Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed the previous chapter. This story is less than 300 away from the huge 10k mark and I'm honestly still so blown away by the incredible reception it has received. I hope you'll enjoy this update and the upcoming chapters. There'll be a lot of drama and action/fight sequences to look forward to. There is one track on my profile I listened to while typing the last scene. Happy reading!
Chapter LVIII
On a chessboard, their pieces play,
Moving back and forth, night and day,
A pawn steps left, a King steps right,
Squaring off in a deadly fight.
Beware the paths you do not know!
Treading places where you ought not go.
Sakura scowled as she inspected her reflection in the bathroom mirror. What was up with her hair? Why was it always falling out of any braid or ponytail she bound it in, lately? Why couldn't her locks be straight and perfect like Ino's – instead of wavy and disobedient, as if each strand possessed a will of its own? It seemed the longer she grew it out, the more rebellious it became.
Pulling a small hairbrush out from her handbag, she freed her tousled tresses from their elastic band and began to comb painstakingly through them, attempting to restore some order to her appearance. Once she was satisfied that she'd smoothed them over enough, she opted for a tight, chic bun. Returning the brush to her bag, she opened the tap to wash her hands before heading to her final lecture of the week.
A blonde girl from one of her lectures exited one of the toilet cubicles and caught Sakura's eye. She smiled politely at Sakura. Sakura didn't know her name, and they never otherwise spoke. She lowered her gaze back to scrubbing her hands.
So glad this week is over, she thought to herself as she lathered her palms with soap. It's been such a long one, and I need to make sure I find a dress tomorrow, so I can study on Sunday-
'I like your hair out a lot better,' a voice echoed in her mind. Sakura almost yelped in surprise, her eyes widening in disbelief.
'S-Suigetsu?!' she telepathically spluttered, her eyes darting to find his reflection. Anxiously, she looked over her shoulder. Two more of the toilet cubicles were occupied. Suigetsu had never communicated with her in a public place before. She didn't want anyone else to notice, or think she was loopy.
'Oh, relax. I know you're outside. I saw the cute blondie who just left. Just keep the water running and we can talk. Nobody's gonna see me, including you, so don't sweat it.'
Sakura pushed the soap dispenser, squeezing out a fresh application of sanitiser.
'For someone who's been spending ages trying to get me to answer, you sure don't seem happy to hear form me,' the ocean deity teased.
'Did you tell Cronus?' Sakura wasted no time communicating the thought that had caused her to lose sleep for two consecutive nights. 'Suigetsu, I haven't slept since you told me, this isn't a game, damn it!'
'It isn't? Then why the fuck am I having so much fun?' he snickered unsympathetically in her head.
Sakura bit her lower lip, internally frustrated and upset. Another girl, a brunette Sakura didn't know, exited a toilet cubicle, washed her hands and then proceeded to freshen her makeup.
Sakura dispensed a third application of soap and pretended to wash her hands – again.
'Okay, okay. I admit; it was kinda mean of me to leave you hanging like that, all worried,' the sea king's voice conceded. 'But… you can relax. I've decided not to tell Cronus about your little secret – for now, anyway.'
Instantaneous relief flooded through Sakura, rushing over her so strongly that she had to lean forward against the sink counter to physically steady herself. It was like an enormous weight had been lifted off her shoulders. He'd had no idea just how anxious she had been.
"Oh, thank you," she whispered.
The girl to her left paused, giving her an odd look, but quickly turned back to her makeup.
Realising she'd inadvertently spoken out loud, Sakura communicated in her mind once again, 'For now? You mean that you still might? Suigetsu! I already told you, if he ever find out-'
'For now, your interests and mine are lined up all nice and pretty. So long as they do, you've got nothing to worry about. If that ever changes… well. I guess you'd know if it did." His chuckle echoed in her head, before he abruptly ended, 'Got places to be. See ya!'
Sakura yanked the tap shut with more force than was necessary.
"Umm," the girl beside her, who was now applying her lip-gloss, and had been watching Sakura out the corner of her eye, spoke up. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Sakura chirped, plastering a wide, false smile on her face, then practically dove out the bathroom to save herself any further embarrassment. Everything was okay, she told herself. Suigetsu hadn't informed Cronus yet, and wouldn't for the time-being. That bought her more time to think of a way to permanently convince him not to ever share what he knew. At least her fears were alleviated - for now.
"Hey," Kenju greeted, as she re-joined him in the hallway outside the restrooms. "You ready to grab a bite before we wrap it up for another week? Club Nine has their Friday special today, and I'm getting you that milkshake you love."
Sakura smiled despite herself. It was refreshing to be around someone who was normal, who had such normal thoughts and was oblivious to the dangers Sakura knew were all too real. At least with Kenji, she could imagine what 'normal' felt like – even if it was ultimately like playing pretend. No matter how normal their budding relationship was, it would never alter the fact Sakura was different.
"Lead the way," she replied.
"I see…" Jiraiya said, rubbing at his chin thoughtfully after hearing the news that Sai had just finished relaying to them; the High Council intended to go ahead with a trail regardless of whether or not they made a formal case against Sasuke.
They were gathered at Kakashi's house, seated around the modestly sized kitchen table. Sai had chosen to communicate the information to the deities who had secured Sakura's release first; he knew all too well how eager Tsunade would be to allow a trial to take place, and had thought it wise to tell Kakashi, Naruto and Jiraiya before the others.
Naruto slammed a fist against the table's wooden surface. "Damn it!" he cursed. "We gave Sasuke our word. We need to do something!"
Kakashi sighed deeply. "It's true. Sasuke agreed that avoiding trial was one of the conditions."
"Perhaps we should simply tell them this," Jiraya deliberated.
"They'd likely ask further questions," Kakashi shook his head.
"That wretched Danzo," Jiraiya frowned. "What's made him crawl out of his self-isolated hole all of a sudden and take interest in such matters?"
"He must suspect that Sasuke may somehow know the truth about Sakura," his masked friend supplied. "That must be it. Remember, he has his ROOT division deployed everywhere. They must have caught word of something. And if he believes that, then he'll view Sasuke as even more of a threat and have the leverage he's always wanted to finally deal with him."
ROOT was a secretive, underground faction comprised of highly-skilled human fighters who carried out missions under Danzo's orders. Only the highest calibre of warriors were selected to train and graduate as members. Upon initiation into the group, they were sworn to strict confidentiality, answering only to Danzo himself. They remained hidden in the shadows, stationed in all places to keep watch, spy and obtain intelligence which would be relayed to their Leader. Their sole purpose was to protect Konoha's best interests, including taking out anyone who potentially posed even a remote threat to the village, even if they hadn't actually physically acted against it.
Danzo had always considered Sasuke to be more than a potential or remote threat, simply because of his bloodline and previous involvement in the war against the surface gods.
"So what are we gonna do?" Naruto demanded. "We can't let a trial happen. We had a deal and so far, Sasuke's upheld his end."
"Naruto," Jiraiya began slowly. "Maybe we can let the trial take place-"
"What?!" Naruto exploded, his cerulean eyes widening in disbelief. "Are you crazy?!"
"Hear me out, Naruto!" his elder reprimanded. "We'll brief Sasuke beforehand of the entire process, and ensure he verifies the same information we gave the Council. All witnesses stick to the same story. They'll have nothing on him. A light slap on the wrist, for taking a mortal to his Kingdom."
Naruto stood up, eyes ablaze. "A slap on the wrist? Danzo's disapproved of Sasuke forever. He won't just let this be a routine hearing. They'll tie him up in chakra chains. You think Sasuke will just let that happen?!"
"Naruto is right," Kakashi rubbed at the back of his neck. "Sasuke is extremely volatile, and he won't accept it. If anything for his pride."
"He doesn't have a choice," Jiraiya pointed out sternly. "They can summon him unwillingly using their summoning scrolls. Don't forget that the old crone Chiyo is also a member of the High Council, though chooses to supervise matters remotely from her home in the Underworld."
Naruto internally cursed. The summoning scrolls in possession of High Council members had been powerful tools bestowed by his mother and father. They allowed any deity to be summoned to court to face justice and a fair trial. The summoning involved the use of a set of simple hand-seals, as well as a smear of the deity in question's blood. Did they possess Sasuke's blood? If they didn't, he was sure they'd have no trouble obtaining it with Granny Chiyo stationed in Sasuke's kingdom.
"The second he stands before court, those chains will be automatically set on him," Jiraiya was going on. "So we have only two choices; we either inform him beforehand so he is prepared, or we wait for the Council to force him to the surface. Think, Naruto! He'll hate both, but which one is likely to anger him more?"
Naruto kicked his chair aside in frustration. "Damn it. Damn it, they'll lock him up! The minimal sentence is in a chakra isolation unit for a week. Knowing that slime-ball Danzo, he'll push to extend it for as long as possible!"
"Danzo has no authority to do so," Jiraiya folded his arms, regarding Naruto steadily. "Sasuke has the Underworld to run. It'll be a matter of days, at most, and whatever other sanction the Council agree on that they deem is suitable for the offence."
"And when they find out about the seeds Sakura-chan ate?" Naruto glared. "You don't think they'll hand out heavier sanctions?"
"That's something we need to think about," Kakashi agreed. "If we can get Sakura to testify that she consumed them willingly, he won't be punished for it."
"Danzo can't impose anything else, even if he personally wishes it. The High Council is just; they don't allow personal grudges to sway the outcome of judgement," Jiraiya reminded them. "Besides, perhaps having Sasuke in confinement might allow us an opportunity to speak to him about other matters, too. He may have information that is valuable to us."
"He won't even accept a day, are you serious?" Naruto gestured incredulously. "If we break our end of the deal, then he has no reason to hold to his, and can take Sakura-chan right back! Am I the only one seeing how insane this plan it? Sasuke will lose it!"
"He won't," Kakashi surprised Naruto, speaking with conviction. "Sasuke is smart, and he'll be aware that he can be summoned without warning. If we make him understand that this is unavoidable, he'll want it out the way as quickly as possible, with the least amount of inconvenience to him."
"And now that he does know what Sakura really is, he'll know that returning her to the Underworld before the start of spring will have terrible consequences for the surface – as well as her own wellbeing," Jiraiya added. "You believe he cares for her, you said? Let's see if that belief holds sway."
Naruto raked his hands stressfully through his spiky blond hair. "He'll get back at us another way. Damnit. We have an understanding. I don't want to upset that!"
"Perhaps we can talk to Sasuke-san about this development first," Sai, who had been listening intently in silence, suddenly piped up. "After all we could not have predicted Danzo's interference. Perhaps he could supply an alternative. It was mainly Danzo pushing for the trial. I believe the other two would be willing to let it slide – with the right persuasion and explanation."
The room fell silent at that, as the other three exchanged glances and considered the idea.
And as they then began to discuss this course of action amongst themselves, Sai allowed himself to think of the things he hadn't chosen to let them know. Not yet. Such as Danzo's strange bitterness when speaking Minato's name. His claim that he would take matters into his own hands and address the problem of Sasuke.
The Messenger had his suspicions, but before he could confirm them, he needed to do some of his own research. His role afforded him the ability to obtain information covertly, too. He'd worked with helping train Danzo's ROOT soldiers for a brief time in the past. He'd also had experience in spying himself. And he knew enough about the mysterious Elder to know when something didn't quite sit right. But what were Danzo's motives? Why was he so desperate to imprison Sasuke?
Sai didn't have the answers – but vowed that he was going to find out.
Stones crunched beneath his feet as he slowly followed the curve of the tunnel, a deep frown settling on his brow when the stench of rancid, damp air hit him. What was that damned forsaken smell? He ventured onwards, displeased yet thoroughly unsurprised.
After all, he knew all about the owner of the facility's penchant for grotesque experimentation and bodily mutilations. It was to be expected that the laboratory would smell either offensively clinical or equally as offensively horrendous when in active use.
As he arrived at the opening of the cavern and stepped inside, his gaze settled on endless rows of large, water-filled cylinders that lined the dimly-lit space, from which extended tubes that pumped strange looking liquid. He stood for a moment, sizing up the facility, his keen mind always evaluating, ever calculating.
He wasn't alone long. The serpent he had come to visit soon made his presence known, detecting the intruder long before he had set foot inside the laboratory.
"Welcome," he greeted. "How unexpected. Yet what an honour it iss for you grace us with your presence…"
The unanticipated arrival did not immediately respond, ignoring his host as he walked closer to the tanks, peering at what was contained within them. Pale figures. Some discernible as humans of various ages – and others, undistinguishable in form.
"I see you are still dabbling in the forbidden arts," he gruffly remarked.
"That has not changed. But I do not believe you have come to discusss my work," his host answered, moving to stand behind him.
"On the contrary. It is precisely what I have come to discuss."
His host's golden eyes rested keenly on his face as turned back to face him.
"I have a proposition," the visitor continued. "Agree to it, and I offer you the service of my subjects, and a location to conduct your research that far exceeds this one, with superior facilities and countless test subjects to experiment on to your heart's content."
A small smile slowly graced his host's lips. Followed by the flick of a forked, serpentine tongue. "I am lisstening…"
Karin sat on a flattened boulder, securing her supplies whilst trying not to focus on the apprehension that fluttered through her veins. She had never personally met Madara Uchiha, or Cronus, as he had been named in the days of old – but she'd certainly heard enough about his war-mongering, incredible battle prowess and heartlessness to feel less than thrilled at the prospect of encountering him for the first time.
After selecting their weapons the previous day, Sasuke had dismissed them back to their posts, and Karin had spent all of the following one fretting about the meeting. She couldn't place precisely why she had such a bad feeling about it, yet an ominous sense of foreboding had plagued her, even as she repeatedly tried to dismiss it as down to merely overthinking things.
Now it was almost time for them to make the climb to Olympus. She knew it was forbidden for anyone to go up there and communicate with Cronus. Even Sasuke himself was technically not permitted to ascend to its summit. And yet here they were, about to do exactly that.
What if Madara attacked them? It had been so long since Karin had engaged in combat of any kind. She trusted that Sasuke had planned everything meticulously, of course – but what if something happened that he'd somehow overlooked?
Stop worrying, you idiot, she internally reprimanded herself. Do you want Sasuke to think you're a nervous wreck? Now's your chance to prove to him that he can rely on you. Don't blow it!
"You know," a teasing voice cut into her thoughts, causing her to stiffen, "you've checked your supplies like five times already. Nothing new is gonna just appear in your pack. Is someone feeling a little bit antsy?"
"Just shut up," she muttered in response, in no mood to engage in childish arguing.
To her surprise, Suigetsu's tone turned serious. "Yeah. Well. I'd be lying if I didn't admit I'm feeling a bit on edge, too."
She blinked, and looked at him cautiously. He was sitting on another boulder, wrapped in the same long grey cloak she and Juugo had been given to wear. They'd assembled near the boats again, but the continuous influx of souls did not disturb them. Sasuke was standing a short distance away, instructing some other minions to cover their posts before they left the Underworld.
"This is Cronus. That fucker is crazy. And I'm not talking about your level of crazy, Karin. Or Juugo's level of crazy. Or even Sasuke's crazy-crazy. Cronus is on a whole other level of bat-shit insane. He's got a seal on him, and that stops him from probably attacking us directly, but I'm pretty sure he'll try something else shady. I'd feel a lot better if we actually knew what this trade was about, but someone won't tell us."
Juugo looked at the sea god. "We must be prepared for combat, as Lord Sasuke has commanded," he replied softly.
Suigetsu snorted. "You do know that's why Sasuke's taking us up there with him, right? We're the reinforcements." Grinning, he added, "Actually, it's kinda funny. Never would've thought he'd need backup for anything." Turning his head slightly to look back at the death deity over his shoulder, he mused, "Maybe he's not so invincible, after all."
"If something-" Karin began awkwardly, then cleared her throat, and went on, "if something does go wrong, we can just warp out of there… right?"
"Yeah," Suigetsu answered, turning to look at her again. "Least I will. If you suckers wanna stick around and dance with danger, that's really not my problem at a-"
"We stick together," Sasuke's voice interjected as he rejoined them. Casting a subtle, yet pointed glance at Suigetsu, he added, "As agreed."
Suigetsu knew what he meant. If he wanted Samehada, he had to play nice.
"Tch. Fine," he rolled his eyes and rose to his feet. "Let's just get this shit over with, then."
"How are we getting up there?" Karin questioned, as she stood to join them. She'd never even been to Olympus. "Do we need to pass the stairs?"
"…" Sasuke's onyx eyes flicked briefly onto her.
"Wow," the water deity gave her a contemptuous look, articulating what he was pretty certain Sasuke was also thinking. "You thought we were gonna walk there? Go on a little road-trip? Hahaha! You dumbass, naïve bitch! Then again, you've not left this gloomy haunt in forever, so it's no wonder you're so clueless."
"Shut up!" she stammered, blushing fiercely, embarrassed to look stupid before her not-so-secret crush.
"Enough," Sasuke clipped, "Are you ready?"
Juugo, Karin and Suigetsu exchanged glances.
"I am ready," Juugo affirmed.
"Yes, ready!" Karin nodded, straightening her glasses, her jaw set in determination.
"Bring it on!" Suigetsu grinned.
Showing absolutely no sign of being apprehensive or troubled by the prospect of seeing Madara in the flesh, Sasuke then ordered, "Hold onto me."
Suigetsu stepped forward and placed a hand on the death deity's left shoulder. Juugo took hold of his other shoulder. Karin's heart leapt when Sasuke's dark eyes then met hers and he wordlessly extended his right arm; a rare instance of permitting her to touch him. She took advantage of the invitation and linked her arm through his, pressing close to his side, holding on tight.
A second later, they were enveloped in a spinning, rushing vortex of pale blue light and blinked out of sight, all of Sasuke's minions and souls oblivious to their departure.
All - except one.
"So, we're on for shopping, tomorrow?" Ino chatted on loudspeaker, as Sakura, who had been glad to return home and end the week, finished braiding her freshly washed hair and knelt by her wardrobe, pulling open the drawers at the bottom to find comfortable pyjamas to change into.
"Yeah, what time are we going?" she questioned, frowning at the contents of the drawer. It was a mess of jumbled clothes that she really needed to find time to sort. Ugh, she internally groaned. Maybe Ino could come over and do it for her?
"I told the girls to meet us at the shopping mall for 8:30AM," Ino said cheerfully.
"What?" Sakura whined. "Ino! It's my day off… I need to sleep!"
"You can sleep on Sunday," Ino dismissed. "The earlier we go tomorrow, the more time we have to find something. There're so many cute boutique dress stores there. It's going to be so much fun."
"Are the shops even open at that time?" Sakura complained unhappily, as she rummaged through the clothing. Her gaze was then caught by a flash of cream.
"They open at nine. We'll have time to grab some breakfast together beforehand. Stop whinging, Forehead! You asked me to help you, and that's what I'm going to do!"
"Ugh, fine," Sakura answered, as she pulled out the yellow item. It was the skirt she had worn to the Spring Festival, which had been carelessly stuffed into her drawer upon her return. She couldn't even remember putting it there. Everything had been such a blur when she'd first gotten back.
It was the skirt she had worn on the day Sasuke had stolen her from the surface, into the darkness of his Kingdom.
She tuned Ino out as her friend chattered away, pulling the clothing out. It was crumpled, and needed ironing, but was otherwise clean. Sakura considered throwing it out. Maybe… maybe it was best if she didn't keep it, she thought, moving her hand slightly to scrunch the skirt up into a ball – only to feel something beneath the fabric. Surprised, she remembered that the skirt had discreetly concealed pockets, and she fished her hand in – to feel something cold and hard against her skin.
She pulled the item out – and gasped, her pulse immediately quickening.
It was the bracelet that Sasuke had gifted to her for her birthday. The one with gold cut leaves and exquisite emerald gems. The one he'd forged himself.
She stared at it, open-mouthed, overcome by its beauty, and the memory of the moment he had clasped it onto her wrist.
How had this ended up in her pocket? She supposed Ume had maybe put it there, so that Sakura could remember them. It seemed like something the sweet-natured little maid would do.
Running her thumb gently over the glinting emeralds, Sakura felt tears sting at her eyes. And she didn't even know why.
It only made her angry. She wanted to throw the skirt and the bracelet out. And yet she knew – she couldn't. She wouldn't.
"Sakura?!" Ino shrieked, jolting her friend back to attention.
"Uh… what?" she said stupidly, still unable to look away from the bracelet in her hand.
"What are you doing? I asked about Ken; are you even listening to me?!"
"Yeah. Sorry. Say that again? I was just looking for something to wear," she hastily pulled out the first piece of nightwear she found; a blue and white plaid set.
As Ino sighed and repeated her question, Sakura bit her lower lip, and after a moment of hesitation, placed the bracelet back in the skirt pocket, the skirt back in the drawer, and closed the drawer shut.
"You are late," Madara admonished, as the serpent slunk out of the shadows behind him. "He'll be arriving any minute."
As he spoke the words, he sensed the dense coils of dark, tumultuous energy that formed Sasuke's signature chakra, alighting on Olympus.
"They are already here," Orochimaru corrected.
"They?" Madara turned to look at his subject, who smirked deeply.
"Clever young Sasuke hasss not come alone…"
The rushing vortex of light abruptly dispelled, and Karin felt woozy as her feet touched solid ground once again. They'd travelled so rapidly, in a whirl of such blinding light and movement that she'd kept her eyes squeezed shut the entire time, feeling sick to her stomach.
Letting out a breath, she stumbled backward, as Sasuke quickly detached his arm out her hold. A hand on her back steadied her, and she glanced to her left to find Suigetsu, smirking in amusement at her obvious disorientation.
"Don't pass out on me just yet," he mocked, before stepping around her and following after Sasuke. Gulping, she stomped after him indignantly. He never ever ceased to be annoying- but her train of thought trailed off as she caught sight of their surroundings.
They'd alighted in a large, square courtyard made entirely of what she imagined was once pristine, majestic white marble. But it was in disrepair, the flowers there wilted, weeds growing unkempt, the marble spoiled and marred with dirt, cracks and debris. A once magnificent fountain depicting angels that stood in the middle of the courtyard had almost completely dried out, nothing but stale water contained within its wide dish. The area was worn away by the ravages of time – and yet it was equally as impressive that most of the surrounding fluted pillars flanking cracked, faded doors that led to various routes, still stood at all.
Juugo walked silently behind her, observing the environment with an almost child-like curiosity.
"Geez," Suigetsu commented, as they climbed up a set of steps that led to a long marble walkway. "This place is a mess. I guess Cronus doesn't pay anyone to keep up the gardening, huh?"
Constructed to bridge the gap between the courtyard and the next section in what had once been Zeus and Hera's magnificent palace, the breezeway they walked over boasted arched openings on both sides and an enclosed roof that bore beautiful sun crests and mosaic artwork. Karin peered over the edge of the windowless openings, seeing nothing but a sea of clouds underneath them.
She quickly looked away. She hated heights. Picking up pace, she fell into step just behind Sasuke, who strode confidently ahead, clearly fully aware of where he was headed.
"So uh," Suigetsu made small-talk, "what happened up here, anyway? I mean, I know he got trapped up here by a seal, but whatever happened to that demon fox he summoned?"
Sasuke blinked, not breaking stride. "It was sealed," he answered.
"Yeah? In what? Where?"
To that, he was met with silence.
"I guess nobody knows, nobody was up here. What about Zeus and Hera? Did they just die up here?" Suigetsu wondered. "Nobody really knows exactly what went down, do they?"
"…" Sasuke did not respond. His companions were about to be met with a huge shock upon arrival to the throne room. He had the feeling that wouldn't be the only surprise of the gathering. But he had fastidiously planned for every eventuality, had a clear exit strategy in case a hasty retreat was necessary. He couldn't afford to overthink or second-guess anymore. He needed to be absolutely focused, to pay full attention at this meeting.
There was no room for error; there could be no mistakes.
Just one miscalculation in Madara's presence could be deadly, and Sasuke knew it.
He led his unit through another stretching breezeway, which connected to a large, open hallway, supported by pillars that climbed up to an arching, mosaic-decorated ceiling. Zeus's palace had been renowned for possessing no glass windows. Everything was light, airy, bright and open. It was always sunny on Olympus; or at least, it had been in the past, when Apollo had resided there. Now the once perfectly azure sky was an ashy, murky grey.
"What was it like?" Karin wondered aloud. "Before?"
"This place? It was seriously cool way back," Suigetsu supplied. "All the surface gods would congregate here. This was one of the many assembly rooms. It's a really huge palace. I can't remember where everything is exactly, but I think Sasuke's brought us in through the East wing."
"West," Sasuke corrected absently.
"Oh. Yeah, well, anyway, there are four different sections, and we landed in the middle of one of them."
Karin's eyes widened as they passed crumbled statues and ruins. "The seat of the gods…" she exhaled.
"You've really never been up here?" the ocean deity gave her an incredulous look. "Not even once?"
"I'm a water nymph, stupid," she scoffed. "Why would I ever be allowed in here?"
"Oh yeah," he shrugged. "I guess you're not important enough."
"Suigetsu," Sasuke warned, his voice echoing in the large open space.
"Okay, okay! Am I the only one who's a little bit weirded out by this? We're meeting your psycho great, great, great grandpa, or- what is he to you anyway?"
Sasuke did not respond as they climbed up another set of steps, and came to a stop before a magnificent, enormous pair of blue double doors embossed with gold filigree swirls and a huge, golden sun crest.
The throne room of Olympus.
He glanced back at his companions, who had all grown quiet and still. As if they understood. Then he stepped forward – only for the doors to part before he could even touch them. Without hesitation, he strode into the spacious, circular shaped room.
The throne room was contained within cracked, damaged white-stone walls, the perimeter of the room encircled with once majestic tall pillars. Many of them had fallen and were badly damaged, laying in ruins along with fallen tapestries. The floor was sweeping white marble, embossed with the same sun crest that decorated the rest of the palace, its bronze and gold painted rays branching out across the entire length of the circular floor. Velvet curtains hung limply from the tall, open, cathedral-shaped windows that were set in the wall, above which was the dome shaped roof, richly painted with beautifully detailed murals depicting heroic scenes from old lore. An enormous golden chandelier hung from it, battered and thrown off-tilt, most of its formerly glittering crystal decorations shattered or missing.
The room was brightly lit with a large, floating white orb of light that hovered above the chandelier. Sasuke came to a stop in the centre of the room. Madara was nowhere in sight. His eyes then sought out the crystals that held the encased forms of Minato and Kushina.
Sure enough, they were there, ghostly figures contained on the left side of the room. Broken columns littered the floor around them. The crystals glowed eerily – a reminder of Cronus's last act of full power before his abilities had been restricted.
It, Sasuke noted, had been no trick.
Suigetsu, who had also caught sight of the strange, jagged cocoon, walked toward the crystals curiously. "Hey," he exclaimed. "What's this?"
Sasuke saw a moment of fleeting confusion pass over the ocean deity's face; before his purple eyes widened in shock, staggered disbelief etching itself all over his features. For a minute, he was rendered completely speechless, could do nothing but gape up at the sight of Zeus and his Queen, lifelessly floating within their unbreakable prison.
Karin, who had wandered over to inspect it too, sucked in a sharp breath.
"Isn't that-!?"
"Holy shit!" Suigetsu shook his head, looking horrified. "Fuck! Sasuke!" he threw a wild look at the death deity, bewildered to find that Sasuke stood perfectly composed. "Have you seen this? Holy shit, it's Zeus! And Hera. What the actual fuck? How is that possible?!"
"As foul mouthed as ever," a deep voice resonated across the room. "But yes, those are indeed their physical bodies, perfectly preserved."
Suigetsu and Karin tensed, turning away from the crystals to return quickly to Sasuke's side, as Madara entered the room from another door located behind the throne.
And he did not enter alone. Two individuals followed, clad in black cloaks, materialising from thick smoke, and took their stations at the base of the flared marble steps that climbed up to one of two golden thrones that Madara now occupied. Thrones that had long since lost their hallowed shine and light.
Orochimaru, Sasuke registered, and his disfigured, no longer fully human puppet Kabuto, who appeared to have made a full recovery from his previous ailment. It was hard to tell – his features were mostly concealed in shadows from the heavy hood he wore on his head.
His eyes then moved back to the top of the stairs that led to the plinth that had formerly been the seat of power of Zeus and Hera.
Madara spread his arms in what Sasuke knew to be a sardonic gesture of welcome. Dressed in black, on top of which were red armour plates, the Elder Uchiha appeared as ready for battle as ever. His long raven hair tumbled behind his back, spiking and unruly in its strands.
He hadn't aged a day.
"At last. My descendent himself comes to stand before me, in the very flesh. And I see he has brought some friends. Well met, ocean king," he nodded to Suigetsu, who, on a rare instance, chose to heed Sasuke's instructions and remained quiet.
Madara turned his attention to Karin and Juugo. "How curious. I cannot say I recognise the other two of your company. I must admit, I did not expect you to bring anyone else-"
"That is Juugo," Orochimaru spoke. "An old tesst subject of mine, who managed to escape our laboratoriess. I had wondered where he had ended up… though I believe I already erased all memoriesss of his time with uss…"
"Your business is with me," Sasuke interrupted him coldly.
"Yes. But might we not catch up ahead of business?" Madara gestured. "It has been such a long time, and you have grown into a fine deity, indeed-"
"The trade," Sasuke again interjected, dismissing any attempt of small talk. From the corner of his vision, he could feel the serpent's stare as it fixated far too keenly on him, and made a point of purposefully ignoring him.
"Very well," Madara regarded Sasuke levelly. "We agreed to sign an accord, did we not? In blood, a binding contract."
"I will sign nothing," Sasuke retorted, "until I'm sure you have what I want."
The elder Uchiha looked down to his right, and nodded at Orochimaru, who lifted a small vial. "Thiss contains the plasma cells of senju DNA. Directly extracted from the sourcess, as agreed."
Suigetsu frowned lightly, his mind sprinting to make sense of the situation. Why did Sasuke want senju DNA? What did the creepy snake mean, from the sources? Had they been taken from Zeus and Hera? What was going on?
"We can make the trade right now, as Orochimaru was able to extract them faster than expected," Madara nodded. "But first, the phial owed to us."
The death deity's eyes narrowed. "The DNA first."
Madara chuckled softly. It was not an amused sound. "And how do I know you won't make a hasty exit as soon as it is in your possession, boy?" he questioned.
In response, Sasuke reached into his supplies pouch, and retrieved a small phial from it. "Do you want this or not?" he demanded.
Karin looked nervously from the God of the Dead to the Elder Uchiha. She could sense Madara's chakra signature, greatly diminished in potency, but malicious and chaotic all the same. He was staring hard at Sasuke, clearly displeased by his descendant's stubbornness and unashamed insolence. She thought that anyone else would surely have trouble holding such a terrible stare – and yet Sasuke stared right back, his chin proudly lifted, unblinking, unflinching.
Pride swelled in her chest. He was just too cool.
"Hn," Madara's eyes lowered, and he flicked his wrist slightly. "Very well. Hand him the phial."
Orochimaru stepped forward.
"Throw it," Sasuke's hard-edged voice made him stop in his tracks. He didn't want the snake anywhere near him.
Orochimaru smiled, but did as he was bid, and threw the small ampoule at the death deity, who swiftly snatched it from the air.
"Karin," he stated, and tossed it to the nymph in turn, who tensed in surprise, but caught it. Keeping his gaze trained carefully on Madara, Sasuke instructed, "Verify it."
She nodded, pulling the stopper off the phial. As it came out, it revealed an internal syringe. Raising it to her nose, she inhaled it, her tracking abilities immediately allowing her to identify the chakra's nature.
"There's no doubt; this is definitely senju DNA, Sasuke!" she confirmed.
Orochimaru's eyes slid to Karin as he noted her quick evaluation with interest.
"You see," Madara cocked his head. "Delivered, as agreed. Pure senju cells. Now, it is your turn. Give us what is owed to us."
Sasuke held out his hand, and Karin handed him the syringe. Slipping it into his supplies pouch to examine more closely later, he flicked the sample phial at Orochimaru, who caught it and lifted the stopper in turn.
"You will not mind if we verify it in turn," Madara smiled, a cold smile that did not reach his eyes.
Orochimaru handed the vial to Kabuto. Sasuke glanced at him; he was barely recognisable, only half his face visible, bearing strange, scale-like markings, but from what he could make out, Kabuto looked pale and sickly.
He lifted and opened his left hand, revealing something dark in his palm. Soil? Sasuke guessed. Then Kabuto deposited a single drop of sample into the handful of earth, and waited.
When nothing immediately happened, Madara opened his mouth to speak – but then something sprouted from the soil in Kabuto's hand. A small, white plant root that grew in a coiling spiral for a few inches, before stopping.
Kabuto smiled widely. "It is the sample, Orochimaru-sama," he confirmed.
"Excellent," Madara rose from his throne. "And now, for the remainder of our agreement. You will bring Naruto to me. For this, I require a blood-promise. The most sacred between the gods."
"Naruto?" Suigetsu hissed under his breath, shooting a sceptical, sidelong glance at Sasuke. Then telepathically, he demanded, 'What the fuck are you up to, Sasuke? What's Naruto got to do with all this? Does he even know this freak has his parents locked up here?'
Sasuke blinked, ignoring him, because he'd seen Orochimaru move. The serpent began to circle the room slowly. Kabuto moved the opposite way.
"What did I tell you?" Sasuke's voice rang out threateningly "If the serpent moves, all deals are off."
"You needn't fret," Madara remarked. "Orochimaru will not trouble you, as agreed. However, it seems he has taken a somewhat keen interest in your companions."
"A tracker nymph…" Orochimaru rasped, his golden eyes locked onto Karin, who flinched at his unwanted attention. "Such an ability would indeed aid in my ressearch."
"Wh-what?!" she exclaimed, immediately alarmed.
"Join us," Madara invited. "Join our cause, and we will ensure you are all amply rewarded."
"And what cause is that?" Suigetsu demanded, risking Sasuke's wrath by ignoring his orders to keep his mouth shut. "Because I'm willing to bet all my oceans it's one that benefits you most at everyone else's expense. You almost fucked up my territory once. I haven't forgotten that."
Madara chuckled softly, but once more, it wasn't a genuinely amused sound. He was looking at Suigetsu like he was imagining ways to torture the ocean's deity in the most horrendous ways imaginable.
"Nor have I," he simply offered.
This irked the sea god. "I've heard all about your weird experiments and how you treat your so-called 'research subjects'," he pointed disrespectfully at Orochimaru. "You made that freak of nature over there," he gestured at Kabuto, "and you fucked up Juugo in the past too, though the poor little shit doesn't remember any of it."
Juugo looked back and forth between the two, confused.
"So if joining your cause means you'll be sticking some tubes in us and injecting us with weird shit to tamper with our heads, then forget it. You're not taking any more cells from anyone here, creep." Surprising Karin, he added, "So back the fuck off, or do I need to make you?" He drew his hefty blade in warning.
Orochimaru smiled sinisterly. "I gave my word not to trouble Sasuke-kun," his tongue stroked over the death deity's name, attaching the affectionate suffix. It made Sasuke's skin crawl. "But I cannot pass up the chance to acquire such rare cells. Juugo was my sworn subject and belongsss to me. Together with the girl, they would be an excellent addition to our army…"
Sasuke's hateful glare was positively deadly as he met Madara's smirking gaze.
"Come, now, Sasuke. There is no need to look at me in such a way. What are two inconsequential minions to a great King? Let us discuss our business and make our agreed pact in private. Let's leave them here to have a little fun."
It wasn't what they had agreed, and Sasuke was furious at how low Madara had stooped. Targeting his unit instead of him was no different to attacking the death deity personally.
They couldn't have planned it. They hadn't known that Sasuke was bringing anyone else with him.
His mind raced. It was Orochimaru who was deciding to capitalize on the situation – the snake who was bending the rules of their agreement. He deliberated taking him out right then and there. Madara couldn't engage in combat. If Suigetsu, Juugo and Karin could keep Kabuto busy-
He saw snakes slither out from beneath the arms of Kabuto's cloak. Orochimaru's gaze was far too intense as he closed in on Karin, who shrieked and lost her cool, flinging flying shuriken at the serpent – at the exact point Kabuto lunged forward at Juugo, the snakes that were in place of the human hands he'd had before surging forward, extending to wrap around the taller man.
"Lord Sasuke!" Juugo began, growing increasingly agitated, his mind at war between obeying his master's previous instructions not to engage unless given the signal, and the threat that had quite literally wrapped itself around him.
Suigetsu leapt forward, and hacked at Kabuto's arms. The snakes were sliced off, fell to the floor wriggling and writhing before they melted out of sight – but to his revulsion, swiftly regrew, doubling in amount.
"What the fuck?!" he yelled, and aimed a savage swipe straight at Kabuto's head – only to watch in shock as the doctor liquidized before his eyes, raining into a puddle on the ground which he quickly rose out of again.
"Kukukuku," Orochimaru cackled. "You see, the wonders of my research, and how much I can achieve with the right samples? This particular technique would not have been possible had it not been for Suigetsu's kind donation…"
'You fool,' Sasuke mentally snarled at the ocean deity, who bristled in rage. What had he been thinking, making a deal with Orochimaru?
"Son of a bitch!" Suigetsu shouted, and charged straight at Orochimaru, who rapidly dissipated into a pile of snakes, before reappearing behind Karin.
She screamed, stabbing at him with a dagger. "Don't touch me, demon!"
"I'm gonna slice that head off your shoulders, freak!" Suigetsu flung himself forward, driving his blade upwards with great force to push Orochimaru backwards.
Sasuke watched, his dark eyes bleeding to red. Still he did not move, as the fight continued around him.
"What will you do, Sasuke?" Madara questioned, watching the death deity like a hawk. "If you engage in combat with my minions, then they will be forced to defend, and that will break our pact."
"You have already broken it," Sasuke hissed. "Karin and Juugo were not part of the deal."
"Precisely," Madara's smile was cruel. "Their safety was not."
"Guahh!" Juugo grabbed at his head, losing himself to rage. His body began to contort, his left arm mutating, expanding. He whirled manically, swinging a devastating punch at Kabuto, who once again liquidized out of harm's way.
"Ah, so he still retainsss my gifts…" Orochimaru observed, openly pleased.
Damn it, Sasuke thought. He needed to physically get to the others to warp them out-
"I tire of your indecision," Madara spoke insidiously. "Come with me to sign our pact, or leave, Sasuke. I will accept your companions as the remainder of our trade. With their abilities added to my arsenal, I will have the means to acquire Naruto myself. You have no further use for them."
Sasuke glowered at him, a glare full of murderous rage. Madara knew full well he wouldn't leave the others for Orochimaru to corrupt. He realised too late that Naruto had never really been part of the agreement. If Sasuke hadn't brought the others, Madara would have commanded his minions to try to subdue and capture him instead. Anything that gave him an edge in his twisted plans for world domination.
"Flee, boy," Madara sneered. "Before I change my mind."
"Sasuke!" Suigetsu yelled. "I'm getting Karin and Juggo out of he- fuck!" he barely avoided a hissing serpent that Orochimaru had summoned, and was pushed away from his two comrades by an onslaught of countless other flying snakes, forced back into hacking combat.
Cold fury swept through the death deity. In a heartbeat he had unsheathed Kusanagi and flickered behind Kabuto before he could disperse into water, stabbing straight through his gut, swiftly channelling a devastating stream of lightening energy that caused the scientist's body to convulse violently.
"Gaaaah!" Kabuto screamed, shaking uncontrollably, his body assaulted by electrical voltages so extreme, that his skin began to smoke and peel.
"Kabuto!" Orochimaru called, his golden snake-eyes widening. It was evident that he hadn't expected Sasuke to enter the fight at all, and was momentarily caught off-guard.
"Yes…" Madara's eyes widened. There it was. This was what he had been waiting to see. How fast Sasuke could move, his battle prowess. How agile and powerful that body was – a glimpse into his potential.
Wrenching the blade violently out of Kabuto's stomach, he kicked his twisting body aside and directed the course of zig-zagging chakra along his right arm, meaning to aim an obliterating lightning strike straight at Orochimaru – only to freeze, as his companions all fell to the floor on their knees without warning, their bodies quivering, straining against an invisible force.
What…? Sasuke thought, his mind running a frightening blank for a split-second as he stared at them in confusion.
"Khhhn…" Suigetsu, the strongest out of them, struggled to look up, leaning heavily on his blade. "Gen…jutsu…" he bit out, fighting to break free, overwhelmed with how powerful the illusion that had slammed into them so abruptly was.
Sasuke's head snapped to the right, his eyes glaring accusingly at Madara – but the Elder simply raised a dark brow his way. Then it hit Sasuke.
His Sharingan was not engaged.
Neither had he witnessed Orochimaru or Kabuto form any genjutsu hand seals.
How…?
"All deals," Madara's smile was utterly predatory, "are off."
Sasuke blinked - then tensed as he detected a sudden blur of movement to his left. He instinctively ducked, narrowly avoiding a set of glowing chakra chains that extended out to catch him. Hopping nimbly back once, he looked up, trying to locate its source - only to be forced to dive out the way again as the astonishingly swift individual aimed the restricting shackles at him once more. Madara intended to hold him prisoner! Sasuke's eyes darted frantically left and right, trying to make out the identity of his assailant. Then his Sharingan spotted them. Someone in a hooded black cloak – and a wooden mask, completely concealing his attacker's face – save for a single opening in the right eye.
Sasuke sucked in a sharp breath, glimpsing a gleam of crimson.
This person… this person possessed the Sharingan!
So stunned was he by this revelation, his mind thrown into such anarchy at its implications, that he was very nearly ensnared by the next attempt to contain him, the chains missing him by a mere whisper, denied at the last second only by the sheer speed at which Sasuke could move.
He flash-stepped away, only one urgent thought in his mind – the need to get out, to get them all out - reappearing between his three companions. His Sharingan connected with Juugo and Suigetsu first, instantly reading and then freeing them of the genjutsu that had been inflicted upon them.
Then he sprang forward, grabbing Karin, as Suigetsu dove toward a writhing Juugo.
"...!" Sasuke's eyes widened as he felt a plunge in pressure behind him, signalling that someone had warped to him. He whirled around, his body shielding Karin's, to meet the masked entity's glowing sharingan – at the exact moment he felt a chain wrap tightly around his right arm, burning into his flesh. The pain was immense, and in response furious lightning chakra stabbed out from Sasuke's body, catching the masked man before he could uncoil the chains. With an angry snarl, Sasuke hauled his arm back before freeing it, causing his attacker to be propelled viciously forward. He reached out for the mask, meaning to rip it away so he could see who it was he was fighting- only for the masked assailant to pass straight through his grip – a time-space manipulation technique that very few in the Uchiha clan had ever been able to master.
From somewhere faraway in the midst of the pandemonium around him, he heard Orochimaru's gleeful cackle, and Suigetsu yelling his name-
Right before the ocean deity collided bodily into Sasuke, dragging Karin and Juugo behind him, and pulled them all through a puddle of water in the ground.
They rematerialized at the entrance of the Underworld, drenched in water, breathless, stunned.
Sasuke landed hard on his hands and knees, and remained frozen there, breathing deeply, his mind hurtling at lightning speed, trying to process everything he had seen. He was barely aware of his companions, barely registered Karin throwing up violently, Suigetsu's angry curses, or Juugo's pained moans as his rage subsided and his body transformed back to its normal self. The taller of Sasuke's subjects collapsed on the ground, utterly exhausted.
"What the fuck!" Suigetsu shouted, near-hysterical with fury as he got to his feet, dragging his sword up behind him. "What the actual fuck, Sasuke! You reckless, selfish bastard! You didn't tell us what any of this was about! You didn't tell us he'd have others there. You almost got us in real deep shit! Fuck!" He raked a shaking hand through his dishevelled pale hair. "If I hadn't gotten us out when I did, we would've all been screwed – do you hear me, you ungrateful son-of-a bitch?! I saved your ass! You owe me!"
Sasuke blinked unresponsively, water dripping from the limp strands of his raven hair onto the gravelly ground. He stared unseeingly at it. His heart was pounding.
He could still feel it. The underside of his right forearm was burning.
No, he thought to himself, struggling to retain his iron-willed composure, even as all his instincts screamed what he already felt in his bones had happened. No, no, no… it couldn't be…
"Juugo. Karin. You ok? For fuck's sake. Get up. Stop throwing up, Karin. You useless bitch!"
"I-I'm fine… just- just shut up idiot, damn it!" Karin cried tearfully, equally as upset. She couldn't stop her body trembling. Orochimaru's snake-like eyes were imprinted in her mind. She couldn't un-see them.
"Shit!" Suigetsu swore again. "Who the fuck was that masked man? How the hell does he have a Sharingan? I thought all your family were dead, asshole?!"
Sasuke had thought it, too.
"He has Zeus," Karin added shakily. "And Hera, too. What… what's he planning?"
"Maybe his royal fucking highness can fill us in, since he helpfully left out so much the first time," the ocean god glared. "Oi. Sasuke! Get the fuck up and-!" he broke off, inhaling sharply, his eyes widening as he gazed down at the death deity, who hadn't moved from his landing position – except to tear the bracer-gauntlet off his right arm. He watched as Sasuke slowly pulled the sleeve of his tunic back to his elbow.
"Oh, shit…" Suigetsu whispered, realisation dawning on him as he walked closer. Karin got to her feet, and edged forward, peering down at Sasuke – only to gasp in turn, a hand flying to her mouth in dismayed disbelief.
"Shit," Suigetsu said again, as his eyes came to rest on the black mark singed into Sasuke's scorched, angry-red flesh. "Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!"
He knew what that mark was. He knew what it meant. He and Karin then fell quiet, in uncharacteristic, unified silence.
Sasuke trembled in rage, his Sharingan spinning violently, as he stared down at the three black tomoe contained within a black circle, inked irreversible into his skin.
The Cursed Seal of Heaven.
His memory flashed back, to the final attack before Suigetsu had warped them out. The masked man had teleported around with such blinding speed that he'd even caught Sasuke off-guard. Nobody had that kind of speed. Nobody – except his brother Itachi, and perhaps Zeus himself, who'd been known as The Yellow Flash, with his Flying Thunder God hiraishin technique, capable of marking targets and flashing across varying distances at great, unrivalled rapidity.
He recalled the chains, wrapping around his arm, burning through his clothes, singing into his skin-
They had been chakra infused with Orochimaru's Curse seal. Madara had planned it – all of it - all along.
Sasuke's eyes lifted, his right hand closing to form a tight fist, unbridled, lethal fury swirling malevolently in his eyes.
Madara had just made a very deadly mistake. One that Sasuke swore he would soon make him regret. But he was right, at least, about one thing:
All deals were off.
Author's Note
Nooo. Sasukeeeeeeeee. He has the Curse Seal of Heaven! What will happen next?!
Oh, Madara. Not a wise move to antagonise the King of the Dead, and yet that's precisely what he's done!
I appreciate you're all eager for SasuSaku scenes and these are coming. I need to really cement the wider plot though, so bear with me for a little longer! Your patience will definitely be repaid when they finally reunite!
I'd love your feedback on this! Thanks so much for reading and see you next update!