To start with, I have noted a some reviews mentioning something called the CRA, or Clan Restoration Act. I have done some fact checking, and discovered that this is part of fanon, and not canon. As such, I will not be following the tradition of the CRA in my story. Sorry, but my universe does not follow that philosophy. Also, would like to give a nod to a few good reviewers once more, namely Rixell Stryfe. Dude, you continue to help me form this story as I go, so thank you for your good comments. Forsaken Visage, your comments are also inspiring for me, and give me hope that even if I do take actions others might not agree with that my story could still stand on its own merits. This chapter is coming to you early because I got a break with classes being mostly syllabus hand outs for this week. Should be able to still get you all the next one by this monday too, if I'm lucky on the no homework count. That being said, I bring you the next chapter!
I do not own Naruto or any affiliated characters in any way, shape, or form. Hope you enjoy!
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Third Arc: Diplomacy and Treachery
Day 2 of the Journey
Minato tried very, very hard to not crumple the scroll message he had just received. It took every ounce of his nerve to not destroy the offending slip of paper. The reverse summon scrolls only allowed official documents to travel between the offices of a Kage, and were blood sealed so only the current Kage could open them. It had a seemed a great method for allowing the leaders of the five great villages to remain in contact with one another, but at the moment, Minato wished to destroy his creation. The scroll had appeared in an instant, and with it returned the pain of Kushina's passing. The corners were already damaged, and his control finally snapped when he noticed a single tear had fallen to stain the page. With a shout of anguish he hurled the paper up against the wall, and collapsed onto his chair. With his hands pulling back his hair, he struggled very hard against the tears that were fighting to pour forth.
'It's not fair. The bastards don't deserve my mercy, but I damn well am forced to give them that very thing.' On the floor lay the crumpled remains of a surrender to war without conquest, and with offered up terms that were beyond generous. Over a dozen shinobi and kunoichi each, along with all of their expertise, were being offered under seals of loyalty. The twelve of each gender were split up in groups of three jonin, three special jonin, and six chunin. It was easily over half of the village's war forces. On top of that, there was the promise of a fully trained Jinchuuriki, one who was quite skilled and able to train other demon containers. The offer was more than generous. It was also a matter of politics. Each ninja village that had a peace treaty agreed to certain concessions. One was the willful weakening of a village in return for promises of an armistice or halt to any military action. If any one nation broke such an agreement, they would thereby break all other peace treaty agreements that had been formed with other nations. It was an idea Minato had soon after taking office, in an attempt to allow for greater peace between the nations.
The leaf village was probably strong enough to take on Kumogakure, if only for the sheer differences in the number of ninja available. The other weapons, including the chakra blade of the Hokage, could definitely aid in a direct confrontation. The only problem was that the Third Raikage had liked Minato's suggestion so much that he had implemented it with every treaty the leaf had with them, along with many other countries. If Minato did not side with Kumogakure, he would invite the wrath of both the Snow Village and the samurai of the Land of Iron. That level of military force was something Konoha just could not compete against. There would be nothing left of Konoha if he attacked, and there would be nothing to build for Naruto's future.
'They took Kushina though…I should refuse the terms and burn the place to the ground.' Even as the murderous thoughts left his mind, Minato felt a ghostly presence lay a hand on his shoulder. Turning quickly at the sensation, Minato found himself glancing out over the village. Even as he looked over the people, the afternoon sun outlined his reason for mercy. There were children in the street that he could see, children still without parents because of the demon fox attack. Sighing, Minato pinched the bridge of his nose and held back the impending sobs.
'I won't have my family kill anymore of the villagers or create any more orphans. We are still not at full strength after the demon fox attack, so I cannot risk such a battle.' Grimacing, and still fighting back his tears, the Hokage stooped with an age much greater than his years and picked up the scroll. He carefully signed his signature on the document, each stroke feeling a betrayal to his wife's memory. 'Kushina, forgive me. Naruto, please, understand why I have to do this.' Minato sealed the scroll once more just in time to hear footsteps approaching his door.
"Come in." The familiar face of Hiashi Hyuuga and a bedraggled looking medical ninja walked into the room. Before turning to look at his guests, Minato placed the sealed scroll on the reverse message summon, and sent the item back to the murderous village. As he raised his eyes, he took in the figures and set his face into a stern front.
"Hokage-sama, we have taken care of the matter that you requested. It has been handled and will have the highest level of security." The Hokage nodded briskly, sensing that there was more to this visit. "The ANBU have come across some other mischief that occurred last night. As such, we are sealing one of the clan compounds until Nara Shikaku can return to investigate the matter. A large suppression seal has thus been placed around the Uchiha clan area." Minato once again nodded, though his eyes were much harder at this point.
"Are there victims that need to be taken care of currently, Hiashi-san?" Minato prayed inwardly that the seals had gone according to plan, that at least some of the clan had been spared. His face though was aloof, seemingly unconcerned with the event. The secret operations that had occurred during the last war in Amegakure had recently come to light, and had Minato doubting anyone these days, including his friends. Many of the operatives were of the branch family of the Hyuuga, so with Hiashi there was at least a decent reason for concern. The aloof face, combined with the hard glare, made Minato seem like the true representative of those who did not favor the Uchiha.
Hiashi's eyes narrowed at the seeming lack of care from the man in front of him. This was not the man he had known to take the position of leadership several years prior. His change in demeanor also made little sense, as the Fugaku and Minato were known to have patched up their relationship recently. ' He must be blaming me for the loss of his wife then…' Hiashi stiffened at this, a glare settling over his features. 'Then again, the loss of Hana did terrible things to me as well. It could be that he is blaming my family for causing the incident.' Letting the glare pass from his own features, Hiashi shook his head in the negative. Minato made no outward change in appearance, but the seeming denial caused him to exude a more questioning air.
"All signs point to an internal conflict within the Uchiha clan, though the reasons for such a conflict currently remain circumspect. I am rather surprised by this myself, Lord Hokage, as I had heard no rumors about such a possibility." Minato's blue eyes pierced into Hiashi, searching for the truth of the matter. Tension built in the room for several long moments, before the Hokage nodded for the clan head to continue. "A number of children though were placed in a state of heavy stasis, though they seemed to have suffered relatively little damage. Those children are currently under guard at the village hospital, and have not yet been awoken. All the other clan members seem to have been killed off entirely, though there were also some elder members that are in a similar stasis." The Hokage nodded once at this, before reaching into his desk and pulling out a sheet of writing paper. Scratching out a quick set of orders, the Hokage held out the sheet to the medical ninja.
"That should tell you what to do to take care of the children. They will need to be questioned fully by Ibiki-san, though no aggressive measures are to be used on the children. Understood?" The man nodded, and quickly was reading over the written instructions. Minato glanced over Hiashi again, and was pleased to see the confused expression on his face. Ninja were trained at hiding their emotions, but Minato was known for being perceptive. What he saw now eased his mind greatly; Hiashi had reacted to the changing moods of the Hokage in a fashion that showed he knew little of the internal conflicts of the Uchiha, a fact that members of that secret ANBU group would certainly be aware. 'That just means that the ring leader is another member, possibly one on the council or in a similar position of power.'
A sigh escaped Minato, and he turned his chair around to look out at the village. With a tired movement, the blonde haired man stood to his full height. A weight seemed to settle onto his shoulders, and the man straightened himself under the burden. Eyes alight with passion turned back to face Hiashi. "Thank you for the help in these matters today, Hiashi-san. I will go and inspect the seal work at the Uchiha clan at once, then return to the office to fill reports for the day. Tell the council that we will need to meet in around two week's time." In a flash, the blue eyes had faded from sight, and the office was empty of its master.
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Night of Day 2 of the Journey
Baki looked over the face of his fellow jonin as they sat gathered around a fire. He had known Isago for a number of years, the two having trained together in wind based nature manipulation. It was for this reason in fact that both men wore the signature turban of wind manipulation for their village. It was a symbol of having mastered both the bladed weapons of the desert, the falchion, but having further gained mastery over the wind that could carve such similar patterns. The turban was in fact a representation of the first Kazekage, who was said to have carved out the village in the rock range. He was said to have lost the right side of his face in the process, and forever wore a turban on that side of his head to hide the scarring. The turbans were now given out to wind users who mastered their element to such a level as to be able to mimic the power, if not the control, of the Shodaime.
The other jonin wore basic garb of Sunagakure, and had a smooth and young face. Short brown hair, combined with a lanky appearance, gave the impression of a chunin becoming jonin to soon. That was exactly the reason that Baki feared his ally. Those that made jonin in Suna were known for being able to deserve the title; if this youth appeared to not be dangerous, it in fact meant he was probably more deadly than either of his counterparts. Mukade was a complete unknown to either of the other two men, though he had stated that he worked in medicine and genjutsu. He also appeared to be a favorable cook, having volunteered to do much of the cooking for the trip. Baki smiled, remembering the meals that had been prepared for them thus far; they all had delicious spices, and seemed to be far above standard fare for a ninja mission. Still, the current campfire was for more important business than dining.
"In another day or so, we will enter the territory of Amegakure. There has been little news from that area in the past few years, though it is rumored that there is still a civil war going on at the moment. We are to remain as removed as possible from any internal village conflicts, and continue to our destination. As such, we will not be stopping for anything more than short rest breaks and six hours of nightly sleep during the remainder of the trip." Isago nodded at this, but Mukade grimaced, and looked questioningly at Baki.
"Are you sure that's such a good idea? There are bound to be a number of operatives stationed outside the village, searching for suspicious agents. A group of six individuals, moving quickly across country lines, is sure to draw some attention…" Mukade inwardly was cursing. 'Damn it, I'm supposed to meet up with Sasori in two days…he said that the group would be ready to go ahead with the plan without me, but Master Sasori hates to be kept waiting…'
Baki nodded in acquiescence to this point, but then shook his map once more in the flickering light. "The straightest route to the Waterfall Village is through the Land of Rain and Land or Grass. We are going to of course alter this route slightly, taking the route near the border of the Land of Fire, and proceeding from there. Still, passing along the border at high speeds is sure to draw attention to our group. However, we have to make the meeting date while taking the safest route to our destination." Baki drew his finger along the slim border the group would be following. "The Land of Fire claims these areas as their borders, though they are known to be only moderately enforced. As such, we are bound to draw attention from slightly less questionable groups." Baki then tapped at a small point highlighted on his copy. "There is an outpost where we will meet up with a group that is set to sweep along the border. They should escort us through the land of rivers, and will drop us off at the border with Rain country. From there, we will travel as fast as possible directly north. That means we should, at most, only touch the border of Rain for a day." The others nodded at this, quickly highlighting the outpost location on their own maps. "We'll resupply at the outpost and rest up for a night there. Then, we make for Waterfall before first light."
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Day 3 of the Journey
Temari looked sullenly down at the blue pill in her hand. It was small, fit into the palm of her hand, and was part of a package that her father had sent her with for the escort mission. She hated looking at the item, and wished to chuck it at a wall. Instead, she grasped her flask, full of water, and popped the pill in her mouth. Water followed the bitter medicine, washing down her throat in loud, thirsty gulps.
After living in the desert for her whole life, the existence of a place like the Land of Rivers was quite astonishing. There was water everywhere, and Temari found herself guzzling as much of the normally rare and expensive item as much as possible. Sunagakure was built around an oasis, but the water was closely monitored and restricted. Free access to the liquid was unheard of, and she honestly could not drink enough of the blessed reprieve.
However, the damned blue pills were a dampener to her good spirit. They were a reminder of why she was in this foreign land and what sort of future she faced. A single tear stained her knee, and the girl's breath hitched in her chest. Pulling on all of the willpower she had, the tears were forced downward, even as the girl's thoughts spiraled back to when she had become aware of her impending misery.
Temari hesitantly opened the door to her father's office. The man was never around the family much, and after her mother's death, the enigmatic parent had only grown more reclusive. 'Some of the only memories that I have of the man are the times when he would fly into a rage against Kankuro or myself for failing to live up to his expectations…though he never yells at Gaara. He doesn't even notice him, and he keeps Kankuro and I away from him.' Temari grimaced at this, pushing the door open fully as she walked into the Kazekage's office.
"Academy Student Temari Sabaku reporting to the Kazekage, sir." Temari stood as straight as she could for an eleven year old, fixing her face in a schooled mask of emotionless reserve. The man across from her grunted, his robed figure seated behind a desk of mahogany, extraordinarily expensive in the desert.
"You are late. I hate to be kept waiting, student." Temari bowed in deference at this, staying in the respectful position until she got her face under control again. A brief explosion of anger had flashed across her face, outraged to be addressed as such by her own father.
'It's for appearances. His secretaries are right outside, and they would not miss any chance to report disrespect towards him to the council.' The head of the Sabaku family had taken over the title of the Kazekage during the last great ninja war, usurping it in a sudden takeover. The move helped to bring the war to a premature end, allowing for Suna to forge a lasting armistice with Iwa. Still, the hold that he had won was tenuous, and her father had missed no chance to impress the nature of his reign on his children. He pushed them to be as strong as possible so as to solidify his continued leadership.
"Rise. I have much to discuss with you." Temari heard shuffling papers as she raised her head up to look her father in the eyes. The man ran a hand over the desk, and then pushed a large amount of chakra out into surrounding air. A strange feeling settled over Temari's ears, immediately informing her of a silencing seal. Cold sweat trickled down Temari's neck; those seals were reserved for serious missions and political decisions. Her presence here did not bode well.
Her whole life, Temari had been raised with the education befitting the daughter of a Kage. It included advanced training, even at a young age, along with the cultural upbringing of high society. The most discussed topic was political marriages. The daughters of Kage's were often married off to allies to ensure stability. They were more likely to be married off to enemy's though, in an effort to forestall war.
Temari's eyes settled on the documents in front of her as she lowered herself into a seat facing the Kazekage. The documents were outlined in the fashion of official statements of matters of state. The lower portion was embossed with a signature from Konoha. For a second Temari lit with hope at the sight. There had been rumors of ambassadors being formed between the villages. 'Could he have found a way to keep me out of a political marriage?' Temari smiled inwardly at the thought, bringing her focus onto her father as he settled into the seat across from her.
"Temari, this document details an arrangement between the Leaf Village and Sunagakure. The Leaf has been a long time ally of ours, and many feel it has come time that we begin mending the wounds of the last war by offering trades between our villages." Temari brightened. 'I knew it! He's making me an ambassador to the Leaf Village.' The man across from her adjusted the papers, handing them over to his daughter. Her face was still set in a neutral mask, though the tug of a slight smile could be seen at the corner of her mouth. "That is why you have been chosen for an important responsibility. As the daughter of the Yondaime, you will serve as the Sunagakure candidate in a political marriage." Temari's neutral expression cracked, shattering into a conglomeration of both shock and dismay.
"What? But, I had heard that there was going to be an ambassador program between the villages! That this tradition was going to be done away with!" Temari's voice was hysterical, pain lacing every word. 'I had thought that it was something you were going to do away with'. Temari clutched the papers in front of her, mumbling to herself.
"Calm yourself!" The shout cut off the girl, bringing a halt to her degenerating state. "That was discussed by the council, but this decision has been in the making since almost as soon as I entered office. I had no power over the council in this matter." The man in front of her straightened, a great weight seeming to settle onto his shoulders. "You are going to be marrying the son of the Fourth Hokage, Naruto Namikaze. His profile is in the folder with those files."
"The Hokage agreed to marry his own son?" Temari didn't look at the files that were handed to her, demanding an answer from her father. Her teal eyes were glazed over with tears, and her whole body shook with emotion.
"He did. He also tried to establish the ambassador program in an attempt to forego the wedding. However, recent activities in the village forced the abandonment of the project, at least for now." The Kazekage reached out and opened the folder, flipping to the documents from Konoha. Much of it appeared to be written in the wording of lawyers, but her father tapped out a certain spot on the document. "The ambassador program will be started though, and the two to create and maintain the program between the villages will be you and Naruto." Temari rocked back at this, looking her father in the eyes clearly for the first time during the meeting.
Temari glanced over the documents, and looked up at her father in question. "The boy is only eight years old. That's not old enough for a political marriage. Why am I being called here today?" The grim look came over her father once more as he turned to look at Temari.
"He is in fact seven at the moment, though he will turn eight before the end of fall. You will be meeting him though for a treaty signing, and for a chance to show our allies the face of Suna and Konoha's future. The actual marriage will not take place until the boy is at least sixteen." The Kazekage leveled a probing look at his daughter. "Are you aware of any changes in your brother, Gaara?" Temari blinked, thrown by the change in topic. The Kazekage continued, without pausing for a response.
"Your brother's recent actions have garnered undue distrust from the council. Again, I am forced by the advice of the council to deal with the matter against my wishes. He will accompany you first to Takigakure, where a treaty will be signed between all three of the villages. Then, he will accompany you to Konoha to have his seal inspected and improved by the Fourth Hokage. Normally, such a request would not be possible between the villages, for fear of upsetting the balance of power. The treaty signing though gives us a unique opportunity to get the expertise of another village in the matter." Temari nodded throughout all of this, a small smile daring to cross her lips once more.
"Thank you father, for doing what you can to help both Gaara and myself." The man across from her rose, leveling a look of anger at her. Temari shrank back from the look, wondering what she said to insult.
"I did not think the ambassador program would work Temari. I voted against the idea from the first time it was suggested. I also did not want Gaara to gain the help of the Fourth. Both of these things put us in debt to Konoha. You would do well to think of matters more clearly in regards to the wellbeing of your village, student." The girl wrenched to the side as if visibly struck. The glare of her father silenced the protest on her lips. Temari grabbed her documents, silently turning and leaving the room. She missed the words of her father as she left, as they were uttered so only the old man could hear. "I wanted Gaara to become strong on his own, to forge his own destiny. And I wanted you my daughter, to have a life far away from the conflicts your mother and I faced…"
Within the documents given to her that day had been a subscription of pills, designed specifically for diplomatic missions. They consumed some of her chakra in a process that purged her body of all ailments and poisons. However, they did not protect against any future chemical assaults. They also would purge the body of foreign scents, and protected against pregnancy and many weaker sexual diseases. The instructions inside had explained the meaning behind the pills, and a note had been included without a name. Temari did not know who had written the note, but she suspected it was her father that had left the message.
"Eight years is a long time to wait. I hope these help you have at least some good memories…"
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Day 4 of the Journey
"No, no, no, and a hundred times no!" An angered Fugaku Uchiha walked forward and glared angrily at Naruto. "I don't know how many times I have to tell you, but when you perform the transformation jutsu, you should be using genjutsu, not ninjutsu!" Naruto frowned, obviously at his wits end as well.
"I'm telling you, I can't do that stupid genjutsu stuff. It just doesn't work for me, you know?" Naruto was tired and frustrated. For the last hour, he had been trying to master the simple transformation technique and was meeting with decided difficulty. The body flicker and the earth tunneling techniques had both been easy enough for Naruto to master. But the third day of training had finally found a road block for him in the transformation technique.
"Look, I think I'm just not going to be able to get this across. I'm going to go see if I can get Shikaku, he might be able to better manage your training." Naruto just scowled at the man, and transformed himself once more into the image of a lazy Shikamaru.
"Until you get back I'm just gonna sit back and relax. I'm fairly certain that I've got this trick down, genjutsu or not!" The look alike had even managed to imitate the relaxed drawl of his friend, wearing the same kimono that he had weeks ago during the festival. Fugaku let out a snort of dissent, but left the boy to his activities. In a swirl of leaves, the Uchiha leader stood in front of the infamous genius member of the terrible trio.
"That kid has more chakra then sense, Shikaku. I've been trying to teach him the transformation jutsu, but he just seems to be creating a detailed chakra shell over the top. I don't know what to call the jutsu, but the chakra seems familiar to your shadow manipulation techniques."Shikaku heard all this, but he was busy studying the shapes and patterns of the clouds in the sky. Little known to others, the Nara clan was not just made of lazy cloud watchers, but actually skilled cloud readers. While the skill was not a terribly powerful form of divination, it could serve to give the Nara's some insight into affairs both near and far.
At the moment, the clouds were giving some rather dire portends. The sky, while full of white clouds, painted a pattern of bloodshed between here and Konoha. The meaning was muddled, but Shikaku was greatly afraid of the images intent. A foot nudged his shoulder, and it brought a start to the man. He had been absorbed in deciphering the intent of the heavens, and had come to some conclusions. The clouds told of both blood recently spilled, and of great travesty. Hints at future battles, possibly soon or many years from now, were also painted across the horizon. Sensing a stronger kick about to land on him, the reclined man did a kip up to his feet.
"I heard you Fugaku. I'll go take a look at what the kid's doing wrong, but I got to tell you, a Hyuuga would be better for this than me. In the meantime, tell Chouza and Inoichi to tighten up the security tonight. I sense something foul on the wind." Fugaku stiffened at the statement, and nodded once. In a swirl of leaves, the clearing stood empty of both inhabitants.
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When Shikaku entered the clearing, he could barely repress a smile of fondness. There, on the grass, lay the spitting image of his son. The boy seemed to be staring up at the clouds, his hair back in its typical ponytail. 'Still, he's not watching the clouds, he's just napping. Guess I'll have to teach the kid about why we do that someday.' Shikaku shook his head, and using the shadow-step technique, moved quickly over to where Naruto was lying on the ground. One benefit of the technique was that it was utterly silent.
"So…" In a flash Naruto was wide awake, a kunai appearing in his hand and the jutsu disappearing completely. "…first thing is that we need to work on your awareness training later." Naruto blinked once, and then tucked the kunai away, looking warily at the older man.
"Now then, I want you to demonstrate the transformation jutsu one more time for me. I want to watch you mold and create the jutsu in your own fashion, and then I'll determine whether or not it's adequate." Naruto nodded, and then stood up once more. He carefully molded his chakra and placed his hands in the proper seals, but as he channeled the chakra, Shikaku noticed something important.
'He molds the chakra elements of Yin and Yang like a clan jutsu. Still, at the moment, the Yang chakra is completely overpowering the Yin. I wonder why that is…' Shikaku's eyes narrowed as he looked close at the chakra trails that were emanating from Naruto. They seemed remarkably similar to those that Kushina were known to be able to create. "Naruto, keep molding the chakra, but focus less on the jutsu itself. Form it into the first shape that springs to mind, alright?" The boy blinked, but redoubled his efforts. 'Just like I thought, very little Yin chakra is needed to give a basic shape, but so much Yang chakra is being pushed out that the jutsu creates a physical shape.'
In mere moments, the chakra had started to form visible outlines behind the child. They took the form of chains, and began to wrap themselves around one another, coiling at the child's feet. 'It's like I thought, Kushina's abilities are a clan-based kekkei genkai. It might be that she was the first. Regardless, it's similar to the Nara clan jutsu, so shadow based techniques should be particularly easy for the kid'. Shikaku looked up from his musings in time to catch Naruto falling backward, the chakra chains quickly fading. Shikaku blinked once or twice before chuckling lightly to himself.
"Guess he's still got a while to master using that ability of his. Still, it could make a seriously powerful asset to the village to have another kekkei genkai like the Nara clan." Shikaku talked to himself as he stooped and picked up the kid. 'You're going to be an interesting one to keep an eye on, Namikaze.' Loading the kid onto his back, Shikaku leapt back towards the campsite. As they leapt through the trees, Naruto rested peacefully on the older man's back.
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Night of Day 4 of the Journey
Mukade smiled, slipping through the outer perimeter of the outpost guard. The enforcement along the country outpost for the Land of Rivers was so easy to slip past, especially since there was no longer any ninja village protecting the country. Takumi village had been relocated around six years ago in an agreement with Konoha and Takigakure. It had left the land of rivers with no serious military force, but they did have the full protection of Konoha forces that were stationed for peacekeeping. Suna had been informed of the deal, and would regularly send their own forces to inspect the work of Konoha. The outpost they were at currently though was staffed only by samurai. The country had apparently responded to losing its ninja village by turning and spending far more on infrastructure and samurai. Still, samurai were no challenge to evade for a ninja.
Landing in a small clearing, Mukade reached into a pouch at his side and pulled out a single summoning scroll. From it, a simple crow emerged and blinked at Mukade. It appeared as a simple crow, with no extraordinary features save for its eyes. Its eyes were a bright red, and three black tomoe spun inside of the creature. Mukade stepped back as the crow began to caw, once, twice, and three times. On the third cry, the mouth opened wide and a tall man appeared beside a short squat one. The shorter one wore a hat to cover his face, and the taller had an orange mask with black flames scattered across the front. Both wore cloaks of pure black with red clouds darting across the surface. A metal tail twitched from underneath the coat of the squat one, darting forward to place itself at Mukade's throat.
"You had better have a decent reason for nearly making me wait…" Mukade felt sweat roll down from his forehead before running into his eyes. The jonin did not blink at the pain, but continued to stare at the threat to his life. The taller man reached out and placed a gloved hand on the mechanical tail. Mukade watched in surprise as the tail retracted.
"Sasori, you know that we have a mission to complete here. I will not tolerate killing a contact so easily." The tail twitched once, pressing hard against Mukade's throat before retracting.
"Yes, I know. Master." The last word was almost a curse as it fell from the Sunagakure legend. "Have you accomplished what we asked of you, Mukade? Are the entirety of the escort party successfully weakened?" Mukade nodded quickly, not daring his voice. "Good. Hidan and Kakuzu will meet up with you in three days time in Takigakure. We will want you to ensure the defeat of the entire party on your own, but the final capture of the Jinchuuriki can be left to our members. In return, we will welcome you as a member into Akatsuki." Sasori twitched his tail again, this time lashing out and scaring the earth behind him.
"Let's get going. I don't want to spend any more time talking to someone from my cursed village." The taller man seemed to stare at Sasori, before turning back to the crow. In an instant, the crow had opened its maw, and the two had disappeared from sight.
Mukade let out a breath. He had not noticed quite how tense he had been during the exchange, but now that the other two were gone, he was shaking with fear. A few deep breaths restored his calm, and the man fled back into the night.
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Day 5 of the journey
"Alright Sasuke, that's enough of a rest. Pick up your sword again; we've got more training to do." Tsume's growl set the young boy on edge, who grimaced and pulled his sword from the sheath on his hip. Kuromaru bared a feral grin towards Sasuke. If the dog found teasing Sasuke amusing, training him was a straight riot.
"Even though you got those other jutsu down a lot faster than Naruto, your reserves are still pathetic in comparison. And kenjutsu training is the best way to develop those abilities. This is why we'll be doing this, every day." Tsume's grin was somehow even worse than her ninden, her entire mouth seemingly full of sharp canines. "Aren't you so happy you finished up early?" Sasuke began to form a retort but was quickly bringing his blade up in a front guard. The force of the woman's blade forced him to step back under it, and she quickly pushed him aside. Kuromaru was instantly upon him as he fell back, and the boy's own image flickered as he moved to engage with Tsume once more. The attack was easily predicted and the two opponents flipped into the air, spiraling towards him in a devastating attack. Cursing, Sasuke's form once again flickered out of existence. He came to rest fifteen feet away, panting heavily.
'Damn, looks like I don't have the chakra to use that anymore. Guess from here on out, it's luck and guts…' Sasuke spit a wad of phlegm from his mouth, and brought a hand across his face. As he did, he noticed Tsume charging him once more, Kuromaru having vanished from sight.
Sasuke dodged to his left, bringing the blade back in for a stabbing thrust. As he did, Tsume flickered in front of him, and Sasuke felt his jab hit air. A heartbeat later and Sasuke felt the press of cold steel against his neck. "I finally get a chance to get some of your blood it seems." Tsume's laugh rang in the clearing as her blade slowly drew along Sasuke's pulsing neck…only for him to disappear in a puff of smoke as he was replaced by a log.
A blade's shadow fell across Tsume's face, and she jumped quickly to the side and brought a blade up to block the follow up slash to her torso. The more experienced fighter smiled lightly as the Uchiha rained down blow after blow. There was a definite fierceness to the boy's attack, but he was missing the finesse of years of training. Kuromaru jumped in from the sidelines, dodging around the bow's attacks, and forcing him on the defensive.
Sasuke began to growl, and in a brief flash his eyes turned bright red. A single tomoe appeared in his eyes, and Tsume for the first time felt a bit of fear. The boy's thrusts came faster, and were much more on target. Slashes that were missing Kuromaru completely began to nick the dog, shaving off some fur in the process. The dog growled back, and jumped to the side, leaving his master to fight.
Tsume moved to engage the boy, but found herself frustrated with the combat. The kid was copying her moves, slowly but surely. His stance adjusted quickly, compensating for what would have been hours of training in a single moment. Even with only a single tomoe in each of Sasuke's eyes, his battle improvement was remarkable. 'If I don't end this soon, he might actually score a blow against me…the brat is going down now.' Feral light lit the Inuzuka's eyes as she parried another thrust from the Uchiha. A rain of successive blows came with the parry, but Tsume withstood them all. Quickly pushing back against Sasuke's assault, Tsume found herself smiling fully for the first time while training the youth. Her last attack had ground against the boy's blade, and the more experienced warrior deftly wrested the blade from the youth's hand and pointed her blade at her opponent's exposed neck.
"You managed to activate your Sharingan before entering the academy. Perhaps Minato was wrong about his choice of Itachi." Tsume grinned with a pleased look on her face. She was proud of the boy for giving her a slight fright.
"I…activated my Sharingan?" The boy was panting heavily, and seemed to be shaking all over the place. The smile of disbelief though was the happiest she had ever seen on the boy. Tsume nodded once to Sasuke, whose smile grew before he immediately collapsed on the ground.
"Perhaps the Fourth did not choose incorrectly. You should take the pup back to camp, and catch a bath yourself. You have a slight odor of fear about you." Kuromaru looked up haughtily at his master, who flared her nostrils at her companion.
"It was the fear of being harmed in battle. I am glad that he got to push me to this point. It means that he might stand on his own when we meet the sand shinobi. I hope things go well, Kuromaru. The Nara has scented danger in the clouds." Tsume stooped, picking up Sasuke and his blade like sacks of potatoes.
Kuromaru silently moved beside his master, nudging his nose against her leg. "You two legs worry too much. Whatever it is, these kids will be at least ready to survive the danger." Tsume grinned and rubbed behind the dog's ears.
'I hope you're right, Kuromaru. For all of our sakes…'
xXxXxXx
Well, that's all for this week. Sorry, but next week will be more background development (not filler, but close to it). This will be followed by at least two chapters of combat interactions, so hey, there is a plus hidden in here somewhere. I'll try to spice it up with some combat and cameo appearances here and there.
Kushina's death, along with the ramifications it has for the village will be expounded over time, as you saw with the opening part of the chapter. As for why Minato has done so many of these things, he was a student of Jiraiya's, and thus inherited Jiraiya's dream as well; of bringing peace through understanding and communication. Minato has thus used his training in sealing to both ensure the well being of his village, as well as to promote the interaction and communication between other groups.
In a nod to the need for explaining the Kekkei Genkai system, and how they avoid inbreeding, I would like to note that the Uchiha massacre will be used to go a long way towards explaining that.
Before I leave you till Monday, I just want to mention that I have an awesome beta, Lazruth, and that this story now has over 100 alerts on it. I am so floored by this, thank you all so much for your support, and great comments. Until next time, read and review!