A/N: Apologies for taking such a long time, but this one just didn't want to be written. I don't intend for any future chapters to take this long, but sometimes my muse seems to take extended holidays.
As expected, most of the loyalist forces had surrendered upon receiving word of Yagura's death. Those who had continued to fight on had been cut down quickly, and the winners were now busy taking and processing prisoners, repairing damage to the village, and pacifying the civilian population. There was much work to be done, not just in the village itself but across Mizu no Kuni as a whole – after all, there were still loyalist forces stationed all over the country, many of whom would no doubt continue to resist the new regime.
For the Konoha shinobi whose services had been leant for this battle, however, their concerns were rather more immediate. Kakashi and Sakura were currently located in one of the medical tents, which had been emptied of Kiri patients to allow them to deal with their incapacitated captain in private. Said captain was currently unconscious before them and showing no signs of waking up any time soon. Sakura's brow furrowed at the readings she was getting from her diagnostic jutsu.
"I've never seen anything like it, not even in Tsunade-sensei's medical textbooks." Though her voice and expression betrayed nothing, she was very worried about her teammate. "There's some kind of foreign chakra running through her network, and it somehow seems both highly corrosive and restorative at the same time. Her chakra vessels are being burned away, then regenerating again at a rapid pace." Her glowing hand moved over the inked pattern on Makoto's stomach. "Same with the chakra coils, but they're expanding with each regeneration. Kakashi-sensei, what happened to her?"
"She sealed the Sanbi into herself." Sakura grimaced and breathed deep, maintaining her professionalism for the time being. She would be having words with Makoto once she awoke.
"That explains the foreign chakra, I guess." Tsunade had taught her a little about jinchuriki for when she inevitably had to heal Naruto, but nothing related to the creation of a new one. Whatever was happening to her teammate, there was little she could do other than keep an eye on her. She ground her teeth in frustration – she had apprenticed under Tsunade specifically to avoid this kind of helplessness!
Well, this is ominous.
The last thing I remembered was a sensation of burning agony and the floor rushing to meet my face after finishing my sealing jutsu against Yagura, so it was rather jarring to suddenly find myself standing, physically unharmed and experiencing no pain, in some kind of strange cavern. The walls were of a craggy dark rock, the floor smooth black sand. Spires of purple coral rose from the ground like jagged teeth. Strangely enough, there were large pipes that appeared to be made of brass or some similar metal lining the ceiling, with liquid rushing through them judging by the sound they were making. Though no light sources were visible, the entire place was dimly lit by a low ambient light just bright enough for me to see without my Sharingan. Weirdest of all, the entire place was flooded with water, yet I had no difficulty moving or breathing, as if I were on dry land. Activating my kekkei genkai revealed that the pipes glowed with the distinct midnight blue of my chakra, though flecks and strands of bijuu crimson were interspersed throughout, and the coral itself shone with the same red light. It would seem this was a mental projection of my seal, the pipes a representation of my chakra network, just like when Naruto spoke to Kurama. Was the projection different for each bijuu, and if so what did it say about the Kyuubi that his was a dank industrial maintenance tunnel? Musings for later. Regardless, I would no doubt find Isobu locked away further in. Since no other course of action was readily apparent, I followed the cave deeper to meet its occupant. At least my mental projection was fully clothed, it would have been quite awkward to meet a demon god in my bra!
She was here.
Unfortunate. Isobu had expected more time to collect themself before meeting their new host. They were still disoriented from the shock of having that decade-long genjutsu broken, still mourning the loss of the first host to treat them as a person instead of a monster, still coming to terms with the atrocities they had committed under mind control. Yet they managed to gather their wits and ready themself just in time for the human that had sealed them to enter the enormous cavern that was their seal. If she was intimidated, she did not show it, walking calmly up to the brass bars between them and meeting their gaze with no hint of fear or hesitation. If anything, Isobu was the wary one in this situation. After all, their host was an Uchiha, one whose eyes had ascended to that second stage which had controlled them so completely before. If she so desired, this human could force their complete submission, use and abuse their power in whatever manner they wished.
So it came as a surprise when, instead of enforcing her will upon them, their host bowed low in deference.
"Isobu-sama. I am Uchiha Makoto, and it's an honour to meet you."
Perhaps that was a little too formal, I thought to myself after my greeting was met with silence. The Sanbi's one visible eye, gold with a rippled crimson sclera somewhat reminiscent of the Rinnegan, seemed to bore into me, and it took a great deal of effort not to fidget. In my defence, it was not every day that one met an immortal demon that one had opportunistically sealed into oneself.
"You know my name." The voice was softer than I had expected, not particularly deep, yet still oppressive, power carried in its tones.
"I know many things. Your siblings' names, your origin… The identity of the man who controlled you and Yagura, and his objectives." The eye narrowed, and Isobu moved right up to the bars of their cage, barely a hair's breadth from touching it.
"Explain," they demanded in a tone that would brook no argument.
The human's tale was unbelievable. Indeed, Isobu would have outright rejected it, had they not confirmed the Uchiha's honesty through ninshu. To challenge fate and change the world… If nothing else, their new host was certainly ambitious. There were, however, some details that had to be clarified.
"You say you did not expect to be sent against us. What would you have done if we had not met?"
"In the original timeline, Shukaku would be Akatsuki's first target. He would be extracted, and his host resurrected by one of his village elders through a forbidden jutsu. My original plan was to interrupt Akatsuki during the extraction process and seal Shukaku into myself."
"My little brother, as much as I love him, is not the most stable of us," Isobu pointed out. "You would not have had an easy time with him."
"Which is why I changed plans when I was sent here. Being able to interfere with Akatsuki without having Shukaku in my head was too good an opportunity to pass up. That, and I wasn't sure I could beat Yagura any other way." So that was it? Isobu would have preferred not being sealed at all, but if it was a choice between this otherworldly woman and losing their individuality as part of the Juubi, the preferred outcome was obvious.
"And this… New world of yours. Where do we bijuu fit in?"
"Wherever you please. If I have my way, there will be no more jinchuriki after the current generation, not unless both bijuu and host consent to the sealing. I'd have you left to your own devices."
"Indeed…" Well, that was certainly not the answer they had anticipated. Rare indeed was the human that considered the bijuu anything more than a weapon to be wielded or a monster to be contained. "You have given me much to consider, Uchiha-san. I would like time to think. Alone."
"Of course," she agreed with another deep bow. "Um, how exactly do I leave?" Isobu felt some amusement at the question, remembering when Yagura had asked the same thing. A painful reminder of what the man had once been.
"Simply will it, and it will be so." The human nodded, then blurred out of existence, leaving the bijuu alone once more. They let out a breath and relaxed. Putting on a show of aloof grandeur was always tiring, but humans expected it. Perhaps in time they could drop the act, as they had with Yagura. This human did seem to be cut from a similar cloth, if a bit less reserved than he had been. They would speak again in time. For now, though, they had been left with a lot to think about.
"Urgh…" I groaned upon awakening, my body feeling like I had just taken part in one of Lee's insane training sessions.
"Makoto!" That was Sakura, and she sounded relieved. I opened my eyes to see the pinkette in question standing over me, Kakashi at her side. "How are you feeling?"
"Sore." I pushed myself into a sitting position and looked around. I was on a table in a medical tent, with only the three of us present. "But functional."
"Good." Pain flared in my face from the nuclear slap Sakura delivered before pulling me into a hug, shaking. "We thought you were going to die! You scared the hell out of us, what were you thinking!?"
"I wasn't sure we could beat Yagura any other way," I explained. "And even if we had, that would have left Isobu to reform somewhere else, where Akatsuki could grab them. I should have told you my plan, I'm sorry."
"Who is Isobu?" Kakashi pointedly asked.
"The Sanbi. We had an interesting chat while I was out."
"You talked to it?"
"Yeah. They were more reasonable than you might expect." I looked around again just to be sure we were alone. "Are the Kiri ninja occupied?"
"They're cleaning up the village right now. I think they're getting ready for a party tonight, as well."
"Good. What I'm about to tell you would probably qualify as an S-rank secret. Don't tell anyone until we've reported to Hokage-sama, let her decide who needs to know." Sakura let me go, and both of them paid rapt attention. "Yagura was put under a genjutsu not long after becoming Mizukage, one that completely subordinated his will to the caster and drove him mad with bloodlust."
"The Mizukage was being mind-controlled?" Both my teammates went pale at the implications.
"Yes, and it gets worse. The genjutsu didn't just affect Yagura, it controlled Isobu too. The only way thing that can put a bijuu under genjutsu is an exceptionally powerful Sharingan."
"Your brother!" Sakura gasped, and I shook my head.
"No, Itachi was still in Konoha when this happened. This was someone else, another Uchiha who isn't connected to the clan or village. Isobu described someone who wore a full face mask with a single eye hole and a black cloak with a red cloud pattern."
"Akatsuki…" Kakashi swallowed. "Akatsuki have another Uchiha."
"So it would seem. Like I said, keep it quiet for now. If Mei knew an Uchiha was behind Yagura's madness, she might suspect Konoha's involvement. It could start a war." I stood up and stretched. "Now, can I have my shirt and coat back?"
That night's victory party was held in the village square, the rebel forces celebrating with all manner of food, drink, and dance. The whole place was festooned with lanterns and ribbons, and banners bearing the crests of prominent rebel-aligned clans were hung up all around. The sounds of song and chatter were omnipresent, and the air was filled with an atmosphere of pride and hope for the future. The shadow of the Bloody Mist was finally lifting from Kiri.
A light hand on my shoulder brought me out of my thoughts and back to the present, and I found Sakura giving me a concerned look.
"I'm fine," I answered her unspoken question, then gestured at the ongoing festivities around us. "Isn't this incredible? Just hours ago this place was a warzone, and now it's a festival."
"Life is short in Kiri, so we know how to celebrate it when we can." The speaker had been Mei, dressed in a blue-and-white formal yukata and approaching with Zabuza at her side, the swordsman looking distinctly out-of-place in his usual shirtless combat attire, massive sword at his back.
"Hopefully life won't be so short under your rule, Mizukage-sama, and there will be more cause to celebrate."
"I'm sure there will be, once things have calmed down," she agreed. "It's good to see you've recovered, Uchiha-san."
"Ha! Come on, we both know you'd have preferred it if I'd died and left the Sanbi free to recapture."
"Admittedly, that would have been… Convenient for us," she acknowledged frankly. "But I have a feeling Zabuza-kun would have been disappointed."
"Oh? Is that so?"
"Don't get the wrong idea, Uchiha. It's just that I'd rather not see a strong fighter die such a pathetic death."
"You're such a sweetheart, Momochi-san."
"Call me that again and I'll slit your throat."
"You know you love me."
"The only loves in my life are my sword, my village, and my fiance."
"Fiance?" I blinked, and Mei smiled coyly. "Oh, damn. You two? Congratulations! When's the wedding?"
"As soon as things settle down enough," answered Mei. "If you're lucky, you might even get an invite."
"Perhaps having some Leaf citizens there would strengthen the bond between our villages," I mused, to which she agreed. "Where are you off to, Momochi-san?" The man in question had, without a word, started to walk off, but stopped briefly to answer my question.
"Retrieving Kiri's other jinchuriki, since you stole the Sanbi."
"Okay, give my regards to Utakata-san!" That seemed to throw Zabuza off briefly, but he quickly recovered and continued on his way. Mei shook her head.
"You're full of surprises, aren't you, Uchiha-san? Hmm, we'll definitely have to keep an eye on you. Enjoy your night." With that, she too wandered off into the crowd.
"Well, you heard the lady!" I told my teammates. "Go on, have some fun! As your captain, I order you to take a break tonight. Just remember we're heading home tomorrow, so don't party too hard."
One by one, the cavern was filled by projections of some of the most deadly S-Rank shinobi on the continent, each taking their place atop the fingers of a grand statue. This meeting had been a surprise, and so it took a little longer than usual for everyone to assemble, but they did arrive. After all, the consequences for ignoring the vibration of their rings that signaled such a meeting had been made perfectly clear to all.
"This had better be important," Kakuzu practically growled. "I had to abandon a lucrative bounty to make this meeting." Pain did not deign to answer, instead glancing pointedly at an empty spot.
"Kakuzu, what happened to your partner?"
"He pissed me off."
"That quickly?" Deidara laughed. "What was that, three weeks? Must be a new record, hm."
"Did you at least keep the body intact?" asked Sasori. "His abilities were intriguing, he would make a good puppet."
"I could go back and collect the corpse… For a price."
"Enough." Pain did not shout, he never shouted, but still the others were silenced. "We are here because the Sanbi jinchuriki is dead."
"Old Yagura-kun finally kicked the bucket, eh?" Kisame chuckled. "Looks like you won't be avenging your old partner, Itachi-san." No response was forthcoming. "So who did him in? And what happened to the Sanbi?"
"Yagura's killer is currently unidentified," Pain explained. "Though a small team from Konoha was recently dispatched to aid the Kiri rebels, and it is likely that they aided the new Mizukage in his defeat. The status of the Sanbi is also unknown. Zetsu, you are to investigate this matter."
"Of course, Leader-sama," Black Zetsu acknowledged.
"Ooh, sounds like fun!" added White Zetsu. Their hologram disappeared from the meeting.
"Kakuzu, there is a potential replacement partner for you near Yugakure."
"This one had better know how to shut up," the five-hearted miser grumbled.
Normally I wasn't a drinker, since my current body was still too young to handle it, but given the magnitude of what I'd been through on this mission, I had made an exception. And so I had sat myself down in a bar full of celebrating shinobi and ordered a beer, deciding to take things easy. It would not do to be too drunk on a mission, after all.
Still feeling perfectly fine after my first drink, I ordered a second. Which then became a third, then a fourth.
"You haven't been cheating me with non-alcoholic crap, have you?" The bartender looked offended.
"What do you take me for, brat? I ain't dumb enough to cheat a damn ninja."
"Apologies." I downed the last of my glass. "I'll take something harder then." He raised an eyebrow, shrugged, and poured a shot of some kind of sweet-smelling blue-purple drink, which I downed in one. Plum liquor? That's pretty good. I waited for the intoxication to begin. Nothing. "The hell's going on?" I muttered under my breath.
"My chakra automatically burns out toxins from your blood, including alcohol." I started a little at the voice in my head.
"Isobu-sama?"
"Yes. You do not need to speak aloud for me to hear you, simply directing your thoughts at me is enough." Well, that was potentially quite useful.
"Are you telling me I can't get drunk?" I asked. "Or poisoned?"
"You can," they corrected, "but the dosage would have to be vastly beyond a normal human's tolerance."
"How far beyond, exactly?" There was a pause before the answer came back.
"I don't know."
"Well then," I thought back with a grin, "shall we find out?"