This is a chapter I've been waiting months to write now, I didn't expect these two scenes to show up at the same time. To those of you with sharp minds, the events leading up to now should become much clearer; the secret of the plot is now out. Also, on another point, I've decided that whenever the times come that I'm later than I'd like to update, I'll increase the minimum wordcount for that chapter to 5000. Hell if I'm taking another day to come out with the same thing as I do in two days.
Disclaimer:... This chapter's gonna be marmite, I can tell.
I am the god in my own history
The bar could have as well been silent at that time, for all Naruto was aware of it. He stared at Kisame with bewilderment, his face frozen in its place as he heard his sensei's question repeated within the depths of his mind. Had he heard of Uzu no Kuni? Well, of course he did. It was a place that came to his mind often when he and Eko spoke to one another. But that Kisame knew of it, that was something else altogether.
"Looks like a certain someone has been getting nostalgic." Kisame said, speaking of the Ekokaeten. As always, the swordsman liked to keep some secrets about the seven blades, one of which being the level of awareness those blades possessed. He took another swig from his sake, his eyes distancing as he too looked somewhere that wasn't within these walls. "A certain someone told me about that place too, and some interesting things about it."
Han and Rei both watched Kisame with curious expressions, not possessing the faintest idea of what the monstrous looking Shinobi was speaking of. Gaara had some idea, hiding the fact that Naruto and Kisame could converse with their blades from someone they had spent the last three years with had been less than successful. But even he knew nothing of the place they spoke, and was growing steadily curious himself.
Naruto shuffled uncomfortably, looking into his hands as he remembered the story Eko had once told him about Uzu no Kuni. In truth his thoughts of going there had been dwindling lately, the longer he thought of it the less it seemed important. But now that Kisame too was speaking of it, that changed almost immediately. "That's the place the swords were created, right?" he asked, trying to cut to the point that he eagerly anticipated.
A slap on the back soon told him he'd spread unnecessary information, but neither he nor Kisame really cared all that much. "Yeah, and that's why I'm giving you an… unofficial mission." he said, giving a smirk at his own cockiness. Then he cast his eyes to his right, looking at Gaara with that same expression. "That alright with you boss? From what I hear, you've pretty much been running things through there, am I right?"
Gaara gave a nod of reply, meeting Kisame's gaze blankly. He had basically been calling the shots through there as the only one really suited for the job. Yagura was great under pressure and all, but since he knew nothing of Yoinokuchi's true purpose, and Naruto was far from suitable for a managerial position, that left only the red haired silent sand wielder. "Naruto can make his own decisions, as long as it doesn't hurt the group." he replied, with the level of professionalism that could always be expected of him. "Besides, from the state he's in you can see he's a hindrance right now."
Kisame chuckled lightly at his other student's response, eying up the bandages that covered Naruto with a grin. "Yeah, looks like you had a good fight on your hands." he remarked, sitting back in his seat to give the injuries a closer look. "You'd better hope for your sake, Naruto-kun, that whoever you fought to put you in that state isn't in half as good health as you are."
Naruto grinned back at his sensei, the underlying threat having no effect on him whatsoever. He turned in his seat and gave Kisame a two fingered salute. "No worries there, that guy is definitely dead!" he replied, finishing his salute with a flick of his wrist. "To tell you the truth, I wouldn't mind fighting that guy again! I'm pretty sure I wrapped things up too early back there!"
Kisame couldn't help cocking a brow at his student's confidence, but in Naruto's grin he saw no reason to doubt it. He turned back in his seat and gripped his sake bottle again, but left it there as he smiled to himself. "Well, I can't say I don't understand that!" he agreed, faint signs of reminiscence appearing in his tiny eyes. "Anyway, as I was saying. Uzu no Kuni is a set of islands that lie south of Nami no Kuni. Well, I shouldn't call it that anymore; it's more just a bunch of little islands now. But in there, well, I think you already know who to find."
Naruto thought about it for a moment, before giving a nod in return. He had an idea about it, even if there were doubts in his mind. "Yeah, I know who to find." he replied, thinking of Eko lying in his room. It looked like that offer the blade had made to him years ago would finally be taken up. "I'll head there once we're done taking Han-san and Rei-chan back to base."
While Kisame returned to his drink, Gaara to his silence and the two to his left to their thoughts, Naruto leant forward with a half hearted expression. He had thought when the time came for him to go to that place that he would feel excited by it, giddy at the idea of going to the place where the name "Uzumaki" existed. Though maybe he shouldn't be surprised at that. He knew there was no guarantee of him finding the things he wanted, or needed for that matter. All he had was blind uncertainty, which was something that could drive him mad if left long enough.
Kisame drained the last of his sake and gave his students pats on the back that caused Gaara's sand shield to activate. "Well, guess I'd better be going then, I'll need to find out what my orders are." he said, as he rose to his feet and stepped back from the bar. Gaara and Naruto both looked at him in surprise; they hadn't been expecting him to leave so soon. He met their looks with a broad grin, one that Naruto couldn't help smiling to. "That's six out of nine; you two have been doing a damn fine job. But don't get cocky now. From here on out, things get difficult."
Though Naruto grinned at the appraisal his sensei gave him, Gaara felt no such joy inside him. He looked at Kisame with a curious expression, his head turned over his shoulder as impassively as he could manage. "I thought you said you were waiting for Itachi-san?" he questioned, his tone unassuming despite the fact his question was unnecessary.
Kisame glanced at Gaara with a sideward look, privately revering his student's sharp ears. He paused to look at the ceiling, letting out a long breath of discontentedness. "Funny thing about Uchiha Itachi, he can release one terrifying killing intent." he said, placing his hands on his hips as he bowed his head in an almost respectful manner. "But I've spent years travelling with that kid, and I can tell you this. He doesn't have a single shred of the bloodlust he would have you think. If I know him, he's probably doing something that isn't killing his younger brother."
He raised his head after a moment of silence, looking over the eyes that were upon him. He flashed them all with another grin, before deciding to take his leave. As he turned and walked away, Han too rose to his feet; his business in the bathroom wasn't quite done yet. That left Naruto, Gaara and Rei sitting in a place that without those two adults, they were unwelcome. The three of them sat in silence, until Naruto too rose to his feet and headed for the room he had hired. Then there was just Gaara and Rei, sitting alone.
THUD!
Rei jumped in shock, whipping her head over to her right. Gaara's fist had struck the counter hard, his teeth bared and his eyes glaring at the wall across from him. The look on his face was quite scary, Rei was sure that if Gaara was looking at her with that expression, her heart would have started pounding. Fortunately though, Gaara soon calmed himself down. But then he did look at Rei, who grew nervous under his hard stare. "Speak nothing of Kirai." he ordered, his eyes looking deep into hers. "Not to your father, and definitely not to Naruto."
Rei looked back at Gaara fearfully; such expressions like his had taught her to cower back. But she understood the situation enough to know that whatever reason Gaara was acting this way, it was a serious one. She gave a nervous nod of reply, and felt relief as he gave it back gratefully. Then, without so much as another word, he too left the bar, and her to wait on her father.
The grey skies cried out pails of thunder as the bitter rain poured down below. The village of Ame was cast under the shadow of the heavens, facing the prejudice that had been placed upon it for generations now. Harsh winds chased through the grey streets, rushing people into shelter and out of the way. The neon lights flickered weakly, and the village itself seemed to be caught in the grips of despair.
Far above it, in one of the uppermost rooms of the greatest tower, a single eye was cast upon the downcast streets. The grey, rippling eye of the Rinnegan watched the place with cold apathy, staring through the gap in Nagato's thick red hair. He listened closely to the sounds of the sky, and looked as lightning struck to the distance. With that rain he could sense everyone who walked outside; he knew exactly which of those people were Shinobi, and more importantly what those Shinobi's chakra levels were.
As always, there was one chakra that never failed to escape his rain. One person who could appear right behind him without exuding the faintest signs of chakra presence. In fact, if not for the sound of him growing from the ground, Nagato would never have realised that Zetsu had arrived. In that case, it was most fortunate that he was an ally, and not an enemy. That, would be bothersome.
"There's a problem!" white Zetsu announced, the moment the leaves around his head had opened up. His rain and sweat soaked face held a worried expression, contrasting with black Zetsu's ever emotionless face. For someone like him, who delighted in watching interesting Shinobi, to be wearing an expression like that was very concerting indeed. "Uchiha Itachi has been killed by Uchiha Sasuke."
Nagato looked over his shoulder with a raised brow, studying the face of his second lieutenant with interest. Though he didn't quite share Zetsu's shock of that matter, it was certainly enough to make him smile. "For some reason that doesn't come as too much of a surprise to me." he said, as he turned his eyes again to the opening in front of him. He casually reached inside his cloak and touched something sitting close to his heart, something hard and smooth. "It looks like it's time then."
Zetsu's face blanked at Nagato's words, his thoughts of Itachi quickly disappearing. He rose the rest of the way out of the ground, stepping forward as he continued to keep his eyes on the back of Nagato's head. "Time… so it's time for that then?" black Zetsu asked, with his usual calculating tone. White Zetsu on the other hand took things a little differently, staring in shock with his lips parted. "What about your partner?"
Nagato chuckled faintly, closing his eyes as he slipped the something he'd been touching out of his cloak. He looked it over in his hand with a smirk on his face, showing a sort of relaxation that wasn't well suited to him. "There's a group of insurgents infesting this village's underground." he said, as he raised his hand and ran it lightly through his fringe. "Konan is already long gone by now."
Even though he had been caught in shock a moment ago, a thin smile began to spread across white Zetsu's lips. His eyes narrowed as he watched Nagato from across the room, feelings of gaiety brewing in his chest. "I see… so then it's finally time." black Zetsu said, with a meekness white Zetsu could never hope to achieve. The two counterparts looked at the black band that was slipped around the back of Nagato's head, and even black Zetsu couldn't help but be caught staring. "Finally showing yourself, eh Nagato-san?"
Nagato slowly turned his head over his shoulder, revealing his face to be hidden behind an orange, swirling mask with but a single eyehole. He looked out from that hole with a red Sharingan eye, locking it on Zetsu in a cold and penetrating manner. "I already told you; never use that name when I am like this." he said, his voice taking on a much more commanding tone than it had carried before.
White Zetsu's single eye widened along with his smile at the sight of his leader's appearance. With a sly look, he raised his fingers to his mouth, looking like he was barely holding in his laughter. "Then… do you mind…" he began, with the faintest of titters slipping past his lips as his efforts failed him. "If I call you… Tobi?"
Nagato cast his eye over Zetsu's face for a moment, considering his estranged subordinate's request. "If you like." he replied, turning his head back to the window in front of him. He saw not the world outside however; he was instead focusing his attentions elsewhere. "We will meet in the northeast base." he added, as the tree tomoe in his eye began rotating around his pupil. This effect grew in speed, moving faster and faster until the tomoe began drawing into the pupil. The red iris suffered this same effect, and more if him still as his head and then body was pulled into the spiralling hole that was his eye. A few seconds later, there were no longer any signs that he had ever been there at all.
Life had been pretty quiet these past few days, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing at all. With Gaara and Naruto still away on their mission, and Yagura and Fuu off wherever the hell they went, Utakata basically had the run of the place. Right now he sat on the window sill of the bedroom filled with plants, looking outside with his bubble blower held between his lips.
No matter which way he looked at it, things were a whole lot more peaceful here than in Kirigakure. He knew he'd probably be getting an earful from Gaara or Yagura for doing absolutely nothing, but right now he really couldn't care less. He let out another stream of tiny bubbles, watching them as they rose up to the sky calmly, their own serenity almost matching his own.
But that was then disturbed by a rather strange sight, one that made Utakata take his tool in hand and look up at the sky curiously. The silhouette of a large bird broke through the trees above, one that certainly didn't belong to these parts. As that bird came into proper view, Utakata slid off the window sill but kept himself leaning out, making sure the bird could still see him.
As it turned out, it was not one bird but two. Two eagles were flying in tandem, connected by the strings hanging off their feet. It was what lay at the end of these strings that really caught Utakata's attention, a rising sense of apprehension was becoming him. He stepped back to allow the grand birds entry, looking at the pair as they looked back at him. Though he had hesitated, he now moved forward hastily to untie the strings that bound the birds to the box they carried. Almost as soon as they were free, the eagles took off again, leaving him with his delivery.
For a moment he almost didn't know what to do with it. There was only one person who could have sent this, and so only one person who it could be intended for. Not for the first time he felt regret for sending that letter; only now he realised that it may be too late to change his mind. Raising a twitching hand, he reached out to begin unwrapping the parcel. "Well… I guess this is do or don't." he thought, as he continued his task.
After a few moments of concentration, coupled with agitation as some parts of the wrappings proved reluctant, he found himself with a small wooden crate. He took it in both hands, noticing that it most probably did need those two birds to carry it. Laying it down on the bed, he took a kunai from his pouch and began trying to prise it open. It was a tough job, but after some effort he managed to break the lid off with a jolt. Then, warily, he moved it aside to look into the contents. Slowly, he dipped his hand inside, pulling out a folded piece of paper that sat on top of the rest of the contents. He opened it up, his eyes widening in surprise for a moment at the impeccable hand writing, before relaxing as he understood what he saw.
That idiot Hidan can read, but he can't write a word of truth or lie, so he got me to do this for him. He's ranting a whole lot of shit right now, basically stating that he's Jashin's messenger and that you're next to worthless in comparison. You couldn't have come in person and take him off my hands for a few days? Thanks a lot, I owe you one. Alright, he says in the box is an amulet you'll need to carry at all times. It's what you'll use for prayers. There's also a sort of scripture in there that'll give you your prayers, rituals etcetera etcetera.
He's making a lot of hype about this, underneath the scriptures is the "relic" he personally picked out for you. He's saying that you should treat it like your most valuable treasure, hypocritical bastard, and use it for your sacrifices. It doesn't matter who you sacrifice, but the more you do the more your immortality can handle.
He's getting secretive now, probably knows I'm not gonna forget what I hear. He says that if you look in the bottom you'll find a map of the other Jashin temples. Each one has a Jujutsu scroll in it, he won't elaborate any further. If you want to learn the full extent of Jashinism, look for them. He's not going to, he claims he's got enough to meet Jashin's whim and that's all he needs. Shit, he's hyping again, so I'll stop writing.
Kakuzu.
Utakata looked over from the letter, turning his eyes down the other contents of the box. True to what Kakuzu had told him, there was a small book like the one Hidan had possessed, something that looked like a folded up map and most importantly, a package wrapped in an olive sack. Placing the letter aside, he reached in to the box and carefully slid his hands around the sack. Then, as if it were a baby, he scooped the package up and sat it down on his lap.
"I guess this is what I'll be using to kill people with." he thought, before shaking his head vigorously. "Idiot! I'll only do this as a last resort, got it?" he demanded of himself, as his brow creased in self annoyance. But the look wasn't to last; soon he was watching in quiet awe as he began opening the sack. He reached in and pulled the heavy object out from it, laying it upon his lap to see. "…Whoa…"
"Is that so… huh…"
Naruto sat atop the roof of one of the side buildings of the resort, looking out to the forest north with a rather tired expression. Beside him lay the Ekokaeten, who seemed almost to be relaxing just like his wielder. They both watched the afternoon sky as the sun drifted down to the horizon, just listening to the sounds going on around them. To be honest, Naruto was getting kind of sick of it.
"Man, think I could get in a fist fight with someone?" he asked, as he dug his pinkie into his ear. Despite his apparent aloofness, he was feeling quite agitated inside, enough so that he would make a dumb suggestion like that. "If there's just one half drunken idiot down there lookin' to make himself look good, then that'd at least give me something to concentrate on."
"He who learns but doesn't think is lost. He who thinks but doesn't learn gets his ass handed to him."
Naruto looked at Eko with squinting eyes, clearly lost to the blade's pearl of wisdom. Those words made no sense to him, but he couldn't help feeling that Eko was mocking him again. "Y'know, for a sword, you're kinda hard to understand." he muttered, as he turned his eyes ahead again. He let out a deep yawn that had been gathering in his chest, stretching his arms up high into the air. "So we're definitely going through with this then? Going to Uzu no Kuni I mean."
"Geez, you're asking me?… Huhh… if Kisame no Danna thinks it'll help, I'm all for it. It's up to you in the end though."
The disappointment on Naruto's face was more than a little obvious; he didn't like it when choices were given to him. Anything that required deep thought usually hurt his head, he was more suited to being pointed in a general direction and clearing a path. But this was something else, something that required independent thought on his part. That alone tempted him to calling off the idea.
His pessimistic thoughts were interrupted however as he saw a hand grip the roof from below. He watched as Gaara hauled himself up onto the rooftop, giving a small grin of greeting to his unsmiling friend. Gaara stepped up beside Naruto and took a seat next to him, resting his arms on his knees as he looked out over the treetops with him. Naruto kept his eyes on Gaara for a moment, before turning his attention ahead again. It wasn't often his solitary comrade would join him like this; it was usually quite the opposite.
As was common for the lonely boy, Gaara sat with a brooding expression on his pale face. It wasn't surprising that he was deep in thought of something. He really wouldn't be Gaara if he wasn't contemplating some matter or other. But in this case, he seemed rather pensive, meditative almost. He reached into his pouch, digging deep in search of something. He pulled out a thick wad of money, dropping it in Naruto's lap aloofly. "Here, hire someone to get you there and back." he said, without looking at Naruto for a moment. "It'd be a little difficult to explain if we lost one of our members in the middle of the ocean."
Naruto cocked a brow at Gaara in curiosity, and after hearing the explanation he couldn't help but start laughing. Gaara really did know him all too well; he had been planning on taking a rowing boat and paddling his way to Uzu no Kuni. This however, seemed like a much better idea. "Guess I'll do that then." he replied, as he took the money and slipped it into his pouch. Then he lay back on the rooftop with his hands behind his head, staring at the orange sky with a relaxed look on his face. "I'll go there right away, do what needs to be done, then get back in time to help out, ok?"
Gaara looked at Naruto from the corner of his eye, scanning the blond boy from head to toe. Then he let out a long, drawn out sigh as he closed his eyes, removing his gaze in discontentment. "That won't do at all." he said, earning a surprised look from Naruto, and an open ear from Eko. He moved himself a little closer to his knees, his eyes narrowing as he focused on the skyline. "Look at you, if it took a stupid risk like that to win, what're you going to do when you fight two opponents like that? What will you do if one of the others get hurt, and you have to defend them? Fighting on gambits like that will only get you and other people killed."
Naruto stared in silent surprise at Gaara; he hadn't really been expecting to be scolded like a child. But now that Gaara said it, he couldn't help seeing sense. He opened his mouth to admit this much, but Gaara continued talking without giving him the chance to. "Take your time, get everything you can and train until you can watch your allies' backs." he said, in a strong tone that definitely sounded like an order. "Yoinokuchi will not fall without you there. As it is, all we'll be doing are missions to increase the money we've lost this week. Fuu will be getting the training she's missed out on, and I'll be training to control the Shukaku. So you go to Uzu no Kuni, you find this person, and don't come back until you can walk out of a battle in one piece. You'll be no use to us otherwise."
His sharp words cut through Naruto like a katana to cloth, stinging worse than the growing bruises he was developing from Kisame's "greeting". The battered blond boy rubbed the back of his head, wincing from the harshness of Gaara's tone. "He's right, you're too hot headed." Eko told him, failing to make Naruto feel the least bit better about himself. He stopped his incessant scratching and frowned at the clouds passing overhead, before sighing and rising to his feet.
"Hell if I'm sticking around to be called an idiot." he said, taking Eko and slipping him onto his back. He stepped around the front of Gaara and paused, looking down at his friend with a hard stare that was given back to him in equal measure. Naruto however broke the tension by giving both a grin and a wink, showing his ever present ability to cheer himself up in spite of what happened around him. "When I get back, even Kisame-sensei won't be able to stop me!"
Gaara watched as Naruto headed off, running to the end of the rooftop and leaping into the trees. He wore a surprised look at Naruto's tenacity, which still caught him off guard from time to time. When he could hear his friend no longer, he bowed his head again, slipping his thumb between his teeth as his eyes distanced considerably. "Even Kisame-sensei won't be able to stop you… I wonder what you mean by that?" he thought, his expression darkening just a fraction.
Tok… tok… tok… tok…
Footsteps echoed out through the open stone basin, as two tiny figures stepped across the bottom. The bones of immense beasts could be seen half buried in the dirt, tusked skulls and curling tails sitting in view menacingly. The arid air and hard ground contradicted the chill wind that breezed on through, ignored by the two down below. The sky could have been ablaze and the earth could be crumbling, but the things that these two were most attentive of where of course each other.
"You wish to join?" asked Pein's Deva realm, as he looked mistrustfully to his left. He had held deep conversation with the person beside him, and concluded many things. But the most prominent of those things he had decided was that of this person, an agenda was so far unclear. "You of course understand what it is that Akatsuki seeks? What could you possibly gain in benefit to allying yourself to us?"
The person beside him, who seemed almost incapable of removing his smirk, chuckled faintly at Pein's question. "I suppose there are many things I can gain." said Hyuuga Neji, as he idly watched the path ahead. It seemed he was being directed to a strange rock set in front of the stone face of the basin. From that rock, he got a strange feeling, one of distant familiarity despite his certainty of never having encountered it before. "There are some things I am looking for, things that I wouldn't be likely to find on my own."
Pein listened to Neji's obscure explanation with expected politeness, though he himself didn't like the Hyuuga's superior tone. He felt almost certain that this person wouldn't understand his own motives, and therefore could see that he would never trust this arrogant boy. "If you wish to find these things through Akatsuki, you will of course have to assist us as well." he said, as they reached the rock which Neji had been keeping his focus upon. "For example, I would like you to tell me what you can find from this."
As it seemed, what lay before them wasn't a rock as Neji had thought, but a stone tablet placed into the ground. It was marked with several seals Neji was unfamiliar with, but he knew well that what Pein wanted from him was not skills as a decipherer. "Then he believes there is something here worth finding, but he cannot risk damaging it." he thought, as his eyes narrowed in amusement. Slowly, he activated his Byakugan, the veins outside his eyes growing and the faintest outline of a pupil becoming defined. With these eyes, he could see the inside of the tablet clearly. But what he did see, struck as even more curious than he thought it would be. "The Byakugan alone isn't enough? … Well then…"
With his interest significantly heightened, Neji moved on to the next level of his Byakugan. The veins in his temples slowly retracted away, and his iris began to glow brighter and brighter, until the Genwaku Byakugan had been achieved. Now things became so much clearer, his brow rose in pleasant surprise. He could see that Pein was watching him from the corner of his eyes, waiting for an answer he felt sure to come. Deciding not to antagonise this person with such strange eyes, Neji spoke the words he read.
"To his three children, he granted his eldest son with his eyes, his younger son with his form, and his youngest daughter… with his inheritance."
