Okay here's then next chapter, hope you enjoy.
Broken Angel
Chapter 30: A Reunion of Siblings
"Damn!" Hiruko and Kisame hissed as they dove away from the wall of black fire that sprung forth from the demon dragon's mouth.
They both dove in opposite directions and were immediately beset by their attackers. Kisame brought up his sword just in time to block a downward slash from Riley.
Hiruko meanwhile had to continue to jump further away as a stream of fireballs began to bombard around him.
"So, the little guppy has some moves? Well sorry, I can't play with you right now. I need to go have a chat with your partner." Kisame said with a wicked smirk as he and Riley remained deadlocked. Inside, Kisame was worried. Madara was here, and he was protecting their target. With Madara guarding her, their chances of successfully capturing her, dropped significantly. It was at this time that he came to a startling discovery. He finally noticed the purple hue of her eyes, and now got a closer look at them.
'Not good!' Was Kisame's thoughts as he recognized the legendary Rinnegan. Or at least this modified version of it.
"Water Style: Crashing of the Deep!" Hiruko shouted in the distance. Kisame and Riley glanced over in time to see a massive whale made of water jump out of the sea behind Hiruko and descend towards the advancing form of Madara.
Madara quickly retaliated, as he sped through handsigns and fired a stream of fire up into the falling whale. The fire was so hot that the massive falling body of water, instantly turned to steam, and the thickness of the mist intensified.
Kisame quickly turned his focus back on his attacker and went to push her back. He was surprised to find that she could easily match his strength and he was even more so, when she quickly overpowered him and shoved him back several yards. She then charged and pushed his sword back then delivered a powerful punch to his chest sending him back about another dozen yards.
"Hm… looks like the guppie's got some bite to her. Well then… if you wanna dance, let's dance!" Kisame stated with a smirk, though inside, he was a bit worried, that punch had very little chakra in it, she was just physically strong enough to overpower him, he quickly pushed these thoughts aside as he dove towards her and slashed out at her with Samehada.
Kisame couldn't help but smirk as he felt some of her chakra slip into the sword. That smirk didn't last however as suddenly Samehada, grew a foot in length and tripled in weight, if then started to gag, like it was sick or something.
"What the hell?" Kisame stated aloud, when suddenly Samehada forcefully expelled the chakra it had eaten. It didn't take a genius to figure out what had happened. The second that chakra was released Kisame felt a burning pain on his flesh. He quickly realized that the girl's chakra was poisonous and virulent. So virulent that the Samehada, was actually affected.
'This girl's chakra… it's poisonous. So poisonous that Samehada can't absorb it. That gives her a huge advantage.' Kisame thought to himself.
Riley, seeing the effect her youki had on the sword, grew more confidant. If the legendary Samehada couldn't absorb large quantities of her chakra, then that gave her an opening to let loose.
-On the opposite side of the battlefield-
"Whomever you are, your powers are immense. I look forward to absorbing them." Hiruko stated with a chuckle.
"Boy… you are about a thousand years too early to be facing me. I'll make sure to ingrain the lesson into you, before I send you running home." Madara replied, his face still hidden in the shadows of his cloak, but his eyes were visible, and ominously startling even to the normally stoic Hiruko.
"Hmph… we shall see." Hiruko replied with a chuckle.
"Indeed." Madara stated as he quickly brought his hand to his mouth and breathed out a massive fireball, that went hurtling towards Hiruko.
'He performed that technique without handsigns… or words!" Hiruko thought to himself as he raised his hand and absorbed the technique.
"Dark Release: Consuming Wave!" Hiruko shouted as the fireball vanished into his hand and with a wave of his arm, a massive wall of pure darkness came rushing from his palm.
"Hm… you're definitely an interesting one." Madara commented with amusement as he disappeared beneath the water, avoiding the attack.
'He vanished.' Hiruko thought as he extended his senses and tried to locate his opponent. He didn't have to look long as suddenly all of the water around him began to churn and shoot into the air. In only a moment all of the water beneath Hiruko's feet had been sucked out and was now circling above him.
Without the water to stand on, Hiruko began to fall, as the massive tornado he was standing in, continue to pull more and more water up into the air.
'This power… this man is no ordinary ninja.' Hiruko thought to himself as he glanced up and spotted Madara. The mighty shinobi had just jumped above the twirling column of air and water, he quickly brought his hands together and with just a single handsign, unleashed a hellstorm, down the column of the tornado.
"Fire Style: Great Fire Annihilation!" With a massive inhale, Madara spat out a huge wall of fire, straight down the tornado's body, and right towards Hiruko. The twirling wind of the tornado superheated the fire, which in turn vaporized all of the water, forcing a wall of fire and superheated steam down towards Hiruko.
"Shit!" Was all Hiruko could think as the technique descended down towards him.
-Back to the other fight-
'Wow. So, this is the power of the fourth Mizukage.' Kisame thought to himself as he witnessed the massive tornado explode into flames.
"Keep your eyes on the prize sharktooth." Riley taunted as she dashed at him with immense speed. As soon as she closed the gap between them, she released a solid burst of her Youki right at him. She didn't even need to move in order to attack like that, so Kisame was caught unaware, when a solid wall of black miasma rushed out of her body and slammed into him.
He felt his skin begin to burn and sizzle and decided to quickly vanish underwater to avoid any more of the miasma's acidic and poisonous effects.
'Okay… so this isn't exactly going that well. This girl is powerful, way more powerful than someone like her should be. And she's got a Mizukage watching out for her. What the hell kinda trouble did we get ourselves into? I thought that brat Tobi was who the Mizukage was masquerading as.' Kisame thought to himself.
He was rocked out of his thought process when he felt the water start to heat up, he also noticed things growing brighter. He quickly glanced up and saw a massive fireball pushing its way down through the water. It was being continuously fueled and therefore wasn't dissipating upon contact with a large body of water.
Doing the one thing he could think of, he dove to the right, and created a couple dozen sharks made of water. He quickly grabbed one and it sped away from the fireball at immense speed.
Going on the attack, Kisame directed the jutsu upwards towards the surface. He quickly multiplied the number of sharks, to the point where there were nearly a hundred of them. The massive school of man-eating water constructs burst from the water's surface.
He quickly directed the technique towards Riley, whom he spotted standing on the water's surface. To his surprise she wasn't still focused on her fireball, she was staring at him, almost as if she had, had her eyes on him the whole time.
"Eat This!" Kisame shouted as the sharks dove towards her.
In response Riley drew her staff and began channeling lightning elemental magic through it. Kisame's attack rapidly descended upon her so she had to brute force her counter- attack. Once enough power was gathered, Riley thrust her staff at the incoming attack like a spear, unleashing the gathered magic in a potent electrical attack.
Kisame's eyes went wide as three bolts of lightning shot out of her staff and arced up right at the nearest incoming water shark. When struck, the shark burst, and the bolt of lightning jumped to the next. Three streams of lightning rapidly ricocheted through the swarm of water sharks, racing right up to him.
With a curse, he managed to jump just in time to avoid the arc of lightning that pierced through the water shark he'd been riding.
He landed and immediately focused his attention on Riley. He watched her gaze settled on him, once she saw that the skies were clear. Holding her staff out, Riley twirled it in her hand, causing it to shrink down into a more wand-like state. Kisame was about to prepare another jutsu when he was forced to dodge as a barrage of lights came rushing out of Riley's wand.
These lights were a mixture of spells from simple reducto to severing curses, to organ liquifying, and bone breaking curses, to bolts of elemental magic.
Kisame was now on the run as dozens of deadly spells came rushing out of Riley's wand as she slowly advanced after him. He had to keep batting away some of the spells and expelling the poisonous chakra from Samehada, all the while keeping on the move. Some of the spells moved faster than the others, those were the ones he had to block while the slower ones he could just dodge. Now Kisame didn't know what these spells did, but he had heard of the powers of the dark arts, and if that's what this girl was using against him, he did not want any of those spells hitting him.
Kisame was so focused on the incoming rush of spells, that he failed to notice the kunai knife hidden among the barrage. The blade cut through the air, and found its target, landing right in his upper arm, as he was batting away another spell. The sudden impact of the blade threw him off his rhythm and it allowed for a single spell to pass through his defenses and strike the same arm the kunai had struck.
Kisame felt the bone snap like a twig the moment the spell landed.
He quickly took Samehada in his other hand and began to think of a plan to counter-attack, it took him a moment, but he finally thought up something.
'This girl has some major skills. We were definitely unprepared for this fight.' Kisame thought as he rammed his sword into the water and channeled chakra through it. A moment later he lifted it up, bringing with him a massive column of water, that was now wrapped around the sword. He quickly hefted the column of water high into the air and swung it down towards Riley. All the while shouting, "Water Style: Grand Crashing Water Column Jutsu!"
He brought the towering torrent of water down onto Riley's head, seemingly striking her.
Kisame watched as she vanished within an explosion of water. For several moments she was obscured from sight, and were he a lesser man, Kisame may have assumed he'd actually managed to crush her. He knew better than to assume that. This girl was the daughter of the Fourth Hokage, definitely no mere child, and she was certainty living up to her lineage.
Slowly, something came into view, and for the first time in a long time, Kisame Hoshigaki felt his blood run cold, and fear grip at his heart.
Something towering was slowly revealing itself, a construct that seemed to be made of pure chakra. It looked like the upper body of a human, though it had no skin to speak of.
Riley's Susano'o hung over her, shielding her from Kisame's attack. Riley's eyes glowed malevolently as she stared through the mist at the legendary swordsman.
Kisame quickly recovered from his surprise and his fear and jumped several dozen yards back. This girl was definitely more powerful than her age would have you believe. She was a prodigy; of that he had no doubt. A fight against her would take careful planning and they were most certainly not in a position to do that in the middle of a battle.
He glanced over towards the other fight for just a moment, and spotted Madara standing on the water's surface scanning the area, most likely looking for Hiruko. Suddenly in the distance a black dragon made of dark release, shot out of the water. Hiruko was standing on its head and man did he look pissed. His outfit was singed, and he looked to have taken a bit of burn damage to his arm and shoulder.
-At the other fight-
Hiruko quickly jumped from the dragon's head and with a wave of his hand, sent if flying towards Madara at immense speed, all the while shouting, "Dark Release: Piercing Dragon!"
They all saw Madara as he stared up at the technique with a bored look on his face. They saw the dragon slam right into Madara and erupt in a giant explosion.
Hiruko landed heavily and grit his teeth in pain. His burn wounds he'd received from that wind and steam infused fire style technique were bad. He'd need to go get some healing soon.
He quickly sensed a presence in front of him and glanced up just as an unharmed Madara appeared in front of him. Faster then he could follow, Madara laid into him with tiajutsu, and proceeded to lay into him with bone-shattering fury. Hiruko's only saving grace in this situation was the Steel Release he had absorbed from an Iwa nin years ago. If he didn't have that, this taijutsu barrage would have killed him.
Madara quickly laid into him, delivering almost a dozen swift punches to his main body in less then a second, before finishing with an uppercut and then a solid kick to the chest.
Hiruko was sent flying back and just barely managed to stay on his feet. He glanced up just in time to see Madara vanish and reappear right in front of him. Thinking quickly Hiruko activated another of his stolen Kekkei Genkai, and vanished in an immense burst of speed. Reappearing about a hundred yards away, Hiruko quickly sent a prayer of thanks to the gods for his stolen Swift Release.
Hiruko quickly used Swift Release again and quickly moved to Kisame's side. Seeing his partner faring no better, he grit his teeth in anger at how messed up this situation had become.
"Got any idea's partner?" Kisame asked with a chuckle.
"I see you're having fun." Hiruko noted with distaste.
"She's good. More powerful than I would have thought possible for a girl so young. Then again… have you seen her eyes?" Kisame asked in reply.
Hiruko glanced over at Riley and took note of the purple hue to them, he then noticed the rings and tomoe and his own eyes widened in surprise.
"That's not good." Hiruko commented.
"You think?" Kisame replied sarcastically, as he let out another chuckle.
"So… how was fighting Madara?" Kisame asked after a moment.
"I don't wanna talk about it." Hiruko replied earning a chuckle from Kisame.
Both men ceased their conversation as Madara appeared by Riley's side.
The two Uchiwa stared at the two criminals with bored expressions before sharing a glance with each other. The two quickly started to chuckle before turning and beginning to walk away.
Hiruko and Kisame were both left surprised as they watched their two assailants begin to depart.
"What the hell?" Kisame said aloud, loud enough for Madara and Riley to hear.
The two glanced back, and Riley replied, "You were fun to play with, better sport then I usually get. But I have no reason to kill you, especially Hiruko… he's a missing nin from the Leaf, I'm not going to be the one to clean up the Leaf's mistakes. And Kisame Hoshigaki, well if you're working with Hiruko then you'll be there to help to fuck up any attempts the Leaf makes to kill him, so again, why kill you when you're just another problem for the Leaf? Thanks for the play time, though. It was amusing."
Both men just stared back at her. The way she spoke was so condescending. So belittling, you'd think their prides would force them to retort. However, it was hearing how much she knew about them, and how little she feared them. And to hear from her own lips, that all of this fight was just a game to her. Kisame had a broken arm and some minor burns. Hiruko had heavy burns and maybe some bruised ribs from the pounding he got from Madara. And yet to the two Uchiwa, this was nothing more than a game.
"So, you're just letting us walk away?" Kisame asked aloud.
"No… if you can get away from him… then you're free to go." Riley replied with a chuckle as she and Madara vanished into the mist.
"Him?" Hiruko said aloud with confusion. Both men were silent for a moment, when they suddenly felt something pass through the water beneath them. Faster than they would have thought possible, Deimos broke through the water behind them, landed and spun, lashing out with a tail strike. Neither man was fast enough to dodge, as the dragon had caught them off guard and both men were hit with the full force of the attack.
'Fuck!' was the thought that ran through both their minds as they were sent flying back towards France.
They both landed about four hundred meters away, hitting the water's surface with sickening force. Luckily for them neither lost consciousness, and were therefore able to swim to safety, all the while remaining hidden beneath the water's surface, to avoid the giant dragon they both feared was circling above.
-Elsewhere-
"Have fun Grandfather?" Riley inquired as the two walked.
"Meh… he was weak. Had a few interesting tricks, but otherwise wasn't a threat." Madara replied.
"Mine was a bit of fun, but he just wasn't ready for me. Next time I'm sure he'll be able to dance with me." Riley commented with a chuckle.
"You fought well, he never even landed a strike on you, well done." Madara offered her as praise.
"Thank you. So did you plant the tracker seal on yours?" Riley asked.
"Yes. You?" Madara inquired.
"Yep." Riley answered.
"Good. Now we'll at least learn where all their bases are, and we'll see those two coming from a world away." Madara stated as they continued to walk.
"Question though? Why not just ask Zetsu where all the Akatsuki bases are?" Riley inquired.
"I don't trust black Zetsu." Madara responded.
"Why? He's made from you." Riley asked.
"No… he's made from the evil me. The one who's planning on enslaving the whole world in an eternal genjustu and revive a ten tailed arch demon. That kind of drive and will, lives within Black Zetsu. I can't say for sure what he's thinking. And I don't trust that he's really on our side. White Zetsu, definitely. But Black Zetsu… I'm weary." Madara answered, looking thoughtful as they walked.
"I see. Well. Now we'll know. At least where some are, and we can keep an eye on those two dunces." Riley replied as she heard Deimos fly up behind them.
"They gone?" Riley asked, earning a huff in response from the dragon.
"Good." Riley stated as she glanced over at Deimos de-summoned him. She then placed her hand on Madara's arm and pulled him into Kamui, before going there herself.
-Meanwhile-
"You alright?" Hiruko asked as he and Kisame trudged ashore, somewhere in France.
"Remind me to kick Zetsu's ass when I see him again. Oh, and the boss's. Easy to capture the fox's spirit my eye! Let's see how he feels when we tell him she had the Rinnegan and Madara Uchiha as a bodyguard. Oh… and a dragon." Kisame grumbled as he fell down to the sand.
Both men now sported broken ribs from the tail strike, and on top of their other injuries both were worse for wear.
-Later-
Fleur felt her heavy eyelids slowly open. It was an odd way to wake up, just to open your eyes, but that's how it happened. She recognized the soft silk of Riley's bedsheets, as well as the light snoring of Katie, whom was nearby. She felt her hand on someone's stomach, though she knew it wasn't Riley's. Riley had firm toned abs, that, while not big, were rock hard. It was odd touching Riley's muscles. It was like touching rocks wrapped in silk. This wasn't Riley, she wondered for a second if it was Katie, but no, the sound of Katie's snoring was a little further away, not right next to her. Fleur stared at the person next to her for a moment, knowing that it could only be Daphne, whom Fleur had thought, left after their love making session.
A few moments in the dark passed and Fleur's eyes finally adjusted, and she spotted the Blonde Slytherin laying peacefully between her and Katie. She was happy to see Daphne amongst them, though she was uneasy for some reason. It took her a moment, to realize that Riley was nowhere to be seen. She sat up and glanced around the dark room, to see if she could spot her silhouette in the darkness but ended up not seeing anything.
A bit of unease slipped into the Veela's body. She didn't like it when Riley just vanished like this. She knew her lover could handle anything, but she still worried. It's not like she couldn't, her Veela instincts naturally made her worry for her mate, whenever she wasn't around. Thinking a bit on it, Fleur knew she needed to talk to her mother about how strong her instincts were becoming. Ever since she started mating with Riley, she seemed to always know where to find her. Whenever Fleur wanted to have sex, she knew exactly where to go to find Riley, it was never an issue. And yet… now that she thought about it, she had no clue how she always knew where to find Riley. It was so odd.
Her thought process was interrupted as she noticed the open space at the end of the bed contort into something akin to a black hole, and from it, Riley emerged.
Fleur stared at her with surprise at what had just occurred. She'd never seen Riley do something like that before. The fact that Riley had just bent space, around a central point and emerged from it, was utterly shocking for the young Veela.
"Wh… zat… Zat was amazing." Fleur sputtered out.
"Oh… what are you doing awake?" Riley inquired as she noticed Fleur staring at her.
"I… I noticed you were gone… and I..." Fleur began to reply.
Riley simply smiled and shook her head. With a wave of her hand, her clothes vanished and she crawled across the bed towards Fleur.
"Where did you go?" Fleur asked as Riley crawled towards her.
"Nowhere important, love." Riley replied as she reached her and pushed the Veela back onto the bed. Riley then crawled on top of her until the two were face to face. She then planted a kiss on the Veela's lips, earning a light moan in response.
"Riley..." Fleur began to say but was stopped when Riley brought a finger to her lips.
"Sleep." Riley said with a small smile.
Fleur was about to respond when she suddenly felt very tired. She saw Riley roll off to her side and lay next to her. That was the last thing Fleur saw before a peaceful darkness, overtook her.
-Later-
"What the hell is the reason for this meeting? We've been here for fucking hours!" Hidan shouted into darkness.
"Stop yelling you abrasive ass!" Kakuzu barked in response, obviously getting fed up with Hidan's bitching.
"Yo boss… what are we waiting for? And where's Kisame and Hiruko, huh?" Deidara inquired.
"I hate to be kept waiting!" Sasori snarled darkly.
"Settle yourselves! I feel that they'll be joining us soon. They have information on the Nine Tails' Jinchuriki." Pain replied.
Just as he said that Kisame and Hiruko appeared at their respective positions. Everyone took note of the fact that both weren't wearing their cloaks and had their upper torsos wrapped in bandages. They also took note that Kisame had an arm wrapped up.
"What the fuck happened to you two?" Hidan asked.
"The Nine Tails girl you sent us after, happened." Hiruko growled in reply.
"I told you two to plan carefully. And I had hoped I didn't need to express that discresion was advised. Wait! How did she manage to defeat the two of you? You often work well together." Pain inquired.
"That girl… she was powerful, and she had a bodyguard. Kisame thinks it was Madara Uchiha." Hiruko replied.
"What!?" Pain and Konan both asked in reply.
"He had the Sharingan. And he sounded like Madara. But I didn't see his face. I know Madara would be like a hundred and twenty by now… but still, it was to much like him, to not bring it up." Kisame explained.
"The girl possess the Rinnegan, Pain." Hiruko added.
"What? Are you sure?" Pain asked as Konan's eyes widened in surprise.
"It was the same color and pattern though hers had three tomoe on each of the three innermost rings, for a total of nine." Kisame answered.
"Could if be a mutated version of the Rinnegan?" Konan inquired.
"I've never heard of such a mutation. It could be a whole different kind of Dojutsu for all we know. We need to gather more information. What abilities did she utilize?" Pain questioned.
"She has Kenjutsu skills, magic skills, I think some were the dark arts. Great control over elemental magic, as well as Ninjutsu. Her Dojutsu has immense sensing abilities, as she was able to follow me from underwater. Oh, and her Chakra is caustic and poisonous like you wouldn't believe! She also managed to sense us from miles away. We were just crossing the English Channel when she showed up to confront us. And we were going the sneaky route. Subtle and quiet." Kisame explained.
"Agreed. She also possesses a giant black dragon that breathes black flames. For its size, it's quite fast." Hiruko added.
"What would you rank her as?" Pain inquired.
"S-Rank easy. She fought us off without even having the power of a bijuu, and her partner, the possible Madara was also S-Rank. The two fought us for a few minutes, almost like they were testing us, then they just walked away, stating that we weren't a threat, and that they were just playing. Something about their tone, and mood, tells me that they weren't joking." Kisame informed them all.
"Zetsu. Head to Britain immediately. I want to know everything about this girl, and her guardian." Pain ordered and the images quickly vanished.
Pain and Konan stood in Ame. Both with concerned looks.
"I assume you heard all of that?" Pain suddenly asked.
Konan glanced over just as the masked man walked out of the darkness.
"Indeed. Interesting to hear she's become this powerful. And the Rinnegan… that could put an immense dampening on our plans. Especially if she learns how to summon the statue." Obito commented in his Madara voice.
"And what of Madara possibly being her bodyguard… Madara?" Konan asked in an accusatory voice.
"Let me ask you something Konan. If I wasn't the real Madara would you trust me any less then you do now… or better yet would you fear me any less? The truth of the matter is that I am Madara… whether you believe that or not, is inconsequential. Remember… I know all of your weaknesses and… most importantly… I know Pain's weakness. So don't take that tone with me girl… you'll lose." Obito fired back, channeling Madara so perfectly that Konan herself looked a bit frightened.
"Enough! If you are truly Madara then explain the Madara like bodyguard?" Pain stated.
"Well… over the history of the Sharingan there have been many whom have traveled the world. I wouldn't be surprised if some no name person with the Sharingan left the clan decades ago and started a family elsewhere in the world. In fact, this might answer the question as to where she got her Sharingan. Kisame told us that she called her guard Grandfather. Maybe it wasn't Minato who possessed the Sharingan, but Lily… if that's the case, that would explain why she never awakened it, these eyes require quite a bit of combat stress in order to awaken." Obito answered and then thought aloud.
"So… you believe that some random Sharingan wielder has been living in Britain for years and he just so happens to sound like you?" Konan asked.
"Weirder things have happened." Obito replied with a shrug.
Konan looked like she was about to retort to that, but Pain silenced her with a gesture. "Whether he is the real Madara or not, is unimportant. If it had been the real Madara whom Hiruko and Kisame had faced, I doubt they'd be alive right now. We need to focus on what's important. That girl has the Rinnegan and it's only a matter of time before she discovers how to summon the demonic statue. When that happens, we run the risk of her deciphering our plans." Pain stated.
"I agree. Zetsu and I will head for Britain. Gather info on her… maybe take her out if we get the chance." Obito stated as he turned and left.
"I don't like this." Konan stated aloud.
"Maybe we'll get lucky, and she'll kill him. The only reason he is a threat to me, is because he knows my greatest weakness. Without that knowledge… he is nothing before a god." Pain stated in a dark tone, as he looked out over his kingdom. Ame.
-Elsewhere a short while later-
"So… what are you doing here?" Came the voice of Itachi Uchiha.
"I can't come visit an old friend?" Riley replied as she stood before the somber Uchiha clan leader.
"I never thought you'd be back here." Itachi noted.
"Well… that's what clones are good for. I find the one with the sunniest disposition and her ass gets sent here." Riley replied earning a light chuckle from Itachi.
"Not that I don't appreciate the social call, but why are you really here?" Itachi asked.
"You're one of my few allies outside of Britain. I wanted to let you in on some info I just gained. What do you know about a group called Akatsuki?" Riley asked, suddenly getting serious.
"Master Jiraiya has been looking into them. They're a mercenary group, operating mostly out of Grass, Rain and Earth. Master Jiraiya believes they may be a threat and he says that Orochimaru used to be one of them." Itachi replied.
"Well, you can add Hiruko of the Leaf and Kisame Hoshigaki to the list. The two tried to sneak into Britain last night. I fought them off and sent them running." Riley replied earning a nod of understanding from Itachi. She wasn't surprised to see that he had no reaction to hearing about her beating two S-Ranked criminals.
"I also have it on good authority from my own spy that this group is secretly run by Obito." Riley added after a moment.
"Obito did state that he wanted me to join a group after the Uchiha massacre. This must be the one he meant. Do you care if I inform the Hokage of this?" Itachi asked.
"Go ahead, but don't trace it back to me. I don't want to get involved with the Leaf's affairs." Riley replied earning a nod of thanks from Itachi.
"Would you mind giving something to Kakashi when he returns from Britain?" Riley asked as she fished out a scroll.
"Sure… but why not give it to him yourself?" Itachi inquired as he took the scroll.
"I don't want him to be able to question me on it. In there is everything he'll need to access his half of Obito's Kamui technique, as well as some tips to use his half to counter Obito's. As it's a Sharingan technique, I trust you to keep it safe. I'll leave it up to Kakashi as to whether he wishes to pass on the info to the Konoha Intel division or not." Riley replied. Earning a nod of understanding, Itachi put the scroll away. Since her Kamui and Obito's were two separate planes of existence, there was not a whole lot Kakashi could gather from the technique to use against her. But he could get a lot to fuck with Obito so that was good. Obito's intangibility had one great weakness, and that was Kakashi. However, she had both eyes, and therefore did not possess the same weakness.
"Speaking of the Sharingan… how has Shisui's eye been?" Itachi inquired.
Riley simply smiled in reply and pulled out her wand. Itachi stared at it for a moment, before recognizing the Mangekyou eye on the end.
"You turned it into a part of your wand?" Itachi inquired. Though he nearly gasped when he saw the tiny eye, whirl around and look right at him with a look of recognition.
"It's a staff, actually, I just keep it shrunk for compact use, so it'll function like a wand. A staff is a powerful magical tool, and such a tool needs a focus. I also needed a good place to keep Shisui's eye. It's now forever fused with my staff, and only I can wield my staff. No one will ever be able to gain access to Shisui's abilities." Riley answered.
"What about you?" Itachi inquired.
"What do you mean?" Riley inquired with a bit of confusion.
"Well, it's a human eye. Could you channel chakra through it, and us it as another sightline? A third eye so to speak, and if so, could you channel the abilities stored with the eye?" Itachi inquired.
Riley looked thoughtful for a second as she looked down at the tiny little eye at the end of her wand as it whirled around and met her gaze. Riley often wondered just how conscious the eye was. Sometimes it just whirled around without a care in the world, and then there were times like now, where it was focused and watching them. She wondered if she could channel her own sightline through the eye, or if she could harness the abilities stored within it. It would definitely be something to look into. The idea that she could harness Shisui's abilities was something that touched at her heart. If she could actually use his Sharingan abilities, then it would almost be like he was fighting alongside her.
"I'm not sure if I can or not. But I will definitely look into it." Riley replied earning a nod from Itachi.
"Well, if you somehow manage to access Shisui's abilities there is something I should warn you about. The real reason I wanted Shisui's eye gone from here, wasn't just because it was a Mangekyou, but because of a unique ability Shisui possessed." Itachi explained.
"What kind of ability was this?" Riley inquired.
"The Technique was called Kotoamatsukami. It is a powerful yet subtle mind control genjutsu. One that can only be detected by those with very high sensing abilities. It implants thoughts and false experiences into one's minds that slowly build over time into a firm belief held by the victim, making them think that what they are doing is of their own free will. Though it has a few major drawbacks. One is that the technique puts immense stress on the eye, and while I don't think it can cause blindness, Shisui could only use it once a decade due to the massive chakra requirements. The other drawback was that the idea has to be a subtle evolving idea, something massive will be rejected by the subconscious." Itachi explained.
"Why are you telling me this? You know I have little love for this village, and there is a strong possibility if they fuck with me that I could use this technique against them." Riley inquired knowing how much of a patriot Itachi was.
"My answer is twofold. The first part is that ever since that fateful night all those years ago, the clan's reputation has remained sullied. I have done all I can to raise us back up, but the villagers and the council see us as traitors in disguise. They assume I don't know what they're doing with my brother. How they're turning him against me, so that they can use him to finally be rid of me. Sasuke is strong, but he is a fool. He refuses to see the light, to understand what needed to be done. I shoulder his hatred because I'm the one who ruined his life, and I don't hate him for hating me. I accepted that was what would happen, years ago. However, what he seeks will bring no glory or honor to the clan. All it will do is lead us further into ruin. The village has written us off… they've already chosen Sasuke as the progenitor for 'their' perfect Uchiha clan, while the rest of us can wilt and die for all they care. The second part is much simpler. You are like a little sister to me. If I or Shisui can do anything to keep you safe, then we will. I'm sure Shisui would have trusted you with the technique, and being his own, I know you won't abuse it." Itachi replied, with a hint of sadness and anger in his tone, but at the end there was compassion.
"This village doesn't deserve a shinobi like you Itachi. You kill yourself for them, and all they do is spit on your sacrifice and plot your murder." Riley replied, sounding angry and bitter.
"I just wish that there was something I could do for my clansmen. I'm dying Riley. I've contracted some sort of sickness, and there is no cure. It's only a matter of time before I'm either too weak to beat Sasuke or he surpasses me. When that happens, I know he'll kill me. He may not have that mentality now, he may just want to surpass me, but over time that will change. They're breeding the love out of him, once they're finished doing that, they'll infuse him with their hate. He's too easily influenced by them..." Itachi informed her with obvious sadness.
"Tsunade couldn't find a cure?" Riley inquired.
"No. The disease is eating me alive. My organs are slowly being broken down. I probably only have two or three years left. All she could do was offer me some pain medication." Itachi responded, sounding almost bitter.
Riley was silent for several long moments as she pondered that. She absolutely did not want Itachi to die. Her mind began whirling with ideas, searching for some way to cure him, and fix what was wrong. While part of her mind focused on that, she continued speaking.
"Why not tell your brother? To know that you are dying may be enough to snap him out of this phase he's in." Riley asked.
"I would give anything to reform my bond with my brother… but… is it right to reforge that bond, only for it to be forever shattered in a few years' time? Do I tell him, and let him watch as I slowly wither and die? Or is it better to simply allow things to play out? What creates the bigger monster? Will he be worse if I let the council poison his mind, or will her be worse off if we become brothers again, only for me to die? I don't know… and I battle myself everyday trying to find an answer." Itachi replied stoically.
The two were quiet for a few moments, Riley didn't know how to answer that. It was a legitimate concern. Sasuke could end up a monster either way. But which would make it worse? Reform a bond, then shatter it, damaging Sasuke's already unstable mind even further or allow him to be consumed by corruption? A demon or a devil… those were the choices chaos or corruption?
"May I see?" Riley inquired.
Itachi stared at her for a moment, almost as if contemplating if he should. Eventually he let out a sigh and raised his arm, he pulled back the sleeve of his shirt and Riley spotted a few small dark blotches on his skin.
Riley reached her hand out and began to scan the infected area.
Itachi watched as Riley's face scrunched up almost like she was deciphering something. He recognized the look, as it had been the same one that Tsunade had given him when he had gone to her for medical attention.
"When did you contract this illness?" Riley asked suddenly as she continued to scan his arm.
"About a year ago, why?" Itachi replied with a hint of curiosity.
"You're not sick Itachi. You're being poisoned." Riley replied as she pulled her arm back. Itachi's eyes widened in surprise at hearing that.
"What do you mean? How do you know?" Itachi asked as he glanced down at his arm.
"The poison in your veins… it's mine." Riley replied as her eyes grew dark. Now Riley's clones didn't possess the Rinne Sharingan so they just had her old blue eyes, but even so the anger and rage within them was indescribable.
"It's yours?" Itachi inquired.
"You remember when I told you how I fought a basilisk?" Earning a nod she continued, "Well I absorbed some of its venom with my chakra, don't ask me how. Now all of my chakra is incredibly virulent. It's toxic, acidic, and can kill you if you absorb to much of it."
"Then how was I poisoned by you? Neither of us have seen each other since you left?" Itachi inquired.
"Because… the Anbu captain I killed last year… I did it with a poisoned strike. He died from my poisoned chakra. But he was brought back here before he died. The Leaf must have managed to collect my chakra and store it somehow. But I would recognize my own chakra anywhere. And it's flowing through your veins… a tiny, microscopic amount that's slowly eating you alive." Riley informed him, and with that said she raised her hand towards him, and Itachi felt something shift in his body. He then saw something begin to exit his body. It was a greenish black mist that was barely visible, but it all floated over to Riley's hand and sunk into her flesh.
"Someone in the Leaf is trying to kill you, Itachi." Riley stated.
"I guess I don't have to ask why. But to think one of my own comrades would try to kill me… I guess I should have seen this coming." Itachi bit out sounding bitter.
"The worst part of all of this… is that it's the Leaf government that want's you dead. And Tsunade the slut whore, is in on it." Riley barked out with a growl.
"Lady Tsunade… are you sure?" Itachi asked.
"An Anbu captain is dying of some unknown kind of poison. Would anyone other than Tsunade be there? Besides… even if she wasn't the one whom originally tried to save that blasted Anbu, she's been studying my poisonous chakra. Someone with her skills should have recognized the poison she's been studying for a year. Unless of course she was drunk, cuz I won't rule out the possibility." Riley explained, with a hint of anger.
"Why would she want me dead?" Itachi had to ask.
"Well… the Hokage could have asked her to do it. The council could have blackmailed her. Someone could have offered to pay off her considerable debts… Tsunade has a lot of vices and therefore a lot of dirt on her. Being the prideful woman that she is, I can imagine a whole number of reasons why she would try to kill you. Or at least pretend to not know what's wrong with you." Riley answered with a shrug.
The two sat silently for a few minutes… Itachi looking angry and betrayed, while Riley just looked angry.
"I know who is doing this." Itachi finally stated.
"What! Who?" Riley asked in reply.
"Danzo Shimura. Lady Tsunade may be a lot of things… but she isn't a monster. Danzo… I've long believed that he was the one whom murdered Shisui, but I never had any proof, and he has an army of Root anbu serving him. I believe he was the one who tried to capture you after you and Remus left the village all those years ago." Itachi explained.
"Then he could possibly possess Shisui's missing eye. So, he's controlling Tsunade, to try and kill you. Makes sense. So, what do we do? He has an army, and there are less than a dozen Uchiha left. All of which are kids, you can't fight him." Riley stated thoughtfully.
"Yes, and he has the favor of the Daimyo. Going against him without proof will bring the entirety of the Daimyo's might down upon us. And besides, you are magically bound to participate in a tournament in Britain do you really think it's a good idea to go against him while you are magically bound to be at a certain place?" Itachi warned.
"Damn… you're right. I can't attack him now and risk his escape when I'm bound to participate in the Tri-Wizard Tournament. But when it's over… I'm going to fucking murder that son of a bitch for what he did to Shisui." Riley stated with hatred in her eyes.
It was silent for a few moments before Riley locked eyes with Itachi. "Itachi… you and your clan need to leave this place."
"Riley… I can't. This village may not be what I have long believed it to be. But it's still my home. Besides… my clansmen hate me. What would they say if I told them we were abandoning the village?" Itachi replied.
"Hurray! That's what they'd say. Itachi… the reason your clansmen hate you is because you killed their parents for a village that doesn't even sympathize with what they lost. Your clan is seen as a bunch of traitors, and innocent children are being ostracized and hated because of the actions of their parents. Your clansmen hate you because you sacrificed their families for this fucking village, and the village treats you all like shit. It'd be different if you were all treated as heroes and offered sympathy. But you're not. People assume that you're all traitors waiting in the wind and one day you'll finally reveal your true colors. Hell, the village is trying to turn Sasuke into a weapon they can use to murder you and forge the Uchiha into something they view as beneficial to the village. I know you love your village and the Will of Fire, but you have to understand that that burning will, that unites us all as family, it's gone out in the hearts of most of the villagers. You need to be a clan leader now and do what's best for your clan. Gather them all up and leave." Riley berated him.
"The Hokage and the council would never let us leave. And even if they did, where would we go? Nowhere in the world is safe from the hunter ninja and rogues that would attempt to destroy what remains of us. I can't fight off that many threats, especially when so many of the clan are so young." Itachi countered.
"Come with me. Go to Britain. I'll place your clan under my protection. You'll have help from Sirius too, and I have the ear of the Minister and powerful allies through my friends. A lot of their parents hold seats on the Wizengamot. I myself hold two, and those are two of the most powerful. Hell, one of my Girlfriends fathers is the head of the DLME in France. I've got connections. And money. I can help you, but you have to take the first step. You weren't wrong… if you stay here, the council will turn Sasuke against you and sooner or later he'll try to kill you. Do you really want to stay here and wait for that to happen? Or do you wanna take Sasuke and your clansmen away from this place and give yourself a chance to repair your relationship with Sasuke?" Riley argued.
Itachi looked thoughtful for a moment. This wasn't the first time he had considered leaving. The chance to get his family away from all this hate and anger, and the looming threat of Danzo and his Root. It was something that was almost worth the risk… however… the risks were vast and one fuck-up and his clan was doomed. But to hear that he actually had an out. To now have a place to go… could he really afford to skip this opportunity?
"What of those of us that are ninja? The Hokage won't allow us to leave, especially me. I'm an Anbu with years of experience and knowledge of Leaf secrets." Itachi tried to argue, if he was ever going to take such a risk to protect his family, he needed to have his bases covered. He loved the Leaf even if it had turned its back on him and his family and spat on their sacrifice. But he loved his family more, especially Sasuke. To have the chance to stop him from becoming a monster, Itachi would take that chance.
"The Uchiha are one of the founding clans of Konoha. In the charters they signed with the Senju to form the village they stated that they would remain loyal to the village as long as the village remained loyal to them, and itself. What that means is that as long as the clans stood for each other and the betterment of Konohagakure, the Uchiha would forever stay loyal, however if they were ever turned on and ostracized by the village, then they were free to break their ties and leave. Madara was smart when he added those clauses to the contract he signed with the Senju. He ensured that his family had an out, if things ever turned bad. The village has turned on you and yours, Itachi. By the decree of the first Hokage and the charter of the village, if any clan is treated like shit in the village and becomes unloved, they are free to break their ties and leave. They only need the Daimyo to recognize the hatred and anger. If you will allow me as a third-party representative… I will go to the Capital and plead your case to the Daimyo?" Riley informed him.
"You would do that for us?" Itachi asked slightly surprised.
"You are family. Itachi. You and Sasuke are descended from Izuna. I am descended from Madara. We're cousins you and I. And besides… we always shared a brother in Shisui… and while I may have had my qualms with you in the past. You were always there for me, and you've been my friend since I left this fucking village. It's only right that I return the favor." Riley explained with a warm smile.
"I see… Riley Slytherin Gryffindor Uchiwa. I name you representative of the Uchiha clan in the matter's regarding the Hidden Leaf. Please inform the Daimyo of our grievances. And I will gather up the clan and inform them that we are leaving. I will have all of the Uchiha's possession gathered up. And can you deliver this document to Gringotts in the capital and inform them to move our assets to Britain?" Itachi stated as he fished out two scrolls and wrote out his orders in both.
"I will return soon. You will be free from this place soon… brother." Riley told him as he handed her the scrolls.
"You know… it's been a while since I've been called that. It's good to hear it again." Itachi noted with a smile.
Riley smiled in reply and quickly tapped a seal on her arm. About ten seconds later, a hole opened in space time and from it emerged the real Riley.
"What's up?" Riley inquired as she looked between her clone and Itachi, only to grimace as she realized she was in the Leaf. The Clone handed her both the scrolls and then popped. It took a moment for the memories to sink in, but when they did Riley looked to Itachi and smiled.
"I'll see you soon." Riley told him as she pocketed the scrolls.
"I look forward to it." Itachi replied as she slipped back into Kamui.
After that Riley quickly made a stop by the capital to make an appointment with the Daimyo. Being a busy man, it normally took months to get a meeting, and unless you were of a certain station if was usually just with an adviser or representative. However, she being the head of two Most Ancient and Most noble families and the heir to Ravenclaw and Black, as well as serving as the representative for the Uchiha, that got her a meeting the following day.
-Later-
Fleur and the others slowly began to awake, and it took Fleur a moment to remember what had happened the night prior. She found Riley still lying next to her, just watching her with a mischievous gleam in eyes.
It took Fleur a moment to remember Riley telling her to sleep, and then feeling heavy and tired. It didn't take a genius to know that Riley had put her to sleep somehow.
"You knocked me out last night!" Fleur stated accusingly as she shook off her sleepiness and tried to glare at Riley who simply smiled in response.
"Yep." Riley replied. Fleur looked like she was about to call her a liar but then stopped when Riley admitted to it. She just stared at her in confusion for a few moments before re-adopting her glare.
"Why?" Fleur asked.
"You looked tired, and I didn't want you worrying about me. You're like an overprotective panther when you get worried. Nothing happened last night, but I knew you'd fret about it anyway love, so I put you to sleep with genjutsu." Riley replied as she crawled on top of Fleur and kissed her.
Fleur was still trying to glare at Riley but for some reason found herself unable to stay mad. Riley was just too loveable and maybe it was because Riley was her mate, that she couldn't get angry at her. Even though Fleur was really trying to be upset, the smile on her lover's face and the loving kiss she just gave her caused her anger to melt away.
"Just don't do zat again. I have a right to be worried about you." Fleur pouted in reply, as that was the closest to angry, she could maintain when around Riley.
"Alright… sorry. Won't happen again." Riley stated as she kissed her again before leaning over to do the same with Katie and Daphne who were both rubbing the sleepiness from their eyes.
"Why does my head hurt?" Daphne asked aloud.
"Probably because you rolled out of bed love." Riley replied as she got up and got dressed.
"Oh… did you put me back in bed?" Daphne inquired.
"Yep." Riley replied as she tied her hair back into a ponytail.
"Where are you off to in such a hurry?" Katie inquired.
"Got a meeting in two hours, so I gotta get going. I'll see you ladies later." Riley told them with a smile and before they could question her, she vanished into Kamui.
"That was so cool." Katie commented as she saw in happen, earning a nod from Fleur and Daphne.
-Back in the Land of Fire-
"My lord. Your noon appointment has arrived." A secretary informed the Daimyo and his advisers.
There were two ruling parties of the individual countries. The Daimyo ruled everything, but he had a panel of advisers to help him. He also had a council called the Fire Council which helped him run the country. The fire council was made up of the individual Feudal Lords that owned the different provinces of the country.
Right now, the Daimyo was taking single meetings with very important people. This one in particular had garnered a lot of attention as of late, and for some reason had his samurai and shinobi guards on edge. The Daimyo may have been a rather simple-minded man, but he was no fool. He recognized the increased presence of his guard and had to wonder what they were so worried about.
The Daimyo continued to wave his fan as the guards escorted a young girl into the room. She wore a simple long dark Kimono, and had her hair tied back. Her eyes were what drew his attention though. They were purple with rings in them, and tomoe on each of the three innermost rings. It was truly a powerful sight, and for the first time in a while the Daimyo felt tiny in comparison to this girl.
"May I present. Lady Riley Slytherin Gryffindor Uchiwa. Head of the Most Ancient and Most Noble houses of Slytherin, Gryffindor, and Uchiwa, and heir to the Most Ancient and Most Noble house of Ravenclaw, Heir to the Ancient and Most Noble house of Black. Jonin of the land of Fire, and Demon Slayer of the land of Britain. As well as acting representative to the Uchiha clan in this matter, as ordained by Lord Itachi Uchiha, head of the Ancient and Most Noble house of Uchiha." One of his advisers introduced her. The Daimyo cocked an eyebrow at that. That was a lot of titles. And she was a demon slayer… that was… unnerving. What could she want here, he wondered? Hopefully it had nothing to do with demons. Wait… now he recognized this girl… she was Minato's eldest. The one whom left and became the Uchiwa Clan head.
"Thank you for seeing me on such short notice, Lord Daimyo. As your adviser has stated. I am here as acting representative of the Uchiha in an important matter." Riley stated.
"Oh? What matter is so important that the Uchiha needed to speak with me so soon?" The Daimyo inquired.
"They wish to break their ties with the Hidden Leaf." Riley replied earning shocked gasps from the Daimyo and his advisers.
"But why? The Uchiha are one of the founding clans of Konoha. What reason could they possibly have for leaving?" One adviser asked, earning nods from the others and the Daimyo.
"Indeed, since you are here, Itachi must be seeking to part with the village peacefully, by seeking an allowance from the Daimyo, that must be granted, if the concerns are dire enough." Another adviser stated, this one was one of the eldest, probably nearly ninety years old. The advisers were all required to serve until death, or an inability to continue, and they also had to know every law and oath that pertained to the country and its leadership, by heart, so it was no surprise that they already knew why Riley was here, they just needed the reasoning behind it.
"What has happened in Konoha that is pushing the Uchiha to such an extreme? I thought all of the bad eggs were destroyed when Itachi wiped them out?" The Daimyo inquired.
"Itachi sacrificed his entire family for the good of Konoha. Since then, his surviving clansmen have been hated and ostracized by the village. It's gotten so bad that the clan has begun to turn on its leader for his continued loyalty to the village. Itachi's clansmen have undergone harsh treatment and downright hatred from the people of the Leaf, as they view them as nothing but traitors. Try as he might, Itachi cannot repair the damage to his clan's reputation. He has even informed me the Leaf council has taken a special interest in Sasuke Uchiha that worries him greatly and states his deteriorating relationship with the heir of the clan, as cause for concern. Itachi wishes to activate the first Hokage's decree on clans, that he be allowed to leave if the Leaf no longer has any love for his clan. He also stated that the Uchiha in particular were left an out in the charter when they formed the village. The hate they have been receiving, has been endured for years and they are finally fed up." Riley explained earning shocked gasps from the advisers and the Daimyo.
It took a moment for the Daimyo to reply, when he did you could tell, he was not happy. "This is most troubling. While I am bound by old oaths to allow the Uchiha to leave, I do require proof that such things are occurring. I will send a private investigation team into the village to secretly uncover the true feelings the Leaf possesses. However, if the Uchiha are being ostracized I cannot in good conscious force them to remain and allow animosity to remain. So as long as the Uchiha offer an alliance to the Leaf, and part on amicable terms I will allow them to leave for a period of two years' time while the investigation is carried out." The Daimyo stated earning nods from his advisers. One quickly wrote down the orders in a scroll and it was passed to Riley.
"Thank you, lord Daimyo. I assure you, you will not like what you find, but the Uchiha will be eternally grateful." Riley replied as she bowed and turned to leave.
-Later, in the Leaf-
"Why are we here, Lord Itachi?" One of his clansmen asked him. Itachi looked them all over, just about a dozen, the oldest of which was fifteen and youngest being ten. This was all that remained of the once mighty clan. He also took note of the glares from the older kids. They obviously did not have much love for him.
"I've called you all here to inform you of a transition that we will be making over the next day or so. But first I feel I must apologize. I know of the hatred that you all hold for me, for what I did to the elder clansman. I know some of you probably don't understand why I had to do what I did. But some of you do… and I know you hate me, because I killed your parents, and all we received for that sacrifice was the hatred of the village. I'm not sorry for what I did. Had the coup been allowed to happen the whole clan and countless others could have died… I am sorry though, for our treatment in the village. I did what I did because I love my village, and I believed that you all would be treated with sympathy and love. Sadly, we were not. And I've tried for years to fix our reputation, but to no avail. I have decided that enough is enough. No longer will I force you to remain stuck here, to be hated and used by the village. We are leaving." Itachi informed them all earning shocked gasps from all of them as they shared glances.
"Are you sure about this Lord Uchiha? I mean… what if the Hokage sends someone after us?" One of the older kids asked.
"Right now, a representative of the clan is handling matters with the Daimyo she sho..." Itachi began but stopped as Riley appeared from Kamui.
"Hi… sorry I'm late. Here's the Daimyo's decree. He's sending an investigation team, but you guys got two years of breathing room to get the hell outta here." Riley stated.
"Everyone this is Riley, the head of our sister clan, The Uchiwa." Itachi introduced her. The children offered her bows or nods of greeting and Riley returned them.
"Is there anyone here who wishes to remain in the Leaf?" Itachi inquired. All of the children shared glances but none of them raised their hands. They were all fed up with the Leaf's bullshit, if there was a chance to get out, without getting in trouble, then they were all for it.
"Very well then. Gather everything of the clans. We'll be leaving in three days. I'm going to speak with the Hokage." Itachi dismissed them and rose to his feet.
"I'm coming with you." Riley informed him.
"Are you sure? I don't think the Fourth will be much of a problem. It's Danzo I'm worried about." Itachi replied.
"That's why I'm going. I'm going to get us some assurance from the bastard before you guys leave." Riley informed him.
"What are you gonna do?" Itachi inquired.
"Offer him a deal." Riley responded.
-At the Hokage Tower-
"Done." Minato said with a smile as he finished stamping the last piece of paperwork on his desk. He then glanced over, and his jaw dropped. At the side of the room, was a wall of paperwork that reached the ceiling. Four of his clones were in front of it, each laying in the fetal position crying his eyes out.
"But… how?" Minato asked aloud as her heard a knock on the door.
"Oh, thank the gods! Come in!" Minato stated. His secretary opened the door and was about to speak when she noticed the crying Minato's on the floor.
"Ignore them. What's up?" Minato ordered as he threw four of his Hiraishin Kunai to kill the weeping clones.
"Lord Uchiha… and Lady Uchiwa are here to speak with you." His secretary replied.
"… … … Narumi is here?" Minato asked as his jaw dropped.
"Yes, my lord." His secretary replied.
"Send them in." Minato ordered, and a few moments later Riley and Itachi stepped through the door, neither one looking very happy.
Minato locked eyes with his daughter and could see that she was internally seething at being in the village again. Though her mighty dojutsu stood testament to the unspoken threat, that she was giving off.
"Itachi… Narumi… to what do I owe the pleasure?" Minato inquired, his eyes never leaving Riley.
"I wanted to deliver this to you personally lord Hokage." Itachi replied as he set a scroll on his desk.
Minato looked down at it for a moment before sitting and opening it. A few moments later they both saw Minato's eyes widen in shock as he looked up at Itachi whom was simply staring down at him, with a stoic expression.
"You're leaving? Why?" Minato asked, still shocked by this revelation.
"You know why. My clan has been treated like traitors since 'that' day. I have been sent on suicide mission after suicide mission, and I did it with a smile in the hopes of repairing the clan's reputation. But in the end… none of it mattered. It's been over five years, and we're still treated like criminals. I won't stand for it any longer. The village doesn't want us here, so I'll do what's best for both parties. We're leaving, the Daimyo has given us a two-year leave from service which could be extended to indefinitely if he finds proof of the Leaf's actions. It won't be hard. I expect I'll hear from him within a month telling me that I'm free to stay away." Itachi replied sounding angry, but most of all saddened. Itachi truly loved the village, but he had to do what was right by the only family he had left. He owed them that.
"Itachi… I can't just let you and your clan walk away. You all hold too much importance to Konoha. As well as the fact that you personally hold too many S-Ranked secrets. The Daimyo will understand." Minato stated with obvious sadness as he rose up to challenge the Uchiha clan head.
"I'm here to make you a deal, Minato. The Uchiha are under my protection from now on, until they get back on their feet and establish themselves. So… I'm willing to offer you a trade in exchange for the Uchiha's freedom." Riley stated eying the man darkly.
"What kind of offer are you talking about Narumi?" Minato inquired, as he eyed his daughter carefully.
"I'll tell you how to activate your Sharingan, and how to unlock Naruko's." Riley replied earning a surprised look from both Itachi and Minato.
"You know how to unlock our eyes?" Minato asked carefully.
"Indeed. Promise to leave the Uchiha alone, and I'll tell you how." Riley replied.
Minato stared back at her for several moments. For him and Naruko to have those eyes would grant both of them an immense power boost, plus it would help Naruko pull out from beneath Narumi's shadow. In the end the trade was for the Uchiha clan and two Sharingan users, for two Sharingan users, one of which was the Hokage and the other who was the chosen child of prophecy.
"Very well… I'll accept the deal; however, I need an answer first. Tell me how you became so powerful Narumi and I'll swear on my magic to leave the Uchiha alone, in the matter of them leaving the village." Minato offered as a counter.
"Fine… Your mother was an Uzumaki, your father was Madara. He lived in Uzushio when it was attacked. Your mother was killed, but you were rescued by Mito Uzumaki whom recognized you as Madara's child and sealed away your Uchiha blood. Madara had placed a piece of his chakra and soul inside of you so that he could always find you if he needed too. When Mito sealed you, the piece of Madara was sealed too. When you sealed the fox's spirit into me, you passed on the piece of Madara you had locked away inside of you. That piece manifested as his knowledge, which is how I know the things I do. It's also why I'm so powerful, I know Madara's moves, I know how to fight like him, how to dominate my opponents and kill them, just like he could. That piece of him, came towards the end of his life, so, in essence, I had an elder Madara as a teacher, through this soul piece. The seal you have on you is probably on your eyes and it's something passed down to your kids. My seal never activated for some reason, though Naruko's did, which is why I look like I do, and you two look like you do. For Naruko's Sharingan, the Fox hates the Uchiha due to Madara, and thus it's youki is preventing Naruko from activating her Sharingan, on top of the seal. So simply reinforce the Fox's seal and stop Youki from going to her eyes and remove the seal on her genetics and she should be able to activate the Sharingan..." Riley informed him. Were it not for the hope of aiding the Uchiha and gaining them as an eternal ally, Riley would have never offered such knowledge to Minato, and never would have offered Naruko such a boon.
Despite her hatred for them, Riley cared more for Itachi and wanted him and his clan safe, so she'd offer Minato something of greater value in his eyes than the broken Uchiha clan. A part of her, also felt excitement at the prospect of them gaining the Sharingan, Minato and Naruko both having it would increase their powers, making them much stronger. That would than lead to Riley's eventual victory over them, being infinitely sweeter. If she could crush them both while their genetics were unsealed and with both possessing the Sharingan, no one could them say that Riley hadn't surpassed them entirely. Without any handicaps on them, Riley's superiority would be assured when the day came.
And in regard to the information about Madara, Minato didn't truly gain anything from this info, other than the origin of her powers, which didn't help him in the least. Everyone already knew she fought like Madara.
"What about the Nine Tails, Narumi?" Minato asked, his gaze hard and focused.
"What about it?" Riley asked in reply, staring back at him, unflinchingly.
"When you killed one of my ANBU, you did it using demonic power. The Fox's spirit shouldn't have any demonic power to speak of, yet it is a demonic influence in your life. That leads me to conclude that you've been in contact with it." Minato stated to her.
Riley stared back for a moment, her muscles tightening as she fought the urge to tell him to go fuck himself. It took a moment, but she was able to settle down enough to come up with a response.
"Yes, I've been in contact with it. I have Madara's memories, if you'll recall. Thus, I know how to control the demon with my eyes. I've taken it as my tool, just as Madara did so long ago, isn't that why you sealed it in me to begin with?" Riley replied with a sneer, Minato's eyes widening a bit as he contemplated her words. Itachi stood by, listening as she explained that bit of information. To think that she'd dominated the fox, using her ocular abilities, just like their ancestor had done, that was truly a magnificent feat, even if it didn't have any power.
"The Fox has no power to speak of Narumi. How did you gain access to demonic power?" Minato asked after a moment of silence.
"From the Fox." Riley answered with a shrug.
"You know the Fox doesn't have any of its magic. It's just a soul and a body..." Minato began, knowing that there was something deeper to it.
Riley was quiet for a few seconds as she formulated a lie. The Leaf already knew she had access to demonic power, due to the Fidelus they'd never be able to finger her as the source of that power, so the only logical reasoning from there, was that it had to somehow be the Fox. Them knowing that she could use demonic power, meant that she didn't have to hide it any longer, especially if she came up with a convincing lie.
"The power could be from me, power you gave me, that I was then forced to give back." Kurama suggested to her.
"Yes, much like using the Fox, as a chakra conversion tool. You could tell them, that you can pass your own chakra into the fox, corrupt it, and then use your control over the fox to force it to relinquish that power back to you." Madara further elaborated, helping her to construct the lie she'd feed to the Hokage and the Leaf.
"The Fox has only the power I give it. Demonic Youki is a powerful tool as I'm sure you realize. It's incapable of generating or storing power on it's own, but I can use it to corrupt my own power in demonic Youki. Thus, making my magic more powerful." Riley explained to them, earning surprise from both Itachi and Minato.
Both pondered her answer, speculating on the repercussions of it. If what Riley said was true, then instead of just being a container, she could actually act like a psudo-Jinchuriki, gaining access to demonic power, but it was almost like her own demonic power. Both men had the same thought at that realization. Given how temperamental and dangerous the Tailed-Beasts were, and how difficult it was for a Jinchuriki to use their power, did this mean that Riley could gain access to a lesser amount of demonic power, with zero repercussions, since it was technically her power still?
Minato also had to wonder at that, just how much power Riley could store in the Nine-Tails or pass into it. If she had a way to store that power for a longer period of time, it could almost act like a demonic form of Sage Mode, allowing her to awaken a greater reserve of strength in the heat of battle. With Madara's knowledge, and the Fox as a conversion tool, the pieces were starting to fall into place, in Minato's mind.
He had no choice but to conclude, his daughter truly was a genius, possibly surpassing even himself.
"Such powers are dangerous Narumi..." Minato began.
"I have no desire to hear your warnings and your belittling comments. I've answered your questions, now fulfill your end of the bargain, Lord Hokage." Riley growled in response, cutting him off with a glare.
Minato stared at her for a second, looking thoughtful but in the end, he nodded and made the oath. Stating that he wouldn't go after the Uchiha in any matter regarding their departure from the village during the two-year stint. Itachi and Riley had to grimace at his clever word play, to leave himself both a time limit and an out, in case the Uchiha became a threat, but what could they do? The oath was made and the two prepared to leave.
"For what it's worth Itachi… I'm sorry it's come to this." Minato told him.
"So am I. We'll be leaving in two days." Itachi replied as he and Riley left, leaving Minato behind to think in his office. A few moments passed and he summoned a toad, telling it to find master Jiraiya. He needed to unlock his Sharingan and then unlock Naruko's… they would both need it, in the coming years. He didn't know why… he just sensed it.
-Meanwhile-
"You know that makes the two of them a much greater threat, don't you?" Kurama stated.
"Yeah… but fighting those two S-Ranked criminals has taught me something." Riley replied.
"And what is that?" Kurama inquired.
"If I ever want to have any fun fighting… I need stronger enemies. When I crush Minato and Naruko, I want them to be at the best they can possibly be. The greater the height, the greater the fall." And with that Riley said her goodbyes to Itachi, promising to return to escort him and his clan out of the country, and she vanished into Kamui.
-To Be Continued-
Sorry for the time delay, wanted to get out this chapter. Now Riley's got an ally in Itachi and his clan. Wonder if they can fix the Sasuke or not. Can't wait for the fallout of this… see ya next time! JA NE!
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