Yes, the outcome of previous chapter's scuffle is still up in the air. I'm kind of sorry, but not all that much, seeing as so many of you called it. I had hoped that I made it a bit tougher to call, honestly... though it may just be Kakashi being a softie.
A minor interlude chapter, because I seem to be unable to move on with the main plot without diverging (heh) every few chapters.
ModernErasmus: May the gods of Fanfictioning hear your words - I work hard to make my story a quality read, and I'm happy you enjoy it!
Oh I Am Slain: Seems I lost ya, mate... Darn shame, but I guess I can't complain - Book 2 really is sub-standard work for me... Glad you liked Book 1, though!
And another round for Illuminated:
31 - It's not all bathhouses and babes for the Toad Sage. I do believe I've laid the foundation of a decent OC with this chapter.
32 - Good find. Yes, Lee and Gaara clearly still have beef. It won't be unaddressed forever, though.
36 - Taken for consideration. My humor seems to work only as momentary inspiration, trying to focus it usually ends poorly.
37 - I mentioned it'll be a million words, and I'll keep to that, even if it means the story ends in 2020. I never go back on my word; that's my ninja way!
38 - It's promised, and it will happen... I just wish I wasn't so terrible at direct humor. (BTW, I don't mind.)
Tsunade heard the door creak behind her. For reasons her own, she had decided to forgo the administrative duties of the Hokage for the afternoon, instead choosing to indulge herself with watching over the village from her panoramic window.
So much has been happening lately, she's barely been able to keep up. Even hustling Shizune and those two gate guard chunin into helping out with the monkey work hardly helped matters; for every minute she'd manage to save, something would come up demanding two.
Thankfully, the village was doing well. All over the Land of Fire, Leaf shinobi did good work dealing with the threats locals couldn't handle on their own. Whether it'd be a group of bandits that grows too large, or the occasional practitioner of the occult, all would eventually be stopped by a man or woman that she herself dispatched.
It showed on the streets themselves – children ran through alleys and into parks, followed by smiling parents. Merchants freely walked from square to square, peddling their wares and, if they were particularly wealthy or fortunate, setting up shop for a longer stay. Shinobi, always subtle, leapt from rooftop to rooftop, ensuring that the idyllic visage of the village stays undisturbed.
She should be happy… but still concerns plagued her. It was frustrating.
The 'Anti-Root' taskforce she had assembled produced barely any results, though it wasn't due to its' members. Whatever Danzo had in the pipeline, it was buried rather well, no overt signs of activity showing even after a few weeks of intense hive-rattling. The fact that such a powerful and competent individual could be working against the interests of the Hokage, and by extension the village itself, was greatly disquieting.
Then there was the whole thing with Uzushiogakure… a dead village suddenly coming to life.
She had her doubts, of course – it looked too convenient. Yet, no matter how she looked at it, it was impossible for someone to fake the call; everything from the source to the wavelengths checked out, covering even the obscure details only Konoha knew from their shared history with the village.
Regardless of the risk, the place was a treasure trove of knowledge – Naruto, being half-Uzumaki, had the best odds of accessing some of it... Ideally, it would be the kind of knowledge the village could eventually share with its' peers, but she wouldn't much complain if it just put them ahead in the perpetual arms race.
Then came the threats of Orochimaru and the Akatsuki organization. Between the high-functioning sociopath that was her former teammate and a battle unit of half a dozen S-Ranked criminals, she would be hard-pressed to pick the worse option.
The Akatsuki, at least, made their intentions clear; they've already effectively subjugated every country between the Lands of Wind and Fire, only the occasional low rank request being handed off to the two lands' hidden villages. Itachi Uchiha was coming for Naruto, the Nine-Tails jinchuriki… it was safe to assume that they'd be coming for all the others, too.
After all, they had the muscle for it, and they damn sure had the resources. She'd kill for a chance to talk to their accountant…
Orochimaru, however, was a whole other kind of threat. The man's vast knowledge of the village made him far more dangerous than your run-of-the-mill nuke-nin, and he had already proven himself by nearly destroying the village and killing the Sandaime…
True, it was confirmed that the Third's parting shot effectively handicapped the snake Sannin, but it was only a matter of time before someone like Orochimaru finds a way to cheat the Shinigami of its' prize.
Once that happens… what? He could amass his forces and take the Uchiha by force, having failed to entice him into joining willingly. He could plot another incursion – apparently, everyone and their mothers could just pop up in the village, ranging from exiled Sannin to S-Rank Criminals…
At least he wouldn't be going back to the Akatsuki. According to Jiraiya's network, the falling out he had with the group removed that particular possibility… However, if they picked up on the Uzu transmissions, so could he… if he bothered to look, that is.
She sighed.
There were a great many things that lurked at the edges, waiting for their chance to leap at her village and take a pound of flesh... She'd make damn sure that anyone stupid enough to actually go for it has one hell of a time trying, though.
She wanted to say that being Hokage was in the blood, that she took to the position merely because her grandfather did the same. She really did.
She'd even accept that it was the brat's passion that inspired her to pay back some of what she owed the village that raised her into the woman she was today. That wasn't it, either.
In truth, regardless of how many snickers and eye-rolls it'd provoke, Sarutobi-sensei's teachings about the Will of Fire best described what drove her to keep working as the Hokage. The knowledge that she is nurturing a place where people are willing to put their lives on the line to protect their comrades, a place where everyone is working to impart their strength and wisdom in to the next generation, herself included… that was a place worth fighting for, worth leading.
For all her shitty luck, Tsunade managed to pull one hell of a good hand this past year… Choice cards excluded, of course.
He never understood the appeal of thrones.
Hokage he could understand – it was a position one earned though strength, knowledge and recognition… a position that could've been his, but alas. Thrones, however, he never could quite get. What's the point of having the fanciest chair in the room if everyone already knew you were their superior?
Still, he sat in it, watching with some mild amusement as his shinobi kept moving in the multitudes of equipment from the Sound to the royal palace itself. The daimyo's glorious gallery was converted to a simple storage area, and the multitudes of pointless kitchens, pantries and dining rooms were all transformed into shinobi facilities of some kind.
"Lord Orochimaru, is this about the Whirlpool transmission?" Kabuto bowed, having only just entered the room. Funnily enough, he still wore the same purple shirt he used during his infiltration of the Leaf..
There he was – his other right hand man, the medic. It was funny, actually, having so many right-hand men when he himself was left-handed; details such as that made life delightful, after all.
However, with what he intends to do in the following months, he would need Kabuto to be more than an underling – he needed to know, beyond a doubt, where the medic's loyalties truly lied. Coincidentally, he had just the test.
"Kabuto… would you please hand me your glasses?"
"I see…" the young man sighed, then carefully took off his spectacles, retrieved a small wiping rag from his pocket, gave them a proper cleaning, returned the rag, and then handed them to the Sannin.
Nodding, Orochimaru crushed them in his hand. The narrowing of the boy's eyes was so painfully obvious.
"Would… would that be all, my lord?" he spoke, his voice terse, with a clear undertone of rage.
The Sannin merely grinned: "No, I requested your eyeglasses, Kabuto, not a duplicate."
'He noticed!? How?'
"Ehm… as you wish…" he sighed, reaching into the pocket and producing the object.
Once again, as soon as the handoff was made, the Sannin crushed the spectacles.
"You are surprisingly persistent, dear Kabuto."
'Again? How could he know I had two sets of spares?'
"As are you, my lord. I suspect this is some kind of test, seeing as you've focused on destroying my most treasured possession… it shouldn't surprise me that you've deduced that much."
"Yes I am. In fact…" and with a wave of his hand, Orochimaru revealed another object in his hand – a round pair of spectacles.
Kabuto ran a finger across another of his pockets, his breath catching.
"Don't."
Orochimaru crushed them. The look of glee on his face was merely the twisting of the knife.
"…"
How would Kabuto react, he wondered. Just rolling over won't do, of course, but neither will open revolt… perhaps he'll pretend to play along, then sell secrets to Sasori once given the opportunity? All manner of choices were available to the boy, and his decision intrigued the Sannin greatly.
However, instead of sighing, screaming, or even attacking, Kabuto merely straightened up and smirked.
'My, my… he's even better than I expected. Wonderful!'
"Would you kindly return my glasses, Lord Orochimaru?"
Brilliant! Despite his background, he resists the temptation to lose his temper – a dangerously keen mind, rational enough to know his place, yet ambitious enough to be willing to do whatever it takes to advance his position…
"Ah, if only you didn't oust yourself during the crush… what Kimimaro and the four have failed to do, you would surely accomplish…"
The spectacles took to the air, easily caught by the medic who wasted no time in returning them to their place atop his nose. The praise was earned, of course, but the message that came with it was more important.
"And yet Sasuke Uchiha eludes us for now. Surely there is a better goal towards which I could work?"
Neither of them wasted any time. Once the meaning behind the conversation was known to them both, the words themselves lost value. Intent carries over far better than words, anyway.
"The Akatsuki. Bring everything we have to…" He turned over to one of the shinobi on standby, "which room was my work area?"
"The concubines' chambers, sir. It's the only place with the proper lighting."
Not the most effective of shinobi, perhaps, but a rather skilled interior designer. This particular base would at least reflect the spirit of the building it was before he cleared it.
"Yes, there. And afterwards, you will head to the Whirlpool." he nodded, dismissing both the shinobi and Kabuto himself.
"Very well," the bespectacled young man returned the nod, turning on his heel and leaving the room.
There was not a conceivable situation where Yakushi Kabuto would sacrifice his own well-being for someone else's, this much was clear. However, aside from that rather minor flaw, he was an invaluable asset, with a proficiency in medical jutsu and espionage that rivaled his own in his younger days. Besides, if he wanted someone to take hits for him, both Kimimaro and Subject Zero… Juugo, would do far better in the role.
"You there!" he looked over to the interior designer shinobi once more.
"My lord!"
"Contact the border outposts, bring me the Hozuki and the Uzumaki… and Shin. Bring them all."
He'd need anyone even remotely capable to be close at hand – claiming the Land of Sound itself was merely the first step. What followed was handling the Akatsuki, and that wasn't going to be an easy fight.
He was aware of the majority of their members, of course. Most relevant were Yahiko and Konan, the children from the Rain Village, one whom possessed the Rinnegan, while the other exhibited great versatility, and greater reserves.
Next came his 'partner', the mad puppeteer Sasori, who aside from being a medical genius almost on par with Tsunade and Orochimaru himself, was essentially a one-man army. While there were few toxins that could threaten the snake Sannin, there was no doubt that the master of the Red Sand held those few that did.
The Jashinist, Hidan… Orochimaru himself was involved in the rearing of that particular monster; whatever occult force was used for making the man into what he was, his pseudo-invulnerability didn't translate to immortality, thus making whole procedure worthless.
If he were to guess, however, he'd assume it was some kind of minor demonic possession… like a jinchuriki, but housing a much lesser demonic entity, one more inclined to the ceaseless slaughter…
Then the ageless immortal, Kakuzu… he had a decent idea, but Orochimaru's own technique was already far superior – what point is there to stealing the elemental proficiencies of others when you've all but mastered them all already? Still, a man with that much experience isn't to be taken lightly, despite his clear vulnerabilities.
The spy… Zetsu. He was a curious specimen, clearly derived of Hashirama Senju's genetic material, much like the only survivor of his own experiments… but he was never around long enough for Orochimaru to analyze him properly. An unknown factor, and thus a threat.
Hoshigaki was a brute. A powerful, skilled brute, but a brute nonetheless, and probably the least troublesome of the bunch, were they to clash directly.
His intel on their newest member was scarce at best, a former member of the explosion corps of Iwagakure…
And of course, there was Itachi Uchiha…
He had to wonder what kind of man made the decisions he made, what kind of genius made such an individual...
"…"
'That makes no sense…'
He knew Itachi was skilled… regardless of the hatred he felt towards the man, Orochimaru could admit when he was clearly outdone – the Uchiha's sharingan made him into a near unstoppable force, and reports of his genjutsu prowess place him as one of the most skilled users of the discipline in the world…
…so why would someone like that make the clearly mindless decision to attack the Leaf in broad daylight, announcing the Akatsuki's intentions? Fear tactics justified it, but only to a point, and that point was greatly overshot.
From what Orochimaru knew of 'Pain', as he liked to call himself, he was almost certain that the man wouldn't reveal his plans in such a manner, nor would he allow his underlings to do the same and survive. And yet, Uchiha Itachi was still very much alive...
"Someone is pulling strings for him… someone who has leverage over even the Rinnegan user…"
It was the only explanation that made sense – the Rinnegan were more powerful than the Sharingan, so no mere genjutsu, even one born of the Mangekyo, could persuade such a man to stay his wrath... and there was no logical reason to reveal the plans, even if the information was localized to Konoha only, which was doubtful at best.
Could the man from the stone be playing him? He did have the presence for it, yet…
No, he was missing something. Some key piece of information that would explain this… incoherence. There was a reason why Itachi attacked after the Sandaime's death, a reason why he attacked, and a reason why whoever was really in charge of the Akatsuki would cover for him…
By the end of the day, Orochimaru would settle on a course of action – the puppeteer thought he was clever, but he shouldn't have though he was clever enough to outsmart the Snake Sannin - trying to do so would be the height of foolishness, after all.
The thick plottens!
Genuinely, the thing that irked me the most was the sheer lack of logic of Itachi's move - how would someone as loyal as Kisame sit by and watch him do something that retarded? Then it hit me - someone (Obito a.k.a Tobi a.k.a Madara) was covering for him!
So... It's only natural a mind as keen as Orochimaru's would pick up on that little hint.
I'm actually a bit surprised how downright dangerous Orochimaru would be as a villain if he had a clearer head...
Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! I've no clue when the next one will be up!