Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters used within the story.
The aftermath of 'C'-Rank
'C'-Rank Mission: Failure
Chapter 7
Sarutobi Hiruzen blew a puff of smoke from his pipe as he read the report Jonin Hatake had handed him.
In the words of his Jonin commander, the situation was: Troublesome.
"So, Orochimaru has made a move on your student and is interested in obtaining the Kekkei Genkai of the Uchiha clan?" He questioned out loud rhetorically. He remembered the only loyal Sannin handing him the report of Orochimaru trying to take over Itachi Uchiha's body back when the Leaf traitor was part of the organization that went by the name 'Akatsuki'. The organization's motives remain unknown to this day...
Hiruzen shook his head, dismissing those thoughts away. Now was the time to focus his attention on another important matter.
"Yes sir, he even placed a curse mark on him," Kakashi responded to the God of Shinobi, his posture stiff and eyebrows knitted in concentration, a far cry from his usual laidback attitude. Hiruzen didn't blame him as the situation was too dire for jokes. They had to tread carefully with matters involving his rogue student.
"To think young Sasuke survived the placement of such a terrible juinjutsu on him," the Hokage muttered in a whisper. When his subordinate raised an eyebrow in question, Sarutobi elaborated on his previously vague statement. "When Anko, Orochimaru's abandoned student, was used as a test subject for the curse seal of heaven, she survived. Investigations from Konoha's spymaster showed that the woman had powerful Yin chakra and was able to endure the placement of the seal."
"So, what you're saying is that my student possesses potent spiritual chakra?" When Hiruzen nodded at the white-haired man, Kakashi seemed to catch on to another point. "That's not all the details of the story is it?"
The Third Hokage dipped his head slightly. "No, there is more. When a recent laboratory of my estranged student was broken into by Jiraiya, he found out the results of certain experiments concerning the seal, not enough to remove it of course." Here Hiruzen paused. His eyes turned from blank to cold chips of eyes, his jaw set tight. "The survival rate of anyone who bears Orochimaru's cursed seal is a mere ten percent. The fact that your 8-year-old student was able to recover at an admirable rate within two days despite possessing the juinjutsu is nothing short of a miracle."
He may have done his best to hide it, but there was no doubt some relief in Kakashi's posture. He has grown attached to his team Hiruzen thought, happy for his subordinate. He knew perfectly well just how bad the man's situation was. Losing a student, a child no less, would have hit the Jonin a lot harder emotionally and mentally than the loss of an adult comrade. The Hokage knew that best amongst all his shinobi how painful losing someone close to you felt, with all three of his pupils having eccentric habits of theirs, only one remaining loyal till the end.
"So, has there been any way to safely remove the seal from Sasuke?" Kakashi questioned the desperation in his tone barely hidden by the bland delivery of his question.
Sarutobi shook his head in sympathy at the young man's plight. "As of now, safe and sound removal of such a dangerous form of juinjutsu is unknown to us. The Evil Sealing Method is the only jutsu that can be used to suppress my student's influence on young Sasuke."
"I see," was the blank reply from his unhappy Jonin. It was clear that the man was dissatisfied with the unfairness of the situation, but this was the shinobi world. Nothing was fair in a world where trained assassins lived in every nook and cranny.
"There is a silver lining to this, however..." Sarutobi watched in amusement as Kakashi seemed to perk up ever so slightly, his head raised higher than it was a second ago. "After a thorough examination of my student's juinjutsu, it is possible for young Sasuke to reap the benefits of the seal, to some degree. The Evil Sealing Method is able to subdue Orochimaru's influence, hence the rest of the seal remains untouched. A part of it enhances the body to a certain degree albeit at a much slower pace than when the sealing method isn't used. The Third tomoe present on the cursed seal seems to have some other use which I am unsure of, I shall call my student Jiraiya when the time is right to confirm the function of the remaining part." The Hokage's facial features set into a glacial mask after uttering those strings of sentences. "However, none of this should be mentioned to the boy. He could easily be manipulated by Orochimaru into joining his side, potentially forcing Konoha to lose another valuable asset."
Hiruzen knew such cold pragmatism was horrible, but the village needed the last loyal Uchiha as a weapon for protection. As the Hokage, the village's needs came before one person's desires. Sacrifices had to be made in the long run.
Kakashi nodded accepting the information for all it was worth. Sarutobi could see visualize the cogs in his brain whirling, trying to figure out a way to prevent his pupil from leaving the village. "May I be dismissed Hokage-sama?" The man questioned, likely going to check the hospital on Sasuke's condition.
Hiruzen nodded and with a wave of his hand, the white-haired man disappeared in a Body-flicker.
Feeling another very familiar chakra signature behind his door, he prepared for another tense conversation. "Enter." He commanded.
Danzo Shimura, his old teammate walked through the door and stood before him, his lone eye gazing at Sarutobi with no emotion present in it.
Xxx-WiT-xxX
Danzo walked into the council room and settled himself on one of the seats adjacent to Hiruzen.
"Hokage-sama," he inclined his head to the side.
"Please old friend, we are past the honorifics," the Hokage smiled. Danzo knew perfectly well that this smile was merely an act.
"Very well Hiruzen, let us get to the matter at hand," he replied in a perfect monotone. "You wish to speak with me?"
"Indeed. What do you think of Sasuke Uchiha?" The Hokage questioned him as though it was something out of a daily conversation.
Danzo did not smile. "He is a genius in every right. His talent is well known amongst the shinobi population. Many are afraid that he is the second coming of Itachi with his anti-social nature. I believe that they are mistaken in their pretenses given your report that he does not treat those close to him unkindly," he spoke as per the hand-written report given by his loyal ROOT servant.
"A rather emotional one isn't he, unlike his brother?" Hiruzen took a drag out of his pipe. "He thirsts for knowledge and power. Given the Sharingan's innate ability to copy anything with merely a glance along with perfect photographic memory, I had thought him to be power hungry, wanting nothing but revenge, but the reports from Hatake have proven otherwise."
The bandaged 'cripple' replied in a blank tone. "Your point is valid... bonds are important to ensure loyalty to the village. He would be the perfect ANBU member with the correct training methods."
"I think... that it would be in your best interest to stay away from Uchiha Sasuke," and suddenly he was looking at the God of Shinobi instead of his teammate, chakra filling the room like that of an active volcano.
"I shall pay heed to your words," Danzo replied not at all affected by Hiruzen's rampant chakra wave.
Itachi had given him an ultimatum, to leave his brother alone or the village would face the consequences of his actions. He knew very well to stay away from the boy at the moment, the kin slayers warning once again moving to the forefront of his mind.
The Konoha patriot knew perfectly well the love Itachi had possessed for his brother, the night he had given the mission to kill the clan being proof of it. Danzo knew that when Sasuke would kill Itachi for revenge, the older brother would allow the younger to kill him in the end. And when that would happen, he would sink his claws into the younger, knowing perfectly well that he would become an S-rank with the rate he was progressing at...
"Our forces are stretched thin," Hiruzen commented offhandedly.
Danzo was not fooled by the tone of his voice, knowing precisely where the talk was headed, "It is." He replied evenly.
"Had you not ordered the death of one of Konoha's founders, then maybe the results would be different," he glared at the bandaged man.
Danzo scoffed. "It was for the safety of Konoha, a necessary sacrifice in the end."
"You could not have spared the children at the bare minimum?" Hiruzen questioned, his tone frosty.
He knew that he had performed such an act that, the village would gain more loyal soldiers, Itachi holding the blame for the massacre, directing the remaining children's hate towards him. But the truth was, he couldn't...
"What do you want?" He questioned the man in front of him, keeping his voice as calm as possible, letting none of his fear show.
The masked man's lone Sharingan eye gleamed through the hole of the striped mask, his hair reminding Danzo of the most powerful Uchiha of all time, Madara.
He highly doubted that the man that stood before him was the real Madara, but he knew he was strong, frighteningly so. His entire ROOT force had fallen before the man with a mere eye glance of his Sharingan. He was no doubt incredibly powerful, forcing the Konoha higher up to obey the man's words for the moment.
"I know you have Shisui's eye with you," the masked man commented merrily. Danzo wanted to deck him simply because of the condescension present in his tone. "However, I will let you keep it... at least for the moment, including those Sharingan eyes you so badly want."
"The catch?" Danzo questioned knowing that there was more to the man's words than a few 'gifts'.
Ominous chuckling filled the tense silence that had overtaken the room for a few seconds. "Oh, nothing much," he waved a dismissive hand, "I want you to order the death of every single member of the Uchiha, including the children, to Itachi.Leave not a single one alive, even those present in your ROOT."
"The children, had they discovered the truth of the matter would no doubt turn against Konoha." He couldn't tell Hiruzen of the masked man simply due to the death threats he received afterward. He had his own plans on how to take the man down in time, but for now, the secret would remain secret.
"But they wouldn't," Hiruzen glowered at him. "Only five people out of the entire elemental nations know the reality behind that night. Itachi's loyalty is unquestionable as long as Sasuke is kept safe."
"I do concede your point, but our forces are already stretched thin as it is. Abducting and raising mere infants would take a lot of time and effort which we do not have to spare. With the Uchiha gone and the disastrous Hyuuga incident, warding off attacks from other villages that deem us weak has already starved our resources for the moment. Konoha's image must be maintained." Danzo replied to his old teammate in a flat tone.
The room was silent for a few moments before the Hokage spoke once more. "Very well, I shall back down for the moment. Please do continue with your report."
The bandaged 'cripple' nodded, knowing what Hiruzen was asking him for.
Xxx-WiT-xxX
I woke up with a groan...
Yup, that's definitely fluorescent light.
My eyelids felt heavy, my vision continuing to remain blurry.
The smell of bleach, medicine, and detergent assaulted my nose forcing me to scrunch the external organ in annoyance. My throat felt dry, scratchy- I'm thirsty as hell.
As soon as I could see more clearly, the images of the sunlit windowsill and tacky white tiles of the ceiling hit my eyes.
This looks like a hospital I thought to myself. Just what happened?
Once I could properly form coherent thoughts, my mind started running a mile a minute, remembering the terrifying events of yesterday's battle with the infamous mad scientist.
I never expected to encounter Orochimaru so early in the game, but unfortunately, canon was thrown out of the window from the get-go. The butterfly effect seemed to be taking place a lot faster than I had anticipated... I grimaced.
The Snake Sannin was strong, frighteningly so. I could never forget the man's eyes as he gazed at me like a lion would at its prey. The raw killing intent, the pure malice he exhibited, the damn curse mark he inflicted on-
As if on command my neck throbbed in pain, eliciting a wince from me. Using my unoccupied left hand, I rubbed the sore spot. God fucking dammit snake, why'd you give me a hickey so early?
"Ah, Uchiha-San you're awake," A black-haired nurse asked me from my right said, breaking me out of my thoughts. I turned my head to look at the woman. Her face was etched with a concerned expression. "How are you feeling?"
I opened my mouth to respond, but instead, a series of coughs followed, interrupting my response.
"Oh right." I could hear shuffling sounds before a glass of water was thrusted in my direction. "Here, I'm sure this will benefit you for now."
I snatched the glass from her hand and immediately drank the sweet elixir of life because god I was just so thirsty.
Gulping down the entire glass in mere seconds, I breathed a sigh of relief. I have never tasted such good water in my life..."Uchiha-San, how are you feeling?" The nurse asked me once more, hazel eyes softening when we locked gazes.
"Just peachy," I replied sarcastically. When in a bad mood, I had two modes. Angry/annoying and sarcastic asshole- no in-betweens.
The woman sighed tiredly, likely used to rude behavior from her patients. "Uchiha-San please be honest in your responses." She crossed her arms at chest level.
I stared at her for a few seconds before deciding to give honest feedback instead. "Tired with a slight headache. My neck also hurts a bit. Mentally is a whole 'another story."
The lady pursed her lips before shaking her head. "I'm sorry you feel like that. You have a few visitors outside that would like to know more about your condition. Shall I bring them in?"
I nodded, already knowing just who or rather how many people were supposed to enter. "Yes, please."
"Very well." The nurse turned, opening the door and three very familiar individuals entered.
Izumi lunged at me, the moment her gaze landed in my visage.
"Oh, you're alright! I heard the news of what happened to you! I'm so glad to have you alive!" She nearly yelled into my ear.
"Let go," I tried to say it as clearly as possible because I wasn't used to intimate physical contact. The last time I had gotten a hug was a lifetime ago, literally. "Let. Go."
The brown-haired girl jumped away as soon as those words flew out of my mouth, her expression portraying guilt. "Sorry," she apologized with a sheepish smile. "But I'm happy you're okay now."
"We are glad to have you back Sasuke," Torune's voice reached my ears.
I turned to face him. "So, how did things go on your end?" I questioned, trying to divert the topic from me to the mission. I needed details on what had occurred on the other side.
The Aburame cocked his head to the side, likely understanding the meaning of my question without requiring elaboration. "After both you and sensei engaged with your respective enemies, I and Izumi were left with a chunin ninja who wore a mask. His speed and strength exceeded both of us. Despite giving our all, we couldn't eliminate him through conventional means." He may have tried to hide his frustration behind an emotional less tone, but inherent couldn't quite manage it. To the side, I observed the only kunoichi of the room gnashing her teeth, her face portraying bitter resignation. "In the end, I managed to defeat him by infecting him with my poisonous bugs."
Interestingly enough, the kid had some measure of control over the little insects, unlike his canon counterpart. He had opened up to me about it during one of Kakashi's 'teamwork building' sessions.
"And... what happened to the client?" I asked the question that was undoubtedly the elephant in the room.
I could see both my teammate's expressions delve into extreme sadness. "She died in the crossfire." Torune managed to convey in monotone.
Well, that's bad... "So, first mission fails, huh?" I muttered mainly to myself, my face now staring at my legs covered with the hospital bedsheets.
The first important event of my life was already a failure. How the hell was I going to succeed in the future in defeating powerful egomaniacs? If a mere C-rank by name went so bad, then what about other disasters? How could I overcome them?
Thankfully, Kakashi interrupted my thoughts before they could take a dark turn by clapping his hands. "Alright, both of you leave," he gestured to Izumi and Torune. "I need to talk to Sasuke regarding an important matter."
I knew precisely where this conversation was leading.
Izumi got up and squeezed my hand slightly. "Be safe," she whispered with worry. I nodded, grateful for her concern, and gave what was supposed to be a small reassuring smile.
She smiled back at me and a few seconds later, the room was void of my teammate's presence along with Torune.
"Sasuke, how are you feeling?" Kakashi questioned me after the two vacated the room.
"Like shit. That snake-fucker just had to mark me with a special seal- I think?"
"A rather crude way to put it," My sensei commented with a raised eyebrow, obviously a bit bewildered at my language. Yeah, sometimes I could get a bit cranky and act out of character. "But essentially yes. The 'snake-fucker' as you so nicely termed the man is Orochimaru of the Sannin-"
"I knew that."
"-who intends to gain the power of the Uchiha, namely your Sharingan." He spoke, ignoring my interruption.
"So, what you're saying is that this man wants to obtain my eyes? What's the point of this mark then?" I knew precisely why Orochimaru used the juinjutsu on me, but appearances needed to be kept up. If I didn't question certain events then he would interrogate me about the reasons behind my uninterested nature.
"Yes, I was coming to that. The curse mark he implanted on you enhances your body to a certain extent, however, that power comes at a price. The more you use that power the more influence he gains over your body until eventually, he would have the ability to take over your body."
Huh, that's interesting I thought to myself. As far as canon went, Orochimaru needed to place the second level of the cursed seal to possess his victim's body. Or I'm just making things up.
"I suppose there is a way to subdue his 'influence' on me?" I asked the cyclops knowing exactly what jutsu was to be used for the endeavor.
Kakashi nodded, his face remaining utterly unreadable. "Yes, there is. The Evil Sealing Method is a seal that will prevent Orochimaru's passive brainwashing. However, there is a catch to this. The seal is only effective as long as you prevent yourself from using its power."
I tilted my head to the side trying to imitate a 'confused' expression. "So, what you're saying is that the seal is powered based on my will?" I questioned despite knowing how it worked.
"Essentially, yes," he replied. After a few seconds of silence, he continued once more, "I will also be overseeing your training from now on."
"Haven't you been doing that for the past two months or was that an impostor?" I asked dryly.
"No, it means you are not allowed to train alone at all. I must be present at all times."
Well, that sucks I thought a little annoyed. But, I knew where he was coming from. Orochimaru was an S-rank missing-nin whose nefarious crimes still haunted the Leaf's higher-ups- except Danzo -and shinobi alike. Anything related to that man was definitely something to be tread upon with utmost care.
I didn't speak any of those thoughts outwardly and merely shrugged. "Ok."
Kakashi raised an eyebrow at me. "No protests? No 'why's', 'where's'... no questions asked?"
If I was being honest, I learned more from the Copy Nin from spars in two months than the one year of training alone. So, I didn't mind this arrangement. It would only lead me to get stronger at a faster rate.
"This is Orochimaru we're dealing with here, it's to be expected." I could've mentioned that the Hokage probably wanted to keep an eye on me too, but the man in front of me might question why I came to that conclusion.
My sensei smiled. "Good. Meet me in half an hour near the large building in front of the Torture and Interrogation department. We'll start the sealing process there. And Sasuke," here he paused as if contemplating something before speaking in a voice filled with a healthy amount of nostalgia and sadness. "The comrade that died for me, who had bestowed me with this Sharingan," he gestured to his covered eye, "told me something before he died. In the ninja world, those who break the rules are scum, but those who abandon their comrades are worse than scum."
Why is he telling me this now?
Still, I could tell this was an important topic for him so stared at him in the eye and nodded to convey as much sincerity as possible.
He seemed satisfied with my response because the next second he vacated the room in a Body-flicker leaving me alone with my thoughts.
AN: Hope y'all like the latest chapter. A short one, since I won't be updating this Saturday (exams and all, ya know).
The Danzo-Hiruzen convo was to give a bit of insight on the Uchiha Massacre and as to why Danzo didn't spare the children- like c'mon man... free Uchiha babies to brainwash? That's an easy group of new gullible soldiers to obtain.
In canon Obito makes a statement about meeting Danzo during the Uchiha incident. Now, this could mean that one of his ROOT agents spotted Obito while stealing the eyes from corpses, but... meh. My version adds a more insidious nature to post Rin death Obito (Danzo isn't aware of Tobi's identity though).
The next chapter titled 'Chunin Exams: I' will be released whenever I'm free enough to complete it.
Iskandar Hero: I don't know, not really sure your suggestions will mesh well with the story considering this is a fic with no pairings. The whole 'missing girl from lost clan' seems kinda cliche-ish to me. Thanks for the review and suggestions, I'll see what I can do.
Guest: No problem.
Myllinu: Thank you. I forgot to read those last few lines when posting.