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CHAPTER 21
"Remember the Second War," Minato began, sitting forward on the table with his elbows, lacing his fingers and setting them palm down. "Hanzo the Salamander and his loyalists not only committed mass genocide on his people, but also poisoned nations around Hidden Rain." Minato tapped his pointer finger on the table and sounded in a hard voice, "Recall the resolution of the war after the then Kage Summit." He fixed a look on Oonoki. "You were there." He turned to the Raikage, Ay. "You were there with your father."
Lastly, Minato's cold eyes went to Yagura. " Your teacher, the Second Mizukage, called for that resolution."
He was met with a slight smirk from the Mizukage.
"Using chemical weapons was, and still is, a war crime, and crime against common human decency. Whether or not the crime is being committed on home soil."
The other kage remained silent, recalling the dreadful Second War and outrageous crimes Hanzo the Salamander committed against his people and also across the continent, leaving scores of towns and settlements desolate of life, and leaving several acres of land uninhabitable to that day.
It was the war the Sannin were credited by the war criminal for surviving open combat against him, but the memory didn't invoke pride in any of the three.
"Konoha has a vested interest in the stability of Kiri. My village has expended time and resources to see to the peaceful conclusion to the conflict." He narrowed his eyes at Yagura, who was reclined on his seat, meeting the Hokage's look with a sleepy smile. The deceptively youthful kage looked the perfect image of serenity. "You may say this is the pot calling the kettle black, as Konoha's hands have not been exactly clean at certain points in time, but there is a certain depth of depravity that cannot and should not be tolerated."
Minato didn't once look away from Yagura.
"This…person poisoned his own people with hypnotic chemicals and has exterminated those he personally deemed unalterable. My sources have proven it to me."
Behind the Hokage, Kakashi passed a folder to an Iron country guard, who in turn passed it to the Iron Daimyo.
The old samurai opened the folder and his lips tightened up at the black-and-white images he saw.
Images of desolation and hopelessness.
Men, women and children with vacant stares, withering away to dust inside cramped buildings.
Homes being razed down and parents being torn away from their crying, struggling children.
People burning at the stake.
A Shinobi of the Mist stomping on a haggard looking man in front of a small crowd of dull-eyed people—bloodline holders.
Piles of dead bodies set ablaze.
The Raikage collected the images passed to him and looked at them with a stoic hum, his stormy eyes flickering with shaded emotion.
Rasa declined looking at the images, already taken his fill from staring at them not too long ago.
Oonoki didn't bother reaching for the photos.
"Not only has it come to light that he has killed scores of his people with chemicals and is actively controlling their minds, he has also wiped out Hidden Rain and all of its populace with a nerve agent." Minato looked about the table. "As I'm sure all of you are aware of by now."
The kage didn't move to acknowledge this but Minato wasn't naïve to think that the information had somehow leaked to these other powerful shinobi settlements.
"The Resolution of the Second War condemns Yagura's acts, and I encourage everyone present to commit to stand by justice. Don't let history repeat itself."
It was both a warning and a threat.
The Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, had raised an alarm when Hanzo the Salamander was beginning his subtle scourge of the continent. When Hanzo was left to do as he pleased unchecked, Hiruzen Sarutobi declared war on Hidden Rain, and every ally, enemy and neutral party on both side were dragged in by force.
Only after the damage had been done and the warring reached a lull did the Five Kage reach a ceasefire agreement.
Hanzo the Salamander was judged postmortem.
Hidden Rain closed its doors to the world.
A generation of uncertainty and hatred followed.
Minato sat back in his chair and crossed his right leg over his left knee.
"Lord Mizukage," the Iron Daimyo tonelessly called, and the room turned to Yagura.
"Gentlemen," Yagura began, "I admit I've been looking forward to this day—this very moment—for years now."
Minato warily sat up and his eyes focused on the Mizukage.
"The day that my humble self is in the presence of such a legendary shinobi," he made a passive gesture to the Hokage, looking about him with a friendly smile. " The Yellow Flash."
"Lord Yagura…" Mifune warned lowly, also sitting upright at the tone of voice the Mizukage was taking, sensing the rising tension in the room.
Yagura ignored the suspicious Iron leader. "The embodiment of all that is good and righteous in this world, or am I wrong?"
He didn't get any response but Yagura didn't seem to expect one, continuing.
"No matter how much you posture, you and your predecessor," the Third Hokage, "are greedy opportunists that hide your selfishness behind your humanity." Yagura scoffed spitefully, barely holding back from spitting on the ground. He pointed at the Hokage, saying through gnashed teeth, "Don't pretend that anything you do is from the good of your heart."
"Maintain decorum, Lord Mizukage," Mifune warned once more.
"Everything I've done is truly for the betterment of humanity." He hit his chest three times. "My efforts have ended widespread violence, hunger and wealth inequality across my country. Can you say the same thing about Konoha, not to talk of Fire country?"
"…All in exchange for their freedom," Minato said with a simmering stare.
Yagura smirked. "I do what I must."
"Tell us, Lord Mizukage," the Kazekage interjected when he saw Minato steadily flatten his feet on the ground, a sign that something was coming, "what must you do exactly?"
"Fight for the sake of peace." Yagura nodded.
Chakra spiked jarringly from behind the Mizukage, from Mei Terumi, and the eyepatch she wore over her right eye disintegrated as a laser whistled out from it, piercing the Kazekage's heart.
The Kazekage toppled backwards off his chair and Minato caught the man before he could hit the ground. Rasa's chest bore a fist-sized hole with burnt edges, cauterizing the blood from spilling out of the wound.
Then all hell broke loose.
The Raikage and Tsuchikage's guards bore down on Hokage and Kazekage's guards, as the Iron leader's guards hastily evacuated their leader from the fray.
Ay and Oonoki remained seated, reclined in their chairs and observing as their guards battled.
Yagura caught the hook staff Chojuro threw to him and clambered onto the table with a manic grin, leaping off to bring the staff down on the stunned Hokage.
Mustering the last bit of strength in his body, Rasa waved his right hand and a wave of iron sand materialized from his right side, punching Yagura aside and smashing the Mizukage through the wall to their left.
After that, Rasa exhaled painfully and fell limp.
This snapped Minato out of his daze.
He picked up the Kazekage, swiftly bending away from another laser primed to cut off his head and bellowed, "Fall back!" Minato stepped away from Hiramekarei as Chojuro brought down the giant twin swords to split the Hokage in half. The blades jammed into the wooden floors. The Hokage then spun on his heel and planted a firm kick into Chojuro's face, adjusting his centre of gravity to accommodate the Kazekage in his arms. "Now!"
"Yes, sir!" Yugao answered, her teeth clenched as her sword clashed against the sword of a Kumo ninja. She gave a great heave and shoved the man away, and making him trip on the dead Kumo ninja Yugao had previously dispatched of. She gathered up the injured Sand ninja at her feet and slung his arm over her shoulder, quickly limping to the Hokage as they made for the door.
Kakashi and Baki hastened to the exit, their eyes on the seated Kage and their injured guards.
They grabbed Minato's cloak and they were all gone in a yellow flash.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Yagura walked back into the meeting house. His hook staff now attached to his back and the crazed look in his eyes was now replaced with a serenely stoic expression.
He ignored Mei as she tended to Chojuro's concussion.
He walked to his chair and sat down, meeting the darkened stares of his counterparts.
"You assured us that his death would be quick and certain," Ay spoke first, his voice deep, glowering at the Mizukage.
Yagura assured them with a genial smile, "Believe me, Lord Raikage, Minato is dead."
"We split the remnants of that damned village equally. Resources, territory, and all," Oonoki said, making the other men turn to look at him. "As we already agreed."
"Depending on your cooperation in this venture, yes," Yagura said with a self-assured smile. "We've set this world of ours on the right path to greatness. I'm glad both of you made the right decision."
"What about the samurais?" Ay questioned aloud.
"They're smart enough to stay neutral, but," he held up a finger when Ay narrowed his eyes with an interjection, "in case they foolishly attack any of us…let me worry about that." He relaxed into his chair and laced his fingers behind his head. "The only thing I need from you both is your cooperation. The spoils of war will come afterwards."
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
In Konoha
Minato appeared before the Hokage's tower, shocking civilians and ninjas alike.
The man then collapsed onto his knees, easing Rasa onto the ground.
"Dad…?" Rin wondered and Minato turned to her as more ninjas swarmed around them. He saw Naruto furrow his brow at the curious scene, observing as medics began attending to the Kazekage, as well as Yugao, Kakashi, and the Sand guards.
Naruto's body vibrated and he flickered to his father's side, catching the man as his father's eyes rolled to the back of his head. Minato's teeth gnashed violently, hard enough for his gums to bleed, and tears of blood trickled down from the inner corners of his eyes.
"Tsunade!" Naruto roared, jolting the bystanders and bringing their attention to their fallen Kage. "Shizune!"
But his voice was soon drowned out by civilians screaming.
A giant salamander loomed over at the western wall of the village, and the man standing on its head looked down on Konoha with impassive eyes.
Alarms lit up the airwaves and panic ensued.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
At the same time in Grass Country
Mikoto woke up with a snort, blinking her eyes open and cleaning the line of drool sliding down her chin with the back of her wrist. She licked her lips and cleared her throat, snapping her head to the right when she heard a snorting laugh.
She dropped her guard. "Sasuke."
"You know you snore when you sleep, right?" he remarked to her, seated beside her on that battered and collapsing bomb shelter. His legs were crossed and he was leaned back on his palms, looking out to the vacant grassland, formerly occupied by the Konoha and Suna camps. He continued when Mikoto's delirious mind fully awoke. "Not even the cute kind of snoring. Yours sounds like a pregnant donkey with a deviated septum."
"Haha," Mikoto yawned, opening her mouth wide and stretching her arms high. She unraveled her folded legs and grunted, rubbing her thighs to her knees, massaging her calves to restart proper blood flow.
"That's what happens when you meditate for hours at a time," Sasuke chided with an impassive look, turning his face away from her. "Can you walk?"
"Give me a minute," Mikoto mumbled, massaging her legs and bringing her breathing down to a calm simmer, flowing chakra to her extremities to reopen tightened muscles. She glanced at her former teammate, taking a minute to look at the chunin vest proudly displayed on his torso. Her lips squeezed into a frown and she grunted again, turning back to her purple-red knees. "It might be weeks too late but…congrats on ranking up."
The boy looked at her incredulously, his eyebrows were raised in bewilderment.
"Don't look too surprised," she scoffed, wiggling her toes, smirking widely. "It's called good sportsmanship."
"I didn't think you had it in you," Sasuke said with a slow smirk. "What happened to breaking my arm?"
The girl shrugged. "Better believe I'll still snap that twig arm, blockhead."
Sasuke snorted. "There we go." He bumped his fist against Mikoto's shoulder. "Thanks, by the way."
Mikoto chuckled with her eyes closed, throwing a harmless punch to her former teammate's shoulder, which he barely dodged by leaning away.
Her simmering chuckles reduced and the silence was amiable between them.
Until Sasuke pursed his lips and exhaled slowly from his nose, saying, "I'm…sorry about Hinata." Mikoto's jaw hardened and she shifted her purple eyes to her numb calves, rubbing them deeper. "She was…tolerable."
Mikoto's brow furrowed. "…Tolerable?"
"I could stand her being around. She's not much of a sparring partner, but her not mobbing me everywhere I turn was nice enough." Sasuke shrugged unabashedly, his black stare turning and looking at Mikoto firmly. "Plus she made you…less annoying."
Let it be known that when Mikoto and Sasuke fought, and the girl inevitably triumphed, the girl was not a graceful winner.
For anyone else she faced, she would be respectful and help dust them down, but when it came to Sasuke…
The thirteen year old boy thumbed his vest and said, breaking eye contact. "I've been wearing this with pride, like your brother said I should." He returned his hands to propping him up on that bomb shelter. "But it…doesn't feel right if my… rival," the gratingly emphasized word brought a tingling smile to the girl's lips, and she waited for her rival to continue, "is sulking. I might not understand what it means to lose someone that close—not yet anyway—and the whole Gaara thing happened recently…but I doubt Hinata would be happy if you used her as an excuse to not process your emotions."
The girl felt her eyes wet with unwept tears and she sniffed, turning her face away from her friend.
The weight of Hinata's unstated condition finally fell on her.
She pulled her knees to her face and hid her eyes.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Ten minutes later, Sasuke hopped off the bomb shelter and Mikoto followed suit.
"If we hurry, we can catch up to them before they reach Konoha," Sasuke said, referring to the Konoha delegation. It would be easier to allow Mikoto to see Hinata before they entered the village.
"Thanks for this, Sasuke," Mikoto said with a quiet smile.
Sasuke smirked and harmlessly punched her shoulder, simply saying, "My idiot rival needed help."
About to dip into a speedy run, Mikoto brow knitted together and her face twisted with confusion. Her senses blared and her head snapped left and right, searching for the threat. She unsealed her claymore from the storage seal at the back of her right hand and flicked the sheath off.
Sasuke settled into a defensive stance with his two tomoe sharingan activated and spiraling. He asked, "What's wrong?"
"I know this…" Mikoto mumbled, standing back-to-back with her friend. "This happened before; in the Forest of Death during the chunin exams."
Sasuke's eyes bugged wide when the familiar killer intent settled on them, petrifying him to the spot. The ground rumbled with violent tremours, rising from deep under the earth and shaking the landscape.
Mikoto gnashed her teeth with a foul curse and wound around, shoving Sasuke away—
The ground exploded upwards and a great, white snake blasted out of the earth. Mikoto tumbled into the snake's gaping maw as Sasuke collapsed on his back with a heavy grunt, shocked still by what he had just seen.
The snake hissed wildly, exposing rows and rows of venomous red teeth.
A lump slowly travelled down its throat and settling in the snake's stomach.
The white reptile seemed to relish in the boy's terror. Its golden yellow eyes turned up with glee when the boy broke past his petrifaction and scrambled to his unsteady feet.
"Mikoto!"
The snake's hood flared open and the snake rose higher, curled back and bellowing with hissing laughter.
Asuma swept in a flurry of leaves and snatched Sasuke away, just as the snake blurred down with a strike, hardly missing them and impacting the earth with a resounding thud. It reared back and struck again, missing Asuma's heels as the jounin weaved left and right, distancing them from the white snake.
The snake leaned away and stopped giving chase.
Sasuke's wide, red eyes never blinked, gaping horrifically at the giant snake.
A third tomoe bled into his stare.
"Run, Uchiha," Orochimaru bellowed, grinning toothily and flaring his hood again. "Tell the Namikazes' that I'm coming for them." He cackled to the high heavens, impossibly tall and large in stature, declaring to the world an oath. "Konoha will burn!"
Authors note
O.O
Tell me what you think in a review, and I'll see you when I see you.
Foy.
