Author's Note: I'm glad to see that the Root Arc was better received (not without reason) than the previous jinchuriki arcs. I was kind of worried that my writing skills were getting dull. Let's hope the next arc, which this chapter will showcase, will be even better received. Enjoy:
Chapter 81:
A Problem Uprooted
or
A Solution for Today, a Problem for Tomorrow
Akatsuki Lair, Unknown Location
After a rather long trip in order to escape from the Land of Lightning, Kisame and Deidara managed to reach their destination. For the most part, their prey, Killer B, had remained unconscious. The two Akatsuki members, however, made sure to check him frequently in order to ascertain that he was still alive.
And now, it was finally time for the organization to claim its seventh Tailed Beats. On top of Kisame and Deidara, six shadowy astral projections were present in the underground cavern. The one member missing, though, soon became evident.
"Where is Orochimaru?" Deidara asked.
"I was going to ask that as well," Pain interceded. "I've been unable to contact him for the past few hours. Such thing would only be possible if he either died, or took off his ring."
"Toneri," Konan spoke, grabbing the Otsutsuki's attention. "Do you know anything about this?"
The Tensiegan wielder merely shook his head. "After capturing the Four Tails and helping to seal it, Orochimaru and I went our separate ways until the time to be recalled came. I'm afraid I have no idea of his whereabouts."
"Orochimaru wouldn't dare betray us!" the Black half of Zetsu shouted, sounding beyond enraged.
"I wouldn't put past that snake to do so," Obito replied, sounding only mildly disappointed. "He was a formidable asset, one that served us well, but keeping him under control was becoming incresingly difficult."
"So, what are we going to do? Hunt him down?" Kisame asked, sounding almost eager to volunteer for the job.
"For the time being, our mission comes first," Pain declared. "Once we seal this Tailed Beast, only the ones from Konoha remain. We can't allow Orochimaru to distract us from our goal when it's so close to completion."
"Yes. Orochimaru shall be punished as he deserves once we are done with the Tailed Beasts," Konan agreed.
"Now, let's not waste anymore time," Pain continued, as he made several hand seals, before slamming his hand into the ground. "Summoning Jutsu: Demonic Statue of the Outer Path!"
As usual, the gigantic statue slowly emerged from underground, its head and hands sticking above the ground, with the rest of its body still hidden. All Akatsuki took their place at the top of each finger.
"Without Orochimaru, the extraction process is going to be even longer," Zetsu's white half complained.
"All the more reasons to work harder than usual. Now let's begin."
…
Kumogakure, Raikage's Citadel
"WHAT?" the Raikage roared, upon hearing the news. "Killer B has been kidnapped!? Who!? How!? It was Akatsuki again!?"
K, the kumo Jonin delivering the news, was kneeling in front of the Raikage, his whole body trembling with fear, which became bigger as the Raikage's rage grew.
"Y-Yes, Raikage-sama," K confirmed. "We identified them as Deidara, from Iwagakure, and Kisame, from Kirigakure. My partner, J, stayed behind in order to follow them to their lair."
The third person present in the office, a dark skinned woman with pale blond hair, wearing a formal green kimono, while holding a few folders, spoke up.
"Kisame and Deidara... our spies told us those two were also behind the abduction of the Fourth Mizukage," the woman said.
"Who cares who did it, Mabui!" the Raikge roared, as he split his desk table in a single chop, sending several stack of papers flying, making K flinch, but the woman remained unfazed. "I want to know HOW THE HELL did they find Killer B's hiding place! That's after we rescue him! Mabui, gather a rescue team immediately! Put the best ninjas we have! Every other mission is secondary!"
Mabui merely sighed, and started to pick up all the papers her boss had scattered around the room.
"I shall do so as soon as we have word of J-san from Akatsuki's location," Mabui agreed with a nod, before turning at the quivering ninja. "K-san, is that all you have to report?"
"Yes, Mabui-san, Raikage-sama," the Jonin replied.
"In that case, you're dismissed," Mabui said, much to the Jonin's relief, who wasted no time and left the office as fast as he could. She then turned around, and saw her boss looking through the window at the village before him. His burst of rage appeared to have subsided. "Appeared" being the key word. "Raikage-sama... at the risk of sounding defeatist, there's a high chance that, by the time we track Killer B-san's location, it may be too late."
She could hear the Raikage sighing heavily. "I'm aware of that, Mabui. But I have to do everything in my hand to bring him home safe. Besides, it's not impossible. We know the Kazekage's brat was rescued from their grasp."
"Yes, but they did so at the cost of the Tailed Beast inside him," Mabui countered. "How the host managed to survive the extraction process is beyond me."
"I don't care about the Eight Tails in the slightest," the Raikage stated, as his hands clenched into fists. "I'm also going to make sure those bastards paid for what they did. For both B and Yugito!"
"Does that mean...?"
The Raikage turned around, and nodded. "Once you're done forming B's rescue team, summon other four teams and send them to each of the other four Great Villages. I'm going to summon a Kage Summit."
…
Konoha, Hokage's Office.
"Hey there."
The door of Jiraiya's office opened as somebody entered. Normally, nobody would be able to enter the office without Jiraiya's explicit approval. The Sannin only had to give the order, and the ANBU hidden around him would spring to action and either kick out the intruder, or if the situation demand it, swiftly remove their head from the rest of their body.
Naturally, all the people named Tsunade were exempt from such thing.
"Hey there," Jiraya echoed, though his greeting carried far less energy. The Hokage was now swamped in paperwork, due the chaos that Danzo's stunt had created in the village.
Tsunade pulled out a bottle of sake and a couple of small cups from under her haori.
"You look stressed," Tsunade observed, as she placed the bottle and cups in the desk, before moving a couple of stack of papers in order to make some room. "Do you want to take a break over a drink?"
"Yes. Yes please," Jiraiya sounded almost desperate.
Tsunade chuckled, as she poured some sake into the cups. "That bad?" the Slug Sannin asked.
"Even worse," Jiraiya said, groaning. "We managed to capture a lot of Danzo's cronies, but just as many escaped. We managed to follow his trail to Orochimaru's old lair in the Land of Sound just as Shisui said, but they had moved from there by the time the combat teams arrived. Danzo still has a moderate force under his command, and his alliance with Orochimaru and the Akatsuki exposed, he now presents a huge threat to the village."
"Boy, no wonder you're so stressed," Tsunade said, as she was about to pick her cup, but Jiraiya was faster and picked it first alongside his, before downing both of them in two big gulps. "Whoa, there! One was for me, you know!" Tsunade protested, as she went to refill the cups.
"Sorry, but like I said before, this is a goddamn nightmare," Jiraiya replied. "I know that guy was shady, but to think that his manipulations reached so far..."
"Why did you keep him running the black ops, then?" Tsunade asked. "Because, as far as I remember, not even sensei trusted him much."
"The main reason? Because after the Uchiha Insurrection, he was pretty much untouchable," Jiraiya told her. "He was the most vocal and distrustful of the Uchiha, so when they rebelled, they proved him right. If it wasn't for our fame, as well as sensei's former teammates not supporting him, he had a good shot at becoming Hokage.
"But then again, I should have kept him under a shorter leash. I was so focused on keeping Naruto safe and dealing with the Akatsuki that the thought that Danzo might have been overstepping his boundaries never crossed my mind," Jiraiya admitted, before he poured himself another cup of sake.
"You know, drinking on the job is not very Hokage-like."
"Yeah, as if you wouldn't do the same should you got the hat instead," Jiraiya said, as he downed the second cup. This time, however, he drank it slowly.
"I have to admit you got a point," Tsunade agreed with a shrug, as she drank from her cup as well. "Though I admit Shizune would have confiscated any alcohol I hid here."
Jiraiya shot his wife a knowing smirk. "Why do you think I decided to make her a Jonin-sensei? I don't think I'd be able to write my novels with her around all the time. Even if I do use clones to work faster on the paperwork."
"You cheeky bastard," Tsunade laughed.
"But yeah, thanks for this. These past couple of days have been a nightmare," Jiraiya said. "By the way, shouldn't you be in the hospital?"
"I should," Tsunade admitted. "But it's kind of a slow day, and I had the feeling that you needed some company."
"Bless your intuition," Jiraiya thanked, before downing another cup of sake. "How is Hagane? Any signs of improvement?"
Tsunade shook her head. "His constants are stable, and doesn't appear to be in any immediate risk. But he's still in a coma. Not even I know when he'll wake up."
Jiraiya sighed in resignation. "I see."
"What are you going to do with his team? Have you thought in placing a substitute?" Tsunade asked.
"For the time being, I put the team on stand-by, just in case Hagane wakes up.," Jiraiya said. "Plus I don't think Kaida and Hanabi would take kindly to a replacement so soon."
"Replacements are rarely welcomed, unless the team in question was unbelievably dysfunctional," Tsunade agreed. "Especially with Hanabi's kidnapping attempt still so recent. Thank goodness neither she nor the others were taken away for good."
"Man, that team is cursed. With Hanabi, now all three of them had been kidnapped at one point or another for their Bloodline Limits," Jiraiya observed.
"Not to mention what they did with their Jonin-sensei," Tsunade added. "Maybe we should have put them on different teams? Because so many powerful Bloodlimits on a single team is inviting for disaster..."
"If we spread them, we would only increase the number of targets on the back of our teams," Jiraiya countered, before changing the topic. "Also, how are the kidnapping victims? Are they okay?" Jiraiya asked.
"Rin and Hanabi are fine, thank goodness, as well as Shizune's kids," Tsunade said, her hand clenching into a fist when the still recent memory of her grandkids being abducted resurfaced.
"It seems Danzo instructed his drones not to harm the victims in any way, and lucky for us, they followed those orders as best as they could," Jiraiya said.
"Still, that makes little to soften their crimes," Tsunade replied, her face turning a little red. "The next time Danzo shows his face, I'm going to beat it so hard, not even the best surgeon will be able to rebuild it."
"I hope you don't mind if I join you, Hime," Jiraiya agreed. "First our kids, now our grandkids... man, given that he's with a Hyuga, I'm afraid to think what's going to happen when Naruto has kids of his own."
"Let's worry about that in the future," Tsunade said with a hand wave. "I'd be more worried if Naruto knocked up Hinata right now."
…
Naruto watched as Hinata held the baby in her arms, gently rocking her into a peaceful sleep. It was indeed, a really beautiful image.
"Boy, you're a natural," Naruto praised her.
"Well, given that my mom was busy running the clan, I had to help her a lot with raising Hanabi-chan," Hinata replied. "Though she wasn't this little when I got more involved in her upbrigning."
"Still, seeing you like that makes me think you'd make an awesome mother," Naruto praised again.
"M-Mother?" Hinata stuttered, as her cheeks turned punk. "Naruto-kun, it's too soon for-"
"Haha, calm down! I don't mean now!" the blond laughed. "I mean in the far future, once we're done with all this shit."
"Oh. I guess I got carried away. Again," Hinata admitted, his blush receding, but not completely disappearing. "Yes, it would be wonderful if we had kids of our own one day. I think you'd also make for a great father, Naruto-kun."
"You think so? Thanks!" Naruto replied, grinning at her.
"Of course, you made a wonderful job taking care of your little siblings as well. They pretty much kiss the ground you walk on," Hinata said.
That moment, Haku entered the room. The Ice Ninja looked a bit exhausted.
"Okay, it took some time, but I managed to get Shiro-kun to sleep," Haku said, sounding a bit tired. "Did you guys expect to go back to do D-Rank missions after being promoted?"
Because that was exactly what they were doing. Not a personal favor to Naruto's surrogate sister, but an actual remunerated mission sanctioned by the Hokage. Shizune had insisted vehemently for a team of Jonin or Special Jonin to take care of her children from now onwards, and if possible, somebody who had her complete trust, such as Naruto and his friends. Despite the fact that Danzo's goons coming back for a second kidnapping attempt were pretty much minimal, Jiraiya was unable to make her change her mind.
"Let's hope Shizune-neechan doesn't get all overprotective of them now," Naruto said, shaking her head.
"Give her some time. It's only natural that she feels apprehensive right now given what happened," Haku replied. "Her and Shisui-san's failure in bringing down Danzo had to exacerbate her fear for her children."
"You know, I'm kind of happy that Shisui and Shizune-neechan failed to kill Danzo," Naruto said, much to Hinata and Haku's surprise. "That way, I'll be able to do that myself. The bastard was leaking information on the jinchuriki to the Akatsuki. Not only Utakata and Roshi could be very much alive right now, but you two almost died fighting against Pain, and Hagane is in a coma because of Toneri. Danzo's hands are stained by not only the blood of the jinchuriki, but of all the people who were wounded or killed by the Akatsuki he helped."
"I can't believe one of Konoha's esteemed elders was a traitor," Hinata murmured. "What does that say about us? About our village? To let such a monumental betrayal to happen?"
"You'd think that, after the Uchiha Insurrection was suppressed, other potential traitors would take the hint," Naruto grumbled. "Apparently, that wasn't enough."
"Given that he escaped, it's obvious that that man will come back to finish the job. Even if he might not try to kidnap Bloodline Limit possessing individuals, that man had a plan, and we better get prepared for when he comes back," Haku interceded, before he looked at Naruto. "Naruto-kun, did Hokage-sama told you anything about that man?"
Naruto shrugged, and slumped his shoulders. "Not much, dad hated his guts and didn't like to talk about him. All I know is that he and the Old Man Hokage used to be rivals, and always opposed any initiative that involved allying with another village, or strengthening the bonds we had with an already allied village. He was of the belief that alliances shouldn't be trusted, and that a friend today can become tomorrow's foe."
"What a jaded outlook on life," Hinata lamented. "Wonder what kind of experiences he went through to develop such a pessimistic view on humanity as a whole."
"Hearing that, it's a miracle that all of our alliances managed to survive like they did," Haku said.
"Hey, I'm remembering something," Hinata said. "Sakura-san and Ino-san talked about a socially awkward pale boy who was in ANBU and came with us to help Mei-san win the Civil War. Said boy turned out to be a Root agent working for Danzo. It is possible that Danzo sent him to sabotage any future relationship between both villages."
"Though it seems he didn't find the opportunity to do so," Haku concluded. "Fortunately for us."
"Wait... you mean that guy that hanged out with Ino all the time?" Naruto asked. "He was a Root agent? Did Ino know about that?"
"It appears that she did. I talked with Ino-san, and the reason they appeared to be so close is because Hokage-sama knew that boy worked for Danzo, and thought he could use Ino as a counter-spy," Hinata recounted. "Though I do believe Ino-san did develop feelings for that boy."
"Boy, now I understand why Ino met with dad on her own so often," Naruto said in realization. "It would have been another thing if it was her whole team, but Ino alone? And dad didn't tell me anything."
"He probably didn't want to risk any leaks," Haku interceded. "The less people know about a mission, the less chances the enemy has to learn about it."
"Guess that makes some sense..." Naruto grumbled in resignation, as he crossed his arms. After the Pain fiasco, he didn't take very kind to his adoptive father keeping secrets for him. Though he had to admit that in this case it was necessary. "I guess he's in jail right now?"
…
Torture & Interrogation Department, Underground Cells
Indeed, Sai was now locked inside a cell. While other people might have gone over all sort of emotions upon finding in such predicament, it wasn't Sai's case. He was a Root agent, he had long accepted that his life could end at any moment, and that it was prefereable for him to die that let his enemies capture him and be interrogated.
"Yet I let Ino capture me," Sai mumbled aloud. "Why? Why did I do it? Was because I afraid to die? Or it was something else?"
Not that it mattered anymore. A team of Yamanaka, Ino among them, had already scanned every second of his memory in order to look information on Danzo. Not that they found much, since Sai, young as it was, wasn't exactly high in the Root hierarchy.
"Hey!"
Sai was snapped from his thoughts by the harsh voice of a lizard masked ANBU, who was standing in front of his cell door.
"Yes?" Sai asked.
"You have visit, traitor," the ANBU said, much to the pale boy'd surprise, before he opened the cell door, and Ino walked in. "Whenever you're done, call for us, Yamanaka-san. And if he tries to attempt anything funny, shout and we will be here in an insant."
"That won't be necessary," Ino told the ANBU. "I already proven whose the stronger of the two. Besides, he's wearing chakra-supressing manacles, right?"
"Even then, being cautious won't hurt," the ANBU said, before locking the door once Ino was inside. "I'll return in half an hour."
"Very well then," Ino said, before turning her eyes towards the prisoner. "Hello, Sai. How are you?"
"Good, I guess," the Root agent replied, sounding as calm as usual. He raised his head, and looked at Ino in the eyes. "Why are you here?"
"I wanted to talk with you," Ino replied, crossed his arms. "I thought you could figure as much?"
"I asked because every corner of my mind had already been scanned by both you and your clansmen working at T&I," Sai explained. "So you aren't going to learn anything new with a further interrogation."
Ino rolled her eyes, and let out a small groan. "I said I came here to talk, not to interrogate you."
"You wish to make small talk with me?" Sai asked, sounding genuinely curious.
"Not small talk," Ino said, growing exasperated.
"Then what?" Sai asked again.
"I want to understand you better. I want to know how somebody who went through the Root brainwashing thinks," Ino said. "So when the time comes, we will be able to undo it."
"So, you don't plan to execute me, nor any of my fellow Root agents?" Sai asked, genuinely surprised.
"No. We do know that your complicity with Danzo wasn't voluntary, at least for most of you," Ino explained. "Hokage-sama thinks that executing a ninja for the crimes of another is something morally reprehensible to do. And frankly, I agree."
"See? This is why Jiraiya isn't fit to be Hokage," Sai retorted. "Instead of disposing of his enemies, he lets them live, allowing them another chance to strike him down again."
"Or maybe allowing them a chance to see the error of their ways and turn a new leaf," Ino countered, as she crossed her arms.
"Sentimentalism has no room in a ninja village. A Hokage must do what's best for Konoha," Sai retorted.
"So that's it? That's how Danzo justifies acting behind the Hokage's back?" Ino asked.
"Yes. If the Hokage doesn't act in the interest of the village-"
"And who decides that? You? Danzo? Does he know better than the Hokage?" Ino asked in rapid fashion. "Because that would be quite rich coming from a man that had always been passed over for the position when it had been vacant. Not to mention his alliances with sworn enemies of the village, like Orochimaru or the Akatsuki."
"Orochimaru and the Akatsuki were merely pawns in Danzo's plan. They would have been disposed once they no longer were of any use," Sai told her.
Ino rolled her eyes once again. "Yeah, Shisui learned as much from your boss. On top of being power-hungry, Danzo is also a fool that underestimates our enemies."
"Why are you here, Ino?" Sai asked, seemingly growing bored of the back and forth. "What are you planning to do? I won't change my mind."
"Yes. Yes you will," Ino replied, sure of herself. "Danzo didn't strip you of your whole humanity. There's still something there, buried between layers of brainwashing and mental conditioning. And I plan to bring it to the surface."
"How are you so sure?" Sai asked.
"Because if you were as much as a drone as Danzo hoped to make you, you wouldn't be alive," Ino replied. "Remember our fight? I littered the ground with explosive tags. You could have stepped on any of them, and end it. Hell, you could have tried to trigger as many as possible with the hope of taking me down with you."
Sai didn't say anything. He merely lowered his head, averting his gaze.
"You yourself told me that you didn't want to die, even if it's what Danzo would have expected out of you in such situation," Ino continued. "How does that make you feel, Sai? The fact that a man ordered your death against your wishes, simply because you failed your task?"
Sai remained silent. Ino then decided to play her last card.
"I know about Shin," she replied. This appeared to elicit some sort of reaction from Sai, but he quickly masked it.
"Of course you do. You scanned my mind," Sai dryly said.
"I know that you loved him like a brother," Ino continued. "And I know that you didn't take kindly when Danzo ordered the two of you to kill each other. Shin's illness solved the dilemma. But even then, without Danzo, the two of you could have lived. Tsunade-sama could have treated him. You must know that, and there's no way you can't not resent Danzo for it."
Once again, silence was Sai's response. Ino decided that that was enough.
"I see you're no longer in the mood for talking," Ino concluded. "I'll leave now. Though don't think for a second that I'm not coming back."
Ino called the ANBU outside to open the cell door, allowing her out before being closed again, leaving Sai alone with his thoughts.
…
Konoha Hospital
Despite the kidnapping attempt, Rin declined the Hokage's offer of a few spare days in order to recover from the experience, and decided to dutifully continue her job at the hospital. While being kidnapped is indeed a distressing experience, it kind of loses impact when you have been literally killed. Though then again, it wasn't even the first time Rin was kidnapped. She felt happy that this time she didn't end with a Tailed Beast sealed inside.
Then again, for Rin her job at the hospital was therapeutic, as the sheer monotony filled her with nothing but calmness, something she desperatedly craved after coming back to life.
The hours went by as she checked on the patients she had assigned with. She then noticed that the door of the patient she was about to check next was ajar. She knew that room, it was were the Hokage's youngest son was. Opening the door a little, she was relieved that the white haired boy was still there. There was also a brown haired man wearing the standard Konoha uniform sitting in a chair besides the bed.
"Um, hello," Rin said, as she entered.
The man turned around, and smiled a little. "Oh, hello there."
"I came here to check on Hagane-kun," Rin stated.
"Understood," the man said, as he stood up, and walked towards the door. "I'll come back later."
"You don't need to leave, you know," Rin said, as she walked towards the unconscious Hagane. "I'm not going to take that long."
"Oh, I see," the brown haired man said. "I'll make sure not to get in the way of your job."
"Thanks for your consideration," Rin said, as she started checking Hagane.
Just like the medic-nin promised, she didn't take long. Hagane didn't show any change. At the very least, he was stable. Hopefully he would wake up in some time. After that, she changed the intravenous drip bag for a new one, and updated the report on his status.
"Okay, done," Rin said.
"How is he?" the man asked.
"Same as yesterday, and as the past week," Rin replied. The man looked downcast. "At the very least, he isn't getting any worse."
"No. Guess that's something to be grateful about," the man agreed.
"By the way, may I ask you something?" Rin asked. The man nodded. "What are you to this boy? I don't think you're his family."
"You're right. I'm his Jonin-sensei. Name's Tenzo, by the way," the man, Tenzo, introduced himself.
"Rin Nohara," the medic-nin replied, bowing her head a little. "I see. It has to be hard seeing your student in such a state."
"You have no idea," Tenzo sorrowfully replied. "There's no day in which I don't wonder what could have I done to save him. Because you have no idea what this kid went through. How he survived, I'll never understand."
Rin wondered how Minato-sensei felt when he heard about what happened to Obito and later herself. She was there when Kakashi told him the outcome of the mission of Kanabi Bridge. When he heard the news, the man merely smiled, and told them: "Obito's death is indeed tragic, but I'm glad that you two came out alive."
At first, Rin thought that reaction was cold. But then he realized that Minato was merely masking his emotions in order not to upset them any further. Only Kushina knew how he truly reacted: spending the next night crying, and blaming himself for Obito's death.
"You said your name was Rin Nohara?" Tenzo asked. "As in, Kakashi-senpai's teammate?"
"The one who came back from the dead, yes," Rin replied. It seems like that was becoming her most prominent identitary trait, regardless how much she liked it. It wasn't until a few seconds that Rin noticed the way the man addressed Kakashi. "You said 'Kakashi-sempai'?"
"Yes, from our days at ANBU," the man replied. "I don't know if Kakashi-sempai told you, but he became an ANBU for a few years after your tragic loss."
"I see," Rin said. "And no, he didn't tell me anything. I think talking about that period of his life causes him pain, and honestly, I can see why."
"Say, this may sound a bit sudden but, do you have a moment to talk with me?" Tenzo asked. "I've been wanting to talk with you about certain topics, but I never had the chance."
"Well, you have me here. Now's your chance," Rin said, smiling.
"I'd prefer if we went to talk somewhere else," Tenzo said. "Say, care to join me for a walk? The park behind the hospital would be a perfect place for a little talk."
"Okay. I think I could use a break," Rin said, as she and Tenzo left the room together.
A few minutes later, they arrived at the park. Given the time of the day, it was mostly deserted. And quiet, very quiet, with only the chirping of the birds filling the air. Maybe that's why Tenzo chose it. Something Rin deeply appreciated. Tenzo then started to walk towards the grass, and much to her confusion, started to make hand seals.
Then, to her even greater confusion and now shock, a bench of wood emerged from the ground. Tenzo took a seat, and motioned Rin to sit as well.
"As you can see, Rin-san, we have something in common that make us... few of a kind," Tenzo said.
Rin didn't say anything, and merely sat besides him, her eyes still wide open.
"I guess you're probably wonder how I got Wood Release," Tenzo said.
"Y-Yes," Rin replied, stammering a little.
"Do you know Orochimaru of the Sannin?" Tenzo asked.
"Yes, Jiraiya-sama and Tsunade-sama's other teammate," Rin explained. "I know he's a missing-nin now. Did he have something to do with your Wood Release?"
"It was thanks to him that I got this power," Tenzo said. "Orochimaru gathered sixty small children, orphans all of them so nobody would miss them, and tried to splice their genes with the First Hokage's cells. Of the sixty babies, fifty nine died. I'm the only lucky one who not only survived, but developed Wood Release."
Rin brought her hands to her mouth in horror. "That's... terryfing..."
"And that was only the beginning," Tenzo said with a nod. "Shortly before the Third and his forces could dismantle Orochimaru's secret lab, Danzo arrived first, found that I was alive, and took me under his wing, in order to train my power."
"So... you were a member of Root?" Rin asked.
"Yes. It wasn't a part of my life I cherished the most," Tenzo replied. "Thankfully, Kakashi managed to rescue me from that life."
Tenzo told Rin how his team clashed with Kakashi and other ANBU a few times, and Kakashi found about Tenzo's Bloodline Limit. Kakashi was able to convince Tenzo to abandon Root and join actual ANBU under his guidance.
"I wondered why Danzo never bothered to send any agents to take me back," Tenzo said, as his gaze fixed into the blue sky above. "But then again, given that both your and Kaida's Wood Release is far more refined than mine, I can see why he decided to pass me over. Not that I'm complaining."
"I knew that Danzo had spies following my moves," Rin revealed. "But I didn't know he'd be bold enough to kidnap me like they did."
Tenzo opened his eyes wide in surprise. "Come again? How did you know that?"
"Ino Yamanaka warned me," Rin replied. "During the wedding, she took me to give a short walk. Using her telepathy, she warned me that Danzo had several agents shadowing me, in hopes to acquire some of my DNA."
"While many people in Konoha wanted to replicate the First's Wood Release, Danzo was especially fixated with the ability," Tenzo mentioned. "And given what Shisui-san and Shizune-san told us, now we know why."
"There's something I don't understand," Rin said, as she grabbed the hem of her skirt. "Why did the Hokages let this happen? Why did they let Danzo do as he pleases? Why did they let him have his own army not loyal to Konoha or the Hokage, but him?"
"Because Root is Konoha's Black Ops division," Tenzo replied. "Root carried missions that were beneficial to the village, but that the Hokage couldn't be seen approving. That's why Root members hide their identity, and don't wear headbands or any other symbol that may trace them here."
"But why?" Rin repeated.
"Imagine this," Tenzo replied. "The Fire Lord has a new councilor. Said councilor has a very poor view of ninjas, and is trying to convince the Fire Lord to cut our budget. All our attempts at swaying the Lord to our side fail. That's where Root enters. A few agents would infiltrate him, and kill the councilor. However, they would also make it sure the death was an accident, or frame a third party in order to deflect suspicions."
"Thats... awful," Rin said, grimacing in disgust. "I can see why our budget is important, but resorting to assassination of a Lord's councilor..."
"It's the dark side of the ninja world, Rin," Tenzo said, sighing a little. "That's why Danzo was called the Darkness of the Ninja. Because he took the duty of carrying all that darkness on his back. That's why the Hokages never bothered him much and let him do his thing as long as he brought results. Danzo's job was something nobody else wanted to do, and it benefitted the village, so the Hokages were eager to turn a blind eye on him."
Rin's opinions of the past Hokage quickly plummeted. Even if his reign was short lived, she even wondered if Minato-sensei was aware of all the shady stuff Danzo did, and if he purposefully ignored it, or worse, approved of it.
"Albeit, in the light of these past events, that was a mistake," Tenzo continued. "I'm sure that Jiraiya-sama will close Konoha's Black Ops branch for sure."
"At least something good is coming out from this debacle," Rin replied. As a realization downed upon her, she turned her gaze at Tenzo once again. "By the way, you worked under Danzo, right? You must know about his lust for power and all the stuff he was doing behind the Hokages' back."
"I did," Tenzo admitted. "But who was going to believe me? Danzo was one of Konoha's elders, and a personal friend of the Third. And given his open distrust of the Uchiha, his reputation only grew after the failed insurrection. He used it as a way to criticize the Third's way to rule the village, but thankfully he didn't gather enough support to claim the Hokage's hat. And thank goodness, Jiraiya-sama proved to be a popular and competent Kage."
"Still, given that Danzo is out there, I don't think he's going to give up his ambition of a Konoha under his rule," Rin stated.
Tenzo nodded. "That's for sure. Let's hope Jiraiya-sama makes his priority his capture and execution."
"Let's hope," Rin echoed, before standing up. "Sorry to end out chat here, but I need to go back to work. It was nice to meet you, Tenzo."
"The feeling's mutual, Rin-san," Tenzo said, standing up as well. "If you ever want to talk, I'm always willing to listen."
…
Downtown Konoha, Afternoon
After spending the whole day with training with her students, and bidding them goodbye as each other returned to their respective homes, the black haired medic-nin did the same. She couldn't wait to arrive home and spend some quality time with Shisui and their children. The training had left her legs a little shore, and she hoped that Shisui would be eager to give her a massage. Then again, Shisui was always eager to do anything if it involved touching a part of her body.
"Though, if she does a good job, I'll give him a little reward," Shizune said, as she smiled to herself. "Maybe I could be the one handcuffed to the bed this time around..."
Shizune's kinky thoughts were dispelled when she saw something from the corner of her eye that caught her attention. Looking to the side, she saw her friend Kurenai, sitting alone in a bar, drinking and looking miserable. As the red eyed woman's friend, Shizune's conscience insisted in seeing what was wrong with the Genjutsu Mistress.
"I guess Shisui is home already, so no harm if I arrive a little late," Shizune decided, as she stepped inside the bar, and sat near Kurenai. If Kurenai noticed her presence, the raven haired woman didn't make it evident. "Hey."
"Hey," Kurenai weakly replied, as she emptied her glass.
"So..." Shizune began, as she fidgetted with her fingers, hoping to board the topic with a modicum of tact. "I saw you here all by yourself, and decided that you could use some company."
"Guess I could," Kurenai said, her voice carrying a little slur. "Another-"
Shizune grabbed Kurenai's hand, interrupting her, and shook her head. "Better not. Whatever's the problem you're having, I'm sure drinking won't be the solution."
"I'm not drinking to solve the problem," Kurenai retorted. "Mostly because this problem has no solution at all."
"Come on, I'm sure it's not that bad," Shizune insisted. "A few hours ago, my babies were in the hands of Root ninjas, yet now they're safe at home. So come on, tell me."
"If you insist," the dejected Kurenai replied. "Do you remember that, before Naruto and the others, I used to have another student? A girl with a Bloodline Limit related to genjutsu?"
"Yes. The one who descended from this ancient clan, right?" Shizune said, as she remembered. "She died in a fire some years ago, didn't she?"
"No, she didn't," Kurenai dryly stated.
"Wait, what?"
"She was there, during the raid," Kurenai said. "One of Danzo's goons. It was her. I would recognize that kind of genjutsu anywhere... the one capable of fooling even an Uchiha..."
Shizune brought her hands to her mouth. "Oh my god... I'm... I'm so sorry, Kurenai..."
"Here I thought that since they didn't found her body, Yakumo was okay," Kurenai slurred, sounding depressed. "That she started over somewhere else... because, hey, if Rin came back after having her chest impaled, then anybody can come back from the dead! And now I got my wish. And now I wish she had died during that fire. Because anything's better that being one of Danzo's slave drones."
"Come on, don't say that," Shizune said, placing a hand on Kurenai's shoulder. "I'm sure we can rescue her, and undo whatever brainwashing Danzo put her through."
"You're quite the optimist, aren't you, Shizune-chan?" Kurenai asked, her lips forming a sad smile.
"I have to, if you ever want to survive living with Tsunade-sama," Shizune replied, as she stood up, and forced Kurenai to do the same. "Now come on. First, we'll get you out of here and back home with your family. And tomorrow, we will talk with Hokage-sama about that Yakumo girl, okay?"
…
Senju Residence, Nightime
"So, how was your day, Naruto?" Tsunade asked.
Tsunade, Jiraiya, Naruto and Kaida were having dinner together. They've been eating in silence for quite some time, until the blonde Sannin decided to start a conversation in order to lighten the mood a little.
"Kind of peaceful, may I said. Back then I used to hate D-Rank missions," Naruto replied. "But taking care of Shizune-neechan's kids was rather relaxing."
"Yes. After putting your life on the line against the Akatsuki so many times, it's only natural that you appreciate something far less nerve-wracking," Jiraiya said. "And speaking of nerves, I need to find a way to calm Shizune down. I don't want her to blow her money hiring Jonin every day she needs a babysitter."
"Jiraiya, somebody tried to kidnap her children. Be a little more understanding," Tsunade chastised her husband. He should know better than anybody how does that feel. "Plus her children are way too little now. It's not like our kids, who can defend themselves now."
"Just give her time, dad," Kaida chimed in. "I'm sure she'll get better over time."
"Guess that's the only thing I can do, until a better idea presents itself," Jiraiya admitted. "Though, I do hope that you don't get used to doing D-Rank missions much. There's still one jinchuriki left besides Fu and yourself that needs to be saved from Akatsuki."
"You can bet I didn't forget about that," Naruto replied. "In fact, the babysitting mission gave me some time to think, and I came up with an idea to strengthen our forces."
"Really? I'm all ears then, son," Jiraiya said, visibly interested. He also got Tsunade's attention as well.
"Given how powerful Sage Mode is, is there a chance to teach it to more people?" Naruto asked. "I'm sure there are quite a few Jonin on Konoha with good chakra control and large chakra pools."
Jiraiya's interest was instantly replaced with mild disappointment. "Naruto, if it was that easy, don't you think I wouldn't have tried to do that already?"
"Senjutsu can only be learned from the summoned animal tribes. Humans are naturally incapable of feeling nature chakra," Tsunade explained. "However, the animals have a way to make humans receptive to nature energy. The toads have their special oil, the slugs have their springs."
"How do you know that, mom?" Naruto asked.
"Because I'm a Sage too," Tsunade replied, much to Naruto's shock. The Sannin frowned upon seeing Naruto's surprised expression. "What? Sure, at first I wasn't very interested in learning it given that senjutsu is not that useful in a hospital, but after your father returned to Mount Myoboku to complete his training... I wasn't going to fall behind him!"
"So you went and learned an incredibly ancient difficult art to master, just to one-up dad?" an incredulous Kaida asked, before she smilied approvingly. "Yeah, I would have done the same."
"But you still don't have a way to make my idea possible, do you?" Naruto asked.
"The hardest part of your idea would be to give the new apprentices a taste of nature energy. That's what the oil or the springs are for," Tsunade replied. "Once done, the human body can sense and gather nature energy without any external help."
"Damn," the blond cursed, as he slumped into his chair, dejected. "Guess that this isn't as easy as when Hinata-hime and I did that..." Naruto trailed off, as an idea formed inside his mind. His eyes grew wide, and his lips curved into a huge smile. "Of course, that's it!"
"What is it?" Jiraiya asked.
"Quick, dad, summon Pa right here! I know how my idea can work!" an excited Naruto said, almost in a shout.
…
Kumogakure, Raikage's Office, Next Day
As expected, the news of Killer B's capture by the Akatsuki hit every ninja in Kumogakure like a sledgehammer to their hearts, especially so soon after Yugito's own abduction. Still, other than the Raikage himself, nobody took it worse than Karui, Omoi and T, Killer B's students.
"No, it can't be..." Karui cried, her hands flying to her mouth. T quickly went to comfort her.
"This is terrible. Way more terrible than any scenario I can imagine..." Omoi said, also shedding some tears as well.
"W-What are we going to do know, Raikage-sama?" T asked.
"For the time being, the only thing we can. While I have my best Hunter-nin tracking Killer B's whereabaouts, I'm going to summon a Kage Summit in order to deal with the threat of Akatsuki," the Raikage stated. He then walked towards Karui and handed her a scroll. "You three shall go to Konoha, and give this to the Hokage personally."
"We won't fail you, Raikage-sama," Karui said with a nod. She wiped her tears, put the scroll inside a pocket on her skirt, and turned towards her two teammates. "Raikage-sama tasked us with a mission of utmost importance. We shall not fail him. To Konoha, now!"
Omoi and T nodded, and followed their now unofficial leader out of the Raikage's office.
…
Akatsuki Lair, Unknown Location
Turns out, even with Orochimaru's absence, the sealing ritual had ended way sooner than any of the Akatsuki had anticipated.
"Hehe, funny," White Zatsu laughed.
Because while they were sealing he Eight Tails, "Killer B" burst into smoke, leaving an octopus tentacle in his place. Zetsu's laugh was followed by a deadly silence, as everybody tried to make sense of what just happened. Pain looked into Kisame and Deidara's general direction.
"What's the meaning of this?" the Akatsuki leader asked. His didn't raise his voice, but they could tell that it was full of anger.
Again, neither the Kiri nor Iwa missing-nin replied, at least not immediately. Kisame appeared to be just as amused as Zetsu, while Deidara seemed to be frozen in place.
"Well, it seems that that cheeky bastard pulled our legs," Kisame replied, letting out a chukcle.
"That... that... "Deidara said, his voice trembling.
"Hm? Did you say something, Deidara-san?" Kisame asked, looking at the blond artist.
"That... THAT SON OF A BITCH!" Deidara's scream echoed through the underground cavern. "How dare that scumbag mock me! How dare he mock my art! When I find him again, I'm going to BLOW HIS ASS TO KINGDOM COME!"
"Unfortunately, Deidara, your revenge will have to wait," Pain interceded.
"What are we going to do now, Pain? Do you have a plan?" Konan asked. "Because the jinchuriki could be pretty much anywhere now."
"Zetsu," Pain said, looking at the plant-man. "Your task will be to track the jinchuriki of the Eight Tails. Everything else is secondary."
"Including finding Orochimaru?" the black half asked, just to be sure.
"Yes. We can afford to ignore Orochimaru for the time being, but we can't do the same with the remaining jinchuriki," Pain explained.
"Alright. The trail might be a bit cold, but I'll do my best to find him," the white half said, as his astral projection vanished.
"What about us?" Toneri asked. "What we should we do until Zetsu-san finds the Eight Tails?"
"I was planning to capture the jinchuriki of the Seven and the Nine Tails once we were done with the Eight Tails, but we can't wait any longer," Pain said. "We must capture them, and seal them as soon as possible."
"Konoha is very protective of their jinchuriki, especially in the eyes of our recent actions," Kisame said. "Who are going to be the lucky ones to infiltrate Konoha?"
"All of us," Pain replied. "And it won't be an infiltration. We will launch an open attack on Konoha, crush anybody who stand in our way, and take the jinchuriki by force."
"Yes. The time of being subtle has passed," Obito agreed, speaking for the first time. "We'll attack Konoha in two days. I'll pick you up when the time for the attack comes. Make sure you're ready by then."
And one by one, all the Akatsuki astral projections vanished, leaving Deidara and Kisame alone with the Eight Tails' tentacle.
Author's Note: Yep, the Pain Invasion comes next! Though it should be named Akatsuki Invasion, given that the entire organization is taking part.
I already knew from quite some time that I couldn't have just Pain storm Konoha alone. Konoha in this fic has three Sages, three Wood Release users, three Mangekyo Sharingan wielders and two Tenseigan wielders. Pain is going to need the entirety of Akatsuki behind his back if he wants to make a dent on this Konoha. And originally, the attack was also going to include Orochimaru as well, though I had to remove him from Akatsuki earlier than intended due plot related reasons.
Not that I complain, since I always wanted to see while maybe not all, at least a good chunk of Akatsuki operating in a large group. And while I can understand why the manga never did such a thing, I never a read a fanfic in which something like that happened. And following the very first writiding advice I got, "write a story you'd like to read", I decided to do that myself. It was an herculean task, but I'm quite content with the end result.
Also, despite the fact that, in my opinion, I made it pretty obvious, this chapter does finally confirms that no, Killer B hasn't been captured, and pulled the same stunt he did in canon.
Thanks to Ookami88 for betareading this chapter.
The entirety of Akatsuki is gunning down for Naruto and Fu. Will they add another victory to their winning streak? Or will Konoha win this time around? Share your thouhgts on both this chapter and the arc to come in a review. Reviews make me really, really, really happy!