Shimura Danzo was having a surprisingly good day. Konoha was currently at peace, it's enemies quiet even in the shadow realm with the recent ceasefire, and all that was necessary for him to do was receive various reports upon the success and failures of the missions he had assigned. That was for later though, as he had planned out his day for maximum effect, especially considering he was too old to use shadow clones. With his morning tea he went over the various visitors to his beloved village, with breakfast he reviewed reports, he worked on the actual ANBU until just after lunch, and the rest of his day was spent training himself and his Root, along with the many requirements for up-keeping a shadow force. Naturally, his job was a great deal easier now that Tsunade was here, the legendary medic had actually read the entire folder of his Root reports, and officially reactivated it. This provided much needed funding, along with the no longer necessary of complete and utter secrecy. While everything was still beyond-classified, his Root could truly relax in the village they were protecting while off duty for the first time in…three decades, maybe a few years more.
Regardless, the one-eyed man had reasons for everything he did, and going over the visitors was a very important part of his day. More spies sneaked in through the front gate than any other area, and while most were let through with the knowledge that they were spies, and as such watched and fed false-information, there were always those that were a cut above the rest, those that even his Root and Danzo himself missed. Still, looking over the various visitors helped Danzo to catch more, or try and control the damage, his decades of experience in the art allowing him to have a certain sixth…well, eighth sense when something wasn't right. For a shinobi, there were seven senses, sight, sound, smell, touch, taste, instinct, and paranoia. The last was only considered a sense because a healthy sense of paranoia ensured a shinobi would survive.
It was this eighth sense that had him frowning into the still-steaming cup of jasmine tea as he surveyed the file on a traveling merchant. There wasn't much about him other than his entry papers, which naturally contained a wealth of information on him, but something just wasn't sitting right. It wasn't the almost brutal honesty about his skills, hell the man had failed the shinobi academy three times in Kiri, and twice more in a minor village. The man simply had no talent for chakra other than calling up the slightest pulse for using a sealing scroll, despite no small amount of skill with a blade. That of course was likely from being raised in Kiri, and having his teen years filled with a civil war. There wasn't anything more striking than your life on the line to make you learn something quickly. Sure, the man would lose to any trained shinobi, but for most bandits he was more than a match, which was why he felt comfortable without shinobi guards, despite the fact that he was a merchant. His barely applicable chakra was enough for him to use sealing scrolls, which meant he didn't attract attention from other than your run-of-the-mill highway men, so he wasn't likely to be attacked.
It wasn't his activities either, in Konoha the man had spent his first two day's touring the sights of the shinobi village, even going so far as to climb to the top of the Hokage monument to see the simply magnificent view of Konoha it provided, an activity that was both popular and unpopular considering the work to get up there. It seemed he also paid a visit to the memorial stone before he went about his business, indicating either a respect for the sacrifices of shinobi, which was likely, or he had known a Konoha shinobi who had died, also quite likely.
Then the man had gone about his business as a merchant, buying and selling goods that were of surprisingly good quality, but upon seeing deeper into his file he understood why. He was part of the Merchant's Guild, something the civilians so happily claimed would allow access to even the most restrictive of Shinobi villages without shinobi interference. Absolute bullshit, Danzo alone had infiltrated every single level of that guild, and he would be sending a Root member to get a file on this man.
Everything was on the level, no chance of this man being a shadow, which was the term he used for spies and the various organizations, but something was just getting Danzo's nerves to play up. Decades of work and training told him this man was more than he seemed.
He sent off the Root member, before going to his other source for answers. SenjuTsunade.
~Break~
Both Jiraiya and Tsunade were in her office when he arrived, and it was obvious that they didn't have good news to share. His only visible eyebrow rose almost immediately, and Jiraiya took the opportunity to answer the obvious question.
"Akatsuki." That caused a growl from Danzo. The organization was almost unknown, but their goal and three of their members were. They wanted the Biju, what for they didn't know, but they wanted it. And it was quite obvious that the organization was dangerous, as not only was it rumored that it was made up of solely S-Rank ninja at the highest echelon, but there were also three confirmed.
Uchiha Itachi, Die-Hard Konoha loyalist, even now the man was passing what information he could to both Jiraiya and Danzo, which was very little. Having killed nearly the entire Uchiha clan just to protect Konoha, and even going missing-nin for it, the Uchiha was as loyal as could be, and even now would sacrifice everything for the village.
Hoshikagi Kisame, a man who once had been to Kiri as Itachi was to Konoha. Danzo still didn't know why the man wasn't fighting for either the Mizukage or the Rebellion, but it concerned him. Whatever could steal a man like that's loyalty was something to be watched for.
And finally, Akasuna no Sasori. This was the only member that wasn't actually confirmed so far as Jiraiya was concerned, but Danzo knew he was there, controlling the strings from the shadows. Sasori was the head of the organizations counter-spy force, and was the reason why they had so little information on Akatsuki. His touch was all over Akatsuki's every encounter, Danzo recognizing it from serving beside the man in the Third Shinobi War. He had been the previous Sandstorm of Suna, head of Suna's impressive DUST organization, one that caused him severe problems even now.
"What about them?" He queried, voice emotionless despite the growl from earlier. Jiraiya's face darkened even further, Tsunade pouring Danzo a saucer of Sake, with a look on her face that said he was going to need it.
"I know neither how nor why, but they have been seen serving Iwa." Danzo's mental exclamation of 'Shit!' wasn't shown on his face as he reached for the saucer, pouring it down his throat without a second thought.
"Root will double its patrols and care in our operations, but I can only do so much if Iwa manages to ensnare an organization headed by someone who can control at least Three S-Rank ninja!" Tsunade nodded wordlessly. Even one S-rank missing ninja was cause for trouble, able to kill a dozen regular Jonin easily with their skills. Elites would give them a much harder time, being borderline S themselves, but there was a world of difference between S-rank, and borderline, and Danzo had very few shinobi that were borderline S in his ranks. High A, certainly, but few borderline.
"Why did Uzumaki die? The Uchiha, while easily chunin level, was no match for him.. We could certainly use his help here, his burden would be quite useful" Tsunade flinched for a moment, as did Jiraiya, as a sore wound was reopened, but Danzo had known the two had been hiding something from him for some time, and he had might as well use this opportunity to find out what. Plus, if it turned out the boy was still alive, his problems were made a whole lot easier. After all, Naruto had been low S-rank when he left Danzo, there was no telling how strong he would be now. The depressed voice of Jiraiya drew him from his thoughts.
"Kakashi killed him. All that we know is that Naruto was going to betray the village as well, but Kakashi stopped him. Naruto then willingly allowed Kakashi to kill him." Danzo's eye flashed with realization, and suddenly there was a whole new side to the Hanzo thing, one he hadn't thought of before. But that was for later, what was necessary now was that they would get to plotting how to damage Iwa's relations with Akatsuki. They simply couldn't be allowed to keep positive contact with Akatsuki. After a long and troubling debate, it was determined that Danzo would do everything he could to sabotage Iwa's relationship with Akatsuki, ensuring that Danzo at least would be busy for quite a while. Just before the meeting was over, Hanzo's file came back to the forefront of his mind.
"Jiraiya, before you go…" he said, stopping the man who had been about to return to his spy caught Tsunade's attention as well, the blonde Hokage having turned to her paperwork. He handed the file over to the Sannin, the man flipping through it, his high intelligence and own experience swiftly understanding what Danzo wanted.
"I don't see anything that would raise suspicion about this man Danzo. Why do you want me to waist my resources on him rather than use them for more significant things?" Danzo stared at the man, taking a moment to put his feelings into words.
"Something about him just raises my suspicions. I would be investigating him myself, but with Iwa's movements I need to focus on them. You on the otherhand have a bit of spare time, and can look into it." Jiraiya looked at the man for a few moments before nodding. It was most likely nothing, and he would have wasted time and resources, but in this business, it was better to be safe than sorry, and Danzo didn't usually investigate something so simple unless he had a bad feeling about it.
"It will take me some time, it's not my focus at the moment, but I should be able to finish it before a month passes." Danzo winced unnoticeably. A month was a long time in a shinobi lifestyle. By that time it was quite possible that this Hanzo would have vanished from site, all references and evidence of his existence gone. Or it could be a false lead, but he'd rather be proven wrong than ignore it and have it bite Konoha in the rear later on.
"Very well." The meeting broke up, there was nothing more to say, Danzo moving to counter Iwa, Tsunade working on the day-to-day management of Konoha, and Jiraiya returning to his spy network.
~Break~
Hanzo himself was currently plodding around the Land of Lightning, setting up spies everywhere. Placing spies in the Lands of Frost and Hotsprings was being accomplished by Shadow clones, only the major villages would require his personal attention. It took very little chakra for seals after all. His mind was on Kakashi, from the recently dispelled clone who had hung around Kakashi for quite some time thanks to a chakra storage seal, even making Konoha think he had spent almost a week there. It had been quite easy for Hanzo to puzzle out several things that had been troubling him.
First and foremost was how easy it had been to get Kakashi on his side. The man had even submitted to loyalty seals, making it very hard for Naruto to believe that Kakashi was actually sincere. However, once "Naruto" had begun to spend a fair amount of time around the recovering Kakashi, as well as speaking daily through the scrolls, it had been quite easy for him to find out why.
Simply put, Kakashi was fed up with Konoha. He had seen too many people who should have become heroes be ostracized and hated, himself even included, though he at least wasn't hated. It was a surprisingly common occurrence in Konoha.
For starters, there was Kakashi's own father, Hatake Sakumo. The man had followed the spirit of what the village preached, and had been hated for it, causing the legends suicide.
Then there was Jiraiya. The Sannin had always been perverted, sure, but now because he chose to sacrifice his reputation for the village in order to get places he otherwise couldn't the man wasn't even able to walk into a bar in Konoha without a large group of Kunoichi kicking him out, and he had been banned by the owner of every hotspring. Jiraiya was actually an honest man, everyone who knew him knew he was desperately in love with Tsunade, a woman who would never return his love, and as such he had devoted himself to making her happy. Even his many perverted antics were only to keep Tsunade's mind away from her past, which she was liable to linger on without distractions. Hell, the only time Naruto or Kakashi knew of that the man actually indulged in perverted actions was when he was going to see Tsunade, and that was only because if he didn't, he would be unable to stop himself from trying to woo her, something she had vehemently protested many times.
Then there was Mitirashi Anko. The woman had never done a damn thing wrong, and she was utterly despised by both shinobi and civilian of Konoha for what Orochimaru had done. Clear case of a scapegoat taking the blame.
There was of course, Naruto, and the entire Kurama clan. Finally, Kakashi was shunned from many civilian places and not just for his habit of reading Icha Icha wherever he went. No, the civilians feared him, and as such didn't want him around them. That had started after he defended himself from a group of drunks, who just happened to be the relatives of council members. The civilians had long memories.
Finally, it was what Kakashi considered his failure to protect and help the child of his Sensei and adoptive father-figure that had pushed him over the edge. For anyone else, Kakashi would likely kill the imbecile who thought to try and make him betray Konoha. It was only the fact that it was Naruto who was there that allowed Kakashi to accept betraying his home, and even then Naruto doubted he would actually fight against it. Even now, the only information the man passed along was information that might wind up threatening Naruto, which meant any mission involving the other villages, sole exception being Iwa. He wanted Naruto safe, and knew he was not a Rock ninja.
~Break~
The disguised Naruto had just been plodding along, minding his own business, when a large group of bandits appeared on the road. His eyes scanned the motley group, spotting and counting exactly 47 armed bandits, and another three who weren't armed. So, fifty in all, plus four strong chakra signatures in the trees. That could prove troublesome if they were Kumo ninja, the group would have clear sight if he used jutsu or anything above civilian ability really. Fortunately, none of them were…wait…the group in the trees were signaling him. It was a symbol everyone in the elemental nations knew, civilian and shinobi, with only slight moderations for each country, and even then it was still recognizable. It meant 'Ninja here, don't panic.'It was generally used when they spotted civilians who had the possibility of interfering with their missions, or the civilian was in danger from bandits….just like his current situation in fact.
"So, I'm sure you know how this goes. Money, goods, that katana at your hip, any jewelry, and anything of value, step on it. Come on Hanzo-san, we don't have all day, and I'm sure a busy man like yourself has things he'll need to do after this." That got a raised eyebrow from the aristocratic man the bandits were facing down, and a question from his lips even as he slowly pulled his katana off his waist.
"Oh? I'm surprised that you actually knew my name. Seeing as I'm most likely going to die here, mind telling me who it was that sold me out?" The head bandit, the one who had spoken, and held the only high-quality weapon, sneered at him.
"And I'm surprised that you didn't know, but I suppose a brand new successful merchant such as yourself has to be rather ignorant. Oh, I suppose you thought your little sealing scrolls would keep your wares from being noticed, eh? That what little chakra you could use would save your skin, drop-out? I guess I can enlighten you, for one, small favor." Hanzo's eyebrow raised up again.
"Just what kind of favor could possibly be worth that information?" A wicked smile crossed the man's face before he drew his blade.
"You can be gang-raped." That caused some disbelief, from the shinobi in the trees as well as from Hanzo himself.
"That's not a favor, that's something forced." The man shrugged.
"Doesn't really matter to us whether your male or female, you have two holes we can use. But…considering you won't be in any shape to use this information after we get done with you…" the man chuckled before he continued, an erection obvious in his pants at the mere thought of raping someone. Several of the bandits looked disgusted, but like the man had said, many of them looked neutral, and more were eager.
"Merchant Tao was the one to set this little party up, for which I am quite thankful for. It's been a while since I've had an aristocrat." Ignoring the man's perverted ramblings, his mind rushed on everything he knew about Merchant Tao, which was quite a bit.
Tao was to Iwa as Chika was to Kiri, that being the most influential merchant in that country. What Hanzo was curious about was just what the man was planning. Hanzo had done nothing to threaten Iwa or his business; perhaps it was just the paranoid attempt of a powerful merchant to avoid the competition, but either way, it looked like Iwa and the surrounding nations was his next stop.
In the trees was a rather irritated group of shinobi, three of them at least. These three were chunin of Kumogakure, ones that had just gotten back from an exhausting mission only for their Kage's summons to inform them that there was a bandit camp near their expected arrival area, and an order to take them out before they caused trouble. That in and of itself was no big deal, the chunin could handle a camp with ease, even tired as they were, and fifty wouldn't really provide much of a challenge for their lightning techniques. No, what was actually irritating them was both the Jonin in charge of the mission, and the person in charge of the bandits.
The man in charge was one Sahashi Sahama, the only non-shinobi to ever enter the bingo book. Trained originally as a samurai in the Land of Iron, Sahama was considered one of the more dangerous men in the Elemental Nations. Not for any notable fighting skill on his behalf, but rather because of the man's incredible talent for both forming and commanding bandit and mercenary bands. In the past six months he had formed twelve of them, and ravaged a fair bit of Hot Springs.
Ni Yugito, the Jinchurikki of the Nibi no Nekomata, was the commanding Jonin for their mission. That was the problem, she was a Jinchurikki. Kumogakure was reputed to be one of the more tolerant villages, but the Jonin was not the person who fought in a war and saved hundreds of lives to gain that tolerance. As such, while many shinobi and civilians were neutral towards the woman who held the same potential as Killer Bee, the Jinchurikki of the Eight-tailed Biju, she had not done the same sort of things. Because of this, very few in the entire village would go out of their way to be friendly to her, and most would even shoot her down if she approached them. She was quite attractive, with blond hair and a lean, curved body, but that was where the attraction to her ended with most people, only physical, and they likely would leave as soon as they finished, if she let them get that far.
These three chunin just so happened to be a part of the group who had not liked her to begin with, and on top of that had been shot down when they attempted to woo her for the night, both on this mission and in the village beforehand. This caused them to be rather…reluctant to aid her, or follow her orders. In fact, if they weren't sure that A, the Raikage, would utterly obliterate them, they would most likely wind up leaving her behind. The continuing drama took their eyes away from the point of their anger and frustration.
The lone merchant drew the katana that had until now been sheathed, eyes cold as the steel that was slowly revealed to the sun.
"If you want it, come and get it." The three chunin cursed slightly, but the Jonin smiled. The man was every bit as tactically aware as a chunin should be, evidently having a great deal of experience in this sort of thing. She could tell he was a fairly talented swordsman, and the attack of some bandits or Sahama himself would ensure that the groups attention remained solely upon the fight, rather than their surroundings, allowing for an easier kill for the shinobi.
The leader growled, tilting his head and causing three bandits to charge Hanzo. The shinobi in the merchant scoffed, so slow and sloppy. Very few shinobi couldn't handle a bandit, it was only the numbers that could cause problems, and this would be no problem for the three chunin and one elite jonin level chakra sources in the trees. Hanzo proved Yugito right in those moments, sword descending to the point facing the ground, right hand gripping the handle, katana at his side and his left arm held diagonally to the ground, the confident stance of a veteran fighter.
Even as Hanzo ducked the first horizontal swing, the Kumo shinobi made their moves, three of them going through hand seals as the Jonin prepared to shunshin. Hanzo's blade stabbed into the second bandit, his other hand dragging the first bandit that attacked him into the path of the final ones blade, two dead in a matter of seconds as Hanzo wrenched his blade free, lightning blasting through every single bandit in the camp, a blond ponytail swinging behind the leader, Sahama's head hitting the ground.
It was over in an instant, the final bandit, the one who had killed his comrade, dropping to the ground, a kunai from the kunoichi deep in the back of his skull. Hanzo cleaned his blade on the body of the dead man, before sheathing it and bowing to the Jonin and chunin, his polished tone ringing out.
"Thank you very muchKumo-sans. I wasn't particularly enjoying the thought of guys fantasizing about me." That drew a snort from Yugito.
"Not so much the fantasies Merchant-san, I'd think it was more on the fact that they could fulfill them." He shrugged.
"It was obvious what his mind was doing to him, but I have to admit, I wasn't expecting to find a group of gay bandits today. May I know the name of my saviors?" The blond Jonin was about to continue when a dark chuckle rang out from one of the chunin.
"Don't bother wasting your gratitude on that bitch; she didn't do a damn thing. We killed the majority of the bandits, and I'll be sure to include it in my report." A cat-like growl resounded from the Jonin's throat, but she continued anyway, attempting to show professionalism in front of a potential client.
"The one who just spoke is Kiba, the other two are Shin and Ne." Upon his raised eyebrow she explained.
"From my knowledge they hated their birth names, and as such upon entering the shinobi forces changed their name." A soft "ah" of realization was her response.
"I am Yugito, a pleasure to make your acquaintance Hanzo-san." Another, more polite bow was her response, rather than the low bow of gratitude earlier.
"You seem rather unfazed by the death of these people, why?" Hanzo's head tilted lightly at the second interjection, this time by Ne.
"I survived. It's not the first time I've had to kill, and likely won't be the last." A nod was his reply. Yugito soon offered to escort him to his destination, provided he paid for the service, and he agreed, heading to Kumo in the company of a shinobi team. On the way there it was quickly obvious to Hanzo that Yugito was shunned from the normal populace, he knew why, but he would act as if he didn't. On top of that, he saw an opportunity to gain an agent for Kirigakure, even if it would take a while.
He drifted back to Yugito, who was covering the rear, the three chunin talking amongst themselves while throwing the occasional dark glance back at the Jonin. He spoke up, his low voice startling the woman.
"Why do you tolerate that, Yugito-san?" Just avoiding jumping slightly, she turned to face him, responding as she did.
"Tolerate what, Hanzo-san?" she asked, voice calm and controlled despite the particularly nasty glare the three chunin had just thrown her. His eyes easily told her she wasn't fooling anyone.
"I may not be a shinobi, but I am well aware that a very strict chain of command exists, and not only are they breaking that, they are also disrespecting a superior officer. I see no reason why such an attractive and powerful shinobi should have to put up with that sort of behavior." The polished tone and the smooth way he slipped in the compliment caused her to blush slightly, despite it not being the first time she had heard such things. Something about Hanzo seemed to make you feel privileged that he was deigning to speak with you. Sahama was right in a way, Hanzo held quite the noble bearing.
"Thank you for the compliment, but I am not that powerful." She couldn't find it in her to deny the attractive part.
"However certain…circumstances…have resulted in my comrades from Kumo not liking me at the moment. Do not worry, it is a temporary thing." His eyes darkened, causing her to wonder if he had had a friend who held the same condition.
"Yugito-san, it doesn't really matter what's happened, unless you're a traitor you don't deserve this kind of treatment, and I doubt you're a former traitor, dragged back to the village and forced to work for them. Besides, are you not a Jonin? Everyone can tell by the vest, and becoming a Jonin is no small feat." She blushed again at the final part, despite her thoughts at the former. If only it was true, but he was right about one thing. She hadn't done anything to deserve the treatment they leveled upon her. The mere fact that a civilian, admittedly an observant one, but a civilian spotting something wasn't right meant it was being taken too far. She would have to speak with the Raikage upon arriving at Kumo.
Hanzo smiled internally. He hadn't done much, but it placed a seed of doubt, one that would grow with or without his efforts. However, his careful managing would see it on Kiri's side.
~Break~
Kumo was even easier than Konoha had been to set up his network, the sole exception being that the Raikage's secretary wasn't as trusted as Konoha's. No big deal though, he could ensure he saw all but the most secret documents now. From what he had learned, Cloud, head of Kumo's BOLT, was out of Kumo on some sort of attack. The remaining Bolt members didn't know much, but he had gotten every one of them, including one who was quite high ranked, who had just returned from a mission mere seconds before Hanzo had arrived, which was the only reason the man wasn't out with Cloud. Of course, that had sparked Hanzo's curiosity, and as such he managed to find the location of Cloud from the Raikage's office. The man hadn't really been careful when he started cursing the Thunderstorm for leaving to fight Quake in the Land of Waterfall with very little prior notice. Apparently the man had needed to leave in a hurry.
Naturally, Hanzo wouldn't just let such an important event pass by without finding out what it was about. There were a fair few rumblings from his Konoha spies as well, so he knew something big was going down. He hid himself from the various shinobi just long enough to create a shadow clone, the exactly identical being swiftly painting a seal upon his flesh. The clone nodded at him, before taking his place out in the city, leaving Hanzo free to vanish, using sneaking abilities honed through years of running from mobs, and a year of avoiding Anbu-level shinobi, to leave the village, before traveling to the land of Waterfall at the speed of a Kage.
At that pace it was only a few hours to get there, despite the great distance. After all, at Kage speed even the three-day journey between Konoha and Suna could be cut down into a single hour. Naturally, Kage level ninja couldn't be used for simple messages, otherwise the communication system would be a great deal faster. As it turned out, he would arrive just in time.
~Break~
Hanzo stood in the shadows as two titans met, peaceably for the moment. Cloud, Thunderstorm of Kumo, and Gaia, Avalanche of Iwa, and the differences atwixt them were as obvious as day in night. Where one was female, the other was male. One walked with confidence and even arrogance, the other with a dark purpose. One wielded a massive blade, the other a small hand-axe. The woman spoke, both their features concealed by masks and shadows.
"Do tell me Cloud, just why did you enter Iwa held territory? You know the consequences for that." She said, voice a malicious and amused tune. It had no effect on the shadowed Cloud, his voice a light baritone.
"Iwa-held territory? Do correct me if I am wrong, but the Land of Waterfall is a Konoha territory, one which we "agreed" to stay off of." She laughed, but there was a hint of anger in her joy.
"This Land is ours now, and will remain so. So you can either leave…or my forces will obliterate you." Out of the earth rose dozens of shinobi, their hands already held in the final sign of various Jutsu. Cloud cocked his head to the side, his hand coming up to grab the hilt of his blade, though his other hand remained hidden inside his robe.
"Do you really think your little sheep intimidate me? We both know that if this was all you brought then Danzo would have killed you. So, why don't you reveal your aces, and make this a fair fight, hmmm?" From the shadows came two men, both legends amongst the villages. Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigaki Kisame, the latter's famous Samehada already drawn and in his hands, the bandages removed to reveal the scaled blade.
"Last warning Thunderstorm, leave or die." Gaia said, her voice now full of anger at Cloud's little game. She was well known for her lack of patience in regards to the little subtleties that the various shadows . It was obvious that there was a frown on Cloud's face as he spoke, spiky blond hair swaying in the wind as his left hand revealed itself, the gloved hand balled into a fist. It raised up to his head, elbow bending as the fist opened for a second, his head turning to the cloudy sky.
"You've hired Akatsuki, an organization of S-Rank ninja Gaia. Even Yagura would take his attention of that little civil war of his to join us against you now, because we cannot allow one nation to hold this much power." Water began to fall, a light drizzle soon turning to a heavy rain, Cloud's mask sliding off in the rain to reveal his sky-blue eyes raised to the sky, as if pleading with the sky. A peaceful expression reigned over his face as his hand slowly balled back into a fist.
"There's nothing better than a good, clean rain. It washes away sins, regrets, failures…and victories." Gaia's own hands rose up, her chakra coming into focus to counter whatever move Cloud was about to make, Itachi and Kisame taking stances as well. Cloud took in a deep breath, basking in the torrential downpour.
"However, you've woken up the darker side of the rain. As the guardian of Kumo, I can't let you threaten my village like this Gaia, and for that I am sorry. I've always held a great deal of respect for you, but now…" The fist finished closing, those remarkable blue eyes turning from the sky to stare at her.
"You will drown in the waters of the Storm, and be murdered by the thunder." His fist blasted through the air, hitting something at his side, a brilliant flash of white light stunning many in the clearing, a deafening boom of thunder following and dazing the Earth Ninja even more.
"Raiton: Thunder." He spoke as the lightning he had summoned from the move rippled outwards, before arcing straight at Kisame and Itachi, the biggest threats. The sound of battle filled the clearing as Bolt engaged Quake, the former gaining an advantage early thanks to Cloud's maneuver. Gaia's head snapped over to look at Kisame and Itachi as the blue-man cut through the lightning, her little axe clashing with Cloud's massive broadsword. Her eyes looked at Itachi and Kisame, motioning for them to help her forces now that Bolt had gained the advantage. They moved, instantly, striking down what seemed to be the higher-level members of Bolt, or attempting to at least. They were swiftly bogged down with teams fighting them though. Even an S-rank ninja would have problems with eight A-rank ninja's fighting them at once. The fight between Gaia and Cloud however, was a great deal more intense.
Thunder and fire flashed through the skies, the earth itself rippling up and down as the two elemental titans clashed, metal ringing out as the blonds' blade shattered the small ax, only for it to reform immediately, stronger than before, the earth particles making it up regenerating. Less than a minute passed, all told, the large battle not even having time to warm up properly, yet with dozens dead, before it stopped, the two sides separating and reforming near their respective leaders as a new side made an appearance.
Flames rippled in the center of the clearing, fed by an intense wind. Bodies formed in the grass, the fire forming feet and rising up to finish off their bodies, revealing a large force of Root shinobi, led by someone no one had expected to show up. A brown haired man, wrapped in bandages, glared at both sides through his one good eye, his typical cane now revealed to be a sword. The Root shinobi outnumbered both forces, causing no small amount of shock that Danzo could bring together so many men in such a short time.
"Now, it would seem to me that there are a few things you two children do not understand." The wizened man said, killing intent pressing down on the clearing.
"For starters, territory disputes are not to be held in Konoha territory…am I clear?" A growl and a nod were his answer, from the leaders of each faction.
"This will not be Konoha territory after today War-Hawk!" Gaia exclaimed, her axe spinning in her hand, much to Danzo's amusement, a twinkle in his eye, the same one an adult gets when patronizing a whiny brat.
"Do you really think that two S-Rank ninja will be enough to turn the tide in your favor Gaia-san?" She stopped, growling again. She gestured to her forces, and the group vanished, heading out of Waterfall, knowing she was outmatched. Itachi gave a short nod of respect to Danzo before following her. The man turned to Cloud, a curious gleam in his eye.
"I'm surprised Cloud. I wasn't expecting you to fight for us." A chuckle bubbled up within the man, though he quickly suppressed it, his broadsword being sheathed along his back.
"Fight for you? Now Danzo-san, you know better than that." Another chuckle was stopped, this time by Danzo, as the War-Hawk watched Bolt leave his land. 'Indeed.'
A gasp resounded through the clearing as Danzo's army vanished, the only one left was a woman, frail and weak, a small painting in front of her as she fell panting to the ground. An emotionless voice crackled through an earpiece once she managed to recover, Hanzo unable to hear it from his position in the trees, but her responses quickly had him figuring it out, a smirk crossing his face. It had been a bluff, from the progeny of the Kurama clan itself, the best genjutsu users in all of Konoha. 'Well played Danzo.'
~Break~
Hanzo made it safely back to Kumo before Bolt did, his mind racing. There was going to be a war, of that there was no doubt. Cloud wouldn't take kindly to the loss of potential territory, and Gaia would definitely strike at Konoha again soon. The question was, would Sand, who would undoubtedly wind up joining, and Cloud, fight with each other, against each other, or join one of the others. He looked over the village of Kumo, not knowing that a blond, a brunette, and a one-eyed man were doing the same for their respective villages. A phrase left their mouths, in an odd synchronization.
"The War in the Shadows is about to begin."
He turned away from the sight. He would have to leave the spy networks to his shadow clones, he needed to get back to Kirigakure immediately. Mei needed to know, and he needed to organize what Flood forces he had. They were few in number, but more were in training, so at least it wasn't too bad. Still…he had been hoping that the current ceasefire would last long enough for him to make it through the villages and set up the spy network, instead he only had two major villages. A pity.
He returned to his hotel, knowing that he wouldn't be able to leave for a day or two, even with his clones. Sighing, he went to bed, his head spinning over the various things that may or may not happen.
"One thing is for sure. I'm going to be a very busy man for some time now."
It was the beginning of the end for the Shinobi of the Shadows, as a masked figure laughed in a dark cave, having just received the report of a successful beginning.
'Soon! Soon the very best of the Villages will all be dead!' He thought; a flash of crimson showing in the single mask hole.
AN: Well, this was a troublesome chapter, and it's still not quite where I want it, but it is the best I can do considering what time limits I have on it. This chapter was more of a bridge to the next one.
ChronoMitsurugi I quite appreciate your rants because they ensure that I fix the gaping holes in my story. And true, Kyuubi itself wouldn't be afraid of death, I'll certainly agree to that. But this was the chakra of a beast that out powered him so much it was like comparing an ant to god. Maybe not that much, but you get the point. Are you not fond of Mei Terumi in general or just mine?
R. Peter, yes, Hanzo is Naruto. Hanzo was the "mask" that Naruto created immediately after leaving Konoha, and will continue to use for some time.
Thank you very much Fenarinarsa, I hope I can continue to impress you.
Blad544 I've made Kakashi quite strong. True, he's no match for Naruto, but he could match up to S-rank shinobi. That was Danzo's opinion, and keep in mind that Danzo doesn't know everything.
AEE, as I believe I stated in chapter 30's AN, Naruto is a little over fourteen. The overwhelming chakra of the Kyuubi coursing through him has forced his body to mature quickly in order to control it and as such his body is nearing eighteen. I'm sure you've seen eighth grade students who look like college students? I know I have, and it's the same principle. His body just matured early.