Disclaimer: All Creative Copyrighted Rights on the Naruto Franchise belong to Mashashi Kishimoto, Shounen Jump, Bandai Inc. and other affiliated companies.
A/N:
1) I'm VERY sorry for the delay in posting, but my life has been VERY VERY hectic. I haven't had time to work much on writing due to my very tight school and work schedule. I'm unsure when the next installment of the epilogue will be released but I'll do all I can to punch it out sooner rather than later.
2) I want to thank DarkHeroOrion for doing me a HUGE favor and beta-checking this chapter for me so I can post it (considering I didn't have time to edit it myself originally).
3) Before I proceed to work on the 2nd Epilogue I plan to rewrite some scenes in the early story, just to streamline some plot devices (mostly regarding Sakura's initial psychological breakdown and recruiting by Danzou, revising the Madara/Kyuubi scene and the Rokubi capture scene)
4) I'd love for your comments and reviews on the epilogue. I know it's rather short, but the longer and more meaningful epilogue which revolves around Konohagakure will hopefully compensate for it.
*) Special thanks to anonymous reviewer Dan for his honest and shrewd commentary, I've made some fine adjustments to the chapter. Mainly making Pein more impressive and making the thunder kage more impressive and sure of himself (considering his hidden village just razed another and his only real threat is a weakened konohagakure)
*) Special thanks to Buzzbumble for his commentary on the vagueness of Itachi's situation. I noticed I left a glaring plot hole and have subsequently moved the Itachi scene forward time-wise and changed both it and modified the Pein/Madara scene a bit to clarify things.
Japanese Word Glossary
Akahebi no Akako – Akako the Red Snake
Konohagakure - Hidden Leaf
Kumogakure – Hidden Cloud
Sunagakure – Hidden Sand
Amegakure – Hidden Rain
Iwagakure – Hidden Stone
Kirigakure - Hidden Mist
Ichibi – One tail
Nibi – Two-Tails
Jinchuuriki – Power of Human Sacrifice – Nickname for the container of Bijuu
Hebi – Snake
Keitaro – Blessed, Sacred
Gobi – Five-Tails
Rokubi – Six-Tails
Kyuubi – Nine-Tails
Kazekage – Wind Shadow
Raikage – Lightning Shadow
Youki – Evil energy
Yondaime – The Forth
Sandaime – The Third
Godaime – The Fifth
Tsuchi – Rock
Hi – Fire
Mizu – Water
Kaze – Wind
Kaminari - Thunder
(Four hours after the retreat of the invasion force, Fire Country)
Hanzou the Salamander coughed blood into his fist. Those wretched brats nearly killed him. He had never come so close to death in his life as he had when fighting them. It seemed he had created monsters when he let them live all those years ago. 'Damn my arrogance…If only I hadn't been so obsessed with my reputation…we might've won…'
He was flanked by multiple jounin and chuunin of Amegakure, the survivors of the retaliation of the Leaf Village. They had seriously underestimated the protectiveness of those tree-huggers and the sand dwellers. With their backs to the wall, they fought with a desperate ferocity that was unheard of, especially after the Gobi was supposedly defeated by that Uzumaki child.
It mattered not; he had much more important things with which to tangle. The rebels had been lying suspiciously low in the last couple of weeks. It wasn't like that arrogant upstart 'Pein' to hold back for so long. His guerilla forces had kept on using terrorist tactics for months now, blowing up buildings and assassinating his ninja. 'I have a bad feeling about this…'
His eyes widened as his battle instincts tingled and he thrust all the chakra into a 'Shunshin no Jutsu'. Despite his retreat, he was propelled backwards by an immense shockwave. He grunted in pain, somersaulting in mid-air and just barely landed on his feet.
He coughed as the entire area was blanketed by a thick cloud of dust. He entered a loose fighting stance as the wind blew it away. His eyes widened as his entire surviving force was dead, their bodies crushed and half imbedded within a deep crater in the earth. "What the hell…?"
Hanzou's eyes narrowed, the orange haired man in front of him strikingly familiar. The black cloak with red clouds was puzzling but those eyes, the ringed eyes of the Rinnegan triggered his memory.
The specter from his past pointed his palm at Hanzou and leveled a cold glare at him. "Hanzou the Salamander, God stands before you holding vengeance in one hand and justice in the other. Beg for the mercy I shall not give, Pray for redemption I shall not grant."
Hanzou clutched his chest, pain spreading through out his body. 'No…It can't end like this!' He didn't even have time to scream as an impossible force clutched his chest. He had just enough time to watch the ghastly image of his heart being ripped out of his upper body in a gory spray of crimson. The last thing he ever heard was one brutally vicious exclaim. "Banshou Ten'in…"
(Twenty hours later, hidden base in the Rice Field Country)
Her head felt like it was imploding and her body hurt all over. Her eyelids were heavy and moving seemed to be a blasphemous sin but she committed it anyway. She frowned as her arms were constricted in place. She tried talking, but all that came out was a weak and raw sound. 'What…the fuck? Where am I?'
Then, her chest constricted as an irrational fear gripped her when she heard the laughter that haunted her nightmares. "Good morning, Anko-chan."
Her eyes snapped open and there wasn't enough air to alleviate the asphyxiation she felt. She turned towards the source of the voice and her body started trembling. There he was; her former sensei and tormentor – Orochimaru.
His serpentine visage was even more eerie than she remembered in the poor illumination of the room. Yellow eyes caressed her body coldly and she had never felt so vulnerable and violated as she did when his cold hand caressed her hair.
She looked down at her body, noticing for the first time she was buck naked and strapped down to a metallic table. "Y-you son of a bitch! What the hell are you doing? How the fuck did I get here?"
The snake sannin chuckled softly, "It's quite simple, Anko-chan. I'm collecting on my investment. Did you honestly think you signed MY contract by accident? That you learned of the 'venom queen' by accident? Kukukuku, you can't honestly be that gullible, my dear. I had the snake clan bring you back to me the moment you let your guard down, and apparently, you did when you were going to kill a genin. Tsk, tsk, I thought you were above using my methods, Anko-chan."
Panic overwhelmed her and her voice trembled as she screamed at him. Realization struck her as every warning she had been given on the shady and untrustworthy nature of the snake summon clan turned out true. "Stop fucking around, you bastard! I've changed! I'm not like you and I'm sure as hell not your experiment anymore!"
"Oh, but you are! To the Hebi clan, I am what the one they call 'Keitaro'. I have beaten their 'queen' twice, single handedly, her shame and fear are my weapon. As long as I'm at the top of the food chain, the clan obeys me and I've been waiting for a while for you to…unlock your true potential."
Tears collected in her eyes, the enormity of his trap dawning upon her. It broke her inside. Just how much of her life had been manipulated and molded by this psychotic son of a bitch? "I-I made the decision to accept the bond on my own…so I could kill you!"
"I want to show you something, my dear." Orochimaru ignored her as she struggled in vain and took out two old looking photographs. One of was of a stunning violet haired woman who had an identical frame to Anko's and similar violet hair, only it was long and smooth. The other was of a serpentine woman whose face as a carbon copy of Anko's and hair style was similar.
"One of these women is my birth mother, Akahebi no Akako of the Hebishokkou clan. I was stolen from my clan as a baby to become a weapon in Konohagakure's arsenal by Shimura Danzou, himself. The other is my adopted mother, an ANBU whom was tasked to raise me before she was murdered by Roots because she threatened to blow the cover and tell me the truth when I was six years old."
Anko lashed out verbally. "Boo-fucking-hoo! I don't give a damn about your past!"
Her captor's reaction was unexpected as his eyes seemed to flash with violence for a moment before his grin widened, though a dangerous vibe coated his next words. "You are my firstexperiment in genetics; I created you by splicing these two women's DNA and adding some of my own in the mix."
"Y-you're lying!"
"I am not. Sarutobi-sensei knew as well. I wanted a family of my own, considering most of the village saw me as a monster in human flesh. So, he indulged me, why else would I chose you, an 'orphan child' to become my apprentice? Alas, you didn't seem to unlock my clan's unique abilities until now. You've blossomed a bit later for me to use you for your original purpose, so now you can serve a grander, more important set of secondary purposes."
She was afraid to ask, but couldn't help it. "And what are those…?"
He only laughed as he bent down and whispered in her ear, "Patience…you'll find out soon enough, Anko-chan." And then he turned to leave, ignoring her cursing and shouting as he went.
(At the same time, Akatsuki base, somewhere in the River Country)
God realm stepped into the cavern slowly, Konan flanking him. The shadowy figure of Uchiha Madara was perched on a chair. The ancient Uchiha's orange swirl mask concealed his bored expression, but his tone did not. "I've been waiting for you, Pein. You're late."
The heir of the Sage of Six Paths snorted, ignoring the jibe. He made of show of removing his cloak and sitting down on the couch in his quarters. He let the elder Uchiha stew for a few moments before he replied coolly, "It's done. The Salamander is no more."
"I see…so what's your next move, Pein?"
Nagato spoke through Yahiko in a dismissive manner, ignoring the question for now. "Kisame reported that Itachi met up with him recently and handed him the Gobi no Irukama before subsequently vanishing once again. It seems he overcame his handicap rather quickly after only several weeks of disappearing for his self proclaimed recovery time, don't you say, Madara?"
The elder Uchiha snorted softly and leveled a Sharingan at the Rinnegan user. "Heh…Is that so? That's…curious. Itachi is full of surprises…"
Pein crossed his arms and looked into the darkness of the room before moving on to the next subject at hand. "The villages are mobilizing for war, and capturing the Jinchuuriki has just become quite the chore, now that Konohagakure is protecting two of the nine and Kumogakure is extra vigilant."
"Oh? Are you going to invade Konoha and retake the Ichibi?"
He shook his head. There was no rush as it didn't matter who protected him. If it was neccessary they would all fall before the power of the Rinnegan. Considering there was no real threat there was no need to make his presence known by attacking one of the five directly, at least not yet. Besides, despite his invincibility there was little need to cross Jiraiya-sensei yet, if anyone could pose a threat to him, it was his old sensei. So it would be best not to rock the boat, at least not yet.
"No. The Gedou Mazou is not ready for the sealing. For the time being, we will lay low and accept missions in order to fund our cause. I will be working from Amegakure to rebuild it while researching a way to overcome this predicament."
Madara chuckled softly, "I see…And what of Orochimaru? You're going to let him get away with this…?"
"Sasori and Deidara will hunt him down; it may take them a while to corner him. But Sasori assures me he will add a new puppet to his collection before long. They will not fail me…"
God realm then turned to leave before a polite cough made him pause. "Aren't you forgetting one serious factor, Pein? The Kyuubi brat…he is the son of 'that ninja' and being trained by his same sensei. Capturing him now will save us trouble later."
"The Kyuubi is not a concern. I've assigned Itachi to monitor and assess his potential. If your 'apprentice' believes he is becoming a 'liability,' he has his orders. You vouched for Itachi, so his performance is your responsibility, Madara. As for Kisame, now that Hidan is dead, I've reassigned him to Kakuzu…for now those two will gather bounties and perform missions to fund our cause."
"Be as that may, you're making a mistake by underestimating the Kyuubi's power. I admit, however, that if anyone, save Zetsu, can stay beneath Jiraiya's radar, it's Itachi and he can also fight his way to safety if he's discovered."
He didn't acknowledge the criticism and walked out the room. Their plans had been impeded by that treacherous snake. But his plan would not be denied; peace would come to the continent one way or another: He would make sure of that - personally.
(Two hours later, back in Orochimaru's hidden base)
Orochimaru was sitting on his stone throne, his eyes thoughtfully glaring into space. He didn't move as he sensed Kabuto, Karin and Kimimaro entering the room behind him. He heard their robes swish as they kneeled on the ground behind him.
"You summoned us, Orochimaru-sama?"
"Yessss...my former associates are likely to be a bit upset with my 'interference'. I imagine they will send a team to 'deal with me'. We will be hopping from base to base very often, so I want you and Karin to save all the research data we've accumulated on portable memory devices."
"What about the…"
He hissed audibly and his killer intent spiked, silencing his subordinates. "I am the only one qualified to touch or even look at the Sharingan eyes!"
His lips twitched as Karin asked something fearfully. "What about the rest of the prisoners and human experiments?"
The snake sannin didn't even blink as he chuckled softly. "Kill the surviving prisoners, and transport the experiments to the southern base. Kabuto will escort you there and the two of you will stay there and continue our research endeavors until I join you."
Kimimaro spoke quietly, making his presence known for the first time. "What about me, Orochimaru-sama?"
He waved his hand. "Go and gather the Sound four. We will be travelling as soon as I'm done…preparing some surprises for our guestssss…"
They left to their respective missions, leaving the snake sannin alone. He cradled his face in his hand and laughed softly to himself. "This is turning out even better than I originally envisioned. The Ichibi and Kyuubi, the first and the last are protected by the strongest ninja of Konoha. The great five are all mobilized for war…now I can concentrate on my one true goal…acquiring the ultimate doujutsu which will help me become omnipotent and all knowing!"
(At the same time, administrative district, Sunagakure no Sato)
The high council member, Yuura, sat in his study at home, smoking a cigarette. He was nervous and unsure on what was coming. The Kazekage's gamble was a dangerous one; using both Orochimaru on one hand and Iwa and Ame on the other hand had it merits. However, the risk of being shafted by all parties was quite tangible and scary.
The black haired ninja ran a hand through his hair when he heard the door of his office. "Yuura-sama, we haven't gotten any word from the invasion force. The council requests your presence. The assembly has been summoned to discuss Sunagakure's next steps."
He grunted his acquiescence and stood up. The moment he stepped outside of his house, he frowned and looked upward. His eyes narrowed and he started walking faster, his instincts crying out something was seriously wrong. 'Clouds? It's still too early for our brief rain season…'
He paused abruptly when he heard an alarm going off. He shifted his original pass and followed the stream of ANBU that rushed towards the stairways that lead to the top the great wall. 'Impossible! No enemy is stupid enough to storm the very gates of Suna!'
His heart pounded as he ran with all he had. As he gazed out in the distance, his breath stood still. There, in the distance, was a massive army with a very familiar banner: a blue flag with a white storm cloud painted on it. 'Kumogakure? Here?'
(Meanwhile, outside the walls of Suna)
Ei, the Yondaime Raikage narrowed his eyes. He squinted as he peered into the distance, standing at the point of his nation's glorious army. "Did you verify the intelligence reports, Darui?"
His personal bodyguard and confidant nodded. His spiky, short white hair blew in the wind as he shouted loud enough to be heard above its howls. "Our spies confirm that Sabaku no Nori and his invasion force are late and out of contact! We're pretty sure Konohagakure wiped them off the face of the earth, Raikage-dono!"
Ei grinned and smashed his fists together. "Excellent. Tell the ninjutsu specialists to amplify the storm."
He then turned around and lifted his right fist and shouted at the top of his lungs. "Bring out the Pylons! Let's tear down their precious walls!"
That is when he rubbed his mustache with his right hand, sensing one of the integral parts of his plan appearing behind him. "Yugito. Are you absolutely certain you can control its power"
Her tone trembled as she bowed as low as she could. Her short blonde hair flapped in the wind and her eyes were a bit watery as she looked up at her kage. "Raikage-sama, I promise you I will not be a burden. I will serve you and the village well. I will earn my place and honor in your eyes, like Kirabi-sama."
Behind them, groups of Kumo ninja spread out massive scrolls on the sand. Each of the ten scrolls in total was placed several dozen feet away from the other. The ninja around the long pieces of parchment summoned what was sealed within. The raging winds quickly blew the white smoke; revealing ten five story pillars of hi-tech steel.
Each of them was a massive tesla coil, huge circular rings rimming the pillar in the center and a huge globe sitting on the top. The Kumo ninja then surrounded every tower and prepared for the command by their kage.
(Back on top of the wall of Suna)
Yuura snorted at the sight of the invading army. He shouted audibly to try and rally the troops. "Don't worry about those towers or that army. Those idiots will rue approaching our walls! They may have kicked up this storm to strengthen their Raiton ninjutsu. But they forget that wind trounces lightning any day! Let's show them why our walls have never been breached!
"Brace yourselves! Once they charge the walls, we'll shred them to oblivion with the power of the winds they leveled against us…!"
"Yuura-sama…th-the towers! The towers are glowing!" One of the Jounin point behind him, his face twisted into horror and fear.
The high councilor whirled around and his eyes widened. Every ninja assembled in the distance seemed to be firing off continuous lightning at those bizarre towers. The rings around the pillars started pulsing with raging electricity, but none like the globes on the top which illuminating the area in luminous bluish-white.
Yuura realized far too late just what those towers were. They were some form of siege tower meant to amplify the lightning chakra and weaponize it, forming the ultimate way to bring down any wall. "Abandon the…!"
His warning came too late as an intense glow blinded them. That was the last thing they ever saw; the ninjas on the wall not even having time to hear the impossibly loud thunderclap that followed their deaths or the legendary stone barrier torn apart by the rage of the heavens.
(Meanwhile, streets of Sunagakure)
Chiyo, the retired legend of Suna watched the walls fall from the streets below. Dread filled her for the first time in decades. The walls were the last line of defense their village had. The number of their ninja had never been great; quality of quantity was their motto, after all.
But now, that idiot child Nori had emptied Suna of its greatest forces and left them naked and vulnerable in face of one of the greatest armies on the continent – the Yondaime Raikage and his elite Kumo jounin force.
Her brother's voice pulled her out of her thoughts. "Sister, one of them is marching across the sand alone."
She yawned and got up, dusting her robe and walking out of the chamber she and her brother lived in. "Deal with it. I will stay here and protect the village with my puppets. Some may say our time has passed, but these old bones still have enough strength for one last battle. Isn't that right?"
"What a bother…I'll miss my nap! Oh, well… I'll see you later, then, sister?"
Chiyo shrugged her shoulders, "Of course, Ebizou-kun," she said softly and stepped outside. She looked to the sky where furious rain poured down from the heavens – another advantage for the invading army. 'We'll meet up in the hell reserved for ninja who've killed too many and lived too long, little brother…'
(Meanwhile, back outside the gates of Suna)
Yugito stood several hundred feet from the broken walls of Suna. Her head was slightly bowed. The cool rain did not bother her, nor did the freezing wind annoy her. Her mind was focused and her mission clear – nothing would stand in her way.
They were coming, dozens of them around her. She could smell them; hear them; practically taste them. But it was one chakra signature that stood paramount amongst them all in its strength and intensity. Her ears twitched and she blurred backwards, avoiding certain death as a wind ninjutsu nearly cleaved her in half.
He was watching her; she felt his eyes analyzing her, but he was content on waiting for his underlings to charge her so he could analyze her abilities. He was old, in his late seventies or eighties by the glimpse she caught of him when lightning flashed above her. Such a geezer didn't have any hope against her.
She drew upon her 'partner's' youki, her body igniting with rapture. She roared in a bestial manner as they charged at her with reckless abandon. Her bloodlust spiked as her eyes burned with ethereal, merciless blue just before everything around her burst into flame.
Their screams fell on deaf ears as her aura twisted and churned autonomously. The rain around her evaporated as the intense fire twisted into the spectral visage of a massive cat. It growl threateningly in a deafening manner that foreshadowed even the thunderstorm above before it spewed flame at everything in its path.
In the midst of the chaos, a precise, razor sharp wind ninjutsu crashed into the side of the Nibi incarnation. The attack was repelled by the thick coat of youki and didn't even register at first. It was the wheezing cough that caught the bijuu's vessel's attention before it turned its head towards the source.
The Jinchuuriki's eyes fell upon an old, balding and bearded man. He was observing her with a solemn expression as he rubbed his chin. "Oooh…a Jinchuuriki, is it? How…troublesome. It seems I won't be getting that nap after all."
(Several minutes later, the streets of Suna)
Chiyo coughed blood, everything hurting as she tried to move. Her gaze shifted upward at the glowing form of the Yondaime Raikage. He stared down at her with unyielding ridicule. 'When had the younger generation grown so strong? He brushed aside all my puppets as if they were toys…and he packs quite the punch…'
He spoke with a bone-chilling certainty as he deactivated the lightning armor that was both a sword and shield from what she could garner. "Your village's time is over, old woman. Today, the great five will be reduced to four."
Chiyo was confused; the great wars were never about annihilation. They were mostly about dominance over territory or stealing potential clients. Never had a village been invaded and razed until the likes of this 'Ei' and Nori came to power. There used to be an unspoken consensus about lines that just weren't crossed – apparently, no more.
"Why are you doing this? This will serve you no purpose. You cannot occupy the Wind Country and expose yourself to Iwagakure and Konohagakure. What do you hope to achieve by destroying us?"
"Money and prestige. It's quite simple, old woman. Konohagakure was the strongest of the five. Now that Orochimaru and you have weakened their forces and I permanently removed your village, their only possible ally amongst the five, they will be knocked down a peg and their clientele will begin leaking out to alternative ninja villages as well."
"You've…razed Suna…to weaken Konoha? You…idiotic, petulant child! We betrayed them…our alliance was broken! There was no point in this entire attack and all this bloodshed!"
The Raikage snorted. "Your village has mastered the wind element, our greatest weakness. With you out of the way, the balance will shift in our favor. Do not lament your weakness and mediocrity, Sunagakure whore. Your deaths will serve a purpose in the grand scheme of things…"
(At the same time, two miles away, dunes around Sunagakure)
"Hyuuga Midori of the Branch lay hidden on a sandy dune, observing the battle below with shock and quite a bit of awe. She had been sent to relay a message to Sunagakure about their captured ninja and dead Kage. She wasn't expecting such a catastrophic storm, nor was she expecting to find Kumo parked in front of the demolished gates of Suna.
She activated her Byakugan and her mouth gaped. On the topmost building in Suna, a single man stood. He lifted his hands to the heavens and lightning chakra started amassing between his palms. A humongous sphere of raging electricity formed above his head, glowing ominously like a beacon in the stormy night.
Then, the strange towers in front of the walls started glowing as well. 'They're…channeling their lightning chakra through those towers? But to what…end?' Her thoughts were cut as the ten siege towers unleashed massive blasts of lightning straight at the globe above the head of a man, whom she now recognized by his cloak and triangular hat as the Raikage.
Her heart started thundering hard in her bosom as the lightning chakra sphere expanded and grew exponentially. Midori did the only she could plausibly do in such a situation and deactivated her Byakugan while covering her face with her arm. She literally felt the subsequent discharge of raw energy as the air rippled with power. She then rolled into a ball, knowing what was coming and covered her ears hard.
The ground shook violently as thunder followed lightning. When the tremors stopped, Midori dared to open her eyes and crawled, activating her bloodline limit in the process. What she saw shook her to the core and prompted her to turn around and run as fast as she could. The Godaime had to learn of what just happened as soon as possible.
(At the same time, Kage Tower, Iwagakure no Sato)
Kagome Ishimaru cursed audibly, cradling his face in his hands. Curse the fates! How had he come from being on the verge of erasing Konohagakure to being forced to retreat in shame? It boggled his mind that Namikaze Minato had somehow, though in a roundabout manner, thwarted Iwa's victory yet again. As absurd as it was, Ishimaru couldn't help but wonder if that son of a bitch hadn't produced his child just to spite and humiliate him!
Han was supposed to transform and blast half of Konoha into the sky. But then, the frog boss and Ichibi for some odd reason decided to collaborate and defeat Iwa's ultimate trump card. He could somehow stomach that unpredictable outcome due to Konoha's cunning concealment of Minato's seed and legacy but there was simply no plausible manner to explain the reunification of the Densetsu no Sannin except that fate hated him.
What was worse was that Han had disappeared. He wasn't dead because if he was, the Gobi would've been rampaging through the Fire Country due to the seals unraveling, but alas, no such reports had circulated, so Han had proven useless, yet again.
His door opened, the interloper uninvited and definitely unwanted. It was his late sister's daughter, a kunoichi of great power and another heiress to the Yonton kekkei genkai. The black haired, pink eyed tomboy was so popular that when his father Oonoki had been murdered she helped her father, and his brother in law, the brute Kitsuchi to compete with him for the role of Tsuchikage. They had almost succeeded too, if it hadn't been for Sumiko and Kurotsuchi's legendary blunder when he failed to kill the Yellow Flash a year or two before the Third Ninja War. They were incredibly powerful both in politics and in power and he knew he had to be cautious around them at all times.
"Tsuchikage-dono, welcome back…"
Ishimaru's tone was cool and his glare arctic as he spoke: "What do you want?"
The cocky bitch grinned at him before her lips shifted into a smarmy smirk. "Tsk, such hostility… and I come bearing good news for once. You sure are a killjoy, uncle."
His teeth grit slightly as he folded his hands together and speared the younger woman with a murderous glare. "Speak or leave, Kurotsuchi. I don't have time for your games."
The younger jounin lifted her hands in a placating manner and spoke apologetically, "Ma, ma, don't you even want to know how Sumiko-chan is doing, Tsuchikage-dono?"
"My daughter's back? Where is she? Bring her to me…"
Kurotsuchi grinned. "She's outside, and I'll call her in. But first, you should know the clan heads are unsettled and disturbed. I would recommend you recall Roushi-sama from his travels, uncle. They're become jittery since Han's gone missing."
"I've already done that, but…thank you," he said with difficulty and smiled in a crooked manner and dismissed her with a wave of his hand. "I'll deal with the geezers later. Send Sumiko in, Kurotsuchi."
She smirked faintly but bowed and exited. A moment later, his daughter burst into the room. She called his name and wanted to hug him, but he lifted his hand, stopping her in her place. "This is a public area, Sumiko. There are appearances to withhold, so restrain yourself! There will be time for that later. More importantly, I need to hear your report."
"Y-yes, Tsuchikage-sama…" she amended softly and bowed her head before obeying his silent gesture and sitting down in a chair in front of his desk.
"I failed. Uzumaki…or rather, Namikaze Naruto's power was beyond me. He has massive chakra pools, expert control over the Kage Bunshin kinjutsu, can summon toads and use Fuuton and Suiton ninjutsu."
"That doesn't explain how he defeated you. You are my heir. Your grandfather and I have been training you since you were five years old. With your kekkei genkai and skill, you should have brutally murdered that genin in a blink of an eye, so what went wrong?"
"He…father, I think he's a Jinchuuriki…"
Ishimaru's heart skipped a beat and he spoke in a slightly choked manner. "What?"
She spoke timidly; a bit haunted by the memory it would seem by the distant gleam in her eyes. "While Namikaze was shadowing us, Han-sensei told me to run and not look back. I asked him why, and he said Naruto was like him and only he could fight another monster and live, and when he got closer…I felt a distinctively evil and hungry presence; something far darker and primal than even Han-sensei's youki…"
"Those sneaky hypocritical bastards! They criticize us for using our Bijuu as weapons, but they keep one in hiding to spring upon us a moment's notice!"
Sumiko's lips pursed, her eyebrows furrowing slightly. "Father?"
"Leave me be! I must contemplate this and see what can be done. Resume your training in the meantime. I will assist you later. Oh, and when Roushi returns, he and Kurotsuchi will be taking up your training. Konoha may have their Jinchuuriki, but you, my child…you will become our blade and exterminate the Namikaze name once and for all – in this, I trust!"
His daughter seemed hesitant and it irked him. He frowned at her when she spoke calmly but with a somewhat timid edge. "But, father…surely we should prepare for a possible retaliation first. Namikaze can wait…"
His chakra spiked and he waved his hand across his body. "You dare question me! I am the Tsuchikage; I know what's best for you and our village and that is preparing to remove our greatest threat from the board. Now go, before I decide to punish you for your impudence, Sumiko!"
(Two days later, mansion on the outskirts of Kirigakure)
Terumi Mei winced painfully from where she sat on the wooden floor. She was still nursing the wounds from her violent clash with the legendary Fujitsu Mashashi, the founder of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, weeks earlier. The aging man was deceptively fast and strong and his kenjutsu and ninjutsu were quite lethally effective.
She was relaxing at her home, having been given strict orders from her physicians to take it easy for a while. Kiri had painfully few medical ninja; the bloodline purges had depleted much of their talented shinobi – now she had to heal the old fashioned way - the passing of time.
The sound of swords clashing rang in her ears and, with some difficulty, she climbed to her feet and exited the room to the country yard. Her green eyes narrowed as she observed Choujuurou charge the same man that had bested her in combat only weeks earlier.
In the end, in between swords clashing, shouting and exchanging ninjutsu, they managed to reach an understanding. Mashashi had grown out of contact with the secretive nature of Kirigakure no Sato. He knew nothing of Sandaime's murder or the genjutsu that manipulated Yagura for so many years.
It was ironic; apparently, the older-nin had prepared, planned and lay low to seek vengeance against those who turned on him only to find out that, by the time he acted, they were all dead. But, that was fortunate for her, because even after all those years, he still loved Kiri and was willing to serve it again, under her mantle and she needed all the muscle she could get in her arsenal.
Her eyes shifted as she watched the elder ninja retaliate with blinding speed. He shifted his stance and smashed the blunt side of his sword into Choujuurou's hand. She winced sympathetically as her soft-spoken and shy protector released a pained sound the moment before the spin kick knocked him aside.
Mashashi sheathed his mythical weapon and heaved a long sigh through his lips. "Mei-chan, your subordinates are painfully undertrained. I'm beginning to have second thoughts about our deal. Maybe the political crap of being a kage is less tedious than reclaiming my mantle as the premier swordsman and training these miserable pups."
Mei giggled softly to herself and shook her head at him, "Don't worry. I'm sure they'll grow on you eventually. More importantly, now that you aren't trying to kill me and half my ANBU guard, I'm sure we can prepare our village for war..."
The man's dark eyes narrowed as he brushed some of his silvery hair aside at her sweet tone that coated the dreadful implications of her message. "War…? I thought none of the other four great villages had any naval abilities. And even if they did, why would they risk trying to storm our shore? That's suicide, considering our Suiton ninjutsu."
She spoke coolly in a foreboding manner, "I'm afraid we can't afford to believe in our terrain advantages, considering that Kumogakure invaded Kaze no Kuni and snuck into the legendary walls of Suna right before they tore them down and razed the hidden village to the ground."
She could tell that he was shocked, despite how his expression and stance barely changed but noticed the shift of his life-force and the slight tension in his hands. Then, his lips twisted into a grin. "My, my, my, Ei always was a bold and bloodthirsty little brat..."
Mashashi then pursed his lips and crossed his arms under his chest. "I hate to say it, Mei-chan, but we need Yagura or perhaps whoever contains the Rokubi."
Her eyes widened, and before the squawking outraged sound could escape her, he lifted his hand to silence her protests. "Yagura, for all his faults, was one damn strong ninja. He was controlled by a foreign power, but not any longer. Like it or not, we're the only village without a container now. That puts us in a very bad place..."
Mei frowned and bit her lips to choke down the profanity. "Our spies report that Utakata's hiding place has been destroyed, and he's presumably missing or dead, so the Rokubi is out of the question. As for Yagura, our hunter-nin almost captured him before they were murdered. I cannot see a scenario where I can pardon him without being impeached or he agrees to come back, but I suppose we can try to find an arrangement of some sort..."
He laughed and seemed fired up. "That'a girl! You track him down, and I'll bring him in. He may be an ultimate container, but I've been training especially to take him down. Let's say I've studied some...very specific ways to deal with the likes of him."
(The following morning, somewhere in the river country)
Uchiha Itachi stood silently, his black cloak with red clouds clashing violently with the green grass around him. He was on top of a cliff edge, gazing upon the woods of the Fire Country in the distance. His right eye was covered by a black eye-patch, concealing the scar from his battle with the snake sannin only several months earlier.
His hand smoothed over the fabric, his lips twitching some. The shame of being outmaneuvered by Orochimaru had not faded, but in the grand scheme of things, the infamous nuke-nin had done him a huge favor; he had given him the perfect means to hide his full potential from Uchiha Madara.
The suppressing seal on the inner side of the patch kept his freshly implanted Sharingan eye deactivated. It wasn't easy to ditch Kisame after he deposited the Gobi in the eve after the invasion, but he had managed to elude his partner in the end. It had taken him weeks after his initial injury to find a medical ninja willing to operate on him but luckily he had found one. Then after retrieving his Sasuke's sharingan from Danzou's base under the cover of the invasion he had met with said medic nin and underwent the surgery .
He was fortunate that retrieving the Gobi placated Pein enough to give Itachi some leeway, or else his absence after handing Kisame the Jinchuuriki would've raised questions. The fact he was now trusted enough to work alone was also a most fortunate twist. Itachi was not naive, he had no doubt Zetsu was lurking in the shadows and tailing him even now. He could elude the kusa nuke-nin as he had proven when he vanished from Akatsuki for weeks to find his medic and recently to meet and get the eye implanted.
However, not everything was perfect. Itachi was struggling to control his younger brother's eye. It was an imperfect solution as it hadn't matured into a full sharingan or reached the Mangekyo. Thus his optical nerves weren't able to fully incorporate the power of what was known as the fabled 'Eternal Mangekyo', at least not yet.
However, he was inspired to hope when he thought of Hatake Kakashi and how he somehow managed to transform Obito's two-tomoe Sharingan into a fully matured Sharingan. So, given time and practice, he was sure that he would eventually manage to overcome the setback, and when he did, he would have a distinct advantage of surprise over his 'master'.
He coughed into his hand, his body shuddering as he fell to his knees. The illness was slowly progressing, though he rarely had fits of coughing, and he knew it was only likely to worsen. He had tried getting help from various medical ninja who went rogue, but none had the skills to concoct a solution to neither his ailment nor the equipment to fully diagnose it.
There were only two ninja on the top of his mind that had the skills and facilities that might offer a solution. One was Orochimaru and his genetic/medical research, though he was more likely to try and steal his body or eyes than help the Uchiha. The other one was Senju Tsunade, the Godaime Hokage. If anyone could cure the disease, it was her, the most talented medical ninja in generations.
His mind was plagued by indecision. While Naruto had indeed proven he had potential, but had Itachi not intervened and stopped Han, he and Gaara would've been dead. More so, Naruto was backed up by Jiraiya, Tsunade and other high level ninja and should war break with Akatsuki, other villages would surely band together.
However, in contrast, it was very risky to try and turn on Madara. The ancient one didn't come off as the forgiving type and he had little will to incur his wrath, and that's not even taking account of Pein and his own moral code of divine retribution. Not to mention, the other Akatsuki members were not pushovers and would prove to be quite the obstacle once the time came.
He would have to slip carefully between the raindrops and make his decision soon. One path led to returning to his home and fighting for peace against hopeless odds. The other was joining one or two devils who aimed at peace via force, which was quite attainable but carried a bloody penance to it.
The sand in Uchiha Itachi's hourglass was slipping between his fingertips, and soon, he would have to choose his own definition of right and wrong and which path he ought to take – and suffer the consequences…whatever they may be.
(At the same time, capital of the fire country)
The Fire Daimyo sat leisurely in his chair, fanning his face as he waited patiently for the communication device to warm up. It was a hassle, but there was no avoiding it now. The five lords had to convene and discuss the recent escalation of violence.
Ninja were a mercurial bunch; they always played to the fiddle of their feudal lords while at the same time sneaking in their own agenda between the loopholes. The only reason they could be trusted so blindly so far was the unspoken code the Senju and Uchiha had dictated to the rest of the ninja world decades ago.
The understanding that kept the violence bottled for so long was beginning to fade into nothingness. The first crack was the evidence of ninja destroying Takigakure alongside both razing and ransacking the riches of the capital while remaining unknown. The second crack parted open when a Jinchuuriki was mobilized during an invasion. In the past, it was 'acceptable' to use one of the nine on the battlefield or to defend one's capital, but, on the other hand, it was declared 'forbidden' to use them to strike at a hidden village itself.
Those fissures would've been manageable on their own merit via levying financial sanctions on the state in violation with the pact, but this...this was unacceptable. Kumo had destroyed Suna, striking with both kage and Jinchuuriki, and leaving no survivors or refugees - just a barren, charred wasteland of blood and stone.
The screens flickered to life, the faces of his counterparts coming into view. They each identified themselves, and for a moment, there was silence.
"It's been a while since we've been forced to convene like this…hasn't it?" The Fire daimyo commented lightly, concealing his face with his fan as he spoke.
"Somehow, it's always you and Tsuchi-dono that garner these meetings. Your ninja truly are unruly," the Lord of Water coolly retorted. "One would think after all this time you'd have learned to control your ninja a bit better..."
"Hn…This, coming from the same person whose had three shinobi civil wars and has only recently managed to regain control over his own nation? My, you've become arrogant, Mizu-dono." The Fire Lord crisply chided.
The Thunder Lord callously butted in. "Tch, typical. Ever since the days of Senju, your nation has attracted nothing but unwanted attention, Hi-dono. Perhaps you would be wise to rein your ninja, less we..."
Suddenly, the pudgy, mustached wind Daimyo spoke up in a furious tone, "You're one to talk, Kaminari-dono, and I demand an explanation! How dare your ninja invade my country and destroy my hidden village!"
The Fire Lord frowned behind his fan, watching how the dark skinned man seemed as he adjusted the rectangular spectacles on the bridge of his nose but was otherwise completely unbothered by the whole situation his nation had created. "Ei did what he felt was neccessary in the interests of Kumogakure no Sato and Kaminari no Kuni. While I was unaware of his actions, I shall make an inquiry and deal with the situation accordingly. You have my word."
"Forgive me, but that's bullshit, Kaminari-dono," The elderly Tsuchi Daimyo frostily interjected. "How could your spies have missed the amassing of an invasion force? You have delegates that oversee your hidden village, as do we all. So, how is it that you failed to notice the Raikage's prolonged absence?"
He chose that moment to interfere, his tone light, though his words were scathing. While he had little ability to deter the thunder daimyo, who had just crushed one of the five with minimal losses, he could at the very least capitalize on the situation to strike at the earth daimyo. "Don't you get all high and mighty with Kaminari-dono, Tsuchi-dono. It is your Tsuchikage that sided with the renegade Hanzou and mobilized a Jinchuuriki against my country with identical intents of destruction. You're no better than him..."
He was about to tear into his rival and the thunder daimyo when the Mizu Daimyo coughed into his hand. "Gentlemen, please, we mustn't argue amongst ourselves. Our unity is all that holds this continent from erupting into a bloody war unseen since those dark times. Let us agree on one thing: this new generation of kage has no respect for the ancient pacts and we must react accordingly…"
There was a tense silence where all the daimyo glared at one another suspiciously before it was the Kaze Daimyo that spoke next. "Fine. What is it that you suggest, Mizu-dono?"
"Firstly, considering that Kaze no Kuni no longer has a ninja force, I suggest that it become a demilitarized zone only accessible to smaller ninja villages to prevent Kumo, Iwa and Konoha from fighting amongst themselves over dominance. Secondly, I suggest that an impartial party draft a new geographical agreement on how to split our countries' missions so we can avoid conflicts and possible skirmishes on the subject."
"That isn't enough," The Fire Daimyo interrupted his colleague, his voice decisive and firm. "I suggest we invoke a threat of severe financial sanctions against any village that invades the other or even another country until things simmer down. Ninja, for all their 'obedience' and 'loyalty,' need to be reminded of their dependency upon us every now and them..."
The other Daimyo seemed to consider his most bold suggestion cautiously. It was one thing to have a give-and-take relationship with the shinobi where they each played their part. But, it was another thing entirely to threaten their subordinates outright - it was a gamble and they all knew it wouldn't hold for long. These things rarely did.
Ninja Technique Glossary:
'Banshou Ten'in' - 'All Creation Attraction' - Banshou Te'nin is a Ninjutsu technique used by the Deva Realm Pain. This ability allows Pain to manipulate external objects through an invisible force that emanates from the center of his body. This force allows Deva to attract and draw in objects or opponents. The force requires a short interval to recharge.
'Shunshin no Jutsu' – 'Body Flicker Technique' - Shunshin no Jutsu is a basic Ninjutsu technique. The ninja will appear and disappear in an instant, allowing them to retreat or attack suddenly. To facilitate the movement the ninja will often use nearby elements such as mist, sand or leaves to mask their appearance or disappearance.