder. More… It would be worth it.
Yugito poured chakra into her new eyes, strained them until they bled, but managed to maintain, to control her form as the Two-Tailed Cat. Managed to choke down a scream as she was surrounded by the beast's legendary blue and black flames.
"Excellent," A said, filling Yugito with warmth. "At last you can control it."
Finally… Her chakra channels burned, her limbs had engorged themselves, grown and malformed, and her bones had stretched and cracked and shattered. She'd never maintained consciousness during the transformation before, never even used The Cat's burning chakra except when she was in such a state of shock that she couldn't feel a thing. But it was all worth it. She finally could… Fulfill her duties… Her purpose…
"The sharingans are legitimate," A said. "Priceless treasures. We must secure as many as possible."
Yugito glowed. A may have been the one to find them, but Yugito had been the only shinobi brave enough to volunteer for the operation. With this she was sure to be… To have what B had… To be-
"These sharingans are whack," B protested. "Fleeced a pair of 'em from a quack! Controlling your beast with hypnosis, giving me neurosis. Acting like this poison is a prize, now that's what I despise. A beast and a true jinchuriki, at least need to see eye-to-eye."
Yugito scowled. Only B could get away with talking like that, spouting off like a jackass to the Raikage. If she tried that, she'd… She'd… If she could be brave like B, she'd have never needed a sharingan in the first place, because the Two-Tails would actually respect her…
She'd never been talented in the shinobi arts, never been brave. She'd been an ordinary girl given an extraordinary power. A and B, she'd always been below them. But now, with the sharingan, she could fight by their side as an equal.
Yugito smiled at B. He was the only jinchuriki she knew, the only one who could truly understand her pai-
B spat at her. "I liked you better when you were weak like paper. Now you're unfettered and creepy as a raper."
"Enough," A said sternly. "While your concerns are valid, B, they are irrelevant. In a few years, Konoha will be unstoppable. We must fight them before that. We need strength. Quickly. These sharingan will secure Kumo's future." He placed twenty-thousand ryo on top of a seal. In a flash, the ryo disappeared, and was replaced with two sharingan.
B scowled. "You're making a mistake. You've gotta check the tape. Where do these red eyes come from? It can only be death and destruction. You've heard from the scouts, Konoha's Yellow Flash is back, take these sharingans and she's gonna attack."
A was silent for a moment. He sighed. "In the last war The Yellow Flash defeated me. It was my only loss. If he really is coming back, in the form of Naruko Uzumaki, I won't be able to defeat her without these eyes."
"If you make Kumo a sharingan whore, it can only mean war." B shook his head, and put down his notepad. "Don't do this brother."
"War is inevitable," A said stiffly. "Naruko Uzumaki is the reincarnation of Hashirama Senju. They know that if they wait for her to grow into her power, they can conquer us at their leisure. That is their plan. Stall. Make no mistake, there will be a war eventually. If we wait, we'll be dragged into it all the same. We'll fight long, we'll fight hard, we'll still lose. Millions will die, of our people, and theirs. But if we strike now, before they're ready, we can defeat them easily. Iwa, Kiri, and Oto should be eager allies. With their help we can achieve an overwhelming victory. Swift and thorough, that will be most humane. The sharingan is the only way that it is possible."
A smiled, and took the sharingans out of their jar. He offered one to B. "One eye for me. One eye for you. Brother. Only together can we protect Kumo."
B softened. He took the sharingan.
The two men bumped fists.
Really? What about Yugito? Where did she fit in their little club? The truth was that A had just used her as a guinea pig. The truth was that she would… She would…
Her shadow wiggled. No. No… Not now, just keep it together, Yugito. Whatever it said it was all in her head. It wasn't real, it wasn't real, it was just a byproduct of obtaining the sharingan. It was simply the price of power. The shadow was nobody, it was nobody.
"This is simply the way of things Yugito," said The Shadow sympathetically. "After risking your life, after agreeing to put in those evil eyes, after working your entire life, after learning to harness your hatred and forcing your beast into submission, you've finally realized that it was all meaningless. We all do eventually."
Lies! It wasn't- it wasn't real!
But then why did the words seem more real than reality?
Because… Because the shadow was nobody, just herself.
She thought the sharingans had been a symbol of hope. But an eye was meant for seeing, and the sharingan was the most powerful eye in the world. With it she saw the truth: she was alone. Existence itself was hell.
Why fight the inevitable?
XOXOXOXOX
"Is that all you have to say for yourself?" Yagura asked the disgraced swordsman bowing before him, the rest of Kiri's shinobi looking on. "You abandoned your post, you planned a coup, all to eliminate the Genin Exam? That you turned yourself in, requested this ridiculous proposal of me, is all the proof that I need that you've gone mad. No," Yagura laughed humorlessly. "Consider your proposal rejected. My sentence is execution, Zabuza."
"I don't know," an insubordinate feminine voice purred. Yagura forced himself not to flinch. He couldn't show fear in front of his men. Mei Terumi kept bowing, and smiled innocently up at him. "I've always found the Genin Exams… Outdated… A relic of our history. Half our candidates dead. They really are such a waste, don't you agree… Boy?"
He'd had enough of Mei's insubordination! "Kiri is small. Of all the Hidden Villages we have the weakest bloodlines. The Genin Exams may be harsh, but they're the only reason we've survived as long as we have. Getting rid of them would lead to Kiri's destruction. Do you understand, Kunoichi? Anyone who would eliminate the Genin Exams is a traitor!"
Mei's eyes widened. And then- Yagura flinched away from Mei's bloodthirsty smirk. She stood, and walked to him, her steps long, graceful in a way that couldn't be taught or learned. Yagura's back hit the wall, and Mei gently caressed his chin, her fingers soft. "Would you like to test that, Boy?" Mei's voice was soft, gentle, and quiet. And yet they carried more weight than Yagura's loudest screams. "Because I think you may be right. Maybe I am a traitor."
The rest of the shinobi watched passively. Their faces were scarred, hardened, stoic. They… They wanted the fight! They wanted him to lose! They were all against him! They were all traitors!
Why?
Why…
Why wouldn't anyone help him?
"Fine," Yagura spat, running from Mei's cold gaze. "Spare him."
Yagura pushed Mei aside, and walked proudly back to his chambers, maintaining his dignity as a stately Mizukage. Or perhaps he'd run like a frightened child. It didn't matter.
Yagura rocked back and forth in front of a mirror. The waves from the sea crashing against his building. Always trying to break him, destroy everything he'd built. Everything was against him!
Everyone hated him! They thought he was a monster, when all he'd done was try to make them all happy! All he'd wanted was to keep Kiri strong…
And yet, the only person he had was…
His reflection smiled back at him sweetly. "They think you are heartless," said his reflection, its words melodic, hypnotic, like waves knocking on rocks. Yagura was filled with warmth. His reflection, the only one he trusted, his only friend…
To his reflection alone, Yagura could be honest.
"Perhaps I am," Yagura murmured, wiping his eyes. "Perhaps I should die. Everyone knows that I wasn't ready. Why won't she… Why doesn't she just kill me already?"
The reflection hesitated… Then the mirror bulged like rippling water, until the reflection tore itself out, and held him as he sobbed, stroking his hair like the mother he'd never had.
"How many children have I ordered dead?! Why didn't I put a stop to the barbaric practice?! I knew it was wrong, but I didn't have the conviction to do what needed to be done. I thought everyone would turn on me if I even suggested a change! I should have known they all felt the same way! The world would be a better place if I didn't exist!"
"You did the best you could," the reflection said sympathetically. "You are weak. You cannot control the beast within you. Only the strong can create change, weaklings like us just hold on to survive. But if you look at the big picture, even Mei Terumi is weak. Compared to the other great shinobi villages, Kiri has always been the weakest. That is why you did what you did. To allow Kiri to survive. But perhaps… Perhaps I can help."
But the reflection wasn't real. It was just a figment of his imagination. His madness.
"Talk to your new prisoner," the reflection whispered. "Ask him what he knows. What made him change his mind about the coup. Perhaps then the fog of war will clear."
Yagura nodded without hesitation. All of his successes had occurred when he'd obeyed his reflection, his failures when he'd tried to do things himself. Knowing its job was done, his reflection evaporated into a bloody mist.
The next morning, after interrogating Zabuza further, Yagura called a meeting with Kiri's elite shinobi to discuss the village's future. His future. Yagura knew this was his last chance. If they didn't like his proposal, he'd find his head on a stick outside Mizukage Building, and it would be Mei Terumi sitting in his chair.
"Intel has it that Kumo, Iwa, and Oto are planning a move against Konoha," Yagura said. Mei stared at him dully, as if asking him what his point was. "We will provide aid to Konoha. Form an alliance with them. Because when choosing between the present and the future, one must always choose the future. The next Yellow Flash, the next God of Shinobi, is here. Our scouts confirmed it during the chunin exams, and so has one Zabuza Mimochi. Naruko Uzumaki is the future of the shinobi world, she will become what Obi Uchiha would have been, and we will have her remember Kiri as her greatest ally."
The room was silent. The shinobi stoic as ever. But everyone's attention was on Mei Terumi.
Yagura's thoughts had slowed. He couldn't move. Was it finally time? Had he run out of chances? Was this where he died?
Mei stopped stroking her hair, her hand lowering, lowering, forming a fist and… Mei bowed, a hand to her heart. "An excellent plan Mizukage."
Zabuza bowed next. Then a pretty boy. And then the rest of the shinobi.
Mei put a hand on his shoulder before she left. "You're finally starting to get the hang of this."
Yagura smiled. For the first time in a long time he felt comfortable with his actions, proud of himself even.
But when he caught his reflection in the window, all he could see was a mountain of corpses under his feet.
XOXOXOX
Sasuke savored the scent of hot ramen, broke his chopsticks, and slurped up the noodles like a pig. Or perhaps an Idiot.
Nobody tuffled his hair. "I didn't know you liked ramen."
"I don't," Sasuke said, trying to keep his happiness from his voice and failing.
Nobody lifted her mask, just a little, letting Sasuke see all the scars and burns that covered her mouth and chin. "Yeah I get it. I hate ramen too, oil and water shouldn't mix." She sipped some broth and gagged, wearing a smile the entire time. "It's not that you like it. It just reminds you of a certain someone doesn't it?"
Sasuke found himself smiling as he slurped up another bowl, thinking of a certain Idiot.
"You're sure hungry, you know? It's a good thing I came up with a new product recently. It's a type of weapon. I was able to sell them to the hidden villages for ten thousand ryo each. They were old weapons that I discovered recently, but you're not interested in low class stuff like money are you Sasuke? Money is for us lowly, ignorant, civilian Uchiha to make and for you elite, enlightened, shinobi Uchiha to take isn't it? We make, you take. Good or bad, that's just the way things have to be. I mean, I've heard it from so many shinobi."
Sasuke couldn't help but smile. This woman was just so petty. There was just something connecting about listening to this woman complain about money. Dealing with put-upon civilians must've been one of the things Father had had to do as clan leader before… He slurped up some more ramen, and it was still warm.
"Well if you ever change your mind and learn about the products I was selling, just remember that not a single one of the villages turned me down, you know?" She called a waiter, and ordered seconds. "Enjoy the meal Sasuke. Think of it as a gift…" Nobody smiled brightly, almost laughing, as if she were delivering a punchline to an elaborate joke. "...From the last of your family."
Sasuke didn't get it.
"You will." Nobody promised. "Eventually."
XOXOXOX
Author's Note: Thanks for reading! Again, the next several chapters will be Naruko focused, but I needed this chapter to set things up globally. And now onto the reviews:
TheBeauty - Well, hopefully this chapter establishes that unlike Orochimaru she will blatantly lie if it suits her purposes. But she does enjoy telling misleading truths as well. Thanks for the review!
Guest - I think the perception of cannon Sasuke is most likely affecting the typical reading of the character. Thanks for the review!
