Chapter 24: Remains
"It hurts to let go, to say goodbye for the final time and remain distant in your closure, it may even tear your heart out to the point of insanity; but somehow in it all you find the pieces of your worth and you start creating yourself again."
-Nikki Rowe
Hyuga Compound- Hiashi & Neji
"Everyone get to your stations; now!" Hiashi orders.
It's met with a chorus of 'Yes!', the thunder of footsteps moving every which way to protect the compound. Hiashi turns his gaze skyward, blowing out a breath.
Despite the relative clearness of the blue sky, a thin curtain of gray-black smoke is visible in the distance, the direction of where the Academy grounds are.
On this warm spring afternoon, Obito Uchiha is about to break into the Hyuga manor.
"Uncle, go into hiding with the other elders! Obito is coming for you and will kill however many clansmen it takes to get to you/find you. We'll hold him off as long as possible." Neji hisses.
Hiashi shakes his head, side-eyeing him with a glare.
"My brother, your Dad would roll in his grave if I cowardly hid myself while the manor was about to be attacked! No, I will fight until my dying breath! Now, we prepared for this day as Hinata explained, we know his weak spots and he's without the rinnegan. Madam Fifth and Jiraiya should be on their way as well." He explains.
Neji clicks his tongue, withholding the urge to continue arguing.
If Hiashi wants to stay and fight, he cannot stop him from doing so.
"I'll stay close to you then. Whatever Obito throws at us, we'll both be ready." He decides.
Hiashi nods, both activating their byakugan as a lone figure comes into view from the rooftops.
Neji takes in his mangled right arm that's become a bloody stub that ends at his elbow, bruises and burn marks scattered across his face and torso.
"Seems he got caught in the school bomb." He mutters.
Hiashi nods, that works in their favor some, but even despite his injury, Obito looms closer, eyes becoming the spiraling crimson of the sharingan.
"Oh good, you're not in hiding." He remarks, smirk warped and vicious taking the pair in.
Hiashi raises his arm up, a silent order given.
And in next second Obito is surrounding by a mix of main and branch clan members, a mix of kunai, naginatas, and tanto blades pointed at him from every angle.
Obito scoffs, eyes never leaving Hiashi. "I thought the Hyuga clan fought via taijutsu and the use of your gentle fist. Using ancillary weapons makes it seem like you know you can't win. It's foolish to believe that any of these swords or blades will stall me and it's futile to think even with my injury any of you will win."
"Surrender! We won't let you do any harm to our clan leader." Hideto proudly exclaims.
Obito responds by drawing a black rod from his sleeve, piercing it straight into the man's shoulder before he can fully push it away.
He lets out a low hiss, another guard hurriedly coming to his aid.
"You think you can still win this, but you can't! The other jonin and ANBU have already tracked down the Akatsuki's last associate; that strange creature who calls itself Zetsu." Hirakawa adds in.
Obito pauses, gritting his teeth.
'At least let me come with you as a back up. They know our plans.' He recalls its reservations.
They both knew this, but surely Zetsu wouldn't have been caught so easily, have put up a good enough fight to resist capture...
"I heard it was rather easy to persuade when mention of it's mother was brought up. That was the perfect distraction for sealing it before it's vines could cause any substantial damage. So I guess it's just you left, you alone in a crumpling organization." Hirakawa further sneers.
'No. I can't be the last one left so soon. I can't let the Akatsuki's goals fall apart.'
He thinks of his lost dreams and hopes, a future he was robbed of.
"I'm not done yet." Obito responds.
Flames dance to life in his left hand, a hauntingly bright display of scarlet and orange blending together.
And then he races forward at a near blinding speed, jabbing the blaze of fire straight to his cheek and lips, melting at flesh.
"I'm not hear to listen to you scold me like I'm some petulant child." He sneers.
Hirakawa's screams reverberates as the flames spread down his body and in the momentarily lull Obito sucks in a deep breath.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball!"
The stream of fire creates a barrier blocking the other branch members despite using the rotating palm to push some of the flames away. A tunneled path forward is created and Obito walks through, gaze aimed for Hiashi next.
Burning shingles and pieces of wood rain down upon the area, Natsu guiding the younger main and branch members to safety he notes from the corner of his eye. Good, they can't lose their youngest family members, those who have yet to see and enjoy the world when it's less cruel and ugly like this.
"We need to aim for shutting down his arm and legs without one of his black receiver rods hitting us." Hiashi voices just loud enough for Neji to hear over the ensuing chaos.
Neji nods, calculating the right moment to get closer to strike.
Obito doesn't let up in his assault, dodging the flurry of gentle fists and thrusts of swords launched at him from every direction.
His eyes continue to shine the brilliant red of the sharingan, eyes locking with a falling branch member just as he tries to get up. Neji clenches his teeth in realization as Hiroto shakily moves to stand, glazed look in his eyes, kunai pointed forward.
"Are you willing to kill your own brethren?" Obito questions with a smirk as Hiroto keeps the pointed end towards his neck, lifting him up using him as a human shield.
Hiashi steps forward, eyes narrowing.
"Eight Trigrams: Vacuum Palm!"
The sharp gust is thankfully enough for his hold on Hiroto to loosen, wincing as he crumples to the ground like a puppet. He hit quite a few sharp points in his torso area, areas that could be difficult to survive without immediate medical attention...
Obito laughs humorlessly, so the rumors of Hiashi Hyuga's cruelty to the branch clan hold up after all.
He takes in another breath only to feel his throat start to burn, the makeshift stitches he made from Iruka's attack reopening. It shouldn't have mattered how much smoke or dust he breathed in back in that classroom, but that combined with his injury is starting to best him.
Hiashi can't throw him any surprise attacks the same way Iruka did.
'I'm ending this now.'
He dodges Neji's coming gentle fist to his arm, kneeing him straight in the chest knocking the breath out of him before rushing forward coming properly eye to eye with the Hyuga Clan's leader.
Hiashi skirts him just before his black receiver rod can pierce, palm strike landing on his chest.
The metallic taste is immediate, splashing against Obito's tongue. His heartbeat begins drumming in his ears in a frantic tempo as thin rivulets of blood start sliding down his jaw. He's starting to slow and quickly the clan members not fallen from his earlier attacks start to swarm in like bees.
"That was your aortic valve, next your stomach." Hiashi's voice is a low hiss, jabbing lower making an acidic taste mix in to the back of his mouth.
"You underestimate me." Obito mutters under his breath.
And before he can aim for any other organs, he stabs straight into his right leg with the kunai from Hiroto, grinning at his grunt of pain as he digs the point in, tears at muscle and nerves. He watches as Hiashi's balance breaks, forces him to meet his gaze head on until his arms slacken at his sides, enraptured in the sharingan.
"Don't worry, I'll give you a perfect dream where you get to live out the rest of your days with your daughters and grandchildren while you slowly bleed out in reality. Or maybe I'll be cruel and torture you with witnessing your brother's death over and over." Obito mentions coldly, assurances that Hiashi can no longer can get out of this alive.
"I...I want to see Hinata and Hanabi at least one last time." He mutters, maybe to him or himself.
Obito lifts the kunai out from Hiashi's leg, aiming for his heart the very same way he did to him just a moment ago. Morale will break upon his bodyguards and clansmen once his body topples over, the one person they were supposed to protect dying at his hand.
But then from the corner of his eye he sees movement, kunai knocked out of his hands by a sticky coating of oil and mud.
Spiky white hair pins him down a second later, curse stuck in his mouth.
He's too late; the true reinforcements are here.
'No, I can't let things end this way!' Obito clicks his tongue.
He'll have to put those blueprints from Kabuto into action, whether they were completed or not.
Jiraiya's dark eyes bore into him while Tsunade breaks Hiashi out of his illusion. Hiashi immediately startles, attempting to stand only for Tsunade to shake her head. He grits his teeth through the pain, sweat dampening his forehead.
"You're here; both of you." He whispers in relief and Tsunade nods, managing a small grin despite the smell of blood and ash all around them. Only when this smog clears and gives way to night will they see the true extensive damage done to the structure of the manor, to his fellow clansmen...
"We're ending this here and now no matter what." Tsunade tries to placate him, though her voice sounds far away to Hiashi's ears.
A band of his remaining guards encircle him, rushing him away from the scene to a protected zone.
He glances over his shoulder, watches Obito roll his neck in preparation.
"Don't worry Lord Hiashi, we'll get a medical nin to assess your wound shortly!" Hitomi mentions from his side.
He hardly feels the pain in his leg now, a dullness long having set in that it may need amputation.
Though things may all come to an end here at the compound, the damage already caused can't ever be reversed...
Naruto & Hinata
"Kurama's not super fond of me yet since he keeps calling me a brat, but otherwise training's going great! I think I'll be ready to go by end of the week at latest!" Naruto grins as he relaxes into bed beside her.
She hears everything he hasn't said.
Hinata takes his hands with her own, squeezes them gently.
"Yes, I'm nervous too Naruto." She sighs, looking at the night sky of Kumo.
The rain and thunderstorms have stilled for once, clouds parting enough to give them a view of a row of white-yellow stars. Outside they hear the low rhythm of crickets, the dim glow of fireflies probably the only creatures still awake this late at night within the surrounding fauna.
Naruto tenses, smile falling, leaning into her. Hinata always could see through his fake grins, silly of him to even try one now around her.
"It's just, you know...Asami is late." He mumbles.
Hinata nods, her owl summon has been gone now for more than 3 days, it wouldn't take this long unless something happened...
"If Obito is in Konoha, she could be helping with the evacuations and what not." She imagines.
Naruto nods, but his stomach is in knots, tugging them backwards into pillows.
"Something's off though. You sense it too, right? I'm sure something big has happened in the village!" He exclaims.
Naruto purses his lips then trying to think of exactly what bad event could be happening that's delaying news from reaching them.
More destruction? Kidnappings? Death?
He shuts his eyes, trying and failing not to assume the worse.
Things will be fine, Pervy-Sage is alive still after all and that makes a huge difference.
Hinata presses close to him and he breathes in the scent of hibiscus and magnolia, flowers and fauna that don't grow in the regions of Konoha and the nearby forests.
"I can't say don't worry, because I am too. We just have to hope the information we gave everyone is enough." Hinata whispers.
Enough.
Right, they've done what they can and still things may inevitably change anyways...
May have already changed.
They wake again hours later to a sharp knocking, Motoi's voice coming through from the other side.
"Get up you two; the Raikage is here." He announces.
Naruto yawns, still half-asleep questioning the time while Hinata looks puzzled.
This is the first time he's visiting the island since their arrival...
Worry slithers into her chest seeing B for once not giving one of his usual cheery good morning raps, gaze transfixed on the sea as they head to the docks.
"Why is A visiting us? I thought he didn't like me really, or anybody besides Killer B here." Naruto grunts.
"My bro says he has news from the frontlines of Konoha yo! News he couldn't refuse so he's delivering it in person!" B explains.
Naruto swallows, stopping in place.
This what he's been waiting for, what both he and Hinata have been waiting for.
But does he want to hear this? It can't be undone once he knows...
"Naruto? It's okay, I'm here with you." Hinata promises, entangling their fingers.
His palms must be sweaty, his heartbeat rises to a tempo fast enough to thrum loudly in his ears nearly drowning out her voice.
"What happens if it's bad news? What will you do Naruto; is that when you'll call on me for power?" Kurama questions.
He can't answer any of that right now, can't worry and keep thinking the news will be something horrible.
A is observing the calmness of the sea; everything from the sea to the forest still asleep not ready for a new day. Waters a dark bluish-green lap quiet waves against the rocks, waiting for low tide by this evening.
The air is thick with the scent of seagrass and sand, A approaching with a rolled up scroll when he sees them walking up.
"This came from a toad this morning, has the Hokage's seal on it to prove it's authenticity." He begins, holding it out to the pair.
Hinata notes it hasn't been opened and A nods, gesturing for them to be the ones to do it.
"Its for you two's eyes only."
Sasuke & Sakura
'How long have we been in here?' Sakura resists the urge to squirm, biting her lip.
It reeks of blood and slime, fingers pressed at the sides of Manta's mouth coming away with saliva and what she hopes isn't acid.
Minutes have started to feel like hours.
But it feels wrong to complain, to even ask when this will be over or how they'll get out of Manda when she knows Sasuke doesn't have the answer to either of those questions right now.
"It should be over soon, I'm listening for the end of the shockwaves." Sasuke mutters beside her.
Right, good.
'Does Manda even know we're in him? He's surely pissed he's being used as a shield for us.' Sakura wonders.
Sasuke seems to read her thoughts, Sakura feeling his gaze despite the darkness.
"I put Manda under a genjutsu; I don't know if he'll survive an explosion this massive." He admits.
Sakura feels her frown deepen, she should've summoned Lady Katsuyu. At least her body could've probably survived the explosion better than the scales Manda has.
The rumbles continue on outside, Sasuke abruptly pressing her close when a sharp crack ripples through the air, as if the very ground is opening up beneath them to swallow them whole.
Manda's body tilts a second later and Sakura finds herself tumbling, top becoming bottom, trying to find something to grip onto only coming away with air.
And then everything goes still.
'I have nothing to hold onto! What if he tries to swallow us!' Sakura purses her lips, tightening her fists.
"I'm making an opening for us!" Sakura calls out, gathering chakra at her fist.
She murmurs an apology to Manda before slamming her punch into the side of his jaw, hole formed the size of a small crater just large enough for both of them to get out of.
Red orbs melt back into green as they approach his face, studying Sakura with a mix of hate and disgust.
"You...it's bad enough I was summoned to just be used as a shield, but you punch a hole in me as I lay dying?!" He hisses.
Sakura clenches her teeth, should she apologize? The damage is already done though and she doubts the reptile will accept any flimsy excuses she could give.
'Can I heal him?' She considers pressing a hand to his scaly body, taking in the extent of his injuries. Burns and torn scales mar his body, breathing slowing down.
No, it's already too late for him...
"It was you or us." Sasuke mentions behind her, arching a brow at Sakura's palm against him.
His life is over no matter how much she tries to help him now.
Manda turns his hateful glare on him, cursing.
"Bastard, all you've seen my life as is something expendable! I pity this woman with you, so naïve to the hate and selfishness that no Uchiha ever escapes." He utters before he goes completely still.
Sakura chews with her lip, she already knows the cruelty of Sasuke's clan and what he could in a worst case scenario and yet still doesn't want to leave him...
Because timelines have changed now, will keep changing.
She sighs, stepping away from his body.
"We need to find Itachi." Sasuke remarks and Sakura nods, investigating the cracks and openings in the earth.
The explosion has desolated the everything, brown and black ash of where trees and rock once stood the only things in sight in all directions.
But the ground is different as they track southward, dryer and rockier and an idea clicks.
"I think Itachi went underground to hide from the explosion. If we follow this path-" Sakura relates, pointing to a trail of grooves in the earth and upended rock, Sasuke nodding his understanding before she can finish.
"We'll find where he's gone." He agrees.
He lets Sakura walk ahead, wondering what will be next for them with all of the Akatsuki almost gone, if there's even a place for him and Itachi back in Konoha.
Sakura accepts him wholeheartedly and for a moment he allows himself to picture them back at the Uchiha district or simply resting under the shade of the large sycamore trees, the garden of his family home springing back to life with tomatoes, peppers, and limes.
And Itachi would be home, truly home if he could find a way to get him to believe he can call Konoha his home again.
No, he realizes after a pause. He doesn't deserve such peace and happiness after his cruelty to his village even if an alternative version of himself did far worse based on what Naruto told him of that future.
He was heading down that path too if he hadn't been stopped early and told the truth of his clan. And Sakura knows this, not even wanting to fully know who she's with in the future...
If not for all that knowledge he would've fully betrayed them to seek power in the man who killed Lord Third, who actively destroyed Konoha.
But none of this matters right now, not all of the Akatsuki is dead.
Because now he'll have to eventually confront Itachi on why Obito helped in their clan's massacre and more importantly, will he stand against him now?
Naruto & Hinata
'Iruka Umino is dead.'
And not only that, Hiashi is gravely injured, but at least alive. Though Granny isn't sure if she'll be able to save his right leg...
He hears his name called over a rising buzz in his ears, a scattering of voices he walks away from, running back into the forest. His chest tightens, breaths turning into pants pushing his way through fauna and vines, deeper and deeper until finally he's amid just trees and moss covered rocks.
His chest coils further, not carrying how far away he runs, sweat dampening his neck and back.
The words go in and out of focus as he looks at the scroll again, his mind clouding over with a memory.
"This is from our wedding day?" Naruto-Y points to a picture, gazing at his future counterpart's bright grin, Hinata-O at his side. This office that will one day be his is a collection of snippets/moments in time for both himself and Hinata now that he's taking a closer look around.
Pictures of them when they were younger on their respective teams, ones of himself with Pervy-Sage and Hinata with Kurenai-sensei. His gaze moves on towards the newer ones of when they first moved into this house. Hinata-O pregnant with Himawari while Boruto points to her rounded stomach clearly confused on what it means to be an older brother, his older self grinning with Gaara and the rest of the Kage...
And then there is this photo in particular from the day he and Hinata got married.
Pink and white sakura petals surround them, the photo must've been taken in early spring.
Iruka and Hiashi are on the far left and right sides of them respectively, smiles equally wide for the camera.
Naruto-O nods, picking up the frame.
"Yeah, this is the shot we took with our Dads or I guess Iruka is my Father-like figure in this case." He explains.
Naruto-Y blinks, taking in the meaning of his words.
"You asked him to be our Dad for the wedding?" He clarifies, surprised Iruka agreed to it.
After all the trouble he's given him via pranks and probably keeps giving him now as a stubborn teenager, he would've figured it would've been a headache for him to take on such a task...
Naruto-O laughs at his puzzled look, ruffling his locks much to his annoyance.
"Of course, you know! Iruka-sensei put up with me for so long back at the Academy, it made sense to choose him since he's seen me grow as a shinobi from day 1. Plus, he was there for me when I first got my headband, when I received word that Jiraiya died..." He trails off.
'I'm glad he said yes.' Naruto-Y thinks, because he's right. He's always been there for him despite his attitude at times; a constant in his life.
Naruto-Y looks at the picture again then the others along the row, proudness shining in Iruka's onyx eyes as he pins a red carnation to his chest, wiping a tear from his cheek.
"What's he up to these days anyways?" He questions and Naruto-O's grin widens.
"Still working at the academy! Though he's moved up to the principal position now, you know!"
Naruto-Y matches his grin. "Just like us then being Hokage!"
They both laugh at that until they hear the shattering of glass come from the living room followed by Himawari's screech of "Uh-Oh!"
Naruto-O turns and is out of the room in a blur, Naruto-Y in awe once again from his speed.
'Parenting never ends.' He realizes, wondering how his adult counterpart balances it so well.
Well, most of the time that is.
Boruto's cry soon follows and he rushes after his older self at the wobbliness of his voice.
"Um, I need both of my Papas' help in here!"
Iruka will no longer become the Academy's principal, be there at his wedding as part of his side of the family, watch Boruto and Himawari take part in classes or field exercises...
Naruto blinks away the memories, the set of tears rising up. He walks further into the forest only to come to an opening that overlooks the sea. The waves have turned harsher seeming to match his mood, crashing one after the other onto the rocks.
And then he gazes at his reflection only to see his eyes are awash in crimson, darkness boiling up replacing sadness with rage; with revenge.
"You're upset, I can tell. Let me take over. I'll kill Obito, the rest of the living Akatsuki, anyone that's ever hurt you." Kurama insists.
At his silence he goes on, goading him.
"It will be easy, I'll burn him until only bone and ash remain, tear him part the way he did to your loved ones. That's what you want; isn't it?"
It is. He wants to see Obito despair, to realize all his plans are meaningless to his wrath...
Kurama snickers then, seeing it in his eyes.
"Break this seal Naruto, break it and let me take over." He repeats.
And unlike so many times before Naruto decides to move his arm forward only for a second hand to sharply pull his hand back, keeping it firmly at his side.
"Kurama, you know you and Naruto work together in the future without having to resort to tactics like this! Don't feed Naruto's rage and upset!"
"Hinata?" Naruto asks slowly, glancing around.
They're still on the island, sound of waves crashing to rock behind them.
A second ago it felt like he was in the sea itself, entangled and sinking in, letting the saltwater burn his lungs...
Hinata leans back from him, coated in sweat, cheeks flushed as she keeps her fingers pressed against his stomach. His skin feels hot; feverish, probably matching the red of her face.
"I know it hurts Naruto, however you haven't fully mastered control of Kurama yet. You can't give in to your rage." She remarks.
Naruto takes in the blisters to her hands and startles, quickly sitting up.
"You're hurt! I'm sorry! I got so upset-"
Hinata presses a finger to his lips before he can start rambling, shaking her head.
"It's alright Naruto; I know." She murmurs in understanding and Naruto feels tears prick his eyes all over again, reaching his arm out tugging her back against his chest.
A silence overtakes them pressed skin to skin, Hinata's fingers threading into the ends of his hair moving in small circles.
Eventually she leans back from him to look at him properly eye to eye, brushes their lips softly together promising she's truly fine.
"We have to go back to Konoha. We can't let Obito get away with us." Naruto rasps out.
He'll need Kurama's power without losing control though, burying his head into Hinata's shoulder.
'I can do this. I have to do this for Iruka!'
His stomach knots trying to say all this aloud, rebelling against the idea, fear locking in making his pulse race.
"I agree. I...I need to see Father and Neji." She replies.
And even though he's sure Granny and Pervy-Sage are handling this, he needs to see Iruka's killer with his own eyes.
Kakashi
It's been 3 hours since he received Obito's letter.
He's used that time to carefully gather supplies from the various shops in getting food pills, medicine, extra kunai, blades, and explosive tags.
And yet it still doesn't feel like enough.
"I have to go and check it out Gai; you stay here with Fu." Kakashi asserts.
It's midday now and his anxiety has finally fully latched onto him, digging into his shoulders and roiling at his gut.
Gai clamps a hand to his shoulder before he can burst away in a gust of wind and smoke.
"At least tell Lady Kirika you're heading out so she can warn the other villagers incase this battle gets spread out."
Kakashi lets out a scoff of impatience, but Gai's grip tightens with a growing frown.
"Fine. It's going to take a day or two nonstop to get to Konoha." He grunts and Gai nods with a small smile.
He approaches Kirika's home only to hear the sound of chairs scraping, glass shattering and his heart jolts in panic practically breaking the door down.
"Let me go! I'm fine now; honest!" Fu cries, pushing away a vial a pale white in color.
"Well, she's certainly more chipper and brimming with energy!" Gai relates, spinning some positivity into this all.
Fu's eyes turn to Kakashi and Gai, wary though less uncertain than the last time they saw her awake.
Kakashi meets her gaze for a moment before looking to Kirika.
"I received some news that Obito is now in Konoha. I need to head back, but Gai can stay here and continue to help watch over Fu." He explains.
His eye sweeps the mess made of the place, that wasn't going to be an easy task.
Kirika's eyes soften, nodding. "I'll tell the villagers to be on high alert and-"
Fu stands suddenly before she can finish, orange eyes bright and wild.
"That name. Say it again!" She commands.
Kirika gestures for her to sit and calm herself, but it only ignites her, skirting around her arms.
"You said his name is Obito? Or Tobi?" Fu questions sharply.
"Both. He goes by both." Gai supplies and those words are enough for Fu to straighten herself, stepping forward.
"I heard that name from my original two captors. He's the one behind all this then? The one who's been collecting jinchuriki?" She asks more to herself than them.
It makes sense, the mutterings she heard about needing only the 8 tails and 9 tails after what was supposed to be her demise...
"Be brave Fu, don't lose that smile of yours no matter what situations you come across or the hateful looks you may receive in life." Shibuki explains to her.
A rainstorm has just passed, scent of dew and pine encompassing them.
"Okay! And maybe one day I'll meet another jinchuriki like myself!" Fu questions, moving to stand to leap to the waterfalls down below.
After a rainstorm, the pink and yellow flowers by the crashing water always shine the brightest!
Shibuki hesitates, the only time jinchuriki are brought out is for war...
"Of course, be your usual friendly self and everything will be fine." He comforts, lie bitter on his tongue.
The memory switches, becomes twisted and dark.
"I can't wait for all the ryo you're going to fetch me. Tobi said you shouldn't give us too much trouble." Kakuzu muses, counting the coming cash in his head.
Fu hesitates, heart pounding fast in her chest.
He isn't looking at her like she's human, just an object, something to sell...
The man beside him scratches his cheek; bored.
"Her body would make for a good sacrifice for Jashin in my opinion. It's been ages since I've killed and drank some nice blood. Hell, it would be nice to even come across some other members at this point." He grunts.
Kakuzu looks to him with a scowl. "Not this one Hidan; how stupid are you? She's a jinchuriki."
Hidan scowls at his remark. "Damn, no need to fucking insult me! Get that stick out of your ass, all you ever talk about is money!"
"And all you ever talk about is killing and your asinine cult." He counters.
"But aren't...aren't you from Takigakure too? Shouldn't we be comrades?" Fu interrupts their arguing.
Kakuzu's grin widens as he looks back to her, jade eyes watching her intently; filling with greed.
"Taki? I long abandoned my village and any loyalties to them." He laughs and chills race down her spine as they move in.
"You should've abandoned them as well; you're just their weapon, locked up until needed. A monster to be used when they're forced to get their hands bloody."
Kirika frowns. "Child, you're in no state to be fighting."
But her words don't land, anger festering, dancing in Fu's eyes before calming herself at the rise of her jinchuriki's chakra.
"You're heading to Konoha to kill him, right? I want in."
-x-
Everybody's closing in on Konoha for a final confrontation against Obito who has some last tricks up his sleeve! After that, we'll be heading into the Post-War and New Era of the altered future Naruto and Hinata created! Let me know your thoughts!
Enjoy. Review. Favorite. Follow!
