This chapter is a little short, but I got to a certain spot and realized that if I continued it would be twice as long as it already. And that extra bit would work better if it stood alone in its own chapter.
Did you see the anime this week? It looks like one of Pein's critters is about to get a meal, lol. I'd hate to meet up with that on a dark night (or midday for that matter.)
Anyways, I better not ramble this week, I need to get this posted. Although, I guess I have to say it… Insane Sasuke Rocks! Okay, now that I pissed a bunch of people off, I'm sorry. It's just that laugh was… I don't know… cool? Or Something… Unexpected. That's it I guess. At least Karin's okay, and Sakura. So I fell better. Okay, I rambled anyway. Now to post!
Disclaimer: Naruto is owned by Kishimoto.
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Chapter 55 – Kabuto's Decision
"You seem pre-occupied." Zabuza was striding next to a rather morose looking Itachi who was, once again, travelling in his red and black Akatsuki cloak far away from Konoha. Having left the village two days earlier on a mission to locate Kabuto he found himself embroiled in a rather interesting tug-of-war between his personal obligations and the village's desires.
As a ninja, he knew the village should come first. That meant Kabuto and Sasuke were traitors who had run away. He couldn't accept that though. The basic rule of ninja culture was that once born into a ninja clan or village, one could never leave under penalty of death. He had never seriously questioned that until a few months ago.
"Itachi?" Haku called out softly from behind him, "Are you okay?"
That got his attention and he turned his head slightly and smiled, "Yeah. Just have a lot going through my mind right now."
"So what's the plan?" Zabuza changed the subject, "You said you would tell us after we got away from Konoha."
"Yeah, sorry about that. It's just that I think Danzou has a large number of spies in and around Konoha. Basically, we have to capture Kabuto, bring him back to Konoha, then let Danzou's spies spirit him away. We then track him and apprehend Danzou."
Haku spoke up, "Doesn't that imply that Kabuto would be helping us?"
"Yes. That is… if he doesn't want to cooperate I can use my Sharingan to make him. If he does, Fugaku has agreed to pardon his crimes as long as he returns to Konoha." The plan had a lot of flaws, but ultimately, it was the only one that made sense. Danzou would likely welcome the white-haired medic with open arms, and Kabuto was definitely wily enough to act as a spy around him without casting any suspicion on his actions, but Itachi still had one doubt lingering that could ruin the entire plan.
Danzou had Shisui's Sharingan, and apparently he had many more. That meant if Kabuto refused to cooperate and a mind-control jutsu was employed to force him, the Root commander could easily reverse it. When Sasori's jutsu had been removed by Orochimaru, Kabuto had been so grateful he had joined forces with the Sannin. Would he do the same thing with Danzou? Not to mention the fact that Danzou would probably have no compunctions against using another mind-control jutsu to keep Kabuto loyal to him.
Itachi pulled his arms back through the sleeves of his cloak and stuck his hands in his pant's pockets. "It is essential, however, that we endeavor to gain Kabuto's favor in this. Which is why I brought you two, and why we are meeting up with Kisame for this mission. If Konoha approached him with their usual 'our village is the greatest, come with us and you can eat cookies all day' he will see right through it. However, he needs to realize the world-wide implications of what is going on right now."
That was too much and Zabuza broke out laughing, "I don't think anyone has offered me a single cookie since I got there. But I see your point. That always turned me off as well, but on the whole I do like the village system. Otherwise I wouldn't have gone to the trouble of trying to overthrow the Mist Kage. I would have just left when I didn't like how things were going."
"Exactly." Itachi stated plainly, "You have a much more realistic view of how things are and anything you say and do will reflect that. Like I said, Kabuto is a very intelligent man. One of the smartest you'll ever meet. He can see through deception easily and turn it back on you without you even realizing it. Capturing him isn't going to be as easy as walking up to him, tapping him on the shoulder and throwing a bag over his head."
It was Haku's turn to laugh, "I'd like to try that though. It would be fun to see his reaction."
Itachi stopped walking and turned around, looking at the dark-haired teen in shock, "You have a very weird sense of humor. I think we should limit your exposure to Naruto, he's obviously a bad influence."
"Nah, he's always been like that." Zabuza snickered.
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"Would you quit staring at my sword?" Kisame grumbled as he removed the weapon from his back and stabbed it into the ground so he could lean comfortably against a leafless alder tree.
Suigetsu chuckled, "I can't help it." He pulled out a bottle of water and began chugging it down. He then pulled out a katana and held it up into the air. My sword is puny."
"At least you got one."
"I'm not complaining. I'd rather have this than nothing, and it's very well made. That shop we got it from was a little creepy though. Why did it have to be in a morgue of all places? And hidden in a men's bathroom?"
"That guy does a lot of stuff for Akatsuki and other missing-nin. He's stupid, but useful. There aren't many places people like me can go to stock up on supplies, after all."
"Yeah." He looked around at their surroundings as he sipped his water. They were in the middle of a deciduous forest in Lightening country. Of course, "forest" was a very loose description of the area. Because the country was situated on a narrow isthmus with a mountain range running its length the only habitable areas were the western and eastern slopes of mountains. This made growing trees difficult. They were sparse, tended to be small, and to make things worse, the frequent storms that drifted in from the sea to the east and the bay to the west were often loaded with thunder and lightening, and the trees took the brunt of that. Forest fires were common.
Since hooking up with Kisame, Suigetsu had tried very hard to be useful, but he was weak from living in a water tank and dehydrated. He had been unable to drink in his liquid state, and his cells didn't absorb water, either. Orochimaru would only let him out every other day to drink a minimal amount of a liquid nutrient, then imprison him again. Or run one of his humiliating and seemingly pointless experiments.
Of course Kisame had complained, and had even jokingly offered to toss him over the end of Samehada and carry him. The joke there was that Samehada would sap even more chakra from the boy. The big man had laughed when Suigetsu had given him a dirty look and angrily stomped off.
A cold wind blew through the forest, making Suigetsu shiver. His shoulder length white hair rustled slightly, tickling his neck. He reached back and pulled on his hat. His thick black cloak had been purchased at the same place he had received his katana and while it was warm, it was also ankle length and had smelled slightly of dead people. A quick laundering by a shop in a nearby town and cleaned it up, but somehow it still didn't feel right.
"Itachi, you're late." Kisame's voice broke Suigetsu out of his reverie and he looked up quickly to see three people striding toward them. Kisame had his arms crossed over his chest and was glaring menacingly at his partner.
"I apologize. I was not aware that I was running behind." Itachi's voice held little in the way of apology and his demeanor certainly didn't reflect it either. "You haven't killed him yet?" He nodded his head towards Suigetsu, causing the boy to sneer at the perceived insult.
Kisame chuckled, "Nah. He's actually costing me money now. Sword, clothes, medicine… have to keep him around long enough now to get my money back."
"Yeah, that's the problem I ran into when I took this one in." Zabuza patted Haku roughly over the head, making him stumble slightly. "Threadbare and starving, it was a good two months before he was good for anything."
Haku smiled warmly at his friend, "And you complained the entire time."
Suigetsu realized they were all joking and relaxed. After being locked up for so long it was proving difficult to be around people again. He turned to Itachi, "Have you heard from Sasuke?"
"Nothing." The teen answered quietly, "But it's only been a couple weeks. At least, I'm hoping he writes or something."
"He will. I got the feeling that he's the sort of person who gets sentimental that way." However, Suigetsu's attempted reassurances were turned to doubt over Itachi's next words.
"People change."
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Sasuke collapsed on his bed and groaned. It felt like every muscle in his body was about to either die or burst. While he had been pushed to his limits while training with Orochimaru, that had mainly been jutsu based. However, Madara had decided that "his son" needed more work in Taijutsu and had assigned one of the best masters in the art the clan had to offer. And Sasuke was appallingly bad compared to him.
Picking himself up he stripped off his clothes as he made his way to the bathroom. A hot shower would probably help, followed by a long soak in a hot tub. Unfortunately, Karin chose that moment to burst into his room.
The door slid open with a band, followed by a red-headed girl with black-framed glasses and wearing a pair of long black pants with a long-sleeved lavender shirt. "Sasuke! Guess what?" Her eyes opened wide at the sight of the naked boy and the pair stood motionless for a few seconds before deep red blushes filled their cheeks and Sasuke dove for his pants, holding them up to hide his lower anatomy.
"Can't you knock before coming in?" Sasuke grumbled belligerently.
"If I get to see this every time, maybe I can't." Karin gave him a big smile, "Anyway, I got a promotion! And I've only been at the hospital for a few days! I get to help with…"
"That's great Karin, but I'm really sore and I want to take a shower." Sasuke was rather shocked at the way the girl had ignored his nudity and carried on. He felt like climbing under a rock and hiding.
"Oh, geeze, Sasuke, you don't have anything I haven't seen before." She laughed, "But I'll leave you alone. If you need someone to scrub your back, just pound on the wall. I'm on the other side, remember." She left the room and this time, quietly slid the door shut.
"Should a girl her age really be saying stuff like that?" Madara was now standing at the doorway, having entered as silently as always.
Sasuke frowned, "It's Karin, we're talking about here. She'll say whatever she wants if she can get a reaction out of you. And I'm trying to get to the bathroom, but people keep interrupting me."
"Hmm. Yeah." Madara ignored him and continued on, "I hear you are doing quite well with your training. Keep it up." He disappeared using a transportation jutsu, leaving Sasuke alone. He walked across the room and slid the latch on the door, locking it.
"I don't care if the building burns down. I'm taking a bath."
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"How's he doing?" Sora was sitting comfortably in a chair in the living room when Madara appeared with a small pop.
"Sore, but alive. His teacher was quite surprised at how well he endured the training. He went the full six hours. He is definitely Chuunin level."
"I doubt he would accept a position in our village, however." The chief of the Mist branch of the Uchiha clan stretched lazily and propped his feet up on the coffee table.
"Not yet anyway." Madara took a seat near his uncle and looked around at the familiar surroundings. The room was centrally located to the main sleeping areas and had, over time, because the gathering place of those living within the mansion. Magazines, books, a stray empty water glass, and a cat sleeping on a cushion that had been placed on one of the couches made the place very comfortable and inviting.
"So getting back to business… What are you going to do about Pein?"
"Haven't decided yet. What disturbs me more is how my Akatsuki keep helping Itachi with his Konoha missions. They are free to move around when they aren't on a mission for the organization, but if I ordered them to kill Itachi, what would happen? Assuming of course, that they had a chance of success in the first place."
"Kisame and Deidara would probably refuse, even though Deidara would love to fight him. Sasori probably would do it because he's the type who follows orders. Kakuzu would accept if you let him collect the bounty, and his partner-of-the-month would accept because he's new. So all in all… I'd say you have trouble brewing."
"It appears then that Pein could very well be the least of my worries." Madara contemplated out loud. "Konan will do whatever he says so no worries from her. Or rather, she is predicable in her actions. I certainly wouldn't turn my back on her though. She didn't get where she is simply because of her relationship with Pein."
"Ha! As if anyone could harm you." Sora laughed.
"That doesn't mean I want to suffer through one of her paper cuts!" Madara laughed, "I get enough of those from the paperwork my aids continuously stuff under my nose."
"The great Madara, felled by a paper-cut!" Sora shouted pompously.
"Stranger things have happened I guess. But If I'm not careful from here on out, that could very well be a possibility. Dumb mistakes are the bane of ninja all around the world."
Sora took a deep breath and exhaled loudly, "Then I would suggest you get rid of Pein and Konan as soon as possible. You see them as inconsequential, I see them as enemy number one."
"Hmm." Madara hesitated. Sora's recommendation was probably sound, but it also seemed a little rash.
"If you won't do it, then remember this: I do not need your permission or approval for clan-related missions. I will send my own people to do this if I must. Nothing must interfere with your plan."
"I understand. Give me a few days to think it through. The number one problem I see here is that if Itachi fails to take down Danzou, I will have to either wait for Sasuke to grow up a few more years or have Pein go after him." Madara glanced at his uncle and shook his head, "And sending our clansman after a man with the Rinnegan would be suicide. A group attack would kill him, but if anyone came back alive it would be a miracle. You have never been the type of man to approve missions like that."
Sora shook his head, "This is bigger than my personal beliefs, Madara, and you know that. The Eye of the Moon plan is the only way to bring peace to this world. I won't stand by and let you sabotage your own dreams."
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"Can I help you, young man?" The elderly woman looked up from the reception desk she was sitting at to gaze blurrily at the teenager standing in front of her. He seemed tired and his shoulders were drooping as if he was in pain or even ill.
"I need a room for the night." He glanced up at the fee chart handing on the wall of the small, dusty hotel and pulled out the correct amount of money.
"Alright, but if you need a doctor…"
"I am a doctor." The teen replied. He tugged on the hood of his cloak and it fell over his face, hiding his features in shadows.
"Room four on the third floor. Bathroom is down the hall. Toilet and sink only. The bathhouse is down the street that way." The woman pointed to her left as she handed an old, half-rusted key across the counter.
"Thank-you." Making his way up the creaky stairs, Kabuto yawned widely and wondered if it would be okay to stay a couple days instead of one. He hadn't gotten much sleep in the last couple weeks and it was beginning to take its toll. His head hurt, his eyes were scratchy, his endurance had plummeted and a couple times he had even broken down and sobbed like a baby.
The death of Orochimaru had affected him more than he would have ever guessed. He had no love for the man, but the respect he had felt was real. His one wish, throughout his entire life (or as much of it as he could remember) was to be free of Sasori's influence. To live his own life. And Orochimaru had granted that wish.
And now he was gone.
Sorrow was threatening to overwhelm him again and he quickly opened the door to his room and dropped down heavily onto the old, creaky bed, burying his face in the pillow. Belatedly he remembered his glasses and slipped them off, placing them on the night stand.
"I can't believe he's gone." Kabuto muttered for the millionth time. "I can't believe Itachi and Sasuke were able to kill to him. Itachi was my friend… I thought… I can't believe he would betray me like that. He knew everything about me. I thought he understood how I felt."
It was a conversation he had been having with himself over and over. Yet as he became more and more exhausted it left him felling emptier and emptier. At first he had rationalized that Itachi was just protecting his brother and killing the man who had killed the Third Hokage. But as his ability to think was overtaken with the fuzziness of exhaustion, those facts disappeared to be replaced by baser, more raw emotions. And loneliness.
But Kabuto was used to loneliness. No matter who was close to him, he had always been forced to erect a barrier around himself to keep them from getting too close. The mind control jutsu was partly to blame. It demanded that he keep his identity and mission hidden from Konoha at all costs. But the other part of the blame rested solely on his own shoulders. His foster father, Yota, Itachi, Shisui… all the kids he had hung out with when he was younger had been in danger around him, even if they hadn't realized it. One word from Sasori, and he would have killed them all without question. He wouldn't have been able to stop himself.
Even if he died trying.
He had realized early on in his life, that if he did ever receive such orders it would probably be because they learned something about him. Therefore, he had kept a certain distance from them in order to shield his heart.
But it hadn't always worked. Yota, Shisui, and of course Itachi, had all learned the truth. His father however, had remained blissfully in the dark until his dying day. For that he was grateful. He was one person, perhaps the only person who had loved him and looked out for him.
His thoughts returned to Orochimaru. The moment of his death had left Kabuto felling like it was his own body that was exploding. That he was the one that was dying. He had quickly retrieved a few possessions from his room and taken off, fearing that Itachi would kill him next. He had been an accessory to Orochimaru's invasion of Konoha a few months earlier after all. And the penalty for leaving a village without permission was death.
"I've got to get to a port so I can leave the continent." Kabuto said quietly. "I can't stay here." He wondered which country he should run towards, then realized it didn't matter.
Konoha was after him, true enough, but he had learned a terrible secret when he had joined Orochimaru. Danzou was using the snake sannin as his personal physician. And the things he was asking the man to do to him were frightening. Now that his "doctor" was dead, it wouldn't be long before he came after Kabuto.
Glancing over his shoulder every other second was something the teen was used to. He had learned to live like that early on in his life and it was such a habit that he wondered if he had also lived that way before he had lost his memories. However, the few months of freedom he had while with Orochimaru had given him a taste of what it was like to let his guard down, even a little, and he had enjoyed that.
But the situation was worse now than it had ever been in the past. He had nowhere to run, no one to run to, and he had two of the most powerful men in the ninja world after him.
"Is it even worth continuing to run?" Kabuto whispered. He wondered what it would be like to give up. He couldn't return to Konoha. That would be the equivalent of a death sentence. But Danzou would allow him to live. The question is, how? Would he be placed under another mind-control jutsu, or would he be warmly welcomed into the fold as a lost sheep of Konoha?
The teen sighed and turned over onto his back, getting a good glance of the room for the first time since entering. It was an old inn, but the room was very homey and comfortable. The wooden walls were a light honey shade, and the table and chairs, while old and pitted, were intricately carved and clean red and white striped cushions were tied to the seats. Framed prints of happy children running around a green field decorated the walls and he realized that the mattress was surprisingly lacking in lumps. The bedspread even smelled nice and was a pleasant light blue. The same color as the sky on a sunny day.
"I guess I can stay a couple days. After all…" Kabuto yawned again and closed his eyes as he finally realized his only real plan of action. The only one that would allow him to stay alive.
He would have to surrender to Danzou.
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Next week, Kabuto is attacked; but by whom? And Madara decides what to do about Pein.
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Updates on Fridays.