Chapter 3: High and Low
Under the cover of darkness, Sasuke and Naruto stared at one another in mutual confusion. The former frowned with disinterest, then directed his attention to the forest at the outskirts of the village. First, there was a familiar warbling sound. Then a shadowy figure emerged from the trees. Naruto wasn't at all surprised when the man with a swirl-patterned mask appeared before him.
"Ah," Obito said with amusement, "looks like you're both on time."
"What's he doing here?" Sasuke spat, giving Naruto an unimpressed once over. "Did you follow me?"
"Ha! You kiddin' me? That's MY line!"
"Boys, boys, calm down," Obito interjected. "Sasuke, I asked him to join me here tonight as well. There's no need to be concerned."
The Uchiha child's displeasure persisted. "Why?"
Naruto pouted. The cloaked man gestured toward him, directing Sasuke's gaze.
"Why?" the man echoed. "That's simple. You see, you've both been wronged by The Hidden Leaf. The village has turned its back on the legacies of both of your lineages. Sasuke, young Naruto here is the son of the previous Hokage."
The black-haired child sputtered, looking from Naruto to Obito and back again. "Seriously? This weakling?"
"Hey!" Naruto shouted, but Obito held up a hand and continued.
"His father, believe it or not, was Minato Namikaze. And on his mother's side, he comes from a once proud clan, much like yours: the Uzumaki."
Sasuke threw a doubtful look in Naruto's direction. The latter blew him a raspberry. "I still don't know if I buy it, but okay, I guess."
"So, what do you two say? If you're going to change your minds about this, now is the time to speak up."
Naruto folded his lips, in deep thought. "I don't know…" He looked up at Sasuke, whose forehead dimpled while he considered the decision as well. "Do we really have to bring him?"
The black-haired boy clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Shut up, loser. You're the one who'd just be dead weight."
Naruto growled, but before he could say anything back, Obito put a finger to his mask, implying a request for silence.
"I know this may not be ideal for either of you, but you ought to try and see each other as partners now. Your former roles as each other's classmates are no longer relevant. Today can be the start of new lives for you both, if you'll just come along with me." He glanced at the uncertain expressions on both boys' faces. "What do you say to starting over together?"
Wind whistled between them, cutting through the weighty silence. Blue eyes met coal-black ones, and after a time, anger melted away.
Sasuke swallowed. "Well, as long as you won't get in my way."
Naruto bit his lip and took a hesitant step closer to Obito and Sasuke. "So, we'll be like a family?"
Obito nodded. "In a sense, yes. I suppose you could say that. We share a common grievance, and a comrade of mine always says those who share the same pain can never truly be enemies."
Still unsure, Naruto sighed. His tiny hands trembled and he approached Sasuke, who, to both Naruto and Obito's surprise, raised an arm in invitation for a handshake. Encouraged by this, Naruto returned the gesture. Their hands clasped together in an unsteady grip, cementing the start of their new relationship as equals.
"Now, let's be off," Obito said. "The distinct lack of gate guards will be noticed soon." An undeniable smirk could be heard in his voice. "Say your goodbyes."
He stepped back and allowed them one last look at the Hidden Leaf Village's identifying boys gazed up at the stone faces carved into the cliffside behind them amidst heavy silence. What once served as a symbol of pride was now a twisted reminder of the hurt they endured.
Not wanting to waste any more time, Obito manifested a portal. When Naruto and Sasuke were ready, they turned and stepped toward the spiraling cosmic gateway together. They were sucked in and transported away, solidifying their decision to go rogue. The Hidden Leaf Village enjoyed one final, peaceful night, before the inevitable chaos that was to come tomorrow.
The Hidden Leaf awoke from its slumber with little fanfare. A steady rise in foot traffic gave rise to the familiar din of citizens going about their days. Hiruzen Sarutobi looked out across his beloved village in contemplative silence and took a drag from his pipe. A faint shuffling beyond his office door caused his ears to perk up. Seconds later, loud knocking disrupted his brief solitude.
"Enter," he said.
A click of the door was followed by hasty footsteps. Hiruzen turned to see a Chunin stumble through the door and fall at his feet, kneeling in deference to him. Sweat drenched his forehead. A lump caught in the Hokage's throat. Whatever news he was about to receive, this messenger had rushed here as fast as his legs would carry him, so it must have been urgent.
"Lord Third!" the messenger said. "Something's happened."
"What? Are we under attack?" He glanced out of the window again, saw little cause for alarm, and furrowed his brow.
"No. It's not that, sir. Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki are both missing! It appears to have been a kidnapping. Two guards were found murdered just beyond the front gate."
Hiruzen gasped and dropped his pipe. Of all potential news he could have received, he never would have expected something like this, especially on such a deceptively peaceful morning! He shifted from stunned silence to taking action on a dime, his years of leadership experience on full display.
"Well done, informing me so swiftly. Do we have any idea who might have taken Naruto and Sasuke?"
"No, sir. Their wounds were severe, but the killer left no trace."
Rubbing his chin, Hiruzen took a moment to think, then gestured to the Chunin. "Bring me Kakashi Hatake! I want regular updates as more news comes in."
"Sir!"
The Chunin darted out of the office, reduced to nothing more than a blur. The moment he was gone, Hiruzen sighed and pinched his nose bridge, finally allowing his distress to show. If he didn't track those two down, it would have weighty implications for the future of The Leaf. In particular, panic would spread like wildfire if The Nine Tails landed in enemy hands again. What's more, if something were to happen to Naruto…
Minato might never forgive me, Hiruzen said to himself.
He shook himself back into focus and took a breath. This was no time to panic or sulk. He needed to convene a meeting with the other elders. He marched out of the room, thinking of his predecessors to ease the tightness in his chest.
Lords First and Second, please guide me.
Itachi Uchiha kept his voice measured, despite the raging tempest of emotion within him. A large stone statue loomed over him and the rest of the assembled Akatsuki members. Its fingers were large enough to serve as platforms to stand on.
"My brother, and the Nine Tails' Jinchuuriki?" he said.
Pain delivered a nod of confirmation. His ring-patterned eyes were cold and empty. "Both have gone missing. They're believed to either be on the run or kidnapped from The Leaf. Although their whereabouts are unknown, they can't have traveled far in such a short time. This is our best chance of taking the fox for ourselves with little difficulty."
"So then, you want us to go after the kids?" asked a man with a blond ponytail.
"Yes, Deidara," Pain replied, not bothering to face him. "I'll be sending a pair to track and retrieve the Nine Tails."
Everyone in the room tensed up, wondering who would be chosen. Pain extended a painted fingernail toward Itach, then toward his partner, Kisame. The latter was a man with the features of both a human and a shark.
"Itachi, Kisame," Pain said, "head out immediately and conduct a thorough search."
"Aww, come on Leader!" cried a man with slicked-back hair. "Why not me? I wanna go-"
"Silence," Pain interrupted. A hush fell over the entire group. "Itachi knows the land best since he recently defected. Kisame is capable of holding off the Nine Tails if it comes to that. So, he and Kisame are my choice."
"Pain has spoken," said Konan. She was a stoic woman with a flower in her hair.
The rejected members of the Akatsuki bowed their heads in grudging acceptance of the decision.
"Dismissed," Pain said.
Itachi leapt from his place atop the statue and bolted for the exit. Kisame wasn't far behind him.
"So," his partner said as they emerged from the cave and dashed down a dirt path, "are you feeling nervous, Itachi? We're going back to your old stomping grounds, after all."
Itachi kept his gaze focused straight ahead, unresponsive to his sharklike companion's words. The Uchiha powered forward, prompting Kisame to do the same, lest he get left in the dust. Chakra flowed into Itachi's eyes on command. The world opened up to him in a way that only the Sharingan could achieve.
Damn it, he thought to himself. Could this be his doing?
Anger swelled within Itachi, but he didn't give in. Rather, he channeled all of the emotion into his current task. He needed to get to The Leaf as fast as possible. If he lost his composure now, he would waste valuable time better spent tracking down Sasuke.
Danzo slammed against a wall at full speed, sending a couple mounted shelves crashing to the ground. Books, small statues, and other items spilled across the floor. Most were broken or damaged in some way. The Leaf Elder interrupted his fall with a hand, panting heavily while looking up at his aggressor.
"Where are Naruto and Sasuke?" came Itachi Uchiha's chilling words.
"Itachi," Danzo gasped. "I never expected you to risk coming back here so soo-"
Itachi's red eyes flashed with intensity. Seconds passed before Danzo realized he'd been thrown against the wall once more. Pain seared his shoulder. He turned to examine the injury and found a kunai lodged deep into his bound arm at the joint. The ninja tool pinned him there like a butcher's cut of meat.
Gravity did Danzo no favors. The agony of feeling his muscles give way as he was pulled downward and the kunai cut deeper was indescribable. A strong arm pressed him against the wall, almost robbing all air from his lungs. Although insulted by this treatment, part of Danzo was relieved the arm against his throat prevented the kunai from tearing his shoulder wide open.
"I'll ask one more time. Where. Are. They?"
The fiery red Sharingan boring into his soul told Danzo the rogue ninja meant what he said. He needed to play this carefully while he thought of a way to escape, or alert his subordina-
"Those fools gave Samehada a nice meal," said a feral-sounding voice. Another person entered Danzo's chambers. He was one of the Seven Swordsmen of The Mist, Kisame Hoshigaki. His spiked weapon dragged noisily across the floor, creating a thick trail of blood as it went.
"No one will come to save you, Danzo," Itachi said, his voice monotone again. "If I don't like what I hear, my partner here will start shaving away your chakra — and your limbs — until I hear something more useful."
Danzo cast a nervous glance over Itachi's shoulder at the animal of a man whose sharp teeth and dead eyes made his smile border on demonic. "I…I don't know," he managed to say in spite of the pain and lack of air.
"Wrong answer." Itachi jerked the kunai from his shoulder without ceremony.
Danzo howled with pain. A spurt of blood painted the floor along with his interrogator's face. The Elder sensed potent chakra concentrating in Itachi's eyes. Eyes that oozed killing intent. His technique was sloppy. Itachi didn't care about being found. If he did, he would have bothered to control his chakra flow.
There was nothing refined about his sudden activation of the Mangekyo Sharingan. Danzo quivered when he saw Itachi's altered pupils. Fear of the infamous Sharingan transformation eclipsed all reason. If a Genjutsu from those eyes was cast on him, he was as good as dead. Making matters worse, he was alone in his underground facility and outnumbered.
Itachi's face faded away, as did everything else in sight, leaving Danzo in utter darkness. In that horrible moment, his resolve shattered. He realized the dreaded truth.
"It's futile to resist. Danzo, you're already under my Genjutsu."
A swath of infinite darkness consumed Danzo's vision. He floated along in the sea of nothingness, flailing in a futile attempt at gaining control. The vacuum of space carried him in a random direction. He found himself unable to discern which way was up, which was down, or how much time had passed. Some indeterminate amount of time later, he was in a new location, hands and feet bound to something solid. The surface was not hard enough to be stone. Perhaps wood? No amount of struggling made a difference; his body wouldn't budge.
He looked around and was surprised to be met with a series of mirror images of himself. They stretched onward for as far as he could see. All of the other Danzos were pinned to crosses, illuminated by a dim light that penetrated the vast darkness.
Although his movement was heavily restricted, he managed to look down. Gasping, he realized that like his duplicates, he too was on a cross. A pair of feet walked into view, causing a lump of dread to lodge in his throat. Danzo lifted his head to look upon the person's face. Itachi Uchiha's burning red eyes stared back at him, cold and unfeeling.
"I don't have time to waste on you," he said in an even tone. "I"ll trap you here for as long as it takes to get answers."
Danzo tried to jerk his left arm free, but the cross did not give an inch. "I already told you, I don't know where they are!"
Itachi cut his eyes at the writhing Leaf Elder. Then he leaned closer and whispered into his ear. "When I left this village, I told you what would happen if you ever went after Sasuke. Lest you forget, if you're lying, or you do anything to impede my search, I'll spill years' worth of classified intel. Not only to competing nations, but to my partner in The Akatsuki."
"I haven't broken our agreement," Danzo said. "This wasn't my doing!"
Itachi slipped a sword out from beneath his cloak and brandished it in front of him. The mirrored Danzos were accompanied by their own personal copies of Itachi, who mimicked their creator's sword flourish.
"Make me believe you, and the pain will stop." Itachi stabbed Danzo in the leg and talked over his outcry of pain. "Within Tsukuyomi, I control all. Time and space…even physical mass. I can condemn you to this hell for all eternity. You would do well to remember that before giving me an answer."
The callous torture that followed wracked Danzo with visceral spikes of pain. He knew this realm was a false construct. Nevertheless, his suffering felt just as real — perhaps even more so — here than it would have in the physical world. Every slash, every stab, every twist of the blade inside the wound, was magnified a hundred fold. All of the other Danzos' pain was transferred to him, leaving him with no reprieve.
When he was finished, Itachi broke the genjutsu and stared down at the crumpled body against the wall. Less than a second had passed here, versus the nigh-endless hell within Tsukuyomi. Left in a pathetic state, Danzo lay still. He whispered the same words over and over with perfect clarity.
"I don't…know. I don't know. I don't know."
Itachi's eyes widened and he turned to Kisame, who still had a murderous grin on his face. "It seems he wasn't hiding anything. He never changed his story."
"Oh?" Kisame chuckled darkly and threw Danzo a piteous glance. "Unfortunate for him, I suppose. Now what?"
"Now we search." Itachi slipped past his partner and dashed for the exit. Kisame kept on his heels with no difficulty. "Remember," the former said, "we're only after Naruto Uzumaki. There's no need to start any unnecessary fights."
"That's a shame," Kisame said. "But at least we were able to have a little fun."
"Yeah." Itachi retreated into his thoughts. What he called the necessary evil of killing his former comrades, Kisame called "fun."
The two of us couldn't be less alike, he thought with a heavy heart.
Kakashi Hatake dashed through the forest at the perimeter of the Hidden Leaf Village. His loyal tracking dog summon, Pakkun, led the way. A handful of additional Jonin and Anbu fanned out to cover other areas, accompanied by the rest of Pakkun's pack. Kakashi scanned his surroundings with his Sharingan, using its visual acuity to ensure no stone was left unturned.
"Anything?" he asked, glancing at Pakkun.
"Nothing concrete. His trail leads this way," Pakkun said, paws hard at work carrying his small body along.
They came to a stop in an empty clearing. Pakkun scratched at the dirt, sniffed the air, and turned to his summoner with a long face. "Goes cold here."
Kakashi sighed. "They can't have just vanished into thin air." Catching a glimpse of a chakra signal nearby, he hurried to inspect a tree. "Wait, what's this?"
A slip of paper was tucked away inside a deep hollow in the tree. Kakashi worked two fingers in and plucked the object free, examining it for clues. He knelt to allow Pakkun a quick sniff as well.
"I don't recognize this scent," he said.
Kakashi flinched. A sudden surge of energy made the hair on the back of his neck raise. He and Pakkun leapt in opposite directions, not needing to use words to know danger was imminent. Hidden beneath their feet, Kakashi spotted a wide, circular sealing pattern. His removal of the paper seemed to have activated a trap of some kind.
A bright flash obscured his vision and a deafening boom sounded. The explosion decimated the spot where he and his tracker dog once stood. Shrapnel scattered in all directions, leaving Kakashi with several scrapes. He landed beside what was now a smoldering crater. Across from him, Pakkun whimpered, bleeding from an injured back leg. Kakashi narrowed his eyes.
A trap. I have to warn everyone!
He tapped his earpiece and it crackled to life. "This is Kakashi. Everyone, don't touch the-"
Halfway into the panicked Jonin's message, a series of similar explosions to the one that hurt Pakkun went off. The consecutive blasts decorated the sky with smoke and debris. Garbled cries of pain echoed through the intercom. Then his connection to the other squad members cut out.
Whoever orchestrated this was not only sadistic, but also thorough. They created a ring of false trails around the village meant to lead tracker squads astray. Making matters worse, any attempts at following lingering scents would now be ruined by the abundance of smoke.
Kakashi dropped his arms, the full weight of the failure of this mission hitting him like a gut punch. Despite how much he wanted there to be zero casualties, he had been in this line of work long enough to know that was just wishful thinking. "Damn."
Itachi and Kisame skidded to a halt in the grass, surveying the area for signs of the abducted boys. Crows scattered on the former's command. They spread out among the treetops, conduits for Itachi's Sharingan. He searched every inch of the forest, including nearby caves. When at last the crows returned to him with less than satisfying results, he clenched his fists.
Kisame perked up, noticing the subtle movement. "Got something?"
"No," Itachi said bitterly, digging his heels into the dirt. "They're not here. I had these crows comb the whole area. Wherever the person who took them went, they don't seem to have left a trail since even my Mangekyo couldn't detect a thing."
"So in short, we've got nothing," Kisame realized. "Who could pull something like this off?" He growled. "And I was really looking forward to cutting loose a bit."
Itachi held back the urge to unleash his frustration. He had done everything he could to ensure his little brother had a future. Now, for all he knew, someone could be out there hurting him. What if they stole his Sharingan, or were using him as a bargaining chip against The Leaf?
Fugaku and Mikoto asked Itachi to look after Sasuke in their final moments. If anything happened to the latter, it would mean he'd failed miserably as an older brother. Not just that, but Itachi would have disgraced himself even more so than the night of the Uchiha Massacre. He went against the wishes of his clan and his family all for the greater good of the village. All in hopes that his brother could live a life safe from harm and, one day, become the hero of The Leaf and avenge The Uchiha.
Despite calculating everything so carefully, he'd made a fatal error somewhere along the way. Sasuke was the one forced to pay for his blunder, and that fact filled him with remorse. Returning to Pain empty handed paled in comparison to the gravity of losing his last remaining family member to who-knew-what dangers.
Sasuke, where are you?
"Thank you for meeting me here," Itachi said. He took a knee in deference to the man who awaited him.
The Third Hokage stood at the edge of a rooftop with a pipe in his mouth. He nodded toward Itachi and blew out a puff of smoke. In consideration of their need for privacy, the rogue ninja had selected this place for the rendezvous. No one visited this abandoned building tucked away in a remote corner of the village, so it was safe to talk here.
"Itachi, please rise."
The boy complied, an unreadable look on his face, as always.
Hiruzen turned to face Itachi. "I assume you're here to discuss Sasuke's disappearance?"
"Yes, Lord Hokage. Do you know anything pertaining to his whereabouts?"
The Third removed his pipe and uttered a tired sigh. "I wish I had better news to give you. Just this morning, Kakashi led a search for both Naruto and Sasuke. The squad stumbled onto a trap and there were…casualties. It's difficult for me to admit that I have exhausted all conceivable avenues of finding them. No one seems to know anything about who killed the two guards by the gate either."
Itachi swallowed hard. "I see. By the way, I'm a clone. I was sent to search for Naruto by the leader of the Akatsuki, but my partner and I haven't found anything."
Hiruzen stiffened, on high alert all of a sudden. "Are you sure you weren't noticed? Coming to see me in the presence of members of that organization could put you at risk."
"It's fine. I disguised myself as a crow, so my partner didn't notice anything."
"Good," the Hokage said. "Again, I wish I had more information to offer. In all honesty, it's not even a matter of a lack of resources. Whoever took them is very skilled, and knows how to evade our tracker ninja. Even Kakashi's ninja hounds fell for their dummy trail."
"I…I understand." The Uchiha's gaze hardened, determination in his coal-black eyes. "Either way, I'll never stop looking."
"Nor will we. Itachi, you'd best get back before someone comes looking for me. If you're seen by any other Leaf shinobi, we won't be able to meet like this anymore."
"Yes, Sir. Before I go, I want to apologize for the mess."
"Mess?"
"My partner and I paid Danzo a visit."
Taken aback, Hiruzen dropped his pipe. "What? Is he-"
"No, I didn't kill him. He and his followers are in bad shape, though." Leveling a firm gaze on his former leader, Itachi added, "You'll find them at Root Headquarters."
The moment the words sank in, Hiruzen stomped on his pipe and gritted his teeth. "So, does this mean Danzo disobeyed my order to disband Root?"
"So it would seem."
Itachi stepped closer to The Third Hokage and looked him in the eyes. They shared a silent nod of mutual respect.
"Thank you for letting me know, Itachi." Hiruzen said, deftly sliding a kunai out from beneath the folds of his white robes. "Farewell."
He performed one swift stroke. The kunai glided across Itachi's throat, carving a straight line into his exposed skin. A split second later, the injured clone vanished in a cloud of smoke.