Disclaimer – Naruto belongs to Kishimoto-sama and the people at Shonen Jump and whoever has a piece of its rights and whatnot… I'm just doin' this for the fun of it. )
Italics - Past tense/flashback
'Italics' - Thoughts
"Clan"
Chapter 1 – Mission Accomplished
oo Two Years Previous oo
"What the hell…?"
The sky before them lit up as the trees in the distance vanished in a violent plume of flame.
"Katon," White eyes narrowed in anger. "I'd recognize that chakra signature anywhere."
The ninja of their squad in charge of information gathering turned to him, blue eyes questioning. "Who could it--" Those same eyes widened in horror. "No… you're kidding…"
Their squad leader let out a heavy sigh, reaching into his pack with one hand, idly scratching his chest with his free one. "How troublesome…" He pulled out his field manual, dark half-lidded eyes quickly scanning its pages. "Says here any group that encounters him is to apprehend him at once… preferably alive."
A Doton no jutsu was fired off, shaking the ground and bringing down another copse of trees.
"Doesn't sound like he's having much fun," commented a dark haired kunoichi with a large scroll strapped to her back.
"He's facing five other ninja," the white-eyed ninja supplied. "Four now…"
"Then it can't be the Akatsuki," the information specialist replied. "They always work in pairs," She turned to the only silent member of their group. "Right?"
"It could be Oto-nin or Akatsuki," the squad leader said when the silent ninja made no signs of answering. "Nonetheless, our orders stay the same."
"You serious?" the information specialist blinked. He nodded.
"So we gag'im, bag'im, and bring'im back to Konoha in one piece," the scroll-carrying kunoichi replied. "Any ideas on how?"
The squad leader glanced around the group. "Suggestions?"
"Move in quietly and see how thing pan out." the unusually quiet ninja answered. "If we gotta pull a snatch and grab, fine… but we're probably better off waiting to see if he takes care of most of the dirty work for us."
His teammates stared at him in awe.
"That's not a bad idea…"
The squad leader recovered from his own shock quickly, slipping the field book back into his traveling pouch. "Well, if no one is opposed, let's split up and take positions before we lose our chance. Ready?" Everyone nodded. "Go!"
All five young Leaf Ninja vanished from sight.
ooo
He could feel the bones in his right shoulder breaking apart – whether from that last sound attack or his impact with the tree behind him didn't matter. Sheathing his Kusunagi momentarily, he did a few quick seals – ignoring the mind-searing pain such movement caused – creating a Kawarimi of himself with a log that took the next volley head on, exploding in a shower of splinters.
"You think you're so clever, don't you, Uchiha-chan?" A ninja with long blue hair, dressed in black pants and a fish net top jumped down from above, hurling a fist full of senbon at his opponent's vitals. Quick to act, the young ninja drew his sword once again, slashing the projectiles away with one swing. "Tricks like that are best suited for the Academy, kiddy. How pathetic can you be?" He rushed forward, ramming the young man into another tree, eliciting a scream of pain. "You poor, poor thing… You've come all this way only to fail right before the end… it really is quite sad."
The younger ninja scowled up at him, tensing at the slight pinching sensation at the joining of his neck and shoulder. 'Damn it…' He'd worked so long to control it; he couldn't let it get the best of him now. No more than he could let this freak show beat him! "I haven't failed anything."
He ducked out of his opponent's grasp, delivering a harsh kick to the chin that sent him flying backwards. The flames' light in the distance glinted off a hitai-ate in his peripheral vision and he turned just in time to block a blow from another Oto-ninja's Zanbatou. This ninja was a large man, standing perhaps a good foot taller than he with shoulders twice as broad. Unlike his companion, the exression on his face was nowhere near as amused at his presence.
"Ungrateful little worm!" He swung down at him with his blade again, knocking up hunks of earth and rock with the force of each blow. "You think just because you have Orochimaru-sama's seal you can do as you please? How dare you try to stand against us!"
Uchiha Sasuke, born of Konohagakure, once of Otogakure, and now declared a nukenin, stared down his opponent, his expression revealing nothing. "No," he replied. "That would be foolish…" His gaze wandered over to the two cloaked figures standing by in the distance, surveying the battle. "Just like thinking capturing a Bijuu will grant you power."
The Zanbatou-wielder snarled, just as the first ninja came in for another volley. "And what would you know, Uchiha-chan?" he sneered. "You haven't got a Bijuu!"
"No," Sasuke replied, his long hair creating a dark curtain hanging over his face. Meanwhile his hands quickly formed seals faster than the two ninja could see. "But neither do any of you." He thrust his hands out, crying out in pain as he yelled, "Katon: Fureimingu Bakudan!"
Whatever the enemy ninja had been expecting, it was not that. The energy from Sasuke's attack hit the large ninja head on, crashing through his Zanbatou and sending its shattered remains directly towards him. The blue haired ninja let out a cry of surprise, though he managed to jump out of the way of the attack last minute. As he touched down a few meters away, he looked up just in time to see his partner's dead body hit the ground with a loud thud.
"Damn," His eyes went from the large ninja's corpse to their third companion, the first ninja the Uchiha kid had finished off. Their master had warned them not to try and attack him head on and his teammates had paid the price. Still, were they supposed to just let him walk away after everything he had done? Never! He sneered, "So, you actually got both of them…"
Panting heavily and cradling his injured shoulder, Sasuke turned to face him. "Unless you'd like to join them…" he snarled. "You'll get out of my way."
Arrogant… The Oto-ninja scoffed, falling into an offensive stance. The kid was thrashed, he didn't stand a chance! "You'd like that, wouldn't you, Uchiha-chan?" he purred, sparring a quick glance to their audience… or more specifically, the ninja that bore a striking resemblance to the one in front of him… even more now than he had in earlier years. "Ahh… I get it… you wanna cross blows with 'niichan, don't you? Get back at him for all the pain he's caused you?" He laughed, his eyes hardening. "Sorry, kiddy, but Orochimaru-sama wants you back and he wants you back in once piece. Can't have Big Brother turning you into a smear on the forest floor."
Sasuke fought back a snarl, frowning only slightly before allowing his expression to become neutral once again. "I'm not going back," he said.
"Ah, but you are," the ninja responded. "You made a deal. It's bad enough you made our master wait another 3 years before taking you as his new vessel… not a very nice way to return all the favors he's granted you, ne?"
"Favors?" His blank expression morphed back into a scowl "Shut up."
The Oto-ninja laughed, rushing forward with the intent of finishing him off when his path was blocked by a large, scaly sword.
Everyone present in the area froze.
The ninja, whose name happened to be Don-don, stared up the length of the blade at the blue faced ex-Kirigakure ninja grinning at him much like the shark he resembled.
"Hey," Hoshigaki Kisame stared down at Don-don, his fanged teeth glinting in the fire light. "Why don'cha leave the kid to me? We really don't need you here anymore."
Don-don tensed, affronted. "Orochimaru-sama wants Uchiha-chan in once piece," he said.
"Yeah, well, what the Snake wants ain't really our concern," Kisame smirked. "Besides, we can't always get what we want, now can we, Princess?"
Don-don cursed, jumping back a step as his hands formed seals. With a loud snarl he cried out, "Zan Ku Ha!" A large wave of chakra charged air raced across the ground towards the shark-like ninja, ripping up chunks of earth as it went. Sasuke merely watched as Kisame smirked, raising his scaled Samehada into the airwave's path. The sword pulsed, drawing all of the chakra out of the attack until nothing was left.
Sparing a quick smirk for the awestruck Oto-nin, Kisame gave Sasuke a feral, toothy grin, replying, "I'll be with you in just a second, Kid." Cracking his neck, he turned his attention back to Don-don. "All right, let's do this."
oo Back to Present Day oo
"So the Akatsuki took care of the pursuing Oto-ninja and then turned on Sasuke," Tsunade mused, attempting to rehash the events read from the mission case file in her mind. The squad leader assigned to that particular mission tended to write very brief, if almost non-descriptive, reports, but for this particular case he'd written enough for her to get a clear picture of how the events had played themselves out.
"Yes, and Sasuke somehow managed to finish off Kisame," Kakashi replied, though he still had no idea of how he'd managed such a feat. The report had mentioned something about the sword… but it could have been those who really knew what occurred didn't really feel like saying…
oo Again, Two Year Previous oo
The last Sons of the Uchiha clan lashed out at each other without any words exchanged. Whatever Itachi's reasons might have been, Sasuke was certain nothing else was left to be said. The speed at which they rushed each other left no mistake of their intentions; no matter the outcome of their battle, at least one Uchiha would die.
The Konoha ninja squad leader, Nara Shikamaru, wiped the sweat from his brow, squinting his eyes at the flash from Sasuke's Housenka no Jutsu. The fire styled attack had caused no damage to the elder Uchiha, but it had at least allowed him to escape his brother's initial attack.
'I've been told that the extended use of the Sharingan has irreparably damaged Itachi's vision… leaving him nearly blind…' The shadow master frowned. 'Still, Sasuke's looking pretty beat up… poor vision isn't going to give him anywhere near enough of an advantage to take his older brother out, is it?'
A presence landed beside him suddenly and Shikamaru drew a kunai, letting out a breath when he realized it was only Yamanaka Ino.
"Password?" he asked, smirking.
"Purple mongoose," she smirked back as he grinned and lowered his weapon. Her expression soon melted away however at the sight of the battle raging below. "They're tearing each other apart…"
Sasuke had just pile-driven Itachi into the ground, only to be kicked in the chin and sent spiraling into the air.
"It's no secret Sasuke wants his older brother dead," Shikamaru remarked. "Though with the way he's looking I don't know how he's gonna manage it…"
Ino remained silent. Her feelings for the self-proclaimed Avenger had cooled dramatically since his defection to Otogakure 4 years previous, but she still couldn't help but cringe at the beating he was so obviously receiving. Still, even if she'd wanted to help him out, what could she possibly have done? A Mind Walker against two Sharingan wielders? Madness!
"What's our move now?" she asked.
"I see no reason to deviate from our original plan," The Shadow master replied. "We just need a moment where we can get in, grab our target—"
There was an anguished cry as Itachi landed a blow on Sasuke's injured shoulder.
"—before he gets slaughtered!" Ino stressed.
Their radio headsets crackled to life as Neji's voice came over the intercom with the barest note of anxiety. "#1, we're losing our window," he said. "What's our move?"
Shikamaru frowned. This was the reason he hadn't wished to become a Jounin. As a Chuunin, he could stick close to the village and complete relatively easy missions involving very little hard work or danger. But since becoming a Jounin – damn Ino, why'd he always go against his own wishes just to please her? – even the simplest reconnaissance mission could turn into something like this. Missions where lives depended on his decisions – granted, he didn't feel any sort of responsibility for the Uchiha outside of this mission, but he didn't want that kind of guilt weighing on him ever again. Ever.
The sounds of battle had gone silent, and he glanced down again to see the two brothers standing several feet away from each other, neither making any sort of moves. "They're talking to each other?"
"I can't make out what they're saying," Ino complained. "There's too much smoke to read lips."
"It doesn't matter," Neji said. "We've got to move now."
Shikamaru nodded. "#2… get ready…" Ino nodded, her expression tense but resolved. "#4, when I give the signal, I want you to throw out all you've got at Itachi,"
"Got it." came the Weapon's Mistress' reply.
"Once they've split, #3 and #5 are gonna rush Itachi just long enough for me and Ino to get clear. Understand?"
"Understood."
"Yeah…,"
Ino and Shikamaru exchanged looks but pressed on. "All right, on my mark – 3…2… what the hell…?"
Suddenly Itachi rushed towards Sasuke, slamming him to the ground with a sickening crack. It looked as though the younger Uchiha might finally be done in, but then he suddenly shot up, Kusunagi in hand. With quick thrust and a cry of Chidori Nagashi he rammed it into his brother's chest with all his might, the energy and the blow itself sending the elder ninja staggering backwards with wide, red eyes.
'Shit…' Shikamaru thought from his own hiding spot. 'I bet he didn't see that coming.'
Sasuke struggled to stand up, his facial expression void of any emotion. However, after a few seconds he dropped to the ground once again, this time unconscious.
The Leaf Ninja squad leader stood up, his hands already going through seals for his signature jutsu. "Everyone! Here's our window, so move!"
Each ninja vanished from their spot, prepared to carry out their tasks. A shower of everything from senbon to shuriken rained down from the sky, blocking Itachi's path to his prone brother. A long shadow lurched along the ground towards Sasuke, lifting him bonelessly into the air. Ino then appeared out of a cloud of smoke, grabbing the unconscious Sasuke before vanishing just as quickly.
If he had any objections about this turn of events Itachi made no obvious objections. A long-haired Hyuuga fazed into view directly in front of him. A well placed Kaiten sent him spinning directly into a purple tinted Rasengan.
The Hyuuga later commented he some exchange between the target and his own partner, but couldn't attest whether it was his imagination or not. It wasn't as if it really mattered, of course...
After that, there was only oblivion.
oo Present Day oo
Tsunade could only imagine how the kid could have reacted. To know that you'd failed to complete your life's goal only to have it done so easily by the person you had betrayed and nearly killed in pursuit of said goal.
"He was pissed?"
"Didn't show it," Kakashi answered, though they both knew that was far from a 'no'.
"Who told him?"
"He overheard Ino telling Sakura about it." Tsunade sighed; it looked as though she needed to have another chat with her apprentice… as well as her two teammates.
She'd been surprised when Shikamaru's team returned from Kusa no Kuni with a gravely injured Uchiha Sasuke in tow. She'd been furious when she learned the circumstances of his capture, but could do nothing about it since the order for them to do so had still stood. Naturally, news of his return spread quickly and everyone was up in arms over what was to be his fate.
The most obvious answer was death. He was a missing nin, and had committed unspeakable acts under Orochimaru's orders. Of course, the Council would hear none of this. Apparently the Uchiha still had power within their ranks even as ghosts. The Council insisted that as the last living heir of the Uchiha Clan, and only true-blooded wielder of the Sharingan – could Kakashi even pass his onto descendants? He didn't seem to be concerned with finding out – Sasuke was a valuable commodity to Konohagakure and could not be allowed to die.
So, Tsunade had had no choice but to forgo executing the brat and put him on probation instead. Of course, there were restrictions to be had – not only had he had several of his Tenketsu points sealed off courtesy of one Hyuuga Neji, but he'd also been placed under 24-hour surveillance. For 10 months they'd waited to see not only whether or not the teen would survive his injuries, but if it was even worth attempting to allow him to remain a ninja. He'd proved once that he'd do anything to achieve a goal; could he be trusted with Konoha's welfare?
There'd been talk, there'd been pressure from multiple sides… everyone knew the rumors… what would become of Team 7? Had it, too, been doomed to fail like all its predecessors?
Two years passed with no developments and the Hokage found herself torn. She hadn't wanted that black mark lingering on her two favorite kids… so despite her reservations, she'd allowed them to reform their old team with the hope they'd be able to pick up where they left off before everything fell apart…
Unfortunately, she'd been more right than she'd expected…
"Kakashi,"
Inwardly the Jounin flinched at the steel in the Hokage's tone. This certainly didn't bode well for his students.
"Yes, Hokage-sama?"
"Find your team and tell them to come my office immediately—"
Before she could finish her sentence, the door to her office opened up revealing a harried looking Chuunin.
"Forgive the intrusion, Hokage-sama," he breathed.
Tsunade frowned, but recognizing him from border patrol, she made no objections. "How many are there now?"
"At least 75, ma'am," the Chuunin answered. "We suspect more may be arriving soon."
Kakashi blinked, turning a questioning eye to the Hokage. "Is something happening?"
Tsunade gave him a disbelieving look before quickly recovering. "You have been gone awhile haven't you?"
"And I came straight here as you asked." He added. He hadn't even gotten the chance to see if the latest volume of Icha Icha Paradise: Redux had come in yet. The old Frog Hermit was certainly getting more creative with each new volume. He remembered Volume 12, Chapter 112 when…
If Tsunade could tell the path on which his thoughts lay, she was doing surprisingly well by not showing it. After all, there were more important things to be concerned with than Kakashi's off and on the clock perversity…
"Since 4 weeks ago, we've been noticing a small group of people accumulating just outside the perimeter of the village," she explained. "It started off as just a group of 15 people, but they've set up camp and their numbers are gradually increasing."
Kakashi's eye widened. How could he have not been aware of this?
As if sensing his thoughts, Tsunade replied, "They've situated themselves on our western border, while your team came in from the Southeast."
"Are they hostile?"
"They haven't shown any signs so far," the Chuunin answered. "Though we've still no idea why they're here."
"Nonetheless," Tsunade rose from her seat, resisting the urge to crack her back – she knew it wasn't beneficial anyway – turning to the window and the dusky view of the village. "Make sure each gate is fortified with extra patrol. I want everyone on their guard 'til we find out just what business they have here. We certainly don't need anymore trouble."
"Ma'am," the Chuunin bowed and vanished.
"Your orders for me, Hokage-sama?" Kakashi asked.
"For now, get some rest," Tsunade ordered. "God knows you probably need it. First thing tomorrow, report back here and we'll see if you and ANBU can't figure out what the hell's going on."
Kakashi nodded, and with a bow he, too, vanished in a poof of smoke.
Her office empty again, Tsunade sagged down into her chair, massaging her temples.
"Damn, I need a drink…"
End Chapter 1