Disclaimer: I own the OCs in this fic, the rest is Masashi Kishomoto's. Sorry for any spelling mistakes.
Character age:
Akane, Itachi: 18
Naruto, Sasuke: 13
Shisui: 22
Kakashi: 27
"Naoto left." Mei looked at her brother, who was done with fixing up Sasuke's shoulder. "Right when the Sanbi was gone once again, he left toward the Mizukage's private training grounds."
"Akane must have transferred the fight over there to..."
"Yo Mei!" She opened her eyes wide and turned around. Outside of the now active barrier around the hospital was Kisame, grinning at them. "It has been a while, hasn't it?"
"Ki...Kisame-san?" Dai stuttered with eyes wide from stupor. Itachi, who just got back with Utakata, frowned at the missing-nin he met before. Said missing-nin waved his huge sword at them.
"I guess I should thank you for letting Mangetsu bite the dust brat, I have my sword back." Dai saw red and got up abruptly, accidentally pushing Sasuke down, and tried to run at the swordsman, only to be caught by his sister.
"Are you trying to make us leave so that we can fight, Kisame? It won't work."
"I thought so too, I took precautions. Going back here has its advantages after all." With a sadistic grin, he threw a body toward the hospital entrance. From the shoulder to the torso, the flesh had been torn apart, only leaving a sea of red over exposed organs. Naruto put his hand over his mouth in disgust.
"Master!" Utaka screamed with tears at the corner of his eyes.
"I just need to activate the bomb inside." With a fierce growl, Utakata let his bijuu take over his body.
"Tenzou!" Kakashi yelled and the anbu ran in front of him.
"Yes! Hokage Style Elder Jutsu: Tenth Edict On Enlightenment!" Wooden pillars surrounded Utakata. However, it was not enough as already five tails were there, sending waves of demonic chakra around.
"Fat..." Itachi started, but stopped when he noticed the different pattern in his father's eyes.
Fugaku jumped in front of the jinchuriki, who now had a purple coat of chakra and was melting the floor with acid, and looked into his eyes. Immediately, Utakata stopped moving and slowly, the chakra enveloping him dispersed, only leaving the shinobi behind. He fainted and fell harshly on the floor.
"Thank you Uchiha-san. Dai, make sure the body is taken care of," Mei ordered as she stepped forward.
"Aneki?"
"Hatake-san, Uchiha-san, I'm trusting you with guarding this place safe." With this she left the barrier and glared down at Kisame. "Shall we now?"
"It's been a while since we had a good fight," Kisame said, pointing the kunoichi with Samehada. "Samehada still remembers the burns."
"I'll make sure to make new ones then." She slowly made hand seals. "I do not wish to harm one of the Seven Swords, but sometimes sacrifices have to be made. Yōton: Lava Monster Jutsu!" Kisame jumped back to avoid the acidic lava Mei spat, but it kept coming. Using his sword, he grunted when Samehada got the bandages around it burned, like some of its scales.
"Yeah yeah, sorry Samehada."
However, after merely a minute, Kisame retreated on top of a building. Mei had been touched at the shoulder and was pressing her hand on her bleeding wound, whereas some spot of Samehada and Kisame's left sleeve were scorched. The shark man shot a look at his glowing ring.
"It seems like fun time is over." On this note, he left. Mei frowned deeply and looked around. There was fire, there was smoke, but overall she was sure the fights were stopping as she could see other black spots jumping away from the village.
"They can't leave unless Ushio managed to get away from Jiraya-sama," she told the people still in the hospital lobby. "I'll go to the training grounds. If Kisame left, it means it's over over there too."
"I'm coming with you, Terumi-san," Kakashi told her as he joined her. She stared at him from the corner of her eyes and nodded.
"Dai, you're in charge of the hospital, Sasuke and Naruto-kun are staying with you! Uchiha-san, Itachi-kun, would you please take care of the Akatsuki?"
Fugaku nodded and left with his son, as Mei and Kakashi ran to the training grounds. On the way, they were joined by other shinobi from the Mist, including Ao and Chōjūrō. At first, when the training grounds were in sight, they were taken back by the state it was in. The first plateau was covered in rubble from the second one, completely destroyed. There was still the smell of smoke and ashes in the air. They went to the third one, and Mei widened her eyes at the sight of Yagura's club and Nuibari, against the wall.
"Mei." They turned their eyes to Naoto, who had an arm around Yagura, who was breathing heavily, almost gasping for air. They all stiffened at the sight of a bloody Yagura. He raised his eyes to them and Mei blinked, running toward them.
"It's gone, the genjutsu...it's gone," she whispered, kneeling next to her fallen Kage.
"Nice...job...Mei..." the Yondaime said with difficulty. He gulped and leaned his head against the wall. "I'm...so pathetic...now..."
"Yondaime, please stop talk..." Naoto shaking his head from right to left made her stop. She furrowed her brows.
"The...the village...will be better with me de...dead...and you as...as the Fifth Mizu...Mizukage." Then, Yagura set his eyes on Kakashi. "Hatake...Kakashi..."
"It is me," Kakashi confirmed and he put a knee in front of the dying man. Yagura stared at him for long seconds.
"Go...get Akane." Naoto pointed and slope behind them. Kakashi nodded and left.
What was Akane doing anyway?
I stared incredulously at him. Joining the Akatsuki? Was he for real? Did he have his eyes set on me for years? He didn't explicitly say it would be joining the Akatsuki, but it was obvious.
"Wh...why?"
"Your skills will be extremely efficient. I want peace too, I want the fights to stop." I pointed the carnage that was my birth village behind me. "A necessary evil. But...don't you want to see your brother again?"
Huh? Was it how he was planning to coax me into the Akatsuki? Using Fubuki? That was low. So very low.
"Your family before the tragedy? Don't you wish these deaths had never existed?" It was funny because I knew it wouldn't be them I'd see in the Infinite Tsukyomi. No, it would be Aki and Shisui, probably helping Sarada with the Sharingan she probably had today, me watching them with Sakura, who might have had another baby, Sasuke and an alive Itachi in the background. Then, Naruto and Hinata would show up with Himawari and Boruto, and then Kakashi would appear out of nowhere, saying he was bored. That...that would be my dream now.
Huh...maybe...maybe old Obito...had planned on teaming me up with old Itachi but I left before he could truly get me.
"Aren't you tired of all of this bloodshed? You know it won't stop unless the shinobi world realizes it's not the strongest." Yet, now, as he stretched out his hand to me as a sign of truce, the smell of smoke in the air vanished for a second. Why? Because his hand...seemed so tempting right now. Actually, his words were tempting, and if I didn't know the truth behind them...I would probably take his hand. These past three years had taken a toll on me, the biggest in my entire life. What he was saying...sounded so nice.
I gritted my teeth to get these stupid naive thoughts out of my head. It wouldn't work, Obito had no idea what was happening behind the scenes. How could I even think about leaving Naruto to die too?
How could I think, for a second, that Obito was right in wanting to take everybody's will from them?
"Now," Obito started again, stepping forward. I took a step back and opened my eyes wide at the sound of rocks falling under my foot. One more step and I was dead. Obito saw it, because he made another step. Huh, I didn't really have a choice. "Come with me." I shook my head no. "Why? Why do you want to live in that world?"
"Because…" I said painfully. "Because...it's real...people...people die...it hurts but...but it's better than...than what...whatever you want to do. In...in this world...they were themselves...not...not a vision we can have of them...it makes them...real...it...it makes the memories...we have of them...worth all the riches in the world...and...and it makes us...grow...Pain...pain reminds us we're real..." He lowered his hand.
"So this is your answer?" I nodded weakly. "It's the only time I will ask this nicely Akane. Join me."
"You...you've already won today...you've shown you...you were the strongest...made us fight each other..." I was so tired of everybody's shit right now. "Just...leave...leave and let...let us mourn." I blinked sheepishly when a drop of water hit my nose. I raised my head to look at the sky. It was raining again. He made another step, clearly done with the talking now and I was ready to jump from the cliff, which he must have noticed because he stopped.
"Ready to kill yourself and let them deal with the aftermath?"
"Better that than joining you." I raised my brows a little when I felt someone coming. "Kakashi?" I whispered to myself, and Obito tensed.
"He never does what he's supposed to do, does he?" I heard Obito mutter to himself in anger.
But he left in a swirl. A second later, I saw Kakashi's silver hair. I stood there, not moving an inch and stared at him coming closer.
"There you are," he sighed in relief, slowing down at my sight. "What are you doing?" I opened my mouth to speak but coughed and spat blood once again. In the blink of an eye, Kakashi was holding me. Oh...I had started falling forward. "Okay, you're done for the day." I nodded weakly and let him carry me bridal style.
I pressed my cheek against his chest and closed my eyes.
"Does it hurt to talk?" he asked me and I nodded slowly. "Don't fall asleep until the hospital, I can't have you not waking up."
"...'kay." His walk was steady and almost rocked me to sleep. I kept fighting my drowsiness away. After a few minutes, I started hearing voices and I opened my eyes. I rubbed one of them when I thought I saw sensei.
Indeed, there were many shinobi of my village surrounding Yagura, who was still breathing and whispering. Every eyes fell on us, but Kakashi didn't care as he kept going closer to them and crouched so that I was at Yagura's level.
"You're...alive..." I nodded weakly and grabbed his hand in mine, whereas Naoto was still half hugging him. He clenched his hand tightly around mine. "I...sorry..." A tear ran down his cheek.
"I...forgive you..."
"Sorry...for failing as the...the Mizukage..." I clenched his hand tighter and kept staring at him.
He sobbed some more, Naoto hugging him tighter. Then, it started to slow down, and after a few seconds, his hand went lax. I closed my eyes at his relaxed face but wet cheeks.
"You failed," Ushio told Obito as he appeared next to him. He was spying on the group surrounding Yagura that Kakashi and his daughter had just joined, exhausted and wounded from his fight with Jiraya. Akane seemed on the brink of death. "She wouldn't stay if she knew you were a part of the Akatsuki anyway, I'm here, remember?"
"I wouldn't place her in the Akatsuki yet, and I haven't failed. I failed at getting her willingly. People who suffered from the shinobi world can easily be manipulated through their pain, I'll shatter the wall she built around it and turn her into a loyal pawn of mine."
"Interesting, 'Madara'." Obito looked at Ushio from the corner of his eye. Sarcasm. "What, something wrong with me saying your 'name'?"
"A name is nothing but a name. Could it be you know something about your daughter that I don't?"
"Hmph, do I need to remind you I haven't been a part of her life ever since she was four? It's been a long time."
"Then why placing a seal on her eye to counter my sharingan?" Ushio's eyes became icy.
"When you so kindly freed me from Minato's and Kushina's seal, you told me the Akatsuki would let me do what I wanted as long as I accomplish my mission. It doesn't endanger my mission, so I have no reason to tell you." Ushio didn't blink when he had a kunai at his throat.
"Don't play me Ushio, if you try to hinder my plan..."
"I have no interests in hindering your plan. However, what I do of my daughter is none of your concern." They stared at each other in silence until Ushio turned his head abruptly, not sensing a particular chakra anymore. Naoto hugging his father tightly told him why.
"Does it hurt to see your birth village in that state?"
"I'm not going to answer that. I may have tried something in the past, but controlling a village like you did is still disgusting."
"Like trying to sacrifice your daughter and killing your son when he tried to protect her?" Ushio smirked, and in the blink of an eye only his left eye was opened, his hand firmly around Obito's wrist.
"Don't compare us. I'm not hiding behind my ancestor's identity and I didn't act guided by pure rage and thirst for revenge not once but twice. You attacked your birth village too."
"You..." He tried to use his Mangekyou, but nothing. "What did you do?" he hissed angrily.
"I worked on space-time jutsu with Minato a long time ago, if you think I didn't find a way to counter it you're largely underestimating me. Listen closely, I may be working for the Akatsuki but don't even think about using me as your pawn, Obito." The Uchiha tensed. He had had suspicions but now, Ushio was… "You Uchiha really should stop relying so much on your eyes, everything can be sealed. You've awaken a new form of the Sharingan? Good, doesn't change a thing for me. You're still a brat, and if you try to use me like one of those idiots, I'll show you exactly why three hidden villages had to join forces to destroy Uzushio, from where a lot of people still escaped. Trust me on that Obito, the Curse of Hatred of the Uchiha clan makes all of you so easily manipulated that it's not even funny anymore." Ushio let go of his wrist and stopped next to him when he started to leave. "Give me a break."
"Let him go first." I sent a tired look at my sensei. Kakashi and I were at the end of the group, but said group parted ways to let the stretcher they brought with them go first, Yagura's cold body resting on it. His hand were now crossed on his torso, and the Mizukage hat, that apparently they grabbed on the way, was covering his face. Naoto was on the right, Mei-sensei on the left.
Yes.
After all, Yagura had also been a part of the Resistance on his side, he deserved to be recognized as such.
I nuzzled deeper in Kakashi's jacket, my left hand grasping it tightly. He looked down at me for a second but didn't say anything.
"He was supposed...to be my godfather," I muttered weakly. Kakashi hummed in response.
"They changed when you left the village," he finished for me and I nodded. How ironic was that? The Fourth Mizukage was supposed to be my godfather, but instead it was the Fourth Hokage. "We're reaching the hospital, there is a lot of people in front of it."
"I want...to rest."
"Of course, I'll find Dai for you," he assured me kindly. "No disturbance either I'm guessing?"
"Yes..."
"It is over!" I heard sensei say loudly. "The Fourth Mizukage passed away from the genjutsu being broken! Now, it is time to recover from our wounds! I want all of the healthy shinobi to bring the dead at the hospital and make sure Yagura's followers are all locked up in ANBU HQ for now and under high surveillance! I want all of the wounded to be taken care of!"
"Yes!" was the shared answer.
There was movement, and Kakashi moved too.
"Kakashi-sensei!" I heard my cousin screaming. "Nee-ch..."
"Needs to rest and not see anybody. Shisui, please...actually no, go to the medic. Itachi, make sure Naruto and Sasuke stay away for a while."
"Understood." Yet, I felt their gaze on me.
"Alright, all of you let them breath, let them breath!" Dai told them as we reached what I thought was the lobby. I felt Dai's warm chakra scan me. "Okay, mainly rest then. I'll..." He tried to take me from Kakashi's arms, but I clenched his jacket tighter. "Uzu?"
"I'm sorry Dai, but she won't let go of me in the state she is right now, I can guarantee you. Can I come as well?"
"Well I...guess, if she's not letting go...anyway, this way please."
"But...nee-cha..."
"Naruto, they will take care of her," Itachi told him, and I guess he hold him back too.
"Kakashi-senpai is with them, it will be alright!" Shisui added, but he sounded tired as heck. Still, he tried to cheer him up.
I sighed in relief once my aching body was placed on a bed. Dai's hand immediately went for my neck. I closed my eyes at the soothing chakra.
"Uzu, you can sleep, it's okay, I'm here," my teammate told me. Without a second thought, I did and fell asleep for the first time in twenty four hours.
"She really took care of the Mizukage on her own," Shisui trailed off, looking at the ceiling of his hospital room. He was sharing said room with Akane's students, Haku and Suigetsu.
"She asked me to help her set the barrier up, and the Rokubi jinchuriki was there too," Itachi said quietly.
"Still, it's...impressive. I wasn't expecting that, she...yeah, she can protect herself just fine." Shisui looked at his cousin and the band aid at his brow. "You're fine?"
"Yeah, we didn't run in a lot of fights unlike you."
"She's still sleeping?"
"Yes. Naruto tried to see her and I went to ask if he could, but Kakashi-san is strict on that. Nobody but Dai-san can enter." Shisui pursed his lips.
"You know, she never told me why she was close with Kakashi-senpai. I mean, thinking about it I'm sure he was the anbu who would pick her up when we were kids, but..." He sighed.
"She...before we went to corner the Mizukage, she told us she had a fight with the rogue Uchiha." Shisui sat up abruptly and winced in pain.
"Wh...what? She saw him?" Itachi blinked blankly at him and nodded. Shisui groaned. "Come on now, she's a trouble magnet that girl. It's an Uzumaki thing."
Itachi looked down. Akane fought the rogue Uchiha but she had been the only one to see him. That man had had no interests whatsoever in trying to keep Kiri under his control, but he ensured he had a chance to face her. He had an ulterior motive, it was obvious, but what?
What was so special about Akane? She was a mixed blood, mostly Uzumaki but her kekkai genkai clearly indicated some Yuki blood in her veins.
He got up and left the room, leaving his cousin watching him leave with his mouth open. The rain was still pouring hard outside, it was impossible to see five meters in front of your nose.
Itachi stopped in an empty hallway and sat against the wall. He knew, from his father and Jiraya-sama, who had been treated for his injuries, that they were heading to an alliance, an official one, with Kiri. It was good, it would mean Akane would officially be their ally. No...no cold Akane like in Konoha, she would be herself again, not forced to act to satisfy the Fourth Mizukage.
It was good.
Everything would be good.
Why didn't he feel that way then?
"Nii-san?" Itachi raised his head to meet his brother's surprise gaze. "What are you doing?"
"Nothing Sasuke, what are you doing?" Sasuke blinked and looked down at the box he was carrying.
"Oh, Dai grabbed me and made me his assistant until people come back from the Land of Wave. They should be here in a week and a half."
"Good then," Itachi whispered to himself. Sasuke stared at his brother, who seemed to be sulking, and searched in his pocket. He pulled out a candy from it and dropped it next to Itachi. "What is that?"
"Someone gave it to me, but I don't like sweets." There was an uncomfortable silence between the two, the only sound being Itachi slowly unwrapping the candy. "So...now it's over, when are you going to talk to nee-san?" Itachi raised his eyes to Sasuke. "I mean, we're going to be allied, so you can fix your relationship before it's too late. I remember you struggling to become her friend when I was a kid, it's..."
"It's not that simple Sasuke," Itachi cut him off. He averted his eyes to the side. "I wish it was...but it's not."
"Just apologize to each other." Itachi smirked a little. Yes, it wouldn't be enough though. "You have the Mangekyou because you thought she died and she kept defending you after your fight, so apologize!" Itachi clenched his fists. She defended him?
"I've never told her I had the Mangekyou." He didn't even correct her when she clearly said he didn't have it during the fight. What would it accomplish with the situation between them? Making it worse? If Akane knew he cared enough about her for him to awake his Mangekyou in both eyes but still raised his hand against her and terrified her, wouldn't she just feel worst? He knew he did. "And I am not planning on doing it."
"Why?"
"None of us will be better after." Sasuke frowned and Itachi stood up, popping the candy in his mouth. "When are you going to confront Naruto Sasuke?" His younger brother averted his eyes to the side. "I see."
"It's more complicated." Itachi poked him in the forehead. Sasuke rubbed the sore spot with a scowl on his face, watching his brother leaving. He stopped a few meters from him, his hands in his pockets.
"Once we're in Konoha, I'll tell you everything Sasuke. You will be fourteen in a few months, it's not fair to you to keep avoiding the subject." Sasuke blinked at his brother's back. "We should have stopped keeping you in the dark when you became a genin."
"What about Father?"
"It doesn't matter what he thinks, you have as much rights to know what happened as any other Uchiha. You're not a child anymore, you don't need as much protection as you used to." With that and the small smile on Sasuke's lips, Itachi left.
Sasuke wasn't a child anymore. He could handle things and truths, and if he had trouble to, then he was there to help him.
"Exhaustion, it was obvious, and Karin treated the minor internal bleeding in the stomach and the bruises you had. From the fights that followed, some minor burns but a more important one on your neck, a broken rib, a huge bruise on your back and your esophagus and trachea suffered from bruises too, but I made sure the blood vessels were healed first so that you don't drown in your own blood in your sleep," Dai explained to me after two days spent in a dreamless sleep. I yawned and winced at my aching throat. "Yeah, with the state your body was in, I healed the most urgent wounds and left the others to heal naturally, including your throat. I stopped the bleeding, that's all, so shut the hell up until I tell you otherwise, got it?" I nodded and glared halfheartedly at Kakashi who snickered.
"If I had known I just needed to do that to shut you up, I would have done it a long time ago," he mused, reading his book.
"No solid food either until I give the green light Uzu." I nodded and glanced at the window of my hospital room. It was still raining. "Hey, would you mind it if your cousins come and see you? I know you're not in a talking mood right now, but Naruto is driving me insane and Haku...well..." I opened my eyes wide and ran a finger on my throat. Dai looked down. "You want to know the casualties? Well...Mangetsu," he started in a quiet and pained voice. The lump came back full force in my throat. He wouldn't stop by to see how I was doing, he wouldn't try to draw seals with me to help, he wouldn't spar with me anymore...he was gone. "Harusame-san was killed by Kisame, that's why the lobby is destroyed, Utakata saw it and lost it. Well...the group that went to the Kage building fought against two of these Akatsuki guys and...Zabuza died and gave his sword to Suigetsu in his last breath. Except for them, you don't really know them." I opened my mouth but nothing came. Zabuza-san was...Zabuza-san was...I looked at Kakashi for confirmation and the look in his eye was enough. I totally understood what he was trying to tell me too.
Haku was destroyed right now. If it wasn't for me, he would have had a Chidori through his chest months ago.
"Uzu...did you notice anything between Aneki and Zabuza?" Dai asked me and I blinked in confusion. "No then? Crap, I'm pretty sure there was something between them, she withdrew into herself since she saw his body." He sighed and slid my file under his arm. "I'll go tell Naruto and Haku they can come then." He left swiftly, the door shutting quietly behind him.
I grunted as I sat up and mimed at Kakashi. He rose his eyebrow and got up, his book still open under his nose.
"Something for writing?" I nodded and he sighed. "I'm not your slave." I joined my hands and tried my puppy eyes, but he didn't budge. "I'm not sensei Akane, I see through this." In the end, he still left my room, muttering what a demon I still was after so many years, and a small smile appeared on my lips.
When Fubuki died, Kakashi had me in his arms, back to Dad's attack and fully ready to take the blow to protect me. I didn't let go of him for a while because of the trauma. It was because of that I was glued to Kakashi right now.
He was still safety in my head.
Yet, there were still lots of dead. Lots of people I knew. I failed at helping Mangetsu and...I gritted my teeth, my fists weakly grasping the sheet on me.
I murdered Yagura.
I...I murdered the father figure I had for the longest time in my life. No matter how hard it was to realize, Yagura had been a father figure.
My train of thoughts was cut short by the door opening. Naruto searched my eyes for a second and upon seeing me awake and my small smile, he snorted loudly and ran to me, his face in my lap. I ran my hand in his hair and looked at Haku, still at the door. His eyes were hollow and his walk was mechanical. I gestured him to come on the other side of my bed. He closed the door behind him and did. He stayed straight as a ramrod in his chair for a couple of seconds, but I took his chin between my fingers to make him look at me. He blinked when his brown eyes met mine, and his bottom lip started to quiver. The first tear appeared and soon, he was crying against my collarbone. I gazed softly at him and put my free arm around him, pulling him closer.
From the corner of my eyes, I saw Naruto raising his head to look at Haku. A sympathetic glint in his blue eyes and he properly sat next to me on the bed, one arm around my shoulder, the other around Haku. Like this, Haku was completely surrounded by two silent Uzumakis, who were just there to let him cry his pain out in peace.
Later, when Kakashi came by and saw my two cousins sleeping on each side of me, he left the notebook and pen on the nightstand before leaving in a soundless body flicker.
Hey! Thanks for reading and leave a review to tell me what you thought about this chapter! Thanks to kankananime123, nevvy and NguyetMieu for the reviews. Yeah, bad guys have a thing for asking the main characters to join them, almost as if they needed to do that to prove they were the bad guys x). As for Itachi, Akane is the Seal Master hired by the Uchiha clan and he's the heir, he knows she knows a lot of things about his clan, except for the coup of course. Annnnd, there's a lot of Itachi coming.
Merry Christmas!
Bye!