A/N: This chapter is brought to you in part be caffeine highs and sleep deprivation as I repeatedly kick my own rear back into gear.
That aside, I don't typically use trigger warnings, as most of the series I've written fics for tend to have a significant amount of violence in the first place, but aside from the usual fare (including some more…consistent depictions of what the Rasengan does when applied to the human body), this chapter has a scene that has non-consensual touching. If that sort of thing bothers you, skip the section between the second and third breaks.
Chapter Ten
The final weeks of Kushina's pregnancy passed quickly and with a nervous tension as preparations continued in secrecy. A site was chosen away from village, though that location was restricted to the Minato, Biwako Sarutobi, and the ANBU captain running security.
Team Minato gathered together in the Namikaze residence to go over their part in the conspiracy. This would be the last meeting until Kushina went into labor, which – according to Biwako – was expected to be 11 October.
While waiting for their sensei to arrive, Obito plopped down to sit on the wall, pointedly ignoring gravity.
"Hey, Kakashi? Have you gotten my eye fixed?"
Rin started a little, but Kakashi barely raised his head, either having gotten used to Obito's idea of chakra exercises or figured out he was coming beforehand.
Pity, thought Obito. Going have to try something else.
"What?" Kakashi asked.
Obito pointed to the patch-covered socket in his head. "Is it still giving you trouble or has Rin worked out a fix for you yet?"
"I still have the headband covering it, so…no."
"I'm still working on training medical jutsu," Rin answered, "and eyes are delicate enough without blasting them with ill-attuned chakra." She muttered something under her breath that Obito couldn't make out. "Short answer? No."
Obito scratched his brow. "Have you been able to use any of the Sharingan jutsu? Besides the copy and prediction, I mean."
Kakashi stared blankly and shook his head.
Obito pinched his nose. "So you haven't been able to use it?"
"Use what?"
"Kamui. Or anything else like that."
"Not that I've been able to figure out. Why?"
"I wanted to see if we could set up a speedy way to get reinforcements on site instantly."
"A bit late to come up with a new technique days before an operation."
Obito sat up suddenly, head whipping to his teammates. "When-?"
"Probably around the same time you were told," Rin answered. "We're not going to be directly involved, though."
Kakashi hummed in agreement. "It'd draw too much attention if all of us are out of the village at once without an officially declared mission. So you're trying to recreate the Hirashin?"
Obito frowned, but inclined his head. "I guess. I figure we could come up with a way to sneak things back and forth in case of emergencies."
Rin sat up and eyed him. "…How?"
"Haven't figured out the process yet. I've been able to cross distances before, but I don't know how to recreate it."
"Didn't you teleport to me and Rin back then?"
Obito paused, opening and closing his mouth. "Huh."
Forgetting his odd position, Obito fell to the ground with a yelp.
"Obito, what did I say about sitting on the walls?" Kushina asked, stepping, or rather, waddling into view. Not that Obito planned on bringing that up. Ever.
In the meantime, Kushina gave him a disapproving look, clearly waiting for an answer.
"Yes, ma'am. Sorry."
Kushina accepted the apology and turned to Kakashi and Rin. "You two all set for a weekend without grownups around to bother you?"
"Yes, Kushina-san," Rin answered.
"Don't have too much fun while we're away. Unless you're eager to experience this," she added, poking her belly.
"Yes, nee-san," said Kakashi.
Kushina blinked in surprise, then smiled. Obito followed suit, only more teasing.
"Since when did you call her that?" he asked.
Before Kakashi could answer, Kushina replied "Oh, that's what he used to call me before he made chūnin. It was such a sad day when he decided to stop."
Kakashi was desperately ignoring everyone, failing to conceal his reddened face. Rin smiled, but took pity on her boyfriend.
"You had something to share with us, yes?" she asked.
Minato poked his head into the room, a satchel slung over his shoulder. "Good. You three are here."
"Packed enough there, Sensei?"
"Mostly odds and ends, things to do while we're waiting. Chances are I won't get to use most of it."
"We'll be holding the fort and awaiting the good news."
[NRE]
Kushina's labor had progressed smoothly, with no real cause for alarm. Obito had learned more of the human reproductive process than anticipated, but that was displaced on seeing the joy radiating from Minato and Kushina's faces.
What came right after Naruto had come squalling into the world, however…
"Heyo~!" the newcomer sang.
Weapons were leveled at the intruder as he appeared over Kushina. A masked man with a single exposed eye, dressed in dark colors and a camouflaged cloak draped over his shoulder, holding the newborn up with a kunai poised for his head while he kept a foot on Kushina's neck.
Obito clenched his fists. "When did he-?"
"Forget about that," Minato hissed, hands clenched tightly around the log that had been substituted for his son.
The masked man tilted his head, satisfaction rolling off of him in waves. "No funny moves," he said, "or this brat dies at the ripe old age of sixty seconds." Seeing no movements, he righted his head again. "We want to play a game-"
We?
A second intruder had appeared at the exit. "-And the game is 'hot potato'."
With barely any effort, the first intruder tossed the baby to his partner, only Minato caught Naruto, then leapt out the exit to dispose of the exploding tags attached to the baby's blanket.
The ANBU were down, having paid for the opening with their lives. The moment one hostage was gone, Second Mask flung out the kunai at Obito, several more flying from his sleeve before he chased after Minato, First Mask disappearing with Kushina in the chaos.
Catching the kunai aimed at his head, Obito returned it with force before the intruder vanished, the rest phased through him before he realized they weren't aiming for him.
He turned to look behind him, Biwako slumped over with a knife in her abdomen and shoulder.
"Don't worry about me," she gasped.
"I won't have to!" Obito replied, activating his Sharingan. Please, let this work. "Kamui!"
[NRE]
Dropping next to the ritual site, First Mask deposited his load – under genjutsu, as a precaution – on the center of the makeshift altar, propping the jinchūriki up against a rock, restraining her limbs, spread eagle.
Kushina stirred as the masked man continued his preparations.
"Who are you?" she demanded.
Without answering the intruder slashed a kunai through her clothes, the blade missing her skin.
He ignored her continued barrage of imprecations, robotically going through the requisite words and seals, and then reaching for the seal on her abdomen while Kushina snarled and pulled at her restraints, to no avail.
A continued prodding of chakra wore away at the seal, breaking like the sounding of a gong. The jinchūriki fought every step of the way until the steady stress against her chakra coils caused her to pass out.
"Da-dada~!" the masked man cheered. "Wakey-wakey, eggs and bakey, Kyūbi-san."
The air exploded around her, the Kyūbi twisting and materializing as it made its presence known to the world, rising over the forest, chakra lighting up the night as surely as the moon. Calamity regained flesh, and let out an ear-splitting roar.
Looking down on the clearing and its former host, the Kyūbi swiped his paw on the clearing, claw stopping just shy of the masked man, wind blasting past him.
"Hey, hey, Kyūbi-san," the masked man said, eyes locked with the Bijū, Sharingan spinning wildly. "I've got a job for you."
Unable to resist the commands given, the Kyūbi turned its gaze towards Konoha, tearing through the forest.
A strange quiet settled on the clearing, the masked man basking in the glow of success. Preparing to follow and goad the monster, a stirring prompted the masked man stopped.
Having fallen into a boneless heap after the restraints had vanished, Kushina had pulled herself up, mouth pulled into a snarling rictus.
"That should have killed you," the masked man said. Backhanding a kunai into Kushina's eye. The jinchūriki gave one last gasp of defiance before slumping over.
The masked man hummed in satisfaction. "That's more like it. Now, about the Kyūbi…"
[NRE]
Minato focused on keeping his breathing steady, taking care minimize jostling Naruto while shielding him from shrapnel. One-handed seals were tricky in the best of times, and the present circumstances were hardly ideal, but he could manage.
"Katon: Great Flame Flower!"
Fireballs shot off in a flurry towards their target before an exploding tag went off in the middle, disrupting the jutsu before it could connect.
Second Mask was darting to and fro, swinging around a purple spectral blade like a maniac, chopping through ancient trees as if they were toothpicks. Pivoting around, Minato slammed a Rasengan to his foe's chest. Glowing purple armor materialized around his target, tanking the blow entirely, but not without launching him through the next set of trees, the Yondiame in hot pursuit.
Minato flung his opponent through several trees, to the next point and kicking him back to the clearing. Under normal circumstances, he would have had no trouble with these guys, but his usual method was out as he didn't want to risk Naruto in the off-chance that the hirashin could harm a newborn.
His son hadn't stopped crying since the chaos had started, so hiding him was right out, but with so many enemies, and potentially more lying in wait, he didn't dare risk letting him go for a second if he could help it.
He wanted to get to Kushina, but in the off-chance that his students had caught up to the intruders or Kushina had gotten free, he would be leading his pursuers straight towards them. For the same reason, he hadn't circled back to the village.
A shower of exploding tags had him leap back, nearly into a waiting kunai. Another intruder had shown up in the middle of the chase to cut him off, but had settled for sniping at him from the cover of dark and foliage while his compatriot handled the direct confrontation.
Halfway through another set of seals, a tidal wave of killing intent washed over the forest spreading towards the village. Above them, the Kyūbi rose above the forest, still forming as it broke through the trees. Even with the mask, Minato knew the man was pleased with himself.
"New potato."
The Kyūbi fixed its gaze on Konoha. Alarms began sounding across the village.
Before Minato could really process what had happened, the fox swept one of its tails, kicking up a cloud of debris that included ancient trees and boulders the size of a family house. Even outside of the line of fire and impact, he was nearly sucked out and expelled into devastation.
Second Mask dove towards the Hokage, purple haze forming around him and solidifying into armor, a sword materializing in hand as he swung down, dirt and grass splitting where the man had been standing.
Only, his target had reappeared behind him, the Hokage thrusting a violent ball of chakra with a golden glow to it. Second Mask twisted for a look in the moment it took for the technique to connect.
The Yellow Flash's eyes were cold, hateful.
And his pupils had shifted into horizontal rectangles
Sage mode.
That was the interloper's last thought before armor shattered and the Rasengan bored into his stomach, separating his torso from whatever wasn't obliterated in the impact.
Minato let the intruder's remains drop and searched for the third, but found nothing but the ambient wildlife. Stretching out his senses, he tried to find Kushina, frantically sensing for the steady gale he always associated with her chakra, but found only the fading whispers of wind.
Clutching Naruto a little closer, Minato raced back towards the village, releasing Sage Mode. He needed to conserve power as much as he could.
He still had a job to do.
[NRE]
Obito popped into reality next to Kakashi and Rin, both of them crouching to attack until the recognized him.
The silver-haired jōnin took the scene in while the medic went to Biwako side.
"What the fuck happened?" Kakashi murmured.
"Some masked guys popped in and grabbed Naruto and Kushina," Obito answered. "Minato got Naruto, but one of them is holding Kushina."
A sound like thunder echoed from the distance, dispelling the surprise. Kakashi bit his finger and summoned a pair of dogs.
"Find Kushina-nee," he barked before either of them could ask a question.
Rin looked up from her work. "She's going to need more medical attention than I can provide right now. She needs to get to the hospital."
Obito had stopped listening, focusing on a hooded figure walking into the square. He tried to puzzle out what made this one person stand out, when he had seen plenty of others just like them. He had seen ANBU before, and Aburame liked to wear hoods not too far different from that.
Only, most Aburame tended to keep to themselves. And ANBU wouldn't have revealed themselves so casually without cause, and no probable cause could be seen. No immediate danger. If Obito could say anything about this person, it was they were perfectly calm.
Far too calm as they knelt down and placed a palm against the ground.
A surge of chakra that made ears pop, followed by the crushing presence as the Kyūbi materialized in the middle of the village in a caustic haze. Those who avoid being burned or trampled underfoot ran for their lives.
Team Minato settled on a rooftop overlooking ground zero..
"Rin, Obito," said Kakashi, snapping them back to present. "After you drop off Biwako-sama, you go after Kushina-nee. Get her out of the line of fire. I'll go support Sensei."
"But-?" Obito began, but was cut off.
"Do as I say. If they're after the Kyūbi, she's in the most danger at this moment."
A third masked intruder appeared in front of them, clapping his hands enthusiastically.
"Splendid idea," he said. "Kamui!"
Kakashi split off before the technique enveloped the three of them, taking Rin and Obito into whatever alternate dimension was keyed to the man's eye.
The masked figure shifted slightly in Kakashi's direction. "Damn. That was supposed to catch all of you. No matter. I'm sure I can handle you. I can't have you three interfering with the Plan just yet."
The enemy eyed Kakashi, then burst forward. Sharingan active, it was all he could do to avoid a slash to the throat or a stab to the heart.
"New game: tag."
Blocking a rapid succession of attacks, he caught sight of another person watching from the distance, standing out from the panicking masses fleeing the Kyūbi before disappearing from view.
His opponent caught his distraction and struck him in the chest with the back of his hand, winding him and flinging him back. No sooner was he on the ground, the intruder pounced on him.
"YOUTH!"
Might Gai kicked through the masked interloper, diverting what would have been a mortal blow. As with every other attack, it passed through without causing any damage, but for once, Kakashi was glad to see that familiar bowl-cut. The young Hatake was proud of his abilities, but he would rather not have them put to the test like this, and he not so proud as to turn away help.
"My Eternal Rival," Might Gai boomed. "Do you require assistance?"
The interloper tilted his head to the side, trying to comprehend the spandex-clad form in front of him.
"Where did you come from?" Kakashi asked, then said, "Nevermind. Talk later. He's holding my team and Sandiame's wife. We need to take him down."
"Yosh!"
He had dodged the kunai, but Might Guy's kick had connected. This one wasn't as adept or instinctive at the technique as Obito.
Minato-sensei was able to hit Obito when he phased through attacks. Obito also described it more like displacing himself. There's something that remains present, or he would sink into the ground.
Gai reached the same conclusion and swept at the masked man's legs, missing as the target flipped away from Kakashi and over Gai, flinging kunai.
Hitting him would still be challenging, but…
"Keep hitting him," Kakashi shouted, and darted in.
I don't need to hit him. I just need to push a part of him where Rin or Obito can hit him.
Kakashi ran through a set of well-practiced seals, and braced his hand.
"Raikiri!"
Hand aimed at the heart, Kakashi lunged in tandem with Gai, the latter going low.
As expected, both attacks phased through the target. Holding a hand in place a hair longer than he thought safe, Kakashi swept his arm away, nearly missed by a sudden squelching noise coincided with the assailant seizing up in a fit of spasms.
[NRE]
Rin barely managed to land on her feet when she and Obito were dumped into. Rather than the sterile and sparse world of Obito's Kamui, this looked more like a dense forest, trees weaving all the platforms together, then growing further into the void.
"What is all of this?"
"Trees. From the looks of it." Obito shuddered. "Not normal trees, though."
Rather than follow up on that, Rin searched for something to make use of.
"How do we get out of here?" she asked, just as a blip of material appeared, disappearing the next second. "Did you see that?"
Obito circled around the point of focus. "Yeah. So that's how Minato-sensei was able to hit me."
Another piece of the interloper blipped in and out of the dimension, then again.
Rin scratched her cheek with her thumb. "What happens when you kill the user of this technique?"
"Not sure," Obito replied. "I assume it collapses and disgorges the contents."
"You assume?"
"I once tried to pull in a bunch of people at once when I hadn't trying anything like that before then. It failed, then spat everyone back out. So…yeah. I have no solid idea what happens, and it could just as easily send us all to oblivion."
Blip.
Rin inhaled sharply through the nose. "Well, I've got an idea on how to take our opponent down." The medic raised a hand and activated a medical jutsu. Holding the technique, the pleasantly cool green enveloping her hand rapidly turned brackish and oily.
"What happens when you hit someone with that?" Obito asked.
"If it works like I think it will, acute chakra poisoning and his internal organs turn necrotic almost instantly. Or he'll explode. It's a bit iffy at this point."
Obito warily blinked at the medic. "Oh."
"Why do you think I've been barred from using these techniques up until this point? Whatever. Just be ready to move. I think Kakashi's expecting us to respond."
The two of them crouched, waiting for the opportune moment to strike. A larger blip than before appeared, holding longer than before, then swiping to the side.
Rin wordlessly seized the part of the interloper left behind and let the buildup of chakra loose. Her grip didn't last long, and whatever part she grabbed slipped from her grasp.
"Did it work?"
For a moment, nothing happened. Then the ground shook, the trees rapidly rotting around them before the two of them were violently flung back into the world of the living, right in front of their opponent as he doubled over, violently coughing and twitching to the ground.
"What-!?" The interloper managed between coughing chunks of his chest out until Rin punched him out, a final spasm wracking his body before he went still.
Kakashi looked battered, but otherwise unharmed. "Ah. Good. I was hoping you'd make it."
"Hey, Gai," he said. "When did you get here?"
"I was on a youthful walk when the commotion began, and came across
"Not important right now," Kakashi snapped. "Gai, take Biwako-sama to the hospital, or wherever the medics are convening. Rin, grab the intruder and-"
Obito cleared his throat. "About that…where did the guy go?"
The others looked at the spot the enemy had fallen, but nothing was left behind besides blood and bits of rotting wood.
Their attention was soon diverted as King Enma shoving the beast out of the village, the resulting crash shaking the ground.
"Gai, go. Rin, Obito, follow me. We're finding Kushina-nee."
Overhead, bits of dark chakra formed in front of the Kyūbi's mouth, coalescing into a single orb that fired off towards the Hokage Monument before disappearing and detonating in a thunderous explosion elsewhere, lighting up the night sky.
"What are we going to do against that?" Obito asked.
"I don't know. But you two are probably our best bets right now outside of the Hokages."
Their run passed through the defensive perimeter, but no one paid them any mind, as all attention was focused on stopping the Kyūbi.
One terrified genin, maybe twenty years old, clenched a kunai in a shaking hand as he attached the exploding tag. The chūnin rested a hand on the young man's shoulder.
Obito caught the young man's terrified gaze, if only for a moment.
At the chūnin's order, the group leapt into the air towards the Kyūbi, only to be swatted out of the sky after tossing their payload, audibly crashing into the forest nearby. The explosions did little more than annoy it, and it began gathering chakra for another attack.
"Shit!"
A giant toad materialized, slamming down onto the Kyūbi, halting the attack long enough for it to be warped elsewhere. Which happened to be a lot closer than the previous explosion, this attack detonating close shoot debris overhead and into the village.
The shockwave knocked them back.
"Looks like Sensei is already engaged," said Kakashi, helping Obito back to his feet.
About to run forward, Minato appeared in front of them.
"Kakashi, hold Naruto," their sensei ordered. "Keep him with you."
The Hatake nodded numbly, accepting the squalling infant. "Where do you want me to take him?"
"Keep in visual range."
"What?!" his team exclaimed.
"If the Kyūbi's free, then we'll need a new jinchūriki."
Obito choked on air. Next to him, Kakashi went stock still. Icy didn't begin to describe Minato. His jaw was clenched tightly, and his eyes had hardened and sharpened into razor focus.
"Sensei…" Rin began.
Whatever the medic was about to say would have to wait as their Sensei shoved the emotions from his face.
"We'll get to that later," said Minato. "For now, we have a Bijū to stop and enemies to kill. Obito, I need the biggest tree you can grow. Rin, I need you to help run interference. Keep throwing things at the Kyūbi and keep their eyes off of Obito, but don't use your hard counter unless you have no other choice."
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
No room for argument and no time for questions, Obito began gathering chakra and stretching branches into the ground, growing them as he went, tying them to the pre-existing root networks. It was nerve-wracking. Seconds ticked on as he senses stretched out, catching pings off of Minato, Rin, and everyone else helping keep the demon fox at bay.
"Please," Obito pleaded. "Don't die on me."
[NRE]
Minato watched as Konohagakure fought back against an impossible foe, cursing, raging, and crying inside every time he saw one of his soldiers get snuffed out. The Sandiame had joined in, giving them some much-needed breathing room. And from what he could sense, Obito was readying one hell of an ace in the hole.
With what he was preparing, it would all be over soon.
Looking back on the little circle in the clearing, Kakashi waited at the edge, staring at Naruto. Setting up the seal was a relatively small issue, especially with younger man's help.
Minato smiled sadly at the thought. His students were on the verge of being adults, so much of their lives ahead of them. Hopes and dreams to fulfil. He had wanted to be there to see them achieve those lofty goals and humble ambitions.
It made what was coming hurt worse.
"Sensei, are you sure about this?" Kakashi asked.
"Yes, unfortunately," Minato replied. "Of all the seals I researched to secure a Bijū, none of them had the necessary qualities to contain its power while protecting the host." Biting his thumb, he planted a hand on the ground. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"
A rather long, orange and black toad with a scroll for a torso appeared next to him.
"Minato-chan," greeted Gerotora, then eyed the battle underway in the distance. "I heard when the boss toad hopped off, but this is quite a mess you've gotten yourselves into."
"It wasn't supposed to be like this, but here we are, and there isn't another viable alternative at the moment. Not that we can execute on this short a notice. I won't mince words; I'm going to seal the Kyūbi into my son."
Gerotora hummed and nodded. "And you want me to record the seal key, correct?"
"Yes."
"Very well. I'll wait for your signal."
Kakashi watched to toad pull back into the shadows, then to Minato. "But Minato-sensei…"
"I know. As a father, this feels like a betrayal, but…this is the only option. Trust me, I looked." Rubbing a hand over his face, his composure returned. "You have your orders. See them through."
"Yes, Hokage-sama!"
"Thank you, Kakashi." The Yondiame looked up as the Kyūbi suddenly twisted, the rider standing atop of the beast's head. "Now, then. How about a dance with the Shinigami?"
[NRE]
Obito gritted his teeth as he wove the undergrowth together. The distraction didn't last for long, as the buildup of chakra lit off like a flare. And now the remaining masked intruder and the Kyūbi directed their attention to him.
Gamabunta stepped in, blocking its path, but a wave of dust and debris swept across the battlefield, tugging at the anchors Obito had set up.
As the dust was clearing, the masked intruder landed face to face with Obito, an active Sharingan glowing through the eye of the mask.
Then it clicked.
Madara.
Heedless of Obito's revelation, Rin swept at the target's legs, forcing him to jump and catch the wooden spike Obito sent his way, hitting him with enough force to send him flying back.
Flipping up to right himself, the masked intruder missed as Minato appeared next to him, a Rasengan in mid-swing. He didn't miss the jutsu drilling into his spine and into the ground. Viscera scattered around the impact, and Minato stood in the resulting crater glaring as the masked man gurgled and sputtered, gave one last twitch and expired.
Right in front of them, the fallen combatant vanished, little to no fanfare to signal his disappearance, and even less trace left behind than his comrade.
"Now, Obito!"
Releasing the buildup energy, Obito forced chakra through the network he had assembled. Trees exploded out of the ground, lashing out towards the fox, halting it and forcing back with a furious roar as it pushed against the confinement.
"Come on, Sensei…"
The bundle of winding trees groaned under the force, splintering at points before cracking apart entirely, even as more grew up and around the Kyūbi's distorting coherence
Chains – or rather, letters that looked like chains – materialized around the tailed-beast, holding it in place. Its hateful eyes shifted to meet the Hokage's icy blue stare.
Obito raced towards the epicenter of the technique, joined by Rin. When they reached the clearing, both of them froze.
Minato stood upright, visibly in pain with blood trickling from his mouth and eyes.
"Sensei, what are you doing?" asked Obito.
"It's a father's duty to look out for his children, even at their own expense." He looked back at his students with a smile. "Every day he holds that beast back, he's a hero. Make sure the village knows that."
An ear-splitting roar sounded overhead, the Kyūbi loosing its restraints just enough to take a swipe at the humans holding it in place.
Minato placed himself between Naruto and the claws bearing down on him. Chains cinched tightly, stopping it from going any further than the Yondiame's body. Gritting his teeth, the Yondiame slammed his hand together.
"Reaper Death Seal!"
The Kyūbi dispersed into a wispy cloud, coalescing around Naruto like a drain, shrinking and shrinking until nothing more remained, and all substance and been assimilated into the seal. Nothing left to harm the village.
Nothing left to keep the Hokage standing, either. Clothes scorched and skin smoldering, eyes lifeless and the fading remnant of the Kyuubi's claw lodged in his chest, vanishing before his body hit the ground.
Silence descended upon the forest, eerie and unsettling. The Sandiame approached with a squad of ANBU, sweeping the area for any threats, not that any remained.
"I've got the key," Gerotora said, somberly dismissing himself.
Obito slowly approached, suddenly feel exhaustion like he never felt before. Rin had pulled their Sensei up, a green glow covering her hand, sparking a small sliver of hope.
"Sensei?" he ventured, hoping it looked worse than it was.
Rin looked up and shook her head, tears already building in her eyes.
Obito's throat constricted. "No…"
Pain shot through his eye, bringing him to his knees as he screamed. Some distant corner of his mind registered Kakashi's screams from nearby, red and black filling his vision.
And then only black.
[NRE]
Tobi entered the darkened room, paying no mind to the privacy seals activating behind him.
The Yondiame Mizukage sat on his throne, staff in hand, staring off into nothingness, but that was hardly an issue. His attention went to the shadow that shifted behind the throne, making no effort to turn around as he spoke.
"Three agents lost in a single night," Madara murmured. "It has been a long time since that last happened."
Tobi said nothing. Madara had already received the report from recovering the other disciples. There wasn't anything for him to add, and it wouldn't change anything if he spoke up. Better to let the Father of the Uchiha talk things out.
"I underestimated the Hokage," he continued. "He might have proven an annoying obstacle if he had grown much stronger." A low laugh echoed off of the walls. "How convenient for him to remove himself from the equation." Sitting up, Madara circled around from the back of the throne. "In the meantime. Continue your observations in Land of Rain. With this turn of events, we may have some need of their services in the near future."
Tobi bowed deeply. "Thy will be done, Sensei."
Madara chuckled to himself as the disciple vanished. Whether it took another a year or twenty, he would have his prize.
A/N: Took a bit to get this chapter together, and honestly, it hasn't gone how I was expecting. Thankfully, I had caught up on watching the anime to see the Kyubi Incident (which in my opinion was the most interesting thing to happen since the showdown with Hidan and Kakuzu).
On one hand, I wanted to try and let Naruto keep one of his parents, I really did. On the other, I had made plans. Plans that necessitated a very specific outcome to bring about properly. That, and the Reaper Death Seal has a rather clear consequence of use (as does the extraction of a Tailed Beast, for that matter).
So, that in mind, I knew Minato was going to go out in style. But he also needed a sufficiently formidable force to flex his muscles against. Enter the Disciples of Madara, the more active extensions of his will (someone had to be controlling the Yondiame Mizukage before Obito came into the picture).
Changes:
- Tobi is not Obito (as should be obvious). For now, it's a fill-in designation for the head of Madara's disciples.
- Courtesy of Minato dying in front of both of them, Obito and Kakashi both have Mangekyō Sharingan. Developments for that will come later.
- The Nine-Tails was not split. Naruto received the whole package (Minato was strong enough without that extra helping of power).
Next Up:
- Hiruzen Sarutobi takes up the Hokage hat once again.
- Naruto's future is discussed.
- Search and rescue operations.
Questions? Comments? Concerns? Some error left forgotten in the haze of caffeine and repeated revisions? Let me know in a PM or review. Constructive criticism is always appreciated.
Until next time. Winterman Out.