This is a work of fanfiction. Naruto does not belong to me in any shape or form. Suing me, is counterproductive, as I own nothing, and unfortunately have nothing but a small apartment to my name. Cheers, and enjoy my tale.
Amegakure, Kōsen tochi (The Warring Lands); 5 weeks after the failed massacre
At the age of 42, Tomoe Gozen found herself to be a bitter, middle aged woman. She didn't like many things, and was vocal about it. Usually with her knives. Of the 24 ninja in Sanshouo no Hanzo's Honor Guard, she was one of the oldest. And the most bitter. She hated the rain. The way it cascaded over everything, blanketing it in wetness. She hated the drab condition, the emotions it evoked, and the moist odour that lingered hours after it ended. Even after learning chakra control exercises that allowed the rain to slide off her form decades ago as a Chuunin, she still didn't stop hating it. For a time, she had managed to ignore it as she committed herself to becoming more skilled as a kunoichi. She had even managed to forget it was there as she lost herself in the Genjutsu trials seven years ago. But as of this moment, she hated the rain more than she ever had before. She had an idea of why, and who might be causing it.
The child with the ancient eyes. Most unnatural.
It felt more invasive than anything she had ever experienced. It ate at the thin layering of chakra she kept over herself, wasting it away; at least, it tried to. She remembered that Masashige had mentioned it a few times. How it hampered his senses, allowed the child to cast his ninjutsu more effectively. How at all costs, you must not let it touch you.
A reasonable warning, Masashige. The boy's presence is everywhere.
Gozen looked to her right, where Tadakatsu ran beside her. She felt sorry for him momentarily. His habit of consistently channelling chakra to his senses was slowly being beaten out of him with constant exposure to Hanzo-sama. Even now, she could taste the taint in their leaders' blood; the bitter odor of decay blowing into her nose. Though, that was likely more his summons, Dokushi, than it was him.
Despite this, they continued North towards the hideout of the remaining members of the rebellion. She and Tadakatsu trailed behind their leader, who was upon his beast; the summons with the nasty presence. It ran with an incredible speed and moved with remarkable agility for one of its size. She had thought that the debris it left behind as it ran would be a problem, but surprisingly, that wasn't the case. It used the chakra funnelled to it to muffle the thousands of pounds it hauled around, leaving naught but an imprint as it raced along ahead.
A terrifying little summons aren't you? Damn thing wanted to turn and eat my tits the moment he summoned it… I hate it, but the rain is still worse.
She steadied the chakra she had gathered as Hanzo raised his right hand, signalling pause. They were still a couple hundred miles out, their destination slightly to the Northwest of them. Dokushi stopped at the foot of the gorge while they stepped up on either side.
Hanzo turned to her, "Gozen, circle left. Head to the peak once you have eliminated those that come for you. Are you prepared?"
She stared down at the large tear in the ground before them. The rock was too smooth, to cleanly cut to have been there for long. Instead of funnelling into a pool, the water drained out through large holes in the ground. Like most notable scenery, it was done by way of battle. In this instance, it was most certainly acid; Hanzo's acid.
"Hai Hanzo-sama." She began her handseals, 75 in total.
A tedious technique to be sure, however destructive.
She continued to mold the gathered chakra, dividing it into partitions. Most of which she fed into her index fingers, the rest, into the ground below. Kneeling on one knee, she completed the first 30, muttering her jutsu,
"Ninpou: Yōyū gōka (Ninja Art: Molten Hellfire)"
She gathered air in her lungs, blowing into the charged tenketsu in the back of her throat, igniting the fire nature chakra on the tips of her fingers. A large, white hot plume sprung from her, rolling down the edge they stood upon, blanketing the foot of the mountain in flame. It spread, and continued to do so as she funneled more chakra.
She continued her seals, leaping from her perch and into her lake of fire, completing her combination jutsu,
"Doton: Yōyū chikyū! (Earth Release: Melting Soil)"
Slamming her hands on the ground, the surrounding flame flittered and sunk into the rocky floor, steam rising as the earth glowed red-orange from the condensed energy. A few moments later, a deep rumble sounded as the large wide effect jutsu began its assault.
Igniting the chakra, she yelled, "Shageki! (Fire)"
The now molten earth around her exploded, large chunks of shapeless meteors of fire and rock flew up, soaring high and far to their target. Gozen smiled behind her mask as she watched her work commence its demolition. The red hot masses crashed into the mountain into the distance, their impacts reverberating through the ground and sounding out through the area. She drew the ninjato from its sheath on her hip, dashing off to the west as she sensed Hanzo and Tadakatsu head directly ahead to the mountain.
As she exited the gorge, she saw the last of her meteors strike the base of the mountain, the flame and fire from the assault no doubt disorienting their foes. Even now, she could faintly feel the slightly scattered chakra signatures of the rebellion as they readied their energies. She smiled once more, thinking of the coming battle. The possibility of death excited her, fueled her.
Finally, I may get to see the descendant of the venerable Rikudou Sennin. I do hope you don't disappoint, boy.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Amegakure, Rebellion Hideout, Hogetsu Mountain; 5 weeks after the failed massacre
Yahiko opened his closed eyes, and rose from his seated position. He rolled up the scroll he had been reading, and tossed it into the corner where a number of others lay, walking to the open mouth of his chambers. He watched as the earth rumbled, the large chakra output preceding the rain of earth that descended upon them. He placed a hand on the floor, pulsing his chakra through the seals embedded within, sending his distress signals to his comrades, one in particular. That done, he rose, his face impassive as their mountain base was assaulted.
So you wish to talk Sanshouo no Hanzo? What about, I wonder.
As the final boulder crashed into the mountain, he turned to walk through the dark passageways down to the lowest level, where he knew most of his troops would be. The arrival of a familiar face however, halted his movements. He had not seen her in months, nearly half the year. From the traditional attire she wore, it seemed that she rushed in her arrival. Her breathing was laboured, her appearance dishevelled. He would have commented, made some snide remark, but hesitated as he locked his gaze on the head she held in her hand. Why she hadn't sealed it, he didn't know.
"I presume that is the Daimyo of Mori no Kuni?" he walked closer to her, reaching down and taking hold of the long locks of hair she held.
"It is," she noted the rising smoke out of the open section of the chambers, "Ah, Hanzo. He's here early. Brought some friends along as well, it seems."
"Intimidation factors. Gozen, and likely Tadakatsu," He sealed the head in a scroll, placing it into his sleeve as he gestured for her to follow, "Nagato will be wanting this. It went smoothly In Kusagakure then?"
"Hai. I had heard news of Danzo's departure and thought the Daimyo's death would serve its purpose best now. I wasn't wrong, was I?"
He placed his hand on a nondescript portion of the wall, channelling his chakra into the seal matrix that appeared, "No, you weren't. He is being a bit more zealous in his methodology, however."
She didn't answer as they walked through the chambers, the air as crystal clear as it always had been in this part of the cave. They paused just a few steps after entering, gazing at the figure at the centre of the room, seemingly asleep. Yahiko looked to Konan and noted the solemn expression on her face.
She still doesn't like the others you use, Nagato.
Stepping forward into the sealing array that his friend sat in, cross-legged, he reached to grasp his shoulder. He paused as he saw Nagato stir, and slowly shift out of his meditative state, "Will you be able to pay our old acquaintance a visit, Nagato?"
Yahiko watched him dust his pants off, and then place his hand in the floor below him, the array drawing back into his hand. Taking the moment to take in the rather empty room around him, he waited for his friend to orient himself to his surroundings. A thought took hold of him yet again, of how Nagato could keep himself here in this room for weeks at a time, yet also be in three different countries at once. How disembodied he must feel? How separate from others? Shifting his eyes back towards him, Yahiko moved to walk back out as Nagato spoke.
"Kusagakure has begun mobilizing. My presence there has been…removed, unwittingly."
Yahiko turned his head sharply, a surprised look etched onto his features, "What?"
"Deva was killed. It couldn't be avoided," Nagato shifted his head slightly, his attention elsewhere momentarily, "We will discuss it later. Hanzo is closer than you thought. He has masked himself yet again; this jutsu he's using, I have not seen."
Yahiko watched his long-time friend deliberate with himself, argue with what he was deciding. It was never anything overt; never obvious. Minute twitches here and there. May it be an inadvertent flick of a finger, a flexing of a facial muscle; behavioural differences. Small things that were easily decipherable.
Sometimes, my friend, you are more forthcoming than even you are aware of. Even after all these years, you still haven't gotten a hold of those eyes, have you?
Fixing his gaze on his comrades, he nodded and ran ahead, feeling the agitation in their chakra as they followed behind. They descended through the damp halls, taking the shortest path through passages layered in patterns and traps. It was difficult to navigate through, much more difficult than originally intended. He grew frustrated as their journey ate up precious seconds.
Tampering again? Why, Nagato?
Not a minute later, they arrived at the lowermost level, where rows upon rows of ninja awaited their orders. Looking upon them, he noted each face, and was disappointed at the reminder of how many he had lost over the past ten years. Nevertheless, he stepped up to the raised portion of rock at the head of the group, placing two fingers on the side of his throat, amplifying his voice for the 98 ninja still under his command.
"Hanzo has come. It seems he is in the mood for conversation, and has sent us quite the invitation… You have your orders." They disappeared, only ten remaining. He walked forward, removing his cloak all the while, "Kaeru-san, Nomoi-san, Ichero-san, Kagi-san, Modori-san. You five will accompany Konan. Your task is to kill Gozen of Hanzo's guard. If not possible, wound her, so I may do so myself."
As they flared their chakra and disappeared in a nearly imperceptible Shunshin, he knelt and performed the seals for the summoning justu, one that he rarely indulged in. A small, dark blue and orange toad appeared from the cloud of smoke, fixing him with apathetic eyes. Without a word, it stretched a webbed hand out towards him, asking for the scroll that was to be given.
Not even a hello? Stupid amphibians, they never did like me.
He stood and tossed a scroll to the toad as he walked away, "Say hello next time, Gamakichi-chan…" he smirked as he felt the chakra spike from the summons before it disappeared, its agitation evident.
He looked upon his five remaining comrades. Friends that had stood by him in all the years of pain and grief that he had put them through. Years without their wives, without their children. Years of fighting, of struggle, of rain. It was because of this pain, that he walked towards each of them and clapped them on the shoulder, hoping that he gave them a little extra push in the coming siege on their domain. He looked to Nagato briefly, and they all donned re-breathers, knowing the toxins that Hanzo carried with him. He nodded to them, and they did the same.
"Let us speak to this Wraith, and see what he has to say for his indiscretions. Ikuzo! (let's go!)"
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Yu no Kuni (Hot Water Country) 5 weeks after the failed massacre
He leapt across the barren lands of a barren country with little to do. His boredom was inconceivable. It had barely been more than a month and still his squad was leaving him in the dark. Purposely telling him nothing. Purposely treating him like the fool. A rather unsatisfying form of retribution that affected him more than they probably knew. The rest of the platoon had broken off and taken different routes to Uzushiogakure 3 weeks before. At the time, he had been given preference in which of the squads he had wanted to join. Snake-001 had put a stop to that quickly enough, entering him into her squad, Epsilon 4-A. She had seniority, and ultimate command of the operation until such a time that Hokage-sama decided different. Nonetheless, he found that he still didn't like her, even after all the years of random encounters he had with the woman.
He wanted to know what was happening in Konoha. He wanted to communicate with the Hokage. He wanted to know if his mother had taken Sasuke. But still, they would tell him nothing. More specifically, that bitch would tell him nothing. She was the only one who had spoken more than a noncommittal acknowledgement or sounded out a grunt of affirmation to a command. She had forbidden the others from speaking to him. Above all, she had the gall to act as if she was his better. As if she had more skill than him, more promise than him. Had the audacity to spew out moral quips and sentimental bullshit out her mouth while she reeked of snake venom, and revelled in it.
You were never his apprentice, bitch. Hokage-sama took nothing but pity in you, snake whore.
This thought rolled through his head as they had passed the few villages and towns that littered a country that he thought was ugly. Idly, he remembered the time he spent in Mori no kuni, among snobby lords and an insane Daimyo that rambled endlessly of men that had sought his death and women that had sought his bed. Of course, at the time, he didn't know that there were numerous ninja of numerous countries plotting his death among the many geisha's that roamed his grounds, and servants that brought him his tea. He wondered if he had been killed momentarily, but then wondered if he had been more bored then or now.
Was a depressing thought.
He paused as he looked to his squad mates up ahead. Snake-001, or bitch as he had affectionately named her, had called for a halt. They stopped at the edge of a bridge, a rather nondescript one, and saw her turn her head and point to him,
"Come on then, bastard."
He resisted the urge to snarl and reach for her throat. It had been a bad week. Stepping up beside her, he noted the slight note of anger in her voice. One different than the rude tone she usually displayed. She pointed to the end of the bridge where he widened his eyes at the sight of Sarutobi Hiruzen. He was still in his battle gear, and had Enma at his side. He quickly used a Shunshin to appear in front of his leader, kneeling with his head bowed,
"Hokage-sama, Enma-dono."
He heard the deep growl of Enma's voice as he muttered irritably, "Get up, get up! Bah, children these days, eh Saru? Always so polite! No backbone, that's what I think," he saw the smirk on the summons face as he rose.
Sarutobi however, seemed to be in a much worse mood, his gravelly tone more grating than usual, "Itachi-kun, why did you not kill your mother?"
His eyes widened, snapping his head up to look at the Hokage and didn't dodge the fist that connected with his chin. As he recoiled, he choked on the hand that wrapped around his throat before he was slammed into the wooden boards of the old bridge, cracks and creaks reverberating through his ears.
"I saw you, Uchiha Itachi. I saw you hesitate and then turn your attention to your father before he cut your head. It was slight, but you had enough time to bind her in your eye technique, boy. Why didn't you? Answer quickly."
Enma loosened his grip slightly, allowing him some oxygen, "She holds secrets, Hokage-sama. Ones more valuable without her mind broken. I haven't managed to do that with Tsukuyomi, I-" Enma tightened his grip again, cutting off his air.
"Not good enough, Itachi-kun. Try again," Sarutobi said.
Again, he was granted air, "She knows of Madara…and…and Sakumo," he whispered. He heard Sarutobi sigh as he did so.
Chuckling, Enma released him, and pulled him up by the scruff of his armour, "Finally, boy. Don't beat around the bush next time, ne?"
Sarutobi reached a hand up to his shoulder, levelling him with a knowing gaze, "Hmm, I had thought you were up to more? Never mind. Since you let her go, she will be yours to take care of. It must be done in a year's time, not before, not after. Do find out if she knows where he is, Itachi-kun. I have long wondered where he ran off to."
He widened his eyes again, something he seemed to have been doing a lot of lately, and then quickly bowed as Sarutobi and Enma left.
He wondered why the Hokage would want him to take care of his mother. More importantly, he wondered why the Hokage hadn't asked him for more. Only a few possibilities came to mind. The most likely, was that war was coming and he didn't care. The least likely, was that Sakumo had made an appearance in the past few weeks. He bet it was the former, and that meant that their operation was much more important than he initially thought. He turned his head back to the other end of the bridge, to ninja that he thought were babysitting him. Quirking a brow, he found that Snake-001 was more frustrated than even him. She had one fist balled up, and had slipped in the tight hold she usually kept over her presence. It was expected, as she was also one of the Hokage's… pets. That she had been left out must be quite the blow to her ego. He smirked to anger her further.
I had assumed that this little… 'Excursion', was merely supervision. I suppose there may be something more than just ruins in Uzushiogakure then.
"Come on, bastard! We don't have all day!" Snake-001 yelled as they turned and headed east.
He quickly caught up as his thoughts continued to run away from him. How was the village coping? Was Kumogakure still amassing its forces? Was Akatsuki coming into fruition? What of Amegakure, and the purported sightings of an eye thought to be myth? These were all important, but one in particular bore even more dire circumstances for the future of Konoha. One that involved a boy with a dark secret. A boy that hailed from butchers for parents, who were eventually butchered themselves. A boy that his clone had paid a visit to as he battled Jiraiya in the hills of Cha no kuni (Tea Country). A boy who he hoped was not tampered with after he lost his hold on his doppelganger.
I have hopes for you Uzumaki Naruto. Don't disappoint me.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Amegakure, Kōsen tochi (The Warring Lands); 5 weeks after the failed massacre
"How disappointing."
Gozen dodged left, ducking under a fist and buried her ninjato into the underbelly of her foe. Without pausing, she flared her chakra, engaging in a Shunshin with another as her blade came into contact with a kunai. Twisting left, she funnelled chakra into the seals on her blade. It shone red, as if it had just been forged before slicing through the kunai as the ninja leapt back, making way for a fuuma shuriken thrown by another. She disappeared in another Shunshin, and cut down another in her path, cursing at the rock she sliced into instead. She left her ninjato buried into the ground as she formed three quick seals, turning her head away from a nearly invisible shard of paper and slammed her hand into the ground.
"Doton: Dochūbaku (Underground Explosion)
She moved quickly she the earth shifted and broke apart, sending a large swath of it towards the four ninja in front of her in a landslide as she continued to funnel her chakra into her ninjato. She threw kunai at the blue haired kunoichi that used paper, of all things. Annoyingly, she broke apart into paper, a clever little display that masked her Shunshin well enough. It had taken her a few minutes to figure it out. Drenching the earth around her in her chakra proved a measure well invested. It had saved her life twenty times in this battle. She was still disappointed, however. She had hoped to see the fabled eyes that Hanzo spoke of. Unfortunately, she had to settle for his bitch instead.
A formidably annoying bitch, too.
"Doton: Shinjū Zanshu no Jutsu (Earth Release: Double Suicide Decapitation Technique)"
Her earth clone tore an arm out of the ground and clasped a hand on the kunoichi's leg, placing an explosive tag on her sandal before she separated again. Quickly, she sparked her chakra, igniting the seal. The explosion flashed before her eyes. She looked to her left and smirked as she saw the kunoichi singed, missing a sleeve of her cloak as she heaved for breath. She performed a Kawarimi (Body Replacement Technique) with her earth clone, avoiding the needles that rained down on her position seconds later. She activated the remaining tags on the clone before it destabilized, engulfing the foolish young ninja that was too zealous to be patient. His cry was barely audible in the deafening flash of fire and pent up energy from multiple tags.
Landing, she continued to backpedal as the remaining four ninja tossed kunai in her direction. Her back pressed against a boulder, filtering chakra through it quickly as she ducked and ran left. A spear of earth exploded out of its centre, nearly impaling one of the ninja that dashed towards, granting her precious seconds as she flashed through multiple Shunshin.
After attaining the necessary distance, she flashed through handseals once again, "Doton: Yomi Numa (Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld)
She harnessed the pool of chakra she left in the earth, smirking as two were ensnared. Wasting no time, she tossed kunai at them, lacing the last with an explosive tag to be sure. Before she could turn her attention back to the kunoichi, she felt a blade enter her thigh, snarling as she dodged right, narrowly avoiding a beheading from the last of the young ninja. Pulling it out, she cursed as she felt the poison enter her system before being extinguished by failsafe's in her blood. While useful, they took a large quantity of chakra to be effective.
How stupid of me.
Looking up, she saw him smirk. Throwing the kunai blade aside, she drew her second ninjato once more. Both blades glowed red, hissing endlessly as the sound of water hit their surface.
"Don't blink, boy. You'll miss your death if you do."
She disappeared in a surprising display of speed, appearing next to her foe, shoving him aside with the butt of the blade in her right hand. She spun, kicking his legs out from under him but had to leap away before she could end his life. She dodged but could not avoid the whirlwind of paper flowing around her, receiving painful cuts along her form.
Appearing next to the boy the kunoichi muttered, "Another few minutes, Nomoi-san. Yahiko-sama is almost done."
Gozen saw his worried expression disappear, and smirked, "Almost done? Hanzo cannot be killed, children. Not even by a boy with eyes of a distant past. Run along now, before I decide I'm bored with you."
Gozen smiled wider behind her mask as she was levelled with defiant stares, "Oi, girl. What is your name?"
"Why would I tell you, Tomoe Gozen?"
She smiled wider and sheathed one blade, "Oh, because it you managed to prove a good enough distraction for your comrades. Hmph, come to think of it, it isn't important," she turned her head to the right, staring into the distance where she knew Hanzo and Tadakatsu were, "Hanzo is almost done."
Turning her head back to the two ninja, a terrible, massive explosion rang out in the distance, tossing a rain of earth, smoke and smoke into the air. As the warm wind of heat engulfed them, Gozen used this moment to strike, darting in, swiping her blade as she brandished a senbon in the other. The kunoichi managed to avoid her ninjato, but the boy took her needle in the eye, screaming bloody murder before she sliced his throat, silencing him. She turned to engage the kunoichi, only to find her running in the direction of the explosion, much quicker than anticipated.
She smirked as she yelled, "Run quicker, girl! I'll catch you before you get there if you don't!"
She laughed loudly as she ran ahead. A deep, throaty chuckle she hadn't had enough mirth for in quite some time. She sheathed her ninjato and adjusted her chest plate slightly. The rain had finally stopped.
You've pissed him off now, boy. Don't die before I see your eyes.
Hello, everyone. I apologize for the late post. This chapter was more difficult to write than others. It is my first fanfic, and thus my first fight scene. I'll try and get another out to you guys before Monday. Please leave reviews, criticisms, likes and dislikes. They motivate me to write more than you know. There will be typo's, I didn't have the chance to proofread it; I wanted to get it out to you all as quickly as possible.
Till next time,
Ja, ne.