TammyHybrid21: The timeline is Shippūden. Before, it was before Part I, and now it's right around that time when Naruto returns from his trip with Jiraiya, and when Akatsuki finally make their move and take Gaara. Lol, the…theory as to who they are are in this chapter. The teams are balanced, almost all of them having OCs. The "voice in my head" thing is explained in this chapter as well. Yup, therapist!Guruguru and Shiro ^3^ Lawlz. Thanks for your review :3
WDW: I appreciate that. If you want, I can explain the timeline/DT-TT thing via PM. Thanks for your review :3
Had a shitty week. Phone got crushed on the highway, my aunts mother died on a highway, my friend moved, another friend is giving me the goddamned cold shoulder and I stubbed my toes and ankles on my bed. Plus I'm moving. Yeah. Fun.
Recommended songs: The World Calling by There For Tomorrow and The Loss by Hollywood Undead.
Original word count: 3.9k~
Enjoy my bullshit (yes, I've "run out" of words) (no, I'm not lazy) :p
Chapter 9: Interlude
When Atama and Yū suddenly left in the middle of a meeting with their divisions—along with one absent Kirai's frontline division—everybody was fairly surprised. Atama left in a bout of speed, leaving nothing but a blur behind. Yū called the meeting off, saying that they'd continue it later, and then sunk into the ground.
And while they were sitting there dumbfounded, the other two division leaders were pretty frantic. Over the first six or so months, their comrade and fellow division leader had been very defiant. Foolish and outright stupid, even. Each time he defied, the seals on the cuffs he wore would activate, draining all chakra, stinging his nerves relentlessly and caused him psychological trauma.
And while his body would heal, his emotional state worsened. He, once upon a time, defied Pain seven times in the six month time span, each time collapsing from chakra exhaustion along with mental and physical stress.
Because of the mental stress and trauma caused by said seals, he basically went insane. When the new was broken, he went into denial, and his "insanity" turned into a completely different persona—Multiple Personality Disorder. Typically, that side of Kirai would be unleashed when emotionally under stress and such, being "born" from mental stress.
He was not diagnosed with it, but the effects were evident, and thus, there really was "no need to", as their controller put it. Not to mention, Kabuto had experience in the mentality region, and knew when a man was mentally unstable.
Pain saw it as a threat to be subdued, and subdue it he did. Kind of. He put a seal over Kirai's forehead to alert Atama and Yū when the youngest of the three lost it.
This was one of those times.
The two reached Konoha, both wondering why Kirai was in an enemy hotspot, only for it to be brushed off as a matter to be dealt with later. Atama jumped from roof to roof, feeling a certain disgust creep up on him. But once more, he brushed it off.
He saw the Yondaime Hokage teleport next to Kirai, a spiraling sphere of dense chakra in his hand. Quickly, his eyes molded into a certain pattern, a skeletal blue four-armed, two headed mutated creature appeared over him, a sword in one of its hands. The sword quickly interrupted the attack, pushing the Kage back to the opposite side of the street.
Atama pulled him and his Susano'o up, eyes narrowed dangerously as he pulled the sword out of the roof, keeping the sword over Kirai's shaking frame. Yū joined not too long after, eyes sharp and ready for combat. The Edo Tensei's both stared at their shaking college for a few moments, both debating. But Atama was not patient—he put his index and middle finger up, his chakra pulsing and activating the seals.
Kirai gasped in shock and pain, falling onto his back; Yū caught him and slipped him on his back to prevent further impact and pain. Edo Tensei'd or not, one could still feel pain like any other normal living, breathing human being.
Atama's red eyes narrowed, an order being sent by his controller and summoner. He internally snorted, but obeyed anyway.
"We, the three division leaders of Akatsuki, declare war on the Shinobi Alliance," he announced coldly and gravely. He didn't hesitate to make his Susano'o grow until it reached its final form. Scooping Kirai and Yū up, he jumped away and out of the village in two bounds, running until he was sure he was out of sight enough to drop his Susano'o.
Luckily, there was a nearby abandoned and beaten down Akatsuki base. It was not longer used, but it was visited once a year. At least. It was a good place to put Kirai in until the shinobi calmed down and became reasonable enough to tell the difference between blood and oil.
The two conscious shinobi walked up to a tree, Atama performing the ram seal as a door opened, revealing a spiral staircase that winded down fifty feet under. They walked in, Atama sealing the doorway up before they proceeded down the steps.
They reached an infirmary after walking down a long, messy and rubble-filled hall. Holes in the ceiling and walls exposed sunlight, holes from a battle that occurred about six years ago. Rubble and beds scattered everywhere, dead leaves in corners. The battle was between Atama and Kirai—the latter and former had gotten mad at one another and needed to blow off some steam. And while the base really was still useable, it was too beaten up to be used as an actual official base.
"Do you think we need to pin him down again?" Yū asked as he put Kirai down on a mattress Atama pulled out a few moments earlier.
"Hn. I don't know. Maybe," Atama grumbled. He sat down, sitting comfortably on a root of a tree that dug its way deep into the cement via ceiling hole. "It ultimately depends on how bad his stress was."
Yū blinked, but nodded anyway. He glanced at Kirai. "Go ahead and deactivate the seals. It affects him even while he's unconscious," he pointed out.
Atama grunted, but did so anyways. A pulse of chakra later, and Kirai's reserves were already regenerating thanks to his status as an Edo Tensei, albeit his body was still tense. They sat in silence for a bit longer, the only sounds being the sounds of nature that leaked in through the holes on the ceiling.
It was broken, however, when Kirai suddenly shot up, his tachi slicing Yū across the chest, as the other man was sitting right next Kirai. Both shinobi backed away, Yū's wound healing up within seconds thanks to his own Edo Tensei status. He easily dodged another stab, sidestepping to the left. He pulled out a kunai of his own, throwing a number of shuriken that raced through Kirai with ease.
"Atama!" Yū snapped. "Chakura Fūin: Kyūkyokuteki no Datsuryoku! Now!"
"I already know!" Atama snarled. "Just gimme a second!"
He slapped his palms together, concentrating his chakra greatly for almost a full five seconds before sucking in a deep breath. He performed the snake hand seal, and all of the wood underneath the solid dirt ground breaking out. Wooden tendrils shot out, pinning Kirai down. The trees' roots wrapped around his limbs firmly, tight enough to break an alive persons bones.
But Kirai used his dōjutsu, and promptly went through the roots, laughing like a maniac and rushing forward with a shout, his sword poised and ready to slice off a head. Yū got in the way, blocking with his kunai.
Kirai's arm went up, and Yū twisted himself around to use a roundhouse kick. His foot went through Kirai's chest, and the latter slammed a chakra-enhanced fist into Yū's back, throwing the Hannya masked Edo Tensei onto his stomach next to Atama.
He got up, and glaring at his gas masked companion. "What are you doing?"
"You know he can't be put down with only one seal," Atama snapped. "The only reason he blacks out so quickly is because he blacks out from the sudden sharp pain of his nerves directly being shocked by foreign chakra."
"Then why activate the other two?"
"Extra punch."
Yū stared at him, not really finding the logic in it, but was cut off when Kirai's laughing echoed again, the rampaging division leader dashing forward again. He swung his tachi, aiming for both Yū and Atama.
Yū blocked it easily with his kunai, taking advantage of Kirai's low position and kneed the man in the chin, only hitting hard porcelain. He swiftly brought his foot back down, crouching down and aiming a half-heart punch to the man's gut, his fist going through as expected. But he rushed forward into Kirai, leaving Atama wide open.
The other man scoffed, but put his index and middle finger up to activate Hageshī Sanzō Saiha Fūin. Instantly, Kirai made a sound of surprise from the sudden pain. He fell forward, coughing and growling out curses.
Kirai slowly moved his head up, leaning on his elbows with labored movements. Atama sighed heavily, his voice loud and clear in spite of the gas mask. "You're done, Kirai. You are not amongst enemies," he snapped, "so stop acting like it."
The masked man growled again, muttering something offensive under his breath. He slowly sat up, shaking from the pain. "Hn…" he grumbled, wincing.
Yū sighed, chuckling in hopes of lifting spirits. "Well wasn't that unique."
Atama glared, mumbling something before turning away. "I'm doing a patrol. If a tree falls, don't worry about." He stalked away, the air around him dark and murky.
Yū sighed again, rolling his eyes before turning his head to the still-shaking Kirai. He blinked. "Why were you in Konoha, Kirai?"
The man grunted.
"Yeah. I totally understand. Use words please. You're not five…though you do act like it."
Kirai mumbled something out, turning his head away and wincing again.
"What?" Yū frowned.
"My business," Kirai growled out.
The Hannya masked division leader sighed for a third time, shaking his head. "Well…if that's how you're gonna play…oh, by the way, who am I talking to? I get really confused as to who I'm talking to sometimes, because, you know…MPD plus idiot equals confusion—"
"Who do you think?" Kirai snapped.
Yū shrugged. "I don't know. I've talked to your…dark…well, darker side once upon a time like it was a casual conversation…"
"Are you decapitated?"
"…No."
"Then the answer should be obvious." The frontline division leader slowly stood up, grunting painfully as he did so. He ignored Yū's piercing stare, and limped away. "Bother me and die again."
The healer division sighed loudly, slumping over in depression. Eventually, Kirai was far away from the base—far away from Atama, but close enough to Yū. He slowly sat down against a tree that leaned far to his right, the roots clinging to the hole that lead down to the empty library of the abandoned Akatsuki base. It was surprisingly comfortable, and he was glad for that. Hageshī Sanzō Saiha Fūin was always a bitch to him.
It was even more of a bitch when he became an Edo Tensei. Before he died, he blacked out when he was overridden with pain. And while he still blacked out whilst as an Edo Tensei, he stayed down for thirty minutes, and it was always from mental stress.
Basically, his mind completely shut down.
But if it was just a solo seal, then he would always remain on the verge of unconsciousness, his vision dark and his mind distant. His senses would dull, and he wouldn't be able to walk in a straight line without being able to lean on someone, because his sense of direction would be tipped.
He didn't notice Saki and Sasuke landing in front of them until Saki flashed a flashlight into his eyes, making him blink and snap out of his daze. Kirai narrowed his eyes. "Why are you here?" he questioned with cold authority.
Sasuke blinked. "You're an Edo Tensei."
"…Yes. I am. Bright one, aren't'cha?" Kirai shot back bitterly and sarcastically. He slowly stood up, glaring the two down. Saki flinched. "It's no secret. Now answer my question. Why are you here?"
"…Hn," Sasuke grunted. "We were out and about, and we just so happened to stumble upon you. I take it Yū-sama and Atama-sama are with you?"
The man narrowed his eyes, obviously unconvinced. "They are close by," he replied simply. He looked at Saki. "I need you to relay a message to Pain."
She blinked. "ASAP?"
He nodded, stiffly pulling out a small, thin scroll no longer than his index finger. He unrolled it, and wrote down said message, letting the ink dry before rolling it back up. He secured it, and handed it to Saki.
"Don't waste anytime," he ordered.
Saki nodded, kissing a quick goodbye kiss on Sasuke's cheek before hopping back into the trees from where the two first emerged from—towards Amegakure. Kirai looked at Sasuke, who looked like he wanted to spill some beans—to him, at least.
The two staring at one another with Sharingan eyes. They never pulled away from one another, until the younger Uchiha blinked and sighed. "Is there something you need?" he snapped.
"Hn. You looked like you wanted to say something," Kirai responded easily.
Sasuke stood still for a long moment, a tick forming on his brow as annoyance rose on his face when the moment faded. "…Whatever. I'm leaving," he stated stiffly. "Goodbye, Kirai-sama."
The masked Edo nodded his farewell, cringing in pain. He put his head back against the bark of the slanted tree, slowly slumping over and, once again, staying on the crack in between conscious and unconscious.
Sasuke didn't show any emotions as Saki left, but he let his hand brush against her hip, taping his finger against her cloak in morse code. She showed no acknowledgement, simply jumping away with the message in hand. The silence wasn't awkward nor heavy to him, but it built up his annoyance.
The stare down made it worse, and he felt the need to verbally bite his head off. The longer he looked into Kirai's eyes, the more he saw the pain the division leader was going through. He internally frowned, outwardly blinking and sighing. "Is there something you need?" he asked bitterly.
Smugness flashed in Kirai's eyes for a brief second before he spoke. "Hn. You looked like you want to say something."
Sasuke stiffened, but forced himself to keep his composure. Those are the exact words of Obito…
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"You looked like you wanted to say something."
"You're bothersome. You just wasted a full three hundred seconds of my life."
An amused grunt sounded. "Hn."
Nostalgia was the first thing that hit him, the annoyance and brow tick being the second. "…Whatever. I'm leaving," he stated stiffly. "Goodbye, Kirai-sama."
The masked division leader nodded his farewell, and Sasuke quickly took his leave, jumping up and heading towards the direction of Konoha. It remained calm for a good twenty or so minutes, crossing two miles in that time. He was in no hurry. But when he saw the crushed plant life that was caused by—what it seemed to be—giant footsteps.
He activated his Sharingan, and noticed that there was chakra remaining in the plants.
Uchiha-like chakra.
Susano'o? he wondered. His expression hardened. That's not good…was Konoha attacked by those three?
Then he realized something: They were only fifteen miles away from Konoha.
He increased his speed, fearing for the worst—a destroyed Konoha, a bunch of corpses and blood everywhere. And while he knew that he would be able to smell and sense it, he still felt uneasy. He had promised Naruto that he would protect Konoha, and dammit it all, he didn't want to fail again; failure was not excepted. It hurt his Uchiha pride.
Relief washed over him when the walls came into view. There was no smoke actively billowing over the walls, no scent of blood or anything. The only scent if the normals ones of Konoha, and burnt wood. He looked up at the sky; there was remnants of smoke, and it looked to be recently dispersed.
Sasuke sharply turned away from his path, jumping from the sturdy branches of Konoha's trees before landing on the edge of a path, only about twenty meters from the gate.
Izumo and Kotetsu jumped in surprise, both shooting up and getting out of the stand to defend the entrance. "Why is Akatsuki here?" Kotetsu hissed.
Sasuke blinked stoically, putting his hand up. "It's fine," he stated. "And while it's an S-classed secret, you can trust me. What happened here?"
"One of your division leaders attacked," Izumo snapped. "He nearly killed Kushina-sama, and injured Hokage-sama."
Well, that's odd. Kirai would never hurt anybody without reason…unless he went bat shit insane again and lost control of his emotions… he thought. He frowned. Most likely did. If my theory is correct, he wouldn't even dare to attack Konoha…let alone Kushina…but then again, his "other self" is really fucking insane and apathetic. "Hn. Can one of you go get Minato-sama?" he asked, tipping his head slightly. "Tell him Sasuke is here."
The two glanced at each other before Izumo turned away and jumped across the rooftops to get Minato. Kotetsu kept his eyes on Sasuke, neither moving from one another.
The Uchiha decided to let himself ponder. If his theory about Kirai was correct, then he knew the reason as to why he would visit Konoha on such a short note. It would explain the emotions, and why he lost his shit. But never before had he ever targeted anyone he knew in his before life.
Kirai had lost control once upon a time, three or so years ago. Happened in front of the Akatsuki; nearly killed Kakuzu, Deidara and Orochimaru. He attacked everybody but Yū, Sakura and himself. He even went for Pain and Konan. He evidently blacked out from mental and physical shock when Atama activated some seals, and they dragged him away. None of them saw him for a full month before he returned.
So it was only natural that, basing things off of the three year old incident, it made no sense that he attacked Kushina.
Sasuke was drawn out of his muse when he felt Minato and Izumo's chakra signature. They were in view already; Izumo looked like he had seen a ghost and Minato had his left arm in a sling, gauze wrapping around his upper arm. They both landed next to Kotetsu, the Yondaime dismissing them quietly before turning to the dark haired spy. "Where's Sakura?"
"Delivering a message," he replied. "She and I basically gathered the same intel. Nothing too big."
The Namikaze nodded, gesturing for him to take a walk down the path away from Konoha. "Your division leaders just attacked and declared war on us."
"War…" Sasuke repeated quietly. He sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Damn."
"Yeah." Minato nodded. He sighed as well. "Who are your division leaders?"
"There is Kirai—he's not the most stable man around, and he's the leader of the frontline division," Sasuke started, "he was the one with the black mask."
"He's the one who gave me this," the blonde muttered, waving the sling gently.
"Kirai is like Tsunade and Sakura; he has monster strength, though it isn't as good," the secret Uchiha added. "Then there is Yū, the leader of the healing division. He's…like a logical Tobi. He has Mokuton, and is probably one of the best healers. He acts like an idiot and gets depressed easily, but he is by no means an opponent to be underestimated. He's the one with the Hannya mask." His eyes narrowed.
"And then there is Atama, the leader of the informant division," he continued. "He is an Uchiha, and has amazing stealth skills. He knows a lot more than you think…his history is on-par, and he can gather information on the most guarded secrets within a few weeks, a month being tops. He has the gas mask. All three of them are Edo Tensei."
Minato nodded slowly, soaking in the information he received. "Now what of the intel you've gathered?" he asked.
"The teams have been assembled," Sasuke said darkly. "Three man teams; one frontline, one informant and one medic. Me and 'Saki' are on a team with Pain—the leader of the Akatsuki. So this may or may not be the last time we see each other before…that thing happens."
The Yondaime nodded, taking the scroll Sasuke handed to him and tucked it away from sight. He stopped walking, and glanced at the dark haired ninja. "Is there anything else?"
"Just one more thing," Sasuke murmured, looking around before speaking again. "I have my suspicions as to who the Edo Tensei are."
"…Go on."
"The first is Atama. I have suspected for a full five years that he is Uchiha Madara, and the Susano'o supports that theory to the point of where its a fact." Sasuke put up one finger, a second following. "Yū is a bit more flimsy, but it's logical. He has Mokuton and crazy good healing abilities that he has taught to more than one individual of the organization; it has made me come to believe that he is Senju Hashirama."
Minato sighed. "Formidable foes. I thank any god above that they aren't at their prime…"
Sasuke continued, putting a third and final finger up, "The third is much more unsupported, but the logic is still there. I believe that Kirai—the third and final division leader—is Obito."
The Namikaze sighed heavily, rubbing his temple with his good arm. "Naruto said that too…" he murmured stressfully. "I'm not denying it, but I'm not accepting it, either. There isn't enough evidence. And besides, even if it's Obito, why would he attack Konoha? Unless he was controlled, then I highly doubt Kirai is Obito."
Sasuke shook his head. "Kirai…Obito…has lost it; he's off his rocker."
"What? What happened?"
The Uchiha tapped his wrist. "Shinrisensō Fūin. He was very defiant the first few months, according to Yū and Atama. He also has the Chakura Fūin: Kyūkyokuteki no Datsuryoku and Hageshī Sanzō Saiha Fūin, all enhanced by the Kyōka Fūin. This supports my theory further. Anyways, whenever he was…being rebellious, the seals would activate and stay activated until he obeyed.
"Eventually he stopped, and became very loathsome towards a lot of things, gaining his alias and MPD in the process. But about three or so years ago, he completely lost his shit for some reason and injured all of the Akatsuki members—excluding myself, Saki and Yū. He almost killed Deidara, Kakuzu and Orochimaru, you know. What you saw was that other side of Kirai." Sasuke blinked stoically when he finished, studying his Hokage.
Minato suddenly looked ten years older. He pinched the bridge of his nose, rubbing his eyes for a long last moment before sighing like the weight of the world was upon him. "…Dammit…" he whispered. "Who's their reviver?"
"An unknown," the Uchiha stated. "Sorry, but there really isn't much we can do to backtrack. We'll deal with them later."
"Why? Lives will be lost; all of the power will go to that damn Jūbi," Minato snapped.
"The Jūbi isn't the Jūbi without all nine bijū. Gaara will be saved, don't worry," he said. He squinted. "…Unless you want to risk our spy status."
"It's just…I hate having knowledge and not being able to do anything without it…"
Sasuke smirked. "Don't worry. The jinchūriki were all subdued to pain, Kushina's burden was only lightened because her status was kept a secret to the public." His face turned sour. "I knew a jinchūriki who had a lonely childhood, full of abuse because of his status. Gaara and Kushina are lucky, Minato. I assure you, the other six will embrace that death, and the only reason they will resist is because of those thin bonds they hold—thinner than hair."
The Namikaze sighed again. "…I need space to think. Make sure you weren't followed," he said, turning and walking away back towards the village. "Until next time, Sasuke."
"Mm-hmm," Sasuke hummed absently, turning and continuing his walk away. His smirk turned into a small smile of amusement. I can't believe he bought that…
"Hageshī Sanzō Saiha Fūin": "Violent Nerve Breaker Seal"
"Chakura Fūin: Kyūkyokuteki no Datsuryoku": "Chakra Seal: The Ultimate Exhaustion"
"Shinrisensō Fūin": "Psychological Warfare Seal"
"Kyōka Fūin": "Enhancement Seal"
…I just realized I forgot to add the preview last chapter. Oops.
Well, I was tired. I post and write when I'm tired; I need a Monster. But my parents will kill me if they find me bouncing off the walls at four in the morning.
*grumble grumble*
This update was slower than usual because I've been working on an original story of Wattpad (pen name: Kaguya-no-Mikoto). And depending on how far my head is turned towards that story, then updates may or may not come slower. Depends.
TSoPG is coming much more slower than I thought, it's rough to figure out because I haven't touched or reflected on it. But I'm managing.
Preview:
"This didn't happen last time around."
"Of course it didn't," Sasuke snapped at Sakura. "Nothing has happened like last time around."
She frowned. "No! I mean…they're going after the bijū at random…"
"So?"
"You're such a dumbass!" she shouted. "Figure it out yourself, shannarō!"
Peace! :3