Worst Day of My Life
You can tell yourself that you are fearless.
You can tell yourself that this is nothing new, that you are familiar with all the motions.
You can tell yourself that you will resist defiantly, just as the movies and books narrate.
And you know what? That might even be the truth to some degree. However, the problem with that is, truth isn't constant. Reality is constant. Truth conforms to whatever the present reality is. Soon, you will learn that your truth is a delusion. The fact will overcome your psyche sooner or later. Then and only then, you will learn how stupid you truly were.
This is a fact that interrogators often utilize. In case one didn't know, interrogators were a pretty name for torturers. That is what they did. Hell, the Department for Safety and Security (DSS) was nicknamed Torturer & Interrogation (T ) for this very reason. A bureau more feared than the Hokage's personal guard or even the ANBU. The previous two will grant you an instant death. DSS, meanwhile, would make you suffer if you were lucky. If they were in a foul mood, you would be humiliated.
All beings had a healthy ego. Most would break first when their personal honor and dignity was so violently brought down around them. First, they would let you stew in indignity and imagine all the things that would happen tomorrow.
A fact that wasn't lost on Anko; A rightfully feared Kunoichi, the object of masculine desires and heir apparent of several department heads. It had been a while since she had been arrested and locked in this pitch-black cell. Anko could guess in which of these areas she was in, having thrown many of her victims in the same way. What she couldn't guess was how long they had been holding her here.
She knew they had induced time distortion in her by keeping her medically unconscious.
Calm yourself, Anko. This could have been a false arrest. She said. False arrests could happen in her line of work. Jealous shinobi hoping to rat out their better counterparts as a last-ditch blame game. She tried to tug at her metal restraints and cried out in pain as her joints rebelled against her.
She was strung up by her wrists, her feet just touched enough of the ground to give her "ground", but much of her weight was against her wrists. A cold draft blew inside the cell, and she shuddered, a painful reminder that she was strung up naked.
Touche, Ibiki. Touche. Anko thought.
Suddenly, the cell was awash with bright lights focused on her. Anko shut her eyes tightly and tried to face away, but it seemed that the blinding light was everywhere.
"Oi!" Anko shouted. "Do you fucks have any idea who you're fucking with?!"
Neither the light nor her restraints relented. Anko grumbled and sighed as she prepared for the long haul. She flickered in and out of consciousness for who knows how long. Her stomach ached at her with hunger. Just when all was about to fade away in a haze of white and yellow, the gears on they heavy cell door churned. Steam escaped and the door slammed open.
In walked Ibiki and the look in his eyes told Anko, all he needed to know. Several assistants walked beside him, all masked up. Anko couldn't help but sneer at the fact that they were all men.
"You gonna have to do better than that, Ibiki" She mocked. None of the men replied but got to work on her.
The first man approached her with latex gloves snapping into place. The second approached from behind. Anko tried to kick him back but was unable to.
Without a word, the first grabbed her jaw with an iron grip, forcing her mouth open. Anko tried to bite down, a feral growl escaping her throat, but his grip tightened brutally. A torch flashed in her mouth and cold metal roughly pressed against her gums. Something pushed into her from behind and Anko felt tears but instead chose to roar back.
Anko tried to bite down his fingers, which was a bad move.
In response, the man at her jaw drew back a fist and drove it into her stomach. A sharp, white-hot pain erupted in her gut, and Anko's breath left her in a ragged gasp. She hung limply for a moment, choking on air, but managed to lift her head, her eyes filled with venom.
"Is that… the best you've got?" she coughed.
Another blow struck her in the gut. However, they weren't alone in that. Punches rained down on her from every angle and without restraint. Anko shrieked as one broke her nose, and another shattered something in her body. When she was unable to even raise her arms to defend her vitals, did the raining blows cease.
The motor moved and the chains restraining her hoisted Anko to her feet again. Ibiki got up close and personal to her.
He held a piece of paper in front of her.
"Heh." Anko groaned. "You finally proposin'?"
Ibiki ignored her. "Sworn statements by your genin team implicating you in drug trafficking, hostile espionage, and high treason."
Anko's spirit shattered at that and Ibiki internally laughed at that.
"w-what?" Anko could only gasped.
"We know everything, Anko." Ibiki said. "The invasion. Orochimaru and the plot against our Lord Third."
Anko didn't bother responding to that but glumly looked at the documents in his hand.
"W-why?" She groaned. "I-if you know everything, why?"
"Oh, make no mistake about it. This isn't an interrogation." Ibiki said. "This is punishment."
"Y-you sic-k fuck…" Anko said and Ibiki thoughtfully nodded at that as if agreeing with her assessment.
"Now, will you atone for your actions?" Ibiki said.
"Go to hell, tyrant." Anko said.
"Very well." Ibiki said. "Kabuto-kun. I leave the rest upto you. Flay her if you must."
Anko immediately whirled to the newcomer despite her aching limbs, eyes widening at the man who stepped forward. Kabuto smiled with his eyes beneath his medical mask and for the first time this evening, Anko felt fear.
A Sealed Deal
The bodies had their tongues removed and vocal cords damaged from screaming but they still managed to convey despair. The meat hooks dug deeper inside their body as they swung about under Orochimaru's fury.
"Failures!" Orochimaru snarled, slamming a knife into the remnants of his experiments. "Incompetent, worthless meat!"
Kabuto took deep panicked breaths as heard the noise from outside the lab.
This was the moment of truth. Moments ago, he had blinded the serpent in a daring gambit. Now, all he needed to do was avoid those wild, venomous strikes and lead the creature to its doom. After all, a dead serpent was still lethal in its death throes. Furthermore, deep down, he knew the truth—blinded or not, Orochimaru's raw power far eclipsed his own.
"Kabuto," Orochimaru hissed acidly as the apprentice entered the room.
Kabuto opened his mouth to speak, but the words froze in his throat as Orochimaru leapt at him with startling speed. A vice-like hand clamped around Kabuto's neck, lifting him clean off the ground.
"You think I'm blind to betrayal?!" Orochimaru roared. "I know what has happened to Anko." His fingers tightened, and Kabuto gasped, clawing feebly at Orochimaru's wrist.
"Please…" Kabuto wheezed, trying to get a word in, but Orochimaru silenced him with another vicious squeeze.
"Konoha would never have discovered her," Orochimaru continued, his golden eyes narrowing with accusation, "unless there was a traitor in my ranks. Someone close enough to know."
He held him even higher now. "Mighty convenient that only you escaped unscathed from the village, no?"
Kabuto's mind raced. He reached into his robes and pressed a rolled scroll against Orochimaru's chest with what little strength he had left. For a moment, Orochimaru's grip loosened, curiosity overcoming his fury. With a casual motion, he snatched the scroll and released Kabuto, who crumpled to the floor, gasping and coughing up blood.
"Speak quickly, worm." Orochimaru commanded
"A-Anko wasn't arrested," he choked out, his voice hoarse. "And... there isn't a traitor among your ranks, Lord Orochimaru."
"What?!" Orochimaru snapped.
"The only traitor… was Anko herself," Kabuto said. "She's turned coat, my lord."
"Anko was my most favored servant! She was next in line for ascension!" Orochimaru spat.
"She… she got too close to Satsuki Uchiha," he stammered.
The room fell deathly silent, Orochimaru's blazing eyes narrowing into slits. "What did you say?" he whispered.
Kabuto seized the moment. "Anko tried to remove Satsuki from the Chunin Exams," he said, his words tumbling over each other without pause. "She launched a false court martial against her—a ruse! She never intended to fully press charges."
"And what would be the purpose of such a ruse?" he said.
"To protect her," Kabuto replied, gripping the edge of a table for support. "She knew the Hokage would never allow Satsuki's omission without undeniable cause. Anko wanted to save Satsuki—from you, Lord Orochimaru. She sought to sever your control before it tightened further."
His serpentine tongue flicked out, tasting the tension in the air. "Satsuki," he said slowly, as if savoring the name. His gaze bore into Kabuto, cold and calculating. "If this is true…"
Kabuto forced himself to bow, trembling still. "It is my lord. Anko has betrayed you."
Orochimaru threw a knife on the table Infront of him and leaned on top of it with his hands. "Then everything is lost."
Kabuto risked a smile before covering it up. "Perish the thought, my lord."
He got up and took a data slate, with a few clicks, he pulled up a live feed and presented it to Orochimaru. The live feed cleared to show Anko shackled to a medical bed with a dozen medical devices going into her.
"Before Ibiki could get to work on her, he asked me to conduct a medical examination." He shook his hand. "You know... looking for bugs, seals, or dead-man switches."
He then flicked the screen, presenting a closer version, "Killing her would've looked too convenient. To protect us, I used a diluted version of one of your infamous poisons. Now, she in a coma and unable to talk."
"Dead men tell no tales." Orochimaru said.
"I get that my lord. But killing her would've validated the invasion claims." Kabuto said. "Rest assured, I highly recommend that you proceed with the invasion. Everyone from Suna to our own creations are in line."
Orochimaru snorted and waved a dismissive hand. "Begone, let me think this over."
Kabuto bowed and turned to leave.
"And do know." Orochimaru said and Kabuto paused at the door. "Any more surprises, there will be dire consequences."
A New Master of The Jungle
Kabuto's breath became shallow and steady as he was led blindfolded through the cold corridors of the underground bunker.
"Step here," Kakashi instructed. Kabuto felt his foot meet a different texture—a heavier, thicker grate beneath him.
He barely had time to process the change when firm hands seized his arms, patting him down with a machinelike thoroughness. Every pocket, every hidden compartment, and even beneath his gloves—there was nowhere untouched. They checked for seals, weapons, or anything else that could pose a risk.
"It's clear," one of the guards said curtly, stepping back.
A soft rustle followed, and then Kabuto felt the blindfold loosen. Kakashi removed it in one smooth motion, the dim lighting revealing a modest but heavily fortified chamber. The silver-haired shinobi's single visible eye regarded him with practiced calm.
"Apologies," Kakashi said evenly, pocketing the blindfold. "I hope you understand—given the current security climate, we can't take any risks."
Kabuto adjusted his glasses and offered a polite smile. "No need to apologize, Kakashi-san. I understand completely." He adjusted his coat slightly, straightening it after the pat-down, but there was an underlying tightness to his movements. "Though, I still don't quite understand why I've been brought here."
Kakashi gestured for him to follow. "All will be made clear," he assured, his tone offering no room for debate.
Kabuto followed in silence, taking in the twists and turns of the narrow hallways they walked through. At every junction, masked ANBU guards watched with unyielding intensity. The walls themselves seemed to press in closer.
Finally, they approached a heavy door with an intricate lock and seal array. Kakashi paused and turned to face Kabuto, his expression hardening.
"What you are about to see and hear is strictly confidential," Kakashi said. "Everything in this room remains inside this room. Any breach of that trust is punishable by high treason."
"Understood." Kabuto replied.
As he stepped inside, Kabuto's breath hitched. The room was modest in size, lit warmly compared to the sterile glow of the hallways. In the center stood a figure Kabuto recognized instantly: the Yondaime Hokage, Minato Namikaze.
Kabuto froze.
The presence that emanated from Minato was suffocating in its quiet strength. For a moment, Kabuto felt an overwhelming sense of dread.
He could kill me, Kabuto thought. A thousand scenarios played through his mind, each a different fate, none lasting more than seconds. But he quickly shook the thoughts away—it had only been moments.
Minato's lips curved into a gentle smile, breaking the spell of tension. "Kabuto Yakushi," he said.
Kabuto stiffened again. He knew the reports had been true—Tsunade's restoration efforts had brought Minato back from the brink of history—but seeing him in person was another matter entirely. His legs betrayed him before he could stop them. Kneeling on one knee, Kabuto bowed low.
"Lord Yondaime," he said, his voice steadier than he thought possible.
Minato chuckled softly. "Rise, Kabuto. No need for that formality."
Kabuto slowly stood, still unable to meet Minato's eyes for longer than fleeting moments.
"I've learned a great deal about you over the past few weeks," Minato began, his voice calm but commanding. "Your loyalty to Konoha is remarkable."
"Orochimaru is… a terrifying master," he continued, his voice carrying a faint note of sympathy. "The fact that you've maintained your cover in his ranks all this time is nothing short of extraordinary."
Kabuto stammered. "Th-thank you, Lord Hokage. I'm—" He adjusted his glasses hurriedly. "I'm happy to serve."
Minato nodded approvingly and gestured for him to relax. "I imagine you have much to report."
"Aye, my lord." Kabuto said. He furnished a massive file.
"Based on our most recent interrogations..." Kabuto started his briefing.
Haunted
"The patrols are gone," Naruto murmured. "Looks like they've shifted focus because of the exams."
Satsuki didn't reply. Her eyes had already turned towards the ruins ahead and she had paused. She breathed deeply, looking at the chaos now overtaken by nature. Naruto didn't insult her by asking if she was okay or if she wanted to retreat.
He followed silently, watching as Satsuki's mood visibly frayed the deeper, they ventured into the compound. Neither spoke as they marched deeper into the devastation illuminated only by the moonlight. Satsuki would occasionally stop in front of a large tree or an overturned stall, smiling briefly at the lost memories before marching forward.
She paused in front of a crumbling storefront, her gaze lingering on the faded wooden sign above it. "I used to come here with my mother," she said softly, her voice trembling at the edges. "She'd always find the perfect fabrics for her kimonos… We'd spend hours just looking at the patterns."
She took a deep breath. "The way she would sew the most elaborate hidden pockets for weapons and armor plates….. the patterns were always so beautiful….."
Satsuki's hands clenched at her sides as her breath hitched. She stood there for a long moment, quiet sobs shaking her frame. Lowering her head, she murmured a short prayer, her voice barely audible in the stillness. Naruto, standing a respectful distance away, said nothing, allowing her the moment to grieve.
After a time, Satsuki straightened and wiped her eyes, motioning for Naruto to follow.
They passed by a field taken over by long grass and moss.
"This is where my cousins and I learned to master the Fireball Jutsu," Satsuki said, her voice tinged with both pride and sorrow. A faint, bitter chuckle escaped her lips. "I came in first, of course."
"I wouldn't expect any less." Naruto said and Satsuki laughed at that.
"They always teased me, said I had an unfair advantage because of my mother's training. I hated that." Her expression tightened, the smile fading as another sob broke through. "I'd give anything to hear them say it again."
Naruto stepped closer, not touching her but letting his presence be known should she require it. They passed by a tall, needle-like structure that stood defiantly amidst the ruins, piercing the sky.
"What's that building? Maybe it has the answers we're looking for." Naruto said.
That…" she began, her tone flat, "is the shrine for the Uchiha who fought in the First Great Shinobi War. All of them were from my clan."
Her lips quivered as she took in its dilapidated state. Her Sharingan flickered to life instinctively, the red irises reflecting her growing frustration. "No," she muttered, her voice rising in pitch. "No, this isn't how it's supposed to be."
Before Naruto could respond, Satsuki had already started marching toward the entrance.
Inside, the shrine was worse than the exterior hinted: fractured tiles littered the floor, cobwebs draped from the ceiling, and the ceremonial plaque honoring the veterans was so tarnished it was barely legible. Satsuki's chest heaved as her eyes darted around, taking in the neglect and ruin.
"No… no… NO!" Her voice cracked as she dropped to her knees before the plaque, furiously wiping at the grime with her sleeves. "It's not supposed to be like this! They deserved better than this!" Her fingers trembled as she scrubbed harder, her nails scraping against the metal.
Naruto observed her quietly for a moment before scanning the rest of the building. He moved methodically, searching every corner for hidden compartments or concealed secrets. But as he pressed against a worn panel on the wall and found nothing but emptiness, he turned back toward Satsuki.
Satsuki was hunched over the plaque, her hands moving frantically as she tried to fix the unfixable. Tears streaked down her face, unchecked, as she mumbled to herself, her voice barely above a whisper but weighed down by despair. "No… no… no… it's all wrong…"
Naruto approached her cautiously.
"Satsuki," he said firmly.
She didn't respond, her hands continuing their futile effort, now smudged with dirt and blood where her skin had split. "No… no… they're heroes. This can't—"
"Satsuki!" Naruto crouched beside her, his tone gaining urgency. He reached out and grabbed her wrist—not harshly, but firmly enough to still her trembling hands. "It's too much. You can't do it all now."
Satsuki's head snapped toward him, but instead of stopping, she jerked her hand free and returned to scrubbing at the tarnished plaque with renewed desperation. Her voice broke as she muttered, "I have to. If I don't, then who will? No one else cares!" Her movements became erratic, her fingers trembling as they smeared grime rather than clearing it away.
Naruto leaned closer, determination flashing in his calm blue eyes. "Satsuki, look at me!" he said, his voice cutting through the air like a blade.
She didn't. Her breath came in rapid, uneven bursts as her fingers slipped over the worn metal again and again. Her hair clung to her damp face as tears fell freely. "They shouldn't be forgotten," she whispered, each word dripping with agony. "Not like this. They deserve—"
He grabbed her face and forced her to look at him.
Her eyes were aflame with the crimson hue of her Sharingan, but it wasn't the same. Where once had been a single tomoe in each eye, now a second had formed, spinning faintly as though alive. Naruto's breath caught for a fraction of a second, and his grip on her tightened reflexively.
Naruto didn't mention the change. Instead, he pulled her into a tight hug, his arms wrapping around her trembling frame. Satsuki stiffened at first, but he didn't let go, holding her as though anchoring her to the moment.
"Satsuki, I know this is hard," he said softly, his voice steady but tinged with an unmistakable compassion. "I know it hurts. But we don't have time. We're not done yet—you're not done yet."
Her breathing hitched against his shoulder, but she didn't push him away. Slowly, Naruto helped her to her feet, his arms still supporting her as she swayed unsteadily.
She didn't move but sobbed.
"For every second of pain Uchiha Itachi has caused you, I swear we will return ten-fold over." Naruto murmured.
"They're counting on you," he continued, his tone firm but kind. "All of them—your clan, your family. But we can't help them if we stop here. We have to keep going."
"You're right," she said hoarsely.
Together, they turned from the shrine and began walking toward the looming shadow of her family manor. Behind them, the shrine stood in quiet disrepair, its tarnished plaque catching a brief glint of moonlight—as if crying out to justice for the harm inflicted on it.
But there was no response. The heavens, as always, remained silent.
The Tablet
They'd anticipated fierce resistance or ingenious traps, but all they encountered were minor deterrents: rusted wires, faded seals, and mechanisms that had fallen into disrepair over the years. It left an uneasy feeling in the pit of Naruto's stomach.
"It's almost like they didn't want to protect it," he said, breaking the silence as he examined the imposing slab of rock. "It's almost like they didn't want to protect it,"
"Most likely it was cruel prank." Satsuki said. "Knowing the ultimate reward for a potential thief was a massive slab of disappointment."
The tablet was monumental, towering over them and easily weighing several tons. The charred remnants of the family archives lay scattered around, blackened pages and broken shelves offering no clues. Both had tried their methods to extract meaning, but nothing worked.
"This has to be a dead language," Naruto murmured, his fingers trailing over the smooth, cool surface of the stone. He crouched and adjusted the flashlight strapped to his headband, pointing it at a lower section of text as he dug into his tools. "I've tried cryptography, transcriptions, even pattern analysis—it's not giving us anything."
"Pity." Satsuki replied. Finally, she slammed the remnants of a ledger onto a broken table and sighed heavily, running a hand through her hair. "There's nothing here. The language, the script—it's not in any of our records. It might as well be gibberish." She clenched her fists and turned back to Naruto. "We're wasting time."
Maybe," he admitted, before glancing at the tablet again. "But what if it's not? Wait—Satsuki, what about your Sharingan? Maybe it can see something we can't."
"What?" Satsuki asked.
"I mean…" Naruto said gesturing at the block. "This thing is as Uchiha as it can get. What's more Uchiha than this?"
"The sharingan." Satsuki trailed off. "In all of my studies, there hasn't been a single mention of sharingan being able to translate languages."
"We have nothing to lose." Naruto replied and Satsuki sighed.
Naruto stepped aside, giving her room as she activated her Sharingan. The familiar crimson glow overtook her irises, the tomoes in each spinning for a moment before settling into focus. Satsuki's vision sharpened, the edges of the room darkening slightly as the world around her shifted into sharper clarity.
She scanned the tablet carefully. At first, it was the same swirling nonsense of symbols as before. Her lips pursed, ready to tell Naruto he'd wasted their time. Then something flickered at the edge of her vision—a faint ripple of chakra imbued within the stone. Her Sharingan locked onto it.
"There's… there's something here," she said slowly.
"I'm all ears." Naruto said as he picked out a notepad to take notes.
"To seek the path of divinity, one must walk the pain of mortality. A cycle of eyes leads to the heavens; only through suffering does the Rinnegan bloom." Satsuki said.
"Any ideas what that is?" Naruto asked and Satsuki frowned.
"I have never heard of the Rinnegan." Satsuki said.
"Anything else?" Naruto asked and she frowned.
"Only at the top. Something about how only the most advanced Sharingans can pierce the tablet's veil." Satsuki said. "It details the final price here is the Rinnegan. There is a lot here, but the words are like…constantly rearranging themselves…."
The sharingan faded away, leaving her natural eye color to take over again. She pressed her eyes as if in pain.
"Satsuki?" Naruto carefully asked and she brushed him off.
"Its nothing. The tablet took a lot out of me." She said and Naruto nodded.
"I don't think we can accomplish anything else here again." Naruto said. "Atleast for the time being. Let's go home."
"Hai." Satsuki said.
A Decision
Naruto and Satsuki sat opposite each other at the low table, the air filled with the aroma of rice and cheap breakfast items.
"So, did you figure anything out from our 'expedition' yesterday?" She asked.
Naruto sighed deeply, setting his chopsticks down with a soft clink. "Not much," he admitted. "It's all just myths and rabbit holes. Every trail we follow leads to the same dead end."
"Dead end?" She asked.
"The Sage Of Six Paths" Naruto said and that got Satsuki's attention.
"Damn." Satsuki said.
"Yeah," Naruto said, leaning back and folding his arms. "Take this whole Rinnegan thing, for example. It's supposedly some kind of mythical dōjutsu. According to the stories, it was wielded by the Sage of Six Paths himself when he fought against demons or whatever during the dark ages."
"You don't believe in the old sage?" She asked.
"In over three hundred years of recorded shinobi history, there hasn't been a single mention—not one—of someone with this so-called Rinnegan. No eyewitnesses, no records, nothing. If this Sage of Six Paths was real, where's the proof? Seems more like a story for kids or some religious myth to me." Naruto said and Satsuki chuckled at that.
"And what if the lack of proof is the proof? What if it's just a rarity you can't comprehend?" Satsuki said.
Naruto paused for a while before replying in a deadpan. "That's stupid. Are you serious?!"
"Why wouldn't I be?" she replied. "I grew up in a clan steeped in tradition. The Uchiha didn't just teach us combat; they taught us the myths and histories of the villages—what you'd probably call religion."
But traditions don't make something real, Satsuki. They're just…" He paused, searching for the right word. "Stories. Stuff people pass down."
"When there is smoke, there is fire." Satsuki said. "Every story has a kernel of truth to it."
"So, what? You think this Sage guy just strolled around beating up demons with some magic eyes?" Naruto asked.
"I don't know." Satsuki admitted. "All I wish to say is that we should take this Rinnegan thing seriously."
"Why?" Naruto asked.
"Because. When I read that tablet yesterday- it wasn't just reading text. It was melding of minds, emotions, and ideas." Satsuki said. "Its hard to describe in words, but the closest I can come up with is that my mind merged with several others."
Naruto paused for a while. "Did you read anything else over there that you aren't sharing with me?"
"Of course not." Satsuki shot and Naruto frowned further at that.
"Regardless, we cannot discount the possibility of the Rinnegan. If such a dojutsu was wielded by the sage, it must have been the pinnacle of dojutu evolution." Satsuki said. "A sharingan develops best under the fires of battle."
Naruto paused, mid-bite of his rice ball, his brow furrowing. "What are you saying?"
"I'm saying," she continued, setting her chopsticks down with a quiet click, "that I will enter the Chunin Exams."
"What? Are you out of your mind?!" Naruto said.
Satsuki's gaze sharpened. "Not at all. If I'm going to awaken the true potential of my Sharingan and get closer to the truth of that tablet, I need to challenge myself. The Chunin Exams will provide that opportunity."
"You mean throwing yourself into a death trap just so you can chase some legend?" Naruto shot back. "Have you even thought this through? We've been out of action for over a month. Kabuto left us hanging without a trainer, and you think we're ready for something like this?"
"It's not a matter of being ready, Naruto," Satsuki replied coldly. "It's a matter of necessity. If I don't push forward now, I'll lose momentum. I can't afford that."
"You're not listening!" Naruto's voice rose, frustration rising. "The Chunin Exams aren't just some glorified sparring match. People die in these things, Satsuki. And we don't have the advantage of a full team."
"That's your solution?" she sneered, glaring at him. "To give up because it's too dangerous? You don't know what it's like to carry this weight—to have an enemy like Itachi and no one else to depend on."
"Then build a team!" Naruto countered. "Get others involved who can actually help you. Don't throw yourself into this blind! This isn't just about you, Satsuki. You're going to get yourself—and maybe me—killed!"
Satsuki's expression darkened, her Sharingan flashing briefly. "Are you saying you won't stand by me? That you'll pull out when I need you most?"
Naruto stiffened. "I'm saying we're not ready. Not like this. You're being reckless, and you're dragging us into danger we don't need to face right now."
"You've always been this way," Satsuki said coldly. "Hesitating. Second-guessing. That's why you'll never understand what it takes to claim power. To fight destiny head-on. Always tinkering in the shadows with metal toys."
"My toys have saved your life on numerous occasions." Naruto seethed.
"So has my blade. And that was accomplished with" She clenched her fists infront of him. "These two hands alone. By their power, alone."
"If I knew that damned tablet would cause" Naruto started.
"Don't bring that up." Satsuki said and a cold silence settled between them.
"I've stood by you through everything." Naruto said after a while. "I entered this life because you demanded it. I have always been loyal."
"Prove it," she said sharply, stepping toward him. "Prove it again. Help me get closer to Itachi's throat."
Naruto snalred before stomping back to his room and slamming the door shut. For a moment, anger flared through her and she thought about marching right down the hall and slamming the door open.
However, before she could did, she flared her sharingan back to life.
"I know you are here." She said to the empty room and a humanoid of black and white appearance emerged from the ground.
"Zetsu." Sastuki muttered.
"A thousand apologies, my lady Uchiha." Zetsu said. "But given the argument, I thought you might need backup."
Satsui snorted. "The only thing I need from you is a bloody dictionary."
Zetsu laughed at that. "All in due time, my lady. All in due time."
Fin.
Author Notes: Read and Review