Chapter 3 – Conditions for Chaos
Disclaimer: I'm thinking about opening a petition to gain ownership of Naruto. You know, because I don't own Naruto.
Transitions and flashbacks are in italics.
Tailed beast speech is in bold.
'Thoughts are in single quotations.'
Taking a break from the main story, in Kumogakure no Sato…
The streets of Kumogakure no Sato were crowded with shinobi and citizens alike. The rich smells of unique cuisines filled the streets and many of the stores were packed full with customers. Two such customers walked through those very streets, on the way to get lunch. Omoi, a genin who trained under the legendary Killer Bee, had just come back from a training session with Darui, a jonin who served directly under the Raikage. Darui had volunteered to take him out for lunch and Omoi agreed, although cautiously as he was never sure what could happen on the way or even at the place they were headed.
"Darui!"
At the yell of his name, Darui, the usually calm and collected shinobi who everyone respected for his skill and professionalism, let out a nearly inaudible high pitch scream. Nearly.
"Uh, Boss Darui? You okay?"
Omoi stood next to Darui in confusion. At first he thought someone had blown a whistle but by the frozen look on Darui's face, it was clear where it had come from.
"Boss, I think someone's calling for you-"
"Sorry Omoi, I'm going to have to get a rain check on that lunch!"
At that, Darui disappeared in a flash of electricity. Omoi blinked, highly confused at what had just happened until his mind started putting things together.
"Wait, what if Boss Darui was being called for lunch too? Then he'd have to run off and try to meet the other person as well! Unless, he was running late? That would mean that he might miss his lunch! And then he might end up upsetting someone important! And then they'd want to attack the village! Oh no this is-"
At that moment, a shinobi landed next to him. Pale blond hair tied in a ponytail came to a rest down her back. Her eyes, black and furious, scanned the surrounding area before landing on a somewhat terrified Omoi.
"You were with Darui, where'd he go?"
Yugito Nii stared intensely into Omoi's eyes. His face paled as her anger practically leaked off of her. His eyes widened.
"I WAS RIGHT!"
At that, Omoi started sprinting off, coincidentally in the same direction that Darui went. Also coincidentally, Omoi was partly right. Darui indeed had upset someone important. Perhaps not over lunch but without a doubt over something rather important. Some minutes later, male screams could be heard throughout the village as an angry Yugito beat the crap out of the village's right hand man, Darui. It was just another day in Kumogakure no Sato for those living there though.
In the Raikage's Office…
"Where's Darui? He was supposed to be here half an hour ago."
Ay grunted as he finished his latest set of barbell squats, chucking the barbells at the wall. It broke right through before falling to the ground below. He glanced at the hole.
"Weakness is intolerable! Someone get stronger material for those walls!"
"Y-Yes Raikage-sama!"
A Kumo chunin quickly rushed out the door, sighing as he left as the walls in the Raikage's office were the strongest in the village. There was no way to actually make them any stronger.
"Mabui! Has everyone assembled?"
"Yes Raikage-sama. They are awaiting the next announcement as we speak."
As she said that, Mabui set up a microphone on the Raikage's desk. In Kumogakure, every week on the first day at one in the afternoon, important messages were sent from the Raikage throughout the village. In most cases it wasn't actually the Raikage who sent them but usually Mabui or Darui. In rare cases it was Killer Bee but those actually never went well. However today was a rather special day. Everyone was awaiting a special address from the Raikage, one that was highly anticipated to change the status quo between the very nations themselves.
"And Darui, where is he?"
At that Mabui laughed.
"He's a very wanted man at the moment Raikage-sama. You will have to excuse him."
Seeing as Darui's attendance wasn't at the top on his priority list, Ay simply kept a mental reminder to chew him off later. He took a seat at his desk and cleared his throat into the microphone, catching the attention of every citizen in Kumogakure. Even the children paid attention, the store owner's ceasing their trade and the shinobi on every rooftop stopped moving. Ay started.
"Today, marks the start of a new era."
Silence took hold across the entire village. Not even a pin drop was heard, no one wanted to miss this.
"Konoha has, for the entirety of the existence of the Shinobi Godaikoku (Five Great Shinobi Villages), held onto the title of strongest village. This has made our village, for many generations appear weak in comparison."
Shinobi throughout the village nodded their heads in agreement. Ay continued.
"The missions we carry out, the shipments we export, the culture we share. Many will simply compare it to Konoha and call it sub-par."
The citizen's chatter began to grow. The initially quiet agreement among themselves became louder with every passing moment.
"However, with the recent events as they are, that status quo is beginning to crumble! Konoha has been struck, and by their own no less!"
The growing chatter became shouts of accord, it was becoming rather deafening at that point.
"Now, as they are on the back foot, now is the time to strike!"
Roars of the support could be heard across the village. The streets were filled with people voicing their agreement with the Raikage.
"We have been waiting for this moment for far too long! And so, we have also been preparing! We will no longer stand idle! This is no longer a time for peace! But a time for war! By next week we shall step foot into Hi no Kuni!"
The roars became a great rumble that many would say actually shook the village. This was what they had been waiting for. Out of all of the villages, Kumogakure was the only one that had not gone through with the demilitarization that other villages had. Reduction of shinobi forces, reduction of military arms, reduction of outposts. Kumogakure had only kept expanding. Now it was time for an uprising.
As Mabui disconnected the microphone, she had but one question to ask Ay.
"Is this really the right decision Raikage-sama?"
Ay crossed his arms as he stood up, turning towards the window in his office.
"It's not about if it was the right decision, but if it was the right time. This is the path we chose, so we have to follow it to the end."
However, even Ay doubted the authenticity of his statement. While his father had carried the ambition of obtaining the bloodlines of Konoha, Ay's belief lied more in the strength of his shinobi. Of course, after the Third Great Ninja War he found himself forced into committing the same acts his father had. To an extent he even understood why he did it. Yet it made him feel shameful, as if he had to rely on taking the strength of the enemy in order to further his own.
"This… is the way of shinobi."
As he was staring into the mountain ranges of Kumogakure, he was unaware of an individual who was in the room with him. The individual smiled before slinking off into the darkness, unseen and unheard.
A few hours later, in Iwagakure no Sato…
"Ridiculous!"
Kitsuchi slammed his hands onto the grey steel long table that extended to the end of the room he was in. Its silver grey stone walls lacked windows and the only light source was on the ceiling, also made from stone. The floor's natural reflectiveness actually showed it was made of steel that part, and for good reason. The table and floor would have surely shattered if it wasn't. Several of the jonin present at the table fearfully flinched as if shielding themselves, as the common practice for earth techniques was slamming the hands to a surface. It just so happens that Kitsuchi's earth techniques was the stuff of legends in Iwagakure.
"Kitsuchi sit down. You're making a scene."
Onoki sat down rather casually. Resting his chin on his palm he was leaning forward on the table, doing his back little favours. You can't blame him for wanting to feel young though. He was the strongest in the village for a reason.
"Are you really going to trust someone like him? He's clearly out for his own interests here!"
"And? So are we Kitsuchi. It doesn't matter what he thinks of us he's just doing his job."
At that he glanced to the individual in the corner.
"Isn't that right, Deidara?"
The nukenin simply grinned from the corner of the room. He wore a red cloak with a high collar and black zipper partly unzipped to show his face. His sandals were jet black. He reclined against the wall with his arms crossed. The lens over his left eye zoomed in and out in a seemingly passive manner, as if despite his relaxed temperament he was quite ready for a battle to occur. He was a nukenin after all.
"Of course old man. Once you guys come to agreement can we get onto the real stuff, un?"
"You have the nerve to show your face here of all places? You're asking for death!"
Kitsuchi would not, could not come to a consensus on the situation. The room he was in was a special one. It was buried about 3 miles underground and could only be accessed through a single entrance that was regularly guarded by a contingent of Iwa Anbu always at the ready. This room was known as Iwa's Contingency Room. This room was home to some of the darkest secrets in Iwa's history, many tough decisions had been made here, and without a doubt it was a significant part of Iwa's existence. And Deidara was casually standing in it. Something about that simply irked Kitsuchi in a way that he could not dismiss. Then again, they were only in the room because of Deidara.
"Hah, I'd be careful what you say next Kitsuchi! Remember it's your village that's asking for assistance!"
Kitsuchi's face grew dark then. His arm shook violently before it stopped.
"You're right. It is."
"So you're coming to an understanding, un? That's unexpected."
At that, Kitsuchi stamped on the floor.
"So I think it's time we terminated that agreement!"
The jonin in the room stared in shock at the revelation. Onoki however glared at Kitsuchi.
"Kitsuchi, don't."
"Too late."
Deidara cocked his head in confusion before suddenly his chest was impaled by a stone spike grown right out of the wall behind him.
"Contract terminated."
Deidara's shocked face slowly morphed into a grin.
"Well, that could have been bad… If I hadn't seen it coming."
His body turned white before collapsing to the ground in a liquid mess. All ninja in the room went on immediate guard. Even Onoki appeared concerned.
"Ah, Tsuchikage-dono, you should be more responsible with your forces."
His voice echoed about the room, yet he remained out of sight.
"I just wanted to have a nice, civil talk. Unless we're talking about art, then we could have an argument if you'd like."
Onoki spoke.
"Deidara, you're clearly not wanted here. Just get on with what you have to say."
"And the payment, un?"
"I'll take care of it personally."
There was silence for a second until a drop was heard. Then another. Multiple drops began to hit the floor as white clay slowly leaked from the ceiling. Slowly Deidara's body formed, standing on the ceiling. Unease in the room only intensified. Kitsuchi's thoughts were heading in a spiral however.
'He wasn't there?! But how?! I've been observing him the whole time so there's no way he could have made a bunshin in that situation! Unless…'
Onoki spoke once more.
"You're not even in the room Deidara."
The clay clone laughed.
"How astute, un. I'm not going to take my chances with you lot."
"And here I thought you just had the audacity."
The whole time, Onoki had yet to make a move. He was still reclining in the same position as earlier and looked just as bored out of his mind.
"Ah, I have another appointment coming up. I'll have to take your word for it, un."
At that Deidara got surprisingly serious.
"I already told you about Kumo's movements. However, there's one more thing you should know."
Even as Kitsuchi stared angrily at him, Deidara continued.
"The organization I'm working for has a few… VIPs. People you should take care not to harm unless you'd like to end our support."
Onoki's gaze remained staring at the other end of the room.
"And who are these VIPs?"
"Naruto Uzumaki… and Sasuke Uchiha."
A couple of the present ninja rose eyebrows at that, with a few even whispering to each other.
"Hm, noted."
Deidara's grin returned.
"Now that the formalities are out of the way-"
"Doton: Iwadeppo no Jutsu (Earth Style: Stone Pistol Jutsu)!"
A barrage of rocks fired from Kitsuchi's mouth, tearing apart Deidara's clone like it was made out of putty. It shared a similar consistency to boot.
"…ah never mind."
The clone sulked before dropping to the floor in another liquid mess.
Kitsuchi frowned.
"Good riddance. Let's get out of here before he decides to do something about the residue clay."
As the jonin got up and left through the only exit in the room, Onoki remained seated, still reclining on the table.
"Um, dad, let's go."
Kitsuchi stared at Onoki who simply kept staring at the wall. Kitsuchi sweat dropped before sighing.
"Give me a second."
He walked up behind his father, placing one hand on his back and another on his shoulder before pulling sharply.
"Ack!"
An audible crack could be heard from even in the corridor as several jonin realized why Onoki had been so laid back during the meeting.
"You're very prideful, you know that?"
Onoki rubbed his back before glaring at Kitsuchi.
"Well you have to get it from somewhere I suppose."
Minutes to midnight, in Mizu no Kuni…
Wind bellowed through a lonely tent on top of a hill far above a forest. Yet the mist of Mizu no Kuni coated it nonetheless. The moonlight from the sky was split into rays by the passing clouds above. Inside the tent mentioned, a single lantern flickered. It sat on a wooden desk stacked with papers, books and the occasional ink brush. At the desk sat a nearly middle aged woman, though she appeared far younger than that. She wore a set of black cargo pants which were tucked into grey shinobi sandals. However, despite the cold weather she wore a tight fitting wire mesh undershirt with a black chest guard with a single strap over the left shoulder. Her emerald eyes were filled with concern as they scanned over a report and her deep red hair hung messily down her back, clearly unkempt. One might assume she was simply doing her rounds in the office at first glance but for her it was anything but.
It was so cold. The temperature had to be nearing zero, because it hurt to breathe the air. Not that she cared. The mist in the air clung to her skin like it was trying to tear her apart. It might have well been trying because she certainly felt like doing it. She swiped her hand through her auburn bangs before placing her palm to her forehead. She rubbed at it furiously before scrunching said bangs. She felt like just ripping ithem off. But she didn't. Her pain wouldn't make up for theirs. So she cried instead. She cried hard. They'd just lost another five battalions. This war was destroying not only this country. It was destroying her. It was just so… so damn cold.
"Mei."
Her eyes opened. But she didn't look up. She knew that voice all too well.
"Mei you can't let our troops see you like this."
She muttered under her breath.
"And what if I don't care?"
"You know we don't have that choice."
"Why don't I have that choice!?"
Mei Terumi shot her head in the direction of her right hand man, Ao. She was angry. Unbearably so. But she had nothing to vent it at. What was she supposed to do, with all this anger and hatred… with all this pain and sorrow? She had been living in Mizu no Kuni all of her life, not once had she been able to see the outside world. All she'd known was that damn village and its war. She'd been raised in it, thoroughly doused in it and now all she wanted was for it to end. She was nearly thirty dammit, and she'd been fighting Yagura for how long now? Half a decade at least as this organisation's leader. Hadn't she earned the right to at least mourn? Even if she felt like doing that forever?
"You know just as well as I do. We can't stop. We're not allowed to."
The desk in front of her suddenly looked a lot more comfortable than it did before. She'd spent many nights simply sleeping on it. Not peaceful sleep either. Mei was almost tempted to sleep right then and there though. Her form of mourning usually did involve self-torment.
"I want to. I just… want to sleep so badly right now."
"I do to. I don't remember the last time I slept for more than a few minutes."
Of course, Ao had to guilt trip her. He was her right hand, the person she entrusted the most to. He was also the one who was usually on those front lines. She might receive the reports on their deaths, but more often than not, Ao saw them with his own eyes. That Byakugan was undoubtedly a double edged sword. There had to be things that Ao wished he hadn't been able to see.
"Then sleep Ao. Our forces can exist without us at the head for a couple of hours."
Ao chuckled then, which was odd coming from someone who was as stoic as a Hyuga.
"If we did that, we wouldn't wake up again. You know that better than anyone else."
Her hand trembled at those words. What Ao spoke of was an old legend in Kirigakure. It was referred to as Asui Kiri no Shinigami (Reaper of the Ice Mist). The legend stated that during the winter months of Mizu no Kuni, the Shinigami itself came out to claim the souls of the unfortunate who breathed in its breath. Its frozen breath which was said to be able to freeze you from the inside out. Many dismissed the tale as a story told to children that misbehaved, and some even used scientific evidence to explain the deaths caused by it. Mei knew better. It didn't get cold enough in Kirigakure for it to get snow. However there was something in the mist in that time of year. Something deadly. It took lives in a snap. Victims were often found asleep blissfully only for someone to realize that they were in fact dead. What's more, it was more likely to occur when outdoors. The Rebel forces of Mizu no Kuni didn't sleep indoors. A significant amount of their casualties actually came from the cold. That and diseases.
"I told you not to talk about that Ao."
"I know, but you need to realize that we don't have many options."
"I'm extremely aware."
Ao sighed then. He rubbed his visible eye lid before approaching her desk.
"Things are getting worse, but that tends to happen before they get better."
Mei matched his gaze with a glare.
"They've been getting worse all year. We'll be dead before anything fortunate happens to us."
"Fortune can't come to the dead."
Mei's frown lessened then.
"What are you getting at?"
"We just need to keep surviving until fortune decides to favour us."
Ao just didn't know what it meant to take a break. He'd always worked hard and he wouldn't falter even when he should have. That trait in particular both annoyed and pleased Mei. She felt more annoyed with it at the moment though. She closed her eyes then. Placing her hands on the desk she slowly rose to her feet.
"You're not going to leave me alone are you?"
"Not a chance in hell."
"We already are in hell."
"It doesn't change the statement."
Both stared at each other in silence for a moment before Mei broke out in laughter. Ao smiled.
"We've had this conversation before, though this is the first time it's taken so long to get you out of a slump."
"I'm getting tired Ao. Let's be honest here, I'm clinically depressed at this point."
She laughed again, more out of pity than of any real humour. She really was diagnosed with clinical depression by one of the doctors in their forces. She didn't believe said doctor until she found out he died and didn't know how to feel about it. Every day was painful to wake up to, assigning more and more of her forces to missions that would more than likely result in their inevitable demises. She was practically being forced to watch Yagura pick them to pieces. Sometimes she even wondered why she was the one leading these forces only to be reminded of more painful memories she didn't want. Mei was operating on auto-pilot and she believed she'd just about reached an all-time low. Any lower and she might just break.
"We still have a job to do."
She nodded before grabbing the navy blue trench coat on the back of her chair. Tossing it over her shoulders she walked beside Ao. She spoke.
"Instil hope in our forces, even if it's false hope."
"I hate lying, but we have to do what we have to do."
She clenched her teeth as she exited the large tent they were under.
"You're a cruel man Ao."
Ao shook his head as he descended the hill they were on ahead of Mei.
"It was you who came up with the idea. I'm following your orders."
Mei hated lying even more than Ao did. But she couldn't risk feeling guilty over it. No, it was easier not to feel anything. She'd suppress her emotions and take another dive under the waves. And she'd stay there until she needed to take another breath. As she followed Ao down to the rebel camp below, an unknown figure walked out of the tent behind her. He chuckled darkly before speaking.
"Rendezvous for a meeting soon. We have business to discuss."
At that, he vanished in mid-air.
A day later, in Ame no Kuni…
The streets of Amegakure no Sato were lashed by heavy sheets of rain that morning. In a country that always had rain, it was surprisingly a rare occurrence whenever the rain picked up like that. Children ran across the walkways above, playing in the rain despite its force. Store owners pulled back the awnings in front of their stores, to prevent the rain from tearing them. Shinobi patrolled the streets, some with regulation rebreathers in case of flash flooding and other emergencies. Despite the torrential rainfall, life went on in the city of rain. An observer would likely find this site quite remarkable, however one observer quietly laughed at this. He sat at the very top of the highest tower in Amegakure.
His black coat whipped about in the wind, and yet he remained, as if it didn't even affect him. Perhaps because it wasn't. If one looked very closely, they'd realize that not even one drop of water had actually touched him. As if he could simply will the water away from him. Which wasn't too far off from what he was doing. Bright red hair hung about his pale skin, and a smile adorned his face. It was a small smile but a humorous one. He held in his hands a small parchment, with a bit of writing on it. He glanced down at it.
"Ah, right. He called a meeting I believe."
Burying the paper in his coat, he performed a quick set of hand signs.
"Gyaku Kuchiyose no Jutsu (Reverse Summoning Jutsu)."
In a puff of smoke, he found himself at the forefront of a large circular, door-less room. It was in fact an observatory which gave a complete view of the sky above. The ground was a deep shade of red with a black strip splitting the room in half. A total of nine black cushioned seats were positioned around the room, four on each side of the strip and one at the end of the room meeting the strip. All seats faced towards the centre. He walked over to the seat at the end and reclined on it. Kicking his leg up and resting his arms on the armrests he spoke.
"Enter."
A series of smoke explosions erupted about the room, at each of the empty chairs. The smoke cleared to reveal eight individuals, most of whom were notorious in the Shinobi Godaikoku. Deidara, Akasuna no Sasori, Kisame Hoshigaki, Itachi Uchiha, Hidan, Kakuzu, Tobi and Konan. All eight appeared seated at their chairs. And at the ninth chair sat their leader, the person who spearheaded the organisation they were a part of, the Akatsuki. That person was Nagato Uzumaki.
"You're all punctual."
Kisame grinned.
"It's not like we have a choice. When you call we're summoned whether we like it or not."
"Enough with the pleasantries. We came here for a meeting."
Sasori sat rather impatiently in his chair. Unlike normally, he wasn't using Hiroko, his primary puppet, and thus was in his regular body. This was due to an incident where he had been summoned with Hiroko only for parts of him to be left behind. Needless to say, the meetings still irked him.
"Now Sasori, calm down. I called the meeting."
It was Tobi who spoke then. Everyone got unnaturally quiet, which wasn't all that unnatural for shinobi, however it was quite unnatural in this case. Tobi was a relatively new member to the group. His mysterious appearance, the mask in particular was something that bugged every member of the organisation.
"Well? You did call the meeting, what was it for, un?"
Deidara appeared bored, the lens on his left eye simply zoomed in and out at the clouds above.
"I've come up with a new approach for tackling the Biju."
Konan raised an eyebrow.
"It's a little late for that don't you think?"
"Not at all. In fact, it's just in time. Deidara, you've sent the message I asked to Iwagakure?"
"Yeah, what was that about?"
Nagato sighed.
"The new approach wouldn't happen to involve destroying a few villages would it?"
Tobi glanced over to Nagato.
"Oh there's no need for destruction. We're just using all the resources available to us."
"What's your new plan Tobi? C'mon I have some sacrificing to do!"
Hidan childishly sunk into his chair, his scythe seemingly sliding too.
"Hidan shut up. You're disturbing the peace."
"You're one to talk! You're just trying to provoke me!"
"I didn't think you knew what that word meant."
Before Hidan could go about attempting to lop of Kakuzu's head, Tobi cleared his throat.
"The name of the new plan is Project Shinju."
"Project Shinju?"
Itachi leaned forward slightly, his curiosity piqued.
"It will take additional time to complete, however the payoff is worth it."
Nagato's eyes sparkled with lilac light.
"How so?"
"The old plan relied too much on us capturing the Biju, and it had a mere forty percent chance of success. This one however, once all the conditions are in place, will have a ninety five percent chance of success."
"And why not one hundred?"
"The five percent accounts for a very small likelihood. If the Shinobi Godaikoku catch on to what we are doing too early, the plan may fail."
"Then, you want to keep the group under the radar for a little longer?"
"Specifically for the next four years. Once everything is in place, Project Shinju will guarantee our world domination."
Nagato closed his eyes and brought his hand to his chin. After stroking it for a second, not that there was anything to stroke, he opened his eyes again.
"Project Shinju, what exactly does it entail?"
Although no one could see it, everyone could feel Tobi's smile under his mask. He chuckled.
"Let me start by saying this. It will bring the sky crashing down on the world."
End of Chapter
Alright just in time. Errors aside I put in some actual effort into the chapter. At the same time I still feel like I didn't put in enough content, but it is what it is. Now, this story, as mentioned in the summary, does not go according to canon in the slightest. Everything is basically being changed. So yeah, in case that scene I wrote about Kiri doesn't come off right, I'm giving my point here. Ame too I guess. Anyways, next week Tuesday a next chapter is coming out. I'll try to keep up with that update schedule since it isn't difficult to meet really. Quick note, I changed the translations, and can't be bothered to correct it, so Japanese is now spoken and English is shown in translation.
Another reminder that I don't speak Japanese so corrections are welcome there for anyone more knowledgeable than I am.