Betrayal
"Kill the seven-tails?" Natsuki questioned.
"I'm afraid so." Tsunade said as she handed the paper to Jiraiya who confirmed it by nodding to them.
"Why?" Itachi asked.
"There wasn't much written on the letter, but from what I gather the seven-tails has become a liability to the village."
"That's... unreasonable and immoral, Tsunade-sama." Natsuki said.
"I know."
"Then why are we doing this?"
"Because you are the only ones who can."
"We'll leave as soon as possible, Tsunade." Jiraiya said and led his students out. Tsunade leaned back into her chair and let out a heavy sigh.
Jiraiya walked Itachi and Natsuki out of the building, everyone still silent about the mission they had been given when Dairuko showed up, oblivious to the mission.
"Hey, Itachi guess what... he tried to run. Can you believe it? That old geyser tried to out-run me! Of people... why's everyone so gloomy?" Dairuko asked and Jiraiya explained what they had to do. "Kill a tailed beast? That is some Kage level shit, we're just jounin not Kage... this'll be fun. When do we leave?"
"Dairuko, do you even understand the gravity of the situation?" Itachi asked.
"Itachi, do you understand the gravity of who we are?" Dairuko countered. "We're the guys they send when everyone else fails... we've landed decisive blows on the Nine-Tails, we've fought a small army and overcame impossible odds on more than one occasion... they might as well name us Rulers of the Universe."
Everyone just stared at Dairuko after his little speech, despite it being a bit outrageous it was true that Team 0 had done things that not many others would have been able to do. Even individually, they've accomplished things no one has done; Dairuko smashed the Fourth Hokage's foot with a stove, Itachi single-handedly ended a syndicate and Natsuki beat Shikaku in shougi, and all this happened before they were even ten.
"Dairuko, are you drunk?" Natsuki asked.
"Maaaaaybe... I refuse to acknowledge whether or not I'm drunk."
"You just proved it, you idiot."
"But I didn't acknowledge it did I? So HA in your face." Dairuko said then left the three of them and headed home to pack.
"Well... that was unexpected." Jiraiya commented.
"Something about that was off. Last I saw him, he was sober." Itachi said.
Natsuki was already waiting at the gate when the three guys showed up with their bags packed and set for the journey ahead- except for Jiraiya.
"Sensei, why aren't you packed?" Natsuki asked.
"Well, you see uhm... something came up and I can't put it off." Jiraiya said.
"Riiiight." Natsuki crossed her arms while Itachi stared at Jiraiya, not believing it.
"Can we go now?" Dairuko said.
"Yes, let's go." Itachi said and the three of them left.
'I hope things are better when you guys come back.' Jiraiya thought before heading back into the village.
Team 0 arrived at the Waterfall Village after two weeks of tense, silent travel and they were greeted at the cave entrance to the village by the village leader Shibuki, two jounin and a young girl with spiky mint green hair and orange eyes.
"Greetings," Shibuki greeted "you three must be Team 0. My name is Shibuki."
"We are, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance my name is Uchiha Itachi." Itachi said.
"I'm Danearys Natsuki." Natsuki introduced herself.
"Senju Dairuko at your service." Dairuko said. This earned him a glance from Natsuki.
"Hi there! My name's Fuu." the girl appeared.
"Fuu, I asked you to stay with the jounin." Shibuki stated.
"They were boring so I came here to make new friends." Fuu said with a smile on her face.
"I like this kid... you can learn something from her, Uchiha." Dairuko teased.
"Go play with your new friend, Dairuko. Natsuki and I will get the details on the mission." Itachi responded and Dairuko waved him off and went with Fuu.
"I appreciate Konoha sending their best squad to help me." Shibuki started.
"Before you continue I have to ask... is Fuu not your Jinchuriki?" Natsuki asked.
"She is, but there is a deeper reason why I asked you here."
"Explain, because we do not like being left in the dark on missions like this." Itachi stated.
"You see, Fuu once had trouble controlling the Seven-tails' power, so a solution we came up with involved splitting the chakra amongst another shinobi however... the only person compatible with Fuu was a young boy who had recently lost his parents."
"I take it the operation didn't workout so well." Natsuki said.
"Actually, no. The operation was successful and Fuu began seeing him as her older brother, and like Fuu he was shunned but unlike her he didn't take it. Well he'd go into fits of rage when the villagers persecuted him or Fuu until one day he learnt about his family's genjutsu technique, then used his added chakra reserve to amplify it's power and he just watched as the village began tearing itself apart which, forced Fuu to make the hardest choice of her life. She fought the closest thing she ever had to family and threw him in prison."
"I doubt he was happy." Natsuki commented.
"No, he wasn't. While in prison he used his genjutsu to have whichever ninja was guarding the door commit suicide, we then moved him to a special cell that drains whoever is inside's chakra greatly, reducing his genjutsu range."
"So you want us to kill him... but why now and why us?" Itachi asked.
"The rumors of Team 0 are quite revered even if no one truly believes you exist... if anyone can do it, I believe it to be you three. After all, ones so powerful must have powerful willpower."
"And what makes you think his genjutsu can be overcome by willpower?" Natsuki asked.
"Nothing. Which is why the Uchiha is here, their eyes see through genjutsu right?"
"That depends on the user's abilities." Itachi stated "but I understand your logic... we will complete the mission."
"Thank you."
"So this guy was a brother to you?" Dairuko asked Fuu while they sat in a tree eating ice-cream.
"Mmhmm he was, but then he changed... he wasn't that same boy who comforted me when the villagers got to me." Fuu said.
"And you had to take him down or take him out?"
"Yeah... I hoped that he might come to his senses given time..."
"Don't beat yourself up over it, Fuu, my sister would probably do the same to me."
"You have a sister?"
"Well I'm not entirely sure anymore."
"How can you not be sure if she's your sister?"
"It's a complicated story."
"A story is only as complicated as you make it." Dairuko sighed and explained to Fuu his situation including the promise he made to Natsuki "Well, that's bad."
"I know and I want to make it right with her."
"Dai-kun, you promised her that you'll always love her no matter what so technically you still kept your promise."
"I can't bring a technicality to Natsuki... she'll kill me." Dairuko laughed. "Fuu, this village doesn't know how incredible you are... you deserve better." Dairuko smiled and ruffled Fuu's hair.
"Arigatou, Dai-kun." Fuu replied with toothy smile.
Dairuko met with the rest of Team 0 while they were planning and it seemed as though they were waiting for him.
"You're both looking at me funny... I didn't sleep with any of the Kage's family again did I?" Dairuko asked.
"No, you need to head back to Konoha." Itachi said.
"Wait... what?"
"Dairuko, this guy uses genjutsu and you aren't as skilled with genjutsu resistance like Itachi and I, so you will be more of a liability than an asset ." Natsuki said evenly and Dairuko looked between his teammates.
"Fine then, but I don't like this." Dairuko said.
"We will meet in Konoha, Dairuko." Itachi said.
Meanwhile in a dark part of the prison a hooded man approached a cell at the end of the hallway and stopped.
"Izuka, are you ready?" the hooded man asked.
"Yes the turmoil between Team 0 is set and the girl is my ticket-" a voice said from inside the cell.
"Target the Senju."
"Why? You said I should use the Senju to create the turmoil and use the girl to finish off my plan and now I must use the Senju again... what has changed?"
"He is the glue of the team... have him kill the girl and the Uchiha will thirst for revenge against him and you."
"How will this benefit me?"
"You will have the power of a Senju on your side to help destroy this village and get you to the water."
"It might take time for my genjutsu to take hold-"
"The plan is in it's final stages. I will not tolerate delay so I took care of your cell's restraints, by the morning your chakra should have returned."
"You must really hate these three."
"Quite the opposite, I admire them."
"Then why are you doing this?"
"If they can't handle these small hurdles I put in front of them, then it'll be three people less to fight later." the hooded man started to leave.
"What's your name anyway?"
"I have no name... I am no one." the hooded man left afterwards.
Dairuko was about to leave the Waterfall village when he suddenly felt himself become an observer in his own mind and soon afterwards he was walking the down the long hall to where they kept the jinchuriki.
"You can't be-" one of the two guards were saying before Dairuko threw shuriken into both of the guards' throats then easily ripped the door off it's hinges revealing a boy inside, only about sixteen years old with navy blue hair and matching eyes wearing what had once been white now brown (due to the dirt) ragged clothes and foot-wraps.
"Excellent, my new puppet." the boy said as more guards arrived "Kill them all while I look for something else to wear." Dairuko didn't respond he just charged forward.
With all the plans made for the next day, Natsuki found herself a quiet spot on the roof and sat down, gazing at the stars wondering what it would be like to be a star when Itachi decided to join her.
"You've been outside for quite sometime... are you alright, Natsuki?" Itachi asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine, just thinking about stuff." Natsuki replied, she hadn't realised so much time had gone by. Itachi sat next to her.
"I suppose we can sit here and think about stuff... together." Itachi placed his hand on Natsuki's causing her to look at it then look directly into the Uchiha's soul-staring eyes.
"Itachi..." Natsuki trailed off as they both leaned in to kiss one another but before their lips could make contact a loud crashing sound caused them to look where the sound had come from and in the distance.
"Oooooh! I was really hoping you two would kiss." Fuu said as Itachi turned around to see where the voice came from.
"What are you doing here, Fuu?" Itachi asked but Natsuki tapped Itachi's arm and drew his attention toward two figures walking toward the Hero's Water.
"Itachi, one of them is, Dairuko!" Natsuki exclaimed.
"What?!" before Itachi could get an answer, Natsuki had left with Fuu.
"Tell, Shibuki!" Natsuki called back and Itachi had no choice but to agree and took off in the direction of Shibuki's office.
"Natsuki-chan, that person Dai-kun is with. It's Izuka..." Fuu said.
"The other jinchuriki... we have to hurry. Dairuko is in trouble."
"Hai."
When the two girls arrived they were greeted by the sight of Dairuko snapping a jounin's neck with other jounin spread across the room and Izuka just sitting there like he was waiting for them.
"Well well isn't this a surprise... as I am about to achieve victory with my new puppet the two people who wronged us suddenly appear." Izuka said as he stood up.
"Don't do this, Nii-san!" Fuu screamed.
"Oh, now you call me nii-san after you left me to rot in that hell-hole of prison! Puppet! Come here," Dairuko obeyed "did you know my lovely sister over there didn't come to see me even once? Didn't even try to sneak in to see me... instead she stayed away from the 'monster' because I had had enough of being chained and hated by those people."
"What you did was wrong, Izuka, and you know it."
"I wasn't wrong in taking revenge on those people! After all... what is justice, revenge by another name."
As Fuu and Izuka argued Natsuki stared at Dairuko, his eyes were empty, they had no emotion and no life in them.
"As for you, Natsuki you are no better... you abandoned my puppet, left him broken and now... I fixed him."
"His name is Dairuko and he doesn't belong to anyone but himself, you son of a bitch!" Natsuki shouted.
"You see, Puppet? See how she calls to your humanity and pride now as we are on the verge of victory. Well guess what? He's mine and now... there are no chains on me. Puppet, kill the nobody." Izuka said savagely and Dairuko walked forward menacingly, cracking his knuckles.
"Dairuko, please... don't make me do this." Natsuki pleaded but Dairuko didn't care as he charged forward- with killing intent.