Something a little different this time, had this idea for a while and was struggling between choosing Suna, Iwa, or Kumo, Kumo won out as it is ultimately a more fleshed out reasoning with some canon evidence to support this scenario ie the Hyuuga incident and the attempted abduction of Kushina that nearly succeeded. Warning at the front of this since it often gets hate but this is going to be a Harem fic. For what I hope are blatantly obvious reasons based on the premise of the fic, but you never know with this site. As with all of my fics characters... main characters anyway are slightly aged up Shippuden ages for part 1.
A was having a rather interesting day, ever since the failed kidnapping attempt of the Hyuuga heiress he knew Konoha to be as spineless as it was treacherous. So imagine his shock when a scant few years after the fact the Uchiha clan had been entirely wiped out, by one of their own No less!
Or at least that was the official story from what his precious little chunin spy had worked out the clan was not as dead as was to be believed a single male Uchiha of the main line had survived the child was living among the ghosts of his dead at the clan's compound and was seemingly left to fend only for himself in that village of cowards.
That Konoha was weak did not surprise him that they had failed to protect their strongest clan however was quite the surprise. In his not so humble opinion, a village that could not protect the future of its greatest clan did not deserve to possess it at all. How did a shinobi village not even notice the bloodbath that must have been, until it was too late and only a single child drew breath?
The whole thing quite frankly reeked of typical Konoha backstabbing, how had not the hyuuga noticed? How had the Inuzuka failed to smell the blood on the wind? How had the Aburame with their disgusting bugs not sensed the massive drop in chakra? The whole situation was murky to say the least, the last his spy had said the Uchiha clan were being monitored 24/7 by the ANBU and yet no one saw anything or moved to stop it?
Such a child did not deserve to waste his blood in that pathetic excuse for a village, especially when said village had likely played a hand in the extermination of his clan. He was doing the right thing really, and by the time they inevitably went to war with the leaf in the future perhaps his kindness would be rewarded.
With that thought in mind he had called for this meeting in his office with his right hand Darui and his left hand C present, along of course with his brother killer B.
With C's unparalleled sensor abilities, Darui's keen mind, and B's raw power he had little doubt their little operation would be successful. If anyone could pull off stealing away the lone survivor of the Uchiha clan from under the noses of Konoha then these three were the ones who could do it, it would not even be stealing really, he was certain Darui could convince him to come willingly especially with the intel he was of course going to provide.
The spy's info was a few weeks old at this point more than enough time for Konoha to drop their guard enough for such a small and talented team to succeed. The loss of so much manpower including their entire police force must have also stretched things thin. Konoha as always was weak, more than weak enough for his men to succeed.
The three men gathered around his desk are the best of his troops his adopted brother may rap like a moron but there was no one he would rather have at his side, Darui was as cunning as they came and his lightning release would one day rival his own, and C well no one had ever caught him unawares his sensory powers were on a whole other level than the average sensor nin he was also a rather accomplished medic, no matter what they could face he had every confidence in their success.
"So we are going through with this boss?" Darui asked in his typical drawl. Be new beneath his easy going exterior he was a sharp as any blade, his dull face acting much like a sheath that hides and protects that sharpness.
"Yes," A answered simply "We need to get our hands on that boy before someone else does."
"How are we going to go about it sir?" C asked curious if the plan involved stealth or force of arms; either way he was likely sure it would work. C was proud but he deserved it in his opinion.
"You three are going to infiltrate Konoha before daybreak, right outside the village off the main road an informant will be meeting with you his name is Mizuki, a Konoha chunin."
C scowled slightly at that "A disloyal Konoha dog, who would have ever thought."
Darui laughed lightly "Well at least it will keep things interesting..." Then turning to his leader added "Sure we can trust him though?"
A looked over to his right where B stood silently staring into space, the man seemed lost in thought his typical notebook and pencil in hand.
Scowling at his usual antics he nodded once "He may be a dog but he knows who pats his head and gives him treats, he has proven useful so far, just don't let your guard down."
Turning back from his two trusted lieutenants he continued explaining further "Once you have secured the information from Mizuki you are to wait outside the village B, this is a test for you, to see if you can handle being outside of Kumo."
B looked up from his notebook and flashed a grin "No need to worry about me, I am the great lord Jinchuriki, the indomitable Killer B, trust in me and you will see, the true power of the great Hachibi."
A gave no response and turned to face the other men in the room.
"C and Darui however are to accompany Mizuki and to wait at a location he has disclosed. He is one of the boy's teachers well before the academy begins, at approximately 0400 he is to convince Sasuke to accompany him for further training he will then lead him to your location. C will be running sensor duty to avoid the patrols, keep an eye on Mizuki as well, if he betrayed Konoha he may just stab you in the back as well. If things get hairy flee to the walls and leave it to B I have given you a flare that you can use to draw his attention if it comes to it."
"Why us instead of any number of agents?" Darui inquired confused why the task should fall to them personally, surely there were many better suited for such a job.
A shrugged and a slightly self-deprecating smile spread across his face "Other agents may fuck it up, you remember the Hyuuga incident don't you?"
Darui snorted at the memory of the infamous Hyuuga fiasco "Point taken, alright so what exactly is our objective besides securing the boy?"
"Your objectives are not to take him by force but to persuade him to leave I have suspicions that Konoha was directly involved in the extermination of his clan, the evidence is compiled in the dossier you have in front of you, you are to offer him a place of honor in our village and training to get the strength he needs to get payback. In return for restarting his clan here."
"And if he doesn't want to join up?" Darui pressed likely knowing full well he was probably wasting his time. A appreciated the question nonetheless it was good of him to bring up that possibility.
"Then and only then are you to take him by force. It is the last resort. I would prefer he come here of his volition as that would be more beneficial to our forces." A explained bluntly as he watched his lieutenant's expression turn dark, something was eating at him, and he didn't like it.
Darui despite his obvious hesitation chose to look over the dossier his usual apathetic expression giving way to shock as he read the reports. When finished he turned to his master with eyes wide with disbelief, his voice quivering slightly with rage.
"Boss, is this stuff genuine?"
A sighed heavily and gave a small nod of his head. He had been rather shocked himself. He knew Konoha was no stranger towards the darker side of shinobi affairs their ANBU had carried out many unsavory missions over the years, but there was a difference between killing enemies and massacring a clan of their own down to the last child.
"I am afraid so, we have proof that his clan was monitored 24/7 from one of our ANBU friends in Konoha, we also have proof of a recall order that brought the entire clan back to the village just before the massacre, the Uchiha incident, was likely an inside job."
Darui was still for a moment even C with his hatred of Konoha had stilled in shock most surprising of all was B who had apparently broken his pencil in response to the news.
"Fucking Konoha, I am not surprised all that peaceful bullshit and they pulled something like that. Fits them to a T, worthless dogs the lot of them." C muttered bitterly.
"In the land of leaves where tall trees grow, even still corruption shows, beneath the green and falling leaves lies a land of filth and greed."
"Here we stand the Kumo 3 proud and strong against the tree, to find a boy and set him free, such is the way of killer B, yo."
Darui nodded sagely, "I agree I think."
C just twitched knowing better to speak out against B's raps to be fair he conceded that one at least made some sense.
A shook his head "This isn't the time for jokes B, make preparations and leave in plain clothes Darui keep your headband sealed on you the rest of you leave them at home, Konoha cannot know we did this. You all are to leave from the main gate in an hours time. Darui, you are in charge."
"What about the dog?" C asked after the others had given their consent.
A grinned savagely "Put him down, or take him with you no loose ends, he expects you to bring him along and has prepared for that meaning he left no evidence of his betrayal if he was smart."
C smirked, pleased with the idea of putting the bastard down. "As you wish Raikage-sama." With those words C left to prepare for his mission, leaving Darui to gather the dossier and B to brood alone.
Once they were gone A looked over towards B and spoke quietly. "You should get ready B, and remember, this is a test... be careful out there. Show me that you can work away from me, and we can work on getting you assignments outside of Kumo."
B nodded slowly and shut his notebook with an audible snap before he too left the office to prepare.
A sighed as he looked over his village, with any luck a new clan would take up residence soon.
It was official Darui was bored. Bad enough was the trip from kumo to the border of the land of fire, at least they could sprint there with chakra but upon entering the land of fire they had taken to the ground at C's urging, at a far more sedate pace.
Darui had no problems with taking things slow, he often preferred it that way, as long as he had something to occupy him anyway. But C was as uptight as always and B, well he was B and all that, that entailed.
So his choices for conversation were a man who was constanly seething and well, B.
He only hoped this Sasuke kid was sociable or at the very least he prayed he did not speak only in rhymes, it was bad enough the man had a strange accent and odd way of talking but when he got all poetic it just drove him mad, like that time he had called himself 'the great lord Jinchuriki, and the hundreds of times before that too lest he forget.
At that his mind began to wander as it so often did when he had no focus B was a rather interesting guy, he had never worked a mission with him before, not directly the boss had more or less kept him confined to Kumo since he was a kid as far as he knew. The constant rapping was a strange habit and one he had never quite gotten used to.
Not to mention the fact that he kept referring to himself and those around him as dog, but unlike C it was not an insult apparently? So what kind of dog was a Jinchuriki anyway? Darui thought B had an ox/octopus-demon inside of him was oxtopus a breed of dog? What of Yugito, was her cat demon also a dog? Or maybe it was a lion, which would have been nice because lions were cool, plus the mane would be a bonus. Oh or maybe a panther, Darui liked panthers, he had been working on a technique with them in mind in fact.
Darui pondered these important questions as he walked alongside C; the two were in the lead while B trailed behind.
He had no doubt that the man was a dog. Why would anyone lie about such a thing? The man was a walking, talking, breathing dog, he had a tail and everything eight of them actually.
Darui wondered if the man was a good dog, a loyal one. Did he like to fetch sticks and play with other dogs? Was he a guard dog or a lap dog? Would he protect the house or just piss on the furniture? How about food—was he a greedy eater or a picky one?
Darui found his mind then wandering to the question of what type of dog Sasuke was, and more importantly what type of dog was he himself? It at least helped him pass the time.
"Darui, are you listening to me?" C snapped at him breaking his train of thought C looked pissed.
"Huh? sorry what was that?" Darui replied in a tone that implied he was anything but apologetic.
C growled under his breath and quickened his pace.
Darui smiled to himself and took a deep breath. C was definitely a Chihuaha a very loud and angry dog whose bark was worse than his bite.
"I said we can move faster, if you want, I do not sense anyone." C shouted as he came up beside Darui.
"Oh, good." Darui nodded in agreement as he picked up the pace. They had been on the road for hours now and Darui was getting tired of the endless sameness of the scenery. He felt like he was in a painting why were there so many trees?
He was glad to have C with him though despite his slight abrasiveness the man was an excellent navigator.
"We're almost there; it's going to be dark in a few hours so we should reach the point on schedule."
"Good, it is about time we met up with the target. I am looking forward to this."
Darui glanced at the back of the silent B who was staring off into the distance, the man seemed distracted and lost in his own world, if it wasn't for the occasional mutterings of lyrics, it might have been easy to miss his presence entirely.
They reached the designated location to wait for the target in a small clearing surrounded by dense forest, the air was crisp and clean, the scent of the woods filled his lungs with every inhale, he hated it here, he missed the crisp mountain air of his home. He was glad the journey was nearly over.
The sun was just now beginning to set, they had arrived quite a bit ahead of schedule it was casting long shadows across the area.
Darui sat cross legged on the grass and watched as B stood like a statue, his arms folded across his chest nodding along to some rhythm only he could hear.
Darui hated being early, as it involved waiting his least favored pass time, he was bored enough as it was without having to sit around doing nothing, this mission sounded interesting but this far it had been rather dull, he was not a fan of taking in the sights; he much preferred to be moving.
C was sitting next to Darui leaning against a tree and reading a book. Darui watched the pages flip with envy, he was curious what the book was about, he should have brought something to occupy his time instead of just sitting here like a fool.
"I wonder how old he is?" Darui asked out of curiosity.
"Think the kid is around ten or so." C grunted.
"I see." Darui paused to consider the possibilities of what life must be like for a child in that village, a place where death was everywhere, a land where his own clan could be wiped out while they slept.
C looked up from his book and Darui noticed his comrade's expression was dark, something was eating at him.
"You think the kid will come willingly?' C asked curiously.
Darui shrugged "I don't know, I hope so. Konoha has done him no favors, can't see why he would want to stay."
C nodded "I hope so too, I don't like beating up brats, even if they are Konoha dogs."
Darui chuckled "Well we will be meeting him soon, I guess we'll find out then."
C nodded and returned to his book, he didn't seem to be enjoying it as much as he was before. Darui knew the feeling. This mission was not what they usually carried out together, and they would be deep in enemy territory even if only briefly.
Darui sighed, he would follow his orders and do his job, but he did wish this would go faster he was ready to get back to work and the mission was boring him to tears.
"B." C called the man's name and he jumped, his eyes darting to the sound of C's voice.
"What yo want fool? Can't you see I'm keeping cool?"
C frowned and turned back to the book in his hands, "Just checking up, you have been fairly quiet, seems odd for you is all."
B looked away from C and sighed "Yeah well the last few days have really put a damper on my mood. Sorry if I seemed rude, you don't deserve the attitude. Killer B is not that type of dude. Oh yeah."
"What happened?" Darui asked concerned.
"This mission here is a test, one that B will surely best, so put those worries to rest, B is gonna ace this quest." B stated matter of factly. Darui sort of understood what he was saying.
C raised an eyebrow "A test? A test for what exactly?"
B grinned his sunglasses flashing "You know what, never mind, it's not important, just bide yer time, Jinchuriki-sama is here just keep your head don't feel no fear, oh yeah.." B began singing; he was rapping Darui realized a headache blooming in his skull.
"I'm a jinchuriki, and when the moon shines bright like it does tonight, I become the beast inside of me. My beast is strong and vicious, when the full moon rises from the sky, he comes to take his prey. I've got eight tails—oh yeah!"
Darui groaned and covered his ears, he was sure his brain was bleeding. That, that was awful, it did not even rhyme, did anything even rhyme with Jinchuriki?
"You okay?" C asked.
Darui shook his head trying to clear the ringing from his ears.
"I'm fine," Darui replied. C looked skeptical; Darui ignored him. This was going to be a long night.
Another day coming back to an empty home, where once upon a time life had been filled with faces, oh so many faces. The Uchiha had been the largest of Konoha's clans having had control of an entire district where most clans had only a singular compound.
Now the Uchiha had been reduced to him alone; the clan was gone. The last remaining founding family of Konoha reduced to one member in the village just like the senju.
He was the sole survivor his parents, his cousins, his uncles and aunts—all were dead.
His training had stagnated, much to his rage, even though he was leagues above the other academy children in his years it was not enough, IT WOULD NOT BE ENOUGH AGAINST HIM.
He had a few scrolls from his father but many of the higher Uchiha techniques were locked off until he awakened his sharingan, the scrolls written in such a way that only those with the awakened eyes could comprehend.
He had tried to awaken the sharingan he knew he was close the eyes awakened after experiencing intense emotion that is what his father had said but despite what he had endured he had not been able to manifest it, was he perhaps missing something? Was there another hidden trigger?
He was still young and inexperienced; he needed to learn more. He wanted to be stronger. He had to become stronger.
Luckily Mizuki-sensei had taken an interest in him at first, he thought the man had just been trying to weasel his way into his good graces. Many adults had tried that in the days following his clan's massacre, their bodies were not even cold and yet everyone had wanted to suddenly be his friend, to offer their condolences. It was like they felt sorry for him, they pitied him, he hated it. He hated them. He had not forgotten the suspicion that followed his clan before the massacre he had not forgotten the thinly veiled looks of contempt and the whispers that followed in his passing when he had often accompanied his mother.
Mizuki-sensei was different though; he was not afraid to speak his mind—he spoke his mind a lot. Even though his own ideals when in private were the opposite of what his counterpart Iruka was trying to drill into his head. Mizuki in private did not offer condolences he showed no pity in his eyes when he regarded Sasuke. He did not view him as a child needing coddling and Sasuke respected that.
Mizuki-sensei was also unlike many of his hangers-on, actually helpful. The man had a wicked talent for shurikenjutsu well above the average chunin. While he had nothing on his brother's technique Mizuki at least was willing to actually teach him in private and the results were already showing.
He had even gone out of his way to help him with his chakra control teaching him in private things that he would not have learned until he had a jonin sensei, he had learned tree walking and was going to begin water walking training tomorrow morning before classes.
Getting tree walking down had taken a while but his chakra capacity had increases slightly and his fire was easier to control than ever before. Water walking was going to be harder, but he had faith in himself.
He could not afford to be weak or inept, he had to be strong, he had to be the best. There was no room for weakness not anymore especially not with someone actually taking the time to actually teach him something useful.
Arriving at his home he as always found himself assaulted by memories and the scent of blood as he opened the door; he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
The scent of the people who lived here was like a knife to his heart, the pain was almost unbearable, he could hear his mother still. He hated it here, being surrounded by the ghosts of his dead.
He made his way up the stairs, the smell of death grew worse as he climbed, his nose twitched as if expecting the scent of fresh blood. He could practically feel the air crackle and sizzle as if the very atmosphere was angry, the anger was directed at him.
He deserved it he should have seen Itachi's betrayal coming Inabi had been right after all, his clan had not been safe, they had never been safe, and he had been blind to it, like so many others, it was shameful for an Uchiha to be so blind. If only he had known the depths of his brother's depravity if only, they had seen.
His hand reached for the doorknob to his bedroom; it resisted his touch for a moment before opening.
The light from the outside filtered through the window illuminating the room.
It was spotless it had not been touched by the massacre, but he could still remember scrubbing his parent's blood from the floor on the ground floor, every time he looked into the living room, he still saw blood it was never clean.
He walked over to his desk and sat in the chair, he stared at the scrolls and books from his father's study they seemed so out of place here.
He sighed; he did not want to be here. His body ached, like his mind and soul.
The silence in the house was oppressive he did not want to sit here, he wanted more than anything to hear their voices again, when he thought of them all he heard were their screams. This place was a poison to his soul it reminded him too much of them.
The sun was beginning to set he gathered the scrolls and texts into a sealing scroll and placed it into his pack, he had to get ready for bed he would be meeting Mizuki sensei before sunrise to train.