Hello there, my fellow readers, writers, and everyone else! I'm here with another update for this story! I know that some of you think that all this doom and gloom is kind of meh to some of you, but don't worry. Right now, there will be a lot of background building to set things up for the future. You also have to understand that Naruto is essentially learning as he goes. He's not just going to change in 3 chapters from his shitty and dark life to being all happy-go-lucky. He'll have to understand things as the story progresses.
Other than that, enjoy!
Lelouch frowned as he looked at the information before him. Cornelia arrived at Area Eleven, and Jeremiah was cleaning the house. From what he gathered, Jeremiah had conducted vast internal investigations within the occupation government, jailing potential collaborators, nationalizing key industries, and generally consolidating his power.
"I have to say, Sunflower, you have made Jeremiah feel surrounded by enemies." Lelouch praised the assassin who stood off to the side, as stoic as ever.
"Jeremiah is a man of pride. His pride would not allow him to live knowing that traitors were running about under his watch." Naruto explained as Lelouch nodded at that. It made sense. Jeremiah did possess a strong sense of loyalty to Britannia.
"It's a shame that loyalty is wasted on a worthless dominion like Britannia," Lelouch commented while Naruto took in those words.
"Twist and turn the loyalty of one to your advantage." Naruto thought to himself. He had a plan. Jeremiah was a tool, a means to secure his influence within the Area Eleven Occupation Government. Jeremiah knew that he was playing a dangerous game by merely trusting a faceless assassin. Ultimately, it would be easy to purge Jeremiah if the man turned against him.
"What is your next play?" Naruto inquired as Lelouch looked at his computer, scrolling through what appeared to be maps.
"Well, that's simple." Lelouch smiled, almost like a madman, but Naruto said nothing.
"Bring Cornelia to her knees." He declared, almost arrogantly. With the power of Geass, he believed that the battlefield was a level playing field between him and Britannia. He'd use the local terrorist cells to his advantage, conducting war through them to reach his target.
"Only a fool assumes victory before the battle." Naruto thought to himself but kept his opinion to himself. He had other matters to attend to.
Later that day:
Jeremiah frowned grimly as he looked at the reports before him. As the assassin had warned him, there was indeed a plot that was brewing against him, but that's to that information he was able to intercept the would-be plotters before they could carry out their attempt to seize power for their gains.
"The October Plot…traitors everywhere…" He muttered to himself as he sat down in his chair. This was a disaster, especially now that Princesses Cornelia had arrived. He had done all that he could to root out the traitors and clean house, with his last bit of investigation and arrests leading to discovering the so-called October Plot.
"They planned to seize the government buildings, secure the rail network, and shut down all major roads. In the confusion they planned to secure much of the military with them in their coup." He thought grimly at the reports. Of course, all the fools were denying involvement in such a plot, but the evidence was overwhelming against them.
"They had plans of the settlements key infrastructure, purposed defecting units, marked targets for assassination." He thought to himself, but he was broken out of his thoughts as the door to his office opened.
"Lord Jeremiah, Princess Cornelia has arrived." A guard announced as Jeremiah nodded before he stood up. It was time to face the music and explain to the Princess how far Area Eleven Government and Occupation Force had fallen.
With the Detention Cells:
"Jeremiah's madness goes too far. He's practically imprisoned the entire Purist Faction!" Kewell shouted in his cell, his frustration growing by the day as more and more of his fellow countrymen were thrown into the cells down below.
"Silence, Orange. This is all your fault. Collaborating with a man like Zero? What were you thinking." Villetta sent him a glare to back up her words and current mood. In her eyes, Kewell was the man responsible for all of this.
"And I'm telling you I have no idea what you are talking about! I have no allegiance to this Zero character! I don't even know he is!" Kewell defended himself, but his fellow officers were less than inclined to believe him,
"Oh yh? Is that why you followed his orders on that day? Helping him retreat? You're a damn traitor." One of the officers shouted at him with a frown. Their careers were effectively over and with Princess Cornelia arriving…
"Damn you Jeremiah…I'll make you pay for this!" Kewell thought darkly. If he managed to get out of this situation he had been put in, he'd make Jeremiah pay…
Meanwhile with Jeremiah:
Jeremiah bowed his head, his hand across his chest as he showed respect to not only Cornelia but also Euphemia. He didn't expect the younger sister of the new Viceroy of Area 11 to be coming along as well. Externally, he didn't show any emotion other than respect, but internally he was worried.
"Princess Cornelia. I welcome you to Area Eleven, although I wish it was under better circumstances." Jeremiah welcomed the so-called goddess of victory. Cornelia was, however, less than pleased.
"What is the current situation?" She questioned him. He nodded internally. He had expected that of her. She was a woman of action, preferring to get down to business rather than drag her feet. She was here with one goal in mind, hunting Zero down.
"Of course. Currently, I have our intelligence assets out to gather any information on Zero, but as of yet, we have yet to find anything. Although, with his recent actions, it has emboldened other organizations to carry out more daring attacks." He reported his voice as professional as possible, but Cornelia was not pleased.
"Why have you not deployed the Occupation Forces to deal with them?" She inquired as Jeremiah gulped slightly.
"Our…internal investigations have turned up various elements of the Occupation Government and Forces to be either collaborating with the Eleven Terrorists or be incompetent," Jeremiah answered honestly while Cornelia sighed at that. She had read the reports, but she didn't think it would be this bad.
"So, the question about the loyalty of our forces here is at a question?" She questioned, pointing out the obvious. Again, Jeremiah nodded.
"Yes. I have been forced to detain severely high-ranking officers and officials because their loyalties cannot be ascertained as of this moment. I also put in a request to receive reinforcements from the mainland, but…" He trailed off as Cornelia understood what he meant.
"Our forces are currently tied down elsewhere. The insurgency in South America has yet to be quelled and reports of E.U. forces beginning to mobilize require our attention. Currently, we have no assets to spare other than the forces I have brought with me after establishing Area 18." Cornelia responded as Jeremiah grimaced at that. Despite the vast resources, size, and strength of the empire, governing such a vast area drained a lot of resources.
"Beyond the Homeland, our forces are deployed almost constantly to keep the peace, but still…" Jeremiah thought somberly. The Empire's resources weren't infinite and despite it being a monarchy, the people still had a voice to some degree and the constant war was something the people were not on board.
"Outside those arrested under the alleged October Plot conspiracy, I am releasing much of the Purists." Cornelia declared as Jeremiah's eyes widened.
"Your Highness, I implore you to reconsider. Their loyalty is under severe scrutiny. I urge you to reconsider." He tried to reason with her, but Cornelia frowned.
"I would, but I have no choice. They might be disloyal, but they are also capable pilots. I'll give them a choice, start over as pilots or be thrown out of the army. We also lack any proper evidence that might incriminate them, even for Kewell. But that doesn't mean I won't be keeping an eye on them." She spoke with finality, leaving no room for discussion, something that Jeremiah understood very well. It was not his position to argue with a princess of the empire.
"Guilford, be a dear and deal with those Purists in the cells." She commanded as the said man stepped forward from the row of her fellow loyal Knightmare pilots and gave a quick bow.
"Yes, your Highness," Guilford responded obediently as he marched off. Jeremiah stood on the sidelines as he watched Cornelia begin to assume command. He sighed slightly, his duty as the temporary Viceroy had come to an end.
"Oh, and Jeremiah." Cornelia's voice broke him out of his thoughts as he stood back at attention.
"Yes, your Highness?" He questioned as he saw Cornelia grin, but it wasn't a welcoming grin. No, her eyes betrayed her grin. It was more…maniacal. The madness in her eyes, her contorted face, and her wide grin. This was a woman who wanted revenge, revenge for her murdered half-brother.
"We will be smoking Zero out. I want you to begin drawing up plans for Saitama Ghetto. Create conditions as they were in Shinjuku." She ordered as he blinked at that.
"I…don't follow?" He questioned her. Why would she want similar conditions to that disaster?
"If Zero is the kind of man I suspect he is, then he'd be out to target royalty. If I create a situation like Shinjuku, then he will happily show himself. But the difference will be that it is a trap of my own design." She elaborated as Jeremiah was caught off guard but nodded.
"This is the difference between Cornelia and Clovis." He mentally thought to himself as he saluted and saw his way to his office. Cornelia had forged and honed her skills in the fires of war, leading her forces from the front. By contrast, Clovis had done no such things. He hid in the Viceroy Palace, drowning himself with parties, events, and other luxuries. The boy didn't understand a lick of military tactics and strategy, opting to place his hope in their technological superiority to see the day through.
"And that got him killed." All it took to get Clovis killed was organized terrorist resistance. Comparing Clovis and Cornelia was like night and day.
With Lelouch and Naruto:
"Here, these are all the dossiers on all officials deemed important within the Occupation Government," Naruto stated as he handed Lelouch a large stack of files, much to the older teens' satisfaction. Good, the more he knew about his enemies, the better.
"I see you included Jeremiah in this, why?" Lelouch questioned him with intrigue as Naruto hummed.
"While his influence may no longer be what it used to be, Jeremiah has served with Cornelia in the distant past before," Naruto responded cooly as if it was common knowledge. Lelouch blinked at that.
"What?" He responded dumbly. This was news to him. If that was true, then…was Jeremiah part of the group that got his mother killed? He suspected that royalty was to be blamed, after all, there was a history of it.
"When was this?" He questioned as Naruto crossed his arms, his mask staring at Lelouch, causing Lelouch to be slightly off-put by it.
"Jeremiah was part of the honor guard tasked with protecting the late Empress Consort Marianne Vi Britannia, your mother," Naruto answered, not realizing the bombshell he had just unloaded on Lelouch, whose eyes widened in shock.
"W-What?" He let out rather lowly, but Naruto continued.
"Cornelia was also part of that honor guard. No, she was the one leading it." He stopped as he saw Lelouch now shaking in what appeared to be anger.
"How much did you find out," Lelouch questioned him, his voice barely containing his rage. So, Cornelia and Jeremiah were in on it as well?
"I'm a Shinobi, my first and foremost skills are in intelligence gathering. I may not be able to uncover everything, but what I do know is that on the day your mother died her honor guard was recalled by the emperor himself, your father." Naruto answered truthfully. He could have kept all the information he had extracted from the OSI agents he had tortured out of and the facility he had raided, letting Lelouch know would better direct his anger in a single direction.
"I KNOW THAT M FATHER IS THE ONE THAT GOT HER KILLED DAMMIT!" Lelouch shouted, his rage coming to as the Geass flared to life while Naruto stood impassively as Lelouch panted in rage. He had always known that his father was the reason why his mother was killed, and why his sister was left disabled. He was the cause of all of it. This only proved it further.
"According to what I gathered, both Jeremiah and Cornelia were just as surprised by your mother's assassination. That is why Cornelia threw herself into her military career and Jeremiah was left dishonored for failing in his duties." Naruto explained further as Lelouch scoffed.
"What does it matter what they think? They have to know something." Lelouch countered while Naruto shook his head. The older teen's anger was blinding him to what could be.
"Don't you understand? Instead of making enemies with Cornelia and Jeremiah, you can gain them as potential allies." Naruto advised as Lelouch chuckled at that.
"As if. Cornelia would never ally with me. I'm an enemy of the empire, her sense of duty is far too great to allow that. The same goes with Jeremiah." He brushed off such a notion. He didn't want allies from the hive of treachery that was the Britannian royal court or the military.
"Today's enemies can become tomorrow's allies. I know for a fact that Jeremiah only took part in the invasion of Japan to find you and your sister." Naruto countered, leaving Lelouch scoffing.
"To kill us." Naruto shook his head at that.
"No, to protect you. He is still haunted by his failure to save your mother. His motivation isn't his loyalty to Britannian, his motivation is to atone for his failures. Perhaps if you would reveal yourself to him, you could gain a valuable ally." Naruto advised once more as Lelouch fell silent. Could he trust Jeremiah? More importantly, could he trust Sunflower with this information? Looking down at the reports, he could see the seal of the OSI, the Office of Strategic Intelligence, Britannia's premier intelligence agency.
"The OSI only answers to the Emperor, which means that the OSI was involved somehow." He thought to himself. Of course, Sunflower could have also forged these documents. He shook his head. He'd have to trust Sunflower for now. Other than Geass, Sunflower might be his strongest weapon yet. His espionage skills were superb, and he was a cold-blooded killer who would not hesitate to kill.
"He might have his agenda, but I have no reason currently to believe that he is lying. Hell, he killed Clovis without even batting an eye. He certainly is no friend of Britannia." Lelouch thought once more as he looked up at Sunflower.
"You know, I heard from C.C. that you showed your face to her." Lelouch brought up the topic as Naruto almost sighed at that. Must she brag like that?
"Could you at least show me your face? Or even give me your actual name?" Lelouch questioned, phrasing it in a half-heartly way while Naruto mulled over that. It…would be wise to show him his face at the very least. After all, C.C. had seen it and so hand others.
"Only my face." Naruto answered catching Lelouch by surprise. He didn't actually think he would be getting anything out of the blond. As Naruto brought his hand up to his mask, he gently grasped it and brought it down, allowing the Chakra connection to be cut. Lelouch was holding his breath, wondering what lay beneath that mask. Would it be a scared face? Missing jaw? Maybe an eye or two? He didn't know what he expected, but when he was greeted with pale eyes, with sever scarring around them and almost dead face, he was left…almost mortified.
"Sunflower…what…what happened to your eyes?" Lelouch questioned. He didn't know why but he could tell that those eyes were not his. They didn't fit him. They were almost too big, the scarring around his eyes appeared…surgical. If his line of thoughts were correct….
"My eyes…were destroyed…" Naruto responded; his stoic tone was further reinforced by his dead look. He looked almost…defeated. Lelouch's hands balled into fists. He didn't know what happened to Sunflower, but to…do such a horrible thing to someone…a child no less. It made him sick.
"You should prepare for the next battle. I'll report back later." Naruto responded as he brought his mask back up to his face, before he seemingly blended into the shadows, leaving the older teen to his thoughts.
"What horrors have you gone through to make you like this…." Lelouch muttered to himself. Just what had Sunflower gone through in his short life?
And that's it for now! Oh and before I forget, this is gonna be a Naruto X C.C. story, and maybe, big MAYBE, I might add another person, but I'm not fully convinced yet. Anyways, until next time!
