Chapter 9: Masking the Truth
Uchiha Clan Compound, Konohagakure no Sato
Sasuke was staring into the face (er, mask) of despair. This man was so terrific that his name alone brought terror to the faces of the most fearless shinobi. This man fought with the Shodai Hokage in an epic battle, creating a new landmark in the process. This man was the most feared Uchiha to have ever existed. He was face to face with his ancestor, the one Uchiha all hated, and yet aspired to become.
And Sasuke could not believe for a second that the man was who he said he was.
"Quit joking around, you masked clown!" Sasuke said, activating his Sharingan. His danger senses were spiking uncontrollably, and Sasuke knew that he was in over his head if he had to engage this enemy. He could tell, just from looking at his posture, that this man was not to be trifled with. He exuded a dangerous aura, one that would cause lesser men to cringe.
Being a lesser man was not an option for Sasuke.
"Sasuke, you hurt your family." "Madara" said sarcastically. "I see that the Uchiha have fallen far lower than I originally thought. All of them are dead, and the only 'legitimate' member left in the clan cannot even recognize the most revered man the clan has ever produced. It's a sad day for the clan, indeed."
"No…No…No, I can't believe this!" Sasuke yelled to the stoic Uchiha. "No! You're not supposed to be here! You're-"
"Dead? Killed by Hashirama? Sasuke, do not delude yourself. I'm here, I'm alive. Is there anything that does matter?"
"But how? How did you-"
"Survive? Sasuke, you should know this by now, but we of the Uchiha are the very definition of shinobi. We endure." Madara answered, alluding to the actual definition of "shinobi." "How is it that I am alive is nothing I feel the need to reveal to you at the time being, however. I cannot trust a fledgling such as you with information regarding an assassination attempt from the foremost Hokage."
"No! You're a fraud!" Sasuke shouted. Emanating chakra on his right hand, Sasuke floated his hand over a seal on his pouch. In a puff of smoke, his gunbai uchiwa was ready in his hand, and Sasuke launched himself at the phony who called himself "Madara." Sasuke knew better; he knew he was a dead man walking when he attacked Madara. Madara was beyond the traditional ranks of Konoha shinobi. Madara had evolved his Sharingan into the Mangekyō, which already placed him leagues ahead of Sasuke. Records indicate that while he was still a shinobi of Konoha, He single-handedly defeated the Nidaime and future Sandaime Tsuchikage without using his Sharingan. There were stories passed on to the Uchiha children. Stories of how Madara would battle armies of the strongest shinobi and samurai were passed down from generations to generations, further engraving Madara's mark in history.
Sasuke knew he was outmatched so horrendously that only a mentally dysfunctional shinobi would have the audacity to look Madara in the eyes while his Sharingan was active. He knew this, and still he charged. He charged because the man had the audacity to wear his revered ancestor's name like it was some sort of cloak! This man…he was not Madara. Sasuke knew this. Madara was dead. He's been dead for almost a century!
Yet, when Madara took out his own gunbai uchiwa and used it to effortlessly deflect Sasuke's attack, Sasuke knew deep in his mind that, maybe, there was some semblance of truth behind the masked man's words. And with two flails of the legendary weapon, Sasuke was knocked backwards with the concussive force of a rampaging rhinoceros. Smashing against the nearest wall, Sasuke's body was not given a moment's respite when Madara's tanto was held at knifepoint over his jugular.
"You have much to learn on the basics of uchiwajutsu, Sasuke." Madara said, sheathing his tanto and resealing his uchiwa. "A practitioner of uchiwajutsu knows the imperfections of such a large weapon. One does not simply attack with an uchiwa without carrying forth a secondary weapon, such as a kusagari or, in my recent case, a tanto."
Sasuke did not know whether or not to be disgusted with the advice "Madara" was providing for him, or to earnestly accept it for improvement.
"Not only did you not carry a secondary weapon, you also completely misused the uchiwa. While it does have sharp steel edges, the uchiwa was meant for flailing away opponents and keeping a distance. The uchiwa was also designed to incorporate Fuuton chakra to further enhance waves and flails, much like the tessen. This can be further improved upon using Katon, which is the Uchiha's signature elemental manipulation. Sasuke, you may know of practical methods of storing such a large weapon, but you still have a long way to go before getting to my level of proficiency."
Madara got off of Sasuke and walked back to the pond. He proceeded to return his gaze at the luminous reflection of the moon in the pond's surface, simply mesmerized by the minute details that could scarcely be found. Sasuke just stared at his "ancestor" with a dumbfounded expression plastered on his face.
Sasuke thought about everything that Madara said. Madara could have easily ended his life right there and then, with the tanto held at his jugular. He was right. Although Sasuke was self-taught, he knew very little about uchiwajutsu to master the weapon. He only used it to exemplify the Uchiha insignia in his combat. Though it was far from a humbling experience (as his opponent did not bother to register him as a threat), the thorough defeat was most definitely an enlightening one. Which begged the question…
"Why are you here?!" Sasuke asked, trying to rid himself of these feelings on insecurity that was beginning to swell within himself.
"Now we are beginning to head towards a relevant direction, Sasuke." Madara said. "I've come to you because you have accessed the Naka Shrine."
Sasuke eyes shot up for a moment. How did he know that he entered the Nakano Shrine?
"You now know of the secrets of the Mangekyō." He continued. "The secrets that my brother and I discovered simultaneously with the death of our father." Could Madara really be telling the truth? Could he really be Madara? Only people who have read the tablet of the Nakano Shrine know of how he and his brother obtained the Mangekyō. "Yet, you yourself do not know how to access that source of grief. The grief that gives birth to hatred. That is what you seek, but that is what you cannot find. Rather, you refuse to find."
Sasuke stood silent, but with each sentence Madara uttered, Sasuke could only cringe in the inside. The man knew Sasuke's inner thoughts well. He knew his fears, he knew his faults. Madara most likely knew about his desire for vengeance against his brother, the one man he despised more than anything.
"You are beginning to value the friendship of your comrades. Naruto, the brash and impulsive runt, has wormed his way into your heart, cleansing you of most of the hatred you harbored towards everyone and everything. The girl, who is loyal to a fault, demonstrated herself enough to have earned your respect as a kunoichi. These companions have changed your perspective on people, and changed what you thought of the world."
Now, Sasuke couldn't help but be visibly shaken by Madara's words. He knew everything about his teammates. Is there anything that Madara did not know about Sasuke?
Madara, on the other hand, smirked beneath his mask. He was playing Sasuke like a fiddle. His eccentric spy was an extraordinary sensor, capable of dispersing her chakra amongst the very air molecules that surround us all. With intensive concentration, she could track the movements and chakra signatures of anyone she desired within a 250 mile radius. The lesser the mileage, the more proficient she was at tracking, and at 10 miles she can easily maneuver, perform complex jutsu, and combat while tracking simultaneously. Within the last week, Madara had her infiltrate Konohagakure, using a false visa from Amegakure, for more in depth surveillance. With her prowess in sensory, she was able to locate and gather information on Sasuke's team, as well as every person Sasuke was able to make meaningful contact with. From her, he knew that Sasuke accessed the Nakano Shrine and discovered the secrets of the Mangekyō.
Now, all Madara needed to do was wave power over his head. Orochimaru tried this before, but he failed utterly. The power he offered was nothing more than a cheap upgrade, one that steadily diminished the mental process of the user, binding them to the will of the snake. Madara offered genuine power. Power that Sasuke can use for himself to decided his own fate. But ultimately Sasuke would stray into Madara's light. All who unlocks the Mangekyō can only see what is wrong in the world, after all. And Madara offered a way to remedy the situation. Once he killed Itachi with the power he will gain, Sasuke will join him.
"I am certain you already know this, but Itachi has full mastery of the Mangekyō." Madara said.
Sasuke's eyes now began to twitch uncontrollably. He did know about his brother. He knew so much, and was beginning to unnerve the usually stoic Uchiha.
"How do you know who I am? How do you know Itachi?!" Sasuke asked. If this man was who he said he was, than he abandoned the village almost a century ago. Surely he wouldn't-
"You must be thinking how could I possible know who you are if I've been away from the village for quite some time." Madara asked Sasuke, seemingly like a mind reader. "I'm not a mind reader, Sasuke. The expressions on your face are easy to read, especially with the all perceiving eye of the Sharingan. Masks are a useful tool, not only to hide one's own identity, but also to prevent others from knowing what you are feeling. That is why I decided to wear masks a while back. Emotions are a detriment in the heat of battle. They could only get you killed, no matter how just or benign." Sasuke did not have the attuned ears of a skilled shinobi, so he missed the slight wince of Madara's voice as he began to talk about emotions.
"As to how exactly I know who you are, let's just say I have eyes and ears in the village. All villages, in fact. A shinobi must be able to have contingencies for any and all dilemmas. Especially if my own plans were to falter, unlikely as that may be."
Sasuke broke into a sweat. 'Shit! I really need to stop giving myself off like this!' He thought, realizing that his subconscious breaking of a sweat was caught by Madara's relentless eye.
He found himself in an unfortunate predicament. Ever since the Sound Five incident, Sasuke was hounded day and night by different two-man cells of ANBU. Tsunade did not want Orochimaru to attempt to kidnap Sasuke again. He already demonstrated the ability to penetrate deep into Konoha numerous times during the Chuunin Exams, so, despite Konoha's buffed security system in the aftermath of the Sound Five incident, Sasuke was always in constant surveillance. Speaking of which-
"I already took care of the ANBU agents assigned with guarding you. There is no one here that will be eavesdropping in our conversation."
Damn. The more Sasuke talks with this "Madara" character, the more he desires to believe his claim.
So, aside from the fact that the ANBU agents dispatched for guard duty are now most likely KIA, Sasuke is constantly being monitored by a cell of the finest shinobi in Tsunade's arsenal. But now he has knowledge of a new…entity… that is keeping close eye on him. One that he cannot detect whatsoever. Sasuke has managed to detect the ANBU on several occasions, following some blunders and mishaps on their end. But Sasuke has been all in the dark about the "thing" that Madara has dispatched on him. Hell, he could have been spying on him since he was born.
The thought frightened him. If an unknown assailant was always spying on him, there was a possibility that his progress could be reported back to Itachi. He would have grown stronger for no reason if Itachi know the exact level of his strength. This was all beginning to fall backwards on him.
"And as to how I know Itachi...Itachi sought me out for power. He was the only man to ever deduce that I was not killed at the Battle of the Valley of the End all those years ago. He truly is a successor to my will…"
"Stop talking about that man as if he was good!" Sasuke screamed. "You know nothing of what he did!"
"On the contrary, Sasuke." Madara said. "He sought me to acquire the power needed to annihilate the Uchiha Clan. I know of his deeds."
"You…you…YOU BASTARD!" Sasuke shouted. He recognized the implication. If Itachi went to Madara for power, then that meant that Madara held an indirect responsibility for the deaths of his family and friends. No, now he couldn't tolerate it anymore. With another enemy of his in his face, he needed to do anything he could to kill Madara. Or die trying.
What Sasuke wasn't expecting was for Madara to warp in front of him. In speeds that made a mockery of Lee's agility, Madara was face to face with the now startled Uchiha heir. Lifting him up by the collar of his shirt, Madara proceeded to smash him through the wall of the house. Sasuke cried out in agony as a shooting pain ran up his spine, before he was slammed into the wall yet again. He broke through the concrete wall and landed in the room adjacent to it.
Madara slowly walked through the debris of the wall, once again grabbing Sasuke by the collar. He lifted him skyward, making sure he was high enough to make contact with his eyes. Sasuke's Sharingan dissipated, the pain from all the breakthroughs finally reducing his concentration and disturbing the flow of chakra into his eyes. Strangely enough, Sasuke's onyx eyes did not meet crimson red, but a reminiscent onyx. Madara did not have his Sharingan on at the moment.
"You know nothing, Sasuke." Madara said. He proceeded to lightly punch Sasuke on the cast. Sasuke, who was still recovering from the fracture, howled horribly at the torture Madara was imposing on him, helpless to do anything against his overwhelming might.
"The Uchiha were once a proud Clan, one that did not fear death and one that shook the very foundations of our world. When I led them, we triumphantly charged into our foes, killing all who dared opposed us. Only the Senju, our hated brothers-in-arms, could dare challenge us and our might. We were a clan to be reckoned with, and no one questioned us."
"All that changed, however, when Hashirama and I cofounded Konohagakure no Sato. Instead of making me the Shodai Hokage, Hashirama was chosen, if only to appeal to the masses of incoming clans and shinobi, flocking to our ideal of coexistence and cooperation. I knew that, if Hashirama were chosen as the Shodai, Tobirama would succeed his brother as the Nidaime. Once that were to have occurred, our Clan would be doomed for annihilation. So I ordered our clan to leave the village."
"Instead of following my stead, my own people ridiculed me! They laughed at my 'paranoia' and told me that I sought the path of violence. They were content with the 'peace' they had acquired as a result of the founding of Konoha, and they were not about to give it up. Those idealistic fools. The rest, as you know, is history."
The rest was history. Tobirama did become the Nidaime. He did isolate the Uchiha, preventing them from obtaining any occupation other than that of the Konoha Military Police. They became discontent at the isolation, shelving in their complaints as they were layered with more and more tasks. Other clans did not trust them, and they grew a mutual hatred towards many of the existing clans.
"However, to say that they deserved complete and utter annihilation is another matter. Although I am an advocate of suppression and totalitarianism, I do not condone senseless genocide. My people, as foolish as they were, did not deserve to die."
"Then why?!" Sasuke shouted defiantly. "Why did you help him? Why did you give him the power to kill off our family?"
"Because he was given no other choice, Sasuke." Madara said.
With those words, Sasuke's world turned upside down. It was already hectic as it was, with his supposedly long-dead ancestor talking to him, but this concept was foreign to him. It could not register.
Because he was given no other choice.
Because he was given no other choice.
Because he was GIVEN no other CHOICE.
"No. Lies. The lot of it. It's all lies. Itachi is a psychopath. He's a sociopath. He's a cruel, heartless, conniving, bloodthirsty, malicious, apathetic, megalomaniac! He killed them all to satisfy a fucking WHIM! He said so himself! Why would he be given a choice?! Who would give him a choice?!"
It was then that Madara started to laugh. It was a chuckle that mocked Sasuke's lack of knowledge on the situation at hand. It was cold and condescending, ridiculing everything that Sasuke sought after for his entire life. His laugh irked Sasuke to no ends.
"You truly know nothing, Sasuke. Do you think that your beloved brother would have honestly changed his entire demeanor around because of some innate, carnal desire for power? Surely, you of all people knew he was a pacifist, was he not?"
Sasuke blinked. Itachi was a pacifist. He believed in fighting only for self-defensive purposes, and only grew stronger to defend his family and village. The ones he ultimately scorned with the massacre of his entire family.
Suddenly, Sasuke was thrust back into the real world. Sasuke panted heavily, sweated profusely, and took into account his surroundings. He never left his position at the wall, when he was flung by Madara's uchiwa. His back was not screaming in intense pain from the brutal slams, and his arm di not cry in agony from Madara's punches. 'Damn…I was in a genjutsu all this time! But how?!' Sasuke thought.
"You were caught when you looked into my eyes, lost in your rage." Madara explained. "I had already told you that emotions made shinobi weak, yet you still succumb to your childish tantrums. You could never hope to defeat your brother if you give into your flimsy, unreliable emotions." Madara's tone was…soft? His implications were certainly harsh, was evident by the words he used to describe Sasuke's state of mind. But he sounded…as though he was lecturing Sasuke. Similar to when he discussed the faults of uchiwajutsu after getting handled easily. It seemed to be that…
"That I am trying to teach you, Sasuke?" Madara completed his thoughts. Sasuke, after the numerous occasions in which he was read, had grown accustomed to Madara's inquiry. He just needed to learn how to mask his emotions better. That was what Madara was trying to teach him throughout this meeting. He was trying to mentor the young Uchiha, in spite of his rather aggressive methods. "You may or may not be correct in that. Regardless, I've accomplished what I need to do."
"Sasuke, you will seek me out. If not for the Mangekyō, you will find me for the truth. The truth of what occurred that night, 5 years ago. If you do desire to find me, my spy will be watching you perform in the coming Chuunin Exams. You'll rendezvous with her, and she will provide you with information on how to call for me. She'll be stationed with your teammates when the Final part of the exam commences. Do not disappoint me, Sasuke."
Madara turned to walk away. But before he left, Madara turned his orange mask around to face Sasuke. "One last thing. You will not mention any of this to your teammates, or to your sensei. I will know that you did, and I will deal with your dishonor accordingly. Do not test me, Uchiha Sasuke, for I have not shown you the limits of my power."
He walked back into the pond, and gazed at the moon's reflection. "Do you ever wonder," He began, as if talking to no one in particular. "What we all look like…from the Eye of the Moon?" He stared into Sasuke's eye for a moment before his Sharingan morphed into his Mangekyō.
Sasuke stood still as he saw Madara disappear into a vortex of space-time distortion. As he disappeared, Sasuke saw for himself Madara's Mangekyō. It was…it was similar to Kakashi's when he used Kamui to vanish the leaf. He found it odd that Itachi's Mangekyō (or what he remembered of it, from the moment he was pulled into Itachi's Tsukuyomi) was so different from Kakashi's Mangekyō, yet Madara's and Kakashi's were reminiscent of each other. Of course, Sasuke did not have enough information at this moment to make any conclusions, but this was definitely something to note for the future.
Madara's implied threat loomed over Sasuke's shoulders as he walked slowly back to his room. Certainly, Madara had the means of keeping his word, especially if he has the ability to freely enter Konoha at any given time, despite the barrier surrounding Konoha that warded off unwelcomed visitors. And Madara was also powerful enough to catch Sasuke within a genjutsu, even with his fully matured Sharingan active. Yet, according to the tablet in Naka Shrine, Madara had access to Tsukuyomi as well. If he had such a powerful genjutsu at his disposal, why did he not use it on Sasuke in the first place?
Sasuke was well aware of the blindness that overuse of the Mangekyō can cause. Yet, it would not have been difficult to capture Sasuke in Tsukuyomi and explain everything from there. There was no need to dispatch the patrolling ANBU for a simple meeting as this, was there?
The more he thought about it, the more his head ached from the lingering headache of the genjutsu. So many things occurred tonight, it was hard for Sasuke to get a perspective of it all. The most prevailing thought on his mind was the words that Madara uttered.
Because he was given no other choice.
This implied that Itachi was…was commanded to massacre the Uchiha Clan. No. Sasuke still refused to believe that statement. After all, it could have been a ploy by Madara to unnerve the young Uchiha. Yet, if he did not believe that statement, why did he believe Madara when he said he gave Itachi the "power" to kill of his clan? Maybe it was because Sasuke could not believe for a second that Itachi could single-handedly kill of the entire clan virtually unscathed? If Sasuke were to believe in that, then he must concede that Madara did speak some truth. This meant that Sasuke could not write off everything that was spoken that night as mere falsehoods. He certainly would take it with a grain of salt, but it would be foolhardy to outright deny his words.
Sasuke wanted to speak to the Godaime about this. He could do so discreetly, so that Madara would not find out. But he did not want to risk it. Madara knew so much about Sasuke, apparently from the unknown assailant who was most likely keeping watch of him at this very moment in time. That person even knew that Sasuke had accessed the Naka Shrine tablet, which was supposed to be protected by a chakra seal that granted access to Uchiha and guests only. There was no place safe for him to be at without risking…whatever it was that Madara had threatened. Most likely his teammates, as he knew how precious they were to him now.
Besides, most likely the Godaime would have no knowledge of what occurred in the Uchiha Massacre. The selfish slug princess was absent from Konoha during that time, apparently to mope over her long dead loved ones. Ultimately, the only person that would have known was the Sandaime, but he was killed in action by Orochimaru.
Sasuke shivered at that thought. He couldn't believe that he was actually considering going to Orochimaru at one point in his genin career. The power of the Curse Seal was tempting indeed, especially the first time he accessed its power. Now, more than ever, he realized the faults with his "logic." He did not need that power when his Sharingan was powerful enough as it was. Madara demonstrated the power of the Mangekyō with his ease at manipulating space-time. Even in the genjutsu, the way he warped and the speed that he travelled convinced Sasuke that the Mangekyō was far more attractive than the Curse Seal.
Alas, Madara confirmed the fears he had accumulated for the last couple of weeks. In order to awaken the Mangekyō, one must feel emotions so heavy that only the grief that accompanies the death of a loved one can compare. Just thinking about Sakura or Naruto dying…Sasuke couldn't actually think about it. It was impossible for him to think about it. They really have warmed their ways into his heart and for him to try and kill them was clearly incomprehensible.
No matter how Sasuke looked at the circumstances, all the paths pointed to the same end.
In the next Chuunin Exams, he will have to rendezvous with the spy.
Hokage Tower, Konohagakure no Sato (The Next Day)
"You called Hokage-sama?" Kakashi asked, reading his familiar Make-Out Paradise with a perverted grin on his face. Kakashi was the type of man who was to be feared when he got serious, but one could not stop him from engaging in his pastimes. He commanded a sort of authority on that topic, one that not even the Sandaime (who was, himself, an avid fan of the series by Jiraiya) could break. Although Tsunade was irked that he had the audacity to read such blatant disrespect of the female stereotype, she knew that removing that factor from him would severely decline his work ethic. She could not have that, not one bit.
"Yes Hatake-san." Tsunade said. "Please, be seated."
Kakashi did as he was told, without removing his eyes from the book. Tsunade's frustrations only increased when Kakashi moaned out a giggle.
"Now then, you must be wondering why I am calling you today." Tsunade began.
"Must be another S-rank mission." Kakashi guessed apathetically. "You really love keeping me away from my cute little students, now do you?"
"Now, now Hatake-san. As much as I do enjoy forcibly ripping you apart from your students, I am not assigning you a S-rank mission today."
"Uh huh." Kakashi said uncaringly as he turned a page. Tsunade saw his eye shoot upwards as a trail of blood leaked from his nose. She cleared her throat, to which Kakashi subsequently wiped his nose.
"On the other hand, I am assigning you to stay with your students. Of course, while Sakura is under my apprenticeship, all responsibilities of her wellbeing fall under me, so you do not need to worry about her. I'm more concerned about the Uchiha."
"Oh?" Kakashi asked, feigning interest. "Why is that the case, Hokage-sama?"
"Last evening, the ANBU patrol assigned guard duty for the Uchiha was attacked."
That elicited a response from Kakashi. Although he did not stop reading his beloved book, his hand jumped slightly in surprise.
"There were no visual signs of a confrontation, such as bruises, cuts and lacerations." Tsunade continued. "However, when they arrived at Hokage Tower early this morning for retasking, chakra sensors detected lingering abnormalities in their chakra in their signatures. A sign for genjutsu, in other words."
"Yes." Kakashi said solemnly, suddenly interested in the conversation. "So it was a genjutsu attack?"
"It was Hatake-san. However, it wasn't just any sort of genjutsu. The abnormalities were strong around the eyes, and grew weaker and weaker as you detected lower on the body."
Kakashi dropped his book.
"Sharingan genjutsu…" Kakashi said, understanding the implications.
"That's correct, Kakashi. The ANBU were caught in a Sharingan genjutsu. We had a Yamanaka ANBU analyze the ANBU agents' minds, and we could not get a visual on their assailant. Apparently the genjutsu was designed to redesign the memory so that the assailant would not be discovered. The assailant knew that redesigning memory was more efficient at covering their tracks rather than complete erasure."
"Right, because memories cannot truly be erased in that sense of the word." Kakashi responded. "All memories are stored in the long term and can be accessed through recollection."
"That's correct." Tsunade said. "Whereas 'erased' memory can be retrieved, redesigned memory cannot be altered back to its original format, especially if it has been altered so thoroughly that reconfiguration is an impossibility."
"Do you think that Sasuke could have done it?"
"No." Tsunade said, resting his worries. "Of course, protocol demands that I ask you if you committed the deed, As you are the only other man in the village with a Sharingan."
"No, I did not. I have an alibi for my position last evening."
"Very well then. I expect you to process that alibi at a later time. To be honest, I knew you couldn't have done it. It just this whole bureaucratic method is such a pain in the ass. Honestly, why did grandpa mandate that only strong shinobi that the previous Hokage recommend is eligible for the damned seat?"
"Now you know why I don't want the job." Kakashi chuckled.
"Let's get back on topic. Only a skilled Sharingan user could utilize a genjutsu of that caliber. Sasuke, who has barely awoken his matured Sharingan several weeks ago, is not capable of using genjutsu on that level. Not to mention he has a confirmed alibi that evening. Which only leaves one possible suspect."
"Itachi." Kakashi said, confirming Tsunade's suspicions.
Tsunade nodded. "We don't know exactly what Itachi would want with his little brother, and Sasuke claims that there was no meeting between him and anyone else during the evening. However, ANBU patrols have been compromised now that the enemy has demonstrated proficiency with genjutsu capable of bypassing the anti-genjutsu seals of the ANBU's mask."
Kakashi nodded. Yes, Tsukuyomi could easily breakthrough any guard that one would impose against genjutsu. But Itachi was also a natural prodigy when it came to Sharingan genjutsu. Upon eye contact, there was always a 100% chance of being caught in one of his genjutsu.
"And we know that Itachi, who is a part of Akatsuki, has intentions of kidnapping Naruto. Now that he's demonstrated the ability of bypassing the barrier multiple times, ANBU cannot be relied on for Naruto and Sasuke's protection. That is why I am ordering you to continue protection of the boys at all times."
"Surely you can't mean that-"
"I do, and I've already signed the bill. Effective following a week after Sasuke's complete recovery, and lasting until Naruto has competed in the Chuunin Exam, Uchiha Sasuke, Uzumaki Naruto, and Hatake Kakashi will be placed in the Chuunin Corps barracks. Restrictions will be lax as to the material you will be teaching them, as Jiraiya recommended, so you can proceed to teach them Elemental Manipulation. You will also be required to teach counter-genjutsu methods with the two genin, and you and Sasuke will improve your counter-Sharingan defenses. Do you understand the mission parameters, Hatake-san?"
"Affirmative, Hokage-sama."
"Very well then. Remember, you have approximately five weeks to prepare for the Chuunin Corps, so take your time and enjoy Konoha while it lasts. I will see you again in several months, Hatake-san."
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
"If that is all, then you are dismissed. Good luck with your mission."
Kakashi bowed and walked away from the office. Now, a new chapter in his life was about to open. He was to go more in-depth with his elemental training for Sasuke, but he was to begin elemental manipulation with the blonde. He was wondering whether or not to incorporate Kage Bunshin training for Naruto, but it may be too early for the young boy. Then again, with Itachi after both Sasuke AND Naruto's life, worrying about potential setbacks was a liability for their training. Kakashi needed to get serious about their training, and as such Naruto needed to catch up with Sasuke in terms of his curriculum.
Kakashi sighed. Life would never allow him to peacefully read his beloved Make-Out Paradise. But this was no longer the time to dillydally. He needed to protect the legacies that his sensei AND his best friends died for.
Hey Y'all!
Welcome to the Ninth chapter of True Paths to Power. This chapter was a practical rewrite.
Before I continue, I immediately submitted this without revision. I apologize for any potential slip ups you may notice, and I will be update this chapter periodically with corrections and the like.
I was not satisfied with how it was going about so I decided to scrap most of it and write it basically anew. Of course, since I had a deadline, I wrote 3500 words today, in less then 4 hours, taking breaks here and there. This finished product is more to my liking, but I am unsatisfied slightly with how it ended. Actually, I am quite surprised at myself with the results. Even I wasn't expecting to place Naruto and Sasuke in the Chuunin Corps. The thought did not cross my mind until now, and I am suddenly curious about how things are going to go.
Few things. The place where Sasuke is going to meet my OC has changed. It originally was going to be post-Chuunin Exams, but now its going to be during the Chuunin Exams. It was at that time that you will discover the name of my OC, but I have decided to reveal it a little earlier, with the events now in place for something else to occur. What, pray tell, will be occuring? Well, you have to wait until next chapter to find out.
Also, I never expected Madara to reveal that much information regarding the Uchiha Massacre. I did not have him reveal the full truth so that Sasuke can actually be interested in seeking out Madara in the future.
Also, Sasuke is very intelligent. With insight, he figured out that Madara's Mangekyou was very similar to that of Kakashi's. If he had more information, he could possible make a deduction on the similarities...
But alas, Sasuke has very little information on the Mangekyou, other than what the tablet described, what Itachi used, and what Kakashi and Madara demonstrated.
Yes, Sasuke does get into fits of rages in this story. Why? He's impatient beyond all living fucks, and wants things to be done as soon as possible. He gets irritated when things do not travel at the pace he is travelling, which leads him to do stupid things. Like (SPOILERS FOR THE OFFICIAL MANGA) Minato said in chapter 639: "Sasuke-kun...He's a skilled boy." Alas, skill doesn't necessarily mean situational insight.
Sasuke is going to learn how to control his rage in due time. Once that happens, he can be a fully functioning shinobi with information processing abilities almost on par with that of Shikamaru (not on par, since Shikamaru can process information AND find effective countermeasures simultaneously without losing any efficiency whatsoever). Then and only then will he finally begin to sprout as the "prodigy" that they always called him out to be.
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No questions for this week, but I will be responding to a comment by Imsabbel
Imsabbel: Okay, this is boring.
Seriously.
I expected a nice "want of a nail" with Sasuke staying in Konoha. Instead, we get a mindless "godlike!Naturo" wank.
Seriously, he just got power spoon-feed up his ass in this fic. No drawbacks, no effort on his side. Its like 3 weeks after the chuunin exam and he is magically stronger than post timeskip in canon.
Blackrazgriz: I will not argue with your opinion. If you find this boring, than you find this boring. We can't please 'em all now can we?
However, I will argue against the whole "godlike!Naruto" spiel. This is not godlike Naruto. Hell, Naruto only went up to one-tails in this story. If one-tails Naruto is godlike to you, I can't imagine what Nagato, or Nine Tails Chakra Cloak, or Ten-Tails Obito would be like.
As for no repercussions, my fic is assuming that the shortening of Naruto's lifespan, etc. is determinant on the amount of Kyuubi influence on the chakra he provides to Naruto. Naruto accessed the Kyuubi chakra from a neutral pool that the Kyuubi set aside for him in Chapter 6. This chakra does not have the Kyuubi's direct influence, and thus does not have any of the negative repercussions that you must think.
Three weeks following the Chuunin exam? No, this occurred about one to two months after the Chuunin exam. And I may end up agreeing with you on the point of him being stronger than post time skip Naruto. How many techniques did Naruto learn during his time with Jiraiya? Did he actually learn to take control of the Kyuubi chakra? Rasen Chō Tarengan is not a technique he learned during his time with Jiraiya. It's a simple combination of Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu and Rasengan. Where's the genius there? Especially considering that Kage Bunshin can already use jutsu.
Ōdama Rasengan may seem like a technique that is relatively easy to do. It's just a bigger Rasengan. However, Naruto needs to learn how to compress chakra into larger form, which is not as simple as anyone can think. So while my Naruto can use Rasen Chō Tarengan , he cannot use Ōdama Rasengan since he has yet to learn how to compress chakra into larger shapes. Besides, Naruto can only use Rasen Chō Tarengan while under the influence of the reserve pool of Kyuubi chakra, not by himself. Similar to how canon Naruto can only use Rasen Chō Tarengan while under Sage Mode.
Also, its a RESERVE pool of chakra. It's limited, and Naruto used a large portion of it during his battle with Jiraiya. It is not inexhaustible, like receiving it from the Kyuubi himself.
All in all, Naruto wasn't an actual powerhouse upon arriving from the time skip. And because my Naruto and Kyuubi came into a mutual agreement following Sasuke's rescue, he was already leagues ahead of canon post timeskip Naruto. My Naruto had a more serene state of mind because he was not clouded with ambition (for returning Sasuke back to Konoha) and will therefore not use the Kyuubi's chakra fleetingly.
I did not make Naruto into a god in this story, nor do I have any plans to.
Sasuke will be focused on more as the story progress. But this is a Sasuke AND Team Seven story. It will revolve around Sasuke AND Team Seven, with Sasuke being the primary focus, not just Sasuke.
Of course, I made sure to politely thank him for staying with me until this point, but I could not just simply stand idly by while he misleads potential viewers with accusations of "godlike!Naruto." Besides, I hope that this may promote some discussion on the Narutoverse logic that I use in my story.
Once again, next Thursday will be Finding Conviction. At the end of this month, I will release Release from Pain. Hope you guys enjoy yourselves until the next release!
-Blackrazgriz 7/25/2013 4:13PM EST
NOTE (7/25/2013 4:41PM EST): I totally forgot to discuss Madara's mind reading. No, its not an ability that the Sharingan grants to the user. And no, Madara cannot read minds. Using the predictive capabilities of the Sharingan, the user can detect subtle muscle movements of the face indicate unnerve, happiness, sadness, anxiety, anger, and other emotions. With an analytical mind, one can therefore deduce what one is thinking based of the emotions that the face betrays. Sasuke was not attempting to mask his emotions, and therefore got read like a book. However, a shinobi who can mask their emotions or even create convincing expressions can trick a Sharingan user as to what his thoughts are. Of course, the key to this is an analytical mind. If your mind cannot think underneath the underneath, then you cannot read minds based on facial expressions.