Danzo stepped out of his car and looked up at the cabin, remembering how it had been all those years ago when he first bought it, nondescript and small. It had grown alongside his power, a testament to all he had accomplished during his years. He had more power than ever, and he was on the brink of being elected governor, which would only further his political influence. It was all going according to plan. Eventually he would run for the presidency, and his contacts would ensure that in the end he would find his home in the White House. He'd be the most powerful man in the country, and then the real job could begin. He'd have the influence to do whatever he wanted then.
He'd always dreamed big, even when he was a nobody, weak and powerless. Orphaned at a young age at the hands of a band of rogue shifters, much like those that lived in the cabin, those he utilized as his soldiers and henchmen. Irony, he supposed.
He was no longer weak. He might not have the physical strength of shifters, or the magic of witches, but he had shown that he didn't need either. His strength lay in the mind, in influencing others, using them for his gain.
He should be in a good mood. He should bask in what he was accomplishing, but he had a thorn in his side that he needed to deal with.
He'd have such great hopes in Naruto. Stronger than any of the others he had believed Naruto would be the beginning of a new generation of Protos, loyal to Danzo. He'd be unstoppable then, wouldn't have needed the cumbersome ways of politics to gain the power he wanted. However, Naruto had betrayed him, just like his father once had.
Danzo scoffed as he walked up the snow-patched ground, not quite able to hide his limp. The cold weather tended to aggravate his bad knee, the one Minato had destroyed all those years ago. It'd never healed completely.
He threw open the main door, heading into the living room. The twins were lounging on the couch, barely acknowledging him at all. He'd have preferred more respect, but Sakon and Ukon didn't matter, not in the long run, so if they thought they gained anything by ignoring him, then he was going to let them think so. He didn't need their respect as long as they did what he told them to.
He left the living room, heading towards the stairs leading down into the basement. He didn't like how he had to hold on to the banister as he made his way down, didn't like the feeling of his body working against him, joints creaking in protests. It'd been too long since he last went down to the doctor, he had been too busy with his campaigning.
The doctor was in his lab, hunched over a mortar as he clumsily ground leaves into a paste with his left arm, the right hanging by his side, most likely too painful to move much. Danzo had heard of the incident earlier, the gun going off, Kidōmaru showing that he was hardly ready for the responsibility he had been given. Danzo wished he hadn't sent Sai out on a job, because Sai was the only one he could really trust. Sai would not have accidentally shot anyone. He would have no problem pulling the trigger, but only with full knowledge of who and why he was shooting.
Luckily he was coming back later tonight, so Kidōmaru could go back to being the useless thug he was.
The doctor turned around when he heard Danzo. Beady eyes looked up at him, and his nose twitched as he abandoned the mortar, getting to his feet and inclining his head into a bow in some half-attempt at respect. Danzo ignored it.
"I require my potion," he said, shrugging off his winter coat and rolling up the sleeve of his shirt as he sat down on a stool, waiting for the doctor to do his job.
There were rustling in cupboards as the doctor rummaged through them, first pulling out a vial of tar-like substance, and then a small silver tin. Danzo watched him scurry around, calm as he waited.
The tin was opened with a flick of a thumb, the silvery powder within gently shaken out in a glass bowl. Then the thick tar from the vial was emptied out over it, black soaking up the silver, reacting with a slow hiss as it shifted, growing translucent.
The doctor let it settle as he hurried back into the cabinet, pulling out a single leaf of a plant that he crumpled between his fingers before letting the ball drop into the bowl where it unfurled and then got absorbed into the liquid, breaking into miniscule particles that bonded with the rest of the potion.
Years ago Danzo had a witch living here, brewing medicine and potions using her knowledge of plants and the magic of the natural world. Potion brewing had far more in common with modern science than the cheap tricks of warlocks. Plants could be potent in the right mixtures, killing or healing accordingly.
This particular potion had been her work, and she'd left the knowledge of it behind for the doctor when she died. Not his doing, she had been old, and had smoked as many plants as she brewed up, leaving her lungs completely destroyed.
The doctor stirred once, making sure it was mixed before he filled a syringe, moving over to Danzo, hesitating.
He always seemed apologetic before he pierced Danzo with the needle, as if he was afraid Danzo would react to the shot by hurting the doctor. Silly. Danzo had more use of him alive than dead.
Danzo barely noticed the needle sliding into the thin skin in the nook of his elbow, and waited patiently as the liquid was forced into his veins. He could feel the warmth through his body as the potion flooded his system, undoing the damage of time.
It wasn't flawless, no potion of eternal youth, but it elongated his life, giving him the time he needed to go through with his plans. He was closing in on a full century, but his body at top peak, which would be in a few days as the potion ran its course through it, would put him at no more than sixty.
Danzo might have been born a mere human, but he had long since made up for that. He didn't have magic or supernatural strength, he wasn't a shifter or fae, but he would rule them all nonetheless.
He rose and rolled the sleeve back down.
"I heard you have good news for me?" he said to the doctor.
"Yes, yes! It's looking very promising." The doctor's back straightened in what was clearly pride.
"Are you close to concluding the testing?"
"We've had success with two mice so far, and I would like to move on to something else, see how it reacts with other animals. Then we'll move on to humanoids."
"How long will it take?"
"To safely say that it works it will take months. We would have to cross-test it with various control groups to monitor any side effects, see how the system reacts beyond the first changes."
"But you believe it is functional?"
"Yes, it appears so. The DNA is completely stable, showing no deterioration so far. They don't have the brain capacity to understand it, so it is all uncontrolled, but I believe that in a human or a shifter it would work."
"Good," Danzo said, feeling pleased for the first time in a long while. "Show me."
The doctor nodded, quickly moving the potion out of the way and rushing over towards the steel wired cages across the room, opening a door and pulling out a mouse. It was a dull brown with small black eyes, and it tried to get loose, but the doctor held it firmly, carrying it over to the glass fronted fridge and pulling out a small glass bottle marked with a series of numbers in the front. He carried both the vial and the mouse over to the counter top and held the mouse with one hand as he opened the vial and then pulled out a small pipette, extracting a few drops of muddy green. Eager to show his work he didn't even seem troubled by the gunshot wound any more.
Danzo watched with interest as the doctor forced the mouse's mouth open with the pipette, dropping a single drop inside before he put the pipette away again. For a while nothing happened. The mouse was still trying to get loose, and the doctor wasn't letting it.
Then the mouse suddenly stilled, as if its entire body was seizing up. The doctor let go, and the mouse fell limp to the counter top. It would have looked dead if not for the way its tail was twitching.
Danzo waited, not sure just what he would see, but then the mouse twitched once. Twice. Three times. It stilled for another moment, then it was as if everything happened at once. It started cramping up, folding into a ball and stretching again, legs scraping against the floor, mouth opened as it screeched, the sound awful. Danzo leaned closer in interest.
Then red flashed over its eyes, and Danzo could see fur elongating over its back, thick down its tail.
It took perhaps a full minute, and then the mouse stopped, standing up on its legs again.
While the mouse had been changing the doctor had pulled on a thick glove, and he was quick to lock his hand around it as it stilled, lifting it for Danzo to see.
The beady little eyes were still a bright red, and the two front teeth of the rodent were different, sharper. The doctor lifted up one of its paws with his thumb, and Danzo could see the small claws curling into the fabric, longer and more curved than that of a normal mouse.
"Clearly a mouse isn't as compatible as a human would be, but you can see the changes clearly. The other two showed similar changes, to various degrees, the second more pronounced than the other two. They have changed back and forth several times over the last days, most often they are in their original form. They are agitated like this, more prone to attacks," the doctor said as the mouse was proving it, chewing at the protective glove, trying to get to flesh.
"Very good," Danzo said, straightening up and letting the doctor move the mouse back to its cage.
It had been a while in the making, but the doctor had proven his worth, implementing the old research of those that had been in this position before him, making it work and adapting it for new uses. They had done this once before, decades ago, creating a functioning drug, but it had been unstable, and then their research had been lost, and plans abandoned. The only thing remaining from the previous experiments were Yamato, and he was hardly a success. Weak-minded he didn't deserve the power he had been granted.
This was better than before, showed promise to be more stable. They hadn't known enough back then, about DNA and the way drugs and magic worked on a body, and apart from Yamato all their test subjects had failed, dying as the change ripped them apart, their bodies unable to contain it. Danzo had faith it would be different this time around, and soon he would have the power he sought.
Danzo was impressed with the doctor's work, and now he saw the path he was going to take clearly. He hadn't thought the doctor would be successful, had relied on other plans to get what he wanted, but maybe it was time to go back to his original plan.
"Keep me updated, and push forward on testing. Just tell Sai what you need, we'll find it. I want this done as soon as possible."
The doctor nodded at him as Danzo grabbed his coat and headed back into the hallway.
He glanced down at one of the locked doors that contained one of his biggest disappointments in a long while. He had hoped Naruto would be different than his father, had hoped he would be the first, but he had betrayed them all. He would have disposed of him, but he would be needed as the doctor perfected the drug. He could have been his strongest ally, in the end he was going to be little more than a guard dog at best. For now he was merely a rat to experiment on.
He walked over to the door, unlocking it and pushing it open. Naruto was lying in the middle of the floor, arms and feet bound tightly and then trussed together at his back, bending his entire body in a sharp twist that forced him to lie on his side. It would be impossible for him to do more than wriggle around, which was just as well. He'd already tried to escape once and gotten both the doctor and himself shot in the process. The evidence was clear in the ragged hole in the front of his shirt, and the dried pool of blood around him. The wound had been bandaged, and he would have healed by now, probably. Kidōmaru was an amateur for not even managing to subdue Naruto without shooting him. At least his healing ability had kept him alive. It would have been a shame to have him die from a simple gunshot.
Naruto's eyes had been closed, but they flew open now, and the moment he saw Danzo he started thrashing, arms straining against his bounds, eyes growing dark with fury. Danzo made sure to keep space between them, keeping half an eye on Naruto's bonds in case the rope snapped. He wasn't stupid, he knew Naruto would like nothing more than to channel all his rage into hurting Danzo right now.
That rage would come in handy later. Danzo was going to use it all to his advantage.
"Naruto," he said, calmly. Naruto didn't appear to hear him, so Danzo waited until he would realise that he wasn't going anywhere. It took another two minutes before Naruto finally stopped fighting. His eyes were still filled with rage, and his lips were pulled up in a sneer, body tense but still.
"I really wish things were different," Danzo started. "I had great hopes in you. You could have been powerful at my side."
"I'd never work with you! You killed my family!" Naruto yelled, thrashing some more for good measure. Danzo waited patiently until Naruto stilled again.
"Yes, it appears you have been spending your nights going through my archives. Your anger is understandable but unhelpful. Your father betrayed me, I had hoped you wouldn't, but apparently it runs in your blood.
"Not that it matters, not any more." Danzo took his time to shake out his coat and pull it on, fending off the cold of the basement. Naruto didn't say anything, just stared up at him with blue eyes, fiery with rage. Danzo knew that if it weren't for the suppressants those eyes would be red right now.
"You see, I don't need your cooperation any more. The doctor has finished with the drugs we've been working on."
"What good will the suppressants be?" Naruto asked. "It won't make me work with you, I'd rather die than do that."
"Oh, I'm not talking of the suppressants, those have been ready for a long time. No, I'm talking about the other drug." He paused, long enough to make sure Naruto was listening, that he would realise just what they had accomplished. "One to calm the beast, and one to bring it forth."
It took a moment before Naruto seemed to catch on, eyes suddenly widening.
"The suppressants will keep the beast chained up, and the accelerants will release it. I'd have complete control over you, and there would be nothing you could do to stop it. You could have been powerful, but now you are just going to be a tool. A shame really."
Danzo did not tell Naruto more than that, about the real purpose of the accelerants. He wasn't stupid, and he didn't need to give Naruto more information in case something happened and he got away. No, just enough to keep him scared, that would be good.
They had started work on the suppressants and accelerants decades ago after research done on Minato had made them able to extract the very essence of Protos. Danzo had wanted an army of Protos to do his bidding, but it appeared that Minato was the only one left, his village destroyed by a flash fire. Danzo had sent men to investigate after they found Minato wandering alone, nearly feral, but nothing but a simmering white fire was left where a village had once stood. They had no idea just what had consumed an entire village of super-powered shifters in a matter of moments, something supernatural in nature that had left no trace but ashes. Whatever or whoever it had been it had taken out all but one of the remaining Protos in the world.
Minato had been different than any other shifter he had ever seen, raw and uncontrolled he possessed power way beyond that of any shifter Danzo had encountered. Danzo wanted that power, wanted to harness it for his use. But Minato was only one, and that wasn't enough, so he had hired scientists and witches to work on finding a way to make more just like him.
They isolated the source of the Protos nature, and managed to synthesise it. Injecting first rats, and then later chimpanzees and human children with it they had managed to create a new line of Protos. But the gene was dormant, and an accelerant had been created to activate it.
They had thought they managed, but the test subjects kept dying the moment the accelerants and gene met, and rather than create a stable hybrid of human and Protos the change was violent, tearing the human subjects apart. They hadn't known if the human body was too advanced for the change, unlike rodents, but eventually they had succeeded, and Yamato had been the proof that it was possible. Not as strong as Minato, but nearly. He was still a child, so Danzo hoped he'd grow stronger as he aged.
Then Minato had betrayed him, fleeing with his human girl, and Danzo had been furious. He sent his men out to kill them both when he finally tracked him down, Yamato going along, to test him. Only Yamato came back, but he was shivering, and had proved useless in combat ever since. His mind too weak for his power, but at least Danzo had proven that it was possible to create a Protos hybrid, so they kept working. Minato was dead, but it didn't matter, because they had everything they needed in the lab to create more like him.
Danzo had believed they could have made them better than Yamato, but then the scientist that had led the research turned on them, killing his two team members and taking the research, intending to sell it to the military. Danzo had gotten his revenge when the man was killed, but the research had been lost along with him. He had realised what a mistake it had been to kill Minato then. He'd let himself be carried away by anger, and now he had nothing but a failed hybrid left, no way of continuing the work.
Danzo had been forced to give up on his plan and had turned to more conventional ways to get power, creeping his way through finance and then politics to make a name for himself. It had been a long way, but he was closer than ever, on the brink of being elected governor. It had taken a lot of money to get here, but if it was one thing he had amassed enough of it was money. Nothing had been handed to him, but he had worked hard, getting to where he was, earning every dime he used to line the pockets of influential people.
Danzo had hoped Naruto would react, wanted to see him fight, but Naruto just glared, obviously holding back the anger coursing through him. Not that it mattered, Naruto wasn't going anywhere, not unless Danzo wanted him to. He'd gotten suppressants, so the beast would be immobilised until the moment Danzo would need it to be free to do his bidding.
And now they would soon have a way to make more like Naruto, Protos, only these would be loyal to Danzo. Perfected they would be better than Yamato had ever been, fiercer. He'd chose the most loyal of his subjects and they'd be first in line to become the personal army he were amassing. As governor he would have power, and with his army at his back he could grasp more. He wouldn't have to work for years to get the position of power he deserved, he would take it.
Danzo left the cell, heading upstairs to his office. He heard Naruto's screams behind him, but cared little. He could scream until his throat gave out, it would change nothing.
He glanced down at his watch, noted the time and opened the window while he settled behind his desk, waiting patiently.
A few minutes later a raven landed on the window sill, large and black as night. It cocked its head and shook its wings before hopping inside. By the time he landed on the floor it was no longer a raven, but a human. He sat in a crouch, head cocking again as the last feathers vanished and he rose.
"Danzo." His voice still carried the hoarseness he got after having been in raven form for too long, it would take him a few minutes to settle back in his normal pitch.
"Sai, how did your mission go?"
"Well," Sai said as he reached up, plucking a black feather from his hair. "There is no one who will oppose you. You will win the election."
"Good," Danzo said, and allowed himself a smile. He might not need to win the election to get what he wanted any more, but there was a certain feeling of contentment that came with knowing he had managed what he'd been working on for the last months. Besides, having a backup plan never harmed anyone.
A floor below, shaking with anger and cold Naruto was laying, trying to get free of his bonds but unable to break even something as weak as ropes. He longed to feel the warmth of the beast, because he knew it carried with it a strength that would have broken these bonds immediately, but the suppressants were a cold river in his veins keeping it subdued, and Naruto was utterly helpless.
Danzo had never been a benefactor, he hadn't taken in Naruto out of the goodness of his heart, but because he needed Naruto. Wanted him as some second-in-command, just because of what he was born as, because of the power that he had thought a curse.
He had lost his chance to get out of here when Kidōmaru shot him. At least they'd patched him up enough that his body could heal, even if it didn't heal up as fast as he'd done without the suppressants. He was alive, but he was powerless, and he wasn't sure if that was any better.
Apparently Danzo still had plans for him. Accelerants he'd called it. Drugs that would bring forth the beast where the suppressants had kept it at bay. The thought of what Danzo could want to use that for was chilling. Kill his opponents most likely. He'd want to sic Naruto on them like some rabid dog, and then watch as Naruto tore them apart.
Naruto closed his eyes and focused. At least it had to mean that Danzo didn't know about his venture out to the barn, or at least not what he did there. If he thought there was a possibility that Naruto had learned to control the beast he probably would have put him down, to save himself the problems that would lead to. Naruto wasn't sure why no one had told him about the hours he'd been gone, but he wasn't going to question the lucky break.
He had no idea how the accelerants would work, if he'd still be able to control himself, or if it would drive the beast manic, but he wasn't going to give up hope that he would be able to fight it, and in the meanwhile he would have to ensure that Danzo had no idea what he had done. He'd have to play afraid.
He didn't think he would have a very hard time with that.
His back protested as he tried to adjust his body, finding a more comfortable way to lie, but he had little leeway to move, and his arms and legs were falling asleep, so he just let himself collapse to the ground, trying to ignore the stinging in his joints. He wasn't about to give up, but he couldn't see a way out of here, not like this. He'd have to wait until they moved him, then maybe he could do something. Or maybe…
He'd been on the phone with Sasuke when things turned to shit, so Sasuke no doubt knew something had happened to him. Sasuke wouldn't be sitting around waiting for news would he? No, Sasuke would find a way to save him. Or at least he'd try. Fuck.
The last thing Naruto wanted was Sasuke sacrificing himself to save him. But that was exactly something Sasuke would do wasn't it? Naruto should know, because he'd have done the exact same thing. Sasuke would probably do all he could to get Naruto out, but even someone as capable as Sasuke wouldn't stand a chance against Danzo and his gang of shifters. They'd probably just shot him the moment he got close to the gates, and Sasuke would end his life out there, in the cold snow, because Naruto had been stupid and thought he had control of the situation.
"Sasuke, please don't do anything rash," Naruto whispered to the cold room, but there was no one to listen.
Sasuke's hands were clutching the steering wheel, wanting to go faster but also knowing that the roads were treacherous with ice, and the smallest misstep might send him careening off it. He would be no good to Naruto dead, so he made sure never to push too hard on the accelerant.
There was no sun out, the clouds too thick, but light enough that he didn't think it would snow any more today, and he was glad, he didn't have time to waste being weather-bound. Naruto was in trouble, and it was up to Sasuke to save him. If he could. He hadn't heard anything since the phone connection broke, so he could only hope that Naruto was still alive. He hadn't allowed himself to consider any other scenario.
He might even still be fine. Maybe he'd been able to talk himself out of the situation and was still undercover, but the phone had been broken so he hadn't been able to contact Sasuke.
Yeah, Sasuke wasn't about to give up. No mattered what happened today he would not be leaving the cabin without Naruto by his side, even if he had to drag him out of there by his ear.
The phone rang, breaking his strain of thought and Sasuke accepted the call, Kakashi's voice coming from the speakers of the car.
"We are on our way. We estimate that we'll be on the farm in two hours. You better be waiting for us there."
"Yes," Sasuke simply replied. His entire body resisted having to wait a moment longer than he had to, but he also knew that it would be the smart thing to do. If Naruto's cover had been thoroughly blown there was a big chance that Shimura would be expecting someone. They had no idea who were staying in the cabin, but there was only so much Sasuke would be able to do.
He was glad when Kakashi had told him who was coming along with him, but he knew he shouldn't be surprised. Naruto was still the newest unit member, but he had become an integral part of it in the time he had been there. There was something about Naruto that made it impossible not to be drawn to him, and they all cared for him. There were no way they would abandon him.
There was silence across the phone line, but then Kakashi spoke again. "We'll get him out, Sasuke." His voice was quieter, but there were no uncertainty to detect in it at all. Kakashi truly believed that they would be successful.
"I know," Sasuke said, still not allowing any doubt to enter his mind. He had to stay focused.
They hung up and Sasuke kept driving, trying to keep worry from seeping into his mind, but losing the battle.
It took him another thirty minutes to reach the farm. It was as deserted as the last time he had been there. He stepped out of the car and stretched his back, moving to the trunk to ensure that he had everything he would need. His katana was lying there, ready to be used. In a box he had guns, and ammunition, and plenty of knives he could likewise strap on his body. He had no idea what they were walking into, but he was going to be prepared for the worst.
He was reminded of the last time he strapped on all this gear, back when Naruto and him had gone after Itachi. It had almost gone horribly wrong, but they had both come out on the other side, alive. This time was different, they had the support of their unit. He would not allow the outcome to be any different than the last time.
He paced around the car, stretching his body and occasionally checking his phone, hoping Naruto had somehow called him to tell him he was alright. He hadn't, and Sasuke was left trying to fend off the negative thoughts trying to seep into his mind while he waited for backup to arrive.
They would rendezvous here, make sure they had a firm plan and then make their way through the forest. Hopefully that would mean Shimura and his lackeys wouldn't know they were there before they knocked down the gates. With the element of surprise on their side they might be able to ensure no fighting broke out. Kakashi had been firm in that he would do his utmost to ensure there were no bloodshed today, but it all depended on whether Shimura fought back, or surrendered.
The moment Sasuke heard the sound of approaching cars he started pulling on his gun holsters, not wanting to waste a moment longer than he had to. He was afraid they were too late already.
A/N: Is that what we call the quiet before the storm? I think so. ;)
