Original Publish Date: 18th-June-2016


A/N: This chapter is dedicated to Daniel, A Depressed Spurs Fan, who would have been one of my Patrons had Arsenal not hilariously finished above Spurs on the final day of the Premier League (yes, it's still funny; I'm snickering as I write this). So Daniel, A Depressed Spurs Fan, I have this to say to you:

WORTH IIIIIIIIIT!


Chapter 22 – 2 Minutes to Midnight

The body bags and little rags of children torn in two

And the jellied brains of those who remain to put the finger right on you

As the madmen play on words and make us all dance to their song,

To the tune of starving millions to make a better kind of gun

- 2 Minutes to Midnight, Iron Maiden


7 Hours Later, Outskirts of the Resistance Camp, Countryside, Mizu no Kuni: 4465617468

Bzzzzz-ZAPOP!

ZAPOP!

Bzzzzzzzzzzz…

"What are you doing?" Mei asked me, a definite note of amusement coloring her voice.

It was the most emotion she had shown in months, which is why I didn't scowl at her. "Killing mosquitos."

I channeled a minimal amount of Raiton chakra to my fingertip-Bzzzzz-ZAPOP!-and the fried corpse of a mosquito spun towards the ground, joining its fallen brethren on a carpet of corpses.

Fucking mosquitoes.

Mei considered this with a small smile. "Wouldn't it be better if you made a larger net of chakra?"

I tilted my head silently, before heeding her suggestion. The small spark at my fingertip turned into a circular net of sparking purple-yellow chakra.

Bzz-ZAT-POPCRACK-ZA-CRACK-POPZAP!

The mosquitos fell to their deaths en masse.

I watched them silently for a second.

Then I scowled at Mei. "Thanks for taking the fun out of it."

Mei held up her hands, "My apologies." Considering that she was trying very hard not to laugh, I didn't consider it a very sincere apology.

"Shouldn't you be resting?" I sniffed.

"Shouldn't you?" Mei shot back, the smile finally breaking out on her face.

I scowled again and grumbled, causing her to giggle. Then she sat down next to me on the ground, and we both looked out over the camp.

Once we had been rescued by the ROOT shinobi (as galling as that was), Mei had come over to Danzō and broken the ice. 'I hope you weren't inconvenienced by pirates', she had said with a ten-million ryō smile. Even the utterly stoic Danzō had sniffed in disdain, offended by the mere idea of a pirate getting the better of a ninja.

On the other hand, I had stayed silent throughout. I hadn't as much as looked Danzō in the face. The tension between us was palpable.

We rested for an hour before we left for the camp; once we arrived, Mei and Danzō had been cloistered in the Command tent, no doubt going over the plans for tomorrow.

I was supposed to be in there too. It was heavily implied, but not outright stated, so I took advantage of the muddy waters and stayed put, killing mosquitos; while Mei, the council and Danzō went over the battle plan.

But considering that it was close to two a.m., the meeting didn't last long.

Everyone had to be well rested for the big day tomorrow.

Not that you could tell; in fact, looking over the camp, it might as well have been the middle of the day, given the number of people who were scampering around.

There were only 4 tents: medical, quartermaster, cafeteria and Command. There was a hive of activity around the camp, as people marked the boundaries around the camp, used Doton Jutsu to create surprisingly detailed outhouses, created a soft area that would be used as barracks, which was a fancy way of saying we would be sleeping on the ground. Water was being heavily rationed, as most of it would be used for Suiton techniques the next day; the area we were in had no natural source of water for miles around.

All in all, people used all the tricks they had picked up for survival in the wild over the course of their careers (mostly the Traveling Ten), and even I learned a thing or two. For what basically amounted to a ragtag bunch of shabbily dressed rebels, they were surprisingly well organized. But then, being prepared for every eventuality was how they had survived till today.

The best part was that they were all doing it without any squabbles or supervision. Mei looked proud as she looked over her fighting force.

"You seem to be in a good mood", I told Mei, still feeling grumpy.

She finally smiled her breathtakingly beautiful smile, the one that lit up her face, made her eyes sparkle and made my stomach clench in guilty pleasure. "My country will finally be free tomorrow. My people will finally be free of oppression. Of course I'm happy." Then her smile slowly dimmed as she turned her head to me. "Why aren't you?"

Usually she wasn't this direct. I didn't meet her gaze, preferring to look out over the bustling camp. We spent a few minutes in silence, before I finally took a peek at her and wordlessly grimaced.

She shrugged apologetically, acknowledging my grimace, "I couldn't help but notice you haven't said a word to your commanding officer."

I bit down my instinctive reply that Shimura Danzō was not my commanding officer, and never would be.

Instead, I looked straight at a nearby 'hidden' ROOT agent who had been tailing me ever since I had split from the group; he (or she) had used a Genjutsu that would impress even Kurenai, and would easily fool most high-level shinobi. Too bad for him or her I was immune to Genjutsu.

I looked back to Mei to see if she had identified the ROOT ANBU. She didn't do anything that indicated that she had, but I got the impression that she was politely ignoring the ANBU.

It was standard protocol to politely pretend that you didn't see ANBU, even if you did.

I shrugged. It was already obvious that I didn't like Shimura Danzō, and Mei didn't care if word of our conversation got back to him, so why should I?

"That man… he represents everything wrong with our world", I stated vehemently. "He believes that the only way to peace is subjugating everyone who disagrees with his vision. He's a warmonger. He's a monster. He's the kind of man that clings to the path of war because it is all he knows. That man is the symbol of everything I want to make redundant. He is the very antithesis of my dream."

Mei tilted her head as she considered this.

"And yet, he is the man your Hokage trusted to lead his men in this battle", she said quietly.

I glared harshly at Mei; something I had never done before Shimura fucking Danzō had hobbled on to the scene. I grit my teeth and clenched my jaw so that I didn't say anything I would regret.

But there was no denying the truth of Mei's words.

I felt the sharp sting of betrayal. After everything I had told Sarutobi, especially after I had ceded to his decision about Sasuke, how could he do this to me?

Mei was not unaware of my inner turmoil, she could see it as clear as day on my face. "My dream is within touching distance, but yours is still quite a distance away. I've promised to help you, but you will have to deal with men like him before all is said and done. When you fight a monster, it's said that you often become that monster." I physically started, having been thinking precisely the same thing a few days ago. "The last thing you want is to attain your dream of peace, only to discover that you yourself cannot live without the conflict that has come to define you."

My jaw had unclenched somewhere in the middle of her dialogue. Making a sound of frustration, I burst out, "Then how do I kill the other monsters!?"

Mei gave a deliciously dark smile. "You do what your Hokage did. Send a monster to fight a monster."

I had never been more attracted to Mei.

I was seized by the sudden desire to kiss her.

I would have done exactly that, had we not had an audience.

I scowled at the 'hidden' ROOT agent. "Go away!" I said rudely, and the ROOT agent scampered.

Mei's lips twitched in amusement; but the moment was lost.

Mei was looking up at the stars, the melancholy of the past few months back in her eyes.

I had a sudden flash of insight. "You're not a monster, you know", I told her.

She smiled humorlessly, but didn't speak.

"You didn't have a choice!" I continued emphatically.

"Didn't I?" Mei asked, a note of vulnerability in her voice.

"Not unless you lay down and died." I snorted, "Somehow I get the feeling that Kaya would not have taken that well."

This time, her smile had more than a hint of humor, but she still wasn't cheered up. Still gazing at the stars, she began speaking softly. "You've sacrificed as much as any Kiri rebel, Nanashi-kun. You've fought for us, bled for us, you're as much of Kiri as of Konoha." I felt a proud smile come across my face, while Mei continued, "But you're not the Face of the Resistance. You're not the one who killed comrade after comrade in the name of freedom. You're not the one who will have to deal with the sullen faces of the population after tomorrow, wondering if they hate you and will accept your rule. You're not the one who will have to listen to the sad song of the city, wondering if it forgives you." She smiled sadly, "You'll move on to the next nation, spreading your message of peace, uniting everyone; while I'm left here holding the fractured pieces of my nation, trying to fit them in a semblance of order."

I looked at her intently, pinning her with my gaze.

She kept her eye on the stars.

"That much stress can cause wrinkles you know."

Mei let out a startled laugh, blinking in surprise at my unexpected comment. As she looked at my grin, her own face relaxed, taking strength from my confidence.

"Tomorrow we take out Yagura. After that, everybody will be sick of the war. You don't need to worry about anybody not following you; you're too pretty to refuse."

This time, her smile was orgasmic in its intensity.

I looked away, vainly hoping she hasn't seen the blood rise in my face. Wildly casting about for a topic, my mouth blurted out, "Why didn't you recall your own monster? Momichi Zabuza would have been a great asset on a day like tomorrow."

Her smile turned into one of exasperated amusement, "One day, I'll get you to tell me how you know these things."

I grinned. "You wouldn't believe me even if I told you", I said cryptically.

She shook her head with a wry smile, then sighed. "I haven't been able to get any messages to him for a while now. The informants I used to contact him are likely dead, but hopefully imprisoned somewhere."

I shrugged. Then a thought forced its way into my head, and a slow grin crept across my face. If Iruka-sensei had seen it, he would immediately have put me in detention.

The prankster was out to play.

"Say…"

"Hmm?"

"You're planning on continuing the border lockdown after the fighting is over right?"

This time she did huff and roll her eye(s). "Yes I am! Any other state secrets you want me to spill? Kiri's defense strategy in case of an invasion? The location of our other jinchūriki?"

I waved dismissively, "I already know where Utakata is… Err…" I sheepishly rubbed the back of my head as I felt Mei's glare. "Not important. What I wanted to tell you was, I know where Zabuza will be in a few weeks. Hold off on contacting him? I want to do it myself…", I finished pleadingly.

Mei's glare continued for a few more moments.

"Err… I'll introduce you to our jinchūriki as well?" I hadn't meant it as a question, but damn did the woman know how to fluster me.

"Fine."

I grinned. I would have introduced her to Naruto anyway.

In the face of my infectious grin, once more she (involuntarily) started smiling at me as well.

And then she did something that she had never done before.

She leaned on me.

It wasn't more than a small relaxing of her posture, a slight pressure of her shoulder on mine, barely any of her weight resting on me.

And yet it was as intimate as any embrace.

I joined her in looking at the stars, lost in the moment, high on endorphins, feeling alive.

It was bliss.

Sadly, the moment ended all too soon; our exhaustion from our hectic day having finally caught up to us.

Mei's head started dropping, and I poked her. "Come on, you need to sleep." I rose and held out my hand, which she daintily took and rose to her feet as well.

"You need to sleep too."

I grimaced. "Not before I speak with the devil."

She locked her eyes to mine, an unidentifiable look in her eye. She pursed her lips, but nodded.

Once we had exchanged 'good night's, I steeled myself. I entered the mind-frame of the snobbish noble that Hinata had drilled into me.

It was time to face the monster.


Command Tent, Resistance Camp, Countryside, Mizu no Kuni: 4465617468

Naturally, I found Danzō in the Command tent. I hadn't needed to look anywhere else.

A man like Shimura Danzō didn't settle himself anywhere other than a seat of power.

The ROOT agent that had been spying on me and Mei was kneeling next to a seated Danzō.

For some reason, I was reminded of a scene in the Academy where a classmate had tattled on me to Iruka-sensei; I made doubly sure to keep my amusement at the reminder off my face.

"Shimura-san."

Danzō made no movement, but somehow the ANBU acknowledged his dismissal.

I put up the improved and newly dubbed Triple-S barriers: Sight, Sound and Space-Time, before taking my seat across the table from Danzō.

Then, and only then, Danzō finally returned my greeting, his voice soft yet grating, like the sound of a distant scream.

"Namikaze-san."

I cocked my head, trying to shake off the unsettling feeling his voice had invoked. "It's Kamikaze. With a K. Your hearing must be getting weak in your old age."

KAMIKAZE!

I would have said Danzō stiffened, but he was already sitting as if he had a pole shoved up his ass. "Do not mistake me for Sarutobi. Unlike him, I do not find amusement in your casual disrespect." His voice was Arctic in its frigidity.

I shrugged. "You started the case of mistaken identity, calling me by a dead man's name. I simply continued your game."

…all right, maybe there was something wrong with me. I can't fathom another reason for pushing Danzō's buttons the way I was.

As he had just stated, Danzō did not seem amused or impressed at my flippancy. His visible eye was trained on me, unblinking and unnerving. His already unsettling voice gained a further note of danger, "What was the reason for your insubordination?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Insubordination?"

"You failed to report to a superior officer. You also failed to provide a situation report to the ranking officer on a battlefield. Konoha wartime regulations clearly state that you must do so as soon as physically able."

I didn't react at the subtle insinuation that I wasn't loyal to Konoha anymore.

But Danzō was right. Technically speaking, I had violated Konoha's protocols.

I let my mouth do the talking. "I wasn't aware that you wanted my sit-rep in front of foreigners."

Internally, I smirked at returning the subtle insult; I had just insinuated that he was incompetent for wanting to air our dirty laundry in front of foreign shinobi.

Danzō surveyed me as blankly as one of his drones. I was quite willing to be drawn into a battle of words. I had handled Terumī Hayato; I could definitely handle Shimura Danzō.

"We do not show dissension amongst our ranks to outsiders!"

There was a sharp note of rebuke in his voice, designed to make me flinch. I didn't let it show; doing so would have given him authority over me, and that just would not do.

That said, it was hard to deny the aura of power around the man. I could understand why he was so respected and so feared.

"I hardly think not reporting to you in the field qualifies as dissension", I said with a shrug. "What your brainwashed little pet overheard me telling Terumī-san, on the other hand, that probably qualifies."

Yeah, there was definitely something wrong with me.

On the other hand, pushing Danzō's buttons was exhilarating. I swear I saw him tighten his grip on his cane in frustration.

But what Danzō did next completely flipped the tables.

With great deliberation, Danzō pulled out something from a hidden pocket and placed it on the table between us.

It was my hitai-ate. My forehead protector. The symbol of my devotion to Konoha, the symbol of the trust that Iruka-sensei had placed in me after the Mizuki incident. The only physical remnant of my trip through time and space, and the talisman that I had given to the Hokage for safekeeping.

How dare Danzō touch it with his filthy hands!

With killing intent unconsciously pouring out of me, I used a Fūton technique to grab it and bring it to me.

To my utter shock, a second Fūton technique smashed into mine, preventing me from taking hold of the symbol I had earned.

With wide eyes, I looked at a completely emotionless Danzō.

He… He was a Fūton user too?

Just like Orochimaru.

Just like me.

The implications made my head swim. Why was I just like the two men I hated most?

Danzō spoke as if the non-verbal communication between us hadn't happened at all. "Traitors usually slash through the symbol of the village they once swore allegiance to", he said, gesturing to my headband.

Until that moment, I hadn't known that rage could burn black.

I had already lost my composure, but I fought to keep my voice level. "You dare call me a traitor? You!?"

Danzō surveyed me, his hands tightly gripping the cane in front of him. "I never did. I merely pointed out that traitors slash through their village symbol, like the company you have been keeping recently." He leaned back, allowing the shadows to further obscure his mummified face. "A sign of your guilty conscience, perhaps?"

The black rage poured through my veins like molten magma.

But the thing is, I knew how to temper my rage, how to hone it into a blade.

He had judged me correctly when he pushed my buttons, accurately assuming that I was an emotional person, one who would react instinctively rather than think things through. But he had also miscalculated; my heightened emotional state allowed me to make connections that I might normally miss. I had done the same thing in the negotiations with Mei.

"Is that why I don't see any sign of your headband? Is it because you've already slashed through it, and are too ashamed to show it?" Underneath my mask, I pulled my lips back from my teeth in a snarl, "Or do you not have the balls to admit your treachery to yourself?"

Crude, perhaps. But my rage never presented as eloquence.

I could see Danzō recalculating, even though his face was hidden by the shadows. I leaned back, forcing my tense muscles to relax, and stared unblinkingly at him. Less than a minute into the conversation, and I had lost my composure. Hinata would be disappointed in me.

"My very presence here is a testament to my loyal service, unl-"

"Yes, I suppose even blunt instruments have their uses", I interrupted, my tone pondering. Heh, Hinata would be proud of me using that phrase correctly.

And yes, I'm aware of the irony of a former jinchūriki calling someone a 'blunt instrument'.

My interruption had not gone down well; good. I had no desire to listen to the manipulations of the old warmonger. I had already let him get under my skin, and I was going to pay the fucker back tenfold.

Unfortunately, what he said was also true, he wouldn't be here if Sarutobi hadn't given his blessing to the idea.

If I hadn't already been in a smoldering rage, I would have been pissed that Sarutobi betrayed me by sending a traitor to work with me. Instead, my mind whirled furiously, trying to figure out why he had sent a traitor to work with me.

I hadn't exactly gained the upper hand in our verbal battle yet, but I had successfully taken away Danzō's initial advantage.

All the while, the symbol of Konoha sat between us, glinting in the flickering candlelight.

"Everything I have done, I have always done for the good of Konoha", Danzō finally replied.

I snorted. "'The end justifies the means?' I'm not surprised to hear that sort of justification from you."

Danzō leaned forward, "Unlike what you may believe, we do live in a world where the ends justify the means. Namikaze Minato is a hero in our village for ending the last war and bringing about peace, but how did he buy that peace?" His soft creepy voice was replaced by a steely tone. "By mercilessly slaughtering thousands of Iwa shinobi; singlehandedly, no less. Thousands of husbands and fathers, mothers and daughters, thousands of families torn apart by a single man, one who was venerated in our village for his deeds, and vilified in our enemies'."

I had spent enough time with Iwa shinobi (namely Kurotsuchi) to know how they viewed my father, which is why this didn't catch me off guard.

But it still hurt. Especially when a man like Danzō pointed to him as an example to follow.

"That was a battle. The lines were drawn. The enemy was clear and present. Everyone on that battlefield was ready to die for their village. The Yondaime just made sure that those who died wore the symbol of Iwa." I shrugged, leaning back. "And where do you get off, comparing yourself to the greatest Hokage in history? All you've done, in comparison, is skulk around in the shadows and brood."

For a moment, the candlelight flickered, leaving the symbol of Konoha in darkness. It was even more baleful when I realized that neither of the Fūton users in the room were responsible for it.

Danzō's voice was still hard. "And what have you done in the service of the village? At our first meeting you issued a challenge to me, daring me to find out what you had done. I found no trace of you whatsoever. Nothing to show what you did, nothing to show any signs of your passing, no signs of your completed missions, nothing to explain your evident animosity towards myself, nothing at all before you apparently burst into existence in Sarutobi's office." And only now did Danzō's voice went back to its horribly soft cadence, "Who are you?"

I smiled. It was not a very nice smile. "That is an S-ranked secret, as decreed by the Sandaime Hokage."

After a moment of silence, Danzō nodded slowly to himself. "It is as I thought. You speak about the Hokage the same way as that boy does."

I raised my eyebrow questioningly.

"Uzumaki Naruto."

The black rage, which had been simmering rather than boiling for the past few minutes, suddenly erupted.

With a superhuman effort, I physically restrained myself away from giving in to the dark emotions that were bubbling underneath my skin, and throttling the motherfucker in front of me. I buried myself in the tiny rational part of my brain, and tried my hardest to shut myself away from my emotions. I only partially succeeded, but it was enough. He had dropped Naruto's name at a critical juncture, knowing that I would lose my head. He knew that I would wonder how he knew Naruto, and whether he had been secretly training Naruto.

The entire time, Danzō gazed at me like a hawk, cataloging my every reaction.

Shimura Danzō had come prepared for this meeting.

And I had been caught off guard. But I hadn't been known as the most unpredictable ninja of my generation for nothing.

I leaned back, deliberately relaxing my muscles again. I knew that Sarutobi wouldn't let Danzō within touching distance of Naruto for any reason whatsoever. I had also provided the Hokage with a one-use seal that would disrupt a Kotoamatsukami. I was entirely certain that Danzō was bluffing. I smirked at the mummy, not reacting otherwise.

Still keeping me pinned with a hawk-like gaze, Danzō continued, realizing that I wouldn't react to subtle manipulations. "I found something interesting during the boy's last hospital visit. His blood sample was found to be identical to yours."

Danzō then let his gaze run over me from top to bottom, as if only just noticing the similarities between me and my younger brother.

Shit.

Even before I could think of a response, my mouth burst into laughter.

It took Danzō by surprise (as much as a mummy could look surprised); hell, it took me by surprise.

"You're talking about the kid who lives down the hall from me? The one who calls me 'nii-chan'?" My upper lip curled, "The one who's fallen asleep in my apartment multiple times?"

I waited, letting Danzō reach the conclusion on his own. "I hadn't even put any effort into switching the blood samples. If I really wanted to fuck with your head, I would have replaced it with Orochimaru's blood." My murderous smile was so wide it was squinting my eyes. "What outlandish conclusion would you have reached in that case?"

Danzō didn't reply.

"See…" I started, having worked myself up into a frenzy, "I don't understand what it is you actually do. You direct a secret black-ops team, presumably to help keep Konoha safe, but you don't actually use them the way a black-ops team is meant to be used. All you seem to do is perv on the citizens, stealing their blood and whatnot. Isn't the whole point of such an organization to gather intelligence on enemies? And yet, during your reign as head of ROOT, Konoha has ended up with egg on our face multiple times. The Kumo debacle? Sarutobi extended the hand of friendship to them, while you were supposed to keep watch for the knife in the back. You failed. The Uchiha rebellion?" I was pleased to see Danzō visibly react, making an aborted movement with his cane. "You let yourself be played like a greenhorn Genin, being manipulated into thinking you could see all the relevant information, and giving the order to wipe out the clan." Danzō's visible eye widened, and I reveled in his shock at someone knowing his deepest secrets. I didn't let myself get cocky and mention the Sharingan embedded in his arm, however. That would spook both him and Orochimaru, and ruin the plan for the invasion.

I continued, "From where I'm sitting, you're worse than useless. Not only are you not doing your job, you're tying up precious resources of the village in a worthless endeavor. Why Hokage-ji-chan lets an old man like you hang around is beyond me. Comparing yourself to the Hokage's, as you were doing a minute ago, is laughable at best, and insulting at worst."

I leaned back, completely pleased with myself. Danzō had kept me on the back foot the entire meeting, keeping me off balance and trying to get me to let my secrets slip. First it was the hitai-ate, then the Yondaime, and then Naruto. I had finally hit back, and landed a substantial blow.

I had attacked his professionalism, his competence, his entire career; hell, I had questioned his very existence.

It felt frabjous.

The only thing that had given me more sadistic pleasure was killing Orochimaru.

It was almost enough to make me forget the presence of my headband between us. Almost.

And then I had a sudden epiphany. A slow smile started spreading across my face. "This is ROOT's last mission, isn't it."

I didn't frame it as a question, because it wasn't one.

Danzō didn't react, the crotchety old bastard, but he didn't need to.

My smile was so wide it was hurting my facial muscles; but that wasn't a reason to stop smiling. "And that's why you tagged along; it was your last wish to bow out on a high. And Hokage-ji-chan, the sentimental man that he is, let you."

I laughed. I couldn't help it. It was horribly rude of me to laugh about someone's misfortune in his face, but there was something cathartic about my callous laughter.

Once I had wiped away my tears of laughter and got the final few errant chuckles under control, I finally looked back. Danzō had waited quietly, neither confirming nor denying my allegations.

I was surprised at how similar his reaction was to my own, when he had caused me to lose control a moment ago.

"As you surmised, this is indeed my swansong as a Konoha elder. However, you are mistaken; I did not request this assignment as a sentimental retirement present", he said in his macabre voice.

"I requested this mission because I wished to meet the man who would bring Konoha to its knees."

I felt a measure of surprise at his sinister statement, but it was more of the distant kind. I felt like I should care, but frankly, having heard that Danzō was on his retirement gala, I really couldn't be arsed about what the old relic thought about me. "Well, you've met him. Can you start your retirement now? I'll buy you a bowl of ramen if you do."

Danzō raised an eyebrow sardonically. "Consider my curiosity the last wish of a shinobi who has hung on longer than he should have."

Heh, he was very, very good. I had almost instinctively waved him on, feeling magnanimous in my 'victory' of being responsible for Danzō's retirement. Danzō hadn't wasted a second, ruthlessly taking advantage of my happiness at the knowledge of his retirement.

"What's in it for me?" I asked instead.

Danzō cocked his head. "The Toad Sage has trained you well", he murmured, speaking almost too low for me to hear. I didn't react. "Since I wish to ask for your perspective, I shall offer my own in return. I will tell you the truth of the Uchiha massacre through my eyes."

I raised both my eyebrows at that one. "I thought you would be all anal about discussing S-ranked secrets with me."

He shrugged, "You already know a part of the story. A part of the truth, I have found, is often more dangerous than the whole truth."

My eyes narrowed. Over the course of my life, I had come to a similar conclusion. I was becoming quite disturbed at how similar Danzō and I were; hell, even the Hokage had compared me to the warmonger on the day I had blown up at him.

Taking another look at the flickering symbol of Konoha between us, I shrugged, matching his body language. "Sure. Whatever."

Danzō leaned back, relaxing his shoulders and taking his weight off his cane. "Ever since the Kyūbi attack, the Uchiha Clan was treated with suspicion. The night of the attack, there were a few unconfirmed reports that the Kyūbi's eyes were swirling with an imprint of the Sharingan, giving credence to the theory that it was being controlled by an Uchiha. This suspicion slowly percolated through to the general populace, and the Uchiha responded by isolating themselves, holing themselves up on the outskirts of the village. That was how the tension initially started, and it started straining the individual relations that the clan members had with other villagers.

"Over a period of time, missions performed by teams containing Uchiha clan members began to go awry. It wasn't much to start with, an injury here, a failed objective there, something that was within the standard deviation of Expected Mission Results. Individually, each case was explained satisfactorily.

"Taken together, however, the facts painted quite a different picture."

Despite myself, I was listening intently. I had never known the details behind the massacre; just known the bare bones like everyone else. The story was fascinating.

"Once we got the Cryptanalysis Department involved, we had tangible proof. They concluded that missions carried out by Uchiha Clan members were three times more likely to experience 'difficulties'. It was all but evident that the Uchiha were deliberately sabotaging missions. Tensions with the founding clan had never been higher.

"These were the circumstances in which Uchiha Itachi first made a name for himself."

I was shocked to realize I was leaning forward, absolutely riveted to the tale. Danzō's harrowing voice was fucking perfect for painting such a sordid tale. I hadn't known that the warmonger had this hidden side to him, and I was surprised to realize that it wasn't all bad.

He continued, fully aware that he had my complete attention. "An extremely powerful young shinobi, the consummate professional with impressive fortitude, well-respected, having impeccable heritage and leadership qualities, ruthless in battle, a pacifist off the field. I trained him for a short while in the ANBU, and he was the perfect blade. He was the reincarnation of Tobirama-sensei."

What!?

Was… Was he comparing Itachi to the Nidaime Hokage!?

That was exceptionally high praise, especially by a man who had been personally trained by the Nidaime.

Danzō smiled; a grim thing full of malice and darkness. "Do you see it yet? The obvious solution? The answer to our prayers?"

My head was swimming… That would mean… The obvious solution…

I felt my eyes widen. Once you thought about it, it really was the obvious solution.

Appoint Uchiha Itachi as the Hokage.

The shadows danced across Danzō's face, giving him an even more eerie appearance. For the first time since it had been placed on the table, I forgot about the Konoha symbol between us.

He nodded, easily reading my cognizance. "He was our perfect apprentice, both Sarutobi and mine. He was a shoo-in for the position of Godaime Hokage. The solution had quite literally fallen into our lap. The Uchiha clan would be pacified, thinking they had all the prestige they wanted; while both Sarutobi and I were fully aware that Itachi's dedication ran far deeper, to the Great Tree of Konoha itself. His subsequent actions proved that beyond a shadow of a doubt." Danzō paused here, apparently lost in the memories of those tumultuous times.

I was fully aware that Danzō was posturing, but I couldn't help myself. I licked my suddenly dry lips and finally asked, "Why didn't you make Itachi the Hokage?"

Danzō shrugged. "During a routine medical checkup, we found out that he had an incurable disease. He will be dead before his teenage years are out."

What!?

Fuck!

I had never before felt such a strong sense of kinship with the prodigy and the slayer of the Uchiha clan. My respect for my former boogeyman shot up stratospherically.

How did he bear such a heavy burden? Killing his 'traitorous' clan, all the while fully aware that he would be joining them in death soon enough, torturing the one person he loved more than anything else in the world?

Could I have done the same thing in his shoes? Could I have tortured Naruto, knowing that my salvation lay that way?

I didn't know the answer.

Danzō's voice lost its creepy quality; he just sounded tired. "Once Itachi's diagnosis was confirmed by Tsunade, the Uchiha clan's paranoia ran rampant, convinced that we were responsible for Itachi's condition. The rest, as they say, is history."

For a long time after that, there was silence.

My own head was swirling, a maelstrom of disconnected thoughts, empathy for the disgraced Uchiha genius chief amongst them.

"You say that someone orchestrated the extermination of the Uchiha clan?"

Still lost in my thoughts, I absently nodded.

Danzō let out a weary sigh. "We found no evidence of an external provocateur."

And in that moment, I swear I almost told Danzō everything about Obitobi. He truly looked like the entire episode had pained him, the very picture of a regretful old man. I was this close to spilling the beans.

But as I looked up at him, I felt a slight itching at the base of my neck. It took me a moment to realize that it had come from my Anti-Genjutsu seal.

I blinked, and narrowed my eyes, searching for the source of the disturbance. I found it a second later.

He had layered an unnoticeable Genjutsu over my hitai-ate, one that would cause me to overlook it, and in the process tell him everything I knew.

I blinked again in shock. He had nearly manipulated me into telling him everything, using the truth as a cover.

Son of a bitch!

He had fucking played me!

And I had almost fallen for it!

I glared at the motherfucker, gushing killing intent like a goddamn waterfall. Danzō was openly frowning, having expected me to overlook the most minor of Genjutsu. He had expected me to look straight at him, telling him what I knew about the Uchiha massacre, ignoring the symbol that he had initially placed to manipulate me by causing me to lose my cool. And I had almost fucking told him everything! He had taken advantage of the most minor of openings, and nearly outsmarted me.

I had just been forcibly reminded that Danzō had been a master at his craft longer than I had been alive. Fucking hell!

If I had been anyone else, if I hadn't had that seal grafted to my Seimon (Gate of Life), Danzō would have known everything there was to know.

I was breathing heavily, but I didn't attack him. I didn't even storm out of the Command tent, like I should have.

I had given him my word, and I kept my goddamn word. It was my fucking nindō.

Gritting my teeth, I forced out, "Ask your question, old man."

Danzō leaned forward, tightening his grip on his cane and sneering as he did so, "Very well. You have set Konoha on a very perilous path, and you do not even realize the pitfalls that await you. Democracy!?"

In either of my lives, I had never heard the sheer emotion in his voice than when he said the word 'democracy'; even if that emotion was disdain. Apparently he had given up holding the tight leash he kept on his bearings.

"That's what you have an issue with?" I was honestly surprised; but my rage burned hotter, causing my words to come out in a growl.

Danzō's sneer remained fixed, but it's intensity somehow increased. "Do you have any idea of the madness you have unleashed? You wish to give power to the common man? To farmers and carpenters? Are they to have a say in how we run our nation too?"

"This isn't about Konoha and Fire Country."

"No? Surely you're not that naive; you know what will happen once the borders of Mizu open. The idea of democracy will spread, and soon enough we will be facing a civil war of our own. Do you believe that our own Daimyō will give up power quietly?" He leaned forward, his sneer having disappeared over the course of our conversation. "Do you have any idea of the madness you have unleashed?" he repeated, his words given that much more gravity.

I stared at him in stony silence. Once I was sure that I wouldn't erupt at him, I said simply, "Do you have any idea of the madness that will follow if I didn't do this?"

Danzō didn't react. I hadn't expected him to. "Our entire society, our way of life, it all depends on the oppression of the working class. Do you know what happens when the working class decide they've had enough of being subjugated?"

The silence was telling.

I leaned forward, "I've spent enough time amongst all the Elemental Nations; I've even been North of the Mountains and South of the Sea. Do you know what the lands have in common?"

Danzō didn't answer.

"They all have a ruling class that oppresses the working class. It's not a bad system, but it has it's limits. It can only be stretched so far before it reaches the breaking point. And let me assure you, we are far closer to the breaking point than you realize."

I put as much gravitas as I could into my next words; I stared as intently as I could at Danzō. "The next War will bring about the winds of change. You can say that I'm… uniquely placed to foresee the challenges in our path. Either we change to flow with the tide, or we drown when the wave hits."

Danzō had gone back to his emotionless drone persona during my monologue. "Madness", he repeated.

I shrugged. "Change is inevitable."

"What you propose is the end of the era of the Five Great Villages."

"What I'm proposing is the only way the Five survive!"

It struck me, in that moment, that both Danzō and I were Fūton users. One was trying his hardest to stop the wind from blowing away everything he knew and held dear, the other trying his hardest to ensure that some survived the incoming storm.

Danzō shook his head. "You are the worst kind of enemy: the well intentioned zealot. Just like Hatake Sakumo."

I didn't flinch. "It takes one to know one, old man."

And then there was no more to be said between us.

I got up, covered my hand in my Fūton chakra and snatched my hitai-ate off the table. Standing over Danzō, I kept my chakra flowing, wordlessly threatening him. "Getting rid of you was one of my goals when I came back to the village. I can't begin to tell you how happy I am that I've succeeded."

Danzō surveyed me emotionlessly one last time. "You would do well to remember the old adage: Be careful what you wish for, for you just might get it."

Ignoring the portentously prophetic feeling his words had evoked, I stormed out of the tent, not looking back.

I didn't sleep until I had obsessively looked over my forehead protector for tracking seals, and spent half an hour oiling and cleaning it, ridding it of Danzō's filthy taint.


The Next Morning, Terumī Mei's Personal Quarters, Resistance Camp, Countryside, Mizu no Kuni: Terumī Mei

Terumī Mei was clinically depressed. She had been so for a while now.

In fact, she could pinpoint the precise second when her depression began. It had been just over 8 months ago, when she had finally stopped ignoring the truth.

That she would have to become a monster in order to kill the monster.

It wasn't a decision she made lightly. She had cloistered herself in a room for days, burying herself in an avalanche of paperwork, poring over maps and reports about trade, food and weapon production. She had tried her hardest to find another path, one that didn't involve the murder of her compatriots. She tried her hardest to find a path that didn't involve the mutilation of her psyche.

But despite her best efforts, she had failed. She could no longer avoid the inescapable truth; she would have to cut a swathe through her countrymen in order to get to Yagura.

From the moment she had accepted that burden, even before she had actually started the wholesale killing, she felt the scar on her soul. It was an inexplicable weight that settled on her shoulders, causing her to lose… something. She wasn't sure what that something was, but it was almost tangible in its absence. It wasn't innocence, for she had never truly been innocent, even as a child; and yet it was something as precious and fundamental as innocence.

Its loss had warped her senses.

She started smiled less and less, she slowly lost appreciation of colours, her emotions began to feel muted; she couldn't even remember the last time she had eaten a salted mackerel. She had stopped playing her games with 'Nanashi', she had stopped going out under the Henge Seal; she had stopped doing anything that wasn't directly related to ending the war.

The worst part was, she knew she was clinically depressed, but she couldn't get out of it.

Objectively, she knew that she should take some downtime; stressing herself like this was counterproductive in the extreme.

But the sick part was that she was addicted.

She was addicted to the feeling of depression.

She was addicted to the taint, even as it twisted her insides like the worst of narcotics.

She was addicted to the way that every second seemed slower, seemed to take an eternity to pass; yet the days themselves blurred together, an endless repeat with only slight variations.

Time was her best friend and simultaneously her worst enemy. She seemed to see more, to understand more, staring into the abyss that people called war. She reveled in the feeling of apathy. People seemed to be so shallow, so flawed, that she often wondered whether they were worth saving at all.

She felt the darkness corrupting her soul; darkness that had visibly manifested as a manic gleam in her eye.

The civilians mistook the gleam for religious fervor.

It was rather funny, but that was how the term 'boddhisatva' had sprung up; the civilians thought that she been spiritually enlightened, and was sharing that enlightenment by preaching a philosophy of harmony.

It was the height of irony: she was being revered for 'spiritual enlightenment', but all she truly thought of was spreading death and destruction. She was acclaimed as a selfless being, but she selfishly thought only of herself, and how the madness was slowly but surely strangling her.

Day and night made no difference to her, because she was lost in the mists of Mizu. She pulled the dark clouds around herself, drowning herself in that which she hated, yet couldn't live without. She lost herself in sorrow, and nearly everyone mistook her madness for a purity of purpose.

It was only then that she truly understood why religious prophets inexorably drew massive followings; and that realization just made her spin further into the madness.

In her darkest moments, even her father's stance of walking away from Kiri sounded attractive.

(And even then, she wondered if it was too late for her to go back home. Would the grief and madness follow her there too?)

As if from a great distance, she objectively wondered about the chain of events that would follow if she walked away. Her council would try their hardest to find her, but they would fail. Nobody knew about the hidden house on the island; well, nobody except for 'Nanashi'.

He would be heartbroken.

He had been such a boon, she doubted he even realized how much he had helped them. From the obvious supplies that he would regularly summon, to the less obvious tips about hiding a large group from pursuers; from the training exercises he would put her fighters through, to acting like a clown to keeping their morale up; he had been an absolute godsend. There was no question whatsoever that the Resistance would be in a far worse shape had he not come along.

He would no doubt follow her and try to convince her to change her mind, but she wouldn't care. In her book, making the tough decision is always the hard part, and therefore going back was never the right choice. The accord with Konoha would be broken, and he would vanish in a yellow flash, taking the hopes and dreams of her country along with himself.

The Resistance would coast along for a while, based on sheer momentum. But there would be a critical turning point, a moment where everything would change, for the better or worse. It would be the second in which a hero would be born, or a demon's evil would prevail. And if she wasn't there, there was nobody else in her Resistance that could pick up that mantle. Perhaps 'Nanashi' could, but he wouldn't be there if she wasn't.

And then, the Resistance would crumble and die.

Mizu no Kuni would be renamed Chimizu no Kuni (Country of Bloody Waters).

One way or the other, blood would colour the water in and around her nation red.

The tragedy was that in the long run, it made no difference if she would be one of those to spill her compatriots' blood. The tragedy was that she had always been destined to be a kinslayer.

The tragedy was that she had always been fated to kill the brother and sister she never knew.

She had tried, tried so hard to stop from killing as many of her future subordinates. But it's a well-known fact that killing an opponent is far easier than subduing them. She had the highest kill count amongst the Resistance. It wasn't by a large number, 'Nanashi' was fairly close behind her. But the gap after them was substantial.

She wanted to resent him for killing nearly as many of her comrades as she had. But he, like her, only killed when absolutely necessary. Resenting him would be pointless, especially when the one she really resented was herself.

Rather absurdly, she had been delighted when she saw the Konoha ANBU slaughter her comrades the previous evening. It had been the only way the loyalists would have backed off in that scenario, and she was happy that neither she nor her Resistance would be involved in murdering any more compatriots. Watching someone else shoulder her burden was physically relaxing, and she had paradoxically been in a better mood since the rescue.

If she had her say, there would be only one more death on the morrow.

Yagura's.

Just the memory of his dead eyes sent a queasy quiver through her.

Although that might just be the residue from overdosing on the soldier pills yesterday.

She grimaced. It was time to stop resting; her chakra had recovered as much as it was going to.

She swung her legs off the bed, and she was surprised to find that she felt lighter on her feet. The depression that had cloyingly clung to the inside of her head was gone, leaving her with a razor sharp clarity that she was surprised to realize she had been missing.

She stretched, her arms quickly reaching the ends of the Doton dwelling she had erected for herself last night. She quickly went through her morning stretches and ablutions as her internal clock informed her that the time was roughly 8:30 am. It wasn't late in the morning, per se, but as a leader she had to be in her office before her subordinates.

She still took the time to primp herself in front of a previously sealed vanity. She meticulously combed through and fixed her hair, before precisely applying a minimal amount of makeup to enhance her stunning features. It was the habit of a lifetime, one that she had kept even through the psychological horror of the last few months.

Just because she had been depressed didn't mean she had to let herself go.

Once she was satisfied with her appearance, she took a final look in the mirror, frowning at the patched up brown dress that she was currently wearing. While it wasn't very flattering, it had served to make her approachable to the masses. It was a psychological tool intended to humanize her, to make the civilians and masses amenable to her ideas. If they saw her dressing like them, they would identify her as being one of them.

The fact that her figure filled out the unflattering dress only added to her charm and her legend.

But on a day like today, she needed a dress that elevated her, deified her.

And in the throes of her depression, she had forgotten to commission such a dress. She pursed her lips. Perhaps she could borrow one from Megumi? It would suit her purpose, but Megumi was a size smaller than her. While it would flatter her, a dress that snug would send out the wrong message.

She shook her head. There was nothing to be done about the matter.

She pulled down the door of her dwelling…

…and stared out into the bright sunshine.

The sun had completely burned away the mists that were perpetually hanging over the countryside.

She smiled, feeling the soft warmth of the sun on her face.

She was no longer lost in the fog, trying to pick her way through the hollow hills that made up her country.

It was an apt metaphor, she decided as she strode towards the Command tent. The bright sunshine was the future of her country, and it was fitting on a day like today.

She smiled at her subordinates, nodding at their greetings. She could visibly see the morale rising as they parted, all of them taking heart from her confident stride. She was surprised to feel the muscles in her face quickly start aching; it was a consequence of not having smiled in months. It was especially surprising for her, a woman who had a smile for every occasion. Oh, well, she would be smiling a lot more after today.

She entered the Command tent, finding her council and the Konoha commander, Danzō. Kitashi, Megumi and Danzō were near the head of the table. 'Nanashi' was not yet there; he was likely still asleep, recovering after yesterday. Kami only knew when he had gone to sleep, especially since he had been meeting with 'the devil', as he put it.

She glanced coolly at Danzō, and pushed every ounce of displeasure she could into her neutral expression. An ANBU had been spying on her conversation with 'Nanashi', and she would not abide such a thing in her own country, let alone her private meetings.

Danzō didn't react visibly, but he received the message.

If he hadn't, she would melt the next spy into slag.

Then, she took up her position at the head of the table, and the defence plan was fine-tuned.

The conversation flowed around her, but she didn't really pay attention. Her part in the battle would begin and end with Yagura. She really should make a few suggestions, but she couldn't bring her mind to focus.

Instead, her mind wandered to the day that she had met 'Nanashi'.

She remembered how her council and her had gone over a similar plan, in case the 'benefactor' turned out to be a Kiri plant. She remembered poring over various contingencies, and forming different plans for when the meeting almost inevitably went south.

But then, the nameless Namikaze had stormed into her life, like the whirlwind his moniker was based on, and turned everything on its head.

She suppressed a smile as she remembered their first meeting. Knowing him as she did now, she was almost certain that her first impression of him was comically wrong; and yet, this fact only endeared him more to her. She remembered the way the base had fallen silent, the way the anticipation could be tasted in the air, the way that she knew that it wasn't a hoax…

…in fact, now that she was thinking about it…

It was eerily similar to the silence that had just befallen the area in and around the Command tent.

And once more, she just knew, knew that 'Nanashi' would walk through the door (or tent flap, in this case).

Once more, there was a tangible taste of anticipation in the air.

Everyone had dropped what they were doing as they looked at the entrance with bated breath.

The flap was slowly pulled back…

…and 'Nanashi' entered, immediately locking his ocean-blue eyes with her, ignoring, or ignorant of everyone else…

…just like that time.

The only difference was what he was wearing.

He was in a standard Konoha Jōnin uniform, a forest green flak jacket starched to perfection, navy blue cotton shirt and trousers, taped at the wrists and calves; his hair was shining, glinting golden in the morning Mizu sun (evidently he had used the conditioner she occasionally borrowed from him). Orange fingerless gloves were the only distinctive item he sported. But most importantly, he was wearing a well-worn but well-maintained Konoha forehead protector.

He looked…complete. At peace with himself.

She involuntarily felt her lips melt into the special smile that she reserved for him.

He smiled back at her, and then moved up, standing at her right hand side, where he had been standing for the last few months (when had that happened?)

The trust he had just shown in her was stupendous.

No other Konoha ANBU, not even Danzō himself, was openly wearing a Konoha hitai-ate.

Why was 'Nanashi' doing so? The reason was simple.

He fully believed that she would be successful today; he was so confident, and so assured of the fact, that he was betting a potential war for his country on the outcome of her battle with Yagura.

She felt a convoluted combination of emotions; happiness, validation, responsibility and determination.

She knew, she knew, that being emotional before a fight for her existence was a bad idea. A battle with another ninja was always fought with a cool head. Emotions always led to mistakes, unless you were a Genin, in which case you might land a lucky hit.

But on a day like today, there was no escaping the sense of occasion.

On a day like today, there was no denying the feeling of a seismic shift.


'Nanashi' was across the table, stiffly explaining something to Danzō, when a messenger burst into the tent, heaving with breathlessness.

"Loyalists… Yagura… Approaching… half an hour…" he panted out, almost collapsing to the floor once he had shared the relevant information.

Everyone else exchanged a quick glance, before the council burst into a flurry of movement. One by one, they quickly confirmed their orders and ran, propagating their orders all the way to the lowest ranking Chūnin present in the fighting camp.

Danzō took a moment and stared at 'Nanashi'; his stare was returned as stoically, as emotionlessly, as its progenitor. Once their pissing contest was over (Men!), Danzō left, his cane causing a loud tapping noise, even on the softened earth of the camp.

That, more than anything else, convinced Mei that she wasn't being conned. Nobody could fake that level of antipathy towards one another.

While the council had started running around like headless chickens, Mei and 'Nanashi', oh the other hand, had simply looked at one another. Mei knew that 'Nanashi' had something to say to her; which was why she didn't rush out into the camp, like the rest of her council.

Once the tent was empty, 'Nanashi' smiled at her from across the table, his eyes gleaming with suppressed excitement. "I have a present for you."

Mei simply raised her visible eyebrow. Contrary to her expectations, however, 'Nanashi' simply grinned. Perhaps he was finally developing an immunity to that particular trick?

Once he felt he had milked the moment for all it was worth (to be fair to him, she did feel the anticipation build up), he casually formed a few hand-seals. She recognized them as the sequence for the supplies he summoned from Konoha.

When the box materialized, she was surprised to the crest of 'Inamoto', the most famous of the Fire Court's tailors. Surprised, and a little shocked.

Inamoto's was well known throughout the Elemental Nations; they were Titans in the world of fashion, their designs having spawned more than a few fads. They were obscenely expensive, but well worth the price.

'Nanashi' lifted the box and presented it to her with a flourish, smirking smugly the entire time. She accepted the box with a perfunctory smile, a small part of her wondering if this was the moment he betrayed her to Yagura. The majority of her brain overruled the ever-suspicious kunoichi though; he wasn't that good an actor.

Once the box's cover was opened, she couldn't hold back a surprised gasp.

The sapphire blue dress…

.

.

…it was perfect.

It was everything she had ever imagined wearing as the Mizukage.

It was her favourite shade of blue, the precise shade of sapphire. It left her shoulders bare, and the zig-zag lining arrowed down from the bottom of her shoulders to the center of her sternum, perfect for drawing attention to her ample cleavage. From beneath her chest, they were modest fighting robes, the kind every Kage wore. It was fashionable, practical, durable and wouldn't hinder her movement; it also served as the perfect tool to distract her male opponents, while it roused jealousy in her female rivals.

The statement bore repeating; it was absolutely perfect.

"I've sown a few helpful seals in the lining", 'Nanashi' said smugly. She finally lifted her gaze away from the tender fabric, looking at the smirking face of her fighting partner. He didn't even have the slightest doubt that she would like the fighting robe/dress fusion that he had commissioned for her.

It was the only thing that she had been missing on a day like today, and he had somehow known the perfect gift to get for her.

A man knowing her that intimately, knowing what she would like to wear, should have filled her with fear; the fact that a man knew her as well as he did to predict the colors and the cut she wanted should have freaked her out, because it meant that he had successfully seduced her, and found out everything about her.

Instead, it made her want to fling herself across the table and wantonly kiss him.

She would have done just that; but right at that moment a voice yelled outside the Command tent. It served to distract both herself and 'Nanashi'; much like last night. She didn't even register what the voice was yelling; it wasn't meant for either of them, in any case.

Once the moment was broken, hoping to distract him, she asked, "How did you know my dress size?"

It was one of those questions that no man could answer without sounding like a complete pervert.

'Nanashi's ears turned pink as he mumbled put an incomprehensible answer, turning his head away. "…give you your privacy to change…" was what she heard as he left the tent, putting up his privacy barriers as he left. Mei smirked. Men really were too easy to manipulate. As a woman, she couldn't allow him to suffer from a swollen ego.

She marveled at the dress as she wrapped it around herself. It was, by far, the best gift she had ever received. A small, petty part of her pointed out that her mother, Kaya, had given 'Nanashi' a gift that was far more valuable; she ruthlessly crushed that thought. Although now that she thought about it, the most precious gift that he had given her today was not the dress, although it did run a close second.

The most precious gift she had received from him this morning had been his unprecedented vote of faith, embodied by his openly wearing his Konoha headband.

As she straightened the dress and her makeup, she mentally catalogued the instances where he had shown himself to trust her judgement, both as a Kage and as a woman. To her surprise, the first such instance was when they had been locked in the negotiations that would come to define the conflict against Yagura. Not for a single minute had he underestimated her, or treated her as being less of ninja just because she was a kunoichi. It was one thing hearing it from Kaya that he had a strong female influence in his life, it was another thing entirely seeing it for herself; he truly believed that women were equal to men, even in the crazy world that they lived in.

He truly believed she would be the force of change that the Elemental Nations needed, even though she was a woman; and there had never before been a female Kage.

She walked to the entrance and pulled back the flap. He noticed her, even though he was facing the other way; he quickly took down the barrier. He then made a show of inspecting her from top to bottom. "Hmm… It's not complete."

Mei raised an eyebrow.

"I always imagined you with a small ponytail at the top of your head."

Mei gave up. He really knew far more than he should; how he had guessed that was beyond her. It was endearing and exasperating in equal measure.

It didn't mean that she should let him be comfortable in his knowledge; it was something no woman could allow. "It's called a topknot, Nanashi-kun."

As she expected, he coloured in surprised embarrassment.

"It's only worn by royalty in this country."

To his credit, he recovered quickly. "Ah. So you're saving it for after we defeat Yagura?"

She smiled enigmatically at him and started walking, and he scrambled to fall in line with her, staying just a fraction behind her on her right side; in other words, treating her like the royalty she had just alluded to. It was flattering, since he was likely one of few men on the planet that genuinely meant the compliment, rather than one of those who paid lip service.

She was quite aware of the looks they both received on the way to the battlefield. As the strongest fighters in the Resistance, it was only natural that people looked up to them; however, today the looks were focused on what they were wearing. Naturally, she drew the majority of the stares, but more than a few did a double take upon seeing 'Nanashi' openly proclaim his allegiance. A few, however, simply nodded to themselves, their long-held suspicions having been confirmed. It wasn't a hard deduction to make, his speech patterns and use of slang had marked him out a long time ago. (Not to mention his devotion/obsession with the Log. Why Konoha shinobi prayed to a piece of wood, she would never understand.)

As they reached the boundary of the camp, 'Nanashi' laughingly sang out, "Hi, chibi!"

With a flinch and a poorly hidden glare, one of her most promising swordsmen, a young man by the name of Chōjūrō, turned to him. Mei stopped a couple of steps past them, allowing 'Nanashi' a moment with the boy who had the most adorable crush on her. For some obscure reason, he didn't like 'Nanashi'. At all.

(She mentally rolled her eyes. Men!)

To her surprise, 'Nanashi' didn't needlessly antagonize Chōjūrō as he usually did. Instead, he put his hands on the boy's shoulders. In a serious tone, he addressed the boy, "I need you to do something for us. We're going to be fighting Yagura, so we need you to make sure that none of his weirdos attack the base while we're busy with them. The weak and the wounded are going to be carried back to the tents, so we need to make sure that they aren't targeted. Can you take care of it?"

Even though she couldn't see Chōjūrō, she could well imagine the surprised look on his face; it wasn't everyday that "Nanashi' showed his serious side, after all. A heartbeat later, she felt the boy glance at her for strength, and then heard his voice squeak out, "Yo-"; he cleared his throat, making his breaking voice sound deeper, "You can count on me."

'Nanashi' grinned, not that she could see it. "Good man!" She then heard him promptly ruin the moment by ruffling Chōjūrō's hair, causing the pre-teen (or was he a teenager now?) to scowl and slap the blond's hand away.

'Nanashi' then causally said, "Here's something to help you out, chibi."

He nonchalantly formed a few hand-seals and slammed his palms on the ground.

Three separate interlocked barrier walls sprung up around the camp, leaving a single narrow path leading out to the battleground.

The barrier was at-least A-ranked. It also should require 3 people on the inside to maintain it. The keyword being 'should'. What had been in the scrolls that her mother had given him?

In any case, there would be no sneak attacks on her camp while they were fighting.

She felt a smile bubble up at his nonchalant yet impressive display, but she didn't allow it to grace her features.

'Nanashi' looked back at Chōjūrō. "Be careful of the people already in the camp as well. Some of them could be spies", he warned, a note of caution in his voice. She felt the young boy's apprehension, his awe at the deceptively simple yet strong barrier technique and his determination to do his duty.

Her father had always told her, 'You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him.' Well, if this interaction was anything to go by, she had the true measure of 'Nanashi'.

She started walking forward. Her fight wasn't here. And now that the defense of the camp was taken care of, she could devote her entire focus to the upcoming battle.

Just as they reached the line of Resistance fighters, she saw a crimson flare shoot up into the sky; the same flare that 'Nanashi' had stolen just over 18 hours ago. It was a final beckoning call to the enemy; the enemy that would soon (hopefully) be the ally.

They had spent nearly two months selecting the battleground for the climax to their civil war. It had to be a place that gave them a subtle advantage, but not one that was immediately apparent to the enemy, otherwise they would retreat and refuse to engage. The majority of the loyalists were Suiton wielders, as befitting the denizens of Water country. The Resistance fighters, on the other hand, were a hodgepodge of Elemental natures; that of course came about due to the differing bloodlines most of them carried.

This was why the battlefield they had selected was near the center of the nation, in an area that was landlocked for miles around. For those members of the Resistance that needed it, they were provided with Seals that contained water, for Suiton techniques. It wasn't a major advantage, but it was all they had, since their enemies were from the same nation, and would have the same knowledge and advantages/disadvantages as themselves. They hadn't told anyone about the Water Seals until late last night, to prevent the inevitable spies from propagating this knowledge to the loyalists.

Her Resistance fighters numbered nearly 500, all of them capable Chūnin or above. The Konoha ANBU contingent was an even 500, giving her a total of nearly 1000 battle hardened ninja.

Before long, they could see the dust that was being kicked up in the distance by the approaching Kiri loyalists.

Her sensors were reporting that Yagura had brought between 1400-1500 ninjas.

The moment was here.

The Loyalists were here.

They were streaking in a phalanx formation; considering that they knew where the enemy was, and the fact that they had open ground ahead of them, it was the ideal formation.

They stopped nearly half a kilometer away.

Both sets of fighters eyed each the other warily, always on the lookout for traps and sneak attacks.

Then, the tip of the phalanx moved aside, and Yagura stepped out in front, his figure tiny.

Tiny, but terrifying.

Even across the battlefield, even across the hundreds of meters, she swore that her eyes locked with the soon-to-be-former Mizukage.

'Nanashi' looked to her, his eyes shining with the excitement of battle-lust. "This is where you make your speech." He then formed a sequence of hand-seals, causing a funnel of Wind to open in front of her face; the funnel spread far over the heads of both the Resistance and the Loyalists, causing the latter to tense up.

She really shouldn't be surprised at his perceptiveness anymore. First her 'armor', and now her speech; how did he keep guessing these things about her?

She slightly raised her foot behind her and stamped it into the ground.

A pillar of Earth rose, taking her with it and putting her heads, shoulders and torso above the front of her defense line. A heartbeat later, the funnel of Wind rose back in front of her face.

It was the ideal moment to strike her down. She had just given away her position, and presented a clear target to boot. Any long distance sniper worth his salt should have taken the opportunity to attack.

And yet, no attack was forthcoming.

"Shinobi of the Loyalist faction! Shinobi of the Resistance faction!" She paused, and spoke, modulating her tone to be a note lower. "Shinobi of Kirigakure."

Mei waited a heartbeat to let her words sink in, verbally tearing down the divide between the two groups. She spoke with a quiet passion, trying to reach the hearts of every ninja on that battlefield.

"Over the last two years, we've all killed those we once called comrade. We've all been forced to fight those we once trusted to watch our backs. We've all done what we could never have imagined; we've drenched our hands in the blood of our friends and families."

Even the wind was still. Everyone was staring raptly at Mei. The only noise on the battlefield was the slight whoosh of the wind funnel that carried her voice.

"We've failed ourselves. We've failed our compatriots." With sorrow suffusing her tone, Mei said, "We've failed Kirigakure."

The silence was heavy with the weight of her words.

"It's taken the actions of a deranged man for all of us to understand that which should have been clear from the start. We are a village, we stand strongest when we stand together! This pointless division between us is tearing our country apart, worse than any enemy managed in any war! It is time to end this madness! It is time to put an end to hostilities!

"It is time to put an end to the reign of the Yondaime Mizukage!"

The silence was deafening, the taste of anticipation tangible in the air. Everyone was stirring, everyone knew what had to happen next.

And yet, everyone's attention was still completely on Mei.

Once she was sure that her message had sunk in, Mei continued, "There will be no more subjugation. There will be no more terrorism. There will be no more kinslaying.

"There will be only one death today; that of a despot, a tyrant, the worst traitor that this country has ever known. A man that brought violence where there should be peace, a man that sowed discord where there should be harmony, a man that threw a tight fist instead of offering an open palm."

Mei locked eyes with Yagura across the battlefield. "Yagura will be the only man to die today. That is my order to you, as the Godaime Mizukage."

There was a violent sense of anticipation in the air, as murmurs replaced the silence. She heard 'Nanashi' breathe out "Damn…" in an impressed tone, but that wasn't the word that mattered.

The only word that mattered was spoken by Yagura.

"Attack."

It lacked the eloquence of Mei's speech; but it was no less effective.

It was also enough to kick off the insanity.

Contrary to her expectations, Yagura did not lead the charge. He stayed back, blankly observing his shinobi streaking forward and the defenders rushing to meet them. He watched them meet in a barbaric explosion of blood and violence, and within seconds there was carnage all across the field.

Mei's first order as the Godaime Mizukage had officially been given the finger by Yagura.

And yet he didn't move, his cold and blank pink eyes locked with her single seething green one.

She felt a roaring in her ears that had nothing to do with the sounds of the battlefield.

Her mother had taught her, 'A lady never swears', but…

"Fuck this!"

…thankfully 'Nanashi' wasn't a lady.

Mei threw herself forward, keeping pace with 'Nanashi', her cheeks already bulging with a Futton technique, while at her right, 'Nanashi's cheeks were similarly bulging with a Fūton technique.

With familiarity borne of over a year of practice, they ducked, weaved and fought their way through the bulk of the fighting.

They didn't even try to disguise their movements, arrowing straight towards Yagura.

At the first sign of trouble, Mei spat out her corrosive mist in a tight ball that was narrowly dodged by one of the Kiri fighters- or so he thought, as the Kōmudan (Skilled Mist Bullet) suddenly exploded, getting into his eyes and lungs. It would scar the inside of his throat and lungs, take him out of the fight; and hopefully keep him alive. On the other side, 'Nanashi' blew out a number of fast but blunt Renkūdan (Wind Bullets), and then catching the dodging shinobi off-guard by frying them with a lightning-quick Raiton technique. While it took them out of the fight, it was an unnecessary waste of chakra, in her opinion. While the amount of chakra he had used was barely more than hers, it was still an inelegant solution. He used two techniques where he should be using one. It was the little things like this that kept him from being a truly elite S-rank shinobi. Sure, his switching between techniques was flawless, and his timing perfect, but he still had one last step to take. He was still a blunt instrument, but he had the capability of evolving into a surgical blade.

They fell into a choreographed routine as they fought their way side-by-side across the battlefield, neither of them looking to their other side, each completely confident in their partner's ability to keep them alive and unharmed. Neither of them allowed any attacks to breach them; even from behind: as evidenced by how they instinctively and wordlessly collaborated on a Katon-Fūton hybrid to boil a large scale Suiton: Daibakufu (Water Release: Great Waterfall) technique and preventing it from ambushing them.

They hit a pocket of Resistance fighters near Yagura, and 'Nanashi' jumped straight into the air, climbing nearly a hundred meters, while Mei bided her time; this collaborative technique needed perfect timing. He then started spinning; but not like he spun from side-to-side for the Rasenyari (Spiralling Spear).

No, right now, he tucked his knees to his chest and spun head over heels, rocketing straight in the middle of the pocket of Loyalists guarding Yagura. "Fūton: Shōgekiha (Wind Release: Shockwave)!"

He hit the ground like a comet, and a spiraling dome of Fūton chakra expanded from the point of impact.

All the shinobi in the pocket were blown away by the A-ranked technique.

All shinobi except Yagura.

A heartbeat later, Mei too followed the same trajectory and struck the ground with her fist, having jumped the precise second that 'Nanashi' landed the hit, passing through the Shockwave at exactly the point where it was too weak to deny her entrance, "Doton: Jishin (Earth Release: Earthquake)!"

The ground rumbled with the force of the impact, causing a localized earthquake as the name of the technique implied.

Three Kiri loyalists, who had been underground using the Mōguragakure (Hiding like a Mole) technique, were forcibly ejected, their bodies crushed and bruised, but still alive.

And then, Mei was face to face with Yagura.

His pitiless eyes locked on to her emotional eye.

His pupil-less pink eyes, devoid of life, locked on to her emerald-green eye, brimming with the fury of the ocean.

For a single second, he flicked his eyes to her side, taking in the appearance and the headband of her partner.

And in that one second, Mei knew that 'Nanashi' realized that he couldn't help her in this fight.

She had known it for ages, but she just couldn't find the right time to tell him. With a single glance, Yagura had just implied that she needed help to take him down, and she didn't. She didn't.

Nevermind the fact that Yagura was a jinchūriki.

Mei channeled raw chakra, the loose Earth rumbling with the force of her presence, a few rocks even levitating by the sheer volume of chakra being wasted.

Yagura immediately responded, his own demonic chakra immediately suffocating the air, his presence stifling in its intensity.

And 'Nanashi' …

'Nanashi' didn't.

"Tch… Fine!" He scoffed. "I'll make sure nobody interferes in your fight."

And that was why Mei loved him.

"Yōton: Yōkai no Jutsu (Lava Release: Melting Apparition Technique)!" she yelled out, before her startling revelation could distract her from her battle.

A fraction later, 'Nanashi' started a 29 hand-seal barrier technique, one that he had developed after extensively studying the scrolls that her grandmother had left. She knew from experience that it would take him a hair under 2.5 seconds to complete it.

Yagura, though, didn't dodge the Lava attack.

Swinging his staff, he called out, "Suiton: Mizukagami (Water Release: Aqua Mirror Technique)!"

He nullified it.

A Lava ninjutsu of his own came out of the Aqua mirror and slammed into hers, completely eradicating both. His technique, however, collapsed into water that was immediately boiled into steam.

The resulting steam simply gave Mei more ammunition to work with.

"Futton: Kōmu no Jutsu (Boil Release: Skilled Mist Technique)!"

Yagura hadn't been idle, expecting her attack. Since this was an area-wide attack he couldn't use a precise ninjutsu like Aqua Mirror to repel it.

Instead, he used his own mist technique. "Suiton: Kirigakure no jutsu (Water Release: Hiding in the Mist Technique)!"

It was quite an effective maneuver; no longer could she detect him in the mist, because both their chakra's were saturating it. His own mist would keep the steam from making contact with his skin.

A fraction before 'Nanashi' finished his technique, the blond jumped back, 6 clones bursting out of him as they mapped out the boundary of the Barrier; she had denigrated his fighting ability earlier, but to perform a complicated B-Rank Clone technique in the midst of completing an S-Rank barrier ninjutsu was nothing to sniff at. He wasn't the best at picking the right tool for the job, but when it came down to it, there was nobody better in the world at using simultaneous techniques.

Yagura killed two of the clones from within the mist, calling out "Suiton: Teppōdama (Water Release: Water Bullets)!", but those two clones were the diversions, since this was a Five-Point-Barrier; by then Mei calculated the trajectory of his bullets and figured out where he was hiding - "Yōton: Sanagaku Kami no Kari (Lava Release: Wrath of the Mountain God)!"

She heard Yagura use a Shunshin to dodge the humongous red-and-black A-rank Lava wave.

This entire exchange had taken place in the time it took 'Nanashi' to complete the barrier.

And then, 'Nanashi's voice called out, "Fūinjutsu: Hime Naiya no Kekkai (Sealing Arts: Barrier of the Princess's Diamond)!"

And then Mei and Yagura were enclosed in a transparent, pale pink barrier, about 200 meters in diameter.

Their real fight had just begun.


Outside the Barrier: 4465617468

I lost sight of the two battling Mizukage within 2 seconds, a combination of Mei's steam and Yagura's mist obscuring my sight effectively.

I wanted to be in there, more than anything in the world.

But… This wasn't my fight.

This was the climax of a war between the inhabitants of Mizu no Kuni.

This was for the future of Mizu.

And I couldn't taint it with my presence.

For Mei to be accepted as the new Mizukage, she needed to beat the incumbent all on her own. If I helped her win, Mei's strength would be questioned; not least of all by Mei herself.

Terumī Hayato had been right, I couldn't fight this battle for her.

I had to let her win this battle on her own.

But what I could do, the best thing I could have (and had) done, under the circumstances, was give her a fair fight.

From Yagura's point of view, as the reigning Mizukage, a fair fight meant that he had already lost; all his advantages had been nullified.

Speaking of Yagura… I HAD to recreate that Aqua Mirror. That was an absolutely bitchin' technique! I couldn't believe I had forgotten about it.

I dodged, because I had been spacing out in the middle of a Log-damned battlefield; a Katon technique impacted the area space I had been occupying a second ago. "Ninpō: Hari Jigōku (Ninja Arts: Needle Hell)!"

My reflexive volley scattered a group of three ninjas, and also knocked a few shuriken off their path, shuriken that would surely have collided with me.

And then I was weaving and dodging through a barrage of attacks. My three attackers turned into five, and then into thirteen; and I could not do more than counter-attack for fear of being skewered because I didn't have the time to react.

I knew that I wasn't supposed to kill my opponents, but it was getting increasingly hard.

Maybe jumping behind enemy lines hadn't been such a great idea?

I was prepared for facing a large number of enemies today, but my plan had included close combat, where I could slap on a Medical Knockout Seal that would take them out by inducing brain swelling. It would die down in a few hours, but there would be no reviving them unless it was by means of a skilled medic-nin.

Unfortunately, my reputation as Kamikaze (KAMIKAZE!) worked against me in this regard. A major disadvantage of having a reputation as a skilled Nin-Taijutsu user is that nobody else wants to get up-close and personal with you. All of them pretty much stayed back and pelted me with weapons, exploding tags, Ninjutsu and the occasional Genjutsu (nobody had figured out my immunity yet, thank The Log).

But there was a second reason I was known as Kamikaze (KAMIKAZE!); I was reckless in battle. My insane maneuvers were one of the reasons that Mei was my partner in the field, almost none of the other ninja could partner with either of us for fear of getting caught in our techniques.

I used a quick Fūton: Shunshin to get in the middle of a group of four enemies. "Ninpō: Hari Jigōku (Ninja Arts: Needle Hell)!"

Did I mention I'm having a good hair day?

"Raiton: Byakurai (Lightning Release: White Lightning)!"

A quick thunderclap caught one of the scattered enemies. Before the rest could regroup, I quickly repeated the technique, catching another enemy- only to see that he had one of my hair needles stuck in his thigh. Tch, waste of an attack, he was already taken out.

Still, my modified Ranshinshō (Body Pathway Derangement) was an absolute godsend in this scenario. Neither of them would be moving their limbs right for the rest of the battle.

I used another Fūton: Shunshin to quickly switch my position, landing in the midst of three enemies this time. "Raiton: Jibashi (Lightning Release: Electromagnetic Murder)!"

Two enemies were caught in my ninjutsu this time; I kept up the attack until I was sure that they wouldn't be getting up anytime soon. I then jumped away, dodging a (to my amusement) Fūton technique.

I had disabled 4 enemies in about 13 seconds, and not killed them. I think that was damn impressive.

Unfortunately for me, the number of enemies I faced had increased, there were about 20 of them surrounding me.

I was rapidly coming to the conclusion that: no, jumping behind enemy lines and cutting off my only backup was perhaps not a good idea.

There was a lull in the battle as a loud rumbling ROAR came from behind the barrier I had erected, accompanied by the sickening demonic chakra washing over everyone like a deluge of sewage.

"Well well! Looks like the little jinchūriki has his hands full!" I called out, smirking as annoyingly as I could. "I wonder if his little power-up will be enough to let him survive against the Godaime Mizukage."

And right on cue, another frustrated ROAR went through the air. I snuck a quick peek to the barrier, but the lingering mists had been replaced by dust, which was equally effective at concealing the inside of the barrier .

"Doesn't seem like it's going so well, does it?" My smirk grew wider.

One of the enemy shinobi scoffed. "Big words coming from the guy who set up a pink barrier."

My eye twitched. "It's an S-rank barrier that's mostly in the infrared spectrum; it can't even be bypassed by Space-Time techniques." It was true, I couldn't even enter the barrier with the Hiraishin; as a side-note, neither could Obitobi, with his hax Sharingan.

The shinobi made a show of looking over the barrier. "It's still pink. I had no idea that you had such… feminine tastes."

That statement really shouldn't have set me off.

"Raiton: Rairyūdan no jutsu (Lightning Release: Lightning Dragon Technique)!"

On the other hand, I've couldn't think of a good enough comeback, which meant that I had to go on the offensive.

The shinobi dodged, and once more I was pelted with all kinds of attacks. Once more I sped around the field, dodging and blowing away attacks wherever I could. I managed to tag the smartass with a Medical Knockout Seal, but by then another 5 had joined the fray.

This was getting ridiculous.

I used Raiton technique after Raiton technique, using Fūton only to redirect inbound attacks. Once I was forced to use a Hyōton shield, and the resulting Sensatsu Hyōshō (A Thousand Icy Needles of Death) bought me a few seconds of breathing space.

But like rats, my enemies seemed to breed before my eyes.

Another ROAR went through the battlefield, and the feeling of Yagura's putrid chakra was almost thick enough to choke on.

Shit. He was most likely in the Second Jinchūriki State.

Thankfully, the feeling of Mei's chakra was still strong as well.

It won't be long now.

One way or another.

Once more, the thickness of the jinchūriki's chakra had caused an uneasy lull in the battle.

I gratefully took the few seconds I had to catch my breath. A quick check informed me that I still had over half my weapons, nearly all the water I had sealed, and my chakra was at 75%. Despite fighting nearly 30-to-1, I was yet to take any significant hits, and I had disabled 8 enemies so far.

This time I didn't dare take a peek at the barrier. There were too many enemies surrounding me.

One of the kunoichi broke the tension this time. "For someone called Kamikaze, you don't really use a lot of Fūton techniques, do you? Are you trying to change your moniker to Raijin (God of Lightning)?"

I looked at her and grinned. "You know why Lightning is my favorite element?"

I casually unsealed a portable barrier seal and activated it, causing a dome of chakra to flare into existence around me. It was B-ranked, and wouldn't stand up to assault for more than a couple of minutes, but that was all I needed.

I made a show of cracking my neck, deliberately relaxing my muscles. "It's the quickest of all elements. It's perfect for both precise attacks, and for large scale damage." I brought up the Triple-S barriers around both my hands, and started forming a Rasengan in my left hand under its security. "It's pure offense, and it's results…" I brought my camouflaged right hand to the left, and started channeling Raiton chakra into the Rasengan, "…are electrifying!"

Hook…

Even through the dampening barriers, the Raiton Rasengan looked and sounded menacing.

Talking while feeding an active Rasengan with Raiton chakra strained my concentration and chakra control to the limits; if I hadn't had the pre-prepared portable barrier, I would not have had the time to set this up.

They started attacking me with a renewed frenzy, but my portable barrier seal held firm.

And then, the Raiton Rasengan was complete.

I dropped the barriers from around my hands, causing a crackling humming sound to permeate the air.

It looked nothing like the Rasengan.

If anything, it looked like one of those electric disco balls.

Tendrils of electricity arbitrarily escaped the yellow spherical ball; a ball that looked like it was made of molten plasma.

It looked terrifying. It hurt like a bitch too. (And yeah, I'm speaking from experience.)

It was easily an S-ranked attack. It was impressive enough that all the 30 enemies surrounding me forgot all about the jinchūriki in the barrier.

I locked eyes with the kunoichi I had been bantering with. "Once you see what happens when this hits someone, you'll definitely start calling me Raijin."

Line…

She scoffed, but kept a wary look on the pulsing plasma ball. "You're crazy if you think I'm going to let you hit me with that."

With that, everybody's attention was now on how to avoid me when I ran after them with the ball.

…And Sinker.

Which meant that none of them would be expecting what I did next.

I grinned, and dropped my portable barrier.

The kunoichi narrowed her eyes, before they suddenly widened in realization.

By then, it was far, far too late.

I slammed the plasma ball into the ground at my feet. "Raiton: Rasen-Arashi (Lightning Release: Spiralling Storm)!"

Lightning erupted from the ground around me.

The point where I had slammed the Rasengan into the ground was the epicenter, and multiple concentric ever-expanding spirals of lightning fried everything in a 50-meter radius around me, both above and below ground.

I cut off the chakra before the damage could be fatal to any of my enemies.

But make no mistake, the damage was done. None of the loyalists I had attacked would fight for weeks, maybe months.

Thirty-two shinobi were taken out by my attack; two of whom had been hidden underground.

The crackling sound had faded, but the scent of ozone still hung in the air.

The rest of the loyalists didn't dare attack me after that. Holy shit, I was left alone on a fucking battlefield because I had scared the shit out of my enemies…

…while all I was thinking about was the time that I had tripped, fallen on the ground and fried myself on the same technique. (Yeah yeah, laugh it up… incidentally, that was how I realized that I could use the Raiton Rasengan as an area-of-effect attack.)

It still didn't change the fact that I had just taken out more than 30 enemies with a single attack without killing them. Heh, I was now a badass in the eyes of every Kiri ninja, loyal or otherwise.

But this battle wasn't about me. It never had been.

There was another loud ROAR, the loudest yet.

It was captivating in its intensity.

I turned to the barrier, and my jaw dropped open.

Holy… Fuck…


All over the battlefield, the sound of the jinchūriki's roar spread. All across the field of carnage, everyone shuddered, their attention instinctively drawn to the biggest predator in the jungle.

All across the battlefield, everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at the pale pink barrier that trapped the Yondaime with the self-proclaimed Godaime Mizukage.

What they saw was seared into their brains; the memory of the vision burned hot even decades later, when they told their children and grandchildren stories about the battle for Kiri's future.

The audible roar had been from the jinchūriki Kage, but it was obvious that his opponent was screaming her defiance just as passionately.

Both of them were the size of a large house. Both of them were covered in sickening red chakra- the Yondaime in his Bijū cloak, three tails swinging wildly, and the Godaime in an angry black-red Yōton chakra cloak. The Yondaime's size was boosted by Coral and his Suiton chakra, while the Godaime had animated a Lava Golem around herself.

With a final deafening ROAR, both opponents hurled themselves at each other.

They met in an explosion of chakra so humongous it caused the S-rank barrier ensconcing them to reverberate; which in turn caused a rumbling earthquake that every ninja on that battlefield felt in their very bones.

Once the reverberations died down, there was silence on the battlefield.

They all stopped fighting.

They all stopped, waiting to see who the victor was.

They all stopped, waiting to see if the sorrowful insanity of their civil war would finally end.

Only the people closest to the barrier saw the man with the wild blond hair frantically form a few hand-seals; the rest just saw the barrier fall without provocation.

Only the blond man had the guts (and the ability) to jump into the acidic fog that had previously been trapped by the barrier.

Not even the best of sensors could tell which of the two Mizukage had survived; such was the potency of the ambient chakra of the residual techniques of the two battling Mizukage.

For a long minute, neither the loyalists nor the rebels took a breath.

And then, they finally saw a silhouette through the fog.

For an eternity, it's shape was indistinguishable.

As the shape came close to the edge, it finally became clear.

It was a blond man carrying a red-haired woman, bridal style.

The woman's hands laced a lopsided crown around the man's temple; she was delirious with pain and exhaustion, her clothing burned and torn, her body bleeding and bruised.

But she was alive.

The man stopped before he completely cleared the caustic fog, so that his feet were still hidden by the fog.

The fog spread ethereally around the blond and redhead; the only two vivid beacons of colour in the grey mist surrounding them.

Once more, a funnel of wind spread across the battlefield; and this time, everybody tensed, not just the Loyalists, waiting to hear the words that would be carried by the Wind funnel, the words that would define the future of their nation.

"The Mizukage is dead! Long live the Mizukage!"


Author's Notes: FUCK YEEAAAAHH! How epic was that ending!

Here's a bit of story promotion: check out 'Pyrrhic Victory' by Infernezor. It has that gritty feeling that I tried (and so far failed) to add in my own story. He's the closest thing I have to a beta, and his work is fucking amazing. He was invaluable in helping me beta the scene with Danzō, so major thanks to him for giving me the kick up the arse that I needed.

Next time: Well, the next chapter is… special. It's entitled, 'Girl with One Eye'. It will. Rock. Your. World. I guarantee it! :D

Remember how I told you I had an awesome thought about the Uchiha Clan Massacre? Here it is! I read this story called 'The Reluctant Hokage' by Aishuu, and I thought to myself, 'Why didn't they make Itachi the Hokage? Is there any canon reason why he wasn't considered?' And to my surprise, there was. Huh. Guess Kishimoto didn't screw the pooch on that one. Weird.

Ugh, and Real Madrid won the Champions League. On one hand I'm delighted for Zenedine Zidane, on the other I'm sad for Atlético Madrid. Still, atleast neither of them have Jose Mourinho as manager. That would elevate them from twattery to utter cuntery (hint hint).

Oh, and we've finally crossed 1k reviews, officially making my story epicshitawesomesauce! I'm now only 5k reviews away from my target! Fuck yeah! :D

Here's a joke in honour of this momentous landmark!

She came to me during the night…

Licked me, bit me, sucked me, had her fill…

Then she left…

I was hurt…

.

Fucking mosquito.

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.

*cough*

.

.

SO! How did you like the chapter? The nice fluff between Mei and Nanashi at the start? Nanashi's highly anticipated talk with Danzō? Storyteller!Danzō? Mei's musings? The 'gift' she got from Nanashi? The Raiton Rasengan? And finally, how she epically finished the battle against Yagura? (Did you really think Nanashi was going to fight Yagura? Heh, have you been reading this story? This is Mei's turf!) I have kept up my awesome streak of replying to every review, so don't be shy about letting me know your thoughts! Review! Just like I will be reviewing the 89 new stories I added to my favourites section since we last spoke!

(I know, I said that my Patrons would get an early release, but I just couldn't leave the story on such a horrible cliffhanger. The 6-week thing will kick in after Mei's coronation. You're welcome! And as always, check out my Pat-reon crowdfunding campaign; details are on my profile page :))