Eternal Legends: Konoha's Transcendent Ninja
Chapter Nine: Etched Eternally
And I return from my five month absence! It's been awhile, and while I'm a bit disappointed in the low review count, it still doesn't deter me. I know I have a story that puts 95% of the rest of the fandom to shame. I can say that with absolute confidence. That being said, let's continue on.
Hold on, scratch that, I need to address something that I thought I had put to rest months ago and I'm pissed off to no fucking end about it. People reviewed the story saying that they "skipped" the Kumo parts. I'm like…really? Really!? That's a completely stupid decision on several levels. You all (I'm talking to those that skipped, not those that didn't here) DO realize that what happens in Kumo is going to be…I don't know…really fucking important down the line? You know as in it's going to play a huge role in the story? To just skip it…it's like you're missing the whole fucking point of the story.
I'm telling you, you're going to be confused to hell and back if you don't take the time to read them, because if you ask me a question concerning the Cloud Village and its various characters, that's been addressed in those sections you retardedly decided to skip, all I will tell you is, "Read it in Chapter X". Seriously. I'm not trying to be an asshole, but I consider it a fucking insult for you to have the fucking audacity to review my story and say you skipped sections that I took the time to write about. If it weren't important, the shit wouldn't even be there in the first place! Skimming, I can understand, because I do it too at times, but to outright not read it at all? As in when you get to latter half of the chapter that starts of with the Cloud part (since I do first half of my chapters with Konoha, second half, Kumo), you simply close the window/tab for the story and wait for the next update to repeat the process ad infinitum? Holy shit! That's like reading the Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings books but skipping the parts that involve Voldemort and Sauron, because it's not dealing with Harry or Frodo. So, in short, if you're one of those people who skipped the Kumo sections because you're that guy/gal who has a bias against OCs and non-Konoha characters I say this to you: Please go fuck yourself.
Ugh, either way, for those who HAVE read the sections that I put a lot of thought into, I thank you from the bottom of my heart, and my above statements do NOT include you and I apologize sincerely for my language, but fuck I needed to hammer it in home just how utterly frustrating it is to put genuine hard work into something original and fresh in the Naruto fandom and people don't bother to read it because they have an extremely narrow minded view of only "caring" about Konoha characters, not even realize they don't know if they'll like the characters or not if they don't read it. If Kishimoto had that mentality, we'd still be stuck with the same characters from Part 1.
You know, I find it funny, that one reviewer commented that unless it started affecting Team 7 he wouldn't care and then he might go back and read it. What's funny about that is, and those who've read the sections can testify, that it already IS affecting them and you would know that if you read it. The sheer irony is hilarious despite how pissed off I am about the situation. You've missed several key plot points; plot twists, character motivations and a fight between the Raikage and Nagato and Akatsuki vs. Yugito and Killer Bee. This is what you get for skipping.
Ugh, let me stop ranting before I completely go insane. I hope this finally puts the nail in the coffin of this complete bullshit, as I see it. If not…then I'll simply ignore you. Hey, you can't even take the time to read or, at the very least, skim, the entire story, then I say you have absolutely no right to criticize it any shape or form and not have your voice heard or your opinion taken seriously what-so-fucking ever. If you have a problem with it, stop reading the story right now. There's literally no point in you continuing to read if you're going to skip scenes that are important to the plot and essential to character growth and development. Either buckle down and at the very least skim it to get a general idea of what's going on both sides of the continent or GTFO. Your choice. Because I'm having no sympathy for you when I start to make callbacks and reference things you should already know. In fact, I think I should do that more often just to piss of those who will, undoubtedly, ignore this, and continue to skip just to confuse the living hell out of them.
Also, shout out to reviewer "VLS". He/she has reviewed nearly every chapter and always puts a smile on my face when I see her/his username in my review inbox. Thanks for taking the time to review every chapter bro/sis (god I need to know your gender lol). You are appreciated.
Also side note: All reviewers who review with a detailed summary (minimum one paragraph) of what they liked/didn't liked will get a shout out just like VLS in the next chapter from now until the end of the story. Mainly, I want to give a shout out to user Lady of the Hunt. You have no idea how much that detailed paragraph made me grin from ear to ear.
By the way, someone asked me who the "he" Muramasa referred too in last chapter. I'll give you a hint: It's NOT Uchiha Madara/Tobi.
Full Disclaimer: Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto, Shonen Jump, ViZ media, and all other related companies. I make no claim of any characters from the manga and anime and own all OC's that may appear from time to time. I also make no claim of elements used from certain video games such as Ninja Gaiden, Call of Duty, and Uncharted, which are under the copyright ownership of Team Ninja, Infinity Ward, and Naughty Dog as well as the publishing rights of Tecmo, Activision, and Sony Computer Entertainment America/Europe, respectively.
(-x.0.0.x-)
(Kumogakure, Valley Behind the Raikage's Tower)
Killer A was in complete and total shock as he stared at the man before him. "You! Aisu! You were behind this? Since when?" A outright demanded despite being heavily vulnerable at the moment.
The BOLT commander chuckled to himself as he walked calmly towards the fallen Lightning Shadow. "When, you ask? From the very beginning," he revealed, causing A's eyes to widened greatly and the dark-skinned bruiser snarled in anger.
"You hypocrite! You told me you always hated the Ultranationalists and now you reveal not only are you're one of them, but you are their true leader!"
"You delusional fool, no wonder it was so easy in deceiving you," Aisu snorted. "I'll explain it to you. I never was on your side…far from it. Every waking moment from the time of your inauguration as the Raikage, I've been planning my own take over in seizing the village for myself and right the wrongs you and your bastard father have woven with your incompetence and willful ignorance of the suffering of our people who rightfully belong at the top of this world we call shinobi."
A managed to growl even if he could barely move a muscle in his body. "So…you're just like them? I would've never expected a man such as yourself to have such disgusting views."
The Hayasaka simply shook his head. "Truly for someone nearly twice my age, you truly are myopic and ignorant. I simply used that myopic view and twisted it into my own bidding."
"Just what the hell do you mean?"
"Is it not obvious?" Aisu asked rhetorically. "I merely pretended to hate my own for the sake of you letting your guard down and allowing me to complete all of my plans in secret. Openly showing my distaste of you wouldn't have accomplished much, if at all. I allowed you to become complacent, thinking that I was with you, that my power and your Jinchuuriki would be a successful deterrent for my forces to never try anything against you."
Hideyoshi chuckled. "It's tragic isn't it, Aisu-sama?" the Akechi clan head spoke up as he came by his master's side. "He spent so much time focusing on me, that he failed to see through the mask of the real you."
The slowly dying Raikage was seething in hatred, anger, and betrayal, which only seemed to amuse Aisu as he grinned wickedly. "Oh, indeed. You see, A, you never got to know me. Kept me at an arm's length that only was needed to serve your pathetic plans. Perhaps had you learned my mannerisms, you would've seen something was off. You realize it now don't you? You never really did trust me," the BOLT commander revealed which surprised all parties, Hideyoshi and the silent Lieutenant Commanders included. A's eyes widened.
Aisu just shook his head in clear disappointment. "You must really think I'm a fool. I know you didn't. You knew my supposed stance on how I felt about the Ultranationalists, but you never felt the need to tell the inner most secrets of the party. Me…the de-facto military second-in-command of this entire village."
A breathed out slowly. "You're right…I didn't…at least not fully. I knew deep down, something was off about you…I just couldn't put my finger on it. I just never expected someone who supposedly had morals to become like this."
"Don't you dare talk to me about morals!" Aisu half-yelled, his calm demeanor breaking a bit. "Believe it or not, while I had no love for you nor your father, I never really hated you to the extent my subordinates do…that is…until I found out what you did to Ayasaki." Aisu's glower toward the Raikage actually sent a chill down his spine as his eyes became colder than a glacier as he leered at the Lightning Bruiser with absolute loathing.
"What does she have to-"
The BOLT commander let out an asphyxiating amount of chakra to silence him instantaneously. A was finding it hard to breathe as if it felt as if his lungs were literally being crushed. 'What the hell is this? His chakra output alone is causing me to suffocate! How is that even possible?' he thought to himself in complete shock. Not even the six shinobi he fought showed this level of capability!
"Your lack of knowledge simply disgusts me," he spat releasing his power after he calmed down. "That girl was…no…is like a sister to me and to see her suffering so needlessly pained my heart. She was the only thing keeping me from completely letting the monster within me from coming out." He wasn't exaggerating there. Were it not for Darui's sister, there was great possibility that he would've killed and slaughtered anything that got in the way of his path to power without remorse. "Like Darui, I never bothered to look into her disease until recently, which in hindsight, with a man of my intelligence should've found instantly," he uttered with regret.
"I thought as incompetent as you are, even your medical ninja couldn't screw up in trying to save her. But, lo and behold, even I underestimated your stupidity and shortsightedness. I'll be honest…when I discovered that you had ordered your medical ninja that were loyal to you to slowly kill her, it took everything in my power to not come to your office and simply kill you and the rest of the village's leadership outright, my plans be dammed."
Hideyoshi grimaced. He had remembered all to well that conversation he had with his leader the night he found out. That was a sight he would not prefer to see again.
A managed to smirk despite the predicament he was in. "Is that so? For someone who would've killed me outright, you had to hire outside help to take me out."
Aisu began to chuckle…then he started laughing maniacally. "Please, don't be so boastful of yourself. I only involved Akatsuki, simply to get rid of Yugito and Killer Bee; they were useless to me since they were so loyal to you. Giving them to the Organization killed two birds with one stone. Sure, I could've killed them outright, with ease I might add, but that likely would've released their beasts which is something even I wouldn't want to trifle with." As much as Aisu loathed admitting it, Kumo's, as well as every other village at that, sealing jutsu for jinchuuriki paled in comparison to Konoha's. The tree huggers' seals actually killed the tailed beast along with the host, while their neighbors would die and have to deal with a newly set free tailed beast. The knowledge of the techniques involved for sealing the mighty beasts were near the top of the list of the village's most heavily classified secrets.
"An organization that collects Jinchuuriki! They'll use them eventually and it would put the village in danger! You fool!" A growled towards them, desperately. Aisu looked amused.
"You think I fear the one you faced? He boasts of being a God, when I have the power to defeat him," the commander replied. Something about the tone of Aisu's voice with that statement, made A not doubt his words. "When the time comes, I will kill Nagato myself, but, for now, I will let the fool enjoy his delusion of thinking he's powerful enough to take me on." Nagato? Was that the shinobi's true name? If so, how the hell did Aisu know it?
A sighed in defeat, still lamenting in the fact that he couldn't move a muscle. He had lost the will to fight verbally and physically. He was going to die anyway, so he might as well asked the questions that had been nagging him. "How did you do it, Aisu? How did I lose? Why did BOLT betray me as well."
Sayuri actually spoke up this time. "It's hard for someone to betray you when they were never really loyal to you in the first place," the female Lieutenant Commander replied smirking.
"We control who gets accepted into BOLT and who doesn't," came the voice of the giant Assault division leader, Mitsurugi. His gruff and deep voice traced amusement. "Did you really think we'd accept those of your party who were deeply entrenched in your views?"
"Indeed…each of us knew Aisu-sama was the leader of the Ultranationalists…but…we were kept ignorant of each other being loyal to him."
A's eyes widened greatly at the revelations. "What!"
"You really think I'd be stupid enough to tell them that all of them that they're fellow Lieutenant Commanders were loyal to me at a time where my plans involved the ignorance of my true affiliations?" Aisu asked rhetorically, yet again. "Each of them were led to believe that the other three were either indifferent towards the Ultranationalists, loyal to you, or some kind of combination of the two. It allowed me to accelerate my plans independent of each other and the possibility of a leak, lessened. It's called the cell concept. If one division is caught, the others can't be compromised in anyway due to lack of genuine knowledge of their existence and activities."
Mitsurugi scoffed a bit. "You should've seen the show Sayuri put on in that meeting a couple months back. Sure as hell fooled me." The blue-haired Ultranationalist LC could only smile coldly at his complement.
"And you expect the party to just welcome you with open arms after they've followed orders from Hideyoshi for years on end?"
Aisu smirked as he walked towards the edge of the crater that the Lightning Shadow was in. "It's only natural. All living creatures place their faith in someone far more powerful than they and they can only survive while being apart of something greater themselves. The recipient of that faith then seeks out someone in an even higher position. And such the cycle continues forever. This is how Kings and Gods are born. They will believe in me and together I will lead them to a shining future as the Godaime as Kumo takes the place of Konoha as the top shinobi village…permanently." And I will finally show you who's truly the greatest shinobi ever! My power will be transcend the heavens and they will have no choice but to revoke that title from you and pass it on to me! The commander added in his thoughts with anger and hatred that eclipsed his distaste for the Raikage, despite his actions toward Ayasaki, tenfold.
"You wish to drag the village into a Fourth War?"
"Drag? No…start one? Yes. Of course not now, I'd say at least seven to eight years from now while we build up our strength and seed my ideology into the hearts of the people and the young shinobi in training."
The Raikage's eyes widened as he instantly caught on to Aisu's subtle implication. "You mean that academy in the-!"
An evil smirk adorned the traitor's face. "Yes…that school in the thirteenth district that you failed to build because you were diverting your attention elsewhere was funded…by me," Aisu revealed. The dark skinned Lightning Shadow was at a loss for words as just how deep the man in front of him's betrayal went. He continued on unperturbed. "Children…that you carelessly threw away…I picked up and funded from my salary as commander of BOLT. I even wrote in some of the textbooks myself. They are the future generations and their education in our ways will bring us to a new age."
He began to encircle around the crater with his hands crossed behind his back as if were giving a speech. "So…you wish to know how I did it, no?" he asked rhetorically. As expected, the Yondaime gave him no reply. "In truth, I've been scheming before you were inaugurated as you already know. But my plans accelerated considerably when you invited me back to your office six months ago…."
Six months ago, Kumogakure 1300 hours
Aisu leapt from rooftop to rooftop with a satisfied smirk on his face. So far everything was going exactly as planned. Soon he would ascend to the rank of Raikage and the wheels of fate would be set in motion as he took his divine right as ruler of these entire lands. Alas, even with his power, he still had close to a decade or so before pulling it off.
The Hayasaka decided to pay a visit to his subordinate's mansion for an update. Vanishing in a burst of raw speed, that seemed more like teleportation than anything, Aisu was able to reach the Akechi clan heads house in no time flat. He managed to suppress his chakra signature as he blurred into existence on the balcony of the Akechi clan mansion. Coincidently, Hideyoshi was there, feeding a large falcon.
Aisu heard Hideyoshi snarl as he turned. "I thought I told you all to leave me-!" his eyes widened immediately upon seeing the BOLT commander. In an instant he was on one knee. "Ai-Aisu-sama! I meant no disrespect, I-I-" Hideyoshi apologized while stuttering.
Aisu waved him off, a bit disgusted at his groveling. "Get up, Hideyoshi," he commanded, to which the Akechi clan head obeyed without question. He walked over to where the large falcon was and began to stroke his beak affectionately. The giant raptor nodded approvingly of the action. The Ultranationalist leader seemed to genuinely smile. It appeared, as did his subordinate, he had a soft spot for these creatures and nature as well.
Hideyoshi did several hand seals and the sliding door to go back in to estate was completely shut and he also put up a sound barrier. Standard protocol for whenever the two were to meet in secret. The amount of people who knew Aisu's true nature could be, literally, counted on one hand. The black ops commander wanted it to stay that way until it was the right time.
"What is new in our conquest of this village, Hideyoshi?" Aisu asked him tersely. The Ultranationalist figurehead simply nodded.
"It seems Danzo has caught wind of our activities," Hideyoshi replied rather casually with a slight frown, despite the information would, on the surface, seem much more frightening to the average shinobi. Aisu, however, was far, FAR from the average shinobi.
Aisu smirked. "I see. It's about time," he replied to a confused Akechi clan head whose eyebrows burrowed.
"Sir, I don't understand what you mean. Are you saying you expected this to happen?" he inquired unsure.
Aisu snorted. "Expected? Hideyoshi, I was counting on him finding out. He thinks that only the Third Fire Shadow knows of ROOT's continued existence. His zeal in protecting the Leaf only works in the palm of my hand," he replied holding out his hand for emphasis.
"Aisu-sama," Hideyoshi interjected subtly. "I fail to see how Danzo knowing of our plans helps us."
The black ops commander shook his head. "Danzo is no fool. He wouldn't expose something as serious as my takeover of the village. As far as he knows, I'm still loyal to the Raikage. Exposing our plans would only cause chaos on the continent. Danzo doesn't want that kind of bloodshed…at least…not yet, anyhow. He doesn't know what kind of ripple effects of such intelligence would have leaking out. If my hunch is correct, I doubt even the Sandaime Hokage knows."
Hideyoshi nodded in understanding. "So I take it you have a plan in case he tries to send shinobi in our territory?"
"Don't I always?" he retorted rhetorically. "The Hidden Villages are nothing more than a pieces on a chessboard that I move. And when the last piece calls checkmate….I will be King of this new world." Hideyoshi bowed submissively at that proclamation. "And so…we move the next piece…is Higuchi ready to move?"
"Yes. He knows his role. He's to lose on purpose. You don't want us to move to power to quickly. You want the ideology to spread like wildfire."
"Of course. While in a perfect world, I would manipulate events so that we would win all four seats, but no, I refuse," he said with conviction turning to the valley. "True we're bending the rules, but I want the people's affection toward us to be genuine."
Hideyoshi sighed a bit. "Aisu-sama…you and I both know you're strong enough to take on the Raikage, Killer Bee, and Yugito near simultaneously. You could be the coup if you wanted too! So why do you do this! Our village needs-"
Aisu let out a small bit of chakra silencing him instantaneously with a frigid death glare. "Fool. Don't test my patience with such idiotic questions and statements. Have you ever wondered why most great civilizations failed? Because they became corrupt in their power and lost sight of how the got in the power in the first place." Normally, he would've explained this kind of analogy in more philosophical terms, but he needed to break it down more simply for the Akechi clan head.
"I'll explain. There's always the age-old question: Is a King better loved or feared? Most normal people would say it's loved and a minority would say it's feared." He held up a finger as if scolding such a naïve proposition. "The answer to that question is both. A King must be both feared and loved…simultaneously. He should be loved by his people as he brings great prosperity to them and his power granted by the gods themselves should be feared and respected."
"You see Hideyoshi…the people of this village will genuinely join my cause as we take our rightful place in this world of their own free will."
Hideyoshi then smiled evilly. "Well, haven't you manipulated several others already, such as the Black Lightning heir?" Hideyoshi couldn't help but marvel at his master's genius.
Aisu gave an evil smirk of his own. "Indeed. They may have free will to choose…but I manipulate the events that would make the choice of us all the more wiser. You control how a dog is trained…you control how a dog will obey."
Hideyoshi nodded. "I understand, Aisu-sama. You give them the illusion of choice. You only manipulated the environment and stimuli to make it so that they'd have no choice in the matter, but to choose us. However, they are none the wiser and think they made a conscious decision to follow us, when in reality they didn't."
"Precisely," Aisu smirked. "Which is why Higuchi shall lose. Just let it "leak" that he failed a particular mission that contradicts our ideology. "
The Akechi clan head turned away from his master after acknowledging him. "I shall see to it that it be done, my master. I bid you farewell. I know you're a busy man."
"See to it that you do. Tell Obano I look forward to his report on those three orphans he picked up," he ordered.
"I shall. From what he's told me, they have amazing potential and soaked up our creed with little resistance."
'As shall all of the youths in this village shall,' Aisu thought evilly to himself. He chuckled. "I see. I look forward to meeting them when I become the Raikage. In any case I shall see you when the time permits on miscellaneous updates. I bid you farewell, Hideyoshi." With that the ambitious traitor phased out of existence with a distinct blur.
"…." A was speechless. He had been hoodwinked. He had thought that Aisu had made a contingency plan that allowed the United Cloud to pull off not only one but two wins! But, lo and behold, they only won because he wanted them too. A gritted his teeth once more, cursing what Nagato did to his body. He wanted nothing more than to utterly annihilate the traitor right then and there.
"How amusing…such anger and hate lies in those eyes," Aisu's voiced traced complete amusement. "Just as your father did before he died…"
The dark-skinned bruiser's eyes went wide in shock and utter rage. "You….couldn't mean….!"
A dark and twisted smile contorted on the traitor's face. "Is it not obvious? Your father didn't die of natural causes, as everyone believed. The truth of the matter is…I killed him. Personally," Aisu revealed. The commander gestured to the only female Lieutenant Commander, who simply smiled as she walked towards the clearing.
"Show him," Aisu commanded simply, to which Sayuri grinned devilishly drawing the blood red katana with a very intricate design on its silver blade. She held it up completely vertically with the blade facing downwards.
"Deceive them, Trickster," she commanded simply, as her blade, seemingly called Trickster, pulsed and A found himself in the Raikage's Tower to watch how everything played out.
Kumogakure, Approx. Six years ago.
Killer Z, the Sandaime Raikage sat in the tower that stood proud over the largest village in the Elemental Nations. The dark-skinned Thunder Shadow, allowed himself a small smile, despite how nervous he actually he was. He had sent his head ninja, with a bit of advice from his BOLT commander, to covertly kidnap a member of the Hyuuga clan. Kumo, just as Konoha was, was blessed with many bloodline abilities, adding the Byakgugan could only further help swing the tides of power towards the Village Hidden Among the Clouds.
Z turned in his chair when he felt a familiar presence behind him. Before him, was a young dark-skinned kunoichi no more than fourteen, around Ayasaki's age, with silver hair, green eyes, and formal shinobi attire.
"Mabui…" Z stated calmly as his black sclera eyes stared into hers. "I take it you bring good news?" The old Raikage hoped.
Mabui's facial expression turned sour as she shook her head. "I'm afraid not, Raikage-sama…. our Head Ninja was killed by Hiashi Hyuuga….we've failed."
"I…see," the Sandaime Raikage said after a pregnant silence at being told the grave news. "I wish to be alone for awhile." Mabui nodded and let herself out of the door, suppressing a small frown. Seeing that the young genin turned secretary was gone, Z smashed his fist into his desk splitting it clean in half.
"Goddammit!" he roared with absolute rage. The Council would be up and arms about this. He was already caught between a rock and a hard place, with increased political turmoil and the rise of the Hideyoshi and the Ultranationalists. This would only add more fuel to an already raging forest fire!
"I take it that the operation was a failure?" a familiar voice spoke out in the room. Z looked up to see the BOLT commander, Aisu, standing before him. Z blinked. He didn't even sense him enter the room! As if adding to his growing suspicion, Z could've sworn he saw the faintest contortion of a smirk adorned on his face.
Z's exotic black eyes stared into the cerulean commander's. "Indeed. Our head ninja was captured and killed by none other than the Hyuuga clan head, Hiashi, before he could bring the Hyuuga heiress back." The Sandaime Raikage snarled in anger. "Your plan failed! Do you have any idea what this means for international relations!" he roared.
Aisu chuckled to himself, causing the experienced Thunder Shadow to nearly lose his composure. "You dare laugh in a situation such as this!"
The BOLT commander simply smirked as he took a dangerous step forward threateningly. "On the contrary. The plan wasn't a failure. It went exactly as planned."
Z's anger was replaced with utter bewilderment. "Exactly as planned? You call us failing to capture the heiress, being made to look like fools, and possibly on the brink of war exactly as planned?"
"Since when did I ever say the plot went exactly as planned to benefit you?" he asked rhetorically with a chilling calmness. Not less than a second later, Sayuri and Hideyoshi blurred into existence with their swords drawn, both the Akechi clan head and Lieutenant Commander ready to do battle. Aisu himself had drawn his Raiunsou (Thunder Cloud Talon), the ebony blade bursting with raw power.
Z's eyes widened instantly knowing where this was going. "BOLT arrest these traitors!" he ordered standing up, ready to do battle in case they failed. What he did not expect was four BOLT shinobi hailing from the Assault division to appear instantly by him to place a seal on his chest. The seal spread across his entire body and in an instance the Third Raikage vanished without a trace to another location.
(-x.0.0.x-)
(Somewhere in Lightning Country)
The Third Raikage's form appeared from out of the blue into a nearby valley that was surrounded by trees, lakes, and grasslands. It was a sort of rarity in the mountainous region.
Z growled as pulled himself up to see Aisu, Sayuri and Hideyoshi. Aisu was the only one who didn't have his blade drawn. He walked toward the angered Raikage with absolute confidence in his abilities.
"You bastard! Why are you doing this! I trusted you with my life! And yet here you are raising your blades against me? I am the Raikage!" Z roared with fury.
Aisu smirked confidently. "The betrayal you see coming is meaningless. The betrayal you don't see is what's most truly frightening. The reason why I had you transported here was twofold. For starters, I'm going to kill you here and now," he replied detachedly. "And second…a battle between us would likely wreck the village. I need it intact for my eventual takeover as Raikage."
"You wish to be Raikage?" Z growled. "And you think killing me will automatically give you that title?"
Aisu smiled evilly. "You think I wish to take the mantle now? No. Your son will be the Raikage after I kill you. He's another chess piece in this grand scheme. He's still has a purpose to serve. Once that purpose is served and the ideology of the Ultranationalists has been seeded into the hearts of the people of this village, civilian and shinobi alike, I will kill him, as well as take on the mantle of being the King of this new world. Never again will the Village Hidden in the Clouds be seen as weak. Never again will we bow before them, never again endure their oppression, and never again will we endure their tyranny. All of it starts," he drew Raiunsou as Sayuri and Hideyoshi wisely jumped back to keep a very far distance. In an instance Aisu's chakra spiked to enormous levels as a shroud of pitch-black lightning chakra surrounded him. "…with your death."
Z snarled as his eyes turned pitch black in absolute rage as he activated his Lightning Release Armor to its maximum effect. How dare he? How dare he?
"HOW DARE YOU! DO YOU FORGET WHOM YOU'RE DEALING WITH BOY! I am Killer Z! The Third Raikage and the strongest spear and the strongest shield!"
The two powerful shinobi stared each other down as Aisu smirked, then held out his palm in a bring it, motion. "Then come, Killer Z…show me your full power…" his eyes then darkened. "So then I can crush you like the ant you are."
The Sandaime charged at the traitor with his full speed leaving an electrified groove in his wake. He charged with his trademarked Jigokuzuki (Hell Stab) technique. His index, middle, and ring fingers were coated with lightning. He was inching closer….closer…he aimed his devastating technique straight at the traitor's heart to end the battle in a single stroke. However, Aisu did the last thing Z expected. He blocked his Jigokuzuki…with Raiunsou! The force behind it was so great that the landscape behind Aisu crumpled destroying nearby mountains and terrain became unrecognizable.
Essentially, he was locking blades with the Hayasaka, struggling to dominate. However, even with his legendary strength, he couldn't push the commander back a single inch. He was holding the Raikage back with just his sword and one arm! "Impossible!" the Raikage denied the obvious.
"Is that all you've got?" Aisu retorted with genuine disappointment. "I would've thought that the Sandaime Raikage would've put up a better show."
"Is that so?" Z replied rhetorically, before grinning. This time he used one finger instead of three. Aisu's eyes widened dramatically, as it appeared to pierce right through his defenses. Z was met with air as his opponent had blurred out of existence before he could strike a fatal blow.
"How careless of me," Aisu said as he phased into sight on a nearby mountain holding his shoulder where the Raikage had gotten a lucky hit. "I forgot that your Jigokuzuki increases in strength with the less amount of fingers you use. Ippon Nukite (One Finger Crossbeam Hand) am I right?"
"Indeed you are, Aisu," he spat his name with disgust. "And this will be the jutsu that ends you, as well as the rest of the conspirators in this plot. I will execute you all!" he vowed.
The BOLT commander shook his head and sheathed his sword, while rapidly going through handseals. "I'm sorry, but I cannot allow that to happen. I spent enough time toying with you as is, I have a village to take over. You're simply a nuisance. I will grind you into dust." He finally finished his jutsu and ended on Ram.
In an instant, Z found himself surrounded by a large pitch-black vertical rectangular prism, made up of pure lightning chakra that stood at least fifty feet. Outside of the prism several piercing weapons made up of lightning as well: A sword, a spear, an axe, naginata, etc. "Raiton: Kurohitsugi (Lightning Release: Black Sarcophagus). This jutsu…a creation of mine…will be the end of you, Killer Z."
Z couldn't hear him, as he was surrounded on all sides, and the prism blocked any light from coming through. He was essentially in complete darkness. He growled. "You think this will hold me!" he roared as he tried to pierce through the technique with his Ippon Nukite. He was met with complete resistance as the prism as he barely made a dent.
The Bolt commander seemed amused as Killer Z tried to pierce through his Kurohitsugi with his Jigokuzuki. "That won't work. This jutsu was specifically designed to be impenetrable. Not even your Jigokuzuki techniques will be able to pierce it." He closed his eyes and raised his hands in the air. "Goodbye, Sandaime Raikage…rest…. in pieces." He brought his hand down and all of the piercing weapons on the outside stabbed through the prism from, literally, every possible angle, like a magicians box.
Hideyoshi and Sayuri appeared on either side of him, knowing that the match was pretty much over at this point. "Resorting to using that jutsu, eh, Aisu-sama?" Sayuri smirked.
Aisu shook his head. "I had no choice. I needed to finish this battle quickly. As much as I hate to admit it…Z would've forced even myself to go all out to kill him in a straight match blow for blow." He looked out in the distance. "I still have much more room for growth in my power." He still had a long way to go before he surpassed…him.
The dust had finally settled as the traitor looked at his handy work. Somehow, despite the heavy attack, the Raikage didn't once fall. He had gapping holes in every single part of his body imaginable, and was bleeding profusely. However, his lifeless eyes told the trio all they needed to know. The Sandaime Raikage was no more, but even in death, he would not fall.
Aisu calmly walked toward the lifeless body of the dark skinned bruiser. "Even in death, you would not fall to even the mightiest of foes. How commendable," he praised drawing Raiunsou once again. "But…in the end, the outcome is still the same. Goodbye, Killer Z, you were a grand piece in my rise to power." Without hesitation, Aisu quickly decapitated the Lightning Shadow and sheathed his blade a fraction of a second later. With a Katon jutsu, Hideyoshi burned the headless corpse until it was nothing but a pile of ash.
Sayuri pulled out trickster and held it vertically. "Deceive them, Trickster!" Sayuri called out and in the pile of the ashes there was a perfect replica of the dark skinned Kage, albeit it wasn't the real one, just an extremely powerful Genjutsu.
"And so…the games finally begin," Aisu smirked as he stared at "Z" who was sleeping peacefully.
(Present)
The genjutsu ended and the Fourth Raikage was brought back to reality. He was nothing short of shell shocked by the entire thing. He had taken the mantle of being the Raikage with a heavy heart. His father had meant everything to him. Z had taught him everything he knew and then some! Z wasn't just murdered; he was assassinated in cold blood for a traitor who was intoxicated with power.
"So you see, Killer A? Your rise as Raikage was directly because of my actions. Years of planning have lead up to this moment." Aisu's psychotic grin indicated he took pleasure in what he did to the late Raikage.
"You….you…you BASTARD!" A roared as his chakra spiked again as he stood up through sheer will power and rage. His eyes were full of murderous intent. "My father trusted you with his life. And you betray him for a taste of power!" Not caring what would happen to his body after this, A charged the traitor with everything he had his Lightning Armor shrouding him once more. "AISU!" he roared to a smirking traitor. A punched at the Commander with every bit of power he had left. In a fraction of a second, Aisu had caught his lightning punch and actually held it there with a smirk.
"You fool. I've grown stronger since your father has passed. And I will only continue to grow more powerful. Compared to some of the shinobi I know and have faced, you're nothing but second rate. So knowing this…" Aisu phased out of sight and appeared behind him, with Raiunsou drawn…with blood dripping from its edge. "Die with the knowledge that I will succeed where you and your father have failed." He turned around and slashed him the back severing his spine. "Give the Shinigami my regards," he uttered coldly. Sayuri, Hideyoshi, and the rest of the motionless BOLT shinobi looked at A with a mixture of satisfaction and apathy among all of them. The Raikage gave one last gaze of contempt and hatred before he felt to the ground.
"Someone….will….stop…you…." he uttered with conviction, coughing up blood as he gazed up at the BOLT commander. "Monsters….like you…always fail…in the-"
Aisu didn't him a chance to finish as he stabbed him in the heart so far deep that Raiunsou's guard was making contact with the Lightning Shadow's dark skin and no doubt that a good majority of the blade was plunged into the earth as well. "That is where you are wrong. From now on, I will stand on the throne as King of this new age." He twisted his blade around for emphasis. After a few seconds, Aisu saw the life in the eyes of A fade away. Killer A, the Yondaime Raikage was no more.
"What are your orders now…Raikage-sama?" came the ever mysterious voice of Zennouske.
The Godaime Raikage turned back toward the white-haired Lieutenant Commander and grinned psychotically. "Burn all of the bodies of the loyalists and call a village gathering. It's time I made my ascension known to the village. Go!" Without hesitation all of the BOLT operatives vanished, with the exception of Hideyoshi.
"Congratulations, Aisu-sama," Hideyoshi congratulated while bowing submissively. Aisu smirked and waved him off.
"We have much to do still, Hideyoshi. I will not allow you or anyone in our village to get complacent in our victory. We have a war to prepare for."
"But sir, you said that's six years away at the earliest and-"
Aisu glared at him to shut him up. "I know that. There are still things to do to prepare. We must train the upcoming generation and increase our forces greatly as well as perfect WARHawkS for deployment in contingency operations. By the time we invade the other hidden villages they will be practically steamrolled."
Hideyoshi smirked. "Of course. After all…it is the destiny of our people to spread our superior way of life to others."
"Indeed," Aisu agreed as he began to walk back to the village. "Now, come. I have an inauguration speech to prepare for. This is the beginning of the end of the Elemental Nations. There is no force on earth that can stop me now."
For the most part, Aisu was right. There was nothing that could stop him now. But he never could've anticipated three young shinobi in training that would cross paths and bring a revolution to the shinobi world.
(-x.0.0.x-)
(Western Continent, East of the Elemental Nations, Time and Location Unknown)
Beyond the borders of the Elemental Nations was the western continent, with a way of life completely and totally different from that of the E.N. It's technological wonders far surpassed the E.N who mostly used chakra rather than technology. Few traveled across the frontiers that separated the lands.
"So...it seems you were right in your prediction," an old man in an all white suit who sat in an seemingly advanced wheelchair. "Aisu has finally made his move."
"Ah! But of course! It's too be expected, really. I've never met a man more ambitious you know," a playfully sadistic voice that oddly had a synthetic tone to it, stepped out of the shadows. The man wore a long red robe with two belts around his waist with gold and black armor plating. His face was completely covered by a mask, the upper part being white similar to an opera mask and the lower part being made up of gold mouth piece. The only visible part of his face was his aqua blue eyes.
"Shall we assist in this upcoming war?" the man in the wheelchair asked with a smirk.
"We shall..." the masked man replied as he began to laugh. His right arm started to glow a dark, evil aura. "It's time the world knew of the existence of the Lords of Alchemy!" An image of a certain bewhiskered shinobi-in-training appeared in the center of the room. "And you my dear Naruto…shall be the catalyst…"
(END)
Okay, I'm sorry this came out later than expected, but I HAD to post this ASAP. I know, this chapter is short and didn't show Team 7 at all, but guess what? You won't see Kumo for a good while and from here on out, it's all about their adventures from now until the Chuunin Exams.
For those worrying, yes, Mikoto will live so you don't have to worry about me killing her off.
As for the last scene, if you've played Ninja Gaiden 3 you should know who those characters are in a heartbeat and know shits going to get real.
And with this chapter, the prologue of this story is officially done. Read and drop an author some feedback.
Till next time, this is Arashi signing off.