Disclaimer: I don't own crap and certainly not Naruto.
Chapter 2: Dichotomy
Paperwork.
Bah, Tsunade murmured in distaste. She should have said no when that brat chased her down to become Hokage. Adamantly. She had, but then he had to go and lay down his life for her. That brat faced a shinobi that would have troubled Hatake without fear. The kid should have killed him, too, had it not been for the shinobi's rapid healing. He took a Rasengan to the chest and nearly killed them both afterward.
The child's heart had been ripped in two by a chakra scalpel, yet he refused to die. Never before had she seen such a potent and unyielding will to live. He simply refused to die. He gets his shoulder blown open by an A-rank jutsu. Not only does he survive, but he also continues to fight.
The name Uzumaki meant a lot to her. She was a Senju, for crying out loud. Her grandfather married an Uzumaki. She knew her grandmother's people possessed potent vitality. In the beginning, she chalked it up to his blood—his linage. But then she watched him grow and realized he was too stubborn to die. Tsunade didn't know where he acquired such a strong will.
Jiraiya entered her office through the cracked open window. The curtains blew along a soft breeze. He could tell she worked well into the morning—reading by the flickering light of a candle and scrutinizing the reports of the village's whispers. No doubt ANBU scouting parties or statements from their hunter-nin regarded the Uchiha brat.
"Jiraiya," she greeted him. "Your visits are too few. To what do I owe this undeserved pleasure?"
He pouted. "You know, Tsunade, it's not like you to be so witty."
"Who said I was lying? You're among the only company here that I enjoy. Most of the others are just bloodsuckers trying to grasp power by batting their ashes or whispering a few kind words to earn my favor. It's like my last name means nothing to them. My grandfather never negotiated for power, nor did he allow anyone to dictate to him."
"History, Tsunade. It's not what it used to be."
"You're telling me." She waved it away. "What's this about? Your spy networks come up with anything?"
"You bet," he grinned boyishly. "But it's not pleasant news."
"Nothing is pleasant anymore. I wish I could go back to the days when most of my responsibilities were bossing around a few chicken shit medics in a hospital. Hell, put me back on the front lines with Orochimaru and you; I'd take that over this any day."
"That bad, eh?"
"You have no idea," Tsunade groused. She abhorred those days on the front lines and at war. The battles or the various grotesque sights never bothered her. The sight of blood never fazed her (until it did). Nor the many dismembered limbs or countless bodies scattered along a red-soaked battlefield. War was quite simple. She had one responsibility. Heal friendlies, whether they're Konohagakure shinobi or allied ones. Don't allow your comrades to perish. Patch them up, and send them back into the front lines. It was oh-so-simple back then. Now she found herself governing an entire village.
Five-hundred-thousand civilians and a quarter of that in shinobi.
Every middling aspect of governing you could expect fell on her shoulders. It was unneeded crap that she had no desire to deal with. She'd dump it on someone else and drink her troubles away if she could. But she went and accepted that brat's proposal of becoming Hokage.
"What's the news?"
Jiraiya rested halfway out the window, his long silver hair careening in the turbulent wind. "My contact in Akatsuki says they're going to move on Jinchuriki soon."
The scowling crease in her forehead deepened. "That means Naruto's in danger."
"The Akatsuki will become an international issue as well. Not just ours." Jiraiya's words made her sigh grumblingly.
"I need a fucking drink." Tsunade unlatched her desk drawer, clutching a bottle of sake. The world-renowned medical shinobi never bothered to pour herself a glass. She put her lips to the bottle and drank.
"You really shouldn't drink in the morning," he lectured. "I hear it's an unhealthy habit," he teased,
"Yeah, well, dealing with this village's shit is unhealthy, too," Tsunade snapped irritably. "Not a day goes by where I don't regret coming along with you morons."
"You wound me Tsunade with your cruel words." Jiraiya clutched his heart, tears springing from his eyes.
"Get a grip, you old dog."
"We're the same age, Tsu-chan."
"That's true, but I've aged like wine, and you… well, you aged."
Jiraiya chuckled fondly. "Well, not everyone can age as gracefully as you. With those Senju and Uzumaki genes, I bet you wouldn't look a day over forty underneath your genjutsu."
"That's surprisingly not a pervy thing to say—"
"I bet your luscious breasts are still firm as ever," he went on to say.
Tsunade raised an unamused eyebrow. "I stand corrected. I should have known with you."
"You should have," he agreed. His humorous expression faded. Jiraiya allowed his change in demeanor to be seen for a moment before continuing. "I've heard that the Akatsuki are larger than we were led to believe. Ten members, all S-rank. Kage-level shinobi working together for one common goal. From what I hear, each of them have their own unique abilities. These ten members are split into two-man teams whose skills or innate abilities complement each other."
Another swig down the hatch. "No matter how you slice it, this isn't good. Has there ever been this many powerful shinobi working together in unison? Back in the day, we were all Kage level—Orochimaru, you, and I."
"Lot of good that did," he murmured, bitter. Hanzo the Salamander still made quick work of them. Tsunade drank even more in agreement. "Hime… Tsunade, I don't need to tell you how worried this makes me. For whatever reason, they are gathering Jinchuriki, and it ain't good. If they even partially succeed, they'll have one of, if not the strongest forces in the world, if they don't already. Disloyal to any flag, banner, or village. Committed only to an organization primarily built around rogue ninja."
The threat they posed was indescribable.
"They'll be coming for Naruto," she said lamentably.
"It's only a matter of time. Which is why I want to further his training."
Tsunade's head snapped up, and Jiraiya found himself admiring the inscribed jewel on her forehead. "You have a spy network to run. You can't be in Konoha for more than a week, maybe two at a time. So what makes you think you can train Naruto worth a damn when you won't even be here."
"Training him here in Konoha is a flawed idea from the get-go," Jiraiya informed her matter-factly. "He has too many distractions here. That pink-haired girl, his friends, and you. Kakashi trained him well, but it's not good enough. Naruto needs someone that has experience building shinobi from the ground up."
"Minato was a genius well before you sunk your claws into him," Tsunade wisely pointed out. Surprisingly, Jiraiya nodded, offering no disagreement.
"Yeah, he was a natural, alright. Kid was chunin-level before he sniffed a hint of puberty. Everything he did, he excelled at. Naruto isn't unlike his old man in that regard."
"Don't lose your objectivity, Jiraiya," she warned him. "He may be Minato's son, but they're different."
"Are they?" the toad sage countered immediately. The sudden fervor in his words caused her to jolt. "Naruto learned a B-rank kinjutsu from a scroll, in a forest, alone with no help, in a single night, before he ever strapped on that hitai-ate."
"That may be true—" Tsunade tried to say, but he was persistent.
"He learned the Rasengan in a couple of weeks when I was teaching him half-assed."
Tsunade blinked. "Why would you teach him half—"
"Simple, Hime. I wanted to see if the kid had it in him—to see if I could see the genius that I managed to catch a glimpse of back in the chunin exams. Frankly? The kid hasn't let me down yet. He's a genius, just like that Hyuga or Uchiha kid. He just needs the tools and a change in attitude."
"You mean you brought him along just to test him?!"
"Yep," Jiraiya tittered smilingly. "He's a natural, Tsunade. Give me a couple of years, and he'll run circles around us."
"You're putting a lot of confidence in a dead last." Jiraiya's gaze narrowed at the term. Tsunade knew that would cut him. "That's right. I read his file. Naruto Uzumaki... subpar in every field. Ninjutsu, taijutsu, and especially genjutsu. When they asked him what genjutsu was, he couldn't even spell it. All of those core skills... below average. It says here that Naruto was one of the worst Academy prospects in years."
"That kid has more chakra in him than you or Kakashi. That's without the Nine-Tail's influence. And he killed a rogue chunin just after learning the Kage Bunshin," he pointed out, and Tsunade smiled faintly. Jiraiya leaped to his student's defense but now saw that justifications were unnecessary. "A few years, Hime. That's all I'm asking here."
"In Konoha?"
"Abroad."
Tsunade flicked her hazel eyes up to him.
"You're out of your damn mind."
The brat is like a son to me, but he is this village's Jinchuriki. I wouldn't have accepted this damned chair if I wasn't acquainted with the sensitivities of village politics. No matter how much I detest them, it's still the actuality of the situation.
"Naruto is a Jinchuriki. I can't let him leave. Not for that long."
"Tsunade—"
"No, Jiraiya. Even without the threat of the Akatsuki, I'd have the council barking down my neck if I were to allow you to take him from the village for that long." Jiraiya mumbled condemnation under his breath. Tsunade pretended not to hear him.
"The Akatsuki is why I'm doing this. Think about it, Tsunade. If you can keep him here, he'll be a sitting duck. He might be safer here in Konoha, but I can't train him here. You won't be able to keep him behind the gates for long. Sooner or later, you'll have to give him a mission. Especially if he still wants to chase after that Uchiha brat. The Akatsuki might not attack Konoha; they'll just wait until he's on a mission." Jiraiya allowed a brief duration of silence to drift between them. "The safest place he'll be is by my side, and I'll be training him constantly. There's stuff I can't teach him here. The Akatsuki will attack him when he's on a mission. He's better off with me than Kakashi."
The room descended into silence. Jiraiya, that moron, was right. Naruto needed to become stronger. Sooner or later, he would face the Akatsuki. They, Konohagakure, wouldn't always be there to protect him. Unless they prohibited any departure from the village—no matter how minor, including missions—he would still be vulnerable to the Akatsuki. He needed to grow, both as a person and as a shinobi. That was almost impossible to do while keeping him locked away behind the gates.
It would also alienate him from everyone else in the village, including her. Tsunade exhaled forlornly. This job forced her to think like a Hokage rather than a mother figure to that brat. As much as he got on her nerves, she cherished him and couldn't stand thinking about him in such a manner.
Tsunade hated looking at Naruto as an asset, but she wouldn't have accepted this job if she couldn't maintain a strategic and political outlook. Emotion had no place here. Tsunade locked her sentiments, an old skill she learned from her many years as a field medic.
"How long until the Akatsuki move on Naruto?"
Jiraiya snapped to attention. "It depends."
"On?"
"How long the Akatsuki take to secure the other eight Jinchuriki." Not a comforting thought. "Three years, they'll start moving. In three years, they will begin their hunt for the Jinchuriki."
"How can you be sure they won't target him first?"
"My informant, Hime. He's privy to these sort of things." Hearing the informally muttered words, Tsunade took them into account.
"Three years, Jiraiya," Tsunade, the Godaime Hokage, replied eventually. Her hazel eyes glinted sternly, halting any preemptive cheering from him. "Three years and no more."
"Thank you, Tsu-chan," he said gratefully.
"Thank me by teaching him well. I'm taking a great risk of letting you take him outside the village. Make this risk worth it, Jiraiya. Train him right. No indolence, no perving. Your number one priority right now is to train Naruto."
Jiraiya adopted a dire frown. The red scripts trailing down from his ebony eyes contorted seriously.
"He was always my utmost priority. I was just too blind in my grief to see until recently. Then, the old man died, and Naruto lost the only caretaker he ever knew. I should have been there for him—before any of it. I should have looked out for him, fostered him like Minato would have wanted. That's a burden of regret I'll bear until I die, but I'll be damned if I don't do right by my student's son from here on out."
"We both know, Jiraiya, being his godson doesn't make you responsible for him. You just named the child; you're not a traditional godfather." Jiraiya's lip twitched at her sympathy. "No peeping," she warned.
"Hime, how many times do I have to say this? It's called 'research,' not peeping. I have to get my inspiration for my beloved series somehow," he said, correcting his precious Tsu-chan on her error for calling his precious research peeping of all things. "But you have my word. My focus will be aimed toward Naruto."
Tsunade smiled, though she knew Jiraiya would never stop peeping. He had been doing it as far as she could remember her younger days. "When do you plan on leaving?"
"Whenever the brat gets released from the hospital," the toad sage replied
"I will get the paperwork signed. I just hope you don't plan to turn him into a pervert like you," Tsunade finished, leveling a glare at her fellow Sannin.
Before Jiraiya could respond, the doors to the office opened. Shizune promenaded into the office, carrying a batch of papers stacked so tall that she could scarcely see over them. Tsunade glowered at the paperwork with open disdain. At the rate she was going, she'd be out of booze by midday.
"Lady Tsunade, the Elders are calling for you at the council chambers," Shizune informed, placing the cumbersome load on her mistress' desk.
"Who called the meeting?" Tsunade questioned, reluctantly removing her gaze from the abominable sight of even more desk work.
"The Elders, Lady Tsunade," she said, eloquent as ever.
Tsunade stood in a huff, sending the spine of her chair smacking the rear wall. "Let's go and see what those old fools want," she commanded her old teammate, only to note the ruffled blinds. "Bastard…"
Sakumo Hatake, Kakashi's father.
The copycat ninja eyed the stone tablet, his one visible eye overtaken by grief.
There were other names inscribed on the prominent wall of the Konoha Shinobi Cemetery. The walls were constructed out of stunning granite, which was polished daily. Thousands of names were carved immaculately. This aforementioned wall was many years old. Older than his modest twenty-six years of age.
A light current brushed up some scattered summer leaves. They jigged at his feet, momentarily tickling his exposed toes. Like always, Kakashi wore his vest, a dark blue outfit, his trusty mask, and shinobi sandals.
"Father," he began formally. "I'm a jonin now. I teach and tutor, but things haven't really changed. I still have so many regrets—some I have made very recently. Even with this eye, I remain blind as to what I should do."
The silver in his tilted Konohagakure headband glimmered in the oppressive summer sunlight.
"You left before I was ready. For the longest time, all I could feel was betrayal. You were my hero, Father, and you abandoned me. I… I wasn't ready to live in a world that didn't have you in it."
Kakashi tried to glare at the stone, he tried to feel anger at his father, but those feelings refused to surface. It would have been easier to hate his father for leaving him—for taking the easy way out. The pain of hate was far less than the agony of heartbreak. Maybe Kakashi deemed himself worthy of the guilt, the anguish. That's why he couldn't summon the will to hate his father.
Kakashi gravitated over to the right side of the wall.
His sole eye found Obito Uchiha's name with practiced ease. He faintly smiled over at his best friend's name.
Then, he cringed when he read Rin's name beside his.
Obito had been in love with her. While she died months after him, Kakashi convinced Lord Third to arrange her name beside his. They never managed to kindle their feelings for one another. The least he could do was put them together in death.
"It's been a little while," he murmured. "But you're always in my thoughts. Both of you. I've been thinking about you a lot, Obito. What was it you used to say? "In this world, those who break the rules are scum, but those who abandon their friends are worse than scum." Kakashi inquired to himself. "I've done my best to live up to your expectations. Lord Third even convinced me to take on a team. You would have liked them. I tried to do right by them… but just like everything else, it fell apart before I ever realize the downward spiral."
Kakashi defaced the memorial by adorning his digits along the inscriptions.
"I'm lost, Obito… Rin. It seems like no matter how hard I try, it all falls apart." A tear drained into the titivated grass.
Reluctantly, Kakashi moved on, finding his sensei's name.
Minato Namikaze, the Yellow Flash of Konohagakure, Yondaime Hokage, and his second father. Kakashi hung his head as the Yondaime's face bore down on him from a distant mountain.
"I have tried to find wisdom in your teachings."
No, that wasn't right.
Heaving a breath, he continued anew.
"No matter how many times you failed, you always tried again. They only know of you. But I sat at your dinner table while Kushina cooked. We would talk for hours about anything that came to mind and laugh about our days. You took me in and looked after me when no one would. When my father's name was defaced, and the village could only see me as my father's son, you treated me with respect—like I was everyone else to you. As a sensei, I could ask for no one better. You guided me through dark times and off a path that would have wrecked my life. Minato-sensei, you always knew what was best for me, even when I didn't. Without you, I know not of who I am, or who I'm supposed to be.
"After Obito's death, I threw myself into work. I joined the ANBU. Years later, you saw the path I treaded and guided me off it when you assigned me to protect Kushina while she was pregnant. I never said it before, but I was honored you trusted me with her life. I tried to be like you. To teach, to spread my knowledge—your teachings—but I failed. One of my students abandoned the village for power, nearly killing his teammate in the process… with the very same jutsu I taught him, the one I created."
Another tear left his lonely, exposed eye. "What would you do, Minato-sensei?"
There were so many mistakes he made throughout his life. Failing to protect Obito, killing Rin, being unable to save his sensei and wife, and failing to see the signs of his student's darkness. He was caught up in the similarities between them, and he should have noticed it. They were far too alike, and both managed their grief in identical ways.
Sasuke thirsted for revenge. That much Kakashi was aware of. Sasuke's intentions were clear enough when they first met and numerous times after. Yet, he never dared to consider the possibility that Sasuke would betray Konoha. Looking back on it now, with rose-tinted glasses and a retrospective gaze, a skill Kakashi was more than familiar with, he should have. Yes, the signs were there, but he was blind to them all the same.
If Minato-sensei had not detracted him from the path he roamed, he might've betrayed Konoha as well. For one reason or another. Sasuke yearned for power. Kakashi never expected his hunger would drive him to defect to Orochimaru. Nevertheless, the signs were there.
Despite possessing the Sharingan, Kakashi still failed to see what was right in front of him.
"A shinobi must see underneath the underneath."
What a joke, Kakashi snorted dismissively.
A swirl of leaves, and he expired in the wind.
He would later appear outside the main hospital. The sun was still projected directly above his mop of silver hair. Intent on escaping the hellish summer heat, Kakashi entered through one of the windows. Not just any window, but the one that led into his student's room.
Unsurprisingly, his presence went unnoticed. Kakashi took pride in his stealth. One of the basic requirements of being an ANBU operative was presence concealment. As a genin and later a jonin, his stealth was not unimpressive. In the ANBU, that particular skill was only sharpened, much like the others.
"Meh, your head is in the clouds, Naruto." His bland voice snapped Naruto out of whatever daze he was inflicted with. "You should always be aware of your surroundings."
"Kakashi-sensei? I was wondering when you'd come." The boy's voice was small, timid, and indecisive. "You must think I am a massive disappointment, huh?"
"Not at all," he said, surprisingly gentle.
Naruto remained ongoing as if his soft words had gone unnoticed. "I made a promise that I'd bring Sasuke back… but every time I make a promise, I mess up."
"Sasuke…" Uttering that name aloud took more force than Kakashi expected. "You couldn't have known. None of us could have." That was a lie. A bold-faced lie meant to comfort his innocent little genin from the truth.
At Naruto's bitter, humorless laugh, Kakashi saw that the truth won this time.
"I saw it; I just didn't want to believe Sasuke would ever betray the village… betray us. I thought maybe, he was being controlled by Orochimaru. It was the easier possibility to accept, but now I see the truth." Kakashi listened to the miserable, almost dead tone of his voice, draped in sorrow. "But no… Sasuke was only controlled by his own greed for power."
"If the fault lies with anyone here, it is me," said Kakashi. "I am your jonin sensei. Sasuke may have been your teammate, but he was my student—my responsibility."
"He was my brother."
Kakashi's breath involuntarily left his body.
"And now he's a traitor. Ero-sennin mentioned how he and I were alike. I couldn't see it. Now, I can. Orochimaru abandoned the village for power, just like Sasuke. Ero-sennin even called Orochimaru his brother once." Naruto pitched a lifeless glance over to him. Boundless sadness coursed through him. He knew that look all too well. "In Tanzaku-gai, after he fought Orochimaru, Ero-sennin told me all about him and what they've been through." A laugh and Naruto went on. "It's creepy how identical our situations are."
"Naruto…"
"There are no words, Kakashi-sensei. Just… none. None that will make this weight on my chest leave. Neji, Choji, almost died because of Sasuke. Orochimaru was responsible for hundreds of dead Konoha shinobi and civilians. Sasuke forsook what we had—what we all had—for his selfish drive for power. I can never forgive him for that, and I'll never forgive Orochimaru for what he did to Konoha."
"You don't think he's responsible for Sasuke's defection."
Another laugh, this one more disheartening than the last.
"Sasuke would have betrayed Konoha one way or another. If not for Orochimaru, then for someone else. He made it clear that he's willing to join the worst of the worst just for power. If he's inclined to join the likes of Orochimaru, he'd join anyone as long as they had something to offer him."
Kakashi closed his eye, solemn and desolate. Naruto was correct. Sasuke was a traitor. If he hadn't left for Orochimaru, it would have been someone else in the future. That's who Sasuke was. Kakashi cursed himself for not seeing it until it was far too late.
The jonin dared not ask how Naruto was. He could see the damage was extensive. Kakashi read his medical reports. It was his duty as his sensei to know those matters. He tried to ignore the perfidious views that entered his mind. They told him a great deal. Some he was weak enough to accept. Others, not so much.
"You aren't to blame for Sasuke, Naruto," Kakashi ultimately said. The blond spurned the idea of looking at him. He couldn't blame the boy. "I failed him, and I failed you."
"I guess we're both a couple of screw-ups, huh?" Naruto cracked a caustic smirk. Kakashi dimly echoed his sentiment.
"Are you planning on pursuing your teammate?"
"He's not my teammate anymore, Kakashi-sensei. That ship has crashed, burned, and sank to the bottom of the ocean. I said it before, and I'll say it again. I'll never forgive Sasuke for what he's done."
For intents and purposes, Kakashi couldn't blame his little genin. Betrayal was not something anyone experienced lightly. Depending on the severity, that is. But treachery, that was a wound that would never heal. Not completely. If by some miracle, the act itself was pardoned, there would always be lingering effects. The most grievous of betrayals burned any hope of trust in others. Trust, once lost, was never easily won back.
Naruto's wounds were still fresh. His mind could change, but Kakashi sincerely doubted it. Naruto's contempt for his former teammate might fade with time, but the pain would never. Kakashi felt the same agony tearing around in his chest.
Kakashi lay a comforting hand on the distraught boy's leg.
"I'm here, Naruto. If you want to talk about this or anything, just ask. I may not have been the best sensei to you or Sakura, but I won't let you suffer alone." Naruto was too familiar with that. He was ostracized from birth, bearing a burden so significant that the fate of the entire village laid in the balance of his mere existence. Naruto knew what suffering felt like. He would not allow his genin to mourn alone. Not anymore.
The teacher and the student sat in silence, their breathing being the only sounds in the otherwise silent room.
Somewhere in the Rice country, a relatively uninjured Sasuke Uchiha followed Orochimaru in a subsurface base. He did not even glance at the dozens of people huddled together in the cells.
"Sasuke…" Orochimaru giggled. "You are the chosen one."
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever." Sasuke disregarded that with a frown. "You promised me power."
Orochimaru glimpsed back at his future body. His golden eyes stared at the arrogant brat with malicious amusement. Oh, how easy would it be for me to break his pretty neck and gouge his precious eyes out. But he wasn't just interested in them. Not, it was the blood that ran through the boy's veins. Kakashi Hatake proved that only an Uchiha could use the Sharingan to its fullest potential.
Kabuto, understanding the look of his leader, proceeded to whisper in Sasuke's ear. "Don't let his current appearance fool you. Watch what you speak if you want to live long. This is still Lord Orochimaru you are talking to."
Orochimaru's face was hidden from view. Sasuke needn't ask why. He faced the Sandaime Hokage in battle. The man was old, almost decrepit, but he was Hokage for a reason.
Kabuto jerked back when Sasuke moved away to glare at him. Not because he found the pretty boy's face terrifying, but because of the intense spike in his chakra.
The intensity of his chakra was unforeseen. The boy's gaze had yet to run crimson. No marks crawled to his face, but he exhibited chakra that far surpassed any chunin.
He's different than what I expected, he thought as he stared at the boy.
Somewhere ahead of them, Orochimaru grinned sickeningly.
Yes… the Uchiha's fabled curse of hatred is strong in this one. I thought the flames of his hate burned brightly before… but now, they are a mere ember to this wildfire standing before me.
Satisfied, Orochimaru reiterated a memory that turned his attention to the tabled Sharingan.
It was during his oh-so brief tenure in the Akatsuki. A ploy to gain information after hearing whispers of an organization comprised of high-level missing-nin. It absorbed him intensely, but he also saw them as a potential threat. It was where he met the Clan Killer himself. A momentary interchange that, for intents and purposes, changed his life.
'You destroyed the Uchiha. So what brings you to the Akatsuki…' Orochimaru had wondered nonverbally. 'Itachi Uchiha?'
A sly serpent coiled out from his coal coat. Its tongue vibrated anxiously as his master ushered him forward. Quiet as a mouse, but with deadly precision, the snake leaped. In a blink, it swarmed around Itachi, fettering his arms. More than enough of the snake's neck was exposed. The snake reared back, flicking his tongue eagerly, exposing its lengthy fangs.
"One who possesses the precious Sharingan appears before me. How lucky I am. I will have those eyes!"
Those very same eyes blinked, and Orochimaru's vision clouded over. Panicked, he tried to attack, only to find himself unable to move. He looked up, and Itachi Uchiha was standing across, Sharingan piercing his vulnerable gaze. His snake was nowhere to be seen.
'Could it be… that I have fallen victim to a paralysis genjutsu?' he thought in confusing wonder. Itachi's hands peaked out from the baggy sleeves of his Akatsuki cloak.
'What visual prowess…' he marveled at such a powerful ability. Orochimaru was not naïve to the Uchiha's visual genjutsu but experiencing it himself made him question his own resistance.
Half a dozen rusted spikes jabbed into him from all angles. Orochimaru felt the pain as each suddenly punctured his skin. The red clouds in his shroud reflected off those marvelous Sharingan.
"Orochimaru of the Sannin," Itachi said in that dull tone of his. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't remove his focus from those tomoed orbs. "Any jutsu you use will have no effect before these eyes."
"You don't have to be so blunt."
Itachi leveled a kunai, aimed in between the bridge of his nose.
"I am not sure what to do with you. Whether to kill you right now or find a way to use you."
Orochimaru remembered how the cold steel felt against vulnerable skin and how detached those Sharingan looked as Itachi stared into his soul.
"Itachi, hold one a moment!"
"But really… you have no use to me. Unfortunately, you possess far too much greed. You think human life is an instrument for you to play with. Know this, Orochimaru, if it were not for the cloak you wear, I would rid the world of your revolting presence. Consider my mercy a professional courtesy."
It was then, everything became obvious. He would endlessly pursue a worthy host that would allow him to learn every jutsu known to man. Orochimaru was already pondering on the use of the Sharingan. If Kakashi Hatake could copy a thousand jutsu, then he could too. Orochimaru sought knowledge and power over all. But even if he lived for a thousand years, he would be no closer to acquiring an absolute understanding of every shinobi art.
The Sharingan would bring him closer, but it would ultimately fail him. Be that as it may, he saw the eyes as only one-half of what he required. The Uchiha essence, the spirit of that clan, was just as valuable as their magnificent visual prowess. Now, he desired an Uchiha whom he could control. At first, he saw Itachi Uchiha as a prime candidate. His defeat at his hand did not deter him.
His condition, however, discouraged him. Although, that was not his only for moving on from Itachi. The Clan Killer's power far eclipsed his own. Itachi, even as a youngling, still surpassed his own capabilities. Orochimaru sincerely doubted he had been idle since their short-lived encounter.
Back then, he still coveted the Sharingan, but not as strongly as he did now. He invaded Konohagakure for the sole purpose of manipulating Sasuke and weakening the village's infrastructure. There was no doubt in his mind should he lull Sasuke out of the Konoha without invading, he wouldn't make it very far.
Orochimaru was many things, but he never underestimated his foes. No, the Sannin knew better. Even in his old age, his former sensei was very capable. Yes, he could have killed him without Edo Tensei. However, that didn't mean he was willing to take that chance. All his efforts and planning would be rendered useless if his fool of a sensei managed to triumph. That's why he stacked the odds in his favor. Edo Tensei proved to be the perfect tool for such a task. Defeating a Kage in his village was no small feat.
The invasion debilitated Konohagakure to such a degree that they could not manage to send a full-force team of jonin. His machinations showed that it was necessary to take such extreme measures. Sasuke was already inclined to leave Konoha at a moment's notice. All he had to do was whisper a few encouraging words, give him a small taste of power, and he was his.
Invading Konoha was all to weaken its defenses. Their forces were spread thin. They were helpless to stop Sasuke from revolting.
While strong for his age, Sasuke was far from his elder brother's level of power. Yet, his potential was endless, unlike Itachi's. The older Uchiha reminded him of Kimimaro. Diseased, fated to die before they could realize their fullest potential. But, unlike Itachi, Kimimaro may have a chance to do what he cannot.
"Kabuto."
"Yes, Lord Orochimaru?"
"Kimimaro, how is he?"
"He has stabilized, but his condition is still very dire."
The purple smudge of his eyeliner slipped into a scowl. "Continue to search for a cure. Do everything within your power."
Kabuto said the following words carefully. "There is always the option of siphoning the Shodaime's cells into him. The extraordinary regenerative properties are no longer a rumor. Our tests have proven that those Senju cells are fully capable of ridding any disease or healing wound imaginable."
"We have only a little left," Orochimaru hissed. "Our deal with Danzo Shimura spent most of our supply. The additional testing only furthered that trend."
It was well-spent, the Senju tissue. After all, Danzo Shimura was the sole reason his invasion into Konohagakure succeeded. To prevail in this cursed world, alliances had to be made. Orochimaru compromised a few inches to step forward a full meter. Although, striking a bargain with Danzo Shimura was easier said than done. Nevertheless, he was triumphant, and they both walked away pleased.
"Kimimaro, in his weakened state, should not have been able to walk. But then he fought a shinobi who could kill me at my best. Lord Orochimaru, Kimimaro, in my honest opinion, is much more useful alive and healthy, than dead."
"It's come to my attention that even switching bodies will not grant me the ability to use hand seals. I've tried already. Those cells may be the only things that can restore me to how I was before!"
Hearing his master hiss with such ferocity, Kabuto bowed. "Of course. The only reason I am suggesting that we use the remaining Senju cells is that I may have found something."
Orochimaru snapped the scroll out of Kabuto's awaiting grasp. Unfurling it, he feasted his eyes on the inscribed information. He smiled an eager grin.
"So, that is how you did it, Old Man."
The Shiki Fujin summoned the Shinigami itself. Orochimaru had it all wrong. It didn't seal his ability to weave hand seals but rather the spirit energy that resided in his arms. By the details written here, the results were not final. He could undo them, and this scroll described precisely how he could do so.
"Kabuto, I want you to prepare my forces. When this new body of mine has finished adjusting, we're going to be quite busy."
"Sir? I do not understand."
So, he didn't even peak at what lay inside this scroll? Kabuto, your loyalty knows no bounds.
"It's time to uncover long-since buried secrets."
"Where?"
The yellow in his stare glimmered greedily. "Uzushiogakure."
Long before the first pale fingers of light pried apart his shutters, Naruto's eyes were wide open.
Sakura visited yesterday. That was fun, he thought bitingly. She was understandably distraught. The girl came to him in distress, unbelieving of Sasuke's actions. It wasn't until she saw the scar etched into his skin that she trusted his word. Sasuke nearly killed him. He was a traitor to the village and joined Orochimaru's ranks. In the span of twenty-four hours, Sasuke Uchiha jumped up to Konohagakure's number-two most wanted.
She said little, having been distracted by the ramifications of their former teammate's decision. Nothing would ever be the same after these trying times. She knew it, just as he did.
Sakura tentatively excused herself not long after. Naruto was happy to see her leave. He found it hard to be in her presence. She reminded him of his failure—failure to follow through on his promise and inability to save his friend. Solitude welcomed him. Naruto found it hard not to welcome it in return.
Ero-sennin arrived after the sun rose.
"Hey there," he greeted conversationally, grinning. He set off the window sill, not bothering to slide it shut as he descended toward the boy's bed. Jiraiya noted that he had healed nicely. The cocoon of medical tape was removed, revealing the boy's features.
He made a loud exclamation with his name. Jiraiya smiled, but he continued to stand.
"What are you doing back in the village?"
"What? Can't I visit my favorite student once in a while?" Jiraiya asked amusedly. His eyes scanned the boy's injuries critically. "How are you doing, kiddo?"
"Do you want an honest answer or the one I've been rehearsing for the past couple of days?"
I figured… his eyes… they look just like mine when Orochimaru was chased out of the village. But at least Orochimaru never tried to end my life until years later.
"I wanted to visit sooner, but I've been busy, you see."
"I understand." Naruto comprehended more than Jiraiya thought he did. He was probably running his spy network to find Sasuke. But, seeing how he never received an update, he must've come up empty. "I also understand that you're far too busy to visit me. So what's the special occasion?"
"You were almost murdered, Naruto," he remarked with incredulity. "You're my student. Of course, I could make time to visit you."
"If you were going to come here to see how I was, you would have done so a week ago. Besides, I'm hardly your student. You taught me two jutsu and how to water walk. That hardly qualifies as me being your student."
Smart brat… he is your son, Minato. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised.
"Heh, you're right. I'm not here to check up on you, but I am happy to see that you're recovering Naruto. I really am." Naruto accepted the man's genuineness. "Besides, you are my student." The blond blinked in surprise. "I've come here to make a formal announcement. You are now officially my sole apprentice. Within three years, I'll make you full-fledged shinobi."
Naruto found himself glaring at the slashed headband resting in his bed. Sasuke's hitai-ate.
"When I was researching Orochimaru's art of immortality, my sources brought some reliable information regarding the Akatsuki."
"The Akatsuki," he whispered, too stunned to speak further.
"Do you remember Itachi Uchiha and Kisame?" At Naruto's puzzled look, Jiraiya simplified. "Your teammate's brother and fishman." Naruto mumbled something under his brother, accompanied by a confirming nod. "They won't be back for quite some time."
Was that supposed to make him feel at ease? Itachi's brother destroyed Sasuke without effort. How was he supposed to defeat them when he couldn't even beat Sasuke with the Kyubi's chakra? They were monsters, the two of them.
"Do you have anything about Sasuke?"
"Nope. Haven't even been looking, I'm afraid."
"What?!"
Jiraiya chuckled. "Despite what you may think, Konoha has more to worry about than a twelve-year-old kid with family problems. Hell, we have more pressing issues inside these borders. Never mind all the other crap beyond our gates."
"But—"
"I get that you want to get your friend back, Naruto. I really do. More than most will ever know."
"I don't want to get him back!" The toad sage eyed him in surprise. "I want him to pay! Him and Orochimaru!"
"What do you know of Orochimaru's true plans for Sasuke?" Jiraiya inquired suddenly.
"He wants to take his body. The asshole that nearly murdered Gaara said that Orochimaru needs new vessels to stretch his manufactured immortality. He wants to be his next vessel."
"It's a nasty jutsu, but an effective one. I can't guarantee you one-hundred percent, but it appears we have more than three years before he can use Sasuke's body as his vessel."
"How can you know that?"
"Didn't I just tell you? I've been researching Orochimaru's method of immortality. The jutsu allows him to switch bodies every three years if he needs to. He already transferred himself to a new body, so that gives us three years before he can take Sasuke."
"Three before the Akatsuki make their move, and three years at least until he takes Sasuke."
"Indeed," he confirmed. "But listen, Naruto. You should forget about Sasuke. We have hunter-nin searching for him. He's been uploaded into the Bingo Book with a sizable bounty. Remember, Sasuke went to Orochimaru willingly. It doesn't matter what you do for him. He will not change. I know this for certain. I've seen shinobi come and go and slip into the pit of darkness more times than I can count, which is why I can say with the utmost confidence that Sasuke and Orochimaru are cut from the same cloth. Forget bringing him back. It's the tragic path of self-righteous fools. Shinobi more qualified than you are searching for your friend as we speak."
"He's no friend of mine," Naruto murmured chillingly. "Neji, Choji—they're my friends, and because of Sasuke, we almost had to bury them. As far as I'm concerned, Sasuke can rot in hell. He and Orochimaru deserve each other."
"That's surprising cold from you. I never thought I would hear you speak like that."
Naruto let out a discourteous sound. "If it weren't for the Kyubi, I'd be dead. I told Sasuke why Orochimaru wanted him, but he didn't care. So why should I? Sasuke called me his best friend before he drove his fist through my chest. It's clear as day how he thought of us all. He joined Konoha's worst traitor, the man who killed the only grandfather I've ever known! That's something I can't forgive."
He grit his teeth, tears gathering in his blue orbs. "I… I… hate him. This feeling in my chest… it hurts worse than the Chidori ever did."
"I can't blame you, Naruto." When the blond glared up at him, he began again. "Is that what you want? For me to blame you?"
"How do you—"
"Kid, you were me ten years ago. Alone, angry, and broken inside. There aren't words, right?" he asked knowingly. Naruto's heart skipped a beat. Jiraiya knew exactly what he had said to Kakashi. Somehow, Naruto didn't think he overheard them speak. No, Jiraiya knew from experience. "I hated him for a long time, Naruto. I chased him to the ends of the Earth."
"Hated? Does that you don't anymore?"
"I used to, but no, I don't hate him. You'll learn later that hate, while a great motivator, is also a curse. It bogs you down and fills you with so much resentment until one day you look in the mirror and don't even recognize yourself. Naruto, you, and I are the same, but we couldn't be more different. I know what you're going through, more than anyone else could hope. So I am taking you out of the village for a while. The last thing you need to be is reminded of that day."
That shook him. "How could you know?"
"Know what? That you want to leave? That you don't want to see all your friends? Much less the ones that were nearly taken from you? I stood in your shoes once." Jiraiya sighed, combing his fingers through his blanket of hair.
"You must learn to weigh your options and make the right decisions. You have to choose whether or not you want to pursue your former teammate, to make him pay for what he did… or if you want to train and prepare for the Akatsuki. This world is no place for a fool. That's the reality you must understand. Otherwise, you won't make it. Sadly, skirting the edge in mediocrity will not do either. You're no ordinary kid, Naruto. You have the Nine-Tails sealed in you. To survive, you have to do more than simply succeed."
Pausing, the toad sage pointed to the Hokage Mountain. A show of power, an example of the shoes he needed to grow into. They were all great shinobi and exceptional leaders.
"You must become… extraordinary."
"Like you?"
"Better," Jiraiya responded promptly. "What's it gonna be, brat?"
"The Akatsuki."
Not even a second of consideration…
"Why?"
"You said it yourself. There are far more capable shinobi out there looking for Sasuke." Naruto's glare worsened as his reflection peered up at him. "I've had a lot of time to think. Sasuke made his choice. I'm sick and tired of trying to please everyone. For once in my life, I'm thinking for myself. The Akatsuki present more of a threat to me than Sasuke ever will. Seeing how you're making me choose, I bet you wouldn't train me unless I choose correctly."
Jiraiya guffawed unashamedly. "Got that right. I needed to see whether or not you understood the danger you're in, and… to see if you were worthy of this." A bulbous puff of smoke and a green jacket landed in the sage's grasp. "Think fast."
Naruto brought his hands up to catch the flying vest. He sat, stunned, unable to comprehend what was in his grasp.
"I…" The words he wanted to say wouldn't leave him.
"After the chunin exams, I bet you wondered why you were never promoted after the exams, huh? You beat the Hyuga prodigy and saved the village single-handedly by defeating a rampant tailed beast. That Shikamaru kid didn't do nearly as much in the exams, yet he was promoted."
"That's because he's smarter than me," Naruto said. Jiraiya pitched an eyebrow up in disguised curiosity. "Yeah, I beat Neji. I even managed to knock some sense into Gaara by summoning Gamabunta. But I wasn't ready to become chunin. I couldn't think ahead or remember what happened a few seconds prior. I was single-minded and the dead-last. There's no way I'd be promoted over Sasuke or Shino."
Hime barely let me convince her to test my theory. It seems like I was right. He's maturing.
"You lacked common sense," he eventually said. "You're rash, hard-headed, and not a real rational thinker at all. Not leadership material whatsoever. I'm not so sure that applies to you anymore. Your combative skills were so great it almost seemed like a crime to keep you as a genin."
"Why did you give me this, Jiraiya?" Naruto questioned, using his name for the first time. A fact that was not lost on the Sannin. "Another one of your tests," he presumed.
"Yep. You're different than you were back in the exams, Naruto. Maybe I'm being a bit impulsive by giving you that vest. Tsunade and I were never all that big on patience, anyway. But, Naruto, you had one crucial flaw that kept you from being promoted. The others, the council, they're willing to glance over it. They saw your talent, just as I have."
"My flaw is my inability to behave like a shinobi."
"Correct," he affirmed, impressed by his honest self-reflection and speedy deduction. "That vest means you're capable of using that head of yours. Maybe you deserve it, maybe you don't. Only you can make that decision. Prove to be unworthy of it, and I can take it away faster than you can say 'Miso Ramen.' Decide wisely."
"I'm ready," Naruto declared resolutely. "But I can understand if you think I'm not. It's your choice." He held out the vest, resigned.
"Keep it," Jiraiya stated after a period of deliberation. "You're a chunin of Konohagakure. Your responsibilities of being a shinobi have increased exponentially. Here. Read this." He tossed the boy a several-hundred-page book. "That should help you understand what being a chunin entails.
Jiraiya placed one foot on the window sill.
"Thank you," Naruto said, beyond grateful.
"When you're released from the hospital, we'll leave as soon as possible."
Hearing the announcement, he bobbed his head. Then, seeing his apprentice's steadied expression, he dropped from the window, disappearing in a whirl of leaves.
For the first time since Sasuke left the village, Naruto felt a surge of happiness. Then, Tsunade-baachan had to walk in and devastate his world once again.
"Naruto… Choji didn't make it."
His heart dropped into his stomach.
"He died an hour ago. I'm so sorry, Naruto."
Whew!
That was a big chapter. Can't say they'll all be this big. But I wanna keep my chapters around 4-6k words. It's where I feel most comfortable and it doesn't leave me slogging through it in the end to edit the whole thing. The support for the first chapter was amazing and I love you all!
The cliffhanger may piss some people off. I understand. But I did write in the last chapter, specifically stating that I would be keeping plot armor to a bare minimum. Choji took all three pills, which were stated to kill any Akimichi that takes all three of them. Suddenly, he gets taken back to Konoha, the Nara pull some shit out of their ass, and Tsunade manages to come up with an antidote, like it's some sort of virus or poison. Nevertheless, Choji's sacrifice in Part 1 was more valuable and memorable than any other moments he had in Shippuden. Same thing with Neji. His "death scene" in Part 1 was way better than the stupid one we got in the War Arc. Which, we all know, was so that Kishimoto had an excuse to push Hinata and Naruto closer together. Which should have just happened after the Pein Arc. Neji was a waste of a badass character. But I digress.
Choji's death will have more than some ramifications. Sasuke's betrayal wasn't going to be brushed aside like it was in canon. Even before I decided to kill Choji off. Some characters are gonna get more development from the events of this altered Sasuke Retrieval Arc.
That's all I have for now. See y'all next chapter!