-10-

The Deadly Alliance

Enjoy!

Fugaku glanced to his left. He had felt his wife's chakra enter the compound just now, and was sure that she was on her way to their house. Sasuke, little precious Sasuke, his youngest son, whose innocence and childhood charm resonated the strongest in the clan, was sitting at his side, attention firmly on his father.

The man had been regaling his youngest with braggadocious stories of what the Uchiha had accomplished in their lifetime.

The taming of the mightiest of the Tailed Beasts. Usurping the Senju and the Hyuga as the strongest clans in the entirety of not just the Land of Fire, but the entirety of the Five Great Nations.

You know, the small details.

But yet, they had never had an Uchiha as Hokage - not for lack of trying.

If you asked Fugaku, or Mikoto, or any of the Elders, the consensus was clear; Uchiha Madara, the founding father of the mightiest of clans, should have been the Second Fire Shadow.

Hell, Madara was the strongest Fire user in history, the title was even meant for him!

To compound the matter worse, the next best chance they had at instating power in the government of Konoha was ruined by some clanless orphan.

Namikaze Minato, as blessed as he was in both intelligence and ruthlessness, had edged out both Wicked Eye Fugaku, and Orochimaru of the Sannin for the title of Fourth Lord. Ultimately, it had come down to Minato and Fugaku, and apparently a jounin hailing from the strongest clan in the world, ALONG WITH being the strongest Fire user alive at the time wasn't enough to be granted the honor.

Orochimaru, as well, apparently felt slighted. Soon after that, maybe a few months to a year, max, he was out of the village and on his own. There were rumors of an external reason for his betrayal, but if there was any weight, it was kept incredibly well-guarded by the higher ups.

And even after Minato had tragically died securing the village's safety, along with one of Mikoto's good friends, Kushina Uzumaki, Hiruzen had decided to take over, opting to unretire and assume control of the village even in his old age.

The solution was literally in front of him: give control to his original runner-up for the Fourth Hokage position.

However, it wasn't fated to be. There was mutual tension and distrust among the Uchiha and the governing body of Konoha. Having been shoved to the outer sections of the village, the intent and messages were obvious.

Now, they had about a month before the coup would unfold, and the Uchiha would usher in their plans for the New Order. Soon enough, the Uchiha would get the respect they deserve.

However, there was something Sasuke was talking about that had piqued Fugaku's attention.

Namely, when the young boy had declared, with the utmost confidence and determination that made even Fugaku raise an eyebrow, "I'll be the first Uchiha Hokage!"

"Pardon?" The older man had said.

"I'll be Hokage and lead Konoha to become the strongest village ever!" Sasuke exclaimed excitedly, bouncing in place at the thought of ruling the Hidden Leaf.

Fugaku allowed a small chuckle to escape his lips, despite his shoulders being scrunched and his hidden fist being balled up, and reached over to pull his youngest son onto his lap.

"Oh? And how do you plan on doing that, little Sasuke?"

The boy puffed his face in annoyance and turned his head. After a moment, he turned back. His eyes, as dark as they were, seemed to glow in a certain way. His lips had a small smile on them, and he looked… happy.

"I'm gonna train with my big brother and we are going to kick those stinking Hyuga out and then be the strongest ever!"

"Oh, okay," Fugaku said in mock realization, as if his son had imparted forbidden, life altering knowledge onto him. "That sounds like a great plan to me, son."

Sasuke laughed as he realized his father was teasing him, and the two shared a moment of peace and quiet. He barely noticed it all the same, but Fugaku couldn't ignore his son's face dropping in what appeared to be sadness.

The father of two gave his youngest some time to see if he would open up naturally, but when the words never came, Fugaku gently turned his son's head to face him and looked at him.

"What's the matter, child?"

The response he got was a silent shake of the head, Sasuke keeping his lips sealed. While Sasuke could be a little shy at times, Fugaku knew that when he was at home, or with his big brother, that he could and would not stop running his mouth.

It concerned him somewhat, and while he had more pressing issues coming up, Fugaku would always make time for his own.

"Sasuke, what's wrong?"

His son looked up, his round, dark eyes staring with innocence at him.

"You promise you won't get mad?"

That put him on edge. Sasuke rarely was afraid to say something. If he was worried about his father's reaction, then what could he be ready to ask?

It mattered not. Fugaku would do his best to remain calm, no matter what.

"I… promise, Sasuke."

"I'm sad that mom never has enough time to play with me anymore." The boy whispered.

"Mom is busy, you know that."

Sasuke pouted again and crossed his arms. "Yeah I know, but I'm still sad about it. She says she's busy or smiles and shoos me away. I hate it."

Fugaku didn't show it, but it felt like his heart was shattered. He had to remain vigilant, always had to appear tough, locked and loaded for any and every altercation, but there was something about his youngest declaring how his mother ignoring him had hurt, that tore the clan head into two.

He felt Mikoto's chakra flicker, a sudden spike - indicating shock -, letting him know that she had been listening and heard every word the young boy said.

"I'm sorry Sasuke, things have been tough around the clan lately, but in a few weeks, the whole family will get together and have a board game night, okay?"

He wasn't sure if Sasuke believed it - and he definitely wasn't sure he believed it - but there was nothing else that could be said.

Sasuke never did get that game night.

The sound of thunderous rain rattled the windows of their compound, but Pain and the other two didn't pay it any mind. A soft chill, gentle but not unkind, rested on the back of his neck.

Rippling, cataclysmic violet met abyssal black - neither backing down.

Amber would soon stare at onyx, but the tension was obvious.

And, finally, it was broken.

"It comes at no surprise that The Kinslayer would be so quick to vanquish his extended family. You are smart to respect the authority of your God. Konan, take Obito's body away, I want to question Itachi."

Let it be known that Pain, quite frankly, didn't give a shit whether he was subtle or not. There wasn't a living creature on the planet that posed a real threat to him.

The woman nodded wordlessly, her eyes drifting away from Itachi and to the corpse that he laid bare in front of them. Small, fragmented pieces of snow white paper began to detach from her cloak, and silently, but not gently, lifted the body of Obito Uchiha, and she floated away into the unknown. Itachi didn't dare follow the woman with his eyes.

"What did he tell you?"

Pain's tone was flat, never wavering, not for one syllable or letter that slipped off his tongue. The authority behind Pain's voice was unquestionable, as if it was never a subject for debate.

It just was.

However, what God didn't account for was that, of the last two Uchiha on the planet, Itachi Uchiha was a man of steel nerves. Steel nerves were probably underselling how well-guarded the man was.

"His plans for Naruto Uzumaki, jinchuriki of the Kyuubi. I was informed of his plans to attempt to awaken the Sharingan in him, and use that in conjunction with his Bijuu to eliminate the Akatsuki."

Pain nodded. He was caught up to speed, then.

"And did he succeed?"

Itachi didn't tense a muscle, but he had been thinking of whether or not to try and hide Naruto away, or try a game of bluffing.

Being truthful, Itachi didn't necessarily care what happened to the blond, he was more worried about Sasuke and the Hidden Leaf, but if Obito was correct and that the two boys were as close, like he described, then aiding one, even if his heart wasn't behind it, was beneficial to both his brother and the village he so proudly loved.

It was a simple decision, and he thought of it immediately.

"Obito confirmed to me that Naruto had awakened the Sharingan, but he did not inform me of how mature or how proficient the boy is with using it. I suspect, as a hunch, that he is a novice with it, if that. Without Obito there to teach him, and having to hide away the bloodline, Naruto is effectively stuck with no guidance, limiting his output with it severely." Itachi said, his eyes never leaving the violet that bore straight into him.

It made sense, Pain thought, and it left him with some extra thoughts. Initially, he had thought Itachi was also going to double cross the Akatsuki, and he was half-tempted to wipe the man out and go on his merry way, but something caused him to pause.

If Itachi was being honest with him - and he didn't see any chakra pulses or any body language to indicate he was being dishonest - then Itachi was loyal to his cause, and was supporting him and would continue to do so.

Pain supposed, for now, that Itachi was still in the good graces of the Savior and his Angel.

"How did you strike him down?"

"I had waited for a few meetings, gaining his trust over time, and when he had his back turned, I struck him down, and immediately brought him to you, my Lord."

How he hated calling someone his Lord, but it was required.

However, at this, Pain nodded. So the Uchiha knew his place. Good.

"You acted as you were supposed to. Obediently. When the time comes in this world, the time of Punishment and the time of Judgment, you shall be rewarded, young Uchiha. Do not lose your way, lest you want to be cast down by your God."

Itachi nodded, and if it wasn't for the multiple pairs of eyes staring at his body, waiting for any indication that the man might attack, it was tempting. It was salivating.

However, he needed to protect Sasuke. To protect the Hidden Leaf from this tyrant, this psychopathic delusional mess of a 'God'.

In the Leaf, Itachi Uchiha, pre-massacre, was a boy who commanded the respect of those around him. He was decorated, and his potential was limitless. Shisui was (hopefully) out of his coma and recovering, training for the day that Pain would strike.

Hell, if the Leaf managed to kill Danzō, then maybe Shisui could teach both Sasuke and Naruto.

That would be nice.

"Itachi Uchiha, you will be the one to capture Naruto Uzumaki, along with Kisame Hoshigaki. See to it that you continue to please us."

Well, he never thought the road would be bumpless.

"My Lord, if I may speak freely…"

"You may."

"Why not attack the Hidden Leaf now and capture the Nine-Tails? The village is still weak, it seems now is the perfect time to strike."

Pain had already considered this, and while the Uzumaki was one for direct action, it was not in the cards at the moment.

"We only have two of the Beasts at the moment, one from Iwagakure and one from Kirigakure. To facilitate an assault on the Leaf would be the equivalent of revealing our hand to the entire nation. While I am confident I can handle the Leaf on my own, I would prefer if the rest of the villages didn't interfere with our plans. The nations are prideful, angrily so, and would not advertise to their rivals that their jinchuuriki are missing. However, if they knew that one organization was behind it, then I'm wary that they would focus their efforts on annihilating us."

Itachi supposed it made sense.

"The Chunin Exams in Konoha are coming up. You will move when I deem it so. You are dismissed."

And, apparently, that was that.

Then, it was just Pain, and moving from the shadows, Konan.

"Do you trust him?"

"For the time being."

"And if he crosses us?"

"Just like the rest."

And that was all that needed to be said.

Danzō Shimura was old. His mind, sharp as ever, with a vicious streak to match. His body, however, was frail, if his cane was anything to go off. His face was scarred, and his head was bandaged, with one cold, calculative eye resting wherever his gaze landed.

He was well aware of the latent potential that one Naruto Uzumaki possessed. He wasn't sure where, or even how the boy was capable of it, but it just was.

The matter of it all was, the boy would be the perfect soldier.

His physical test scores were off the charts, and his mind was not far off. His ability with a bladed weapon was second to none in his class, and after reading the mission report about the trip to Takigakure, it was a miracle that such a child existed in the modern climate of Konoha.

A brute with the capacity of terrorizing a battlefield and inflicting devastation of all kinds, without as much as a mental hiccup? The ability to process split-second shifts in combat and adapt on the fly? A natural phenomenon.

All it would take was one use of Shisui's eye, one well-timed conversation or appearance and the boy would be under his full command.

However, with the ten-year cooldown, was this the optimal use of such a power?

There were many occasions he could use it for. A meeting with Hiruzen.

A meeting with the Daimyo.

Or even Orochimaru.

So, was a blond child soldier, one that he could manually persuade on his own accord, really worth the trigger?

Realistically, no.

It did have his mind circulating, however, when he saw the boy working on what appeared to be an elemental dragon jutsu, one similar to a water or lightning dragon. While it already existed, it just wasn't commonly used, so it made sense the boy was curious. However, to attempt and actually make progress on such a jutsu with no guideline other than a failed attempt at using an earth dragon?

Well, that deserved a certain amount of consideration.

The son of Minato Namikaze was an interesting one indeed.

Sakura Haruno was practicing her chakra control, and her genjutsu prowess, while her two other teammates were practicing their respective elemental jutsu.

Fire and Air.

She was making good progress, and could reliably cast the genjutsu with little trouble, and was looking to move onto a more challenging technique.

All her life, Sakura had looked up to her parents, her father a Genin and her mother a Chunin, before the two of them had retired from active duty, opting instead to continue raising their daughter and prepare for a calmer life, one where they wouldn't be in constant danger.

Sakura, while technically being the only breadwinner of the family currently, had never been pushed by her parents into the shinobi lifestyle. She made that decision herself.

However, it was coming to bite her in the ass.

Her dreams were floating with the images of that day. The corpses. The smell of blood and sulfur and ash and death and destruction and chaos anddeathanddestructionandchaosand-

It plagued her thoughts.

Genjutsu had been her outlet recently.

If she could alter her perspective and artificially change the reality around her, she'd never have to experience the decay of life again.

She could protect herself from the horrors of that day. That much was certain.

It was one thing to do it yourself, but it was another to walk around with two others who had also done it and moved on already.

Out of the two orphans, Sasuke she understood the most, mentality-wise at least. He had witnessed the murders of his parents, along with his friends and extended family in the Uchiha clan, at a very young age and had to learn to adapt young, how to heal and move on while in isolation.

Sakura knew that the killings he committed that day had bothered him, even if he tried to hide it, she would see the flinches or the thousand-yard stare from him occasionally, and she truly wondered how mentally damaged he was.

The boy, the same boy who had captured her heart, was a warrior, and despite his trauma, he at least made a conscious effort around her to be helpful.

The same could not be said for Naruto, however.

It was as if he didn't care about what he did.

Despite her going into a shell, she saw what he did in that building. The way he mutilated the dog until nothing but an indescribable husk of a mutt was left, brain sewage leaking into the wooden floorboards of the building they had occupied.

Nor did she miss how he fatally stabbed Sasuke's attacker in the throat, causing the man to gasp in misery before he finished off the poor, atrocious bandit.

One thing she did give him credit for, however, was the fact he took an explosion for her, covering her lithe body in his own, protecting her from the explosion, scarring his back with shrapnel, chunks of wood, and absolute pain.

Even that, however, did little to stop him.

She saw the corpse, after the fight had ended and the invading forces were pushed back.

The corpse barely looked human.

What scared her the most was something so simple, yet absolutely terrifying.

Naruto Uzumaki didn't need time to process what had happened.

It was as if he was walking off a stubbed toe, or he had accidentally chipped a fingernail. He stopped the metaphorical bleeding, bandaged himself, and went on his merry way.

It terrified her.

His dull eyes. He'd make jokes, but it felt robotic - as if he was reciting random quotes from a book in an attempt to fit in a literature club. He didn't feel natural.

Sakura wasn't afraid of him - far from it, if she needed to she'd trust him with her life - but she was afraid of how he got to this point. It was startling, and she hated feeling this insecure about her own teammate.

Regardless, she and him were on the same squad, so she couldn't be too hesitant of him.

"-kura. Sakura!"

With a rattle and a jump, she found herself staring at both Sasuke and Naruto. One set of eyes had shown very slight concern, hidden behind neutrality, and the other set just rested on her.

"We were trying to get your attention for like five minutes. Are you okay?" Sasuke asked, staring into her eyes, and the girl nodded silently.

"Well, Naruto and I were going to get some food and we want you to come with us. Are you feeling barbecue? The Akimichi houses are having a sale today on any pork dishes."

Sakura nodded, and without another word, the three set off.

"Halt, state your intentions, Kiri-nin."

Two Chunin and a lone Jounin kept their focus on the man in front of them, who didn't waiver. He was in a bow, a sign of surrender, no ill intent or harm. He stared at the ground.

"I bring a message from the Godaime Mizukage, intended for the eyes of the Sandaime Hokage and only him. I do not intend hostility."

The man laid a sealed package in front of him, and without another word, took off from the village into the treeline, and the three didn't bother to chase.

The Jounin of the trio picked it up and felt its weight, juggling it in his hands. He handed the package to one of the Chunin.

"Bring this to the Decoding Agency, ask specifically for an Inuzuka and an Aburame. Hana, you inform Sandaime of the message, tell him we are cracking it in the Intelligence Department before we let it near him. We'll have it ready in three hours, tops."

The two Chunin nodded and set off.

By the time Hiruzen had his hands on the package, he already knew the entire contents of it all. There was a letter, along with two bottles of aged rum - aged three years, instead of the usual one year - along with a bottle of a singular bottle of finely aged wine - fifteen years, if the bottle was true.

The intelligence department found only one seal, and that was in the letter itself, but Hiruzen knew that it was a specific type of seal that would alert the Hidden Mist of his decision without having to send a messenger back, shortening the overall process.

He activates the seal one way if he agrees to the meeting, or if not, he destroys the document entirely - cutting the connection and informing the village that the Hidden Leaf had no intention of meeting.

Simple stuff, really.

And, finally, he opened the letter, and read it.

"Cat, Mouse, at my ready."

The two dropped in front of him, bowing.

"Inform the clan leaders that I'll be having a meeting in three-days time. Tell them it's urgent and non-negotiable. It involves foreign politics."

The Chunin Exams were still around three and a half months out, maybe a little less than that. Perhaps it would be a dual-hosted event? Only time would tell.

And, with that, he activated the seal, and Zabuza Momochi only grinned to himself.

Two men, both tyrants of the mind and body, sat together as they took in the scene of a descending skyline before them. The birds surrounding them chirped as the night died down, and it was a moment of solitude and peace. For the time being.

One was surrounded by three individuals, and the other by four.

Orochimaru of the Sannin, surrounded by his bodyguards at the moment - Guren, Kimimaro, and Jūgo, while Hiruko of the Lifeless was surrounded by his four guards - Fuen, Fūka, Fudō, and Furido, four gravediggers who he enslaved to his will after they attempted to rob him one day.

"The sky is beautiful tonight, isn't it? Lush orange and bountiful violet."

Orochimaru merely sipped his tea and stared into the evening. "Beautiful indeed, Hiruko. Tell me, what drags someone as youthful as you to my dingy abode? Surely it isn't a tea date."

The man flicked his fingers down, and one of his slaves handed him a poster, with the picture of a boy on it. Orochimaru's guards had tensed and readied an attack, but with the mere glance of their master, they relaxed.

Unfurling the scroll and letting his eyes wander, Orochimaru glanced up at his contemporary. He took a sip of tea.

"Naruto Uzumaki. What do you know of him?" Hiruko finally asked.

"Besides being the Akatsuki's little experiment," another sip of his tea. "not much. Son of the late Fourth Hokage, war hero of Konoha, has some training from a man named Tobi, I couldn't say much else."

The man accepted his words at face value, and stared out into the sky, once again. The talks between two S-Rank shinobi were peaceful.

"You want the last Uchiha for yourself, do you not?"

And, just like, that peace was shattered.

"And, pray tell, where did you find this out?" Orochimaru glanced to his side, his voice coming out as a hiss, his eyes forming slits, and his bodyguards drew their weapons, and the four slaves drew theirs.

Hiruko merely raised his left arm. "At ease, I have no intention of fighting a battle I cannot win."

"Then, why come woefully unprepared, Hiruko? Surely you are not naive enough to think that escape is reasonable?"

The man chuckled and glanced at Orochimaru, a ghost of a grin on his face, his facial scars moving with his mouth.

"No fight is necessary, Orochimaru. We are after two different rewards. You want the Uchiha, and I want the Uzumaki, and we can help each other."

"How?" It was a simple word, but the underlying threat was apparent to both men. This next answer would be the difference between an alliance, as brittle and prone to breaking as it would be, and a surefire bloodbath.

"How many spies do you have in the village?"

Orochimaru gave a brief pause. Was it truly worth divulging key information like that?

Would it really hurt, though?

The power of secrecy was a power that Orochimaru valued immensely, but at the same time, buying information while sacrificing your own was something that was necessary, if he wanted everything to work out.

Silently, Orochimaru sighed.

"Just one, in their medic program."

Hiruko grinned again. "That's all we need. The Uchiha wants revenge, and we know this. The Uzumaki brat has just as much potential, if not more than the Uchiha, but you want the Uchiha's eyes."

Orochimaru set his teapot down and cracked his neck. "You have a lot of knowledge for someone who leads an isolationist group. Where are you getting this information?"

If she had hackles, Fūka's neck would be at full mast. The man's tone was dangerous, poised to strike her master down at any given moment, and it didn't sit right with her. With any of her group.

"Don't worry about that, my dear ally, instead be grateful for the opportunity I'm handing you. With my knowledge and your manipulation, we can both get what we want, at no cost to us."

Orochimaru raised a hand to stop Hiruko, and the man obeyed.

"Let me ask you this; where did this obsession with Uzumaki Naruto come from?"

Hiruko shrugged in mock casualty. "Jinchuriki of the strongest beast. Uzumaki heritage to build his strength on. Legacy of the Fourth Hokage. The kid is practically a ticking time bomb of power and skill, and I want to cash in on that before it's too late for me. I have a collection of soldiers at my beck and call, and who better than the legacy of the strongest man in history to lead my forces under me?"

Orochimaru had refrained from correcting Hiruko - since it was obvious that Minato Namikaze wasn't even the strongest Hokage in history - but the point was valid.

"How are you going to control him?"

"You aren't the only one with seals." He beckoned one of his own over, and the man bowed in front of him, with his back facing Orochimaru. Wordlessly, Hiruko reached down and removed the man's shirt, revealing a disgusting scar, and imprinted on the scar was a seal that looked to be carved into the graft directly.

Hiruko remembered that day clearly - when Zetsu delivered him a fucking mind control seal, and said it was a personal gift from his master, to strengthen their alliance and show that Hiruko would be a large part of the overall masterplan.

And, in those few months since he learned how to replicate and employ this seal onto people, he had put it to great use - building a roster of ninja and shinobi, criminals and runaways that nobody would go looking for - and had his regime ready for war.

"It's a mind control seal. These have only ever been theoretical, until I cracked the code." Hiruko explained, and Orochimaru studied the seal in half amazement and half shock.

"Using my skin and chakra as the connecting force, whatever person I outfit with this answers to my will, and my will alone. Pretty neat, huh? I want this for Uzumaki Naruto."

Orochimaru wasn't entirely convinced. "Why do you think I would support this? And, more importantly, how does this benefit me?"

"The Hidden Leaf is still recovering, but they are slowly becoming stronger and strengthening their forces. If we remove two of their highest potential ninja, they will be easy for you to do whatever your slimy heart wants - annihilation, for example."

Orochimaru snorted at the insult, but didn't acknowledge it. "I could simply still take Sasuke for myself and annihilate the Hidden Leaf."

Hiruko nodded. "Sure, you could, but how much easier would this be if the Uchiha's biggest supporter isn't there to save him, or attempt to bring him back?"

Those were words that Orochimaru was pondering. He wasn't interested in taking over the world - or even a village, for that matter - but Hiruko seemingly wanted power. Of course, there was nothing saying that the two of them wouldn't eventually cross paths as enemies, but that day was not now, or even in the near future.

It made sense enough, anyways. Worth consideration, and worth all his time in ensuring that everything in the near future would go off as cleanly as possible.

"Alright, Hiruko, I'm listening."

And that was that. And, at the end of that night, after their conversation, and debates, and arguments, and policies and all that fun stuff, only one thing was universal from that meeting of the tyrants.

The Deadly Alliance had been formed.

Short chapter, been a while, it is what it is. At this point, I kinda update when I can.

Not a lot going on but at the same time a whole lot being set in motion.

I hope everyone is staying safe!