Eastern Land of Fire.
Naruto extended his chakra senses, and rolled his shoulders.
Talking with Mei had been unfruitful, when it came to finding the person he was looking for. They had extended a direct line of contact through connected scrolls, with many plans for the future, though. Which might be worth more than the information itself.
Talking to the ten next informants had been useless, though.
And in all honesty, he had not exactly expected anything else. Well, he had gotten something good out of this, at least.
Now… how did you find a ghost? He would ask Hanabi usually, but she seemed tense around him, now. He could understand, too, so he would do things by himself for a little while.
Naruto didn't mind.
While he loved three of them, and cared deeply for the others, there were some things that he could only find when he was alone. And keeping up the facade, pretending he was entirely there, was getting harder and harder.
Not peace of mind, though, far from it, considering how much his mind kept on turning, remembering, whispering.
But the wind's song, the distant thunderstorms, the fire in his veins. The call of the waxing moon. The Night, overshadowing it all.
His footsteps guide him, and he knows where to go.
With barely a thought, wind and lightning come to him and he leaps toward the skies.
Land of Rice.
The silence that stretched between Karin and Sasuke was definitely not comfortable.
"…Why did you want to meet Naruto?" She finally asked.
Sasuke's hand tightened around his sword.
"Is he not here, then?" Sasuke asked in clipped tones.
"No."
Sasuke squinted his eyes. "You are a clone."
"Indeed."
Sasuke moved with surprising swiftness. He trapped her clone in a Sharingan genjutsu and extracted her real location. Karin cursed.
Sasuke blurred forward toward her and jumped over the row of jagged spikes she summoned in a blink.
'It really couldn't go that smoothly, could it…?'
His chakra was pooling into... his hair?
"Ninja Art: Needle Jizō!"
Sasuke's ponytail whipped around as he flipped through the air, sharp spikes of black hair needling the entire area around them.
Karin's left hand flew up, and one of the rings on her fingers glinted in the light.
"Seeking Chain!" She called.
A golden chain extended from her fingers, spinning in circles to deflect the sharp needles. All of them.
Sasuke was closing the distance, now.
There was something blue in his hand, full of whirling energy. Something she knew very well. Karin retracted her chain.
Chakra gathered to her left hand as well, in a mirror of Sasuke's attack.
The same chain extended again, and carried the orb with it. Better not to let him come close.
She saw the surprise on Sasuke's face.
"Rasengan!"
The attacks collided. They held them there for a while, grunting, before they detonated. The chain dispelled, and Sasuke was sent flying.
Sasuke landed on his feet, looking uncertain. Karin's chain floated in the air lazily.
"…Where did you learn this…?" He asked.
"What do you think?" She shot back. "This is Naruto's father's technique."
Sasuke pursed his lips. Flames flickered around his form for an instant. Then they died down.
"…I shouldn't have attacked you." He shook his head. "I… I'm not exactly thinking straight. Sorry. If Naruto's not here, it doesn't matter anyway."
"Whatever it is you want to ask Naruto, you can ask me." She said.
"…No. This is not something I can ask you." He said, starting to walk away.
"Did you come to try to kill him?" She asked, folding her arms. She had no doubt that he would not manage, no matter how strong he was.
Sasuke paused. "…I am supposed to, but that's not why I'm here. Not today."
"Spit it out. You're not going to find him anywhere else."
"…" Sasuke stopped moving.
"That's what I thought." Karin began. "You're not even looking to fight him, then…?"
Sasuke said nothing.
"Ah. No, it's way more complicated than just this, isn't it?" Karin asked. "You need him."
Sasuke didn't stiffen, only because he was already too still. But something changed in his posture.
"…Believe me, I know how absurd it might sound." Sasuke turned around again, and his face was hard. "The man I'm supposed to kill, who likely killed my father—"
"We didn't." Karin said stiffly.
"We? You are involved then, Karin."
She lifted an eyebrow. "Did you think my uniform was just for show?"
He let out a small sound that could have been considered a chuckle.
"I find it somewhat hard to believe none of you have anything to do with… my father."
Karin shrugged. "We told everything we knew about it already. We think Danzō was played by Akatsuki, and it has something to do with a man named Yakushi Kabuto. Or Sasori of the Red Sand. "
"I've read this already, of course… You don't have any concrete proof. In your… news press, I mean." Something strange passed through his eyes. "I've read some of the issues."
"So?"
"…That was Toru, wasn't it?" He asked with a grim face. "At least, some of the earlier comics."
"Yes." Karin nodded slowly. "Yes, it was. And you already know what we know about his death, if you read the rest of them."
"That Danzō did it…?" Sasuke asked, keeping his tone carefully even.
"Yes."
He sighed. "Honestly, I can believe it."
Karin was surprised. Unpleasantly.
Sasuke continued, his face somber. "And if it was the truth, we would have done something about Danzō ourselves, no matter if he was… technically getting rid of a missing ninja. Toru didn't do anything wrong." He said angrily.
"We agree, then. What's your issue with us, here?"
"Aside from the issue with my dad… and the people I know you have killed? And what you're doing through the world? What do you think is going to happen to the war front, with Danzō gone…?" He asked exasperatedly. "Why did you act now?"
Karin lifted an eyebrow. "So it is about the war…?"
"Don't you understand…? People will die in Konoha—"
"Instead of people in Wind."
Sasuke gave a grim nod. "I know what you're saying, but less people would have died."
"…What of Iwa?" Karin asked pointedly. "They won't back down, that's almost for certain. This war is barely halfway through."
"…"
"And what of Kumo?" She folded her arms again. "Would Danzō really have trusted them to remain allies, even if we didn't intervene…? Or would he have sabotaged them?"
Sasuke winced. "I can't guarantee what would have happened."
"…Me neither."
Sasuke's features hardened. "But no matter if you are telling the truth or not about… my father, Danzō. Kakashi died by Naruto's hand, and to me, this is unforgivable."
His face was stern.
"…I won't deny this." Karin said slowly. "They tried to kill each other. Naruto won."
There was real emotion on Sasuke's face. He pushed it aside.
"So it is true. Then I have to find him." Sasuke repeated.
"What for?" Seeing that he wasn't going to elaborate. "You probably won't get to meet him for a long while, if I don't warn him."
"I don't have any time to waste." Sasuke growled. "None at all."
"Then tell me. If it's important, I will make sure he knows. As soon as possible."
Uchiha Sasuke looked conflicted. Or maybe that was a bit of an understatement. He looked as though he was drowning in his own emotions.
"…We may be able to help, Sasuke." Karin tried. "Depending on what this is about. We don't have to actually be enemies."
"…Itachi."
"Your brother…?" Karin furrowed her brows. "Did something happen to him?"
Sasuke gritted his teeth, but continued.
"He was taken away."
"…Akatsuki?"
"Yes." He said in clipped tones. "By the man that you know as Tobi. Uchiha Obito."
"We know who he is."
"He grabbed him and disappeared with him." Sasuke spat.
"…I still fail to see what this has to do with us."
She could almost see the fire burning in Sasuke's gut.
"The eye — Kakashi's eye! They come from the same person — their ability must be the same!" Sasuke shouted.
Karin almost slapped her forehead. Sakura. She groaned.
"…Are you sure of this?" Karin asked.
Sasuke shook his head, now looking a tiny bit unsure. He deflated.
"No. Not fully, at least. But… Kakashi… He could make things disappear, just like the man can make himself disappear. There must be a connection!"
"MIght." Karin stressed.
…So Sasuke knew about it, too.
"And Naruto took the eye!" He roared, and some flames started to escape him. "Where did you take it?"
"Calm yourself." Karin grunted. "There is no need to throw a tantrum. Attack me if you want, but I will defend myself."
"I don't want to calm myself." He snapped. "This is—"
"As far as I know, Kakashi gave his eye to Naruto." She said with a stiff voice.
"What— This is ridiculous!" Sasuke roared. "Why would he give—"
"I think it's the only way to counter that Uchiha's ability."
"Why would he give it to—"
"Because..." Karin said dryly. She was not really enjoying this meeting with an old friend. "He probably thought that Naruto was a… better option than letting the eye rot away. Better than Uchiha Obito. I don't think we're in the wrong here at all, honestly."
Trying to wipe the heated glare upon his face, Sasuke took a long breath.
"Why should I believe you?"
Karin groaned. "Fuck if I care, do whatever you want."
He looked dumbfounded. "What…?"
"This was useless. I'm leaving." Karin readied herself to do so.
"…Wait."
She lifted an eyebrow.
"Look, I told you what we knew. I don't think either of us is going to get much more from this. You should be glad it was me, and not Naruto himself. He'd have beaten you senseless."
Or something more unpleasant. He had some pretty... unpredictable moods, some days. Not with any of them, of course, but outside of Umi…
Sasuke frowned again. "…Is he that strong now?"
She laughed. Sasuke frowned harder.
"…Never mind that." He said. "But that doesn't matter, anyway. I hate everything he has done, everything he plans to do. If it weren't for… the bind I find myself in…"
Karin regained her countenance.
"You shouldn't meddle with this." She shook her head. "Go back to Konoha."
"I… haven't been to the village in the last few days." Sasuke admitted.
"…What? Are you—"
"I'm not leaving." He said hotly. "I told them why I was going in hiding to protect the village. And I'm looking for Jiraiya, too — I have to talk with the toads, I've been ignoring their calls for the last days, while I got this… sorted out."
Karin pursed her lips. It wasn't her role to tell him, but she pitied him, for a moment.
"…It doesn't seem like you're very good at hiding yourself."
Sasuke sounded frustrated. "I can defend myself. If I stay in the village, these bastards will attack it. And considering what happened to Kumo…"
He let the sentence hang.
"…You're right." Karin admitted.
Sasuke grunted in answer.
"And you were right before. About the eye. We have it, and we used it already."
"Then—"
"But I can assure you, we don't know how to use it to transport a person. And we're not willing to give you the eye, either."
"…"
"Sorry. The whole situation sucks." She made to leave again.
"…I think Itachi is trapped inside." He added quickly.
"…The hell are you talking about? Inside what?" Karin asked, frowning. "Amegakure? Again, sorry, but we're not going."
"No." He shook his head, getting frustrated again. "In the Kamui."
"Huh…? The ability…? So it's like a pocket realm…?"
"Yes." He breathed out. "According to what Kakashi said, it is likely to be. Besides, there is no way that guy could take Itachi in a fair fight. That's probably how he did it."
…He really thinks the world of him, still. What if he simply got dropped close to Nagato…?
Well… Karin didn't really have it in her to dash his hopes. She rubbed her temples in frustration.
"…All right… Assuming your hunch is right… What are we supposed to do? As I said, there's no way for us to get in. Not that we'd try in the first place."
"Send me then."
Karin snorted. "If you'd seen the control—" She interrupted herself before revealing who had the eye, just in case. Sasuke understood, because he gritted his teeth. "The control we have over Kamui, you wouldn't say this."
"I don't care if it's risky."
"…The last time the eye's wielder tried to warp someone's upper torso, only the top half of his face went away. So granted, they were trying to kill the man… but still."
Sasuke paled.
"Obviously, a clone won't make it for the same reason." Karin continued.
The Uchiha stayed silent for a long while.
"I know the circumstances are… complicated." He sounded pained. "But…"
He went down to his knees and bowed.
"Wha—?"
"Itachi is my only brother." He began. "I ask you to make a bargain with me."
"…A bargain?"
"Yes." Sasuke said.
"You don't have anything we want, I'm afraid. Please stand up." Karin shook her head.
"I ask you to help my brother. He is alive, I know it. Ask the Kamui wielder, they are bound to be able to peer into the realm somehow."
"…And if your brother is alive?"
"Then I ask you to keep him alive — food, water, Suiton can only do that much — until I can figure out a way to help him… or he saves himself." He said, with utter faith.
Karin gave him a long glance. "You're asking for quite a lot. The wielder has almost no control over the jutsu, and you're asking us to use up the eye even more. Because it's a guarantee we're going to miss several times. Who knows how many tries we have…?"
Sasuke looked to be in pain.
"If he really is trapped in there and you help him… I will owe you a favor. Anything that doesn't go against my village or my loved ones."
"…That is quite a lot. And quite vague, too. Why should I believe you?"
"I swear on my honor."
Karin scoffed. "We are ninja, not samurai." But she felt sympathy for him.
A chain extended from her hand.
"...Hold on to this and say that again." She said.
He actually did, with no reaction.
She could feel no lie.
What a mess. Maybe I should have let Naruto come here himself.
…Then again, maybe not. Who knew how he'd have reacted. Maybe they'd have killed each other, if it went particularly wrong.
"…Why are you willing to give up so much? You don't know what we could ask."
"Itachi's worth it."
"…Are you sure of what you're doing?"
"Yes. Will you make this bargain with me, Karin?"
She took a moment to think. It might cause them some problems in the future, if this Uchiha Obito really was close to invincible without the eye… but there was no certainty that it would be unusable by then.
And… this was still Sasuke's brother. And a favor from Uchiha Sasuke could really come in handy. It was not a very difficult choice, in the end. She'd deal with Sakura's pettiness later.
"…Very well. I accept your terms, Sasuke." .
The bargain was set.
The coast leading to Uzushiogakure's supposed location was nothing but ruins.
Naruto had not expected much… and still, he was disappointed.
He was on an island, not too far from the mainland. He hoped that this was not it. Because if this was Uzu itself… or if Uzu was in a similar shape… There would be no answers.
The weather was unfathomably humid and warm. Just standing there, he felt tired. Umi had really lucked out, in the weather department.
Naruto was not an expert when it came to ruins, but it was likely that this had been one of Uzushiogakure's outposts on the mainland. What was left was white stone, that even now, looked entirely too pristine, considering how damaged it was. Its colors had barely changed, it seemed.
And if this was just an outpost, as he thought, then Uzushiogakure must have been quite a sight.
Something was strange about it, though. It had been close to half a century, and he could not really see signs of plant life growing on the stone.
Same went for wildlife. It seemed as though the animals steered clear from it, even.
And even stranger…
It didn't really look as though the cause of the destruction had really been an invasion. Naruto couldn't put his finger on why he thought that way… but he did.
And some of the ruins were partially submerged, too.
Now every ruin was a place where something had been torn apart, human or structure. This tearing might have been done by human hands, or by nature itself.
Each ruin was a window into a particular moment in history, where things changed; when the windmill turned.
By themselves, ruins didn't mean anything, of course. People would give them meaning, but what they did was freeze a moment in time.
They joined the work of man… and the destruction it could bring. Sometimes, it was just nature on its own, too.
And here… it really looked as though the sea had swallowed the outpost.
Lost in thought, Naruto barely realized his focus was starting to slip.
The sun shone a blinding white, and Madara squinted his eyes.
Sea air had a salty, briny smell to it, one that he didn't really care for.
As the glare of the sun subsided, he saw that the sky was a brilliant blue, with not a single cloud in sight. Off in the distance, the sky and the sea blended together.
He was sure that most people would have jumped at the chance to come here.
Unfortunately, he wasn't much of a sea man. No Uchiha was, really. And the air was too heavy too, making him feel as though just walking here was more of an effort than needed. There were plenty of people strolling down the streets, in light, colorful clothing. Maybe that was the trick.
This clan of islanders were apparently distantly related to the Senju, and had been their long-time allies. Which meant that with the newfound alliance between the Uchiha and Senju clans, they were to become allies with the Uzumaki as well.
Madara didn't want to come, frankly.
They could simply have hosted the meeting in Konoha. Well, what was to become Konoha, it wasn't much to see, right now. But of course… Hashirama had insisted. And once he got an idea into that thick head of his…
And he was terrible at painting an objective picture of what they were to expect from the meeting itself. He just went on and on excitedly, never bothering to make sure if anyone really followed what he was saying.
Madarara had gotten somewhat decent at extracting meaning from his scatterbrained explanations, by now. But even then, he didn't know how friendly these Uzumaki truly were. They were allegedly sealing arts experts, so maybe he would at least find something interesting to learn.
Izuna had always told him that he needed a hobby. Before Tobi—
He shut down that train of thought.
"Are you coming?" Hashirama's loud voice was embarrassing.
People were staring at the obvious foreigner, standing there cheerfully. Some women were giggling, too, and Madara let out a sigh.
"Yeah."
"The boat's about to depart!"
A boat…? Weren't they sealing experts?
Couldn't they find a better way—
Naruto blinked and he was back to his own body.
The smell of salt and the sound of rushing waves was the same, even though the city was no more. The juxtaposition of bustling alleys and empty ruins made something clench within him.
His throat felt somewhat dry, too and water didn't really seem to help.
He shook his head. According to the memories, Uzushiogakure was supposed to be… in this general direction. If there were even was something left. Naruto didn't have a boat, but he would manage, dashing over the waves, he knew. Worst case, he would just warp back to Umi. He really wasn't risking much, here.
And he—
Naruto whirled around, a blade in hand.
"It is a nice evening for a swim, isn't it?"
There was someone, sitting on top of the ruins. A regal woman; her hair was snow-white and her eyes golden. She was wearing a burgundy overcoat, over dark red clothes, embroidered with red and gold trims.
Of course, Naruto recognized her right away. From the boat, and from all the times she had seemed to flash across his vision after that.
"Shachi." He greeted, unsure of her intentions.
"Were you looking for me?" The woman's voice called softly.
He had seen her in several memories. Not only his own.