บท 1857: Shadows Beneath the Moonlight
Located deep within a forested region, set against the backdrop of a cliff adorned with numerous faces, a large village sat isolated and hidden away from the rest of the world.
Though it had been more than a year since the end of the war, a tense atmosphere could be felt throughout the entire village. Nobody knew why, but, on this particular night, even the light from the various businesses and streetlamps seemed uncharacteristically diminished. This allowed the light from the full moon to stand out even more so than usual, it's glow reminiscent of the sun at midday despite the world below being shrouded in an umbral abyss.
Noticing this peculiar incongruency, a man with spiky blond hair, gentle blue eyes, and handsome features couldn't help feeling nervous. He had tried to convince himself that this was the result of his own nerves, understandable considering his wife was about to have her labor induced; but, no matter how many times he repeated the words in his mind, he couldn't suppress the sentiment that 'something' was wrong with the current situation.
Just as the man was about to strengthen the barriers surrounding the secret chamber, two women wearing full-length robes appeared behind him, the most senior among them saying, "Lord Fourth, the time has come. Lady Uzumaki is requesting your presence at her side."
Though his instincts were telling him to strengthen the security, the man's desire to be at his wife's side during the birth of their child was too compelling. He also knew this was a matter requiring the utmost secrecy, so, while he wanted nothing more than to station the entirety of his village's armed forces around the perimeter, doing so would compromise his already unstable political position. He had earned quite a number of enemies by becoming a Hokage at such a young age, and, though it couldn't be denied that his actions were instrumental in ending the previous war, that did very little to increase his political power among the Noble Clans and Village Elders.
Suppressing a sigh, the man surprised both of the female attendants by flickering out of existence in a flash of golden light. In the next moment, he was already at the side of a beautiful woman with vibrant red hair, vigorous blue eyes, and an understandably anxious expression. There were also a number of other women present, including a team of nurses and an experienced midwife who had been entrusted the task of delivering every primary descendent of the Noble Clans for nearly thirty years.
Despite knowing the pain it would cause him, the man unhesitantly grabbed the hand of his wife, forcing a smile even as her vice-like grip caused his bones to cry out in distress. It wasn't something he was proud to admit, but she had always been 'a lot' stronger than him. Rather, due to her unique heritage and the beast sealed inside of her, she was significantly stronger than most people...
Before the duo could so much as exchange words of comfort, the aged woman quickly interposed, her voice cold and professional as she stated, "You must remain absolutely focused at all times. No matter how painful the labor becomes, you cannot afford to let your mind slip for even a moment. For the sake of yourself, your child, and the village, you must remain resolute until the very end. As for you, Lord Fourth, I will entrust the task of sustaining the seal to you. Your desire to support your wife during her labor is commendable, but you will have your entire lives to strengthen your bonds. Do not let your emotions distract you, even at the time of birth...the moment we fail to perform our duty, the entire village will suffer the consequences..."
Though he wanted to make a counterargument, the man simply nodded in response to the elderly woman's words before planting a kiss on his wife's forehead and whispering, "I believe in you...stay strong, Kushina..."
---
Witnessing the scene play out before him, Vahn couldn't help but frown slightly. He wasn't upset by the fact that Minato had planted a kiss on the head of his own wife, but by the words and actions of the woman performing the delivery. She was certainly very experienced, but, using the excuse that Kushina needed to be fully cognizant throughout the procedure, no effort was made to alleviate her pain. This was in spite of the fact that it was possible to use the Healing Palm to significantly reduce sensations of pain without compromising the mental integrity of the patient...
Though he didn't have a voice with which to speak, Vahn shifted his attention to the Law of Identity, who, understanding his thoughts, transformed into the woman before revealing, "She harbors no resentment towards Kushina. She is acting in accordance with the orders of a man named Shimura Danzo."
Upon mention of Danzo, the Law of Identity instantly transformed into the man, adding, "He made an agreement with someone claiming to be Madara Uchiha. He intends to use this incident in order to weaken public opinion towards the current Hokage and gain control of the Nine-Tails. They have an orphaned member of the Uzumaki Family on standby in order to seal it away once it goes out of control and destroys part of the village."
As Danzo was often depicted as a primary antagonist in various Naruto stories, Vahn wasn't even remotely surprised by the Law of Identity's words. Unfortunately, he already had a specific intention for this particular visit so Danzo's punishment would have to wait until later. It would come, almost assuredly, but the most important thing, at least for the time being, was comprehending the extent and limitations of his new power.
With this in mind, Vahn closely monitored the surrounding space for several kilometers, his domain providing a limited form of omniscience that allowed him to sense even the subtlest changes in the surrounding environment. This allowed him to easily detect the entity phasing through the ground, and, moments later, it allowed him to sense the exact moment when a masked man appeared from within a sub-dimensional void.
Before the man could so much as take a single step forward, Vahn manifested, soundlessly, without so much as a single spatial fluctuation. Despite this, the man was somehow able to react, his body twisting in an inhuman display of athletism as he attempted to kick the former with his open-toed sandals. Unfortunately, while his reaction speed was commendable, there was an unreachable gulf between himself and the current Vahn.
Though his movements appeared to be in slow motion, Vahn was able to casually extend his hand to grab the masked man's ankle. This caused the latter to attempt to become immaterial, but, with his mastery over space and time greatly exceeding anything the man could hope to comprehend, it had absolutely no effect. The only thing he accomplished was surprising himself, but, compared to what came next, his initial shock was just the tip of a very large iceberg.
Fully aware of the man's past, Vahn decided he wouldn't be 'too' heavy-handed with the masked man, better known as Obito Uchiha. He was someone who had been manipulated most of his life, and, once he had learned the truth, he became one of the most instrumental figures in saving the world. This demonstrated that he was more than capable of redeeming himself, so, while it would have been a simple matter to just kill him, Vahn's first action was to strike the man's cross-guard with an open palm.
Feeling as though he had been hit by a train, Obito's left arm erupted, propelling a goopy white substance all over the battlefield as he was sent crashing through several trees. He reacted to this by trying to activate his Mangekyou Sharingan ability, pulling himself into his own sub-dimension. To his surprise, however, the ability activated just fine, but, no matter how much chakra he pumped into it, the 'gate' simply wouldn't open. It was like the surrounding space was actively resisting his attempts to bend it, almost like it had become completely solid...
Realizing he was up against a monstrous opponent he knew absolutely nothing about, Obito tried to perform a Half Ram seal with his remaining right hand. He wanted to use the Shunshin-no-Jutsu to try and flee, but, before his chakra could fully circulate, greatly increasing his speed, the fingers of his right hand were ensnared by the vice-like grip of his opponent. This caused his Mangekyou Sharingan, resembling a pinwheel, to spin counter-clockwise as he mentally cried out, ("Sharingan Jutsu...!").
Smirking in response to Obito's actions, Vahn used his free hand to 'poke' the center of the man's mask, splitting it in two. This revealed the terrified yet resolute face of a young man, the right side of which was inordinately pale and warped. At nearly the exact same moment, several other masked individuals appeared in the surroundings, each attired in a grey vest set atop pitch-black clothing that seemed to absorb light rather than diffuse it.
Though the masked individuals looked like they wanted to attack, none dared move as, at the front of the formation, a man with blue eyes and spiky blond hair signaled for them to stand down as he hesitantly intoned, "Obito...is that really you?"
Scowling in response to the man's address, Obito was preparing to part with his fingers, but, just as he had done in every previous instance, Vahn reacted much faster. His movements were so quick, in fact, that even Minato's pupils contracted to fine points as he couldn't even see the start-up motion for Vahn's attack. By the time he realized what was happening, Obito was already hunched over, his legs giving out due to the spontaneous strike to his abdominal line.
Allowing Obito the opportunity to catch his breath, Vahn turned around to face Minato, an action that caused the surrounding ANBU to tense up despite the young Hokage gesturing for them to stand down. This demonstrated just how little authority Minato had within his own village as the ANBU were supposed to be 'unquestionably loyal' to the current Hokage. Instead, they were more like Minato's escort, men and women tasked by the previous Hokage to look after his successor...
Shaking his head, Vahn preempted the anticipated interrogation by firmly stating, "My identity is not important. Just know that I am a friend, someone who has come here to prevent a tragedy and expose truths veiled within the darkness. I am not here to answer your questions, nor do I intend to stick around and pander to the fools who undermine the integrity of your authority. The only thing you need to know, at least for the time being, as that this young man, Obito Uchiha, is being lied to and manipulated by Madara Uchiha. He has conspired with Danzo to undermine your authority as Hokage by unleashing the Nine-Tails against the Leaf Village. His organization, ROOT, has collected numerous orphans from the previously destroyed Uzushiogakure, experimenting on his own allies rather than protecting them. How you deal with these matters is ultimately up to you. I have done my part in revealing part of the truth...now..."
Punctuating his words, and causing even Minato to pull out a three-pronged kunai, Vahn made a grabbing gesture towards the air. This caused the surrounding space to twist, and, from within, an inordinately pale man with one half of his body shrouded in shadows found himself within Vahn's grasp. Then, without further explanation, he generated crimson flames, burning the man to a crisp before shifting his attention back to Minato and saying, "Your duty might tie you to the village, but a father who can't even protect his own son has no right to make such claims. Now, go. Kushina is about to give birth. You will regret it for your entire life if you aren't there to witness it..."
With that said, Vahn performed a perfunctory gesture of farewell before vanishing like a phantom, soundlessly and without even a hint of flare. This caused Minato quite a bit of confusion, but, after seeing Obito attempt to perform a hand seal, he quickly came to his senses, flashing next to the injured man and slapping a seal on his forehead. This caused the one-eyed youth to immediately fall unconscious, his depleted reserves making it impossible for him to turn immaterial and avoid his capture...
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'OwO? What's this~?','Well, that was certainly one-sided o_o...','Vahn can be such a Chuuni at times xD...')
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