Hullo again!
So before we begin to any League of Legends fans out their reading this story I only have one thing to say to you...
TSM TSM TSM!
Still love'm even though they lost
For those of you who don't understand, TSM is the team representing North America at the League of Legends World Championships. Yes, yes I'm a nerd, why else would I get so hyped for a computer game world championship...
BECAUSE ITS AWESOME THATS WHY! All jokes aside its an interesting game to play and to watch for those of you so inclined I really do recommend it.
I also wanted to thank everyone for Following/Favoriting and Reviewing it means a lot to hear your feedback even if its silent through the click of a follow/favorite
On to the story!
This chapter has been the longest and the most challenging. At about 9500 words, I spent 4 days writing and re-writing this chapter that I thought I'd never put it out. Thankfully though here we are today with a brand new chapter and a finale to my prologue. Without further ado the finale to the prologue!
Story Stats:
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Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the rights to the characters from the Narutoverse. Kishimoto if you're reading I challenge you to a 1v1 in League of Legends. Winner gets the rights! Yeah like that'll ever happen...
3 years later
As the years went on Konoha continued to prosper. The young shinobi coming out of the academy were more prepared for the outside world and better equipped to deal with them thanks to the new reform. As their shinobi continued to grow so did their power.
During this time Minato saw the need to begin training Naruto to avoid another incident, like with the Hyuuga, in the shinobi arts. He focused mainly on the boys chakra control and Bukijutsu(Weapon Techniques), figuring that with the boys growing chakra reserves, because of his tenant, he would have greater need for control.
Aside from these exercises the Yondaime also gave Naruto some scrolls with the Katas(Forms) for Minato's own fighting syle, leaving it up to the boy to learn on his own, as he did all those years ago.
Tsunade had also, officially, returned to the village after her self imposed exodus.
Since then the medical program was at its all-time best. Leading the known world in medical care. The day Jiraiya arrive with her in tow was a much celebrated day. Although the details behind her return were unclear, it was certain that her return meant great tidings for Konohagakure.
Her return was highlighted with the return of the Uzumaki clan.
With his forces back to power, the Yondaime began launching a series of campaigns against the traitor Sannin, Orochimaru. During one of the raids, Konoha shinobi were able to retrieve 3 members of the former illustrious clan.
Uzumaki Honoka an 18 year old girl with fiery red hair and a calm demeanor. She was trained by her parents as a traditional Uzumaki seal master, which Orochimaru took advatange of and was in the process of using her to create the ultimate summoning contract.
Uzumaki Karin, a 9 year old girl who had remarkable chakra with healing properties as well as having sensory capabilities. She was being used as a spy within Kusagakure as well as an apprentice researcher.
Uzumaki Tayuya, a 9 year old girl being trained as one of Orochimaru's Elite Guard. A genjutsu prodigy with a foul mouth, having been taken in by Orochimaru off the streets, Orochimaru was almost like a savior to her.
Over time the two younger girls were integrated within the Konoha culture. Having been given an escort and admission to their ninja academy, the girls quickly realized that what they were given was a mercy compared to what they endured with Orochimaru.
The oldest of the three, grateful for her rescue, was given the rank of chunin for her cooperation. Of course, this was under the condition that she teach in the ninja academy, thus making Fuinjutsu (Sealing Techniques) part of the academy curriculum.
Unfortunately, with the recovery of the three Uzumaki women, some members on the council, Danzo and the Fugaku, saw this as an opportunity to begin a "breeding program" effective immediately since these women, in their eyes, could not be trusted. By creating this "breeding program" they could intermix the Uzumaki females with some of the more powerful clans. merging the bloodlines with the Uzumaki Vitality that allowed them such large chakra pools.
This was immediately put to an end when the Yondaime immediately intervened, shutting down the operation before it had even begun. After the Hyuuga incident, nobody dared go against the Yondaime's wishes especially after seeing the vicious side he carried with him. Begrudgingly those particular council members backed off the breeding program, for now, and allowed the girls to inhabit the Uzumaki Clan house near the Hokage Mansion.
This was their sort-of test to prove their heritage, as only Uzumaki blood could open the sealed gates to enter the compound.
Thankfully, all three passed this "test," but their council seat would be put on hold until one of them reached Jounin status within the village. No one was more excited than Naruto since he now had three more people to add to his family.
With good also came bad.
Relations with Kumo were strained ever since the Hyuuga incident. Kumo'sborders were closed to all Konoha-nin and all Kumo-nin operating within Hi no Kuni had a kill-on-sight order issued by the Hokage.
The Raikage, A, had personally sent his response to Minato immediately after the package was delivered.
That was one of the scariest days post-kyuubi for many civillians and ninja alike.
Outside the gates of Konoha stood the second fastest man in the world. Arms crossed with his bleach blonde hair combed back, he stood around 6'6 with a hulking physique. He wore his Kage haori over nothing, revealing his chiseled chest, and had his Kage hat on which was emblazoned with the kanji for lightning. Within milliseconds of his arrival, the Yondaime flashed to the front of the gates, staring down his fellow Kage.
In the moments that followed the amount of chakra released bore down enough pressure to make the most elite jounins falter. The killing intent that followed had many of them keeling over, nauseated by the sheer willpower exuded by the two men. No words were exchanged during this meeting, only glares, but the message was clear.
War was on the horizon.
With a smirk, the Raikage turned and slowly walked away, having delivered his message, leaving his colleague to glare at his back until he was out of sight.
This was a minor issue compared to what was occurring within the village itself.
Apparently Fugaku had generated enough hatred and scorn for the village amongst his fellow Uchiha that they were currently planning a coup d'etat against Minato and the village. If it weren't for his two best spies, Itachi and Shisui, he would have never found out that Danzo was involved as well. Triple agents by design, they successful infiltrated ROOT, and he now had eyes and ears within the Uchiha contingent. He was hoping to deal with Fugaku personally possibly giving him and his clan member a more luxurious position in order to appease the clan. He really did not want to lose another of the founding clans of this village...
Undisclosed Location
It was darker than usual, colder too. Two lights were illuminating 5 figures seated in the lotus position at the head of the room. This wasn't the first time, Uchiha Itachi had been in this room before.
Over the last 7 years Itachi and his best friend Shisui were acting as spies within the Uchiha Clan.
A week after the Kyuubi attack they were both handed over to Danzo where they were gruesomely trained in the shinobi to their prodigious natures, they quickly rose through the ranks. They were Uchiha members by day, ROOT by night. This was how they progressed so quickly through the ranks.
Before the Yondaime could implement his new schooling reform Itachi and Shisui had already made chunin, making jonin by 10 and currently ANBU captain at 13. With their advancements Danzo continued to get his clutches deeper and deeper into Konoha's infrastructure hoping to one day have one of his ROOT soldiers as acting ANBU Commander.
Months after their initial contact with Danzo, Fugaku began formulating his plan. Keeping both Itachi and Shisui in the loop, explaining to them the reason they were being so gruesomely trained by Danzo and his elite shinobi. Fugaku believed that Danzo had no idea what he was planning to do and so confided all of his plans into the boys making sure they understood the importance of their roles to the clan.
Neither of them agreed to this... atrocity, but they kept quiet and instantly went to their Hokage. Explaining everything to him, even the involvement of Danzo.
At first Minato was furious at their actions, but the rational side of his mind took over before he could do something rash. He could use this to take out two targets at once. Cut off the figurehead of the rebellion in Fugaku, and get rid of the second most dangerous man in Konoha, Danzo. First, though, he needed more information before he could take them down.
He had chosen to play them both and pit them against each other while, pitting them against himself. He purposefully told the boys to reveal their father's plot to Danzo. Danzo then came to the elders, the current and former Hokages with new information regarding a possible coup against the leaf. Thus, this is where they now stood, giving their report of the months findings to their superiors.
With a stoic look, Itachi began his report.
"The Uchiha clan plan to strike on the anniversary of the Kyuubi's attack 2 weeks from now. It is my belief that not everyone is fully committed to the cause, but are being coerced by the ring leaders, Uchiha Setsuna, Uchiha Tekka, Uchiha Inabi, Uchiha Yashiro, Uchiha Yakumi and my father Uchiha Fugaku."
The elders took a moment to absorb all this information, it seemed that they had very little time to react properly. The first to speak was Danzo.
"The solution is simple. We end the Uchiha clan before the rebellion begins," he began, "If we do nothing and a civil war begins Kumo will invade and all will be lost. It is not wise to leave such a threat within our village."
Looking over at the members sitting next to him he saw impassive looks from 2 of his 3 former teammates and the Hokage, the last one had a look of disgust on his face,
"You and your ideal disgust me Danzo, did Kagami's sacrifice mean nothing to you? Do you have no love for the innocents."
Danzo turned to address the former Kage,
"Nothing comes before the village, our sensei taught us that. We must end any threat to our Village with whatever means necessary, no matter how hard the decision may be for a weak-willed man like you."
The room became silent once more, everyone mulling over the ramifications of the mass murder of an entire shinobi clan.
Hiruzen was afraid that Minato would succumb to the will of his former teammates, his suspicions confirmed when he heard his successor speak,
"Uchiha Itachi, Uchiha Shisui. You are being assigned an S-Rank mission, under no circumstances are you to divulge the parameters of your mission. Do you understand?"
Both boys nodded their heads.
"You will eliminate the Uchiha threat, leave no one alive."
Hokage Tower
Minato sat on his chair currently staring out the window at the village.
The sun was setting.
This was one of the pleasures of having the best view in the village, watching the colors of the sun as they lit the village. Each color seemed to play off the glass of the surrounding building giving the village an all-to-perfect sheen.
As he enjoyed the sight two blurs appeared behind, both kneeling as they respectfully acknowledged him.
Minato slowly turned, taking in the appearances of the newcomers, Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Shisui, his look distant as if lost in thought.
They waited in silence for a few minutes before Shisui's curiosity got the better of him,looking up he said
"Hokage-sama," he started somewhat hesistantly, "what exactly did you call us for?"
He was the more outspoken of the two, no amount of ANBU training would beat that out of him.
Minato turned his full attention onto the boys kneeling before him. Yes, his plan would work out flawlessly. He motioned for them to stand.
"I've called you both to tell you I have officially cancelled your mission," he said quietly gauging the reactions of the boys.
There was none.
"I see you're not surprised," continued Minato, "care to explain why?"
Seeing the opportunity to speak, Shisui immediately began,
"It made no sense that you would order us to massacre the entire clan. As our reports stated some members are only interested in co-existing within the village,"he said firmly, "You as a strong-willed, intelligent man, would not bow down to the whims of the elders so easily if there were an easier solution," he finished satisfied with his answer.
Minato turned to Itachi.
"Do you feel the same way?"
Itachi's cold, calculative face gave nothing away.
"Hai, Hokage-sama," began Itachi, "With Danzo-sama present there was no way for you to give us your true orders, the best course of action would be to take out the ring leaders that are generating the Anti-Konoha propaganda and cutting off the snakes head. However, because of how long we have taken to act, any grievance against the Uchiha Clan can rapidly spark up the rebellion and we shall have war once more."
Minato smirked at his response, Itachi was a true prodigy.
Everything in the meeting was going as planned, now came the real test of these boys skills.
"Now that you both understand the fire that we're playing with here I will give you, your true mission. You will divulge this ifnormation to no one under the penalty of death. Do you understand?"
Both young men nodded their heads.
"The time is nigh to use all the information you have both been gathering for me on both the Uchiha clan and ANBU ROOT. You will assassinate the ANBU ROOT Commander, Shimura Danzo, at the same time dismantling their headquarters. Danzo has been a thorn in this villages side for far too long. It is time to take him out of the equation," explained Minato, pausing once again to gauge their reactions.
Both boys stood stoicly awaiting the rest of their Hokage's orders.
"I have also received word from Jiraiya, informing me of a new mercenary group based in Amegakure (The Village Hidden in the Rain) called Akatsuki. "
"Once you have eliminated Danzo, you will kill all of the ring leaders, of the Uchiha coup, making sure there is no trace of Konoha involvement."
"You will be marked as A-Rank missing nin in our bingo books and you shall infiltrate this mercenary group. According to Jiraiya they dress in black cloaks adorned with red clouds. Take whatever means necessary to get the leaders acceptance. Relay all information to myself, or the Sandaime, whom I've already made aware of our plan," finished Minato.
Once Minato had finished, he proceeded to take in the boys demeanor.
There was an air of acceptance that he had perceived earlier in the day when he had assigned their mission. Their response was immediate,
"Hai, Hokage-sama"
Hiding his victorious smirk, Minato kept his cold facade.
"Your mission begins tonight at midnight."
Outskirts of Konoha
As night fell across the Village, two blurs could be seen dashing towards the forest line, stopping right where the barrier stopped and encircled the entire village. They stood there waiting for several minutes before a swirl appeared on the opposite side of the barrier.
The man before them wore an unadorned black cloak, and had an orange swirl mask on his face. In the dark light most shinobi would not notice the gleaming red eye hidden within the mask, but these two were not like most shinobi.
Uchiha Madara.
The man who attacked Konoha 7 years prior and killed Uzumaki Kushina.
'So this is the leader of Akatsuki,' thought Itachi.
Immediately after their meeting with their Hokage they sent word to Akatsuki of their defection, through some of Jiraiya's spies they managed to weave the information through the grapevine and attract their attention.
A paper bird was all that responded, the coordinates to this location printed on the paper.
Now standing here looking at the man they knew their Hokage despised they began to have some doubts that theyd be able to complete this mission. No one lied to Uchiha Madara and survived.
Madara was along the same thoughts, he was unsure what to think when he got the message of not one, but two Uchiha defectors. He came here to confirm their story and ensure that they passed his judgement.
Two extra pairs of Sharingan would make capturing the nine bijuu a lot easier when they have their full strength. And they would make great replacements should he ever need them.
Both parties seemed to stand there for what seemed like an eternity, taking stock of each other, attempting to find a weakness to exploit. None was found, yet.
Madara spoke,
"Lets make this clear, I do not trust you. You do not trust me. You know who I am and what I am capable of, yet I know little of the two of you. Therefore tonight you will prove your loyalty to me."
"Tonight we kill your Hokage."
ROOT Headquarters
Today was the day Danzo collected his prize.
In his own eyes, Danzo was his sensei's perfect student. Embodying the will of fire while sacrificing anything for the sake of the village. He believed his pragmatism and his fanatic love for the village's well being no matter the cost were the ideals the Nidaime left behind for his nidaime's oppression to the Uchiha had rubbed off on his young student and showed greatly when he petitioned for the death of the entire clan. It wasn't as if he hated them. No. He envied the gifts they were blessed with, but they did not have the village's best interest in mind. As such those eyes deserved to belong to someone who did.
Hiruzen, it seemed, took more after the Shodai. While powerful, he let his kind-heart rule his actions. He could not, would not, take the necessary actions to protect the village. The Yondaime was showing signs of a man who knew how to rule, yet Danzo couldnt help question his motives towards the kyuubi boy. It seemed his interest was not in the best for this village.
Danzo would not allow this to happen.
For without dark there was no light, and without roots there were no would be the roots that supported this great village. regardless of the sacrifice, even if it meant the lives of innocents.
At one point and time Danzo may have been considered handsome, now however he was a veteran of time. He had shaggy black ahir, with a criss-cross scar across his chin. His right eye was covered by a series of white bandages that wrapped around his head, as was his right arm. He wore a white haori over nothing,tied with a white obi. and wore a pair of black shinobi sandals. He was currently walking through the corridors of ROOT, his cane lightly tapping the concrete floors of his headquarters.
Having the base located just outside the Yondaime's barrier and buried about 30 feet underground, His headquarters were nigh impenetrable. Only full fledged members of ROOT knew the entrance to the facility. These agents carried a seal that would not allow them to speak of ROOT or of Danzo without killing them.
He felt safe within his sanctuary, but he always kept two guards with him no matter where he went. Today the duty fell to two of his regulars Yamanaka Fu, and Aburame Torune. They were his 3rd and 4th ranked ROOT members.
Fu had a knack with mind possession traps and was gifted with interrogation tactics, like most Yamanaka's.
Torune held within him a very special, nano-size Kikaichu beetle, which was extremely poisonous. These insects could be spread by a simple touch and were pivotal to his fighting style.
On this night, those abilities were a non-factor.
Danzo felt a chill in the air as he walked into a spacious room with four wooden bridges connecting to a central, concrete landing. The chill proceeded down his spine, every nerve in his body screaming danger.
His body visibly tensed, but he kept calm, his eyes immediately on alert. You didn't live to be 56 years old without extreme caution and awareness of your surroundings.
Out of the shadows in the corridor before him strolled two figures, their faces still masked by darkness. Fu and Torune instantly readied themselves for battle. Danzo's eyes narrowed, who had found them and how?
As the two figures walked out of the shadows Danzo immediately recognized them. His prodige's Shisui and Itachi. He visibly relaxed. These two were the epitome of the ROOT program. The perfect soldiers. With the appearance of both ROOT shinobi, having verified their identities, Fu and Torune moved backwards, waiting in the shadows as per protocol.
"Itachi, Shisui," he said acknowledging them as they knelt before their master.
"Danzo-sama," they replied in unison.
"Rise," spoke Danzo.
"How go the preparations," he continued, " I trust everything is ready for tonight?"
"Hai, Danzo-sama," they replied in unison.
Satisfied with this answer Danzo turned, motioning for his guards to follow, ready to retire for the night.
Turning what he found was far from what he expected. The bodies of both Fu and Torune sprawled before him, taken out with a single cut.
Shock marred his normally impassive features. He turned just in time to see both Itachi and Shisui vanish in a flock of crows. Genjutsu (Illusionary Technique).
The Shisui appeared behind Danzo, tanto on his neck.
"My apologies Danzo-sama," his voice emotionless. With a quick cut he severed his head from his body, letting the body fall to the floor with an audible thud.
Turning towards Itachi he nodded curtly, taking this moment to clean his blood-stained blade. He did not notice the body of Danzo vanish, but Itachi did.
"SHISUI!" he shouted, too late.
Danzo reappeared behind him, plunging his blade deep into the heart of Shisui,the blade sticking out from the opposite side. His eyes full of surprise as he looked down at the protruding blade. Looking back up at Itachi, with a ghost of a smile etched on his face as the light left his eyes.
...
...
Seconds turned into hourse as Itachi watched Danzo pull the blade out from Shisui's back, his lifeblood spilling on the concrete floor. Itachi's shocked expression enough to momentarily satisfy Danzo. Regarldess of all the emotional conditioning, nothing compared to the pain of losing your most precious person.
In that moment Itachi shouted in agony, both at the pain of his loss and at the sudden pain in his eyes, as chakra surged towards his sharingan.
Gouts of black flame seared everything in front of him.
When the pain finally subsided he looked up once again seeing the charred remains of his best friend. Checking his surroundings for Danzo he saw a second pile of ash, but knew it was not him. He saw him use the Kawarimi no Jutsu (Substitution Technique) just before the flames reached him.
Standing he felt a new surge of strength. Everything he saw was clearer, the dark seemed to receded just a bit more giving him better visibility, and his ability to see the chakra around him seemed to increase tenfold. This was the power his friend bestowed upon him before dying and he would use it to avenge him and fulfill their mission.
'What were the those black flames?'
The name of the technique sub-consciously appeared in his mind,
'Amaterasu(Heavenly Illumination)'
From the shadows Danzo looked down in amazement, taking in Itachi's new eyes noticing their pinwheel design,
'So this is the power of the Mangekyou Sharingan(Kaleidoscope Eye)...' thought Danzo, ' I need to make sure to not damage his eyes in this fight, I'll be needing a replacement soon.'
'I won't be able to take this boy lightly'
He began taking off the bandages around his eye, revealing a dead, white eye and sever scarring tissue around his face. Unraveling the bandages on his arm, he revealed a pale, ivory colored arm, seemingly re-attached to his torso as the tone did not match the rest of his tan body, a face protruding from his shoulder.
During this entire process Itachi had located Danzo. He was currently focusing on what he was planning, first taking in the dead white eye in his right socket.
His chakra pathways seemed to pump more chakra into his right eye than his left, somewhat similar to that of a Doujutsu(Eye Technique) user. Taking a closer look his right eye pathways looked similar to that of Kakashi, a permanently active Doujutsu, but which doujutsu was it?
Recognizing that it was an implanted eye he began to replay the information of the last couple of minutes through his head, the moment as Danzo disappeared after Shisui's killing blow forever seared into his mind.
'That disappearance... it was almost as if he had re-written fate somehow. The only technique possible of doing that was...'
The ultimate Uchiha genjutsu, granting the power to change one's fate, at the cost of an eye.
'Izanagi'
Itachi continued to watch without revealing any emotions, inside he was seething. The man who killed his best friend, had stolen an eye from one of his clansmen. It was one thing to have it gifted to you, as with Kakashi-taichou, another to steal the eye and use it so carelessly, without any regard. He used it as if it were replaceable.
Reaching this conclusion, he watched as Danzo unwrapped his arm, revelaing the pale white skin beneath the bandages. It almost seemed dead, but Itachi recognized the chakra that was being emitted from the arm alone.
It was similar to a former ROOT member codenamed Yamato. Theo nly boy of sixty to survive the transplant of the shodai's genes. This would be an interesting fight. Upon further inspecting Itachi realized that the arm seemed incomplete. The arm was riddled with what seemed like holes, and they were all empty save the one on his palm. This one had a red orb with three tomoes ringed around a central black orb.
Recognizing the orb in the palm of Danzo's implanted arm, Itachi let a scowl mar his face. It was second time he had showed any true emotion since becoming ANBU, the first having happened minutes ago when Shisui was killed.
This man would pay for his transgressions against his clan.
Recognizing that Danzo had finished, Itachi had pulled back his sleeves just enough to show seals on his wrists. Placing his hands to his wrists he began unsealing shuriken from his seals and throwing them with precision towards Danzo
In the span of seconds 4 waves of shuriken had been launched. With each wave containing five shuriken Itachi began forming the hand seals for one of the Sandaime's most revered techniques,
Ram → Rat → Bird → Boar → Tiger
"Ninpo: Kage Shuriken Bunshin no Jutsu(Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique),"
In an instant the 5 shuriken multipled into 20 in each wave. Totaling around 100 shuriken arriving within miliseconds of each other at intercepting intervals.
Having finished the handseals for he began a new set,
Snake → Ram → Monkey → Boar → Horse → Tiger
"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu( Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique)"
A large fireball setting the kunai alight and increase their potency just as they reached Danzo.
Itachi watched as Danzo kawarimi'd just in front of him with a plank rapidly going through a set of seals,
Rat → Rabbit → Dog
"Fūton: Shinkūgyoku(Wind release: Vacuum Wind Bullets)"
Having tracked the wind bullets, Itachi allowed them to hit him as he disappeared in a murder of crows, reappearing behind Danzo just as he released the Genjutsu.
It was too late, Itachi spoke as he plunged his tanto deep into Danzo's heart,
"There is nothing these eyes can't see, and they see... your death."
Itachi watched as Danzo's body disappeared as it had earlier and reappeared in front of him once more.
With a quick glance he watched as the eye on the palm of his hand closed. Realizing his 'ultimate defense' was gone Itachi began to pick up the pace of the fight, immediately flying into a new series of hand seals,
Rat → Tiger → Dog → Ox → Rabbit → Tiger
"Katon: Hōsenka no Jutsu(Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique)"
A series of fire bullets were emitted from his mouth flying towards Danzo from different directions. He chained this technique with the one he had just copied from Danzo,
"Fūton: Shinkūgyoku"
The wind bullets impacting the fire bullets enlarging them and increasing the intensity of the flames.
He watched as Danzo stood still and began flying through his own handseals, eyeing the increasing chakra coming from his transplanted arm,
Rat → Dog → Tiger
"Mokuton: Mokujōheki(Wood Release: Wood Locking Wall)"
His question answered, a series of wooden beams created a half dome shield around Danzo's body, blocking the incomming fireballs
Itachi immediately rushed forward in a burst of speed, but when he arrived Danzo was nowhere to be found. Turning he found Danzo begin the seals for his summoning technique,
"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"
In a poof of smoke, a large mammoth like creature appeared and began sucking in all the air in the surrounding area.
Itachi attempted to root himself to the ground, but found it ineffective.
As he struggled on the ground Danzo went on the offensive, using the wind created by Baku's suction technique he jumped behind and to the side of Itachi, just outside of Baku's range,
"Katon: Gōryūka no Jutsu(Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique)"
With the wind amplifying the flames there was no way Itachi would be able to counter in time without taking out the summon creature. With his hands momentarily useless he only had his eyes. Eyes glowing he thought,
'Amaterasu!'
Within seconds the beast's suction stopped, but the flaming dragon behind him was still present and he was seconds away from being burned to a crisp. With no time to Kawarimi away Itachi turned, his eyes glowing once more, this time a new technique seemed to spring to hid mind as he thought,
'Susanoo(Tempestuous God of Valour)!'
A glowing red rib cage appeared, shielding Itachi from the flames. He instantly felt a drain on his reserves he was currently around half. He needed to end this fight now.
The glowing rib cage disappeared, revealing a shocked Danzo. Taking this opportunity to get in close Itachi rushed forward engaging Danzo in taijutsu.
The Interceptor Style of the Uchiha clan worked better as a counter to other techniques using the Sharingan to predict their movements and counter, but Itachi knew where he weakness was. In his old age Danzo had slowed down considerably, making him more vulnerable to Itachi's speed.
Coming in with a high kick that Danzo blocked, Itachi began a flurry of punches aimed for Danzo's torso, forcing the older man to block or take glacing blows that he could ill afford.
With every block Itachi found new openings to take advantage of in Danzo's defense. He began to pick him apart with subtle blows laced with chakra. All the while he released a steady stream of his own chakra into the air beginning to weave his genjutsu.
Up to this point Danzo had yet to look into Itachi's eyes having fought various Uchiha before he knew that one look and this fight was over. Yet it was becoming increasingly difficult for Danzo to keep up with the younger boy in hand to hand combat. However, Danzo noticed the boy got over-aggressive when taking openings in Danzo's guard.
In his inexperience and haste to end the fight, he had left himself wide open for Danzo's counter, as an overextended arm made his way towards Danzo's head he grabbed it, holding it firm as he unsealed his cane-sword with his other hand. Plunging the sword deep into the boys chest, he looked up triumphantly as he saw blood seeping from his mouth. Bringing his eyes higher he registered the shock that appeared in his eyes for all of a second, before he smiled.
He had looked into his eyes.
Disappearing in a murder of crows, Danzo was dragged into a world of red and black.
Inside Tsukuyomi
Before him stood Itachi sitting on a throne. Looking down at himself he noticed himself tied to a post, turning to Itachi he spoke,
"What is this, where have you taken me"
Standing from his throne, Itachi spoke,
"You are now within my Tsukiyomi(Moon Reader). In this world I can create whatever I want, do whatever I want."
Walking towards him he continued,
"For the next 72 hours, you will experience the pain of losing every single one of your limbs one by one"
Danzo watched as Itachi pulled out his tanto and began cutting off his appendages. The agony was excruciating, it almost seemed real. Danzo had to remind himself he was in a Genjutsu.
"71 hours 59 minutes to go"
Outside Tsukuyomi
In the real world only 3 seconds had passed as Itachi watched Danzo fall to the ground on one knee. He was still alive after the amount of mental torture he had be put through, but he wouldn't be for long.
Grabbing his tanto he walked up to Danzo. With a stab he plunged his sword deep into Danzo's chest, listening to his ragged breathing he whispered,
"For Shisui"
Pulling out his sword he turned walking away before he heard Danzo speak for the last time,
"If this is my end, I'll make sure to end you as well!"
Pulling back his robes, a series of black seals began to form,
"Ura Shishō Fūinjutsu!(Reverse Four Symbols Sealing Technique)"
Itachi's eyes widened as he saw the seals extend from Danzo's body, quickly using a Shunshin(Body Flicker) he disappeared to a safe distance and watched as a large black orb surrounded Danzo's body absorbing everything with the diameter of the sphere.
With one last look at the devastation behind him, Itachi disappeared in a flicker getting ready to finish the rest of his objectives.
Hokage Tower
Sitting in the dark, gazing out into the village was one Namikaze Minato, the Yondaime Hokage. His arms resting on either side of his chair, clasped together in front of him, his eyebrows creased in though.
'Itachi and Shisui should have made contact with the leader of Akatsuki, and started Danzo's assassination.'
There was a lot at stake on this mission, he was going to possibly lose two of his best operatives, but what he would gain would be much more.
'A loyal Uchiha clan, less resistance on the council and two spies within a new mercenary organization of S-Rank shinobi. Yes, this would all be for the greater good, If I can keep the village safe then Naruto will be safe as well.'
He sat back on his chair and grabbed the saucer of sake that he had served on his desk. Tonight was cause for celebration.
If only he knew what was coming.
Downing the sake in one sip, he began absorbing some of the ambient nature chakra, curious to see if he would sense his two operatives as they began their fight.
As he extended his senses a sense of dread came over him, followed immediately by anger.
Uchiha Madara had just appeared within his barrier, just on the outskirts of the village
Immediately flashing towards the nearest marker to his location he appeared before Madara, his anger evident, his killing intent leaking out in, enraged intervals. After 7 years he had finally reappeared. This time he would not lose.
Standing before him was an unconcerned Uchiha Madara. His posture conveying that of boredom. He looked over to Minato, as if inspecting a fly on the wall.
This enraged Minato to no end.
"I've waited 7 years to catch a glimpse of you. Not even my best spies could track you down, yet here you are. It feels like Christmas in September."
Madara just looked at the Namikaze, with an air of arrogance only the Uchiha had.
"Hn, to think this is Hasirama's legacy. A blonde brat, easily riled by the mere presence of his opponent."
Their last fight was what you could call a draw. Minato was able to release the Kyuubi from Madara and injure him enough to back off, but in the process he lost his wife. For Minato he lost that fight.
For Madara, it was a loss, he was forced to back away before he could realize the destruction of the leaf, losing his prosthetic arm in the process and the Kyuubi as well. All because he underestimated the young kage. That wouldn't happen twice. He wasn't as strong as he once was, but he was strong enough to deal with a nuisance like him.
"This is for Kushina," Minato said reaching back and grabbing tri-pronged kunai from his pouch taking note of Madara's, for lack of a better word, stance.
In a blur of motion both men began with their feints, Minato launched kunai after kunai carefully positioning them as they deflected off every kunai Madara sent his way.
In an instant Minato flashed towards Madara's position and they began with taijutsu.
For all his speed, it seemed Minato could not land a blow.
He came with a roundhouse kick, which after being blocked turned into a leg sweep, which was avoided with a leap. As Madara leaped, Minato had a Rasengan(Spiraling Sphere) plunging towards his chest. In that instant Madara became intangible, easily avoiding the Rasengan as it went straight through him.
Realizing his precarious position Minato flashed backwards to a marker about 10 yards away, creating a pair of clones before launching into a series of hand seals, one clone doing the same as the clone flashed to a hidden marker in the forest,
Tiger → Ox → Dog → Rabbit → Snake
"Fūton: Daitoppa(Wind Release: Great Breakthrough)"
Tiger
"Katon: Gōryūka no Jutsu"
The a large gust of wind emitted from the palms of the original met with flames as they raced towards Madara's position, fanning them as the heat increased and the techniques range nearly tripled.
Madara looked on unimpressed. Normally he would just phase through it, but wanting to prove his superiority he made one seal,
Horse
"Katon: Gōka Mekkyaku(Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation)"
Emitting a powerful wall of fire easily matching the Hokage's combination technique, and overpowering it.
In the moment it took him to create the one seal, Minato had already flashed to the marker just behind him, charging up a larger than normal rasengan
"Ōdama Rasengan(Giant Spiraling Sphere)"
Seeing the large ball of chakra coming at him, Madara disappeared this time, reappearing just behind Minato, bringing a kunai down towards his lower back.
Sensing this Minato flashed away once again, to a safer marker staring his opponent down. It seemed he wasn't going to fall for the same trick twice. By countering with a jutsu instead of phasing through he could easily anticipate Minato's next attack.
He would just have to hit him with something he couldn't see coming.
Madara turned to look at the Yondaime.
'It seems he's improved, as to be expected from the leading prodigy of his generation.'
In that moment, Minato had closes his eyes...
'What was he planning...'
Seconds later orange marks he could see orange marks take over his eyes, the mark of a master sage. His pupils turned into horizontal slants, his chakra growing exponentially. Madara watched as he bit a finger and began going through the seals for a summoning technique,
"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"
From the smoke appeared to elderly toads, a male and a female. He had summoned the elders of Mt Myoboku.
With the appearance of the two elderly sages, Fukusaku and Shima, Minato began explaining the situation, apologizing for bringing them into such a hectic situation.
Jumping onto his shoulders, they began to merge with Minato, allowing him the ability to freely fight while they gathered senjutsu, and greatly increasing his potential for combination attacks.
The downside to the combined sage mode was that Minato could not rely on the Hiraishin(Flying Thunder God) and his markers with Fukusaku and Shima merged onto his shoulders. He would have to rely on his natural speed and the Kawazu Kumite(Toad Sage Fist) to win this fight. The Kawazu Kumite allowed him to extend the range of his strikes through the use of natural energy.
Engaging Madara once again in taijutsu, he began to gain an upper hand. Forcing the masked man to phase through more attacks than he seemed wont to do before.
Madara, having faced Hasirama, knew of the extended range Senjutsu(Sage Techniques) allowed the user. Opting to phase through the attacks as opposed to risking this frail body with a direct or glancing blow from Minato's increased strength.
As Minato rained blows down upon the ethereal Madara, Fukasaku and Shima took the opportunity to time each and every phase shift counting exaclty how long he could maintain intangibility before having to become tangible once more.
It seemed there was a 1 second interval between each phase shift, they would have to time their techniques perfectly.
In this mode they were physically linked to the young sage, feeding him information.
Acknowledging the time interval that he had deduced from the last fight, he began formulating his plan.
'We're going to have to time this combination exactly to be able to land a debilitating blow, while I keep him distracted I need you both to bring the oil and heat.'
'You tell us when n' we'll brin' the heat Minato-chan,' responded Fukasaku
Smiling upon hearing these words, Minato began charging a sage powered rasengan, passing it straight through madara coming out the opposite end, just as the last of his body finished passing through he ordered,
'Now!'
Fukasaku and Shima had already been speeding through their seals,
"Katon: Gamayu Endan(Fire Release: Toad Oil Flame Bullet)"
The flames engulfing Madara as he became tangible.
Minato and the elders turned to watch in satisfaction as they landed a direct hit, their faces bright with shock as they watched their collaboration technique turned back on them.
This time when Madara had shifted, he brought something back with him.
Realizing that he was currently outclassed in this weakend state, Madara reached into his dimension, grabbing his Gunbai and reflecting the collaboration technique through the use of Uchihagaeshi (Uchiha Reflection).
The reflection engulfed the young kage and he disappeared in a blaze.
Uchiha Clan Compound
It was a quiet night at the clan compound, but while everything seemed normal, there was a tension in the air.
Just about every shinobi in the clan knew about the possible coup that was approaching. Their leader, Fugaku, had made a call to arms for all the Uchiha bretheren, stating that Konoha blamed them for the Kyuubi attack.
It sounded like propaganda to many of them, but most would not dare defy their clan leader. After having established his ringleaders, Fugaku had a hold on most of the younger shinobi, using their arrogance in their own 'elite' status to fuel their rage towards Konoha at such a slight.
With all the pieces in place Fugaku was finally ready to make his move. Itachi and Shisui were his perfect weapons. Always obedient and always spying for him in the Hokage's affairs. If it weren't for that curse seal Danzo had placed on them, he would have known every detail about the ROOT program, but no matter, that was all in due time.
Fugaku was currently in his study, taking a look at the battle plans, ensuring that there were no lose ends. That was when he felt, a gust of wind behind him.
Turning he was shocked to see Itachi standing there, bloodied blade in hand.
"What do you think your're doing Itachi?" he asked, slightly fearful. He knew his skills, even he was not arrogant enough to think he was Itachi's superior in combat.
With a cold emotionless voice he replied,
"Purging the world of scum tou-san. Your ringleaders are all dead. Setsuna, Tekka, Inabi, Yashiro, Yakumi, all dead by my blade. Their families as well."
Any shock that should have shown was masked as Fugaku looked into his eldest son's eyes and realized, he never had him on his side. He had always belonged to the village, a traitor to his clan. It seemed Minato Namikaze had bested him once again.
"You would put this village trash before, your own flesh and blood? You disgust me," he spat.
Disappearing in a blur and reappearing directly behind the man he once called father, he spoke,
"Arrigato tou-sama..."
Those were the last words that Uchiha Fugaku heard before Itachi's blade stabbed him through the heart.
In that moment, a bleary-eyed Sasuke had walked into the study, having heard some commotion.
"Nii-san?" he said confused
"Whats wrong with tou-san?" taking a few minutes to register the blade, in Itachi's hand, his eyes widened in shock
"Nii-san why! Why would you do this!" he shouted
Looking over at his otouto, he hid the pain that he felt when he saw his betrayed eyes, he was too innocent,
"I needed to prove myself, and you foolish brother, will be my measuring stick. If you want to kill me, then blame me. Hate me. And live on in shame. Run and run...cling desperately to life. And then one day come to me bearing these..."His eyes shifted into the Mangekyou Sharingan, "...eyes that I bear now."
"Tsukuyomi!"
The world was awash with red and black as they entered Itachi's mind.
He made Sasuke relive the death of every Uchiha member he had killed that night.
The entire families of the ringleaders, slaughtered. No one was worst was watching the death of his father, over and over and over again, and not knowing the true reason why.
When the technique finally ended, Sasuke was on the floor unconscious, his Sharingan awakened.
Outskirts of Konoha
Admiring the work done by his gunbai, Madara shifted his gave to the tree line waiting for the kage to step out.
Once Minato saw the reflection technique his only alternative was to use his Hiraishin and flash out of the way, with this both the elders were forced to return to Mt. Myoboku. Luckily he still had his other clone collecting Senjutsu from earlier.
Stepping out of the forest line Minato looked over to the devastation wrought by collaboration technique. The crater left behind was large enough to create a new lake. It seemed that it was not only reflected, but also increased in power.
Despite the life or death situation, Minato was thrilled by the battle. He hadn't had an opponent this good since he faced off against Kumo's A-B combination back in the Third Shinobi war. His anger still present, but he could not allow it to cloud his judgment. Not against an opponent of this magnitude.
Madara likewise was enjoying the battle, but while he was enjoying the battle he had to finish this up quickly. He was sure that Minato could sense the Konoha forces arriving and it wouldn't do to have to fight the Sandaime and Tsunade at the same time. There was no doubt in his mind that he could, just not at the level of power he was currently at. He needed more time to collect the bijuu, then the world would know the full might of Uchiha Madara.
Turning towards the forest Madara also made out a single chakra signature arriving just on the outskirts.
Uchiha Itachi had arrived.
And he was alone.
'It seems like his friend didn't make it through the battle, he must have unlocked his mangekyou then,' thought Madara.
Flashback
"Before we join you Madara-sama, we need to get rid of this curse seal placed upon us by Danzo."
Finishing they both opened their mouths revealing the curse seal Danzo had placed upon their tongue.
"Very well, I will begin fighting the Hokage, as you start your battle. Join me when you finish. If you betray me, you will die."
Minato also seemed to take notice of Itachi arriving. He wasn't quite sure what he as doing here, he told him to meet with the Akatsuki leader and leave the village once his missions were complete.
In a swirl of leaves, Itachi arrived by Madara's side, his Mangekyou Sharingan flared.
"It is done Madara-sama, Shimura Danzo is no more. I am free of his juinjutsu."
Madara's eyes bore into Itachi's,
"Indeed, it would seem so. Now we must attend to another matter. The Yondaime."
Minato gazed at the duo his face blank, his mind confused. That was until Madara shifted his gaze and Itachi began using the ANBU code. Madara is the leader of Akatsuki. Mission Staus?
Immediately understanding the situation Minato charged in, giving Itachi his answer.
Continue the mission, do not abort.
Having dispelled the clone gathering nature chakra. Letting loose a volley of tri-pronged shuriken he flashed in and began fighting both Uchihas, using his Hiraishin, in combination with the Rasengan and Kawazu Kumite.
Both Uchihas were hard pressed to keep up with the Yondaime's speed, but it wouldn't last as his sage chakra was currently starting to fade. All they had to do was outlast him, then the fight would be over.
Phasing back and forth Madara weaved through his attacks, the younger Uchiha, not having dealt with sage chakra before, was not so lucky. Every glancing blow he took rattled him more than the next. It seemed as though the fight with Danzo had taken more out of him than he thought.
Minato continue his onslaught knowing that he had limited time before his senjutsu chakra would expire.
'I have to continue to fight Itachi to my full extent otherwise, Itachi's cover will be blown," thought the Namikaze
Seeing the young boy's fatigue he engaged him once more in taijutsu. Just as his sage chakra was expiring Minato gathered his chakra for final jutsu,
"Katon: Gōen Rasengan!(Fire Release: Great Flame Spiralling Sphere)"
Just as he was about to strike Itachi in the chest, he made slight eye contact.
Seeing his opportunity, Itachi cast his genjutsu,
"Tsukuyomi!"
Inside Tsukuyomi
Immediately Minato's world was awash with red and black.
This time instead of on a throne, Itachi knelt before his Kage.
"Hokage-sama, to what extent do I continue this mission?"
Minato looked down at the boy and smiled,
"Til the very end Itachi-san, for we are shinobi of Konohagakure no Sato. Everything we do is for the betterment of the leaf. That is why you must be the one... to end my life."
Itachi looked up at his Hokage, shock evident on his face. To kill one's Kage was the ultimate treason. There would be no return for him.
"Hokage-sama, I implore you to find an alternative."
With a firm hand on his shoulder he looked him in the eye and said,
"There is no alternative, that was my last technique. If you save me now, then the village will face an even greater threat in the future if Madara's plans succeed. I need you to find out what he is planning and report it back to the Sandaime. Do you understand?"
Itachi took a moment to absorb everything his Hokage just told him. The ultimate sacrifice, to save the village, and preserve this peace so that future generations would no longer have to suffer as they undoubtedly would.
"I understand Hokage-sama"
Outside Tsukuyomi
Minato slumped to the ground, his body spent. He looked up at Itachi with sadness in his eyes as he asked,
"Why?"
Itachi's face remained emotionless, as he plunged his blade into his Hokage's chest,
"For power," he replied.
It was just loud enough for Madara to hear, his smirk hidden behind his mask, not noticing the single tear that fell from Itachi's eyes as he turned away.
At that very moment it seemed as thought all of Konoha had arrived. Just in time to witness the greatest treason of their generation.
Standing before them was a man wearing an orange, spiral mask and black robes. Next to him was their pride and joy, Uchiha Itachi, and he had his blade plunged into their Yondaime's heart.
Many of them could not comprehend. Others fell to the ground tears welling up in their eyes as they watched Itachi pull the blade from his chest.
Once he had gotten his fill of satisfaction,Madara turned to the crowd,
"Your Hokage lies dead at my feet, and your prodigy has abandoned you. There is no hope for peace in this world of realities. You shall burn in the fires of war, before you realize, there is no escape in this false reality."
Having said what he needed, Madara placed a hand on Itachi's shoulder, pulling him into his pocket dimension, disappearing from sight.
All at once the Konoha shinobi rushed towards their downed Kage. The first to arrive was Tsunade as she attempted to stem the blood flow and seal the wound.
It was too late. She clenched her hands as she realized, she couldn't save another.
Minato looked up at Tsunade, just as she closed her eyes and tears began to stream down her face. weakly he spoke,
"T-Tsunade... P-please, t-take c-c-care of the village for me. I n-nominate you, as my successor,"
She put on a brave face for Minato,
"I will do my best Minato"
Upon hearing those words, Minato flashed away using his Hiraishin one last time, leaving the heartbroken group of shinobi.
Hokage Mansion
Naruto lay restless in bed.
Normally Naruto was a heavy sleeper, there wasn't much that could wake him. He loved to sleep, there was nothing better! Well except ramen, and the color orange and his oji-san...
Still for some strange reason he couldn't sleep tonight. he felt as if something bad was going to happen, he just didn't know what it was.
Call it family intuition.
Realizing he wasn't getting anywhere close sleep, Naruto decided to do what his oji-san always told him to do when he couldn't sleep, drink a warm glass of milk.
That's where Naruto was headed when he heard a noise downstairs. Remembering his shinobi training from his uncle, he began to quietly step forward towards the sound of the noise with a kunai in hand.
It seemed to be coming from the living room.
There was a figure sitting on the coach, Naruto couldn't make out his figure in the dark, but he could tell he had spiky hair. Getting curious he decided to get closer to take a look.
As he approached the light of the moon shone on the intruders face, it was his oji-san, but something was wrong, he looked pale, and there was blood on his chest.
He tentatively walked forward,
"Oji-san whats wrong?"
At the sound of his voice, Minato seemed to stir, he was on Death's door, but he would not dare leave without saying good-bye to his son, and so he held on for Naruto's sake.
"C-come here Naruto, I don't have much t-time," he said quietly
Walking forward he saw it. The chest wound.
His throat tightened,
'No, it can't be. Not oji-san...'
"Oji-san no!" he shouted rushing towards his uncles side, tears streaming down his face.
"Y-you t-told me y-you w-were the s-strongest. D-don't l-leave me all a-a-alone!"
He hugged tighter and tighter hoping that the harder he held on, the more likely he was to stay.
The look of anguish in his son's face hurt Minato more than the wound in his chest, but he needed to know, he needed to tell him
Tears streaming down his face, Minato spoke,
"Naruto look at me"
Looking up tears staining his whiskered cheeks,
"Y-you grew up so fast Naruto-kun. My only regret is that I wish I had more time to spend with my son. Your mom would be so proud of you. You're going to grow up to be a strong ninja. One that will change this world."
'W-what do you m-mean?" asked Naruto
Minato slowly lifted the picture frame he held in his hands and slowly handed it to Naruto.
"I love you Naruto-kun"
It was a picture of a smiling Minato and Kushina, their hands placed over Kushina's belly. Minato held her close, lovingly.
Seeing this picture broke Naruto's heart, he had a dad. He was living with him this whole time, he looked down as tears freely flowed from his eyes.
"W-why tou-san, WHY DID YOU HIDE IT FROM ME!" he yelled.
Looking up as he yelled, he realized.
His father was gone.
"TOU-SAAAAAN!"
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