Naruto's head throbbed as though it was being torn apart.
His latest captor had taken out some frustrations on him. Naruto personally knew that playing weak was the best way to get the man to lower his guard, so he didn't mind taking a few hits.
In any case, this was nothing. He had been training harshly recently. In Shade's Realm, where he could be left alone for the more… dangerous sort of experimentation. Also, because he didn't want to worry the others needlessly about why he felt the need to push himself even harder.
"Up." A voice called out.
Naruto lifted his head and stopped ruminating over the best way to make a guard choke on his balls. There weren't that many of them anyway, really.
"Toru?" He asked, a bit sleepily. "Took your time on this one, that's gotta be a new record—" Naruto stared and realized he had mistaken the person before him for someone else.
They looked very much alike, in his defense. "Ah, no. It's only you, Sasuke."
Sasuke stared back at him, looking a bit bemused.
"…I'm not sure who you're talking about, but Sasuke is not a very Uchiha name." Sasuke said.
Naruto rolled his eyes. "Don't be weird, man. Get me out?"
Sasuke pursed his lips. "Kaiji must have hit you harder than I thought."
Naruto guffawed. "How do you even know him now…? Also, what happened to your lips? They look very pouty today."
"Sasuke" hissed. Something about the expression looked a bit off.
"…Huh." Naruto muttered as his vision cleared. "Zuzu-tan, then."
Another problem, then.
"…Again." Izuna growled. "Where did you hear this?"
"A little Uchiha clan head told me." Naruto said knowingly.
Izuna scoffed. "He wouldn't."
"Then how do I know…? Who else calls you this…?"
"No one." Izuna grunted.
"He also told me that you collect vintage coins. Stamps, too." Naruto hummed, and then pretended to yawn.
Silence.
Naruto peeked at Izuna's reaction, through a half-closed eye.
"What the fuck…?" Izuna hissed. "Why did he do that?"
"Your brother is a complicated man." Naruto said. 'He's a dick,' he thought.
"Don't talk about him." Izuna warned, his quiet voice carrying weight.
"As you say, Izuna." Naruto nodded. "What shall we talk about, then?"
"One thing. Who are you?"
Izuna leaned forward and Naruto found himself doing the same. He looked grave.
"…Depends." Naruto said. "Do you want an honest answer?"
"There's something here that smells really fishy." Izuna said slowly, as though he were mulling what to say and what not to. "Ever since that accursed woman first appeared. And what my brother sees in you all, I can't fathom. Well, he called it de-escalating the conflict, so I suppose I won't hurt you. Too much."
Naruto studied him. He mulled his next words over.
"…I think I understand what you're saying." Naruto acknowledged. "So I won't hide from you." Izuna's eyes were fixed on him. "But don't worry, Mito won't get in the way of your brother and the Senju's bromance."
There was a long silence.
Izuna tilted his head, nostrils flared. "I don't know whether I should kill you now... or later."
Naruto shrugged. "You decide, really, I've got nowhere urgent to be."
Izuna closed his eyes and exhaled—
Naruto pounced.
And was promptly thrown over the Uchiha's shoulder, slamming into the dirt.
"Worth a try." He muttered, dusting himself.
"You are an idiot." Izuna hissed. "Did you really think I wouldn't see this sort of trick coming? I'm an Uchiha, not a second-rate mercenary."
"Huh." Naruto muttered. "But you are — I know how much the Senju's rates irk you."
Izuna moved to punch him, and Naruto lifted his hand, ready to try and parry the blow.
He caught sight of Izuna's ring finger and the slight compulsion took. He had seen it coming, really — it was one of Izuna's favorites, or rather one that he was actually decent with.
"Speak the truth." Izuna said. Then, as an afterthought. "And don't keep silent."
Naruto almost laughed. 'Well, there goes my initial plan.'
"Who are you?" Izuna demanded.
Naruto briefly entertained breaking free of his self-imposed shackles.
"My name is Uzumaki Naruto." He said.
"So you are one of them." Izuna gritted out. "These islanders…"
"Yes." Naruto nodded. "I am one."
"Are you allied with the Senju?"
"No."
Izuna paused. "…What?"
"I am not allied with the Senju." Naruto repeated.
"Aren't you Uzumaki?"
"I didn't get the chance to meet that many of them. I met that Mito person for the first time yesterday night, actually."
"That was two nights ago."
"My mistake." Naruto shrugged.
"…What were you doing there, then?" Izuna hissed. Naruto knew he trusted his illusions.
"My friends and I went there to enjoy some music. I wanted to play, but I didn't get the chance."
Izuna stared, baffled.
"That's it?" He inquired, his voice slightly high-pitched.
"Well, mostly." Naruto conceded. "We were hoping to meet Senju Hashirama to learn more about his Mokuton jutsu, but we didn't get the chance, thanks to you guys."
"You're not even a shinobi." Izuna hissed.
It wasn't a question. Still, Naruto felt compelled to answer. "We can use chakra." He said.
Well, that was heading in a bad direction.
"…You can…?" Izuna asked, still seemingly relaxed. "Is this a trap, then?"
"No."
"Did you come to this place on purpose?"
Naruto sighed. That was just vague enough to complicate things. "Me and my friends are time-and-space travelers. We came here to try a theory out — and also likely because my friend Toru was bored and trying to mess with me. There is no true risk for me. I could break free of my bindings and crush you like an apple, but I won't, because you're still less of a dick than Madara."
A pause.
"Uzumaki bastard." Izuna cursed. "I'm not sure what kind of seal you placed on yourself to evade my compulsion, but I do not like being mocked. And..."
He trailed off.
Izuna's eyes, which were sharper than most, scanned Naruto's body in the dark, Sharingan glowing red. He noticed a mark on Naruto's foot that the others had likely not seen.
"What is this…?" Izuna asked.
"What is what…?" Naruto asked. "I'm really not so sure what you're raving about."
"This mark upon your foot."
Naruto frowned. "What mark…?"
Izuna realized. "A seal…?"
"I don't have any under my foot." Naruto said. "Unless..."
Izuna ignored him; he cursed and applied chakra to remove it. It worked…
But he had never noticed the identical seal that had been applied to the underside of his own cloak.
And then, suddenly, someone else was in the room.
Izuna rose—
Senju Tobirama, masked as he was, struck swiftly.
It was a precise, surgical strike. The Susanoo didn't rise in time.
Izuna fell to one knee.
Only then did the green chakra shroud him in its cloak, breaking part of the floor. Izuna was glaring fiercely at Tobirama… but didn't move.
He simply couldn't.
The masked man stared at his fallen nemesis, at the cloak of chakra he couldn't penetrate. He looked at Naruto, seemingly weighing his options. After yesterday, the secret of his jutsu was likely exposed, and only the distance he could leap had been revealed now.
He decided to let the Uchiha clan know. Tobirama disappeared again.
There was silence.
The green chakra dispersed and Izuna's face slammed into the dirt.
The whole situation felt entirely too familiar.
"Oh, come the fuck on." Naruto growled.
His first, knee-jerk thought was to break his bindings. He could heal him and… Naruto paused. That could cause other problems.
One of the reasons — pride about being 'good at civilian things too' aside — Toru had proposed to come somewhere else with their chakra bound to see if it made a difference about their little kami problem.
Karin had theorized that the reason the kami were able to manifest so easily was due to Naruto and the others' growing strength. If that happened to be true, their bindings should prevent them from showing up — which was happening more frequently. Naruto wasn't sure how long they'd keep this up, but it was worth testing.
However, it wasn't worth people dying.
…Shuji didn't count, obviously. He was a bastard.
Crouching next to Izuna's fallen body, Naruto felt for a pulse. There was one. If that was Tobirama... poison. Nothing immediate either, he could tell.
Perhaps it would do Madara some good in the future, too.
Naruto sighed and began shouting for help.
…
"I sent Izuna to get answers. I thougt it would be a mercy. And now..."
Naruto wasn't let out of his cell.
Instead, five Uchiha men faced him in the dimly lit room. And Madara was among them.
He seemed very unhappy with the situation. Naruto expected him to come close and brainwash him at any time.
But Madara didn't.
Just like he did not use his Sharingan. Naruto frowned.
"So. Tell me. What happened here... What is the meaning of this?" Madara asked slowly, each clipped word adding weight to the metaphorical sword hanging above Naruto's head. It was likely touching the top of his hair, by now. "I do not know how you managed to pull the wool over Izuna's eyes, but once we figure it out… Make no mistakes. We will have your head for this."
Naruto shook his head, feeling irritated.
"Why don't you come closer and find out, then?" He asked flatly.
Madara didn't. Whether the man thought he had something up his sleeve, something that had worked against even his brother, because he thought Naruto had been sent to kill him... or because he had another reason, Naruto did not know. He continued.
"If you guys had bothered to come in earlier, Izuna would be up already—"
"Do not speak his name!" Madara roared.
Goddamnit.
"You won't get out." Madara said, regaining his temper. "That seal we found upon your sandal won't work again, no matter what it was you did."
"You're wasting your time." Naruto grunted.
"Oh…?" Madara asked dangerously.
"Yes." Naruto said tightly. He enunciated the words clearly. "Your brother will die if that's the way you're going to do things."
There was only silence.
One of the men came forward, looking as though he were about to explode. Madara blocked him with a single raised hand. His eyes looked just as furious.
"You dare?" He asked slowly.
Naruto continued, because he felt as though he was on very thin ice already. "I told you already. Tobirama always poisons his weapons. That's why he left so casually, he's certain that this is over—" Seeing the rising fury in their eyes, he continued. "That was Senju Tobirama."
Madara's voice was rising. "Bullshit."
"He used the same seal you've seen to appear here instantly." Naruto hissed. "I didn't catch it in time — For fuck' sake, no, we are not allies." He growled when one of the Uchiha men tensed.
Madara was glaring at him, in a way that told Naruto the man didn't think he had much more time to spend alive.
"...Who else but Tobirama could defeat your brother?" Naruto asked, trying to appeal to their pride. "Surprise attack or not."
They could see some modicum of sense in the words.
Some.
And Madara had likely seen some remnant of the Senju's chakra.
"Hashirama's brother could only match Izuna for mere moments." Madara spat. "Your tale is very convenient... And I do not believe you."
He drew forward, if only a little bit, and his red eyes were gleaming.
"But you will tell the truth, anyway." Madara said, a dark, sickly smile spreading upon his lips.
Naruto didn't meet his eyes. His own temper was rising. Madara stayed at a distance, even then.
"You want the truth?" Naruto snapped. "Your brother is going to die, not only because of the poison, but also because none of you know shit about sanitation. From sterilizing your tools… to washing your fucking hands before surgery. Yes, that's it, laugh, Tatsuya, I'm sure the entire concept sounds hilarious. Let me assure you, all of this is going to sound way less funny in three days, when Izuna's body is being burned and your leader is half-lost in grief, wondering if he could have prevented it by taking his dead brother's eyes earlier on."
Naruto didn't see it, but he could imagine it well enough. Madara's eyes likely became twin shards of ice for a moment. Dark, and dangerous.
This time, he did come closer.
Naruto reached for his bindings-
Madara's eyes held something contemplative in them, too. He seemed feral, half-mad, but it was there.
"And how…?" He asked slowly. "How did you learn about all of this…?" Madara's hand found its way near Naruto's throat. It seemed as though the whole conversation had gotten personal enough that he would be willing to choke the life out of Naruto in such a brutal manner. "Hashirama himself, as well as his damnable brother… do not know the full truth about Izuna's eyes."
The other men were tense, too.
"In fact, I cannot think of anyone." Madara said quietly. "That is bad news."
"What does it matter? I wasn't the one to attack your brother." Naruto scowled. "And I know about your eyes, too. Both of them."
Madara's hand was upon Naruto's throat more firmly now. Which one would he go for, in the end…? A sleeper hold…? Or would he simply strangle him?
Madara didn't, leaving him even more confused.
"Then I'm afraid you cannot leave here." Madara said slowly.
"I don't give a shit what you think." Naruto spat, now entirely wondering what was up with the man. "Go save your brother. Ōkuninushi will likely work on him, if you're bearing his eye."
Madara was furious. "I will not steal—"
"Then you will lose him, instead of your sense of honor." Naruto's voice was cold. "And spend the rest of your life wondering if you could have saved him. Just like you already wonder if the men that die under your command, while Yahata is active, are dead because of it."
There was a very unpleasant stillness.
"…Not one more word." Madara warned.
"Find a healer." Naruto growled. "If that Tsunade woman is even half as good as her namesake, she will—"
Naruto tasted blood.
He still glared up.
"Do you truly believe I will ask her for help?" Madara ground out.
"I wouldn't know." Naruto chuckled darkly. "Why don't you tell me?"
There was hesitation in Madara's soul, likely. Because he stopped choking him for a moment, and Naruto released the metaphorical hand he kept upon his chakra, ready to unbind it.
Madara's voice was biting when he spoke again.
"Izuna was never supposed to be a fighter." Madara said. "His eyes tell as much." The very familiar anger he had for… the entire world was creeping in his tone. "In a more just world, he would have brought us—"
"The same thing applies to you." Naruto stated.
"…It doesn't." Madara said. Still, it applied to one of his eyes, at least.
Madara rose, and he glared at Naruto. "You will stay here." He declared, voice low.
"I had no high hopes." Naruto murmured.
Madara's face was hard. "…I will heal Izuna. I… No matter." He faltered. "He will understand what is needed. Izuna first. Your fate will depend upon my brother's word. Restrain him fully."
He motioned toward him and the four men stripped him, leaving him only in rope bindings, tighter than the ones from before.
Elsewhere
"And that's the koi pond." Hashirama declared grandly.
Sasuke nodded dutifully. "I see."
"They gobble up whatever you give them." Hashirama continued, and he let out a short, barking laugh. "They are strange animals, you know. They eat even their own siblings."
Were it another man, perhaps Sasuke would believe this was a vague threat of some sort. Not here, though. Hashirama felt bad for the man his brother had captured, and had somehow managed to get the latter to let him out of his holding house — covered in near invisible bindings as he was.
"I never really thought of making a pond myself before… but Mito talked me into it — I'm still not sure what she wants from me some days." He laughed.
Sasuke hesitated. He could almost feel Tobirama glaring at him, from somewhere he wasn't entirely sure he could see him.
Still…
"Your good name, likely." Sasuke nodded politely. "Although why she didn't go after your brother is currently beyond me."
Hashirama stared at him, and for a moment, Sasuke was afraid he had overstepped his bounds.
Then the man laughed and clapped his back.
"That's exactly what I wonder about most days!"
…
"He's finally lost it entirely."
"Can one truly lose what has never been there, Sakitsume?" Another voice replied.
An Uchiha bastard , a literal one, as their prisoner.
Roaming free.
To date, Matsumura considered himself to have been fairly tolerant of Hashirama's… peculiar way of ruling.
This whole debacle was just added proof that Hashirama truly was unfit to lead. Some called the man an Uchiha-lover when he wasn't listening, and there were others who were starting to wonder about the exact nature of his relationship with that monstrous Madara, too.
Strength was one thing, certainly. And Hashirama had it in spades. It was something that fascinated plenty of people, as they truly believed that there hadn't been a stronger man born to the Senju clan in generations, if ever.
But strength… might alone did not make a leader.
Even Tobirama, for all of his scheming, cunning and standoffishness, might prove to be a better choice for a leader. That man was not blind to his brother's faults, either. And...
And still, he chose to work with Hashirama. It was insanity to Matsumura.
"Maybe we should get this over with." Matsumura offered. "The more we wait, the worse the situation might become."
Sakitsume took a long sip of her water, and her brother Ototsume just stared at the two other men.
Niwamura spoke first.
"The Yamanaka found no dirt on him." He said tightly. Nothing they could use, and nothing he could use either, which meant that the promise of an unofficial alliance between them and that madman were as good as void. "Either Hashirama somehow guards his mind extremely well…"
Someone laughed.
"Or he truly doesn't have much to hide. In any case, we can discard this avenue."
…
"Thank you for today, Hashirama-sama." Sasuke said, and the words only felt slightly weird in his mouth. A bit masturbatory, too. "There are not many men who would show me the grace you have shown me in these circumstances."
Hashirama waved it off.
"There's no need to mention it, Sasuke-san." He shook his head. "No matter which clan you are from — or not from." He added the last part, seeing him about to vehemently deny what both Senju brothers likely assumed to be a lie. Which was right. "You have done nothing to us, and as such, treating you in such a rough manner…" He shook his head.
"I think some of your clansmen might be very unhappy with your decision."
Hashirama gave him a wry smile. "I suspect there are some, yes. Every clan has dissenters."
"Truly…?" Sasuke asked in polite curiosity. "Even one known for its numbers and unity…?"
"A battlefield is a different thing altogether." Hashirama shrugged. "…Perhaps something that is easier to understand, even. Enemies tend to stay enemies… allies tend to stay allies."
Sasuke thought of many things, but didn't speak of any of them. Things were different in this particular era, in a way. Betrayal, coming from one's clan, was a rare thing.
"I can almost sense your disagreement." Hashirama smiled slightly. "However I'm afraid that if you're looking to hear more about our darkest, deepest secrets… I'll have to pass."
Sasuke smiled slightly, too.
"I didn't count on it." He said. "But if we're talking secrets…"
Hashirama stared at him blandly. "What is it…?"
Sasuke shrugged, and made it look somewhat self-conscious. "I was hoping to see your famed Mokuton."
Hashirama burst into amused laughter. "Oh!" He said. "And here I thought you were about to ask for something dangerous. Sure, why not. I'll show you some nice tricks. No super secret ninja stuff, of course…"
…
A few hours later, they were nearing the compound again. There was light there, which was not particularly unusual.
"—It's called the woodwide web." Hashirama said. "The way trees support and communicate with each other is truly remarkable. It is as if they had their own secret language and underground network."
Sasuke simply nodded. "There is beauty in that." He was only beginning to see it now.
"Of course!" Hashirama said eagerly. "It's mind-blowing, isn't it? They are so interconnected. With time, I hope that people…" Then his smile dimmed a bit. "Ah, no. Never mind. I suppose people are a bit different from trees."
Sasuke rubbed the back of his head. "I… suppose they are different — Still, it's a…"
"Nice dream?" Hashirama smiled, a bit blandly. "I've heard it before."
"No." Sasuke said, shaking his head. "A dream sounds too remote. I meant to say it's a beautiful comparison. And I suppose both trees and men have a duty to nature."
Hashirama laughed, loud and free. "That… I can agree with!"
…
"Here you are, Mito-sama." A young boy said, handing her a cup. "Hashirama-sama." He repeated the process.
The Senju clan could be loud at times, and this dinner was one of these times.
"I wasn't expecting you to spend most of your day with that man." Mito said, and there was the same warmth in her voice as always. "You seem to think highly of him."
"You almost sound as though you are jealous!" Hashirama teased, laughing.
"Hardly." She quipped back. "In any case, Uchiha or not, it cannot be much worse than..."
Hashirama winced. "...Let's not talk about Madara tonight."
"Of course not." Mito smiled easily. "There are more pleasant topics."
"Less... complicated ones." Hashirama admitted.
Mito and he picked the cups up and drank from them.
"So." Mito asked. "What was that man like?"
"Well, he..."
Hashirama paused. Because something was wrong.
Mito's cup clattered to the floor, spilling rice wine.
And she fell right after.
There was only silence for a moment.
Hashirama howled and rushed to her aid.
Tobirama called for the entire building to be sealed. No one was to go in or out until further orders.
…
A couple hours later.
"This went well." Sakitsume muttered.
Everyone had been released, once it became clear that the child serving the cups had had his mind tampered with. Holding everyone there would have served no purpose.
"With Mito dead, this should be enough for Hashirama to back out of the leadership for the time being. He is a man guided by his emotions, and surely we will be able to make him see the light."
Hashirama was emotional, certainly, but nothing had managed to shake off his ill-placed conviction yet. This would not break him, he would still fight.
"In case he doesn't… At the very least, he will have someone to blame." Otsutsume nodded. "The Uchiha clan and their plant. Once we're done and that prisoner takes the fall for it, perhaps our dear leader will finally find in himself the will to crush these red-eyed dogs."
Because there was no one else who could beat Madara in battle. And their attempts at killing that man otherwise hadn't proved to be fruitful. Not with how paranoid he was — especially when compared to Hashirama —, and how paranoid the brother who shadowed him was.
"Are there any chances that this will come back to bite us in the ass?" Matsumura asked tightly. "All of this is moot if our names are made public."
Niwamura shook his head. "No. It won't. The taster will be disposed of entirely, he is a loose end we can ill afford. Some may believe that money can buy people." He said, smiling slightly. "I believe that it just teaches a shrewd one that they can ask for more."
"Good."
"Besides." Sakitsume continued. "Uzumaki Mito was an ally, certainly. But her death will serve us better than she ever could."
There were footsteps in the hallway, drawing closer.
The group nodded silently and switched topics smoothly.
Senju Tobirama entered the room.
"Tobirama-sama." Matsumura smiled. "What brings you here tonight?"
Tobirama smiled, too. It didn't look even half as friendly.
"No one can save you." He said, and his eyes met theirs. "Uzumaki Mito is alive and well."
There was a moment of silence.
"…Pray tell." Matsumura said. "What are you talking about?"
"Do not play the fool, Matsumura." Tobirama said, throwing down a bag on the small table.
Sakitsume opened it hesitantly. "An… arson bag?" She asked tightly. "What does this mean?"
Tobirama smiled. "I… confiscated this from one of your underlings, days ago."
"So what? Everyone knows that Kisuke—"
"It was stashed away. Quite privately. One might think that Kisuke had plans to make use of it at some point." He smiled. "Very... careless of him. Something so clearly… Uchiha should have been kept with the other battle trinkets. And that we happen to have an Uchiha prisoner would make the timing very convenient, wouldn't it…? Who did you intend to roast alive, exactly…?"
"...Kisuke kept this for his personal use, then...? What of it?" Matsumura just stared at him evenly. "That's a lot of baseless slander. I can't help but notice you are here as well." He said. "Shouldn't you be guarding your brother and his Uzumaki friend in case the would-be assassin returns?"
"Do not fret about me." Tobirama said, seemingly amused. "Nor them. Mito is well aware of what you intended to do. You underestimated her, as well."
Niwamura scoffed and stood up.
"I've had enough of your drivel." He said. "In this foolishness at least, you truly are Hashirama's brother."
The door didn't open for him.
"…What?" He asked tightly.
"I believe you four are too used to scheming in the shadows." Tobirama said.
"You mean to kill us?" Ototsume growled. "Tobirama, you bastard—"
"We are shinobi." Tobirama said coldly. "We don't start things unless we can follow through. Are you afraid, now?"
Sakitsume changed tones drastically.
"We had nothing to do with it!"
"Oh, no?" Tobirama asked, sounding somewhat amused.
"The Uchiha must have done it — They had the wrong target — He didn't know." Sakitsume cried out. "…The Uchiha simply didn't know about Hashirama's near immunity to poison."
"I believe you dropped the honorific. And I also believe the truth is simpler." Tobirama smiled mirthlessly. "Mito was the target… And the taster was coerced, too. Which makes him a prime suspect for the attempted murder. Not the child who served the drinks."
"The Sharingan!" She roared. "That man has the Sharingan! Coercing someone is child's play to—"
"He doesn't." Tobirama cut her off. "Nor does he have any sort of access to chakra."
Even more so because of the dim light of the moon, her face looked waxy.
Tobirama smiled flatly. "Oh, did I perhaps forget to mention that…? Did you believe he was a shinobi...?"
"You did this on purpose, didn't you?" Matsumura asked tightly. "I don't know how you came to know about our plans—"
"You are predictable, cousin. I knew you wouldn't be able to resist." Tobirama said. "And you were afraid. Now… you are all that. And defeated, as well."
"Let us go." Matsumura growled.
"Why should I? You've been a thorn in our side for far too long, all of you." Tobirama shook his head. "Let us see who the blame falls on, this time. The Uchiha…" He smiled thinly. "Or a terrible accident… one that happened because of people playing with things that should be left alone, such as stolen, powerful fire accelerants?"
The four of them lunged at him.
There was a flicker of flint and steel, and a flash of chakra, as Tobirama disappeared.
The arson bag detonated and the entire building was consumed by deadly flames. No one inside was left alive.
Tobirama reappeared near Mito.
'I suppose that there's something ironic about the entire situation.' He thought.
Mito wore a grim expression, but she knew just as well as he had that it had needed to be done. She would likely cover for him and say that he had been watching over her recovery the entire time.
It didn't make him feel much better about killing relatives.
…
Sasuke was released from his temporary, very uncomfortable holding cell soon after, as were the other prisoners.
"You're free." The guard said in clipped tones. "Well, not that free." He barked a short laugh. "But back to your usual cell, instead."
"I see." Sasuke grunted in vague annoyance.
The guard drew closer. Sasuke knew this expression, even though he had no real idea what this was about, this time. "Did you do it?" He asked tightly.
Sasuke scowled. "Did I do what?"
"You know exactly what I mean!" The man growled. "I don't know why Hashirama-sama believes you had nothing to do with it, but it's just too damn convenient."
"What the fuck do you mean—"
An elbow slammed into his face.
Sasuke slowly turned back to face him. "Did that make you feel any better?" He asked, with a very potent glare.
The man gave him a mirthless grin. "Not yet, no." Then he sighed. "I wish I could just… No. Tobirama-sama has other plans for you."
There was a pause.
"Although…" Then the guard laughed. "Nah, nevermind, that's probably worse than anything I could do to you."
Sasuke decided here and then that it was time to get out of here.
Preferably without chakra.
Which was something he could manage, he thought. He had been training harshly recently. In Shade's Realm, where he could be left alone with the annoying, tangled up memories, where he could refine his control over his abilities… and where he could actually get some sleep, too. Also, because he didn't want to worry Hinata and the rest of his family about why he felt the need to push himself even harder.
…Though now that he thought about it, Naruto being the leader of the mostly-free world would make for a decent excuse anyway.
Uchiha Compound
The Uchiha men eventually figured out that Naruto was no immediate threat.
And that Tobirama was likely the one who had dealt Izuna that crippling blow. Which meant they found some of their confidence back.
Which meant a pleasant beating.
Madara came too, at some point.
Naruto wisely didn't comment too much on the man's new left eye, of course. In clipped tones, Madara announced that Izuna had been healed entirely, was still unconscious... and that Naruto's fate was still up in the air.
As strange as it might sound, Naruto found some relief in that. Not about his own fate, of course, but… simply knowing that somewhere out there, Izuna might be saved if Madara got over the taboo that was placed upon stealing one's eye…
Well, it was something of a relief.
But Madara didn't stay, far from it. He uttered a total of two sentences, which gave Naruto the impression that their next meeting would be pretty unpleasant, before leaving. Likely to look after his recovering brother.
Hours passed and Naruto, who was keeping himself awake, was starting to feel tired by now. And so were his hands.
But that was because he had abused them, in order to rip a small chunk of stone away from a wall. His fingernails didn't thank him for it.
Now...
The Uchiha had bound him tightly, certainly.
Naruto had done away with the bindings in the dark. Over a few lives, he had created most of these complex binds in the first place. He knew exactly how to undo them.
And the rest, he knew as well.
Naruto waited. It was Masato's turn to keep watch and to make sure he didn't try to escape.
"You're going to go to another room!" Masato called out from behind the door.
Naruto thought fast.
He chose not to answer.
After a few other attempts at rousing him, the other man grunted.
"…Are you fucking kidding me? How can that guy even be sleeping…?"
Naruto slipped behind the stairs.
Masato pushed the heavy weight away from the door. He seemed to have some trouble, too. And considering Naruto hadn't heard the same grunts of effort before, that meant he was likely alone.
Which was strange. The whole process seemed to be a bit rushed, actually. Were they busy with something else…?
In any case, Masato slowly drew closer to the stairs.
With his Sharingan on, the man would be able to see through some of the room's darkness, which would make this particular plan… somewhat risky.
Masato came down the stairs. There was no time for overthinking.
Naruto fisted the small stone in his hand, but then thought better of it.
Instead, he pounced upon Masato, using his much heavier weight to topple him to the floor. He wasted no time and went for the choke straight away. Using the vagus nerve tended to be quicker, but it was also a bit unreliable, and not something most people with any good sense would trust to consistently work under pressure.
Luckily, Naruto was not one of these people. Also, he had a trusty rock, too. In case.
Masato turned out to be somewhat lucky too, because he got knocked out right away, much faster than with a blood choke.
Naruto stole his clothes — which didn't really fit him, unless you were really into skin-tight clothing —, weapons and other assorted equipment.
"Sorry, Masato." Naruto said. That man was usually pretty pleasant to friends, and allies. "You should've done more speed drills. Guess there's always next time."
Naruto climbed out of the hole.
The rest of the escape should be less tricky, normally. He had enough experience with sneaking his way out of heavily guarded places. Chakra or not. On top of it, he had plenty of helpful memories about the Uchiha compound's inner workings.
He set to doing just that, and almost absentmindedly knocked out the second guard he stumbled upon. A third man heard the commotion.
"What the hell is—"
From the depths of the darkness, Naruto met his eyes, which were not Sharingan red yet... and he did his best impression of Sakura — placid and now in charge, with something wild in the eyes.
The guard froze for a short moment, which gave Naruto more than enough time to bash his head with the stone, an ancestral shinobi technique.
'Good.' He nodded to himself. That had gone like he had imagined it would. 'Still got it.'
Only three, though...? That was strange. But now, he just had to—
Several windows shattered at the exact same time in the compound and he suddenly had a terrible feeling.
…
"Anytime, now." Toru said, staring through the binoculars.
Next to him, Chōji seemed pretty unconvinced.
Toru couldn't blame him. Things must have seemed especially wonky, even for what Toru assumed Chōji thought were his standards.
But Toru had been training harshly recently. In Shade's Realm, where he could be left alone for the sort of training the others would call masochistic. Also, because he didn't want to worry the others needlessly about why he felt the need to push himself even harder.
And after Chōji had insisted on joining up, Toru hadn't had the heart to tell him this was mostly a trip to try out Karin's pet theories. Sasuke being around had provided a decent motive to come in here, too. Toru himself wasn't so sure about Senju Hashirama being willing to teach him Mokuton at all… but Sasuke seemed to believe it was doable, which meant that there was a chance.
And they had made sure Chōji would not be in any danger — not that he knew, because danger was always a good incentive to stay sharp.
Also, Toru wanted a bro trip.
...Perhaps Enma would be forgiving if they resurrected Kakashi or Kiba—
"I think she abandoned us." Chōji said, interrupting his monologue. In any case, Toru was pretty sure that would just set the fire under the King of Hell's metaphorical ass. Which was something they didn't want.
Toru shook his head. "No way." He denied.
"…And how would you be able to tell?"
"I've got an eye for this sort of thing." Toru simply said. "We're just lucky Kage told me about this Tsunade's descendant." He laughed shortly. "A bet, for real...? To think it worked. Should have seen it coming, from a Senju." He shook his head.
"…You're not that different from Hanabi, you know?" Chōji asked.
Toru paused.
"Is the old Tsunade here?" Chōji asked, with anxious eagerness.
"No. I just want you to take these words back — Ah, fuck, she actually is here."
"For real?"
"Shh… Let me read her lips — I can only do that with one person at a time." Toru said.
Chōji had never really believed Toru could do that without the Sharingan, but he let him do it anyway. "Say it out loud for me, please."
"She said something about coming here alone." Toru began.
Chōji remained unconvinced. "Uh huh. Go on."
"…That's all I got." Toru admitted, before focusing again. "Ah. "want — revenge? — come with me — you and... Uh. Ah, got it — your brother."
"You sure that's what she said…? That's not the plan."
Toru shrugged. "I kinda expected her to pull something like this off, but it doesn't matter, as long as she gets the big swords away. Ah, she's talking. — why alone? because I'll disappear and you'll never... find me again. I think. I'm filling in the blanks, by the way, Chōji."
Chōji nodded in approval. There was likely enough urgency in the offer that Madara couldn't refuse it.
"Oh shit!" Toru beamed. "I think Madara agreed to it — But he's leaving without his brother. And… Yeah, they're gone."
Chōji winced. "Man, I'm no Senju Tobirama. I know this is just about smashing walls and getting Naruto free, while causing enough of a distraction with explosives to get them to focus on everything else, but…"
There was a moment of silence.
"...You don't have to be anything like this particular Senju." Toru said. "I know he doesn't actually eat Uchiha children like my second cousin used to say, but yeah. He sucks."
"...Still, man."
Toru let the silence hang, and then he gave Chōji a meaningful look.
"…Do you trust my judgment?" Toru asked.
"Fuck no."
Toru chuckled. "…I've seen it coming and I can't blame you today." He shook his head, before meeting Chōji's eyes. "Anyway, I trust you. More than I trust most."
Toru waited for Chōji to speak. He did.
"So… Less than Naruto, Sasuke, Akemi, Ino, Karin, Yugito and Itachi?" The Akimichi asked, sounding amused.
"Yeah." Toru nodded. "But more than… Let's say. Shisui, Sakura, Hanabi, Anko or Orochimaru."
"...Very impressive attempt, Toru."
"Right?" Toru beamed.
"…Fuck it." Chōji laughed. "I'll take it!"
"I know what you can do. Dick-pills or not."
"...Look, I don't need no pep-talk anymore."
Toru continued anyway. "Believe in the me who believes in you, Chōji." He said.
"…Believing in myself will be enough, I think." Chōji said, readying his explosives and fists.
"Good! Let's break this tyrant free, then!"
Then Toru froze, and looked around the area quickly… before he paused entirely. Chōji gave him a bemused look and elbowed him when he didn't answer.
Toru flinched.
"…There's something seriously wrong here."
…
Tsunade roared as she went through a pillar of flame.
Uchiha Madara and she had left together, headed to a remote area.
Once they had decided they were far enough, in an empty plain, they also stopped wasting time right away.
The armor of water she had conjured around herself, the way Sarutobi-sensei himself would have done, went up in a flash of steam that seared her skin.
Madara, who saw her coming through his jutsu, skipped backwards in a fast motion. He was reaching for his war fan again, and put his sickle away.
On most days, Tsunade remembered Pain with more clarity than she wished. The day of his arrival in Konoha ranked pretty high up on the list of her worst memories; somewhere between Orochimaru's betrayal and her becoming the Fifth Hokage.
It was a mess Naruto had somehow fixed while she was in a coma, the sort of event that made her wonder if she somehow had died at some earlier point in time and was simply hallucinating everything in her last throes.
In any case, she channeled her inner Pain and gravity halted, as she held out a gleaming sphere of dark light; a contradiction she didn't have the time to muse about right now.
She threw it high up in the sky.
"Chibaku Tensei!"
The gravitational pull she exerted was a particularly messy one. Rocks exploded from under their feet, as everything but her was pulled up, far in the sky.
Madara roared, and his Susanoo rose around him, shrouding the ravaged area in blue light.
It was strange, Tsunade mused. Something about its chakra was changing quickly, starting from its left side, almost as though…
"Ah." Tsunade said, distaste obvious. "Your left eye. You took your brother's, didn't you?"
Madara growled in fury. "What would you know of it?"
A third arm sprouted of the chakra construct, burying itself into the earth, where the former two hadn't managed to reach. Madara pulled and managed to bring himself closer to the floor once more.
Tsunade gave chase, coming in from under him, fist cocked back. And shrouded in lightning.
Madara had no good answer to that particular sort of attack. Two blue arms rose up with incredible speed, as he himself crossed his own in front of him.
Madara was somehow faster than she was, right now.
It didn't mean he did so well when he ate one of her punches, Susanoo or not. The arms seemed to break apart, and he was sent flying through the air, aimed at the miniature moon above him.
Madara cursed and began weaving hand seals. Snake — Ram — Monkey — Boar — Horse — Tiger. A Fire jutsu, of course. Tsunade almost scoffed.
"Fire Release: Oboro!"
Madara released a steady stream of fire from his mouth, and instead of burning through the rocky hell, it created a dense cloud of smoke and ember. Smoke so thick that she could not see anything through it. And the embers it carried… Tsunade leaped back.
"Lightning Release: Ignition Spark."
Madara's words reached her at about the same time the firestorm burst. "Shinra Tensei!" Tsunade screamed. Jets of electrical fire crashed against her shield, but didn't go through. The air was heavy with smoke, heat and fury. Tsunade began weaving hand seals for a Wind jutsu to clear it up…
And suddenly, Uchiha Izuna was here as well. Tsunade barely had the time to react. "What the fuck—"
The massive green Susanoo around him carried something that looked like a jar.
"Azusa Yumi." He called, and a large dome of ethereal fire spread around the three of them. It also cut the Chibaku Tensei's interference, for the time being.
"There." Izuna said, with a vicious grin. "No one will bother us, now."
Madara gave him a look that in spite of his best efforts, conveyed his worry for his little brother. There was something very conflicted in Tsunade's gut; she had seen this expression in the mirror, long ago.
"Are you sure you're able to handle this now?" Madara asked, almost silently.
Izuna just nodded confidently. "There will be no other day, no better time." He grinned. "Besides, I trust your ability… and my own."
There was a faint smile upon Madara's face. "…Very well, then."
Tsunade understood right away that each of them carried the other's left eye. She made a scoffing sound. "That's it?" She asked. "If you think that the threat of just the two of you is going to scare me into—"
Both Uchiha burst into motion. Her fist smashed into Izuna's shield… and Madara slammed into a brutal grapple, sickle flashing into his hand. Tsunade gathered Water chakra into her mouth and spat a water bullet with enough strength to pierce through a steel wall.
Not through his Susanoo, though.
Tsunade barreled into him right after and—
And then they stopped. Izuna was staring up into the night sky. Even Madara paused, before leaping away from her. Tsunade followed their eyes very cautiously. It could be a stupid trap, of course.
The clouds seemed as though they were parting.
Their Sharingan could undoubtedly see the eerie light coming from there, certainly…
But her Rinnegan told her the truth.
This was something beyond their comprehension, herself included.
The light from the stars seemed to wink out of existence for an instant.
A few moments later, coming from another direction entirely, something in reality shattered; like a mirror breaking into shards of light.
Or perhaps it was more apt to say that its physicality was reduced to its barest components.
It gave way to something else.
It was chaos, primordial disorder.
That was the scene that Naruto stumbled upon; a churning blaze of chakra, way too close to the compound.
A chakra — if it could be called that — that was decidedly non-human in its nature.
"Well, shit." Naruto muttered. "What did Toru and Sasuke do, this time…?"
But they had nothing to do with it, and the artifact he had crafted for one purpose only — detection — was heating up inside him. He knew right away what it was about.
So. One of them bothered to come, after all. Well, it had only been a matter of time. The group couldn't stay together all the time, of course.
Naruto watched it unfold.
There was a whistling sound; Toru appeared next to him, Chōji in tow, and his eyes looked serious. The sudden change was like unexpected gray clouds on the horizon on a radiant summer day.
His bindings were gone. Naruto simply nodded, and his own vanished as well. His chakra returned to him, its burn like scalding water after a day out in the cold.
"…I think our little game here is over." Toru said, letting his friend go. There was no more amusement to be found in his voice, either.
"Indeed." Naruto just nodded.
"Leave this to us, Chōji." Toru said simply, pressing something in his hand. "This will take you to Sasuke. Get out of here together — go home, the others are there… and it should be safer."
Chōji barely blinked. "What…?" He shook his head. "There's no way I'm leaving you two to—"
"I didn't expect it to happen here, but you two will only burden us." Naruto said, quite bluntly. "Besides, that's our problem."
Toru glanced at Chōji. "You're going to die if you stay here. Or worse."
The words hung in the air.
"I… shouldn't have brought you here." Toru admitted. "I thought that… Well, never mind."
Toru marked a pause.
"Please get out."
Something about the tone likely convinced Chōji, who understood that the pounding in his chest was not just anxiety. He nodded hesitantly and was gone the very next moment.
Toru and Naruto pulled weapons out of thin air wordlessly. The silence felt stifling and the chill settled deeper in their gut.
Naruto didn't bother looking at Toru. They shared a bond deeper than that. Pale chakra spread through their bodies, gleaming through their skin, as their hearts thundered and their breaths became steam.
It was like turning themselves inside out — a man with an inner Jūbi became a Jūbi with an inner man.
Once the shift was complete, their hair was the color of pale ash, and with the worst of their emotions churning… They waited and watched.
In out through the fractured remnants of what was a boundary no man should breach, a kami came curiously.
Had to switch over to lensdump... Format goes like this:
lensdump dot com slash i slash ECVaNK (lensdump com i ECVaNK)
The "Strongest" Tag-Team?
AN: "Maybe Indra Naruto could try his hand at Talk no Jutsu. He might not stop Madara from spiraling, but I think if he could stop Madara from living in a cave, he would consider it a success."
Hahahahah two of them is how we end up with the entire multiverse enslaved!