And now with Chapter 002, like always I DO NOT OWN anything in this story, everything in this story belongs to their original owners and like always, I hope you enjoy.
It was peaceful here, in this strange world of near-endless wilderness, or at least at certain times it was. Sitting before the dancing flames of a nearby campfire, he sat upon a wooden log that resembled a perfectly carved cube of all things, just one of the oddities of this current world he was dwelling in. The skies above bleeding a beautiful orange, slowly growing darker, yet darker as the day was coming to an end, night arriving in it's place.
As his charcoal eyes watched the dancing of the flames before him, the cackling of the burning sticks of the flames that fed the fire that illuminated the area outside and around the magician who stared in contemplation of his journey up until this point. How long has it been now, since he accepted the Shinigami's offer and returned to the lands of the living, by his guess it was probably around a few years now.
Dimentio turned away from the flames that brought forth a sense of warmth to him as he looked up at the sky, recalling a phrase he had learned on his journey, many worlds, many seas but one same sky, as it was. The magician chuckled, finding it somewhat interesting, and a tad bit accurate in most accounts. Still he did think back to the worlds he had traversed, how he got to this point and how he grew from it all as a result.
By the Shinigami's commands, he ventured from world to world, learning, training, hoping to hone his skills to the point he could stand a chance even against the most basic of enemies he would encounter upon his return to his original world. How he first regained his physical body from the Shinigami offering another favor of sorts to another soul from another world.
One world where he regained a body of flesh and blood was filled with feuding gods and goddesses, over the simplest of things such as pride and justice. Their warring bringing upon them all an army of space aliens made of metal and machine that sought to devour them all.
Another world was that of pirates upon an endless ocean, to where fruits of great power were sought, where spirit and will were utilized for fighting and the balance between a world government, pirates and more would soon be disrupted a great deal.
One world was that of magic, of adventure and guilds where mages would take missions for money, much like his own home. Perhaps he found it the best suited for him as the system was similar enough for his memories as Naruto to feel familiar with it, and his own affinity towards a magical repertoire was like a fish swimming freely in a lake untouched by civilization.
Then there was that world of fairy tales, of nightmarish monsters known as Grimm that youths went to school for a license to fight against them, becoming hunters or something in an attempt to stop an immortal queen from ending the world. Honestly, he could relate to the queen more than anything but wouldn't really care either way, having helped a few of his made friends in that world escape the possibility of an early ended game.
No, instead he managed to bring them to another world of super heroes and super villains, places like a city full of mobsters, maniacs and a rich man in a bat suit stopping them all. Or perhaps places where an alien superhero in spandex fought some alien machine similar to the Aurum from that other world that sought to end all life. And he wasn't even going into whatever the hell a Darkseid was. And according to his benefactor from high above, if he valued his life, he never would.
Then there was a world called Japan where demons and humans and more fought over fragments of a jewel that was said to bring about unyielding powers if completed, only for a sword-using dog, a time traveler, a fox child, a younger Jiraiya and a demon slayer with her pet fire cat to act as his companions as he was asked to help them collect the shards and continue his training.
And then there was a world of all worlds, a powerful light that was said to have been the source of all light in that world. It was strange, how warriors wielded keys, how an organization sought to take and extinguish that light. Even if he had no real part in that war, he was curious on one of those hooded figures, just who was that one-eyed man anyways.
It didn't matter however, he left after a few weeks, returning to this world after he wrapped up some training and finished some final preparations. He was now relaxing for his final week, one last week before he would return to the world of the Shinobi, like a thunderous strike of lightning that was drawn in by a lightning rod raised above to meet it.
Yes, this world of blocks as it were, such a peaceful world most of the time. Speaking of time, his eyes widened as he realized he drifted off slightly, the sounds from the flames were no longer the only sounds as the skies above now turned into a navy blue or a blackened night sky, stars above him now fully visible as the magician sighed.
Standing up from his spot, he rested one hand in a coat pocket while making his way to a nearby home made of oak, cobble and glass. It served as a sensible dwelling away from the night-time pests. He weaved his head to the side, an arrow flying at him that threatened to impale his skull imbedding itself in a nearby tree. Dimentio sighed as he raised his other hand and formed a barrier around the attacking monster, a snap of the fingers ended it's game as an explosion of flames enveloped it from within his magic box.
Such thing would probably attract more, and with a sigh, he snapped his fingers again, his passage inside of his home opening as a wooden door made of spruce was opened... with magic. Venturing in, Dimentio ignored the moaning of the undead flesh-eaters that honed in on him, the rattling of the skeleton archers that tried to impale him, the spiders that crawled upon the ground which were the manifestation of any arachnophobia's worst nightmare.
Another snap sealed him in, shutting the door behind him in time for it to shield him from another arrow shot. A moment later harsh pounding was heard, in which another snap rose a trapdoor from the floor before the door, reinforcing it and preventing another break-in, the magician learning well the last time he failed to properly assess the determination of the normally mindless zombies.
Oh yes, this world was peaceful, at times. So long as you knew how to deal with the many, many hordes of undead monsters, exploding plants, towering human-like teleporters, and whatever the hell he was calling that underground soul monster in those ruined cities below him, then yes, peaceful.
Making his way into his home, he found it rather plain in comparison to what he would normally have liked, this just being one of several outposts of sorts for him to venture to whenever he had something to do in the area. a nearby village, having been invaded upon his travels being the reason he came to this section of the world. He recalled the villagers there, happy to help him, happy to trade resources the last time, but a raid by some of the undead had sought fit to end that.
Just a reminder to the magician that life was cruel. Still, he salvages as much as he could, ending the games of the reanimated corpses that were once the friendly village-dwelling folk. But now, where did that leave him? He himself would abandon this world soon enough, the time was nearly upon him, and from that came a sudden question. What would become of this world after he left, would another village be built in the same area, would some other scavenger find his outposts and utilize them for themselves?
Or was he thinking too much into it?
"You might be thinking too much into it" came the echoing voice of the Shinigami, nearly making the magician jump from the sudden intrusion. Soon however, Dimentio smiled, knowing why the Shinigami, his wonderful benefactor, used their shared link to communicate with him. "Your time is coming up, I do hope you have a plan" the Shinigami said as Dimentio nodded, making his way to another room deeper into his home.
"No need to worry, I do have something cooked up" he said aloud, not bothering to hide his conversation to any undead or interdimensional onlookers who were none-the-wiser to the meeting happening on the other side of the walls. "Though I wish that things would've been a bit less complicated. From what you told me, this is quite an uphill battle" the magician said as the Shinigami said nothing, possibly nodding in agreement. Kaguya was cunning, and that cunning transfered to that sentient Kama Mark known as Black Zetsu.
The headaches that Memna had regarding that thing were just as annoying as the memories of his battles against the Heroes within both Dimension D and Castle Bleck. She thought of nearly everything when creating that thing, and time was against them. Dimentio mentally went over a list of what he was informed of regarding the creature.
Black Zetsu, was unlike any actual Zetsu out there, it was created as a sentient Kama Mark, designed to activate when a host fulfilled the needed requirements and an abnormal amount of chakra was collected to power it. More than the Juubi had, it required the chakra from nearly everyone in the Elemental Nations as a whole, hence the need of this, Infinite Tsukuyomi, whatever that truly was.
For that, Black Zetsu would need to collect all nine of the Bijju, seal them within the husk of Kaguya's Juubi form, seal it away in a person, thus creating a Jinchuriki and have them use the Infinite Tsukuyomi. The fact that Black Zetsu could even utilize that much was... unsettling to say the least.
Not as much as how it managed to survive for all this time. It was less of a weed and more of a parasite, devouring organic matter that was coated in chakra to extend it's own life. Oh yes, the Shinigami had happily mentioned that fact to him, the thought that his initial corpse was eaten like a child given a crunchy cookie for a mid-day snack was enough to make even him shudder in fear and disgust. But all to acquire chakra to sustain itself, all to continue it's duty to revive it's so-called mother.
So it was decided he would simply kill the creature and be done with it, right? Well, normally yes, he could just end it's games and be done with that matter, but then it would reincarnate, using the very technique it was created from. The Shinigami had taught him about it, allowing those who use it to replace the very DNA of another host, essentially cloning itself over and over again, and who even knew who or how many people that the weed had marked with it. Even if he killed it, then it would revive and become very aware of him.
Then why not seal it away, send it to some other dimension and trap it forever. That was an option, was it not? Well unfortunately no, it wasn't. There was a chance it could free itself, kill itself and activate the Kama Mark, and even then there was no other seal he could think of that would for-sure seal it away currently in his power.
Even the Shinigami's seal had an out, and that was why the Fuinjutsu: Shiki Fujin would have enough of an effect to keep the weed locked away forever. Which lead sealing out of the question. Even if the seal worked, even if he sent it to another dimension, it could just summon itself back somehow. He didn't have proof on that, but if he could summon toads in a past life, the Sannin could summon animals, then what was stopping the weed from summoning things to help him.
So with sealing currently off the table, there was another thought, the Bijju themselves. They were needed to revive Kaguya, were they not? Then why not simply seal them away, kill them, anything to prevent Kaguya's resurrection. Alas even that was an impossible outcome in the end. If he killed a Bijju, such as the Kyuubi he once held within him, then over time it would return, it's chakra being called back by the weed itself to some random location in the Elemental Nations. The thought of seeing the hate-filled furball again made the magician, at the very least, interested to see how it would play out.
And if he sealed it in another world, well, then it would either live on for a while until it was killed, or it would run out of chakra and die. Dimentio did not have an idea how exactly that worked but from what he assumed, it was much like water cycle.
Bijju would be born from a certain core of chakra, chakra that they were made of. That core would absorb natural chakra in the world and absorb it into themselves, converting it into their own while unknowingly leaking trails of their own chakra that would, overtime replenish it. They were essentially chakra recyclers, and when the chakra they extinguished overtime would fade, then they would die. And somehow, someway, the weed would summon them back. The only known sealing methods that worked were somehow the Jinchuriki formula.
According to the Shinigami, chakra was actually more akin to aura from that other world, it being considered the light of the soul, amplified by the spiritual and physical powers of the user. Meaning so long as a Jinchuriki held the Bijju within themselves, the weed wouldn't be able to summon it. So that lead the question, why not create a Jinchuriki, or send a Jinchuriki to another world.
Well Jinchuriki weren't immortal, and he doubt they would be able to hold onto such a thing in another world. Sadly the Shinigami said that, if left alone, a Jinchuriki would last maybe twenty or thirty years in another world, though that was a speculation at best. A failsafe at worse that the Master of Dimensions was willing to risk.
But so far, the only option that left him were protecting the Bijju through Jinchuriki, and that meant he had to protect the Jinchuriki until he could figure out how to safely deal with the weed. But to do that, he needed to wait and see, to study and come up with a way to outsmart it. He had a small smirk at the challenge, like a chess-player against a pro, at a disadvantage and on a timer, he would have to pull out quite a lot of tricks, pull out all the stops to have a decent chance. Not only that, there was also a matter of time.
The weed was immortal, or at the very least probably the closest thing to being immortal. And even when he was a Pixl, he was not. Even Pixl died out, or that is what he was told. After the five-thousand or so mark, their vessels begin to fail, and that made the magician if that rang true for him. The Shinigami told him clearly however, he was on a timer.
A very short timer, one of only around twelve or so years since his revival.
that was an alarming reminder, never before did he have to consider his own life-line being taken into any equation before. He was nearly immortal after all, the Dark Prognosticus extending his body and the Pixl conserving his soul for nearly three millennia. But that was the issue he supposed, the Dark Prognosticus, it was fueled in part by the Chaos Heart. And he came from a time where the Chaos Heart no longer existed.
He was tied to the Chaos Heart, and because of Timpani and Blumiere, those connected to both the Chaos Heart and Pure Hearts would fade away. The Shinigami merely extended that time to a little more than a decade. And with seven years spent training, that left him with only around five at least and six if he was lucky.
The weed however didn't have such a restraint, and what exactly was stopping it from going into hiding, waiting for the last few seconds of his life to fall like grains of an hourglass foretelling his fate to his final game over. To put it bluntly, he was at a clear disadvantage, one in which if he slipped up once, posed too much of a threat, the weed could, no it would abandon it's current plans and try again some other way.
So yeah, this was going to be complicated. Honestly he just debated telling the Elemental Nations as a whole about it, trying to find some sort of proof that Zetsu planned to use them, but even that was too much to ask for. If he spilled the beans then what happens next? They Five Great Nations believe him, they go after the Akatsuki and hunt down the weed forever? Alright, that might work.
But what if the weed leaves the Elemental Nations, the world was vast and it could easily leave whenever it wanted, and that was if they believe him at all. No, Dimentio wasn't naïve or stupid as he once was as Naruto Uzumaki. From what he was told, the villages lacked trust in one another, some easily ready to sacrifice others for their own uses. If such a trust was a possibility then there wouldn't be an Orochimaru, there wouldn't be an Akatsuki or anything close to anything like this.
"Sounds to me that you don't have much of an advantage" the Shinigami said with a hint of sympathy in it's tones, feeling a bit saddened by the position that he was placing his champion in. "Though I suppose that you can use that towards your advantage, you are rather resourceful, if nothing else."
"I suppose. Honestly I doubt I'll be able to play the double agent either, especially when the Weed of Kaguya will have it's eyes right on me" he remarked, having crossed that option off the list. "I think the best way to go about this for now is to fight fire with fire, in a manner of speaking that is" he said with a grin. The Shinigami quirked an eyebrow, interested in how the magician planned on taking on the task itself.
"You see, it would be difficult if I merely go in alone, there is no way at all I can handle this alone. Even with my increased abilities, my expanded magical repertoire, and having some basic insight of what I'm getting myself in. and it's not like I can become a Jinchuriki anymore..." he lamented, the Shinigami nodding.
"Your body had to lose aspects to maintain your current skillset. You yourself accepted that afterwards. Regardless, you can still hold a Bijju within yourself, but utilizing it's powers in a standard fashion is no longer in your reach" the Shinigami stated, Dimentio nodding as he recalled why that was the case. It all went back to the time limit that was placed on him. Utilizing a Bijju's chakra would jumpstart the clock.
"For now, I might as well become a Jinchuriki to keep one of the Bijju out of the Akatsuki's hands. But it's going to be a temporary solution. I'll need to find a suitable replacement. Until then I just need to keep two or so Jinchuriki safe" Dimentio said, having an idea on who to keep safe. A red-haired teenager with black rings around his eyes came to mind for starters. Then it was just finding, or if necesary, creating another Jinchuriki and becoming one himself. If he can tip the scales into the Akatsuki having the clear advantage, then perhaps he could find some sort of opening.
"So you seek to become a guardian angel of sorts? There are really no Jinchuriki that isn't allied to the Five Great Nations. The Ichibi is your acquaintance in Suna, you were formerly the Kyuubi Jinchuriki before your death. Then there was the Sanbi Jinchuriki that was killed..." the Shinigami trailed off, soon an idea came to it, slowly but surly forming in it's mind as it decided to put a pin in that.
"For now, I'll focus on scouting the area. Keeping my head down and blending in as a traveler from some unnamed land. I'm sure I'll figure something out, but an alias is needed, regardless of any action I plan to take" the magician said, hands behind his back as he paced about his room while talking to the Shinigami.
"And I take it you have created such an alias?" the Shinigami asked as Dimentio nodded his head.
"I've settled on a few, it's not like I'll be able to use Dimentio or Mr. L as reasonable covers" he said as he knew those would attract just a few too many eyes that would make things a bit harder for him to work. "And Naruto is a name I rather keep separated from the equation altogether" he said as the last thing he wanted was to bring up such a thing. Not only would the Akatsuki immediately be on high alert but those that knew him...
Dimentio stopped for a second, a sensation building within him that just less than a decade ago he believed to be hollow and impossible to feel bubbled up for the briefest of moments. Memories of Naruto Uzumaki resurfacing, memories, nostalgia, a longing for comrades, for a place to belong.
The Shinigami said nothing, understanding just why Dimentio stalled in his thoughts. It was clear that in the time of his completion, the Master of Dimensions had changed. He was still the manipulative jester, willing to do the deeds needed for the job, but his morals became slightly clearer, his soul no longer contained a similar darkness that he held as the count's false follower.
No, it was a mix between the loyalty and consciousness of Naruto that bleed into the theatrical and psychopathic magician, and overtime it grew more and more apparent, not to the degree of him returning to Naruto Uzumaki, but not to the point he would ever return to the complete megalomaniac as Dimentio.
"...Perhaps, a new alias is best" the Shinigami said, knowing that at the end of the day, it was no longer either Dimentio or Naruto that it was currently addressing. It was something else, something more. "Have you decided on your name?" the Shinigami asked as Dimentio nodded, looking out a window, the darkness of the night was serene, none of the monsters that normally appeared during the darkness of night in his view as he smiled.
"Menma" he said, it was a simple name and one that he believed was a decent choice in all things considered. Not entirely bland but not very out there, "I will play the role of a simple traveler, one who descended from the late Uzumaki Clan, someone who wants to see the world, who wants to make a life for himself, until the time comes for the mission to begin" he said as the Shinigami frowned.
"You act as if the mission won't begin when you return" it said as Dimentio nodded.
"It would be easier to wait until the Akatsuki makes the first move, I'll have a better chance if I start on the defensive rather than go looking for them directly" the magician said, earning an approving nod from the Shinigami. He was playing careful and cautious, it expected nothing less than that it supposed.
"And how do you intend to deal with the Akatsuki again? Surely you will to more than just keep the Jinchuriki and Bijju safe, do you not?" it asked as Dimentio grinned.
"As I said, I plan to fight fire with fire" he said as he began to go into details. Once he was done, the Shinigami chuckled, having found the thought of it amusing.
"And you sure you'll be able to trust them? I rather not risk anything going astray in your... organization" the Shinigami said as Dimentio grinned.
"I'll be sure to pick the right people, I have a feeling that there are a few people who would be willing to help me, should they learn more about the Akatsuki" he said with a grin. "Besides, it would be interesting to see more of the world, who knows, maybe I'll stir up a fire that will overshadow the world" he said amused, becoming a bit theatrical as he raised his hands and enjoyed the concept of his upcoming organization.
"Then perhaps I'll be able to help you out, just a little more. I happen to have recalled an old friend of yours that may be interested in helping you, should they both agree" the Shinigami said, earning a bit of confusion from the magician, Dimentio looked at the ceiling with a frown as he was curious on what the Shinigami meant. "For now, I suppose I'll keep in contact with you over time. I'll leave you to your night, Menma" the Shinigami said, using the new alias of the magician as Dimentio, or rather Menma as he would soon have to refer to himself as, nodded.
"Thank-you" he said as he looked back out the window, his hands once more in his pockets while looking at the world beyond the glass. "You know, I'm going to miss this place when we begin" he said to himself more than anyone else. The Shinigami chuckled at that, recalling the first time the little magician was ready to leave.
"If I recall, you had some very choice words about this place the first time I sent you here" the Shinigami teased, making the magician uncharacteristically flinch, his eye twitching slightly as he felt some heat rise to his face, his cheeks becoming a little red as he flushed in slight embarrassment. He then snapped at the Shinigami, angrily accusing it by pointing a finger in the air as some more of his Naruto-like personality came through.
"That's because you kicked me into this world and sealed away my magical powers. Do you know what I had to go through to survive in this place without any of my magic?! And all you did was give me a half-assed survival book and told me not to die!" he shouted as the Shinigami blocked him out, a smile on it's face as it saw just his magician fume. "I nearly died at least eight different times, three times by those exploding plants, twice by those Endermen things!"
"We both know it was necessary" the Shinigami responded in turn. Dimentio said nothing but the anger remained, slowly fizzling out as he turned away and crossed his arms. Just because he accepted that it was necessary didn't mean he liked it. At least it was for his benefit, and he could use his magic in a much better measure than he had prior to his seven month survival course/ hell.
"It was almost as bad as the Forest of Death" he said with a groan as he recalled the time he spent in that place. And he was eaten by a giant snake if he recalled correctly. At least he wasn't alone and had more than a book helping him protect himself. As the Shinigami left, Dimentio calmed down, closing his eyes and feeling drained. Making his way to the bed, he laid down, slowly drifting into the land of sleep, his eyes closing as he let out a sigh. "Not even that silly assistant would be so cruel" he muttered as he finally fell asleep.
Alone in her office sat a lone woman with hazel eyes and blonde hair, her gaze directed at the small bit of paperwork left to do for the night as she resisted the urge to reach for a gourd of sake next to her. Despite the look of the Hokage of Konoha drinking, Tsunade Senju didn't really care by this point, the only reason she didn't have it taken away by her assistant was because she needed something to help her cope.
Closing her eyes, she wondered why she did what she did, why couldn't she have sent someone like Kakashi or Gai on the mission, perhaps then this wouldn't have happened. Closing her eyes, she reclined in her chair and left herself to her thoughts. A month had passed now since that mission, a frown on her face as she grew rather cold as of late. Another victim to the cursed necklace.
Tsunade had to let out a bitter chuckle, happy that bit of crystal was gone, good riddance in her opinion. Returning to her work, she eyed a sheet that was filled out before her, a frown still on her face as she scanned it over. With a sigh she placed it on another form she had received earlier that day, now having two want-to-be students applying for an apprenticeship from her.
She couldn't blame them she supposed, after all who could. On the two pages were two names written one of each. Sakura Haruno, Ino Yamanaka, two gennin from the latest batch of graduated brats and both wanting to become medical ninja like herself.
She thought back to their reasons, how distraught they were. For the Yamanaka girl it was simple, having seen her teammates in their respective conditions and hearing what happened to them made her see the truth of what a shinobi life could intel. Chouji Akimichi, as well as Neji Hyuga were both for the most part half-alive. It was a miracle that they were even able to make it back to the village in one piece from the extent of their injuries. It was a relief when she saw the Sand Siblings of Suna, former enemies of the village who helped the very person who caused the entire problem they were in to begin with, help and bring back the remaining team.
All but one that was...
After seeing how shook up her friend was, even to the point of nearly turning in his chunin vest, the girl wanted to do something, anything to help them out. She would admit that she was happy Ino stepped up, from the records she read the girl was a typical fan girl of the Uchiha, now she felt motivated to grow in her own way, as she was sure both of her teammates would as well. Asuma had helped Shikamaru see reason, the lazy shinobi having a new flame under him, vowing not to lose another friend on a mission.
As for the pink-haired girl, Tsunade was hesitant for a moment but seeing her one last time made her realize something, her eyes were mixed between determination and torn agony. It was easy to see why. With her teammate, her former crush having betrayed the village, leaving for a traitor that nearly destroyed the village, and the other teammate of her having died to try and bring him back, only to fail and not be seen and later confirmed deceased by the toads. she looked like she was about ready to quit the shinobi program altogether. And perhaps in some cases that was for the best.
However, it was her friends that kept her from doing so, similar to her teacher, Kakashi from their last meeting.
Tsunade said nothing as she looked at the silver-haired man in disbelief, not really knowing what to say. Eventually, she found her voice. "Kakashi, are you certain you want to retire?" she asked again as the man looked down and nodded. He looked terrible, it was clear that losing two of his students in two of the worst ways ate away at him.
"I do, Hokage-Sama" he said simply in a broken tone. "After what happened, I believe I'm unfit to be a teacher anymore" he finished as her eyes lost the typical lazy light they had. Tsunade frowned before speaking up again.
"You can't blame yourself, Kakashi. This isn't your fault. I don't think any of us expected the Uchiha to-" Tsunade began as Kakashi glared at her slightly, clearly not believing her and more than ready to take the blame for everything.
"It is, though. If I had gotten there faster, then I might have been able to stop them from taking Naruto!" he cried out, it was only a second or two before he tried to recompose himself. "I was too late, I couldn't save one of my students and allowed the other to essentially walk right into Orochimaru's arms" he lamented as Tsunade said nothing.
"From what I was told, you specifically trained Sasuke only for the Chunin Exams finals... I know you had Ebisu try and train Naruto until Jiraiya found the boy. Tell me, why did you focus on Sasuke so much?" she asked, having a feeling as to why. For a moment, Kakashi didn't answer, didn't want to answer but eventually he did.
"Not only was his next opponent Gaara, the Ichibi Jinchuriki, but he was also a target of Orochimaru. I had hoped that if I helped train Sasuke, gave him more of a bond to keep the curse seal placed on him from taking control of him that he might have been able to fight it off better. Teaching Sasuke the Chidori however was a means to face Gaara" he explained as Tsunade nodded.
"Before he left the village, Sasuke had already fought Naruto" Kakashi said, surprising the blond woman, not hearing of that until now. "I told him what he did was not what I trained him for, how the Chidori was supposed to be used to protect a comerade. From what I saw, Naruto started with the Kage Bunshin and Sasuke retaliated with his fire jutsu. Naruto countered with a Rasengan... and Sasuke-"
"So that's what Jiraiya meant when we talked last" Tsunade muttered, silencing the mask-wearing shinobi. she frowned but nodded. "Regardless, do you really want to leave the program. You are one of Konoha's best shinobi, and we need all the help we can get. If anything I can move you to the Anbu program once again-"
"With all due respect, Tsunade-Sama. I would like some time to myself to sort out everything" he said as hollow as he had before. Tsunade said nothing for a second before sighing.
"Fine, I'll give you a week to think carefully about it and if you still want to leave then so be it" she said, hoping that the man would reconsider. Kakashi nodded before turning to leave before stopping, recalling something.
"Hokage-Sama, before I go, did Sakura come by yet. She said she wanted to talk with you about becoming a medical ninja" he said as Tsunade frowned. Sakura was Naruto's pink-haired teammate if she recalled. Kakashi continued. "I know that she had potential in genjutsu so Kurenai could help her with that. Meanwhile Asuma needs another member to fill in for Shikamaru for Team 10. But if you can-"
"Kakashi... I will deal with that when the time comes" she said as the silver-haired man nodded, realizing he might have been overreaching. Instead he nodded with an apology and left the office, leaving Tsunade to her own devices.
Back to the present, Tsunade sadly thought back to how things had began to change without the hyper-active blonde around. In a cruel way, the brats that knew him were now taking the shinobi life more seriously. The clan heirs now asking for extra training, Iruka asking for time off from teaching for a few days with the Ichirakus temporarily closing down their booth to lament their favorite customers and potential god-son's death. Even if Minato was seen as the most successful student of Team Jiraiya, both Teuchi Ichiraku and Mikoto Uchiha were both still his students once upon a time. She wondered how well the old man was taking the events as a whole.
Your teammates' children killing each other, and you not knowing about it until after it was said and done.
"Tsunade-Sama?" Shizune called as she entered the office, the Hokage saying nothing as she looked at the black-haired woman who frowned, looking concerned as Tsunade shook her head.
"I'm fine, Shizune. Just finishing up some late-night work" she explained as Shizune nodded.
"Understood, That being said, I have a message from Jiraiya-Sama. Apparently we have more information on the Akatsuki-" she began as Tsunade slammed a fist into the desk, earning a cry of alarm from her student when the desk was cracked and then quickly destroyed soon-after. Tsunade glared at her, no not at her but at the name of the organization who had took away her brat. Jiraiya had been informed by his spies that it was the Akatsuki responsible for it, and now she wanted nothing more than to rip the organization apart with her bare hands.
"What about it, what does it say?" Tsunade demanded as Shizune recomposed herself, clearly seeing just how much hatred the older woman had for the group of missing shinobi that hunted the Jinchuriki.
"Apparently... well, according to Jiraiya's source, the Akatsuki are currently recovering from an incident" she said as Tsunade narrowed her eyes but loosened her glare. "Ah, well... apparently there was an incident involving... the Kyuubi's extraction" she said, not sure how to say it but just saying it bluntly, her gaze looked away from the blonde's face and towards the floor as Tsunade felt somewhat cold.
Something went wrong with the extraction? How could that have happened?
"Continue" she said, despite feeling a bit of heartache, speaking about the brat's death through a report. She didn't see him as a god-son or grandson like Jiraiya had but in the short bit of time she had known him she felt a similar sense of love like she had for her brother, Nawaki. The blond looked just like he did, and because of her shared his same fate.
"...Apparently, something changed in the sealing formula. According to Jiraiya, his spies said that the sealing formula changed from the Hakke no Fuin Shiki into what appeared to be the Ura Shisho Fuin" Shizune said as Tsunade's breath hitched at the information. The seal itself changed? How could that have even been possible. As for that matter, how exactly did one of Jiraiya's spies know about that?!
Shizune went on. "According to Jiraiya-Sama's sources, the seal changed, after what appeared to be chains of chakra surrounded the area. Apparently it was some sort of failsafe or something" she said as Tsunade said nothing. chains of chakra, she knew only two other who could use that technique, both of them being former Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi themselves. Tsunade sighed, sitting back down in her chair.
"Kushina Uzumaki" she muttered, earning a confused look from the other woman. "I suppose it makes sense since she was the only one known to have those chains outside of..." she drifted, recalling the secrets of the Uzumaki Clan and her own grandmother. "...I guess, in the end they planned something like this" she said as Shizune frowned.
"Jiraiya-Sama also said that the means of sealing the Kyuubi was apparently disrupted, and the Kyuubi vanished. It will take a few years until the Kyuubi is revived, and as a result... the Akatsuki is set back a year or so." With that, Tsunade frowned but nodded. A few years were enough to work with she supposed. It didn't help that Danzo and the elders were demanding her resignation for this. She sighed but thought back to something else.
"Anything else?" she asked as Shizune nodded.
"Yes, from what I was told, the one who took Naruto was caught up in the seal, there was no sight of the considered leader after the failed sealing" Shizune said as Tsunade nodded. Now she began to feel even a small bit better, knowing that in a way Naruto at least took the man that killed him with him to the grave. But deep down, she had a feeling that it wasn't over and unfortunately Shizune's next words would agree with her instinct.
"There is something else though... something that worries me" she said as Tsunade gave her student a look that ordered her to keep going. "The source Jiraiya-Sama talked to... I don't think that man is dead... the source apparently believes that he survived somehow."
"And let me guess, this source Jiraiya had talked to is the same person who Danzo had talked about?" she asked with a knowing frown. It was a similar frown and a nod that made her close her eyes and try to calm down.
Itachi Uchiha... the bastard.
Oh, Danzo had said quite a lot about that mission's failure to her. Between them "Losing their Jinchuriki" and how "The village is now vulnerable to attack" had annoyed her for several reasons. But it was her about ready to place Sasuke Uchiha in the bingo book for as much as she could within reason that made Danzo spill a particular secret about the Uchiha. One secret that made Tsunade want to get immediately get drunk and punch something, preferably both and with Danzo being within arm's reach.
That damn war-hawk apparently ordered the slaughter of the Uchiha to prevent some kind of coup, and apparently after doing some digging with the other elders she learned the truth. Not only that but apparently Itachi was a spy for the village within the Akatsuki, a spy that Jiraiya probably would've been happy to kill if he could. But so far, the Uchiha was reporting in on the Akatsuki, he had his uses she supposed.
"Yes, ma'am. It also says a few other things" she said as Tsunade crossed her arms under her chest and quirked an eyebrow. "Apparently some of the identities of the Akatsuki have been leaked. Among them are some troubling names" she said as she handed the older woman the scroll which she took and scanned through.
"Deidara of Iwa, Sasori of Suna, Kakuzu of Taki?!" Tsunade shouted as she read the scroll. Shizune was confused but she recalled Tsunade mention the man once who tried to assassinate the First Hokage long ago. "This can't be right, Adding Kisame and Itachi into the mix..." she trailed off as she now knew just how big of a threat the Akatsuki could potentially be.
"Jiraiya-Sama also said he was going to look for clues regarding one of the members in particular. However first he thought it best to look into Orochimaru more, due to his involvement with them, Tsunade-Sama?" Shizune questioned as she noticed the blond-haired woman turn away and look out the window.
"That idiot... alright then. I don't like it but if you can, get into contact with him with Katsuya. Tell him if he finds anything to send us any information we can get on either the snake or the Akatsuki. Not only that but if he finds the Uchiha, I don't care what condition he's in, I want Jiraiya to bring the Uchiha brat back here, even if it's in a coma, understood?!" she shouted as Shizune nodded, heading out of the room to place the message with the slug summons.
As Shizune left, Tsunade made her way back to the chair and stepped over the ruined desk. sitting down and picking up the gourd, half-empty, before chugging down the remaining contents. She was too sober for this, and when she was done drinking she was going to sleep-in, she deserved something from this, didn't she. "Damn brat..." she muttered annoyed as a stinging sensation began to burn in her eyes, fighting back the tears that slowly formed. "You should've lived to become Hokage..." she muttered, being left alone to grieve one last time.
And with that, Chapter 002 is done, explaining just more regarding the mission. I know I made Black Zetsu seem a bit more OP than it actually is but to be honest, I felt like it would defend the story for the sake of plot. Why doesn't Dimentio just send Zetsu to another dimension, because he can return through summoning jutsus. Why doesn't Naruto do that to a Bijju or Jinchuriki? Because Zetsu can recollect them once they die, meaning it would only be a matter of time, an aspect which I am making sure is against Dimentio at this point.
And over all I just want to justify why the solution isn't just go in guns blazing and end the matter in about ten chapters. This is essentially a game of chess, and Dimentio, or rather Menma now, is on the losing side. So I hope you kind of tolerate some of the Black Zetsu OP here, it's just for the sake of the story, and some head cannon things regarding why Zetsu eats people, but I digress.
That being said, I do plan on expanding more of the seven years Dimentio spent traveling and training into some Omakes between chapters. More so, Dimentio might seem a tad out of character, the best way to describe it is going to be Dimentio and Menma from the Road to Ninja movie, merged into one with some traits of Naruto sprinkled in there. He is going to be primarily Dimentio in personality with Menma in appearance and Naruto in loyalty.
Either way, I hope you enjoyed and have a great night.