Still not betaed, please be aware of possible mistakes. Tons of them most likely.
Lest you fade here all alone
Chapter 14
Hiruzen leaned back in his chair with a weary sigh. Massaging his temple with one hand as he tried to soothe the quickly building headache, he stared at the scroll on the table. After a moment, he moved his hand over his eyes.
Not for the first time, the old Hokage wished that his student would have sent more information, not just a warning. What did he mean by not to deny Rei Uzumaki the guardianship over his nephew lest they wanted to avoid another calamity? But no matter how long Hiruzen stared at the message from the toad or how many times he read it, he didn't get any closer to the answers he wanted.
Or needed right now.
Because today was the day Rei agreed to finally meet. The elusive blond never specified the time of his visit, so the Sandaime cleared his schedule for a whole day and just waited. He hoped to have a proper conversation with the man this time.
Hiruzen had already made his decision about letting Naruto move to Uzushio, despite the protests of his advisors. His old teammates had access to all the known information about Rei Uzumaki, but they had never met the man himself in person. Unfortunately, one couldn't simply document the gut feeling. All instincts Hiruzen Sarutobi honed through his long life were telling him that being enemies with Rei was simply foolish. Jiraiya's warning only strengthened that notion.
Someone knocked on the door.
"Come in," the Sandaime said as he straightened up in his seat and rolled the scroll up.
The door opened and his secretary stuck her head in, brown ponytail bobbing in the air. "Hokage-sama, um…" she trailed off, shooting a nervous glance over her shoulder. "Rei Uzumaki, the leader of Uzushiogakure, is here for his appointment."
Hiruzen's hand froze mid-way towards reaching for his pipe. He stared at the woman, completely baffled. Rei Uzumaki was here for his appointment? The Sandaime fully expected the man to just appear in the middle of his office and was actually waiting for it to happen, not for him to adhere to formal procedures.
The secretary fidgeted. "Should I lead him to the meeting room?"
The Sandaime gave himself a good internal shake. "No," he exhaled, rubbing his forehead. "I'll accompany him myself." So unpredictable, even in this sort of matter, he thought as he stood and smoothed the wrinkles in his robe.
Rei Uzumaki leaned against the table of the Hokage's secretary, relaxed and unruffled. His posture was at complete ease, legs crossed and hands resting on the edge of the table. And yet, a small curve on his lips and the sharp cerulean gaze felt ominous.
Two Anbu guards on either side of the office door shifted subtly under that piercing scrutiny, feeling like mice in front of a too lazy cat, watching them purely for entertainment. One of them swallowed, another smothered the urge to wipe his sweaty palms.
When Hiruzen stepped out, his clearly intimidated guards were the first thing he noticed. Rei spooked his hardened elite with his presence alone, managed to get under their skin merely by looking at them, and his advisors wanted to somehow control this person? With a shake of his head, he said, "Please, do not agitate my ninjas, Uzumaki-san."
"H-Hokage-sama!" one of the Anbu bristled at the implication.
"Aww, but it's so fun!" Rei all but cheered at the same time. "Their overreaction is cute."
Yeah, of course, 'cute' was definitely the right word to describe the highly trained killers who could sometimes be a bit too happy-trigger when agitated.
Hiruzen suddenly felt way too old for this job. He should hurry up and find the replacement already. Hmm, who could be a good candidate? A certain young face emerged in his mind and the Sandaime thoughtfully stroked his beard.
Detecting a curious gaze on him, the Hokage coughed into his fist and then motioned towards the direction of the meeting room. "If you will follow me, Uzumaki-san," he requested, "I'll take you to the room where we can have a private conversation."
Rei raised an eyebrow at his politeness, but followed after without a comment. "How're the kids I sent you yesterday?" he asked after a moment.
"Aburame and Yamanaka reclaimed them. They will need some time to reintegrate back into their respective clans, but they seem to be in good health, physically and mentally," the Hokage replied. At the corner of his eye, he saw a pleased smile stretching across the blond's face. "The clan heads expressed their wishes to thank you in person."
"Eh, no need for that," Rei waved it off. When he spoke again, his voice was soft and warm, "I'm just glad the kids are okay now."
It surprised Hiruzen how humble Rei was in this situation, despite having such a domineering, flamboyant personality.
They reached the meeting room and the Hokage opened the door, allowing his guest to enter first.
"Those seals on them were nasty," the blond muttered as he passed the old man and took in the room with a single sweep, settling on nothing in particular. "My teammate was a medic-nin, the best one. She liked to ramble medical gibberish to fill the silence."
Hiruzen walked around the table to the seat at the end of it, stealing a glance at Rei. Such an expressive person, he mused, not even trying to hide immeasurable fondness and longing at that little reminiscence.
"I learned a few things from her," Rei continued, casually plopping into a chair closest to the Hokage. "Did you know that the human's brain has parts that are responsible for the perception of self?" he asked.
"I did not."
"Danzo's seals were calibrated in the way that would gradually numb those parts and turn them into nothing but loyal slaves." The blond paused. "Handiwork of Orochimaru, I bet."
The Hokage frowned. Danzo working with Orochimaru, the known traitor? Something to look into, but it still wouldn't be enough. The old war hawk had his fingers in a lot of pies, including a daimyo and his court. This was a precarious situation. He couldn't rush it if he wanted to avoid the backlash at Konoha. The daimyo hadn't fully succumbed to Danzo's influence yet, with enough evidence they had a chance to remove Danzo Shimura from his power once and for all.
Rei tapped his finger on the surface of the table, observing, judging. Subtly, Hiruzen cleared his throat. He could understand now why his ninjas felt so unnerved in front of this man. "There is one more seal I'm hoping you can assist us with," he spoke, pulling out a photo from within his robe. It was a close-up shot of Anko's neck with the Cursed Seal of Heaven. As he slid the picture towards the blond, he explained, "It is the cursed seal of Orochimaru's creation. We were unable to find a way to remove it permanently. All we could do was to suppress it."
Rei's eyes flicked to the photo, but didn't linger. Nor did he reach to take it and inspect the seal more carefully. "I can get rid of it," he stated. Not examine, not give a try, but simply do it. The blond's tone was even and certain, like a man who had absolute confidence in his skills. "Tomorrow around the same time in your office?"
It took the Hokage a few seconds to find his voice again through the surprise at how fast and easily the Uzumaki accepted the request. "Yes, that is suitable," he said. Some weight seemed to be lifted from his shoulders. "Thank you for agreeing to assist. My jounin is greatly burdened by this seal."
"But that's not all that you wanted to ask me."
"No, it is not," Hiruzen agreed. The lines on his brow deepened when he thought about Naruto. Despite his best efforts to stay neutral regarding this matter, like it was required from the Hokage, webs of worry trickled into his mind, constricting his chest. And it wasn't just because Konoha was about to lose their Jinchuuriki. "When are you leaving with Naruto?"
Rei reclined in his chair, bright blue eyes boring into the elderly Sarutobi. "The day after tomorrow," he replied. There was weight in his gaze, sharp and calculating, as if gauging Hiruzen's worth in the world. "There was a slight issue with the shipment of wood to Uzushio and it delayed the construction work. I've decided to take the boys for a trip across the Fire Country while it catches up to the schedule."
The Sandaime had heard about the unfamiliar red-haired boy accompanying Naruto, but he tactfully refrained from inquiring about him. "Naruto never went outside of Konoha's wall, I can only imagine how happy he'll be," he commented instead, smiling at the thought of how delighted the little blond would be at the opportunity to sightsee.
Rei hummed in agreement, lips pulling into a smirk, but his eyes never left the Hokage's face.
"Regarding the Uzushio's rebuild, I would like to offer you Konoha's assistance."
It was a tentative proposal for an alliance. A gamble really.
Rei Uzumaki was a force to be reckoned with, a presence that the world would take notice of sooner rather than later. It would take time for other hidden villages to get news about Konoha losing their Jinchuuriki and also the dead village trying to rise from its ashes. Who knew what would happen then. If they managed to secure the alliance between them and help Uzushio develop, it might be enough to give those with malicious intent a pause. For the sake of both villages.
Better to prepare for the worst while hoping for the best.
"Pretty sneaky of you, Old Man." Rei's smirk widened into a grin. Before the Hokage could justify himself, he started speaking, "I have funds and enough manpower, what I'm missing is specialists." He brushed a hand through his hair, suddenly looking a tad bit frustrated. "I'm a soldier, not a politician or an expert in village planning. So far, we followed the old Uzushio maps, but I want to add a few things that weren't there before and I need an opinion of specialists on how to plan all that."
Hiruzen nodded, thoughtful. "We can provide you with the people you lack," he said, already running through the list of professionals that were needed in urban planning in his mind.
"That'd be great!" With a flick of his wrist, a three-pronged kunai appeared in Rei's hand. He put it on the table and pushed it to the Sandaime's side. "I know Shisui's kunai has been returned to him, so this one's for you. Call me if you need me."
Hiruzen took the weapon, looking at the seal wrapped around its handle. It looked the same at first glance, but he and Jiraiya had already examined it earlier. After comparing it to the one Minato had used, they could see implemented adjustments and attached additions to the beacon array. Not even his student could imagine what kind of modifications Rei must have done to the main Hiraishin seal.
That this meant as a sign of trust didn't escape the Hokage's observation either. He tucked the kunai inside his robe, inclining his head in respect. "Thank you. I'll use it wisely." Despite not being mentioned out loud, with this action, both leaders agreed on the alliance, everything else was just formalities.
"Uzumaki-san—"
"No need for that. Just Rei is fine."
Hiruzen felt amused at the somewhat petulant grimace on the man's face and his dismissive wave as if attempting to shoo away the formal decorum. "Rei," he said, marveling how the blond instantly brightened up at his compliance. "Can I ask if you would mind if—"
A knock interrupted the Hokage this time. The door opened right after and his two advisors walked in without waiting for an invite. Hiruzen stiffened, eyes narrowing. He was pretty clear when he told them not to interfere with this meeting. This bordered on insubordination. What were they thinking?
At the same time, he couldn't show their internal strife in front of an important foreign guest. So, Hiruzen clenched his jaw and motioned to the pair, "This is Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane." He fixed his old teammates with a stern glower as they made their way to sit on the opposite side of the Uzumaki. "My advisors."
Rei let out a quiet 'hmm', but otherwise said nothing.
"It is nice to finally meet you, Rei Uzumaki."
The blond smiled at Koharu's greeting. A very placid and benign looking smile. "Can't say I return the sentiment. Is it really supposed to be nice when ill-bred rabid dogs barge in and start marking their territory in front of their owner and his guest?" His kind expression and the polite tone of his voice didn't match the vicious meaning of his words at all. Even Hiruzen did a double-take to make sure he heard it right. "Judging by the Hokage's reaction," Rei continued, "he doesn't find it pleasing either."
Righteous indignation filled Koharu and Homura's faces, offended sneers at the tip of their tongues, and yet when their eyes beheld Rei's demeanor, they found it hard to speak. The imposing momentum Rei exuded at this moment filled the entire room up with his presence to the point of being nearly suffocating. An Alpha who dominated without effort.
The thick tension permeated the air like syrup.
The Sandaime hid a smirk behind his hand. His advisors struggled to keep their composure and it was an amusing sight to witness. He had no sympathy to offer, however. They received their warning about this person after all.
"Well?" Rei prompted, sounding impatient. "What do you want?"
Koharu looked stiffly at Homura and the latter pulled out a scroll. "This is an Alliance agreement and what Konoha can offer you," he said.
Hiruzen glared at his teammates, but they ignored him. He grew too lenient if even his closest friends started to act behind his back like this. "It is not the official agreement," he stated, daring his advisors to contradict his words.
"I'd already be gone if it was," Rei muttered from behind the scroll that he was reading. It wasn't a threat, but the indication that it could be was right beneath the mild words. He rolled the scroll up and looked at the two people on the other side of the table. His icy gaze was full of cruel, dark, and terrifying rage and pinned them down in place with cold efficiency. Even the temperature in the room seemed to drop.
"As I've already said in Kusa," Rei started, moving his hand with a scroll to the side, "Uzumaki clan is not weak." Three pairs of eyes widened when the scroll burst into flames. The blond tilted his head, never shifting his eyes from Koharu and Homura. "Just because we lost our village, doesn't mean we lost ourselves. There might be only five of us at the moment, but I believe there are more Uzumaki in hiding than one would think. We're survivors." He shook his arm, getting rid of the ashes. A feral grin stretched across his face and it looked deadly. "The invitation message had already been sent, it just needs time to spread."
Hiruzen's mind worked a mile a minute. No doubt, Kusa and the message to the Uzumaki clan were related to Jiraiya's warning. He had no idea what it could be. The toad messenger informed him that the Sannin was about two days behind, so he should return tomorrow morning at the latest. The Hokage could only wait.
"You need new advisors, Old Man," Rei said.
"It does look like I do, doesn't it?" Hiruzen concurred. "Koharu, Homura, you're dismissed."
At least they were prideful enough not to make a fuss. They stood up and strolled out, rigid yet still dignified, pushing past the silver-haired person that happened to stand in front of the door as they opened it.
The Sandaime waved the man in. "You're just on time, Kakashi."
Kakashi eyed the Hokage's advisors speed walking along the hallway before turning to the remaining two people inside the room. "Hokage-sama," he replied respectfully. He entered, but didn't take a seat, deciding to stand by the closed door in a lazy slouch.
"What I wanted to ask before we were so rudely interrupted," Hiruzen uttered, gaining Rei's attention again. "You two have already met. Would you mind if Kakashi accompanied Naruto for a while?"
Rei cocked an eyebrow, not covering his honest surprise. "You want to send Kakashi to Uzushio?"
"Please, don't misunderstand. Naruto's safety is still my responsibility and it would put this old man's mind at ease."
"I'm not against it." Rei leaned his elbow on the table and rested his chin in his palm. "I'll take Kakashi with me." His expression shifted, softened. "There are three energetic brats to babysit, Kana and I can't look after them all the time, socializing with different people are important. You won't mind, right, Old Man Kakashi?"
Wondering about the teasing nickname which seemed to strike a nerve with Kakashi, Hiruzen watched their interaction in amusement. Shikaku's observation turned out to be correct. Rei definitely had a soft spot for Minato's student.
In a blink of an eye, Kakashi whipped out his orange book, buried his nose in it, and drawled out, "Maa, I don't mind."
"Though, I hope you'll keep your porn away from children."
Kakashi hummed under his breath, lone eye tracing lines of text. He flipped a page. "You say porn, I call it an intense character study between two humans of different gender exploring their identity through deep soul bonding." When he got no more comment on his choice of literature, he took a subtle peek at the blond.
Rei stared at him, emotions too tender to put a name on them present across his features, his grin smoothed into something faintly nostalgic. As soon as he noticed being watched, it sharpened, teeth flashing.
Kakashi shuddered. What did he just get himself into?
Inoichi rolled his eyes at yet another muttered, "Troublesome…" from his friend. "I think that the Hokage's choice in inviting you as his new advisor is a wise one," he said.
They were loitering next to the entrance of the Sasagin izakaya. Absent-mindedly, Inoichi's gaze swept across the street, illuminated by the lights spilling through the windows and doors under the quickly darkening evening sky. An ingrained habit more than anything else.
An old couple, whispering something to each other. A rotund man rushing forward with a woman in a skimpy dress hooked on his arm. A giggling group of kids. A young man in orange taking a leisurely walk. A pair of chuunin quickly passing on rooftops.
He noted every passerby still out and about, nevertheless his attention didn't linger on anyone in particular.
"You just want me to die from overwork," Shikaku accused.
Inoichi scowled at him. "Don't be so dramatic," he scolded. "These changes will be good for Konoha."
Shikaku's resigned sigh together with drooping shoulders told so much more than one would expect from such simple actions. Then, abruptly, he perked up, a corner of his mouth curling up.
Inoichi recognized that particular expression—Nara always adopted it once he got a chance to unravel a puzzle that bothered him. Looking at what made Shikaku so excited, he saw Rei Uzumaki sauntering over and sucked in a breath.
The similarity to Minato was outstanding. No wonder everyone accepted the man's claim of being his brother without any solid proof.
Inoichi blinked. Only now he realized that he somehow missed Rei when he looked over the street. He could swear he saw his eye-catching clothes, he just... ignored it. How odd.
"Shikaku, good evening," Rei greeted Nara amicably like an old friend. "I hope I'm not late."
"No, no." Shikaku accepted the casual tone of their exchange as if it was only natural. "Just on time, Rei."
Inquisitive blue eyes slid onto Inoichi and Rei's greeting, "Hello, Inoichi," carried the same friendly feeling. With a tilt of his head, he regarded the Yamanaka. "How's the boy?"
"He's a bit lost and confused, but otherwise doing well." Right there and then, in the middle of the street, in front of curious passersby, Inoichi bowed in immense gratitude. "I cannot express how thankful I am for what you did. The Yamanaka clan will remember this favor."
"Keep the boy safe. The lunatic might try getting him back."
Inoichi's lips pressed into a tight line. He straightened up, light green eyes meeting the bright blue—
The mental yank was sudden, powerful, came out of nowhere, and completely blindsided him. Painful too, incredibly so. As if someone—or something— ripped through his consciousness, sunk their claws into his mind, and tore it out of his physical body before he could even realize what was happening.
Inoichi stumbled, crimson water splashing underneath his feet. Even the slightest shift sent ripples across its surface until they faded out of sight in an endless dark nothingness that extended to all sides. It was so quiet; he could hear his own breathing.
Inoichi felt utterly out of place. An unwilling intruder into some god-forsaken realm.
There was a cage in front. A giant golden cage with bars so massive and so tall that their top wasn't even visible. A multitude of chains—hundreds of them, ranging from normal-looking ones to as thick as a human's torso—stretched out from the dark void, through the bars, and disappeared inside the cage. Various designs and drawings covered every visible surface of the bars and the chains.
Seals, Inoichi realized with growing dread. The sheer force they exuded thrummed along the edge of his skin, making his hair stand on end.
Chains rattled.
Shadows moved.
Water rippled.
Something stared.
Slowly, his heart hammering against his ribcage, Inoichi looked up, expecting his eyes to connect with whatever observed him. Nothing was there, only impenetrable umbra. Nothing but a lingering knowing of something watching unseen. A ghost of a sensation, yet so overwhelming.
Shadows shifted again. Chains followed.
Inoichi had seen the Kyuubi. Had fought against it. Had endured its wrath. But looking upon a feeble outline of a colossal thing—bigger than the Kyuubi; bigger than the ten of them—lurking in the darkness of the cage, all he wanted was to flee. To flee now. To turn around and flee, flee, flee and never take another glimpse of it.
Yet he couldn't move. Nor he could look away.
Whatever entity was inside the cage, it felt wrong. Abominable. Something that was not as it should be. Something that was not meant to be. As if Inoichi's mind rejected its existence on the deepest primal instincts, even though he couldn't identify it. The creeping horror of wrongness pervaded the surroundings and his very being and clung there, twisting it, warping, ravaging—
"Hey!"
Inoichi flinched. The paralyzing spell broke and he spun around, coming face to face with Rei. Gone was a cheery, kind man he had just met on Konoha's street. While he didn't appear any different, there was something about him. Something immense. Something inhuman. Something similar to the imprisoned entity.
Inoichi felt like a small bug stuck between two titans.
Rei didn't spare the other man a glance, all his attention focused on the cage. His posture was neither aggressive nor overly placid, yet his relaxed presence held an unnerving intensity. "What the hell are you planning?" he muttered finally.
Inoichi opened his mouth to ask for answers only to find that he couldn't speak. As if the sickening feeling of the eldritch being's gaze boring into his back somehow stole his voice.
Rei's eyes flicked to his face, brow furrowing.
A sound of chains clanking echoed throughout the endless space.
Dozens of circles rippled across the surface of crimson water.
Inoichi stiffened, shivers sliding down his spine like ice shards. Instinctively, he started turning around. Rei might be dangerous, but the thing in the cage—
He jerked back when someone gripped his shoulder. The persisting feeling of wrongwrongwrong that kept crawling under his skin slowed down and ebbed away into something a bit more manageable, no longer so abnormal that it was terrifying.
Eerie blue eyes seemed almost as they were glowing for how vibrant their color appeared in the black backdrop. "Don't look," Rei commanded and all Inoichi could do was nod numbly. Satisfied with his immediate compliance, the blond's focus shifted back onto the cage. "The seals are intact and fully powered. There's no damage. None of the failsafes activated either," he murmured, low and thoughtful. "So how exactly was it able to pull you in here?"
The blond was clearly thinking out loud and expected no reply. Acutely aware of Rei's hand still resting lightly on his shoulder, Inoichi concentrated on that rather than what horror was sealed in this place.
"Is it because you're a Yamanaka?"
Once again, Inoichi found himself at the receiving end of Rei's intense stare. The latter stayed silent for a while, studying him, eyes sharp and keen.
"Due to your natural aptitude to mind-related techniques, you have very strong self-awareness and your consciousness already has a constant form that is easy to latch onto," Rei continued to analyze the current situation. "Yeah, that makes sense." He grimaced. "It also means I left such a huge loophole."
A growl reverberated from the cage. Deep, slow, and menacing, it built up until the air shook from its magnitude.
Chains rattled again.
An ocean of overwhelming bloodlust came without warning and cascaded down on two humans. Full of power so vast and ancient and vile that any sense of rationale Inoichi had managed still hold onto shattered beyond repair.
Rei, however, didn't even blink. He stood there, taking the full brunt of the bloodlust with unnatural ease like showering under a refreshing summer drizzle. A smug smirk danced on his lips. "Nice try, big guy."
Provoked by the mockery, it roared. Unfathomable. Oppressive. Perverted. Inhumane. Implacable. Otherworldly. Outside of human's comprehension.
The world shuddered and spasmed. The structure of this plane caved in on itself at its seams. The shockwave of that unimaginable furious howl swept across the crimson water, displacing it by force and revealing the bottomless depth that was hidden under its unassuming surface. It looked like a scar carved into the fabric of reality.
Inoichi felt his head split open, his thoughts obliterated, heart about to explode, unable to resist this insane power, and he gripped his chest, pressing, trying to stop it, his mind cracking, the last shred of his consciousness mere seconds from being unraveled irreversibly—
In a flash of brilliant golden light, all the pressure vanished. The slimy, sickening feeling of wrongness got pushed back. Gentle yet firm hands steadied Inoichi. When he looked up, instead of blue eyes he had expected to see, he was met with a pair of deep scarlet ones, each marked with a slit pupil. Rei's entire body was wreathed in the luminous aureate glow that moved like fire. It poured out, formed some sort of appendages that wrapped around both of them, cocooning them in warmth and safety. Pure chakra. So dense that it could be seen with the naked eye. As bright as the sunshine and so full of life, it took Inoichi's breath away.
"I'm sorry, it's my fault. I overlooked such a possibility. It won't happen again." Rei smiled. A barely-there sad curve that looked oddly out of place on his face. "I have to take care of this. Offer my apologies to Shikaku, please."
And then he pushed Inoichi away from him and the stunned Yamanaka was sent flying back into his own body. His legs gave out and he collapsed, energy instantly zapped out from him from the enormous strain on his psyche. Shikaku's arms shot out to catch his shivering form, saving him from ungracefully faceplanting into the dirt.
Nara's head snapped up as, at the same time, Rei vanished in a burst of blinding golden light. "What the—" After a quick once-over to make sure his old teammate wasn't injured, at least not physically, he frowned. "What happened?"
It took Inoichi a full minute to even start gathering his bearings. When he finally succeeded, the first thing he mumbled was, "I need a drink." Then, vaguely hysterical, he added, "No, I think I'm gonna get drunk today." With the help of his friend, who was hovering worriedly now, he stood up on shaky legs. Just a thought about the entity in the cage made his hands tremble.
What was that?
A/N
Trying to find at least a somewhat logical explanation as to why Danzo was allowed to run wild without outright bashing the Sandaime is giving me a spasm.
Also, yay! One of Rei's mysteries is revealed! Aren't you all happy now? Let's see if anyone can figure out his second mystery :P Hehe, who said there's only one, eh? EH?
I have a discord channel now: discord. gg/a7tQPPa