"So… this is what it feels like… to be alive?" spoke the man as he curled the fingers on his bloody hand. His voice was deep and cold.
He stirred and stepped out of his pod. He approached the giant monitor in the room and got his first look at himself. He had shoulder length white hair, and red markings under and above his eyes. On his chest was a black tattoo of some sort. He felt it… It felt strong… powerful.
He stepped back and examined the room. His eyes fell on the stairway. Only one-way out… The man approached the stairway and climbed them, to the door. With a jiggle of the handle, he found it was locked. He looked down at the bloody palm. Whatever I did… I hope I can do it again.
The door was knocked clean off its hinges. The man stepped into the study, holding one hand in the other, fresh blood dripping down his hand. Shouldn't this hurt more? he thought as he looked down at the almost nonexistent wound. He looked around. On a desk was a book with many files, folders, and papers in it. Stepping over the felled door, he approached the desk. He opened a folder up and skimmed through the pages. Akatsuki… what is that?
"Ah, so you're awake."
The man jumped at the voice. He spun around and crouched as he prepared to attack, but stopped abruptly as he saw the speaker. The speaker was a tall, thick-bodied man with an auburn mohawk and a series of piercings in his face and head. He had the same eyes the longhaired man had.
"Well, Kosshi. I admit, I didn't expect you to be awake so soon," spoke the taller man, looking back at the door and adding, "or so powerful."
"You put me in that pod, didn't you? I want answers. Now," answered Kosshi, the white spear appearing in his hand again as he finished speaking.
"I am no enemy of yours, Kosshi. Rather, I am an ally, and like you, I have spent my life in a pod," he answered. Kosshi relaxed his stance a little, watching the man curiously. "My father, Pein, was the leader of a glorious team of shinobi. Their mission was to subdue and capture the nine different tailed beasts that conflict with our kind, but tragically, his team, the Akatsuki, were killed before their complete success.
The man with the mohawk took a deep breath, "Kosshi, you are not a real person. You are a clone of a man of from an extinct clan with a powerful bloodline limit. The man you are cloned from died 28 years ago, was the last of his kind. His bone marrow was taken from his body in order to create you."
Kosshi opened his mouth to speak, but the other man moved over to the desk and picked up a file. Its contents were soon spread across the table. Kosshi rose to his feet and slowly approached the desk.
There it was. All of it. 'Project Kosshi.' Clone. There were other pieces of information that meant nothing to him. A picture of a man, labeled 'Kimimaro Kaguya.' Something about 'cursed seals.' Mention of men named Zetsu, Kabuto, and Orochimaru. Kosshi read, but did not absorb the information.
The other man spoke softly, "Let me introduce you to yourself, Kosshi Kaguya."
-
The three heirs to the three dojutsus walked. They had been walking all night, at a casual pace, and were now at the border of the Fire Country, only a short walk from the Hidden Rain Village. Kuro stopped just at that border, looking back over his shoulder.
"This is it, then. No turning back from here on out," he mused.
"Why would you want to go back? The Leaf Village is full of nothing but secrets," Roku spat. "Most people in our time do not remember that the Nine Tailed Fox is sealed up in your Hokage, that he's a blood thirsty beast. They praise him without a question."
Takachi's thoughts were effervescent. Roku had told Takachi as much as he knew about Itachi from his papers in his study. So, my father's mission was the capture the Nine Tailed Fox, and it presides in the Hokage. I must…
Takachi spoke his mind, "Roku, I request that you leave the question of capturing the Nine Tailed Fox to me. Also, I would like the privilege of eliminating the imposing threats of Sasuke Uchiha and Hatake Kakashi."
Roku smiled and Kuro made a small gasp. The former spoke, "Of course, but in due time. We are not strong enough to take on the most elite shinobi village in the world. We must gather our numbers. And I know just where to go next." Roku took a few more steps, entering the Rain Country. Kuro and Takachi followed in silence.
-
"We're criminals now, aren't we? How is it we just walk the streets?"
It was Kuro who spoke, at sunrise. They had made it to the Hidden Rain Village, and through it's streets, they strolled.
"No. I am a God among these men, and as you walk with me, you will become my disciples. They will never lift their arms against us," Roku answered, leading the small group through the heart of the city.
A old man with a basket hat stepped out of a building. His intent was to go to the market to look for early morning deals, but his eyes fell upon the three. He shuddered. Pein and Itachi? But they're dead… and who is that with them? The legend is true! He is a God!
The old man ran over to the three of them and called out, "Master Pein, Master Pein! You've returned! It is a miracle!"
Roku turned his head slightly, not bothering to correct the man, or to even stop, "Inform the rest of the Village, and tell them the dawn has not set." The man, not daring to question his God, ran towards another building, going door to door with the news.
Moments after this encounter, another man approached the three. This one, however, was in their way, with a murderous look in his eye. He wore a cloak, exactly like the one Roku wore.
"Kosshi. I've been expecting you. You've even taken the liberty to dawn the uniform."
"I did not come to endure a trivial conversation," Kosshi answered, a long white spear emerging from his sleeve. "I came to exact revenge on the men that forced me to live in a pod for 28 years. The ones called Zetsu and Pein."
The old man from before ran up to Kosshi and shook him enthusiastically, "Pein has returned! Pein has returned! Rejoice, my friend!" The man pointed at Roku and called out to the sky, "He is back!"
Kosshi's eyes narrowed venomously as he unbuttoned his cloak to his waist, slipping his arms out of the sleeves. Bones emerged out from under his skin. The old man stumbled back and ran away.
-
Next Chapter: Convoluted