Chapter 73: Rising tensions
He'd promised her he wouldn't go overboard.
Looking at the training field, Kagome suppressed a sigh.
For the most part, whenever Sasuke promised her something, the Uchiha did his best to fulfill them, no matter what. He wasn't and had never been the sort of person to openly talk about his emotions and feelings, so this was a way for him to show how much he cared about her, always trying to keep her happy. Of course, there were always moments when keeping those promises wasn't an easy thing to do. Considering his impulsive nature, she wasn't surprised to notice that what started out as a very limited taijutsu spar was slowly but surely turning into a real fight.
Jealousy was always present in the Uchiha's nature, and while the girl didn't usually mind it, it was the one thing that always threatened to make his impulsivity break through his self-control. Up until now, it hadn't been that much of an issue. Back in Konoha, their hands had been so tied that the worst thing Sasuke ever did was insult the child of a wealthy vendor, and in Orochimaru's compound, no one minded the body count left behind him. Going out all here would not work. Not when their standing here was so freaking ambiguous. If this kept on, the girl would soon be forced to intervene and put a stop to this. And she would...after she managed to get a better handle on just how strong the second Taisho heir had grown in the years since the Suna invasion of their former village. It wouldn't be that hard to justify a few injuries on the silver-haired teen when he clearly hadn't gotten any better at handling his own anger management issues and instead matched the Uchiha blow for blow. But she wasn't about to risk finding out where the line was.
"So this guy isn't that useless, huh?" At her right, Suigetsu let out a soft whistle.
"You can't survive in our worlds by just bluffing." Azure eyes refused to move from the two fighters as they finally added their weapons to the mix. "No matter how good at it you may be."
"Yeah, can see that," the ex-Kiri nin scoffed. "Though, is it me, or is our dear leader getting carried away? We're starting to attract a crowd again."
With a quick glance, Kagome assessed the people in the borrowed training field.
The crowd size couldn't compare to the audience she'd gotten while saving the delusional shinobi, but the longer it got, the bigger it would grow. After all, while the Higurashi disclosed a lot of information to the Taisho heads, it was evident not a word of her reports was given to the general public. A show of the control and power the main family had over the clan. It wasn't a surprise those who were chakra sensitive were interested in getting a closer look at the foreigners. Being watched was something they'd gotten used to a long time ago.
"I can deal with that."
"Wasn't Inuyasha-san the one who wanted to spar?" Juugo asked, probably picking up the annoyance in her voice.
"Like they care about shit like that." Suigetsu crossed his arms. "People from clans like this would rather cut off an arm than admit it was their fault." A suddenly nervous lavender gaze flickered to her before adding. "Well...there are exceptions."
The girl stopped herself from rolling her eyes. She'd been the one to insist on letting the older teen tag along, and Kagome knew from the start that there was no genuine loyalty behind his actions. In fact, she was quite confident that for as much as Suigetsu was acting less hostile after the Suna mess, he still wouldn't put himself on the line for either of them. It would be fine. As long as they remained the rogue nin's best bet, he wouldn't betray them.
Not the place, not the moment.
Later, Kagome could assess the pieces she'd picked up, but for now, her focus really should go back to the increasingly dangerous match in front of her.
It looked like as far as pure physical strength went, Inuyasha was pretty much on par with Sasuke. Activating the curse mark would likely change that, although the girl still didn't like it when the Uchiha used it, regardless of the fact that he'd already mastered its use and there was no real danger of him losing himself to it. With or without control, that form of his was better kept hidden while they remained in this estate. Not like that was something the boy was keeping in mind right now, going by the loud clashes of metal that were becoming more disorganized. Because even though the silver-haired Taisho's swordsmanship was far sloppier than the Uchiha's, the older teen was resilient enough to just power through.
Unsurprisingly, crimson took over Sasuke's eyes.
Not just yet.
With the added sharpness to his movements, Kagome could see that Inuyasha was finally being pushed back a little. Not enough for it to turn into a done deal, but enough for there to be a change in the Taisho's movements. There was more strength behind the slashes now, and she could feel the chakra building up in a way that felt somewhat familiar. Was he prepping for the attack he used against Gaara back during the invasion? Had it become more powerful in this time gap? Could they stop such a technique if they were to take it head on...no.
This wasn't the time to test that either. Especially when Sasuke was likely to up the ante even more now that he'd activated his sharingan.
Old familiar motions placed senbons between her fingers, reiki flowing to them in a heartbeat. The needles cut through the chakra-filled camp as soon as they let her grasp, thin wires still firmly within her hands. All movements stopped, reiki charged threads all but wrapping around both fighters. One step and her wires would cut through flesh. Not badly, but she wasn't willing to risk either impulsive boy to ignore her warnings."
"I believe we should be able to call this a tie, shouldn't we?" Kagome smiled, arms raised, keeping her wires tense.
"Wha...?"
"Tch."
With a grunt, Sasuke glanced at her, a silent agreement to stop the fight. Sighing, the girl allowed her reiki to vanish from her wires and lowered her arms to let go f the tension and let the teens get away from her threads.
"Inuyasha..." Sesshoumaru's cold voice had the silent group parting to let the heir through. "Were you about to use one of Father's jutsus for a simple spar?"
"Not like he couldn't have taken it."
A single raised silver eyebrow had the younger Taisho pale and mumbling under his breath.
And Kagome had to bite back a sigh.
Whatever stress Sasuke managed to get out through the fight was probably back with a single look at Sesshoumaru. His distaste had only grown worse since the heir's comment had been the hint they needed to finally find something that could be used to start decoding her family's old texts.
"Ahem, yeah. Sorry about almost getting carried away." Inuyasha's voice was strained as his gaze flickered between her and the Uchiha.
"Oh, no need to apologize at all. A calm sparring session is a boring one, after all." Her smile was just as practiced as always. "That said, we should probably take our leave now. Wouldn't want to take over your training grounds."
"Father said you and your group are welcome; that includes our training grounds." Golden eyes pierced her. Sesshoumaru's words appeared to have just as many meanings as his mother's.
"We'll make sure to keep it in mind."
There was a short pause before the heir nodded and turned to continue berating his younger brother. Yes, she could understand why Sasuke hated the elder Taisho so much. Out of everyone they'd met in this place, Sesshoumaru presented the biggest potential threat apart from the family heads. Even after their current leaders retired (regardless of how they exited the stage), the clan would remain as strong as ever. Decoding those documents couldn't be pushed to the side, if she wanted to navigate this mess without letting them drown.
"Shall we?" Rough fingers intertwined with them as she pulled the Uchiha with her.
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
Tsunade really, really wanted to just yell and throw every single person inside her office out the window. And technically, she actually had a very good reason to do so, considering the information they'd managed to get so far seemed to point horrible impression of basically every single member of the Council. It was hard to get their hands on paper trails and downright impossible to find ways to get information straight from some of their lower-ranked retainers, but the proof they were getting was impossible to deny. These people had actively been mining away Sandaime's power, and as much as the blonde hated to admit it, her teacher had been unable to reign them back in.
Greedy bunch of old farts, insisting on butting their noses as if they were the ones chosen to lead the village instead of the Hokage.
She'd been insane;y lucky to have Sakura as her apprentice to quickly appoint someone she could trust with Naruto's team; otherwise, the Godaime wasn't sure she could come up with another reliable chuunin to fill in Kagome's spot.
"You should decrease the number of missions given to Naruto, as much as possible." Koharu's expression was as sour as her voice. "And restrict the range of his movements. Only high-ranking shinobi should be appointed with him."
Biting his tongue, the blonde forced herself not to give a big reaction, despite the fact that they just told her in political platitudes that what they wanted was to chain the boy.
"Unacceptable." Maybe she didn't manage it, her one word far too aggressive sounding.
"Tsunade, Naruto is no ordinary child; he's a jinchuuriki." Every word out of the old woman's mouth was condescending as hell.
"Normally, we wouldn't allow him to leave the village, keep him under constant supervision." And now, Homura was chiming in as well. "I assure you, we are truly making concessions."
"I'm in favor of a four-man team, but such restrictions should not be placed on Naruto," Tsunade forced her tone to remain polite. "Even if he remains in the village, Akatsuki will still pursue him, just like what happened in Suna. If that were to happen, Konoha would also be placed in danger. They will be more hard-pressed trying to find him if he's constantly on the move. Besides, he's always had a special ability; he will grow to become a great power for Konoha."
"You are being flippant, Tsunade. Speak like a Hokage.
"I am also making concessions here!"
Her fist crashed the table in front of her at his words. She'd never had much patience in the first place.
"Then can you truly guarantee that Naruto will not be taken by Akatuski?!" And the old man was matching her temper now. "If Akatsuki takes the Kyuubi from Naruto, they will become an even greater threat to Konoha. Can you guarantee that this will not happen?"
Oh, this was rich coming from some of the people who were the reason behind one of the best shinobis the village had ever produced to be chased off. No, forget that, they decided not to address the constant complaints from the Uchiha clan and ended up killing all members of such a skilled family. Bunch of hypocrites, choosing now to worry about the growing strength of the criminal organization. Worse yet, after discovering the mess the Council had tried so hard to sweep under the rug, Tsunade dug up as many reports as she could get her hands on that contained the prankster's name, and she hadn't been amused by what she found.
At all.
Half-hazard reports and dismissed concerns had filled a good portion of Naruto's early life. She'd had to go from Kakashi's, Iruka's, and the prankster's own tales to be able to piece together a realistic idea of what his childhood was like. Bullying and discrimination had been turned a blind eye to, and his living conditions had been beyond bad until he made it to the academy. If not for the constant intervention of the Uchiha and Higurashi heirs and their public friendship, most shops would likely still attempt to give him subpar service or refuse to let him in all together. And the people responsible for allowing such abuse to continue were sitting in front of her. Giving it a tacit approval with their silence.
"Naruto will not be taken!" To hell with politically correct behavior. "I trust in that."
"And if that belief is mistaken...what will you do?" Damn, they just wouldn't let go.
"If that places Konoha...places Hi country in danger, I will put my life on the line to save it, as Godaime Hokage."
Sarutobi-sensei had allowed his former teammates to push around, but the Senju princess was resolved to not repeat his same mistakes; if they thought they could keep undermining her, they were dead wrong.
"Understood...do what you want if you are that convinced," Homura said, and it didn't sound like a capitulation. "However, we will choose a member to add to the four-man team."
"...alright." She bit out.
The last thing Tsunade wanted to do was to concede, but she needed them to think she wasn't aware of their underhanded tricks.
"Danzou, enter!"
"...you."
It felt like a slap to her face, realizing who those two decided was far more trustworthy than she was. Either the three of them had been working together to try to rule the village from the shadows, or Danzou was attempting to use the other two to gain even more influence. As if the man handling his own section of ANBU wasn't enough.
Out of all the persons they'd investigated, this man was the one they knew for sure was involved in the decision to massacre one of their founder clans.
"It's been a while, Tsunade-hime." Danzou's voice was just as she remembered.
"If you're here, that means..." That for her plans to work, they'd need to be insanely more careful now. "The new member is from the Root division of ANBU."
"From what I heard, it looks like you're planning on sending that team out again soon." He was definitely talking down to her. "With Kakashi still recuperating, another member will be needed."
"There is not much time before the mission." Koharu just couldn't keep quiet.
"A leader should be elected," Danzou continued. "Of course, someone trustworthy should be elected."
"I already have a candidate. A member of ANBU should be high-ranking enough for it, shouldn't it?" Tsunade cut them off, daring them to talk back.
Like hell, she'd allow him or the Council to meddle even more into Naruto's team. Especially considering that particular group was also in charge of looking for the Uchiha and Higurashi heirs, and while the woman felt confident they'd been careful enough with their digging, there was still a risk the man would give his shinobi a different mission. It would slow down their investigation, but the only person she could trust with this was her own personal ANBU guard. Better that than losing her handle on the situation.
"I see... in that case, I don't have any objections." There was bitterness in Danzou's voice.
"Indeed, that should be more than good enough." With Homura's capitulation, the issue was closed.
"Well, if this was all you wanted to say..."
"Actually, Tsunade-hime, there is another thing I believe needs to be discussed." One of these days, she was going to punch the old man. "The issue regarding the Taishos."
"What about it?"
She didn't bother to hide her glare as she looked around the room, it had taken her weeks to push the old Council into giving up the draft Minato drew with the silver-haired shinobis, and even though she'd taken some of the more obvious changes to it, they'd fought her for every little point.
After Kakashi made the sobering realization that the reasoning behind two-thirds of his team may be related to the mishandling of the Uchiha clan situation, the Taisho name was one that had inevitably popped up in her mind. The family already displayed a shameless amount of interest in the Higurashi girl, and they managed to keep a somewhat favorable relationship with the two teens. If they did get to the bottom of it all and reached the same conclusion that her small investigation team landed on, approaching them would be almost impossible. Hell, if Tsunade were in their shoes, she'd also feel suspicious if any attempt to reach out that didn't come out of Naruto's insistence. So far, the only the Godaime could see them agreeing to try and deal with this in a diplomatic manner would be with the assistance of a third party. With the Taishos showing an interest in the Higurashi clan and try to improve their relationship with Konoha at the same time. They would be in as close to a neutral position as any member of their world would. Of course, if she wanted the family to act as their messengers, they needed to keep moving forth with the small treaties to the treaty.
"They are a dangerous clan."
"They've always been," Tsunade scoffed. "If they weren't, they wouldn't be outside any country's jurisdiction."
"Which is why all villages ended up coming to the same conclusion; it's better to keep our distance and keep an eye from afar." Danzou clearly refused to back down.
"And I agree, that was probably the best decision to take at the time." Deep breaths and calm thoughts, she couldn't blow this up. "But the village is barely coming out of the tough spot Orochimaru's attack left it in; they're a valuable resource."
"They are a potential threat; moving on with all these changes means they'll get greater access to information regarding Konoha." Homura was outright glaring at her.
"They'll still have less information on us than Suna, even with those changes."
"But Suna is indebted to us. We agreed to give them an out despite breaking the peace accords between our nations by putting all the blame on Orochimaru; we even saved their Kazekage's life." The old guys were definitely teammates; Koharu didn't miss a beat.
As if.
The people who actually helped the Suna jinchuuriki escape three years ago were team 7's original members, and two-thirds of it were no longer in Konoha. And it was the Higurashi who actively aided the man in his fight against Akatsuki; hell, she was the one who helped bring him back to life.
If anything, Suna was just as potentially compromised as the silver-haired clan.
"When the other villages hear about our increased dealings with the clan, the balance of the peace we've been living could also break."
"Power is the only thing that motivates the Taisho clan...I'm sure we've all heard that one before." Tsunade ignored Danzou's not-so-subtle threat. "We have the chance to obtain not just information but a potentially powerful ally, and you want to walk away out of what? Fear?"
"Caution is..."
"Like hell, it's caution." Her words cut off the old councilwoman. "The changes we're making are stupidly hard to notice, and this is a decision that has been reached anyway. I am the Hokage here..." Brown eyes glared at the people around her. "Now that everything has been addressed, I believe your time is better served elsewhere."
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
All in all, it really wasn't that bad.
Slender fingers traced bruised skin, letting her reiki brush against the wounds and heal the various scratches and hits as she went. These were still more injuries than she would've liked, but then again, Kagome was very much aware that eventually, their enemies would be more than the average bounty hunters coming after them. Sooner or later, they were bound to get hurt. That was why, as much as she hated Kabuto, she still followed him, obeying his instructions and attempting to get as much information as she could out of him. The knowledge of that did nothing to soothe her irritation.
"You're annoyed." It wasn't a question.
"Just give me a couple more days, and I can make a decent counter." Pushing his white haori off, the girl continued with her examination. "Once we have it, we can start traveling again."
"They already knew about the poison, didn't they?" Rough fingers traced her cheek, an apologetic caress.
Switching subjects when there was something he didn't want to talk about was a tried and true method to avoid conflicts between them, and Sasuke was definitely fond of using it. It could be annoying and inconvenient, but the Higurashi decided not to push the issue right now. He already knew why she was upset, and they both knew that the Uchiha would try his best to keep his temper under control but would end up needing to fight someone else at some point. It had been that way since they were children. With a slight nod, the girl allowed her gaze to fully take in the skin beneath her fingers. Despite Orochimaru's insanely harsh training, there wasn't a single scar on his body due, in part, to her constant healing.
"More than likely." Azure eyes met onyx. "Kimi-sama has only gone to the lab once, and even then, the interest she showed was a little bit too perfect. But as long as Miroku-san's guess is right, the toxin comes from some sort of bloodline limit."
"So, unless they have you, they won't be able to cure it." His voice was cautious, but he seemed to relax under her touch.
"As far as I can tell."
"Any word from your informants?"
"Rumors, here and there." A couple of her Shikigamis had come to her with a few hints during the last couple of days. "Nothing I can feel confident about, not before I have a capable counter to that poison, at least."
If she had to be honest, the Higurashi had to admit she was impressed Sasuke had been so patient so far. It wasn't surprising that the Uchiha was finally starting to voice his irritation with the situation they were stuck in, especially after witnessing the mess in the hospital room. As annoying as dealing with Kouga's incredibly forward behavior had been, a part of her couldn't help but smile. Sasuke remained just as possessive as always, just like she was of him.
"And after we have a good counter?"
"There are a couple of places I'd like to check out for ourselves." They'd need to make copies of the scrolls they were decoding, but she didn't want the Uchiha to feel even more trapped. "Ame is far too reclusive, and there's little knowledge coming from it, it's frustrating."
"Think you can get an informant there?" His words were soft as he watched her.
"From what I can remember, some of the people we freed came from there, and even without them, I should be able to find an accessible broker if all else fails." Slender fingers went back to the Uchiha's chest, slowly tracing invisible lines. "Not the best option we have, but something tells me we can't keep ignoring that particular country.
"Akatsuki? Or this Naraku person?" Sasuke asked, his attention on the conversation faltering.
"Not sure." Satisfaction flowed through her at the way his gaze couldn't leave her form. "But either of them would give us some progress."
Content that there were no more injuries for her to heal, Kagome fully settled on his lap, cutting off the push of reiki while continuing to let her hand travel through his toned muscles. His breathing quickened, losing all interest in their talk, just as well that she also had some frustration to work out.
"And the others?"
"You didn't hear?" the girl almost laughed.
Just one more thing to throw to the pile of evidence that the Uchiha had been so irritated at the world in general that he'd just stormed into their lent room and ignored anything and everything else. At least, until Kagome entered behind him and forced him to sit on the sofa so she could inspect his wounds. She'd known from the start that him not putting up a fight over wasting her energy for pointless scratches was a sign that he was attempting to calm himself by letting their physical contact reassure his doubts. It had been that way since forever, and she'd always found it immensely satisfying to see the tension melt under her touch, even when it was nothing more than an innocent caress. Not that she planned to keep this pure.
"I told them to go and check out more scrolls," she said with an amused smile. "And to stay clear of our room for the rest of the afternoon."
"Will they actually be able to do anything useful?" Finally, his voice held something other than stress.
"At the very least, they'll save us a couple of trips to the archives." Kagome put on an innocent look before asking. "Do you want us to go and keep working on it?"
The Uchiha scoffed, his hands already working to untie the bow of her obi. If there was one thing she appreciated about staying in the Taisho estate, it was the privacy they could get compared to their travels.
"Just a little more, and we can go back to our search," she mumbled while she felt the outer layer of her haori be pulled open. "We'll be together once more."
"You think he'd want to go against them?" He wondered against the skin of her neck.
"Even if he doesn't, we can convince him." Her breathing was becoming labored, neither of them faltering in their actions despite the new topic in their conversation. "Even if the world turns against us..."
She brushed a lock of short raven hair back before helping him untie the knots that kept her sleeves on. It was only in moments like this that Sasuke felt comfortable enough to let his doubts and insecurities out, and even then, those times were few, and far in between. It was something Kagome understood all too well, because as much as she didn't even want to consider it, there was a part of her that feared Itachi would reject them. They were so vastly different from the two children he'd once tried to protect. But she would make the older Uchiha understand their point of view, even if her methods were far from what could be considered honorable. No matter how far she had to go. It wasn't just for her...
"The three of us will always have each other's backs," Sasuke whispered the first part of their childhood promise, bringing her back to the present.
"He'll come to see our point; we just have to be careful." Kagome leaned into him for just a second, her lips brushing against his for a heartbeat. "Trust me?"
"Kagome..."
She didn't resist as his hands turned from thoughtful to desperate, tugging off the layers of her clothing with irritation. Always so impatient. So frantic.
It didn't take a minute before he was switching positions, letting her back rest on the sofa's soft fabric as he climbed on top of her. Not a single complaint left him when her own touches became harsher, nails scratching into his skin. Soon enough, crimson trails would adorn his back, and her own flesh would bloom violet for just a moment before her reiki reacted.
It wasn't love.
The fire that consumed them both was far too warped to be called such a pure emotion, but if this was the term Sasuke wanted to use, she would recite it as a prayer while heat rose within her willing body. His lips captured hers, trying to take her very breath from her as his hands trailed south, and Kagome responded in kind. They'd drown in this ocean of flames together and burn everything that got in their way.
"You're mine," he panted, black eyes locked onto hers. "You won't leave my side. Not now, not ever."
"I'll live and die for you." It was an oath, a prayer, a curse. "And I'll drag you down with me."
Pleasure intertwined with a hint of pain as she finally let herself go. If they were going straight to hell, she'd make sure to enjoy every step of the journey.
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
There was nothing enjoyable about the position she was in. And really, if Tsunade had known accepting this job would also mean having to juggle so many internal power struggles, she probably would've done everything in her power to delay their arrival to the village.
"There is one more person..." Tired, the Godaime looked at the masked man in front of her desk. "A member of the ANBU training department Root has been assigned to team Kakashi."
"Yes?"
"Keep an eye on his movements," she ordered.
"...what do you mean?" Her guard was too cautious.
"The new member is one Danzo recommended." It was a small miracle those words were said without sounding like a whine. " Danzo is a man who previously opposed Sandaime, emphasizing the use of military power over diplomacy. He created a separate division in ANBU, the training division Root placing himself as the leader; they are also potentially involved with the Uchiha situation. The group has been disbanded, and he has lost his position...but he hasn't changed. He must have some ulterior motive."
"If I were to catch an unusual action from this person?" Careful questions were not something she could blame him for, even if they were a pain to answer.
Silence filled the room.
Corruption was not something she could just wave away; these people that insisted on undermining not just her authority but had effectively done so with her teacher needed to be rooted out. It wasn't even because her pride just took a hit, but if she let these people go, there was a good chance that they'd keep trying to rule the village in her place. Knowing them, Tsunade wouldn't be surprised if their ancestors hadn't been specifically trained to keep up with their underhanded schemes. Of course, just outing them wasn't a viable option. Being reckless would land her in a PR nightmare, and the Council could weaponize the fact that the Godaime had been away from Konoha for decades. Her gambling and drinking habits would not help her with all of this. No, this needed to be handled with the sort of delicacy she'd never been known for.
"Find a way to stop them," There was no hesitation to her words. "I don't want either of those two brats attacked by Danzo's proxy."
"Is it worth it...all of this?" The ANBU questioned. Not in defiance but in genuine curiosity.
"This is not just about them." Tsunade didn't falter. "They can't keep sabotaging the Hokage's decisions, and they won't stop with me. I can't allow them to take even a single choice out of my hands."
"I understand."
"If at all possible, I want you to make contact with them first." It would be risky, but even Shikamaru agreed there was no safe path in this game.
"Without the team, you mean?"
"...I'm not naive; at one point or another, some version of the truth will need to be put out, but Naruto's control over his anger is still...erratic." According to Jiraiya's report, that word was an understatement. "This won't take priority over the rest, of course."
"This...it should be doable."
"In any case, you'll take Kakashi's place while he continues the investigation from this side until your new team is back."
"To take Kakashi-sempai's place...that is indeed an honor." A sliver of pride broke through the ANBU's calm facade.
"This is not an ANBU mission; it's just a regular assignment. You will remove your mask and be assigned a codename." Not quite standard procedure, but nothing was in this mission. "For its duration, you will take on the name of Yamato...anyway, go and introduce yourself to the team."
Worried eyes watched as the man flickered out of the room. Because using the door was just not something ANBU did, apparently.
Tsunade wasn't sure this was the best decision she'd made. For all intent and purposes. She was betting again, and her track record never worked in her favor. Reviewing Shikamaru's reports and proposed plans, however, really made it obvious they didn't have the luxury to stay out of this mess for much longer.
When the Godaime mentioned this whole thing being about more than just the pair of clan heirs, she hadn't been lying. Naruto's reaction would be explosive, for sure, and there was also the revelation about the reason behind the insane Uchiha prodigy's actions would affect the whole village. With the confirmation that the clan's massacre had been done under an order, Tsunade had no doubt that the thing that was offered in exchange for having the teen execute his own family had to be the well-being of the two youngest members of his household. In fact, if Shikamaru's analysis was correct, his reappearance after Sarutobi-sensei's death could've very well been a message of some kind towards those involved with the mission. A warning, more than likely. The teen had managed to kill his clan when he'd been sane; were he to actually lose his hold on his rationality and blame the village for the disappearance of those two...it wouldn't be a pretty picture.
Tsunade would make her bet.
o-o-o-o-o-
Perhaps he'd been hasty when he chose to hire the Shichinintai.
The group had potential, evidenced by how three of their weaker members managed to come back with their heads still attached after attacking the Uchiha survivor. But that clearly didn't mean they were organized or knew how to follow orders.
Attempting to ambush the girl's group while they were still traveling from Suna had been idiocy beyond compare. Especially when such impulsivity went directly against his orders to simply observe and follow them from a distance so the group could finally hit the Taisho's hidden base. Jakotsu's solo action threw decades worth of work down the drain in a single move.
Since she insisted on aiding the thrice-accursed clan with their barriers, tracking them was virtually impossible. Not even Kanna's mirror could breach them. This was the first time he'd ever gotten the chance to locate them since, for the first time, the Higurashi matriarch was entirely unaware of his existence. Oh, he knew that because she'd never been foolish, as her successor, Higurashi Kagome, was also highly perceptive. The girl noticed there was someone targetting the pest that traveled with her, but none of the useless bounty hunters he'd sent their way would've been notorious enough to potentially guide her back to him. It was that imbecile's fault his plan was ruined, and it was also his fault that his temper had flared bad enough that he'd lashed against one of the Taisho teams he'd been trying to trail.
Would the new heads of that hateful family be able to recognize his poison from the corpses?
No, even if they did, the real issue was how connected they were with this current version of her?
He'd never been privy to the details surrounding the two ancient clan's treaties, but he knew that woman. Always careful and thoughtful. Now that the matriarch had been raised with such different beliefs...would the Taishos still trust her? Would their connection remain as strong as it once was before Konoha got involved in their affairs?
No.
It didn't matter. Naraku could still course correct. After all, the pure knowledge that someone was hunting the Uchiha boy was inconsequential. If none of those assassination attempts could be traced back to him, nothing would stop him from going after the girl. Now that she'd alienated so many of her former allies, there would be no one close to her after his pest extermination. Alone and crumbling from despair, it would be so easy to mold her to what she had been. All he needed was for those under his payroll to do what they were supposed to fucking do.
"Kagura..." The sliding door opened at once. "Is everything ready?"
"They are in position..." the woman trailed off from her kneeling position.
"But?"
"But...will they be able to pull it off?" It was clear the wind kunoichi knew she'd make a mistake. "I mean...they are good, but the kids managed to kill a Sannin when it was only the two of them."
"Orochimaru was already weakening by then. And even if the Shichinintai are not strong enough, my plan will not fail. If they do so again, they will not be needed anymore. Do I make myself clear?"
"...of course."
Crimson eyes narrowed as he watched the woman leave.
Good help was so hard to find.
At this rate, he'd probably have to get rid of her too, but for now, Kagura was one of his most reliable pawns. And speaking of...he should make another visit to his old friend, give him a kind reminder that he'd agreed to his deal, and as much as Naraku was a patient man, he wasn't about to forgive inaction.
A/N: Hii, so here is the new chapter, I know the update schedule is a bit off for now, but I'm still trying to find a nice rhythm after last term's disaster, I'm so sorry about the slower updates.
Regardless, I'm so glad this chapter is out, most of pieces are already set and we can move on with it all. I honestly considered showing more of the fight from different point of views, but ended up deciding against it since it would've taken over the chapter and really that would've been nothing but filler and I really wanted to finish with the set up.
As always, thank you guys so much for reading and any and all review/comment/criticism is greatly appreciated.