A/N: and my need to suddenly write about side characters when I'm stuck in motivation for the main storyline strikes again in the back half of this chapter
--
Sasuke had spent the last week or so fading in and out of consciousness. The 'or so' was an important addition, as he had no idea how much time actually passed. On some level, it didn't really matter. He wasn't getting anything done anyway. On another level, the fact that he wasn't getting anything done was his biggest problem. No wonder Itachi hadn't cared about him. No wonder his half-brother, the enemy he had dedicated his life to killing, cared more about Naruto than about him. That…infuriated him.
It had been gnawing at him already, how Naruto had stopped Haku when he couldn't, how Naruto had stopped Gaara when he couldn't, how the dead last from their class was getting further and further ahead while the prodigy of their year was…no, he couldn't waste time on something as petty as envy. If he wasn't strong enough, then he needed to get stronger. He would be ready one day, to kill Itachi, to force his cursed half-brother to not only die by his hands, but acknowledge him beforehand. He couldn't do that while lying in bed sick.
It pained him to stay in this bed while those thoughts twirled through his head, but there was nothing to be done. Not even a distraction; he never got visitors, until that weird Tsumire girl showed up with a bouquet of flowers.
"I'm not interested in amusing some fangirl," he said tersely.
"What are you interested in?" She asked rather than going away as he hoped.
"Getting stronger," he answered honestly.
"I once pointed out that maybe you need a new teacher," she reminded him.
"You said something like that, yes, and I vaguely remember asking what a civilian like you would know about good Scion teachers."
She leaned back. "More than you'd think."
"Don't play a bunch of stupid coy games. If you know a way to help me, spit it out. If you don't, stop implying you do."
"You were marked by the Aztlanti, weren't you? It seems to me that that means someone is interested in you. Someone strong. Strong enough to kill the Great God-on-Earth, as I recall."
Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "What are you trying to say?"
"I think I once pointed out that the Academy convinced you that you were strong, only for reality to bite you in the face. Maybe the institutions inside the Village aren't the best place to get stronger, with that in mind?" She cocked her head, gauging his reaction.
"Do you think I'm a traitor," he spat back in disgust.
"I think that you want to avenge your Clan," she answered. "Have you considered what you would choose if it came down to a conflict between that little vendetta and the silly little town surrounding us?"
Sasuke had not, in fact, considered it before, but he needed little time to think on the answer. "I would choose vengeance," he said. "That is what is most important to me."
"All I'm suggesting is a way to help with it," she grinned innocently.
--
Tsunade was ready to play the responsible leader, she really was, but she needed to make one last stop first. Or rather, one last vacation. If serving as Great God-on-Earth turned out to be in any way similar to how she suspected, then it would be the last in a long time. The others couldn't really fault her for that, could they?
Well, Jiraiya couldn't once she pointed out that her chosen spot had mixed gender public baths. Naruto and Sakura were both exhausted enough from their recent bout to not complain, anyways, and Shizune was too distracted thinking on the inevitable battles against her mistress's future irresponsibilities to invest the energy into dying on this particular hill, so there they stopped, at a nice little village propped up by its famous hot springs and above-average gambling scene.
Thus, once again Naruto and Sakura found themselves wandering aimlessly around a mortal town thanks to the Sankami and their vices. It would have been more than bearable, even with the concern for Sasuke lying back in the Village, if they hadn't stumbled upon those two very desperate men trying to hunt down Tsunade.
"We have finally tracked her down!" One shouted excitedly. "She can't hide from us!"
Naruto and Sakura, noting that neither of them had headbands, wondered if they were Rogues or mortals. Moreover, if they were the latter, then how in the cold depths of the Underworld they planned to stand a chance against her. This called for a subtle investigation, Sakura thought. Naruto, however, was not one for subtlety.
"Hey, you guys, what's your interest in Tsunade?"
The two coughed in surprise, glared at the two Scions, the boy one shouting and the girl one slamming her palm against her forehead, noticed the headbands that identified them as Scions, and blanched before recomposing themselves.
"Our hunt for Tsunade is approved by the mortal rulers! You have no legal right to interfere with us."
"Tsunade's in good legal standing with the Village Hidden in Legends," Sakura answered, "how could there be a bounty on her approved by the King of the Land of Heroes?"
"It's not to kill or imprison her," they responded. "It's to make her pay her unsettled gambling debts."
That…tracked, unfortunately.
"You have to understand, it's a matter of family for us. She drained us dry, which as an honorably run establishment we would have let slide, if she hadn't lost immediately afterward and run out on us. Our boss won't let us work again until the accounts are settled. Our wives won't stay with us if we can't provide for them. So please, don't try to stop us."
"Or help her in any way," the other added onto his partner's begging.
There didn't seem to be any lies here, and, honestly, it sounded like something Tsunade would do. Plus, it seemed wrong of her. If she was going to gamble, then she had to accept the consequences of losing.
--
Shizune was moderately surprised to find a strange letter addressed to Tsunade. She was less surprised to find out it came from someone affiliated with her numerous unpaid gambling debts. She was surprised once more to learn that these individuals had apparently managed to capture Naruto and Sakura, and were holding them prisoner until her Lady faced the music.
Normally, she would be confused as to what to do now; should her loyalty to Lady Tsunade or her earnest desire to see the woman actually deal with her gambling problem win out? Today, however, it was obvious. She couldn't have the Great God-on-Earth start her career with a scandal. Thus, covering her visage with a black cloak, she travelled to their location and prepared for a quick but silent fight.
--
Jiraiya was enjoying the heat, water, and nothing else about his current hot springs experience as the only people surrounding him were other desperate men hoping for the same sights in this 'mixed-gender' bath or elderly women laughing at the pathetic men. He really shouldn't have let his partner talk him into this.
--
Itzli. Itzli. Itzli. The word crossed through Sasuke's mind more than once as he lay in the hospital bed. Anko had once explained to him that it meant 'sacrifice' in the old language of the Aztlanti, which somewhat offended him. He had no interest in being sacrificed to the Aztec Gods. If any deity could demand that of him, it would be one of the Amatsukami, but to them he offered the sacrifice of his livelihood and personal happiness in pursuit of vengeance for their fallen children.
Itzli. Itzli. Itzli. The word was bothering him more and more. What had he sacrificed, really? Relationships with girls he didn't like? Friendships with others who seemed beneath him? Was it really a sacrifice? He, after all, had liked being praised as at the top of his class. He had liked being an honored part of the Village.
Itzli. Itzli. Itzli. Maybe Tsumire was right. Maybe he really did need to seek his vengeance elsewhere. He was growing too complacent here. Too…comfortable.
--
Sakura was deeply, deeply regretting her decision to get involved with this mess as the two mortals chained her and Naruto to a tree together. If it weren't for the facts that he hadn't made a pass at her for weeks at this point and that he couldn't be any less uncomfortable than she was, she might have wondered whether or not he engineered the situation to force them together.
As it was, she grimaced and bore it, hoping against all odds that Tsunade would pay off her damn debts and get this over with rather than try to fight about it. She didn't want to explain to her potential teacher how she managed to get caught by a pair of mortals after making a reasonable showing against Orochimaru and Kabuto just a few days ago.
So when the figure in the green cloak appeared, clearly not Tsunade to anyone familiar with the Sankami's build but evidently fooling her would-be debt-collectors, Sakura prayed for Shizune to reason in her mistress's stead, but that hope was impaled by several crossbow bolts striking into the man just as he was making his threats and issuing his demands to the woman.
The two guys might have been about to die right then and there, if Naruto hadn't whispered under his breath to summon a bunch of Shadow Bodies to help their "captors" out.
"Oh no, they've got me under some kind of control! Just pay their debts, so I can be freed!" Naruto rather unconvincingly shouted as his silhouettes charged Shizune, one falling quickly after another but still managing to give the woman a run for her money.
It looked like they were all about to be utterly eradicated when one of them, sneaking up behind her, managed to kick her in the butt, which prompted Sakura to snort in disgust at the 'pervert' beside her, which prompted Naruto to start desperately defending his actions, which in turn prompted his remaining Shadow Bodies to put their arms by their sides and start moving as if they were talking to someone, which caused Shizune to ask how strong this 'control' really was.
"Oh, uh, I guess Sakura's yelling pulled me out of it. Sakura, why didn't you yell at me earlier?"
"Naruto," she answered, her eyebrows twitching, "if you really want me to yell at you, then I will gladly do so."
Shizune joined the two men lying on the ground groaning about their crossbow-bolt wounds in their confused stares as the two younger Scions started shouting at each other about…something. None of them could figure out what they were actually arguing about, until Naruto shouted at Shizune that these men needed Tsunade to pay off their debts. Sakura seemed frustrated that he had waited this long to simply ask Shizune for help rather than go through with this whole scheme. Shizune sighed.
"Naruto, Sakura, it's important for the Great God-on-Earth to avoid scandal."
"Is it 'avoiding' scandal to screw people over for money? The Great God-on-Earth is someone for the Village to look up to!" Naruto shouted in response.
"He's right," Sakura added on, seeming to surprise herself.
"You know what, to the cold depths of the Underworld with all of this! Let's go up to granny Tsunade and remind her of what she just learned about the Great God-on-Earth. She's going to fix what she messed up for these guys, and she's going to be the kind of leader who does the right thing, or I'm going to kick her ass! Believe it!"
--
Sasuke was almost convinced to embrace the thoughts running through his head. To abandon this worthless little Village. To go Rogue.
But then he thought about Naruto. That silly little companion of his; could he leave things as they were with him? Naruto had been the dead last in their year. He had been an embarrassment as a Scion. He had been Sasuke's inferior. Now, he was a force to be reckoned with, Sasuke had to admit. He was a rival. He was…the closest thing Sasuke had to a friend, but that was a line of thinking he tried to dismiss as irrelevant.
If that boy could get stronger working with the Village, then maybe…something had to be sacrificed if his future were to be secured. That was the only thing he could be certain of before he collapsed into his hospital bed in another spasm of pain.
--
Shizune got where they were coming from, she really did, but this matter really wasn't important enough to use it as the conduit to finally force some measure of financial responsibility through her Lady's head.
"Listen, you kids meant well, I'm sure, but now's not the best time, so let's just undo those stupid chains and…"
while she was talking, the last survivor of Naruto's Bodies proceeded to do just that, as in 'undoing those stupid chains,' prompting Naruto to summon one of his four horses and beckon Sakura to hop on. He grabbed her when she hesitated and they charged forward in a full gallop, leaping past a stunned Shizune.
"Naruto!" Sakura shouted as she desperately clung to him in order to prevent being flung off. "I don't know how to horseback ride!"
It was funny, but he didn't either, actually, even if he hadn't realized it until then. Before, it was either determination or careful communication that kept him astride his mares when moving around. Now, with Sakura's observation, he suffered the fate of the proverbial centipede who started thinking about its legs and lost the ability to walk, wobbling and shifting about the galloping beast's back until the pair of them unceremoniously tumbled to the ground right next to a butcher's shop, Sakura landing in a barrel of offal.
The horse, feeling its master fall down, reared back with a nightmarish neigh and turned around to help them until it noticed all the bloodied meat. Master, can I eat her? It requested on the sight of Sakura drenched in animal blood. Or him? It noted as the shop owner came outside to yell at them for ruining his wares.
"No. Eating people is bad," Naruto answered his mare right as the butcher asked if they were going to pay for any of this, which caused him to turn red and rage at the accusation that he might be a cannibal, which prompted him to grab a butcher knife and start threatening the two.
He's attacking you, master, lets me eat him, the mare begged.
Sakura shouted that they should run, which Naruto found to be a much more reasonable solution to their current predicament, so they pressed onward, Naruto promising whichever mare he had summoned to find her some fresh, bloody meat in recompense later (though no human, he insisted).
When they got to the center of the town, they briefly found themselves halting before a crowd of people, which would have been too thick to simply move through if they hadn't started screaming at the sight of Sakura and the blood covering her.
They weren't certain whether or not they should take the time to explain when Shizune caught up to them, yelling at them to stop, which in turn prompted the townsfolk to see that these children were running for their lives, one clearly a bloody mess, and that an armed woman was chasing them. Apparently, the town was full of kind, brave strangers. It would have been heartwarming under any other circumstances. As it was…
"get away from them!" A woman shouted as she threw a vegetable of some sort at Shizune.
"We don't take kindly to abusers in these parts!" Another man shouted as he threw his own assortment of vegetables.
Shizune had no idea why edible plant matter was the weapon of choice in this conflict, but she found herself covered from head-to-toe in lettuce, bits of cabbage, leaves of spinach, and enough random assortments to make a rather fine salad.
Tsunade was enjoying her drink when the roar of the crowd outside caught her attention. Standing up to see what the ruckus was about, she was utterly shocked to note her loyal long-term companion and assistant being pelted with all sorts of perfectly good vegetables. Suppressing her desire to punch the lot into the ground, she instead stomped outward and demanded to know what in Yama's Realm was going on.
"This woman was chasing after a couple of kids, left one a bloody mess, she did!" One shouted.
"What kids?" Tsunade, not for a second believing that Shizune had suddenly developed the novel character trait of brutally attacking random civilians on her vacation.
"Well, of course, ma'am, they were right…hey, where'd they go?" The mob now found itself utterly confused, even with some noting that they were probably trying to escape their tormentor, until Tsunade noticed a very faint trail of blood heading off into a nearby alleyway…"ow!" Someone shouted.
"I told you not to eat any humans!" Naruto's distinct voice shouted from beside the inn they were all staying at, prompting Tsunade to go and get those brats before Shizune became even more of a fine delicacy for the health-conscious.
Sure enough, she found them climbing into a nearby window, or at least trying to; Sakura was currently dangling from the window sill while Naruto was flat on his back yelling at a horse that had apparently bitten the local landlord, who himself was yelling at the kids. Sakura was, indeed, covered in blood, though a cursory examination showed no wounds whatsoever and it clearly wasn't hers. Tsunade rubbed her forehead. Somehow, these brats had gotten even worse for her stress levels.
Looking to the angry landlord, she shouted, "okay, what did these imbeciles do?"
"They tried to climb onto this horse's back in order to sneak into that window over there, and when I accosted them the damn steed bit me!" The man screamed at her. "Their only excuse was that they were 'trying to repay a debt.'"
"Yeah, granny!" Naruto interjected, "we're trying to fix what you caused to those poor people you cheated!"
They had planned a whole speech to deliver, about the responsibilities of the Great God-on-Earth and how she had to embody them, about how important it was to fix your mistakes, but she simply asked them which of her debtors had gotten to them. When they identified the two men, she informed that she already paid that specific debt a long time ago, and that they could go home whenever they wanted. Apparently, this whole situation was caused by poor communication between the two men and their boss.
Whatever lesson they were supposed to have learned from these events, Naruto and Sakura both agreed that they could learn it after a bath. And an apology to Shizune the current salad.
--
Jiraiya was a lot of things, but a quitter was not one of them. Long after the other men had decided they were clean and went on their merry way, long after the old women had left, long after a band of snow monkeys had made use of the bath as they were apparently allowed to, he stayed. Maybe he should have used a little more Ichor to channel into his Stamina Knacks, even if there were no threat, or maybe he should have put more care into the effects of the continuous heat on his body, but he stayed, and patience was rewarded.
Several hours into his foray into the baths, a group of young women, mostly pretty, made their way into the mixed tub, glad to see few of the tourists who might ogle them had shoes left out in the foyer, and walked into the area with nothing but towels on, which of course were quickly dropped when they needed to soak in the water. At least, it seemed that way, for letting the heat inflict his body without the support of Stamina Knacks, and perhaps still a little weak from Tsunade's poison, blurred his vision, made him woozy, and prompted him to collapse, invoking their screams.
--
Sasuke couldn't stop thinking of Naruto and what he accomplished since graduation. On one hand, it was that very boy that made him start thinking that the Village wasn't the best place to plan out and support his Vengeance. On the other, he had grown so strong here.
But then shouldn't Sasuke be even stronger? Yes, that was it. Maybe he was stronger, and just didn't get the chance to prove it. When whatever this current weakness was passed, he would face Naruto, the way they should have in the Rank Exams, and see which one was really better in the end. He would see if his growth was stagnating then. He would see what really needed to be sacrificed.
--
Danzo was staring at the grandest temple in Clan Deva's territory. He often did this in his youth, and was feeling a bit nostalgic today. In particular, he looked to the three greatest of the Gods, Brahmin the Creator, Vishnu the Preserver, and his mother, Shiva the Destroyer. It was never explicit that superstition kept him away from the positions of power he craved all those years ago, but he couldn't help but feel the Village seeing a prophecy; a child of Brahmin founded the Village Hidden in Legends, a child of Vishnu kept it safe after the first one's ascension, and then, after that, no one wanted a child of Shiva to complete the cycle. A part of him would have understood, to be honest, even if it was his goal to overcome Samsara, not live it.
Of course, his mother had been a factor in losing out on the title of Great God-on-Earth, albeit for purely mundane reasons; the Clans were grumbling about being led by Deva Scions, and putting a well-respected outborn like Sarutobi in the seat showed that anyone could theoretically get it; everyone, especially the Tian Tiang Zhi Fu Yuan, were appeased, at least on that matter. Danzo had been furious, of course, but he dismissed rage as a worthless emotion and instead focused on planning.
Sarutobi had finally fallen, it had been too long since Clan Deva's prominence for anyone to really think the Village was favoring them (especially with the Hindu Gods' apparent abandonment), the ignorant batch of current Scions was unlikely to place much stock in an old omen about Samsara. If it weren't for Jiraiya and, his spies informed him, Tsunade, everything would be looking peachy right now.
As it was, he would have to keep waiting. One of those two would be put in place, unfortunately, which meant Sarutobi's weak ideals would still infect the Village for the foreseeable future. Knowing them, they would screw up in a major way sooner rather than later, but he needed to be sure of where his own pawns were when everything went belly up. It was time too see whether Sai was ready for field-work.
--
Hanzo the "Salamander" was, as per usual, contemplating his arm. The splotchy, gooey parts that looked like pieces of a salamander interrupting his human flesh were perplexing him more and more; it was his soul that was damaged, intertwined with that of a salamander, not his body, so why did his body change? That same mismatched arm started shaking as he was filled with rage towards a man who died a long time ago, no, not rage, conviction, as he could no longer feel rage like a human could. Why now? Why when he had simply remained holed up in the Village Hidden in Conspiracies' safest building, seeing nothing to remind him of his past. Was that it? Had he avoided his Loyalties and Convictions for too long? Was he nearing End State? While
he had avoided the worst of his Scars, he wasn't actually sure if the whispered decisions to his men outside the walls counted as Loyalty to the Village, and he knew full well that, no matter how much his Deviant instincts inclined him to such, pulling away from the world was ultimately the worst thing a Soul-Scarred could do. Still, he was surrounded by enemies, always surrounded by enemies, and this was the only way to stay safe. Gas that would have been lethally toxic for anyone else to breathe streamed from his mouth as he smiled; yes, safety. That was why he did this. To stay safe, from meddlers. The Village Hidden in Conspiracies needed him. So he couldn't see the Village. Yes. That made sense. He couldn't see the Village to keep it safe. He had to keep the Village safe. He had to keep himself safe. Same thing, really.
Therefore, even if some minor signs of Instability were setting in, he couldn't let that keep him from the bigger picture. Those walls protected him…those very same walls exploded right as the thought occurred.
"Universal Variation: Camouflage," he intoned without hesitation as the salamander-like parts of his body immediately shifted color to blend in with their surroundings and his human flesh followed suit not a second later.
"Hiding is beneath you, Hanzo," a strangely familiar voice uttered to him. "Come out and face your judgment."
"Mutant Variation: Deadly Ichor," he whispered, the deadly gas he sometimes breathed by accident expanding and concentrating beneath the surface of his skin.
Relying on his camouflage, he tried to sneak behind the interloper, planning to strike quickly with his sword, but a woman's muttered, emotionlessly, "Universal Variation: Lash," and he was struck by a blade of paper slicing into him far more thoroughly than paper should have been capable of.
Luckily, the damage had the effects his Deadly Ichor was going for, as the wounds sprayed toxic gas everywhere, but unluckily the two seemed prepared this, covering their faces with masks as they rushed him.
"Chimeric Variation: Animal Transformation-Swarm!"
Where they would have struck Hanzo a mere second earlier, they now found themselves swinging their weapons fruitlessly into a roughly human-sized mass of salamanders, all the ones they struck spraying out the same poison gas Hanzo had just been releasing. The amphibians who were still standing, which were most of them, leapt at the two intruders, biting into them with unnaturally strong jaws and injecting the gas as some form of concentrated venom.
"Guardian Purview: Salvation Sacrifice," the man shouted, but it didn't seem to do anything to Hanzo.
It was affecting the woman somehow, but he wasn't afraid, for he knew that it was simply a matter of time now…as the man succumbed to his venom, an intensely powerful substance even the strongest of Supernatural resistance would offer no protection against, he was a little surprised to see his companion's complete lack of a response.
Was she so unconcerned about her fellow's death? Well, these assassins certainly weren't the greatest of allies, now were they…"Fire Purview: Inferno," the dead man stated.
Hanzo had little time to ask how before his dozens of salamander bodies were suddenly incinerated, along with the corpse of the man who did that incinerating. The woman, who was looking more and more familiar as the fight went on, jumped away from the flame and shook the biting amphibians off, intoning "Universal Variation: Carapace" as a shell of paper surrounded her.
In Hanzo's confusion, he was unprepared for her next move. "Cephalist Variation: Creeping Dread."
Hanzo had always been a paranoid man. Since the Web of Pain had taken him, shattered his soul, and put bits of a salamander's inside of him to make him into their little weapon second and just to see what would happen first, he had been certain that someone was going to take him out. It was a Scar, he had no doubt about it, but knowing why he felt that way didn't do anything to stop the feeling. Especially since it had justified so often.
Now, his Instability, his eternally growing Instability, so long untended in his isolation from the world, was making it vulnerable. He was overcome with terror. He was stunned by the idea that the end would finally happen. In the end, it was his own paranoia that made him vulnerable to defeat; his last thought was to note a bit of irony in that before the woman sent what looked like origami swords impaling his hearts.
Konan looked at the corpses of the Deviant she once followed with surprising indifference.
Hanzo had overthrown the old Web of Pain, destroyed the men who Broke them both and all the Soul-Scarred in this damned Village, then he had betrayed them all. The Conviction to destroy those she hated was one of the few emotions left to her, and it should have satisfied her to see the monster that killed so many of her friends to satisfy his own fears dead, but she felt the same as always. Nothing, except a mild concern about her constantly feeling nothing.
Turning to the roasted salamanders, where the Web of Pain's current corpse (it was a good thing he had only lost one this time), had burned up beside them, she thought on the old legends about how salamanders were born from fire. Hanzo himself could summon flames, though at the cost of worsening his Instability, and the fact that he didn't made her suspect that he was nearing End State anyways. They might have just done him a mercy. Was that why she found herself apathetic?
Then she thought more on that legend, and the creatures roasting before her, and thought it appropriate that they apparently died in flames as well. That…amused her. Yes, there it was. That cheap facsimile of emotion she could attain from her greatest enemies and closest, well, not so much friends as objects of loyalty, once she mocked his demise she could experience it. Her Convictions were still true, and she could sense her Stability remaining, well, stable as she pondered it.
With that brief emotion issue taken care of, she could now focus on the Deviants that had come to investigate what happened to their leader. Far too late. Yes, his paranoia did him in in more ways than one. She might have smiled at the sight were she physically capable of it, but instead just calmly informed them that the Village Hidden in Conspiracies had a new leader. The new Web of Pain would show up soon enough to take care of any objectors.