Thanks for the reviews and favs!
The fight between Itachi and Sasuke is starting in the anime, in case you haven't been watching. And it looks like Kisame is going to be the focus in the manga for a little bit. I hope he doesn't take his cloak off sniff, sniff. Although this is probably when we'll get his backstory.
Kishimoto owns everything, including Naruto.
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Chapter 40 – Danzou's New Alliance
"So what are you doing here?" Kisame strode through the mist enshrouded forest outside of the village and stabbed his heavy sword, point first into the ground before leaning up against a pine tree.
Toshiro smirked at the blue man, "However you look at it…" Toshiro paused, shaking his head in wonder, "that boy should be dead by now. Exactly why is he still alive?"
Kisame glanced up as a white shadow quickly formed into an oversized owl with Deidara standing in a crouch on its back. The teen's long ponytail streamed out behind him as he dropped a small wad of clay and yelled "katsu", forming a second owl about fifty feet under the one he was riding. A second later he jumped off his owl, dropping down, only to land on the back of the newly formed owl with perfect grace. He continued this maneuver over and over, occasionally adding flips or landing on branches then jumping on the owl.
"By all rights he should be dead." Kisame answered. "This is tame compared to some of the other maneuvers I've seen him do. I'm not sure how he comes out of it all alive." He had been taking a walk in the forest when he had sensed Deidara and, surprisingly enough, Toshiro.
Toshiro laughed, "You know, I could say the same thing about you. Aren't you a missing nin here?"
"I usually use a transportation jutsu to get to the Mizukage's mansion. Other than that… I did have a confrontation a couple days ago with few locals who felt I shouldn't be here but on the whole, most people here are rather happy I killed that Daimyou a few years back. A couple of the bars even give me free drinks when I show up."
"So you're kind of an anti-hero, huh? Like Zabuza."
Kisame was quiet for a couple minutes, "Yeah, I guess. Although I don't really want to be thought of as being like Zabuza. He and I disagree on a lot of issues."
"Like the Mizukage?" Toshiro looked up at the tall man next to him. Night was approaching quickly and a cold breeze moved the branches of the trees in a slow dance over the heads of the two men.
"Hmmm." Kisame turned thoughtful, "Zabuza was always all action and no thought. Of course, I can't say the Mizukage didn't deserve some kind of wake-up call at the time, but that kid should have known his coup wouldn't work. He knew who the Mizukage was. After all that, I doubt he made much of an impression. How's he doing in Konoha?"
It was Toshiro's turn to be thoughtful. "He's… coping I guess. I think he's fully healed by now. Kakashi really did a number on him, I understand. He even helped us fight Orochimaru's people during that invasion attempt a few weeks back and let Kakashi give him orders. Perhaps he's ready to settle down. Who knows? Fugaku isn't above having him executed if he pulls something."
"Not everyone gets a second chance. For what it's worth, I hope he takes advantage of his."
"Ha ha! If you keep talking like that people are going to start thinking you have a heart!" Toshiro laughed heartily at Kisame's blunt words.
Kisame also laughed, "He was my partner for many years, after all. Although I have to say, I much prefer missions with Itachi. He doesn't pick fights with every guy who looks sideways at him. I can't tell you how many times Zabuza got us kicked out of places because of his attitude. It got real old, real fast."
"Humph. I can imagine. He does seem rather short tempered." Toshiro glanced back up at Deidara, who had gone back to blowing up tree branches. "Why is he using such small explosives?"
"Don't know. Maybe its part of a new strategy he's working on?"
Toshiro activated his Sharingan for a couple minutes then leaned back against a moss encrusted tree, "He's running low on chakra. His jutsu must be pretty draining. My guess is he uses small explosives so he can train longer."
The pair were distracted when Deidara suddenly changed his course and flew off to the north a short ways. Being experienced ninja, Toshiro and Kisame were instantly on alert, directing their chakra in the teen's direction.
"Probably a local." Kisame muttered. There was a lone chakra source nearby, and it was steadily getting further away, as if running.
"Then why is he running away from the village instead of toward it?" Toshiro spoke quietly as he activated his Sharingan. There were a lot of reasons why someone would do that, some innocent, and some not so-innocent. After all, training at night was good practice for missions.
An explosion a moment later sent both men racing through the forest toward the sound. Bursting through the brush they entered a small, newly-blackened clearing. Kisame used a water jutsu to put out a small brush fire before turning to look at Deidara who was in the process of lifting a man off the ground by the back of his jacket.
"He still alive?" Kisame knelt down next to the prone man and snickered when his eyes fluttered open.
"Looks like it." Toshiro muttered.
The brush moved again and everyone reached for their kunais, then smiled when Sasuke appeared, followed closely by Itachi.
"Sasuke," Itachi sounded annoyed, "I told you to be quiet. If they had been the enemy you would have been dead by now."
"But I knew they weren't the enemy so…"
Itachi banged his fist down on top of his little brother's head. "Whatever."
Sasuke gave his brother a dirty look as he rubbed his new bruise.
Itachi turned his attention to Deidara, "What's going on?"
"That's what I was just about to find out. I was training when I saw this guy speaking into a radio, un, so I sent a small centipede to spy on him. I'm not sure who he is, but I am positive he doesn't work for Mist, un." Deidara had pulled the man into a sitting position. His face was dirty and his hair and eyebrows were singed, but surprisingly enough there wasn't any blood.
"Humph." Itachi sighed. "Toshiro, could you go pass on to the gate guards that the Mist Daimyou has a spy in the woods? We'll be bringing his head in a few minutes, but they may want to go look for his friends."
The prisoner's eyes opened wide with shock at the prospect of his imminent beheading, but he kept silent.
Toshiro gave Itachi a suspicious glance before nodding his head and taking off.
"So you going to question him?" Kisame grinned.
"No, Sasuke is."
"What?" Sasuke and Deidara exclaimed simultaneously. Sasuke, because he had never done anything like that before, and Deidara because he had never seen Itachi walk away from an opportunity to inflict torture using his Sharingan.
Itachi moved closer to Sasuke and spoke in a low voice so the prisoner couldn't hear, "You won't be able to use Tsukiyomi for very long; you haven't had Mangekyou Sharingan long enough for that, so make it count. I can tell this guys a coward so it should be easy."
"Okay." Sasuke glanced self-consciously at the two S-ranked ninjas in front of him. Itachi's comrades were not the people he wanted standing around when he failed at his first attempt to question an enemy. However, refusing his brother's request would be even more embarrassing so he steeled his determination as his eyes bled into their Mangekyou form and he caught the spy's gaze.
Instantly the two of them were caught up in a red and black world devoid of the familiar. Time and space no longer held any meaning as Sasuke took control of the new reality.
"Tell you what… you tell me everything you know and I won't do this to you." A sword appeared in the boy's hand and he thrust it purposely into the man's stomach and pulled it out. Screams escaped from the man's mouth as he clutched at his stomach, only to pull back in shock when the wound instantly healed and the pain disappeared.
"What…what… is going on?"
"Who are you and what are you doing here?" Sasuke pointed the sword at the man's stomach. Apparently the man was a coward because he immediately started talking. He wondered how his older brother was able to read the man's character so well with only a moments glance.
"I… um… I'm a spy for the Daimyou… and we heard there were Uchiha in Mist… one of which was the Hokage. The Daimyou has signed an alliance with the Fire country Daimyou and has agreed to hand over the head of the Hokage. He's going to invade. You're going to let me go now, right?"
"He's… going to invade… a village full of ninjas?" Sasuke broke out laughing, but quit suddenly when he felt a sharp pain behind his eyes that forced him to break the jutsu. Falling to the ground he placed his hands over his eyes and gasped as he tried to suppress the groans that were threatening to escape his lips.
"Sasuke…" Itachi was on the ground next to him, one arm wrapped protectively around his waist.
Letting out a long sigh, Sasuke sat back on his rear and gritted his teeth. "That was worse than I thought it would be. But I got the information." He grimaced as another wave of pain shot through the back of his eyeballs. Taking in a couple of short breaths he spoke in a strained voice, "The Daimyou has made a contract with Danzou to get dad's head. I say we help him."
Kisame's reaction was instant. He dropped to the ground and was laughing so hard, tears started coming out of his eyes. Itachi and Deidara just stood still with blank expressions on their faces, as if considering the proposal.
Finally Itachi spoke up, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth, "As tempting as that is…" He paused as if reconsidering something, then shook his head and continued speaking, "it would probably cause more problems than it would solve." He pulled out his katana and stepped forward.
Sasuke opened his eyes wide, "You're going to kill him?"
"Would you rather do it?" Itachi replied sarcastically.
"N...no… it's just… he gave us the information… shouldn't we… let him go… or something?"
"Absolutely not, un." Deidara finally spoke up. "If we let him go he'll tell his boss everything he's learned here."
"But… what did he learn? We…"
"Sasuke," Itachi interrupted with the tone of one who has lectured a child forty times about the same thing, "The Tsukiyomi. He saw it and he'll tell them about it. Granted, they probably already know what it is, but…"
"But?" Sasuke stood up and clenched his fists. "Just stick him in a jail cell then! What harm is there in that?"
Itachi sheathed his sword. "Fine. We'll take him back to the village. But Madara isn't as nice as you are and he is the Kage here. However, I will request that he be imprisoned. But keep this in mind. His death here would have been quick and painless. If they decide this guy has more to tell them, he will die miserably during torture."
Sasuke closed his eyes again as the pain intensified. Nodding his understanding he felt his brother wipe a finger under his eyes and looked up. Itachi was looking closely at his hand. "What's wrong? My eyes are watering. I'm not crying or anything."
"Just… making sure it isn't blood." And with that Itachi turned his back and watched as Deidara draped the man over the back of his owl.
"Blood?" Sasuke whispered. He wondered what exactly his brother was going through to make him worry about bleeding from his eyes.
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Itachi watched closely as two maids helped Sheeta with her kimono. He was always amazed at the lengths women would go to for fashion and the many layers of fabric that were being draped over his girl-friend – he still couldn't think of her as his wife – was, quite frankly, astounding. The final layer was a beautiful turquoise silk fabric with a garden scene embroidered in red, yellow and black. He had to admit that she looked best in red, but the final result was still beautiful.
He, himself was wearing a pair of dark green hakama pants and an elaborately embroidered black yukata. The back of the yukata had two hawks with Sharingan eyes facing off at each other with their wings outspread and a snowcapped mountain in the background. The pattern was continued onto the front with two more hawks, one on each lapel, flying over a forest with dead ninjas in their talons.
Both garments had been custom designed by Mikoto, made in Mist, and paid for by Madara as gifts. Itachi had been surprised when he had seen them. While he knew his mother could draw well, she had hardly done any artwork in years.
"Lord Itachi, Lady Sheeta is almost ready. I would like to do you hair now." The middle-aged woman bowed formally before the teen, causing Itachi to sneak a glance at his girl-friend. She was now seated on a chair while two different maids worked quickly and expertly on her beautiful long hair, piling it on top of her head in an elaborate design of combs, braids and twists.
"What exactly are you planning on doing to my hair?" Even though he would never admit it, Itachi was quite proud of his waist length ponytail and rather protective of it.
The woman laughed at him, "Don't worry! I won't cut it or make you look girly. I promise."
"O…kay." Itachi allowed the woman to remove the leather tie from his ponytail and sat still as she ran a brush through it. Gathering the hair high up on the back of his head she put the leather tie back in and stood back. He moved over to where Sheeta was and looked in the mirror next to her. "I usually don't wear my hair up like this."
"It's more traditional." The woman answered.
Itachi wasn't exactly sure whether that was true or not and continued to stare suspiciously at his visage.
"It looks cute." Sheeta piped up. "I wish I could wear a ponytail." Her hair was finally done and truth be told, she looked a little top heavy. "I feel silly."
He frowned, silently agreeing with her. While she was beautiful in her formal attire, he realized he preferred to see her in regular clothes with her long hair falling down her back and much less make-up.
"I'll leave it then." Itachi decided the pony-tail was definitely not worth arguing about.
Everyone's attention turned to the closed door when Sasuke called out from the other side, "Mom wants to know if you guys are ready!"
Itachi slid the door open and smiled, "Yeah, we're ready. But we still have a couple more hours."
"She's getting nervous. She keeps going over checklists and asking the servants to check on things. She keeps messing with her clothes and hair and my clothes and my hair and dad was smart and took off somewhere saying he would meet up with us at the ceremony."
"Hmm." Now that the wedding was only a couple hours away Itachi felt a wave of sorrow wash over him at the thought of Aya marrying Madara. It wasn't the way things were supposed to work out. It wasn't supposed to have been like this.
"She misses Shisui." Sheeta sighed, as if reading his mind. "Aya, that is. He died so long ago… but it still seems like yesterday to her."
"He was the kind of person that stood out. There is no forgetting someone like that." Itachi added, almost as an afterthought.
"I remember him and I was just a kid back then." Sasuke added. "But you also remember Kakashi's friend Obito, don't you Itachi?"
"Yeah. He and Shisui were a lot alike, now that I think about it." Itachi added quietly, then looked at his brother and girl-friend, "I wish you guys could have met him."
Sheeta suddenly smiled in a failed attempt at being cheerful, "Well, we better go see Mikoto and let her know we're ready. At least that'll be one less thing for her to worry about."
As they made their way out into the hall, Itachi got a closer look at the embroidered pattern on Sasuke's yukata. It was done in the same colors as his own but the design was a little disturbing and he suspected that Madara may have had a hand in it. A young hawk was flying over the same snow-capped mountain and lying limply in its talons with its eyes half open was an obviously sick and injured larger hawk.
"I'm going to hang it on the wall when I get home." Sasuke had noticed his brother was staring at his yukata.
"I take it mother didn't design this one?" Itachi offered.
"Madara did." Sasuke didn't sound very happy about that, "But I like it anyway. It's like, it's me helping you out. Just like I promised to do." He flashed his brother a smile that was full of warmth. Despite the disturbing nature of the picture, Itachi couldn't help but smile back.
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Time passed quickly and soon enough everyone found themselves seated on plush cushions in two long rows facing each other across a carpeted aisle. The room itself was long and narrow and decorated modestly. A small table sat low to ground at the front of the room with two small cups and a bottle of sake. It was a big contrast to the room next door and the lavish decorations and gourmet food that awaited the wedding party.
Itachi resisted the urge to fidget as Sheeta reached over and grasped his hand. He could feel her trembling and looked at her closely as he tightened his grip. "Are you okay? Do you feel ill?"
"No. No morning sickness. I'm just worried is all." She gave Itachi a look that clearly told him that this was not the time to be discussing such things. He nodded his understanding and glanced at Sasuke, who was fidgeting and looking at their mother. She, like Sheeta, had reached out for a hand and was holding on tightly to her youngest son. Fugaku was sitting on the other side of his wife with his hands folded loosely in his lap and a far-away look in his eyes.
Across the aisle, surprisingly enough, sat Pein and Konan. They were both modestly dressed; Pein in a plain black hakama and yukata, and Konan in a dark blue kimono embroidered with red and yellow flowers.
Pein was sitting with a stern expression on his face and his Rinnegan eyes staring placidly at the empty aisle. Konan, on the other hand, was sitting with her eyes half closed and a frown playing at the side of her mouth. Though what exactly she might be frowning at was a mystery.
Next to Konan was a very skittish Deidara. The teen obviously wasn't happy about the seating arrangements and kept glancing at the powerful woman as if he expected her to suddenly jump up and strangle him. It was actually quite amusing, and Itachi found himself repressing an urge to smile.
Kisame, however, was sitting on the other side of Deidara and smirking. It seemed as though very little every got through to the big man and that thought did make Itachi smile. Knowing him, he had probably been teasing the younger Akatsuki member all morning and of course, Deidara was not one to take such things lightly.
Sasuke gasped, bringing Itachi out of his thoughts, "Tama! What is he doing?"
The large, lazy cat was reclining at the front of the room on top of the priest's cushion, looking very smug and comfortable. The rest of the room soon noticed and several people laughed at the daring cat.
"You better go retrieve him, son." Fugaku shook his head and smiled.
"Right." Sasuke stood up quickly and made his way to the front of the room just as the priest entered. The boy quickly scooped up the cat, throwing him over his shoulder and bowed respectfully to the elderly man, who nodded back to him with an amused expression on his face.
"That was embarrassing, Tama." Sasuke whispered to the purring cat after he had sat back down. The cat looked up at him and slowly blinked his eyes once. "Just stay here and don't cause any more problems." The cat blinked again, then stood up. Sasuke grabbed the scruff of his neck and pushed him down. "You're not going anywhere."
Itachi gave a short laugh, "Having fun, little brother?"
Sasuke gritted his teeth, "Don't laugh too hard, big brother. You're going to have your own kid to chase after in a few months. Remember?"
That wiped the smile off of Itachi's face as an image of himself chasing a two-year-old through the market back home suddenly popped into his head.
Sheeta laughed, "He'll do fine."
"Yeah. I'll just take a lot of missions for next ten years. When I get back the kid will be old enough to take care of himself." Itachi teased.
"Famous last words." Toshiro snickered behind them.
"The ceremony is about to start." The priest called out from the front of the room. Everyone immediately settled down, including Tama who had decided that sitting on Sasuke's lap was acceptable.
A door slid open and all eyes turned to the back of the room.
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Madara held onto Aya's hand as they made their way to the front of the room. She was dressed in a traditional white wedding gown that consisted of a shapeless white kimono and a large white fabric hat that covered the top of her head and trailed down her back. He was wearing the traditional black hakama and yukata of a groom.
Sitting on their cushions in front of the priest, Madara glanced sideways at Aya. She had been trembling badly all morning and had even dropped a tea cup, shattering it on the wood floor of his bedroom. He had offered to cast a Genjutsu over her, to relieve her nervousness, but Aya reminded him that it probably wouldn't work. She was right, of course, but it was the thought that counted. She did relax a little bit after that, but after all the planning and waiting that had gone on over the last few months, he could certainly understand why she would be nervous.
Madara, of course, was as calm as ever. This wasn't the first time he had ever been married and, given his increased life span, he doubted it would be the last. Although, he hoped Aya lasted longer than his previous wives. Of course, he had been the one to leave them. A long time ago when he had abandoned Konoha. He had no intention of abandoning Aya, however. His new world had her firmly entrenched in his household, along with lots of children.
The couple spoke their vows and traded cups of sake, and the ceremony was finished. It was short, of course. Aya was quickly hurried off by the maids to change into fancier clothes for the reception, leaving Madara to greet everyone as they piled into the banquet hall next door.
Pein lingered as Konan spoke with Kisa and Mikoto. She was very formal, and slightly reserved, but seemed to be enjoying herself. He watched her closely, although what, exactly, he was thinking was completely hidden in his expressionless face.
"You can stay for a while, you know." Madara replied quietly as he jerked his head toward Konan. Pein looked at him for a couple seconds before returning his gaze to his friend. "It's okay to enjoy yourselves occasionally."
"Hmm." Pein muttered. "Perhaps. Konan doesn't get the opportunity to be around other women anymore."
Madara nodded in understanding. While he didn't really get along very well with the blue-haired woman, he did feel a small amount of sympathy for her.
"However," Pein continued, "she won't want to stay long. Even I can't convince her to take a break. Staying here this long was hard to justify. We are both very dedicated to our work."
"Understood. At least have something to eat before you leave."
Pein nodded before disappearing into the crowd.
"He's a difficult man." Kisame chimed in. He moved closer to Madara and gave him a toothy grin. "Don't think I could take much of that attitude of his for very long."
"He has his reasons." Madara commented lightly.
"We all do." Kisame took a deep breath and let it out, "So how's married life?"
"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" Madara teased.
Kisame laughed, "Wouldn't know about that."
"Your sixteen-year-old partner is beating you to the altar. You're going to be an old maid if you keep this up, Kisame."
"Better him than me!" Kisame spied Itachi in the middle of the room talking to Deidara and Sasuke. "He's changed quite a bit since he first joined the organization."
"Yeah. He and Deidara even get along somewhat, though I can't imagine them ever being friends I would certainly settle for this." Madara waved his hand at the teens who were not fighting, blowing up the room, or otherwise terrorizing the wedding guests. "I am surprised at how well Deidara gets along with Sasuke, but I guess after he helped saved his life a few years ago he sort of feels a connection to him."
"It is boring though." Kisame admitted. "I had forgotten how much I hated being tied down to one place.
Aya entered the room then, and judging by the reception, her choice of attire was excellent. The woman wore a kimono, in same style as Sheeta's, but in a beautiful light yellow with an image of a woman in a garden full of flowers and song birds embroidered across the bottom. A red pagoda decorated the center and cherry blossoms were scattered across the top. It was wonderful spring scene, made even more wonderful by its contrast to the winter rain that had been falling since the previous evening.
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As the party drew to a close, Itachi found himself speaking with his father. The elder Uchiha had been pre-occupied most of the day – deep in thought and not especially social. However, that changed somewhat when Fugaku pulled his son aside in the garden outside the reception. The rain had finally stopped, bringing back the heavy mists in its wake.
"Itachi, we're leaving in a couple days."
"Yes. I already knew that." The teen said matter of factly.
"Of course. But we have a problem."
"The Daimyou's forces will be waiting for us."
"They won't dare attack Mist while we're here. He's too afraid of the Sharingan, so he'll wait until we're gone. However, Madara will be revealing the clan at that time so there will be no harm to Mist. We, on the other hand, will have to fight our way out of this country."
"Sheeta…" Itachi left the thought open-ended.
"And the children. Sasuke and Hinata included. We can't let anything happen to them. We can't let Sasuke's new abilities be discovered."
"So what's your plan?" Itachi had a feeling he knew what it was, and he was right.
"We will be splitting up into two groups. The first group will be the all the adults, as well as Hinata, Hanabi and her cousins. The second group will consist of you, Nui, Sheeta, Sasuke and the twins. The first group will leave in two days and make its way to the same port we arrived at. The second group will leave two days later and make its way to a different port. I leave it up to you to decide which one."
"So why is Hinata staying in the main group?"
"Her cousins refused to leave her side. Having four Byakugan users travelling with your group would be too conspicuous, plus she is the clan chief of the Hyuugas and not yet able to fully protect herself. I owe it to her parents to see her safely back home. It also gives you four less people to worry about.
"Anyway, while the Daimyou is busy attacking us, you should be able to slip away with few problems."
"Sounds good, then."
Fugaku clapped his son on the back and smiled, "I better see you all back in Konoha, all in one piece."
Itachi blinked in surprise. There had been precious few words of worry ever spoken by his father - few enough that the teen was sure he could count them on one hand – but the fact that he was speaking them now was alarming.
"If I'd of thought a little more about what Danzou might do, I would have left Sheeta and the twins at home, as well as Hinata and Hanabi. The next few days are going to be very difficult, Itachi."
"This is the best plan, though. It should work without too many problems, father." Itachi smiled, "Danzou is never going to harm my family again."
Fugaku sighed, "That's my boy."
Itachi's smile disappeared as his attention drifted to Sheeta who was sitting at a table with Aya, Nui and Hinata laughing. Of course they'd make it back home. After all, the difficult part wasn't leaving Mist, it was Sasuke's mission with Orochimaru. As dangerous as the next few days was going to be, he knew it wouldn't compare to what faced them when they got home.
But if everything worked out the way he had planned it, then both Danzou and Orochimaru would be gone forever.
And that left just one person on his list.
Madara.
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Next week – The Uchiha fight their way out of Mist.
Sasuke won't be using the MS again until he faces Orochimaru, since it's supposed to be a secret and Itachi doesn't want his brother to suffer too many side-effects (I hope that was somewhat obvious when he was checking his brothers tears.) He only did it here because Itachi knew it would be easy, there was no one else around, and to give his brother some practice.
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