Chapter 37
Something Different
Land of Fire
Senju Clan Compound
Tsunade marched through the wooden halls of her Clan's home with absolute purpose and anyone who saw her quickly got out of her way, especially after seeing the foul look she had on her face. She was a beautiful woman and her blonde hair bobbed in time with her steps along with her large chest which was usually looked at with lust but right now she was far too terrifying to ogle or approach. She was still in her fighting gear, so it was form-fitting and dark coloured pants and top along with a grey chest plate, grey armguards and shinguards. She looked like the very image of a goddess of war.
She marched right up to two huge wooden doors decorated on one side with trees and plant life and the other door was decorated with waves and imagery of the sea. Just before she kicked the doors open she heard a voice on the inside.
"We must suppress these rebels first! Then we can move to crush the Uchiha and the Hyuga together and prove the might of Senju Clan to all who doubt our power!" An old voice argued passionately.
Tsunade sighed at hearing that and with barely any effort she put her hands on both doors and slammed them open, startling everyone inside.
"Tsunade-Sama!" Most called out in surprise at seeing her. Their shock was not unsurprising as she should have been fighting in the eastern Senju Clans against a small army of Rogue Ninja who decided to start trouble for the Senju Clan.
"I'm back early." She announced the obvious, taking in everyone's faces with a harsh glint in her eye.
"Hello, Nee-san." The current Senju Clan Head said sitting at his place at the head of the room on an elevated platform from everyone else.
"Nawaki." She greeted her younger brother.
Senju Nawaki was sitting comfortably but to Tsunade, she could tell he was tense. He wasn't the snot-nosed little brother he used to be, his once short light-brown hair was now very long and pulled into a ponytail, and his hazel eyes were hard and distrusting. He was wearing a rather plain cream kimono along with having their Grandfather's necklace hanging loosely around his neck and even had his old bandana tied around his forehead, it was plain white and had the Senju Clan symbol directly in the centre. He also had the Raijin no Ken at his side the black hilt was right next to him unactivated one of the many inventions of their granduncle Tobirama.
"What has brought you back in such a state Nee-San?" Nawaki asked her as he rested his chin on his fist.
"Get out." Tsunade ordered all the others present.
"You cannot just.." One of the elders began to speak up but a glare stopped that right in its tracks.
"Out now!" She threatened and all of them scrambled to leave the room.
The door shut with a harsh thunk and Tsunade and Nawaki was left alone in the meeting hall. Behind Nawaki stood a wooden statue of Bishamonten; the Kami of War it had replaced the carving of the Rikudo Sennin that their Grandfather Senju Hashirama had created as a reminded of what the Senju should aspire to. Of course, there was no way to know the face of the Rikudo Sennin so Hashirama had just guessed and formed through instinct alone with his Mokuton.
"Nawaki! What are you doing listening to these bloodthirsty fools." She scolded him harshly walking right up to where he was sitting.
"Those 'fools' are the honoured elders of our Clan Tsunade." Nawaki corrected her sharply.
"They are trying to start a second Great War! We haven't recovered from the losses of the previous one yet and they want to start a new one!" Tsunade shouted at him.
"We have conquered a lot of territories, we have more resources than before." Nawaki said his tone was tight and his eyes were looking angry.
"Yes! And look at the result of that conquest, the Uchiha and Hyuga who have never allied together before are now together!" Tsunade tried to make him see her point.
"We have subjected Clans who hate our rule and we've wiped out those who rebelled and look where that has got us! Rebellions in the east and an Uchiha-Hyuga alliance in the west." She continued.
"The Land of Fire is split into 3 factions now; Us, Neutral Clans and the Uchiha-Hyuga. Don't you see how big the problem is!?" She asked him.
"We are the Senju Clan of a thousand skills, what we do not know we take and make ourselves stronger! We don't need allies only subjects!" Nawaki stood up and he was of equal height with his older sister who was tall for a woman.
"We are not in any position to conquer the Land of Fire! The Daimyo would send in his Samurai just to spite us!" Tsunade shouted trying to drive some critical thinking into his skull.
"We don't need the Daimyo!" He returned the shout and then Tsunade got a sinking feeling in her stomach as she started putting the pieces together.
"You-you're not just aiming to subjugate the Uchiha are you?" Tsunade asked him as she thought back on his actions since taking the leadership mantle.
"I was chosen by our honoured elders to lead our Clan to glory and I will do that." Nawaki vowed not actually answering the question.
"You're planning to take the country! Overthrow the Daimyo and rule the entire Land of Fire!" Tsunade accused him of the unthinkable.
"That would be insane." Nawaki agreed with a nod.
"I would never think to overthrow the Daimyo which started the Great War and brought hundreds of our Clan to their death." Nawaki reassured Tsunade but she looked in his eyes and saw fire.
"Nawaki. Whatever they're telling you don't listen to it. It is a horrific plan that will only lead to our destruction." Tsunade said to him, looking worried for the first time since she entered the room.
"Don't worry Tsunade. I love our Clan and only want the best for it." Nawaki assured her with a smile.
But even with that Tsunade could only feel dread.
Land of Fire
Uchiha Hinterlands
The vast stretch of land that the Uchiha de-facto controlled within the Land of Fire was a place that was often called the breadbasket of the country. It was located in a valley with rolling hills and a slow-moving blue river, it was one of the most beautiful places in the world and many an artist would come to paint the amazing landscape.
It is extremely fertile land that was amazing for the growing of crops and it was under Uchiha control but they ruled with a light touch since the Daimyo was always watching and making sure that the farmers were selling their product to the entire country instead of hoarding it for the Ninja Clans in the area.
And it was here where Sasuke found himself for another joint mission with the Hyuga in the name of cooperation, allowing Hyuga so deep into Uchiha territory was a great show of trust from the reclusive Uchiha.
Sasuke sat on a wooden bench placed on one of the many green hills in the area, nearby was a tea house that had farmers taking a well-earned rest drinking green tea along with snacks to fill their stomachs.
He was of course sitting alone with a rapidly cooling tea in his hands, Sasuke had been taking sips from it but eventually stopped drinking and was spent his time staring out over the sun-filled valley instead.
"Uchiha Sasuke?" A young voice asked him.
Sasuke turned and saw a Hyuga standing nearby at a respectful distance. He looked to be a little older than Sasuke, he had the classical Hyuga look with pale white eyes, pale skin and long black hair which was held in a loose ponytail tied a few inches above the end of his hair. He was wearing plain, practical clothes with a beige-coloured shirt with looked to have mesh armour underneath it, this was paired with dark brown shorts and blue Ninja sandals. He also had a long headband tied around his forehead it was black and had long tails which blew gently in the wind.
"Yes." He answered clearly standing up, "And you are?"
"Hyuga Neji, I am to be your partner on this mission." He answered clearly and was obviously sizing up Sasuke with a penetrating gaze.
"Do you know the specifics?" Sasuke asked him, as the Uchiha sized his partner up as well.
"Of course." Neji replied.
"Are you ready to move out now?" Sasuke finished his analysis of the Ninja before him satisfied he had a good grasp on Hyugas Neji's strength.
"Of course." And Neji moved first, disappearing in a burst of speed and smoke.
"Heh." Sasuke gave a smirk and he followed after his partner.
The mission both boys were given was an important one but not expected to be very dangerous. They would patrol the valley and check common incursion points for bandits who wished to raid the farms for food and wealth as the oldest families within the valley were wealthy from years of selling food to anyone.
Both Sasuke and Neji were very skilled for their age and it was judged by the higher-ups of both Clans that this mission was perfect for both boys. Sasuke was not as talented as his older brother but he was the strongest of his generation and he had not even awakened his Sharingan either and within the Uchiha Clan it was common knowledge that a Ninja's skill would easily double upon gaining their Kekkei Genkai.
Neji on the other hand was seen as the future of the Hyuga, he was strong skilled and had the blood of the former Clan Head in his veins. His Byakugan was even better than some of the adult members of the Clan and his skill with their family Taijutsu the Juken was unparalleled as such Neji is the strongest of his generation and regarded as one of the best prodigies to ever come from the family.
"Byakugan!" Neji made the Hand Sign unique to activate the Hyuga Clan's Dojutsu. The veins around his eyes bulged and his eyes began to sharpen as the sense expanded beyond the limits of a normal person.
"Hm." Sasuke looked on curiously, he had never seen the Byakugan in action before and seeing another Dojutsu was an interesting event.
"What is the range of your vision?" Sasuke asked him as they jumped from tree to tree.
"50 meters." Neji answered shortly. Normally he would never reveal such information to a Ninja from another Clan but for the sake of the alliance, he was willing to play nice.
Sasuke did not reply verbally instead he simply nodded. Internally he was impressed by the increase in distance, he already knew that the Byakugan allowed the Hyuga a massive increase in visual perception enough to see the Chakra Pathway System inside the body along with being able to see through most objects.
"Have you activated your Sharingan?" Neji asked an important question for him.
The answer to this question would change how he would fight around Sasuke as if the Uchiha did have the Sharingan then Neji would make do with fighting with only basic techniques but if he did not then he could use the more advanced techniques he knew. This was a fear of being copied by the Sharingan as it was well known for allowing its users to copy every type of Jutsu including the movements of Taijutsu and Neji did not want to give any of that to the Uchiha Clan even if they had an alliance.
"No, I haven't." Sasuke admitted hiding embarrassment and anger at the admittance. Since Neji had answered his question honestly, Sasuke had to return the favour and answer truthfully.
Sasuke and Neji were not the talkative types so while they travelled around the valley there was no small talk between them.
However, when Neji suddenly gestured for Sasuke to stop, he turned to question why Neji had given the signal but Neji spoke first.
"50 Meters ahead of us. Around 25 people are moving in formation, their Chakra is weak except for the leader." Neji informed Sasuke of the situation the Hyuga could see.
"Ninja?" Sasuke asked as he stretched his senses to see if he could pick them up.
"I don't think so their clothes suggest bandits or even Samurai." Neji said watching the intruders closely with his white eyes.
"Right." Sasuke acknowledged.
"We should set a trap." Both spoke at the same time.
They started at each other awkwardly for a few moments before Neji coughed and nodded.
"An ambush would be the most practical tactic in this situation." He said completely ignoring the fact that that situation happened.
"Right." Sasuke agreed with him.
They set up a rather impressive but rushed ambush that involved metal wires and suspended logs. Sasuke would be the mid-long range fighter and trigger the ambush with a Ninjutsu while Neji would hide on the forest floor and engage them in Taijutsu combat.
They lay in wait for around 15 minutes before the group of people entered the clearing where the two Ninja had set their ambush. Neji was right about there not being Ninja among them as to Sasuke's eyes they looked like Bandits who had fallen under the control of a rogue Samurai.
The lead was obviously an ex-Samurai as he had a daisho pair of swords, the Katana and Wakizashi. He was wearing scuffed brown armour that didn't look impressive but it seemed to be sturdy as aside from the dirt there was no knicks or dents in the armour itself.
The rest of the group were dressed as civilians and looked like poor peasant farmers for the most part, but they did have weapons and cobbled together pieces of armour.
"Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!" Sasuke began the opening move and unleashed the signature Uchiha Clan Katon Ninjutsu right down at them.
"SCATTER!" The leader shouted but he was a moment too late as the ball of fire slammed down and burnt a good few of them while the others scrambled to get out of the way.
Then the other traps were tripped as one of the bandits caught their foot on a metal wire and tripped over it which triggered a small rigged trap to fire a handful of kunai and shuriken at them.
The other trap that was tripped involved a portion of a fallen tree swinging on a rope and smashing into more of them.
Neji burst forth from his hiding place after the log came to a stop and engaged the leader and easily took him down with precise Juken strikes, cutting off his Chakra and then knocking him out cleanly.
"VIP acquired." He called out to Sasuke who went through another set of Hand Signs.
Neji picked the fallen leader up and glared at the 5 bandits who were left.
"You have two options surrender or die." He offered them terms.
"Fuck you kid!" One of them shouted and charged at Neji swinging a hatchet.
Neji easily dodged the slow strike and drove two of his fingers into the man's neck and collapsed his windpipe.
"Katon: Hosenka!" Sasuke unleashed a barrage of smaller fireballs and then threw shuriken seemingly at nothing.
3 of the bandits got hit by the fireballs and screamed as they caught fire, the remaining 2, however, managed to dodge them and of course, Sasuke's thrown shuriken was aimed right at where they dodged too and they were hit by the sharp pieces of metal which easily went through their weak armour.
"Impressive." Neji complimented Sasuke who dropped from the tree next to him.
"You as well." Sasuke returned it.
It could not have gone any better in Sasuke's opinion and Neji's was much the same. They had captured the leader and killed the rest quickly and efficiently.
"We should finish our patrol then hand this one over." Neji said as he tapped the man's leg with his other hand.
"I agree, there could be more out there." Sasuke pulled out the map of their route.
"We only have 2 more places to check, it won't take long." He told Neji.
"Indeed it won't." Neji agreed.
The Uchiha and Hyuga then disappeared from the clearing in twin bursts of smoke as they went to finish their mission.
As it happened the rest of the mission was quiet with no more fighting, and after the Samurai was interrogated it was revealed to be an isolated incident as the rogue samurai thought he could have established a small camp in the valley and launched raids not on the farms but on the merchants' caravans that came to the farms.
If it happened under any other Clan then he might have succeeded but this was the Uchiha Clan and they were the equals of the Senju and never was more shown than in their vigilance of the valley of farms.
Sasuke and Neji were judged to be a good team and the two boys would have many more missions in the future.
?
Cave
Nagato activated his Jutsu and his form rippled and then the other members of his Akatsuki appeared before him. Not all were present as this was a localised meeting and the other members had their own missions and duties to attend to.
"Shu, Byaku, Gyoku. Has the situation in the Land of Fire stabilised?" He skipped the greetings and got the most important business first.
"As of right now the Uchiha are consolidating their alliance with the Hyuga and protecting their borders. There has been no talk of fighting the Senju." Shu talked first and reported on what his Clan was doing.
"According to my contacts, Senju Tsunade Sister to the current Clan Head was dispatched into the east to suppress the attacks. She managed to wipe out a few of the groups but not all of them and they are currently reorganizing for a more hit and run approach." Gyoku spoke next. He was the member with the most connections to unaffiliated Ninja in the Akatsuki.
"Indeed. I have heard much of the same but there are rumours that Senju Nawaki may just attack anyway even with the deterrence of the Neutral Alliance between the Clans not allied with the Uchiha-Hyuga or subject to the Senju themselves." Byaku reported and seemed to take a puff from something in his hand.
"That's troubling." Nagato said holding his chin. "I was hoping for our proxy operations to be enough."
"I have already dispatched a third party to monitor the situation closely." Gyoku reported.
"I too have contacted a friend who is deep within Senju territory. We should have more information on the situation soon." Byaku added in.
"Good. Continue to monitor the situation and act as you think best when needed." Nagato told them.
"Of course." Shu said and he disappeared first.
"I shall continue to act as needed." Byaku said with a nod and he too went away.
"Have you found out anything about the Ninja who attacked during our previous operation in the Land of Hot Water?" Gyoku asked him.
"No, only that they were third party proxies acting upon the orders and gold of another individual. I am still attempting to identify and track this person." Nagato told him.
"Understood, they have appeared several more times since then. Even San has noticed movement in the shadows and he prefers his lab to the world." Gyoku commented.
"I understand, this is a top priority and I have dispatched several of our members to investigate this directly." Nagato assured the shadow.
"As long as you understand." Gyoku said and then he too was gone.
Nagato let out a relieved sigh once all of them disappeared and ran a hand through his red hair.
"To think I would work with him." He commented and wistfully remembered his lost love.
Land of Grass-Land of Fire Border
Hidden Hideout
Minato sighed taking the ring off his finger and he looked around the empty room he was standing in. He had been searching for Naruto but of course, orders came through and he had to answer the call and do his duty.
He turned around and left the room.
"Quick meeting. Anything important?" Kakashi questioned as he was leaning against the stone wall with his arms crossed both eyes looking bored.
"No. We still don't know about that group who attacked us." Minato answered.
"Was joining this Akatsuki even worth it?" Kakashi sighed as he forced himself off the wall and stood straight.
"They have their uses." Minato told him.
"Have you heard anything about Naruto?" He asked Kakashi with a worried tint to his voice.
"Nothing. I had hoped he head the brains to stay out of the Land of Earth while the Kazan was hunting down the Shiin. Not even mentioning the Tsuchi Clan rousing." Kakashi said with a shrug.
"Well, Kushina was never the smartest person. He probably went north to avoid all the Mercenary Ninja moving in the south because of our operation." Minato said walking to the main room of their hideout.
"I hope he's at least smart enough to avoid Clan warfare." Kakashi said though by his tone he didn't put much stock in Naruto's smarts.
"We'll come across him sooner or later. I can't believe I didn't give him one of my Hiraishin kunai or at least marked him directly." Minato beat himself up over his rash decision to just teleport Naruto away.
"Not like you had a lot of options, enemies were incoming at high speed and the fight was a brutal one." Kakashi pointed out.
"I know that." Minato sighed. "But even so I just got my son back only to lose him again."
"As you said, you'll probably meet again and he seems to be a wanderer like you as well." Kakashi reassured the closest thing he had to a father after his own died.
"Of course, I will." Minato agreed with a nod.
"Now what's the new mission?" Kakashi asked.
"We're heading south into the Land of Fire then I think we'll head east into Uchiha territory and check the surrounding countries for information on the ones who want our heads." Minato informed him.
Kakashi nodded at Minato who returned it and then Minato placed a hand on Kakashi's shoulder. One moment they were there and the next in a flash of yellow both men were gone leaving an empty hideout.
Minato was right he would meet Naruto again, in the near future in fact after a series of events that no one could have predicted.
AN:
Here you all are chapter 37 hope you enjoyed it. I wanted to do something different for this chapter so I decided to take a break from Naruto's adventure and give the spotlight to some others for a change.
So the truth is out Minato is a part of the Akatsuki, I imagine a lot of you saw this coming. I tried to play it ambiguously but I think I could have done it better.
Things are in motion and the Akatsuki is not unchallenged in the shadows. Hope you look forward to future chapters of Naruto the Chimera.
Akatsuki Members:
Leader/Rei: Uzumaki Nagato
Shu: Uchiha Itachi
Ku: Bofu Darui
Ao: ?
Nan: ?
San: ?
Byaku: ?
Gyoku: Namikaze Minato
Hoku: ?
Gai: ?
Translations:
Raijin no Ken=Sword of the Thunder God
Juken=Gentle Fist
Byakugan=White Eye
Dojutsu=Eye Technique
Katon: Gokakyu No Jutsu=Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique
Katon: Hosenka=Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire