Chapter twenty four – Vortex
A place or situation regarded as drawing into its center all that surrounds it, and hence being inescapable or destructive.
"If you're not going back to Konoha, why didn't you go with Madara-sama and captain Naruto?" Asked Shin while brushing away a few strands of hair which had escaped his low ponytail. The man was nineteen and had an uncanny habit of speaking his mind with no filter. It wasn't like he was stupid, but he found it too bothersome to try and be polite.
This had made him unpopular with certain people and reliable to the rest. Naruto absolutely adored him, Hashirama had once heard her say he should start saying 'troublesome' instead of 'bothersome' and then he'd be perfect. Perfect for what? Had Shin asked, but Naruto had just waved her hand and chuckled without answering.
Hashirama was taking the first shift since both Nara Shin and Uchiha Izumi needed rest a lot more than he did. Not only were they close to the boarders of Land of Lightning, but they also had enemies lurking around.
Tobirama would probably have told his older brother this was a stupid idea, which Hashirama should have thought through better before continuing. But against his better judgement the Hokage had stayed behind while the rest of the backup squad had returned to the village.
"Because I didn't want Sasuke to know I was at hand in case something… goes wrong." Explained Hashirama, looking around his post while Shin, who was lying on the grassy ground, looked up at him.
"Sasuke-san is dangerous, isn't he? You sent Madara-sama out to protect captain Naruto. Not to help out." Shin stated certainly, tucking his hands behind his head.
"You say that as if you already know the answer," replied the Hokage, giving the Nara a small smile.
"You seemed uncertain about him. Captain Naruto too, but less than you were." Answered Shin while looking up at the sky. Clouds were gathering and Hashirama had a feeling it wouldn't be too long before it would be raining.
"Who is Sasuke-san? What is wrong with his eyes anyway?" Asked Izumi, voice thick with sleep.
"Eh… He has a… condition." Explained Hashirama while looking pointedly away, all the while trying to figure out something that would divert the subject onto something less… well, bothersome.
"Cracked skin and black eyes? Must be some serious condition then. But I'm guessing it won't hinder him from fighting, or else you wouldn't be this nervous." Muttered Shin while slowly closing his eyes.
"No… He is not likely to have any problems there." Replied Hashirama slightly annoyed. He really didn't want to talk about Sasuke with Shin and Izumi. He only wished he could have gone with Naruto and Madara. Especially since the latter was so tired already, and without rest would be poor help if Sasuke suddenly turned on them.
"He looks like Izuna-san." Stated Izumi without further explanation.
Shin's eyes opened and his head turned in the direction of Izumi. He didn't say anything, but Hashirama guessed he was agreeing since he wasn't contradicting her.
"And he knew the great fireball technique. That's an Uchiha technique. How did he know that?" Asked Izumi, her voice getting steadier while she spoke.
"That, I cannot answer." Said Hashirama, and was pleased with being able to be honest. He had absolutely no idea where or how Sasuke had learned that technique.
Naruto was woken up by a very grumpy looking Kurou. Her head was blurry and she had a hard time focusing, but after a minute she realised it was her turn to be the lookout. Both for enemy ninjas and for their fourth companion.
Sitting up slowly, she turned her head to look at Sasuke. He was staring blanking at the hills. At least that was what Naruto assumed. It was hard to see properly in the dark, and her eyes hadn't adjusted properly yet.
Kurou only gave a grunt as a goodnight comment, before he lay down on the spot Naruto had been earlier while the blonde found a large rock to sit on. Sasuke turned to look at her for a moment before resuming his watch of their surroundings.
"Nothing to report?" Asked Naruto quietly, her own eyes browsing the bare landscape to her right, and then the forest edge to her left.
It was probably not the smartest place for them to have made camp, but it was better than the alternative. At least they were in the lower part of the terrain, and would most likely spot an enemy before they spotted them.
"No." Sasuke replied simply, still looking away and showing very little interest in making conversation.
They stayed silent for almost half an hour before the Edo Tensei Sasuke finally started paying Naruto any attention.
She had gotten to her feet and was strolling around the camp side while trying to shake off her sleepiness.
The meaningful look Sasuke gave her was enough for her to come back to the stone she'd occupied earlier and wait for what he had to say.
"Kurou should be asleep by now, so keep your voice down. I want the full story, not just vague answered like the ones you give when anyone else is around." Said Sasuke quietly, his mouth barely moving.
"I time travelled, ended up here about… Fifteen years ago. As you already know, I've been trying to catch black Zetsu, but I've failed so far. I met Madara and Hashirama when I was thirteen and became friends with them. I told them about Kaguya and the story that follows with it to make sure Madara didn't fall for black Zetsu's crap again. I've travelled the world many times and I've seen a lot of battles, but rarely been involved with one. I watched the founding of Konoha and I've helped with establishing it. A few months ago, Hashirama and Mito got married and on their wedding day Mito was killed by black Zetsu. Since then I've focused on getting the Edo Tensei down by killing a lot of animals. Uzuni Yasu was Mito's old sensei, and he was also the only other witness to Mito's death. He was very old, and because of his old age and illness he knew his time was coming very quickly. He knew I needed a sacrifice for the Edo Tensei, so he volunteered." Naruto summarised while Sasuke watched her closely.
"I see… And Madara?" Sasuke asked, leaning forwards a bit and folding his hands. His eyes flew momentary to the dark shape where the Uchiha leader currently lay asleep before coming back to meet Naruto's gaze.
"What about him?" Asked Naruto a little confused. There was a lot to talk about concerning Madara, but what specifically he was after was uncertain.
"What the hell did you do to him?" Sasuke clarified his question with an exasperated look, as if that should have been obvious.
"I did nothing to Madara." Said Naruto hurriedly, feeling her cheeks warm up and thanking her own luck that it was too dark for Sasuke to catch it.
"You clearly did something," he replied, a little exasperated, "Uchiha Madara was acting as a decoy for the sake of Konoha when we arrived at that battle. That's pretty out of character for a man who originally tried to destroy it."
"I've been his friend. I saved his younger brother once when he almost died with my yang powers. Izuna was struck down by Kurou and I had to make sure Madara didn't go all vengeful like last time. Or like you." Naruto calmly explained. Her pointing finger had unconsciously started tapping against the hard rock as they talked, her shoulders stiffened, and her other hand twisted some strands of her hair around her fingers.
Sasuke's eyebrow rose slowly and he nodded, so Naruto continued. "Madara is actually a good guy. He has a better sense of humour then you do, and he really just wants the best for those he cares about. And now he cares about Konoha, which makes him willing to fight for our village. But still, even I was quite surprised he was willing to go that far..." She said thoughtfully and looked towards Madara.
"Hn." Replied Sasuke with a shrug. He had already lost interest in the topic and changed it towards more acute matters. "I heard the rebels we're going after might have taken an Uchiha. Uchiha Katsu."
He stated that more then he asked, but Naruto still felt the need to confirm his words. "Yeah, Madara said he disappeared during their battle. You were there when he told Hashirama, why are you interested in that?"
"Hn. Uchiha Katsu is the name of my great grandfather on my father's side." Said Sasuke leaning even further forwards while tilting his head slightly. Naruto suddenly felt her palms start to sweat.
"W-what?"
"Uchiha Katsu was the head of the Uchiha clan after Madara deserted Konoha. He was also my dad's grandfather and my great grandfather."
Naruto didn't know what to say to that. It had never crossed her mind that Katsu could be an ancestor of Sasuke. Katsu also had a habit of using the sound 'hn' as an answer to most questions. She had of course wondered, but the blonde had no way to find out except to wait, and there it was.
"Is that why you've been so compliant with this since we left Hashirama and the rest?" Muttered Naruto silently, she had gone very tense, and her head was racing with different possibilities. Most resolving around different ways Katsu could still, somehow, be alive.
"Hn."
Naruto bit her lip and looked into the trees with furrowed brows.
"I don't care about you or me getting born in the future. I've already experienced it, and I can't seem to care too much about it. But I do care about Itachi." Explained Sasuke, his eyes had narrowed while they squinted towards the blonde.
She nodded and closed her eyes. Catching the threat in his words for what it was.
They both kept to themselves for a while after that. Both thinking about what was happening but not sharing it with one another. After an hour Naruto spoke up again.
"Sasuke, do you ever wonder… what you would have dreamed?"
Sasuke looked expressionlessly back and changed his position so he was sitting cross legged towards her. "If the Infinite Tsukuyomi had hit us." Clarified Naruto, though she suspected her childhood friend already knew what she was getting at.
"No, I've never wondered about that."
Naruto moped at that answer, and gave him a glare to make him continue talking.
"I don't have dreams, I make my dreams reality." He added and leaned back so he was propped up against the palm of his hands.
"I know what I'd dream. I'd dream we were all back in Konoha. Like when we were kids. Both of us having our families and being at peace with the other nations. I'd dream we had never been ninjas. Never had the need to fight, and that death was something that only occurred naturally." Started Naruto with a faraway expression. Sasuke snorted and looked away, clearly thinking she was being a moron or an idealist.
"You're such an idiot, Naruto." Muttered Sasuke. "You'll never see them again. You will never have peace, and if that's what you wanted you should have let Madara win the war. It's the only way you'd ever see that."
Naruto's teeth gritted at Sasuke's words while her finger abruptly stopped its tapping. Clearly he was still as much of a bastard as he'd been before he died. Sympathy was always one of his weaknesses.
"You haven't changed at all have you? Fifteen years of this and you're still rambling about unity and understanding one another. Don't you see that the only thing that can create such a thing is force? Like the Fourth War?"
Naruto was about to furiously protest, but Sasuke continued without pause.
"The only reason the Five Great Nations united was to take down a common threat. There was no unity before their lives was at the edge of the enemies' blade. That's the closest thing the world have ever seen to peace, and they were all paying for it with their own blood. It says something doesn't it Naruto?" he asked wryly, "Peace comes at the cost of the enemy's life. When one has to be sacrificed to keep the other. Like with my clan, and who knows how many others. If you had won the war, and everyone want back home, how long do you think it would have taken for a new conflict to emerge? Another war? Hm? Five years? Ten? Maybe even twenty, but it would come. The only thing that can maintain peace is force. A common threat."
Naruto listened attentively, her hands fisted while she tried to comprehend what Sasuke was truly trying to say.
"In a way. This is perfect, I would have needed immortality to reach my goal, and here I am aren't I? Edo Tensei with unlimited chakra. You are such an idiot, Naruto." Sasuke sneered at the end. His dark eyes taunting her, while Naruto finally understood what he was saying.
"That… Is what you meant, wasn't it? When you said you would become Hokage. You wanted to become the common enemy." She said looking down, her eyes closing painfully as she felt the rush of emotions flowing through her.
"Hn."
"And now? What do you want now, Sasuke? Is that still your goal?" Naruto asked bitingly, still not looking at him. "You're going to be all alone, hated by everyone, threatening people into submitting to your "peace" while you mimic your older brother once again?" She snapped. All she wanted was to shout and shake him violently. Make him understand that there was no way that would ever happen.
Sasuke didn't reply, even though he could tell how furious Naruto was right now.
"You think I'd let you do that, Sasuke?" Whispered Naruto so silently even he had problems hearing her.
"Eventually. There is nothing you would be able to do about it. You will die, I won't."
"You are mistaken, Sasuke." She retorted, her eyes flashing red in her fury. Kurama growled furiously in the back of her mind, almost as pissed off as Naruto herself was.
"You say I haven't changed. You say I'm still the same idealist as you expect me to be. Well here's news for you, Sasuke, I have changed. I can do whatever the hell I want with you. I can force you to babysit every single brat in Konoha for the rest of eternity, and you won't have a say in it. I told you I wouldn't control you in regard to me. That I wouldn't hinder you if you decided to attack me after we handled black Zetsu. But the rest? Don't think for a second that if you decide to stay here until the end of time, that your will would be free. Even if I, the Edo Tensei caster, is to die my previous commands will not be released from you. Quite the opposite actually, if I die there would be no way for you to ever be free unless you yourself chose to pass on. You think because I once would have been unable to force you like that, that I'd still be the same?" Naruto took a deep breath before meeting Sasuke's furious eyes.
Good, maybe he finally felt a drop of the same frustration Naruto was feeling.
"To maintain peace, I am more than willing to make sure you'll never be released from me. I've already made the command Sasuke, I made it the moment I summoned you. The only reason you haven't noticed it, is because you haven't tried to oppose it. You are not allowed to come in the way of my will. To achieve peace, sacrifice is needed. Don't think just because master Yasu is the one dead you're not the one being sacrificed here." Naruto growled the last sentence out, her fury directed at Sasuke who had gone expressionless. "And you will never be allowed to become the darkens of this world, that's the command."
His eyes were a bit wider, but other than that he seemed frozen. Neither blinked while the silence of the night crept up on them. Something had broken between them. Something inside Naruto finally realized she would never go back to that person she'd once been. The one who would never have used Sasuke as a puppet, and never given up on him.
But she had.
She had given up on him many years ago now. She would never be able to save this Sasuke. The only possibility was if he was reborn, and then that Sasuke could have the life he once deserved.
Sasuke probably realized that the bond Naruto had always talked about, describing it as unbreakable, was now tearing. Was he satisfied? For finally getting what he'd wanted back in the Valley of the End?
"You're right." Sasuke said eventually.
Naruto only gave a pointed glare back. "I know, but about what exactly?"
Sasuke gave her a condescending smirk and looked away. "You have changed."
Madara was keeping close to Naruto while they crouched behind some large boulders surrounded by trees.
They had finally found their target.
Kurou was standing a few metres in front of them scouting the enemy camp together with Sasuke, while Naruto had just returned after doing her own reconnaissance using Sage Mode.
While they had been pursuing their enemies, they'd ended up taking a wide half circle following their target. Technically they were still along the borders of the Land of Fire, but slightly more north then east of where they had been previously.
The rebels probably wanted them to think they had fled out of the country, but instead they'd only camped just as close, just more hidden.
It made Madara feel a bit offended, and he hoped they hadn't been here for too long. It would be embarrassing if they'd overlooked a camp of this scale just a few metres from the borders of the country they protected.
Even though the Uchiha had a long and restful night, the same couldn't be said for the rest.
Kurou had been his usual self, but Naruto and Sasuke had been very cranky. The stranger might be quiet by nature, but everyone could pick up on his constant brooding while they'd been jumping from tree branch to tree branch.
The only female member was giving everyone the silent treatment. Especially Sasuke, and because of that she was keeping closer to Madara. Not that he was complaining, but it made him curious as to how it had happened.
"It's a medium sized camp and we will be seriously outnumbered. I think sending a message to Hashirama-dono would be the wisest. We should ask for some backup." Said Kurou as he and 'odd-eyes' returned to their hiding place together with Madara and Naruto.
"How many?" Asked Madara seriously as Kurou sat down next to him.
"A hundred?" Guessed Kurou with a shrug.
"Anyone we know?" Asked Naruto peeking up over the edge of the boulder. "I didn't recognise anyone's chakra though."
"Hm… Hard to tell, they're so far away. Have you been able to locate Katsu?" Kurou asked as he looked over his shoulder in the direction their enemies were currently regrouping. Naruto was still in Sage Mode and nodded.
"Yeah, he's in the middle of the camp in that large circus tent. He seems fine, but he isn't moving. I'm guessing he's tied up." Explained Naruto seriously.
"Circus tent?" Asked Kurou confused, he had probably never heard the term before. No wonder, it wasn't like there was any travelling circuses in these days of clan wars.
"Eh, the big grey one that stands out from the rest. It's larger than a house, you must have noticed it."
Sasuke straightened up and walked towards the opening between the boulders they'd used to spy on the rebels. "One of us should get closer and look around. I'll do it." He said and was already about to leave when Madara hissed for him to come back.
"You stay here. Out of all of us you're the shadiest. How the hell do we know you won't go down there and raise the alarm?" He bit out while Sasuke slowly turned around again.
It was then Madara felt the air in his lungs leave him.
Staring back at him was one lilac eye with a circle pattern and a bright red Sharingan.
"How?" He asked quietly, staring back at Sasuke in indignation. He was so stupefied by the Sharingan he had to overlook the other eye, which was clearly not normal.
"None of your business. I'll go down. It's not like I'll die." Sasuke sneered the last word and gave an angry glare towards Naruto before he hurriedly left amongst the boulders.
"He has the Sharingan?" Madara asked, turning to the blonde who was looking upset. The blonde sighed heavily and nodded wordlessly at his question.
Walking up to her with his hands on his hips he used his best Uchiha glare while confronting her. "Yeah, we have a lot to talk about when we get back to Konoha, Naruto." Muttered Madara with a bitter tone.
"Sasuke having the Sharingan isn't any of my business, Madara. Why should I have told you?" Snapped Naruto in a low and urgent whisper while taking a step forwards.
Kurou looked curiously back at them before resuming his post as lookout.
"I've asked you about Sasuke before. Remember? That day. And you said he had died and it was just another war story. I didn't remember at first, but that's clearly the guy you talked about. Why on earth didn't you tell me he had stolen a Sharingan from an Uchiha? That is obviously my business."
"Stole? Stole? Sasuke didn't steal his Sharingan. He activated them, I would know, I was there after all. His name is Uchiha Sasuke, dattebayo." Answered the now furious blonde pointing accusingly at Madara with fire burning in her eyes.
"Uchiha? There's no way. We know every Uchiha there is, Naruto. My clan have always made sure no one else gets a hold of the Sharingan. It's ridiculous that there's an uncounted Uchiha we didn't know about. There's just no way." Answered Madara just as angry, not backing down even though they had more important matters to tend to.
"I'm not lying, Sasuke is an Uchiha. He has the Mangekyō too."
Their noses were almost touching when a cough made them both look up to see Kurou observing them with a small smirk and Sasuke standing next to him.
"I came back to say we need to move. They are sending out people in this direction, so we should run if we do not want to be discovered." Explained Sasuke after a moment of silence between the four of them. "Naruto and I can probably get rid of them, but if Katsu is down there they might use him as a hostage."
Naruto backed away from Madara and nodded to Sasuke while Kurou unsheathed his katana.
Walking away from the rest Madara ordered them to follow. "Let's get out of here."
The sky was slowly growing darker where Hashirama sat together with Shin and Izumi eating their second meal of the day.
Izumi had attempted to get some information out of Hashirama a few times that day, but had given up after the Hokage had said straight out that he didn't want to discuss the matter of Sasuke.
"Oy, Izumi-san, this tastes… What did you put in this?" Asked Shin looking down at his meal which was supposed to be cabbage soup.
The Nara had never been one to beat around the bush, but the Hokage had no idea how Shin could not be a little afraid of the Uchiha woman.
Her pin straight hair was today unkempt and tied up in a messy bun. The bags under her eyes and her permanent frown often made him think of Madara, but he had never pointed out that resemblance. Both in fear of his childhood friend and the comeback Izumi was likely to hack him with.
Hashirama had refrained from saying anything about their food himself, but he too had noticed the odd contrasting tastes as well. All he had done was grimace slightly, before continuing eating.
Beggars can't be choosers after all, and Hashirama hadn't brought anything more than a weapon pouch when he'd left Konoha.
Izumi had stiffened at Shin's words and the glare she sent the Nara was enough to freeze the whole area. "It's Ketchup." She told him monotonously.
Shin looked confused and stared down at his soup before looking back at Izumi. "Ketchup? Why?"
Izumi huffed and took a mouthful of cabbage soup topped with ketchup. "Is there a problem with ketchup? I happen to like ketchup." She murmured and looking more than content with her dish.
"It's just different, Izumi-san." Hashirama said, cutting in before Shin could say something offensive.
"It's a good kind of different. There should be ketchup in more things." Explained Izumi while stirring her soup with her wooden spoon.
"…"
Shin seemed to take her for a lost cause, since he turned towards the Hokage instead and changed the subject. "Shouldn't you be going back soon, Hokage-sama? Izumi-san and I will keep watch here. She can send her hawk summons if something comes up."
The oldest man amongst them nodded, but declined. "Um, yeah, I'll just stay a bit longer. Naruto and Madara still might need some backup. I'll help keeping the border safe until we hear word from them." He answered quickly while automatically spooning up another mouthful of cabbage soup, and grimaced when the taste hit his tongue.
Shin smirked while Izumi seemed clueless. "If you say so."
As Hashirama forcibly swallowed his soup a sudden sound made all three of them jump. The bowl of soup Hashirama had in his lap spilled over, and in the back of his mind he couldn't find it in himself to mind all that much.
Twisting around they saw a small yellow frog with brown spots standing next to Shin's backpack clad in a pink vest. The frog croaked once before raising an arm and waved at them.
"Yo, news from Naruto-chan. Everyone listen up." The toad said in a surprisingly soothing and gentle voice compared to the croak it had first uttered. It then looked curiously around before turning back to its observers. "Huh, this doesn't look like Konoha."
Realising this was one of Naruto's toad summons Hashirama and the other two eagerly got to their feet and gathered around the toad.
Rain started pouring down a few hours later, soaking the ground and making it soggy and slippery.
Madara was lying on said ground in hiding together with Sasuke as the two men crawled closer to the enemy camp.
The tension between them was palpable, but at least better than it had been earlier. After having the chance to calm down while running away from the enemy, Madara had come to the conclusion that the discussion he wanted to have with both Sasuke and Naruto could wait.
Right now they had more than enough to handle as it was.
The two Uchiha had a clear task: get as close as possible to where Naruto could feel Katsu's still flowing chakra.
However, it was in the middle of the camp, so the best the two could do was creep up on unsuspecting ninjas, kill them silently and then move forwards. They knew they would be discovered before they found Katsu, but hopefully they would have come across someone important to take hostage.
Naruto and Kurou was in the forest while waiting for their signal whenever they were discovered. The blonde was the one least likely to get through the camp because she was horrible at stealth, and since there was no way in hell Madara would let Sasuke stay with the blonde, he had been forced to take the mysterious Uchiha with him.
Before they left Naruto had handed over a kunai to Sasuke. It wasn't actually a kunai, but one of her Kage Bunshin transformed into a kunai. In other words, all they had to do was throw the kunai hard enough into something, and the real Naruto would know what was happening as the clone dispelled.
The two men kept low while edging around the camp. It was very quiet, the only thing they heard was a few coughs and one stifled sob from inside the tents.
Their first obstacle came in a lone shinobi which was dealt with very efficiently. He had walked very close to them, and one quick movement later his throat was cut while a hand was pressing against his mouth. No one noticed, so after hiding the body in some of the bushes close by, they continued forwards.
Fifteen more anticlimactic minutes was spent sneaking forwards before they came up to the largest tent where Naruto said Katsu was being held.
It was round and high, and the diameter of the area it covered was probably the same as the Hokage building.
Outside was three guards, but lucky for the two infiltrators, it was dinnertime and the weather was horrible. Which meant no one but the guards was out of their tents.
Since they relied on sign language to communicate, they both started coming with suggestions for what to do next. After a few minutes of signed argument between the two Uchiha, Sasuke took matters into his own hands.
They were crouching down in the bushes, and the younger man stood up enough for him to have a direct shot of the guards they were targeting, and to Madara's surprise he suddenly disappeared.
One moment he was there, and the next he wasn't. Shooting up from his position Madara watched as Sasuke killed the last of the three guards by the entrance.
Clearly he was also efficient.
The next moment Madara found himself next to Sasuke. Looking at where he had been standing earlier, he watched as the body of the third guard fall bloody and lifeless to the ground.
In morbid fascination he wanted to ask what sort of jutsu that was. It was clearly some sort of time space ninjutsu, which most likely made you switch places with something else. Madara had never seen anything like it.
It was becoming very obvious that Sasuke was not to be taken lightly. He'd known that all along, there must have been a reason Naruto had asked him to help getting rid of black Zetsu. But guessing and seeing was two different things.
Sasuke moved into the tent quickly, and the older Uchiha followed swiftly while noting that Sasuke's eyes were activated. Curious. Was the space time ninjutsu linked with his eyes? They had been deactivated earlier.
At first it seemed pitch black in there, but slowly they got used to the dim light.
As far as Madara could see and feel, there was no one there, only dust and mud.
Carefully they moved close together over the open room. Both having their eyes activated now.
What caught Madara's attention the most was the large object at the other end of the tent. It was half the height of the tent and very wide. It was oval shaped and made of clay. His eyes wandered from the top of the object and downwards. Noticing even in the darkness the many inscriptions and paintings decorating it.
He was very curious as to why their enemy was dragging this thing around. It looked very heavy.
As his eyes glided to the bottom his breath quickened.
There was someone there. A person sitting by the foot of the object.
Turning towards Sasuke their eyes met. They nodded at the same time and moved forwards in unison.
It was hard to see who it was in the darkness, shadows obscured the person and they had to cross the whole room before Madara found his suspicions confirmed.
The first thing Madara noticed was that Katsu was not tied up.
Instead he was unconsciously leaning against the wall in an awkward sitting position. As far as the Uchiha leader could see, there was no wounds or even blood on him. It was like he had fallen asleep while sitting there on the muddy ground.
Madara took a step closer, and since nothing happened he took another step. Then another.
On the sixth step he started hurrying, crossing the distance as fast as he could while Sasuke stayed behind. But just as he reached out, ready to snatch Katsu off the ground and then bolt away, something made him stop in his tracks.
Katsu's head which had been tilted forwards, snapped up. His eyes wide open as if he'd been abruptly waken, but except for his open glare, the rest of him seemed… unresponsive.
His mouth was hanging slightly open, his eyebrows sagging and his arms limp by his side.
None of this was what made him stop though, it was the red eyes staring back at him. Two Mangekyō Sharingan with spiral pattern swirled in their sockets. While shock numbed Madara momentarily, he finally started to notice the black substance slowly creeping out from the hairline of Katsu's face.
It was like watching wine spill over a white sheet. How Katsu's normally pale skin was transformed into pitch black until it was impossible here in the dark to distinguish his features.
It was Katsu alright, no doubt about it.
The only problem was that black Zetsu was attached to him.
Madara backed up quickly as the black Zetsu infested Katsu got to his feet. "He, he, he. Now this is peculiar. I thought Naruto was the only one." Croaked black Zetsu while using the unconscious Katsu's mouth.
Sasuke had tensed like a wire behind him, his blade already out while Madara grabbed the hilt of his gunbai.
"If you think I'll fall for this hostage crap your mistaken. I won't make the same mistake as was done with Mito-san." Threatened Madara angrily.
"I see this will be harder than I had hoped. But then again, I'll do a more thorough job if I get rid of you three first. If you're gone I doubt Hashirama will be a problem anymore." Continued Zetsu.
Madara had no idea what he was talking about, and from the look at Sasuke's face, he also seemed to struggle to understand what the black creature meant.
Why was Hashirama such a problem in the first place? Naruto he could understand, but he and Hashirama hadn't done much in catching this bastard. Not to mention why he seemed to be including Sasuke into the problem. Did black Zetsu know who Sasuke was?
"You have walked straight into my trap, you won't get out. And when the blonde abnormality feels your chakra fading she'll come running. Then I'll be rid of her too."
A trap? This was black Zetsu's trap? Was he collaborating with their enemies?
It sounded like they were already in deep trouble, but at least they could make sure Naruto didn't come in here before they'd weakened the creature enough for her to come finish it.
"What trap? There's you against the two of us. What chance do you think you have using an unconscious body as hostage?" Growled Madara as he came to stand next to Sasuke, his gunbai clutched tightly in his left hand and kama in the right.
"Oh, I'm using much more than an unconscious body, Madara. I'm using Katsu's bloodline and the help the Yuki clan has provided me with. After all, Katsu was never a hostage, he is the tool."
"Tool? This isn't any different then with Mito, and as far as I've heard you only used her to get away. And the Yuki clan? I don't see any of them here." Said Madara and pointed around them. "We killed the guards already, they wouldn't have been much help anyway."
Katsu moved backwards in the dark tent, his hand moving to the large object he'd been leaning against.
Sasuke and Madara glanced at each other quickly before concentrating on their prey.
He was moving in a deliberate way. As if he was about to unleash his trap. Even though Madara knew black Zetsu was not to be underestimated, he still couldn't muster up the will to be scared. All he felt was determination.
Katsu was still alive, and he'd do his best to get him out of this alive, but if forced he was ready to sacrifice him too. If what the creature had hinted at was true, then his clan and the village was at stake here.
Katsu's black hands were moving in a series of signs before stopping in the ram seal. "Release!" Back Zetsu roared. For a moment nothing happened, but still they didn't dare look away. Then a screeching sound rang through the room. Madara wouldn't be surprised if Naruto and Kurou could hear it all the way out in the woods.
And suddenly the dark room was filled with light as something exploded.
The force was so strong both Madara and Sasuke was thrown backwards through the tent wall, and out into the open.
Stumbling to their feet Madara watched as chakra leaked out of the massive object behind black Zetsu. It was a gigantic jar of some sort, and from it rose two gigantic figures.
One enormous insect and one equally large slimy creature. Both of them had ominous tails swishing behind them and eyes the pattern of the Sharingan as they rose out of the jar.
The air was filled with a shuddering pressure, and any idea Madara had earlier about controlling the situation flew out the window.
They were bijū. Two fucking bijū.
While Madara opened mouthed stared up at the creatures, he heard the sound of Sasuke cursing and a kunai being thrown hard into the ground.
Author note: Thanks for reading everyone! And thank you especially Jayden-the-Jaded who has agreed to beta this story for me, and have done a very good job of correcting my mistakes.
About Izumi, she has actually showed up in the background of this story before. Don't know if anyone of you've noticed that though. She was one of Madara's old fangirls, and if anyone has been watching the latest Naruto shippuden episodes there's already apparently an Uchiha Izumi in the Itachi fillers. I named up Izumi back in the start of december 2015, who is also Uchiha Izumi… strange… But, because of the fun coincidence I just had to add her into this scene.