Ch. 14: Sarutobi-san
I looked up and found that Akuma's chest was still slowly rising up and down. He was alive still, but in extreme pain from the wound caused by the projectile protruding from his stomach. I lay Kazu gently on the ground by Deki, then restrained both he and Deki's limbs and torso, Kazu's with soft grass so he wouldn't hurt himself by thrashing around, and Deki's with strong vines for when he regained consciousness. I walked up to Akuma, debating whether or not to take him out of his misery or to leave him there in agony. I surveyed his body, looking for the telltale signs of imminent death. None were present. Starting from his feet, I made one more visual sweep to check over his body. Reaching his face, I made the mistake of looking at his eyes. They were open, red and black, and they locked my own eyes within their stare.
"Trait transfer. Mangekyou Sharingan!"
Instantaneously, a searing pain burned behind my eyes. I tried to pull away, but his blood red and malefic black eyes held me within their grasp. I struggled as I felt blood dripping down my face. Then as suddenly as it started, it ended.
"Transfer complete."
The intense pain softened to a dull ache, and Akuma's sharp eyes faded to a dim black. He drew one last shuddering breath, then closed his eyes for the last time. While I looked on, his body began disintegrating, and the kunai started to change shape. A blinding flash of intense light forced me to look away, but when I turned my attention back, a flat metal disk lay where Akuma's body had been. It was about the size of my palm, and when I bent over to pick it up, a flash of sunlight revealed an obsidian black and dusky red design on its surface. As soon as I lifted it off of the ground, I felt my senses grow sharper, particularly my sight.
"The sycamore found the willow wrapped around the gingko in the shade." Caught by surprise, I slipped the disk into my thigh pouch, then reflexively, I jumped into a defensive stance over Kazu and Deki, then relaxed when I realized what I had just heard.
"Yumi, you can come out now."
"Told ya it would work." Kaida's voice preceded her.
"Damn. I'll pay you when we get out of here," Washi spoke as the three of them stepped into the clearing. As soon as Yumi saw Kazu and Deki, she gasped.
"What the fuck happened?" she exclaimed.
"Naoya and Miki," I said shortly, motioning toward their bodies. She looked over and grimaced. "Do you have the capsules?" I said, subtly indicating Deki, who was slowly gaining consciousness. Yumi nodded and tossed the slim pill to me.
"Always carry 'em, just in case!"
I took out the same herbs I had happened to grab the night I spent in the forest after the confrontation with Miki. I strengthened his bonds with some thick roots. Thank god this is a sedative. I squeezed the juices of the plant into Deki's mouth just as he woke up. "Eat this," I said forcefully, before he could do anything. I dropped it past his lips and he swallowed. A minute or two elapsed before the medicine took effect. I released him from the woody restraints, and he slowly propped himself up with both elbows.
"What the hell happened?" he rasped. I handed him a canteen of water. He took a swig before I debriefed him on what had happened after he fell unconscious, ending with where Kazu got hit by the Mangekyou Sharingan.
"Hey, they had two white scrolls!" Washi voiced his discovery.
"And they're both real," Deki added. Washi tossed a scroll to me and the other to Kaida.
"Let's go." Deki took the scroll and put it in his pouch, then popped a soldier pill in his mouth before picking up the large scroll containing our supplies so that my hands would be free. Instead, I picked up Kazu and Yumi helped prop him up, piggyback style, onto my back. She tied his wrists together, securing his arms around my neck so he wouldn't fall. We took off into the forest. Yumi, Washi, and Kaida guarded us while Deki navigated and I carried the most important load with only one thing in mind—finishing up the challenge so we could get Kazu to medical attention ASAP. We finally found ourselves in front of a large, looming tower.
Our two teams separated there, with Yumi and crew going to their designated entrance, er, exit from the forest, and Deki and I finding our own. Deki walked in before me. Deki pondered over a message, a riddle, on the opposite wall.
"We have to open both scrolls at the same time," he told me. He took out the white scroll, and removed the black scroll from Kazu's ninja tool pouch, and we unfurled them at the same time. Immediately, there was a white 'poof' and a jounin appeared in front of us.
"Enter through the do—"
"My teammate needs specialized medical attention," I interrupted him.
The jounin took a look at Kazu before saying, "I'll bring a med-nin."
"No." I stopped him. "We're going with you, and you are taking us to the Hokage's best medical team, unless you want the Mizukage on your tail." I stopped before adding more politely, "It is of utmost importance." I looked at Deki, and he nodded.
"Very well," the jounin complied. "But be careful—Hokage-sama is a busy man. You better not be wasting his time," he warned. He made a few rapid hand signs and I felt the peculiar sensation of floating before we appeared in an office in front of an old, wrinkly man leafing through papers on his desk.
"Hokage-sama!" I heard the jounin say. The man looked up with a fierce gaze.
"Please leave. This is confidential," Deki grated out, addressing the jounin.
"What do you kids want?" the Hokage asked gruffly after the jounin exited.
One phrase was all it took. "Mangekyou Sharingan."
"Sharingan…?" His eyes widened, and he immediately ushered us into a hospital room connected to his office.
"K-S 052!" He yelled. An ANBU and a med-nin immediately appeared at the doorway with a case of medicinal substances. I guessed he was who the Hokage had called for. I quickly undid the bindings around Kazu's wrists, then deposited him on the hospital bed.
"Please exit the room," the ANBU said firmly, more as a command than a suggestion. I saw the med-nin begin to remove Kazu's shirt.
"No. I'm his teammate and best friend. I'm not leaving," I said defiantly.
"Let them both stay," the Hokage commanded, walking back into his office. "Dove, Ayuka-san—you know what is required."
Another ANBU suddenly burst into the room as the med-nin, Ayuka, started back up with Kazu's shirt removal. "You summoned me, Hokage-sama?"
"Yes, Ferret. This child is claiming that her teammate was attacked with the Sharingan."
The ANBU nodded sharply. "What did he look like?" he asked flatly.
"Black hair, my height, black clothing, straight hair, black eyes, pale skin. Said his name was…" Deki trailed off. The med-nin had finally succeeded in ridding Kazu of his top without ripping it.
"Nekowa. Akuma Nekowa," I filled in.
"Sir, he's not responding to anything!" the med-nin called out desperately. I suddenly remembered. I pulled out the flat metal disk.
"Try using this."
"The Sharingan Disk." The Hokage said, surprised, before delicately taking it from me. He lay it on Kazu's bare chest, then had the med-nin apply her healing chakra. The usual greenish glow surrounding her fingertips slowly changed to a peculiar burnt orange. Kazu's breathing slowed to a normal, steady pace and his eyes stopped flickering behind his eyelids. The Hokage picked up the disk and pocketed it.
"He's simply in a trance," the med-nin concluded. I remembered another thing—the last discovery I made back before leaving the Mist Village.
"Do you have any of this plant?" I inquired, puling out my notebook and pointing at the drawn picture and description. Ayuka recognized it.
"We have a large abundance of that herb, but have no uses other than as a flavoring for food dishes," she informed me.
"Well, now you have a use. Please bring some!"
The first ANBU, Dove, nodded and disappeared through the door. The Hokage was flipping through my notebook. "Amazing," he commented, "such a treasure trove of information! Where did you learn these things from?" he asked me as he handed it back.
"Experience and testing," I replied. "I control plants. For real, and for genjutsu. Well, I don't know if my genjutsu will work anymore…"
Just then, the ANBU burst back through the door with a handful of the green foliage, which she gave to me. Deki aided me in soaking them, then I ground them up and steeped the mashed remains. I poured some of the liquid into Kazu's mouth and he immediately awoke, coughing.
"…Tomoko…" he croaked. "Deki…"
"We're fine," Deki responded.
"Will you two come with me?" the Hokage asked.
"If it's information on Akuma you want, I'll go, but Deki knows nothing other than what he said before. Let him stay with Kazu," I suggested.
"Very well. Ayuka-san, you know what to do. Ferret, come with me." He escorted me back into his office. "Now, describe this man as well as you can."
"I don't mean to brag or anything, sir, but although I am quite articulate with words, I can do better than that. I can actually draw a picture."
"I see. Ferret!" The ANBU nodded and produced a sheet of paper and a case of colored pencils.
"Thank you." I bowed slightly as he handed them to me. I pulled out a tiny scroll from the pouch at my waist, and wiped some blood off of my face. I used it to summon a small writing surface. I set it in my lap, lay the paper on top, and began to draw. I added every little detail I could remember, from the way the light glinted in his eyes to the small scar on his hand that shined white right before he released the sphere of darkness that… well, you know. I included a close-up on his eye, the right one, for how it looked right before he said the trait transfer thing. While I worked, the Hokage attempted to make small talk.
"Well, first of all, what is your name again?" he asked.
"Riku. Riku Tomoko," I answered.
"I see. Well, you may call me Sarutobi if you like. In fact, please call me by that."
I nodded without looking up from my drawing. I finished, the process taking about five minutes in total, and I caught the ANBU with poorly concealed shock apparent through his chakra face before he quickly repressed the feeling.
"Done," I said, handing the finished drawing to the Hoka—er, Sarutobi-san.
He picked it up and studied it before saying, "Well, he certainly looks like he could be related." The ANBU nodded in agreement. "Now, tell me about all the incidents or run-ins you've had with this Akuma." I recalled every event, but I left out the trait transfer part, simply ending with, 'he stopped breathing and his chakra signature faded away.' Sarutobi-san asked, "Is that it?" I nodded in response. "Very well. You may leave."
I nodded again and turned, then thought better of it and spun back around. "If I tell you what really happened, will you answer a few questions?"
"About our village?" Sarutobi-san asked guardedly.
"No, about our village."
"Depends. But for now, yes." I accepted it as the best I could get. "I'm guessing it has something to do with the blood on your face?" I reached up and felt the thick, sticky, drying substance.
"Oh, um, yeah, can I, you know," I pantomimed rubbing my face.
"Of course. Ferret." The ANBU retrieved a damp cloth from the other room and handed it to me.
"Thank you." I wiped my face, then started talking. "After I tried to decide whether or not to take him out of his misery or leave him there, I noticed that none of the signs of eminent death were present. I looked at his face to look for the sallow coloring, but I looked at his eyes and they were still black and red patterned. Then he said, 'Trait Transfer. Mangekyou Sharingan!' All of a sudden, I felt this searing pain behind my eyes, then he said 'Trait Transfer complete.' Then he stopped breathing. His body disintegrated in this bright light, and when I looked back, the kunai in his stomach was that disk. The Sharingan Disk, I think that's what you said."
"I see." Sarutobi-san took out the aforementioned disk and handed it to me. I instantaneously felt my sight sharpen. "You will probably want to keep this. Now, what were the questions you wanted to ask?"
"Do I have the Mangekyou Sharingan, or just the Sharingan, or nothing at all? And what is so special about my normal genjutsu?"
Sarutobi-san sighed. "To know that, you have to go into the history of the Leaf Village. But to make things simpler, the Sharingan is the bloodline trait of the Uchiha clan." His voice became heavy with sorrow. "This kekkei-genkai is the most powerful, lethal, destructive genjutsu ever discovered, and one of the last Uchichas advanced it to such a level that he could not only affect things mentally, but physically.
"But, there have been legends of a genjutsu even more powerful than the Sharingan. One person has it at a time. It is not by bloodline. It simply moves from person to person at the last owner's death. Its path is very erratic. If a baby with it dies within its first week, it may pass to a grandfather located halfway around the world, for it is very unstable. Once every few centuries, a person comes along who has it from birth, unlocks it at a very young age, and can keep it stably within their bodies.
"With each of these carriers comes another with the ability to force the said trait to another without killing the keeper, but even though it is possible to leave the affected alive, this genjutsu is often fatal. Conversely, it is fortunate that this genjutsu can only be used in the presence of the first, so it is powerless unless near the partner carrier. This technique must also be physically passed on to another. If not passed on, it dies with its keeper, until either a century passes, or the keeper is resurrected, according to the legend.
"It is unthinkable for one person to house both traits, according to their characteristics. They are polar opposites. One is as cold and composed as ice, the other as hot, passionate, and volatile as a raging wildfire. It would probably tear the person apart from end to end. But, obviously, since the genjutsu worked on your teammate, either he, your teammate, or you are a carrier. Or, it could be that your teammate, Joseph Nisi, had it. But that seems highly unlikely, seeing that Akuma was going after you, and neither of your teammates have any type of genjutsu. So I'm thinking that the possessor of this genjutsu would be you."
I sat silently for a second, struggling to soak in all of the information that had just been dumped on my head. "One more question." I cleared my throat. "An old acquaintance from our village that moved to Suna said that I am the daughter of the late Mizukage, and that she is, er, was, the daughter of the current one. She said I was illegitimate, but because I was conceived first, although she was forced into being born prematurely, before my own natural birth, I 'stole' the inheritance line from her. Is that true?"
"I'm not an expert on your village, but… this is classified information, so it does not leave this room, understand?" I nodded. "Well, the late Mizukage was a jinchūriki. He, Yagura, was the container for the Three Tailed Giant Turtle Demon. The chakra of jinchūriki tends to be very unique, as do their fighting styles. You have encountered Naruto, correct?" I nodded again. "Remember, this does not leave the room. Well, he is also a jinchūriki, for the Nine-Tails, the Giant Fox Demon. Because of this, he has a secondary chakra supply, the chakra of the Demon Fox."
"So why is this important?"
"I know that traits do not pass hereditarily from jinchūriki to their offspring, but if you find your fighting style to be much different from others', please keep me informed."
I nodded. "Thank you for the information, Sarutobi-san. I have one last question. Will Kazu be coming with Deki and I back to the Exams?"
"…No," he answered after a slight hesitation. "We will need to study his chakra, mental, and physical systems before we can send him over. The Sharingan can be fatal, so we need to see how badly it has affected him. But I'll make sure that his match doesn't get called until he's ready. I'll send you and your other teammate along to the arena. Ferret can escort you." I nodded in assent.
"Wait, you said 'one of the last Uchihas', correct?"
He nodded.
"What do you mean, 'last' Uchihas?"
"You also met Sasuke, yes?"
"Yeah."
"His older brother, Itachi, massacred the rest of the clan. This does not leave the room."
"I understand. Wait, he massacred his own family members!" I exclaimed in shock.
"Yes, it was a grievous occurrence."
"Oh. Sasuke's older brother?"
"Yes."
"Oh." Wait. Sasuke's… older… brother…?
"You really look like this kid named Uchiha Sasuke."
"He is my younger brother."
"Does he have long black hair in a ponytail and lines going from the corners of his eyes downwards?"
"Yes! Why do you ask?"
"I SAW HIM IN THE VILLAGE."
"WHAT?" Sarutobi-san shouted. "WHERE?"
"Once in the street, I bumped into him, and then in the hallway of the building of the first Exam!"
"HAWK!" An ANBU poofed in.
"Yes sir?"
"Take your team and scour the village for Uchiha Itachi. Immediately!"
The ANBU nodded and poofed out.
"…How did we not notice?" Sarutobi-san muttered to himself.
"Umm, sir, I believe he may have been in a henge or a genjutsu that kept other people from recognizing him."
"What makes you think that?" he asked sharply.
"Well, when I first saw him, he looked like I described, but one of the first things I noticed was that he had these really nice gray eyes."
"Gray… eyes?" Sarutobi-san repeated, confused.
"Yeah. Then I heard one of the girls talking about his 'gorgeous green eyes', and when I told him that he looked like Sasuke, he said 'Interesting' before telling me he was Sasuke's older brother. I think I might have seen through it or something."
"I see. Well, let's hope that you're wrong and that Itachi isn't here in the village. Now, you should get going now if you want to make it to the Exams on time."
"Right! Thank you again," I said before pivoting and walking to the door. Ayuka slipped out, informing Sarutobi-san that Kazu was ready for inspection. I walked through the door, and stopped, turned, and shielded my eyes with my arm as my body reacted. "ACK!" I waited for my brain to catch up and register what I had just done.
"Don't blame him," Deki said, breaking the temporary wall between my mental and physical systems. "You were the one who walked in without knocking. And you saw him like this just a few minutes earlier, every time we went swimming, and every time you've healed him!" Deki reminded me.
"Hehe… right… sorry, impulse reaction. Anyway, Deki, come on. We're going, and Kazu," I turned to look at Kazu, who, thankfully, had put back on the shirt that was missing before, "is going to catch up with us later."
They both nodded. "See ya!" Kazu called after us as we walked out the door, surprisingly cheerful seeing that he had just gone through one of the worst tortures ever experienced in human kind. I turned to wave.
"Bye!"
We followed the ANBU out of the office, where he told us what he was going to do. "I'll drop you guys off at the entrance of the arena, using a teleportation jutsu, but I need to come straight back here afterwards. Just walk right through the entrance." Deki and I nodded simultaneously.
The ANBU made the necessary handsigns, and with the customary 'poof', we appeared inside the tower in the forest, in front of an entrance with double doors. "Good luck!" he said tonelessly, then he left before we could respond.
"Well, let's go in!" I said. I pushed open one of the two doors, and we walked in. Out of the left corner of my eye, I saw a hand waving. I turned and discovered it belonged to Yumi, who was beckoning wildly. I grabbed Deki's elbow. "Come on!" I pulled him to the area where her team seemed to be gathered. "So?" I asked.
"The next stage is a series of one-on-one battles that will take place down there," she pointed through the railing that blocked off the second floor inside balcony that ran around the room. "They're announcing the first match right now." She pointed at a large billboard, and two panels spun around until they stopped at…
Sou Kaida vs. Hyūga Chinatsu.