บท 58: Chapter 58: Aurora Part I
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto
"Hmm…."- Bijuu
Chapter 58:
Aurora Part I
"So you're seriously writing those pervy books of yours in the middle of serious training?"
A series of giggles came out. "Hehehe of course! I've had the inspiration all in one place! Who knew Ame was such a gold mine!"
Naruto facepalmed. If there was one thing he was regretting telling Jiraiya, it was how he would write the famous, or infamous depending on your gender, Icha Icha series one day. The blond could still remember how proud Jiraiya had been, and probably still was, at his future self for writing such a masterpiece. And now, it seemed like the perverted series would be making its debut earlier than expected.
Miyuki, who was standing over Naruto, felt her eyebrows twitch in annoyance. She of course knew of the books the two males were discussing at the moment. And she wasn't amused. She honestly had no idea what the heavens, or whoever had come up with the idea, were thinking when Jiraiya had become Naruto's teacher. The man was pervy come alive, that was for certain.
The trio were currently inside Miyuki's dimension with Naruto and Jiraiya both sitting comfortably on the….."ground." The whole place was devoid of anything, so who knew what way was up and down. In any case, master and student had reunited again after Jiraiya had contacted Naruto through the Hiraishin jutsu. It seemed like the man had some information that he wished to share with Naruto. But the jinchuriki was also curious to see how the training with both Nagato and Yahiko were going, so they had started with that. Jiraiya had also informed him of how Minato had been the one to come out on top in the Chunnin Exams, something that had made Naruto smile.
All of which had led to this very moment in time.
Shaking his head, Naruto said, "Putting that aside, what exactly did you want to tell me anyway? Is Hanzo up to something? Akatsuki? Nori?"
Jiraiya shook his head. "No, no. It isn't anything about them. It's about Suna."
Naruto raised an eyebrow. Now this surprised him. "Suna? What exactly is happening over there?" Well, except that Sasori had deserted the place. But Naruto was certain that this was about something else.
Jiraiya sighed, all humor leaving him. "It's…..complicated. And there are only rumors as of now. But one of my contacts in the area managed to pick up some interesting info. Apparently, and with reasons unknown, the Sandaime Kazekage has been killed."
Naruto's eyes widened. "What!? How!?"
Jiraiya shrugged. "Like I told you, the reasons are unknown right now."
Naruto frowned. This wasn't good at all. The man had been the biggest push to make the alliance between Konoha and Suna possible. And if he was gone, who knew what would become of the situation. It was then that Sasori came to his mind again. Could the talented puppeteer have something to do with this then? No, he couldn't assume that yet. While he couldn't rule it out either, he would have to have more information before he could jump to any conclusions.
"This doesn't make any sense, though," Miyuki said, speaking up for the first time. "If the man has been killed, then why hasn't Suna informed Konoha of this? And according to what the Hokage was last aware of, the Suna council wasn't too fond of the treaty. So why hasn't it been repealed yet?"
Jiraiya turned his attention to her. "The second question is easy. Even if the council wants to discard the treaty, they have to deal with Iwa right now. And they aren't exactly in their top form because of the last war. So in case things turn south for them, they can at least depend on Konoha for support. As for the first question." The man shrugged again. "This is only a whim, but I'm guessing because they don't want the information known. Not that I can blame them. The more people know, the easier the information can be compromised. And in the eyes of the world, they would become easy pickings. That's something they want to avoid at all costs."
Naruto hummed. "So? Has a new Kazekage been chosen then?"
Jiraiya shook his head. "I don't know. I'm not even sure if their shinobi are even aware that their Kazekage has been killed."
Naruto ran a hand through his spiky blond hair with a sigh. "Well then. This isn't something that I can call good news. And something tells me that things in Iwa won't be any better either."
"So what are you going to do then?" Jiraiya asked as he crossed his arms in front of him.
"I don't know if there is anything to do right now," Naruto answered with a shrug. It was annoying to admit, but that was the truth. "We lack too much information. I would rather let things play out in their own over there instead of making things worse by jumping in blind. Besides, I'm sure Sasuke will be able to fill us in some once he's done in Iwa. That's why I will focus on Kumo for now. If anything, I'm sure I can get the Raikage to agree to join us at last. Especially since he hasn't tried anything since the last war."
"That's because Kumo took heavy losses too, brat," Jiraiya said. "I mean, you and Sasuke pummeled their forces pretty well."
"Even so, he wasn't as aggressive the last time we met him," Naruto replied. "So I'm at least willing to try."
"I get it, I get it," Jiraiya said with a smile. But then the smile disappeared as he asked, "And what of Kiri? What Sasuke discovered over there is something that has been weighing on my mind a lot."
Naruto sighed again. "I really don't know, Ero-sennin. Kiri is pretty much Akatsuki's safe haven right now. And if we tried anything, Madara wouldn't hesitate to send Kiri to its destruction. And that's something that I can't risk right now. So we have no choice but to put up with it for now."
Jiraiya nodded in understanding. With the threat of another war already looming over them, Jiraiya knew that they couldn't afford to be careless here. It would only make things even worse than they already were. And that wasn't something any of them wanted to happen.
"That's all I had to tell you," Jiraiya said after several moments of silence. They stood back up with Miyuki opening a portal behind her. "Oh, and before I forget. Take care of Konan too. I still don't understand why she would refuse my awesome tutelage, but she's with you. So watch out for her."
"Don't worry about that, Ero-sennin," Naruto said with a chuckle as said man walked up towards the portal. "She'll be safe in my hands. And at least she won't have to put up with your peeping either."
Jiraiya scowled before he jumped through the portal while shouting, "It's art, brat!"
Naruto merely shook his head in amusement. The perv would never change.
"So this is where you were."
Naruto's attention left the night sky to Konan who was making her way towards him. The two found themselves on the rooftop of the hotel they were staying in for the night for themselves. Miyuki had said that she didn't need to sleep in a hotel. So instead remained in her dimension. Apparently it was the best place that she could relax. Naruto didn't particularly like that, but the woman wouldn't budge in her decision. So if she was comfortable, then Naruto would let it be.
Konan, who was wearing a pale blue nightgown, sat down next to the contemplating blond. "Is there something in your mind right now?"
Naruto grinned. "I'm sort of wondering why you're up here. Weren't you going to sleep?"
Konan shrugged. "I saw when Miyuki came by and took you somewhere. Are you troubled because of that?"
"In part," Naruto answered honestly. "There were some news that made me realize that we still had a lot of trouble in our hands. But I guess I'm just thinking about the past."
The blond heard Kurama snort in amusement in his head at that. Not that the whiskered jinchuriki could blame him. It was an amusing thing to say the more he thought about it.
"What about the past?" Konan asked in a curious tone.
Naruto sighed softly. "Just the many mistakes I've done already."
"You're talking about Uzu."
Naruto looked at her in surprise. "How-"
"I asked Jiraiya-sensei some things," Konan answered truthfully with a small smile. "Nagato and Yahiko look up to you. And in many ways, I do too. So I was curious about what made you become the person you are today. Jiraiya-sensei told me that he couldn't answer such a question in full. And that the only way I could possibly arrive at an answer is to know more about your life. I have to say that, after hearing about it, I felt even further away from reaching an answer, though. With everything that's happened to you…..I couldn't blame you if you wanted the world destroyed."
Naruto chuckled. "You know something, Konan-chan, you're not the first person who's told me that. But if you think so, then I have to turn the tables on you. You have seen the dark part of the world already too. And yet, I don't see you becoming a person who enjoys killing or anything of the sort. So why is that?"
"That's because I was fortunate to meet Yahiko and Nagato," Konan answered truthfully. Then her eyes widened. "Are you telling me that it's the same for you?"
Naruto nodded. "I guess that's the more direct answer I can give you. I found people who were able to see me as me despite being a jinchuriki."
Konan hummed. "Is that so? I never thought that the answer would be so simple…."
Naruto chuckled. "Sometimes the hardest questions are solved by the easiest answers."
"Well, despite that, you also saw the whole world try to kill your family right in front of you," Konan said, pressing on with her questions. "How can you say that you forgive them? Or that you want to achieve peace? Any normal person would want to have revenge."
Naruto scratched his cheek. "You really are curious, aren't you?"
Konan blushed in embarrassment. "I-I'm sorry if I'm making you uncomfortable. It's just that I'm interested and-"
Naruto waved his hand in dismissal. "I didn't mean it like that. But since you're so curious, then I guess I'll have to answer. And it all boils down to one thing basically. What would be the point?"
Konan raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
Naruto sighed. "Let's say that you do get your revenge. What then? Satisfaction? At that? Killing another person? Would that really make you happy? I don't consider that to be any sort of true happiness. You would only find your devoid yourself, no longer being the same person you once were. I've seen that happen to others before. I almost walked that path myself when I lost Ero-sennin. And it was there that I truly realized that it wasn't worth it. There's also the possibility that you don't ever achieve it either. Then you would have only wasted your life on a fruitless endeavor. Either way, it's meaningless."
Konan didn't know what to say. It was true what she had said before. After Jiraiya had told her Naruto's story, she had become engrossed in trying to understand why he would choose the path that he had. She wouldn't truly blame him if went the opposite direction of what he was trying to accomplish at the moment. And then there was another reason. One more personal to her. And that reason was that the blond next to her reminded her a lot of Yahiko. It was more accurate to say that the blond was a wiser Yahiko, if that even made sense. At least, it did for her. That was another reason why she had decided to accompany the blond. And why she had spent a lot of time with him when they had still been in Ame. So that she could understand him better. She was honestly drawn to him.
It was an embarrassing thing to admit.
But even now, even after what she had already learned, she was still surprised and amazed that Naruto had become the person who he was today. That was a miracle in of itself.
"Well, if that's your honest decision, then no one can fault you for that," Konan said at last with another smile. "We're all free to choose our paths. That's something that I learned firsthand."
Naruto smiled in return. "Don't worry. The suffering will soon come to an end. Things will become better. I promise."
Konan leaned against the blond, closing her eyes.
"I'm going to hold you to that."
Naruto merely chuckled, letting a comfortable silence fall on them.
"You know, Naruto, this has to be either the bravest thing you've done. Or the most stupid."
"I'm going with the latter."
Naruto grinned at Gyuki's statement and Kurama's grunted addition. 'Aww, come on, guys. Haven't you learned to trust me by now?'
Son Goku snorted. "You're not helping your case there, brat. Even though I'm all for action, I can't help but agree with Gyuki. This isn't exactly…..smart."
"And what was your first clue?" Kurama said in sarcasm.
'Meh. You guys are just haters. You fail to see my awesomeness.'
"…This is a pretty stupid idea, isn't it?"
Naruto sweatdropped while the bijuu laughed. "That isn't a nice thing to say, Konan-chan."
The blue haired girl shot him an uncaring look. "Even if it is, which it isn't, we're walking straight for Kumo in the main road…..with our headbands on. That's pretty much screaming for someone to attack us."
That was true. Konan, Nagato, and Yahiko had all become certified Ame genin after Naruto and Sasuke's meeting with Hanzo. The trio had exploded into cheers when they had heard the news.
"It's just like I said," Miyuki added with a sigh. "But he wouldn't listen…."
"Calm down, all of you," Naruto said with a small pout. "Kumo isn't at war against Konoha or Ame right now. So they have no reason to attack us. Besides, they wouldn't make a move without first contacting the Raikage. And he already knows who I am. So he won't try anything."
"And like I said last time, what exactly are you basing this on?" Miyuki asked.
"Intuition!"
"And how is that any better than your hunch?" Konan asked with some amusement dancing in her eyes.
Naruto shrugged. "It's not. But that doesn't mean it's not good. Besides, we've had an entire squad following us for a mile now and haven't even made a move to try and attack us. So my intuition must be spot on."
Konan's eyes widened at this while Miyuki sighed. "Yes, they haven't. But that's only because they must be confused at the idiocy we're displaying at the moment."
"No way. My plans are always brilliant!"
Konan was still trying to figure out just where this squad of Kumo shinobi that Naruto spoke about were. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't pick up their movements. That only showed her just how lacking in strength she was for the moment. But it also made her motivation to become even stronger burn brighter than before.
"They did send someone ahead after they spotted you," Matatabi said in his head. "And considering just how close we are to Kumo, the Raikage is probably already aware of your presence here."
"Which also means that escape won't be easy unless we fight," Isobu added. "Are you really sure about this, Naruto?"
'I am. When Sasuke and I last talked to him, he wasn't against our proposal as much I had first expected. Which means that there is hope. We let the seeds drop. Now, it's time to see if they bloomed properly or not.'
The blond was forced to come out of his talk with the bijuu as he picked up another squad heading straight for them. It was something that Miyuki also picked up on as she narrowed her eyes.
Konan wasn't sure what to expect as both Naruto and Miyuki came to a halt a moment later just as a squad of Kumo ninja appeared in front of them. The squad that had been tailing them all this time appeared behind them less than a second later.
But Naruto wasn't concerned with them. No, his attention was focused on the squad in front. From the looks of it, the jonin in charge was the one to step forward with a frown.
"Raikage-sama requests your immediate presence, Konoha shinobi."
To Naruto, it was like the man was trying, and failing, to understand just what was happening right now. The fact that Konan, an Ame kunoichi, was with him didn't help the man understand the situation any better.
Not that Naruto was expecting him to. So the blond settled for a simple nod before following behind the squad, both Miyuki and Konan in tow. The squad behind them was also keeping a close eye on them in case they tried anything. No doubt that they were feeling edgy with the whole situation.
Naruto couldn't exactly fault them. But he couldn't actually concern himself with that for now. At the moment, the Raikage was his top priority.
And as the main village gates came within sight, Naruto knew that it was showtime.
The Raikage didn't know what he should say first to the grinning blond sitting in his office. There were many things that he wanted to say. Nay, that he wanted to scream. But first…..
"What exactly are you doing here, boy? I'm certain you have no business with Kumo."
"And that's where you would be wrong, Raikage," Naruto replied quickly. "Or did you already forget what we talked about the last time we saw each other?"
The Raikage grunted. "I remember. But I was hoping that it was some sort of sick joke."
Naruto smiled. "Well, it's not. And here I am before you, most humble in nature."
The Raikage resisted the urge to slap his face. "Most humble you say? You consider walking straight in my village like you own the place with no disregard with others knowing that you hail from Konoha humble!?" The Raikage's voice got louder and louder the more he spoke.
Naruto shrugged. "To be more precise, you requested my presence. So I'm not at fault here."
"Don't give me that crap. One of my scout teams spotted you miles away from my village. You were already planning on waltzing in here!"
"Alright, fine. You got me," Naruto admitted with a chuckle. "But I only did that to prove a point. And to see what kind of hospitality I could expect from you. So far, I have to say that I'm not disappointed."
The Raikage growled. "My village isn't your pawn, boy."
Naruto frowned. "That's not what I meant. But if what I'm trying to accomplish is to come to fruition, then I'm going to need Kumo's support. And that means yours as well."
"Then you're more ignorant than I thought."
"Am I now?" Naruto said with a raised eyebrow. "But as I see it, I am more right than you thought."
"I didn't attack you because I'm not interested in starting another war," the Raikage stated. "No matter how much I want to pay you back for our past…confrontations, I'm not going to send my whole village into more destruction just because of it."
"And I respect that," Naruto said with a nod. "But that isn't what this is about. I'm sure you have given our proposition much thought since we last spoke. And you can see just how beneficial it could be to you, especially since even Hanzo has decided to agree to join us."
The Raikage scoffed. "Even if it is, it isn't something I can decide just like that. There are many-"
"The complicated stuff can come later," Naruto said, cutting in. "Before anything can get discussed, I have to know if you're in or not."
"And that's not a decision I can make without specific information."
Naruto sighed. "That's because you're thinking of this as any old alliance. And that's not what I'm proposing here. For now, all I want is your word in creating better ties between our two villages."
The Raikage was silent as he leaned back against his seat. "Even if I can see that you don't have any ulterior motives as of right now, I'm not about to commit to a deal that could very well harm my village down the line. I'm still the Raikage."
"Yes, but that sure didn't stop you from accepting Danzo's offer which only led to more of your shinobi dying a needless death."
The Raikage didn't flinch at the accusation. "You best watch your words, boy."
"There's no need for me to do that," Naruto replied calmly. "We both know that the only reason you're rejecting my offer is because of that pride of yours. You don't want to feel beneath anyone. And there's no reason for that. I already told you that Kumo will remain independent. I do not wish to dissolve the villages. All I want is for a closer union among us all. You will still remain autonomous."
The Raikage sighed in slight irritation. "You're one stubborn brat."
Naruto shrugged with a smile in place. "I could say the same to you."
The Raikage waved his hands in dismissal. "Alright. Some part of is interested in this. But without any further information, I can't-"
"Like I said, all I need is your approval first," Naruto cut in. "After that, we can get to the specifics. But we can't get there without first making sure that you're willing to accept."
The Raikage t'ched. "Fine! You have my word that I am opened to making a new alliance between Kumo and Konoha."
Naruto grinned as he stood up, bringing his hand towards the Raikage. "Welcome to Aurora then, Raikage."
The Raikage looked at the offered before taking it with his own. "Aurora you say?"
Naruto smiled. "That's right. It's what we will be known for the foreseeable future. It stands for a new dawn. A new beginning for the shinobi nations."
"Even though you had no idea what it meant until your perverted teacher explained it to you."
'Shut up, furball. That's not important!'
By the way the rest of the bijuu were laughing, it probably was.
As the two continued to shake hands, Naruto was pleased to see that his mission had gone well. Even if the Raikage was a tough cookie to talk to, the man had at least opened up the doorway for future and better relations between their two villages. That was something that Naruto would take advantage of as soon as possible.
The blond could only hope that Sasuke's mission went just as well too.
Konan looked towards the door of the Raikage's office where Naruto and the Raikage had gone into. It had already been some time since the two had begun their talks. And since there hadn't been any sorts of explosions or screams, things must be going well. Even the Raikage's secretary looked a bit surprised at this.
"I guess Naruto-kun does have his way with words then," Konan muttered making Miyuki smile a bit. The older woman already knew this, of course. What she wasn't too fond of was how random and dangerous Naruto's plans were. They were as unpredictable as the blond was.
On the other side of the room was also a dozen or so jonin who were looking at the situation before them with intense apprehension. Dodai was a part of this group, and by far the only Kumo jonin/shinobi who had some clue as to why the blond Uzumaki was here. It was why he knew that this meeting could change a lot of things in his village from here on out.
This was the scene that A, who was now wearing Kumo gear, ran into, looking at both Konan and Miyuki with a scowl. "Where is my old man, Dodai!?"
Dodai took a step forward, trying to appease the young boy. "A, your father is in a very important meeting right now. So he can't be disturbed." The man was also wondering just why the guards at the entrance of the tower had even allowed the boy in at this time.
"With a Konoha shinobi?" A asked with narrowed eyes before he turned his attention to Konan. "And why is Ame here too?"
"It's a very complicated situation," Dodai replied lamely. It was the only thing he could come up with right now.
This was what Naruto and the Raikage were met with as they walked out of the latter's office with a calm demeanor.
The blond instantly blinked as his eyes zeroed in on the fuming A. 'Hey, it's old man Raikage…..or future Raikage. But why is he mad?'
The gathered Kumo shinobi turned to their leader, wondering what had happened in there. The Raikage for his part was looking at A with a calm look. But the boy wasn't in such a calm state. No, he had far too many questions for that.
But already seeing where this was going to go, the Raikage raised his hand. "Alright. I know all of you have many questions for me. And I will answer them all. But for now, I wish to clear my head. Is that understood?"
The gathered jonin could only nod.
Gyuki almost snorted. "That's actually the first time I've ever heard him say that. Congrats, Naruto! You've shaken the man the most out of anyone else in the world!"
Naruto really didn't know how to feel about that.
Both Konan and Miyuki were looking at Naruto intensely, both wondering just how things had played out exactly. But Naruto wasn't about to go into detail here. Especially if the Raikage wasn't.
"Are you going to be staying in Kumo?" the Raikage asked, turning to look at Naruto.
The whiskered blond shook his head. "Unfortunately, I can't. There are other things that I must take care of right now. So I can't afford to stay in one place. I do appreciate the offer, though."
Nodding, the man turned towards Dodai. "Dodai, see to it that our three guests make it out of the village safely."
Said jonin nodded.
With that, the Raikage made his way out of the room with just about every jonin's eyes following him. A was now staring at Naruto. But the blond couldn't tell just what the gaze held. It wasn't hatred. But it was close to anger maybe.
Despite that, though, Naruto still patted the dark skinned boy's shoulder as he walked past him.
"Till we meet again, my friend."
A was left to stare at a retreating Naruto in slight confusion, wondering just what the hell the blond was talking about.
"I already knew this, but you seriously have some balls, kid."
Naruto smiled as he and the others walked behind Dodai as they made their way out of the village. Just about every civilian and shinobi alike stared at them, still confused as to what they could be doing inside their village.
"You shouldn't be surprised at this point, bendy guy," Naruto said in return as he placed his arms behind his head. "I mean, I did fight your Raikage and his army head on twice already. What's walking into his village peacefully?"
'I suppose that's true,' Dodai thought before realizing how ridiculous the whole thing still was. But the man was once again confirming that the boy behind him was anything but normal.
"I'm guessing we'll be seeing a lot of each other after this then," Dodai said as they stopped by the main gates of the village.
Naruto nodded. "I hope so. And not as enemies but as allies."
Dodai's eyes widened a bit, his theory now being confirmed. The boy truly was serious about what he had said before. And if the Raikage hadn't kicked the boy out of his office, then that meant that his leader was honestly considering the proposition.
Well…..shit.
"I'll be seeing you then, bendy guy," Naruto said as he and the others continued on their way, the blond throwing a wave over his shoulder.
Dodai returned the wave, watching the blond go in something akin to awe. The boy was truly an enigma.
Konan looked over her shoulders to the retreating gates before walking a bit faster so that she could stand next to Naruto.
"So, spill it then. How did things go?"
Naruto shrugged. "As great as I would have liked. The Raikage is considering our offer. And knowing the man's personality, that's a great step forward."
"How did you manage that!?"
Naruto gave her a hurt look. "Were you expecting me to fail, Konan-chan?"
"No. But given what I've read about the current Raikage, I thought he would challenge you to a duel or something!"
"We've already fought three times already with me coming out on top every single time. There really isn't any point in that anymore. And I'm sure he knows it too. The only thing that was holding him back was his pride. But when faced with the welfare of his people, even he is willing to cast it aside. It's something that I can genuinely respect him for."
Konan was still too shocked to say anything.
"So since this was a success, what exactly are we going to do now, Naruto-sama?" Miyuki questioned. Given the current state of things, Miyuki had guessed that Naruto would have taken the Raikage's offer about staying in the village.
"We have to let word spread in Kumo right now about our offer," Naruto answered. "And I don't want our presence there to negatively affect the reaction from the shinobi and civilians. But mostly it's because I want to teach Konan-chan a few things."
Said kunoichi came out of her stupor at hearing her name. "What? But you know nothing about my jutsu!"
Naruto wiggled his finger with an amused look. "My dear Konan-chan, haven't you known that I can make the impossible possible?"
Konan gave him an unamused look. "And what does that have to do with training me?"
Naruto sighed. "Tough audience…..my point is that your jutsu is based on paper. And what is my clan most famous for that uses paper to do it?"
"Fuinjutsu," Konan answered, her eyes widening in realization a moment later.
"Exactly. I'm sure Ero-sennin had similar ideas too, but you decided to leave with me instead."
Konan had the decency to rub her head sheepishly. "Um. I'm sorry?"
Naruto chuckled. "Don't worry about it. But I want to make sure that you can properly defend yourself when we're out here. Not only do Nagato and Yahiko care about you, but so do I. And I'll be damned if I let a friend of mine go undefended."
Konan smiled. "Thanks."
Naruto gave her a thumbs up. "Don't mention it."
Miyuki couldn't help but shake her head in amusement. No matter what, Naruto still had the effect of drawing others to him as quickly as possible. And she was now seeing that effect firsthand. It was an interesting experience for sure.
The Uzumaki for his part turned his head up towards the sky, a small smile plastered on his face.
Now it was time to wait and see what Sasuke discovered.
Sasuke looked at the dark world around him. It was familiar to the Uchiha. It had been where he had met with the Rikudo Sennin when he had first journeyed to the past. It was also where he and Hamura would always meet to talk to one another.
But now it was devoid of either man. It was only him here. But if so, then what exactly was he doing here?
"You certainly are an enigma, Sasuke."
Sasuke turned around instantly, coming face to face with a dark haired man. The man was wearing a high-collared, light-colored kimono held closed by a dark sash. The collar of the kimono was adorned with magatama. He also wore a black full-bodied suit underneath said kimono. There was also a long sword strapped behind him. His eyes had blue marking around them, which were turned up at the corners. It was also here that made Sasuke pause the most. After all, he was staring at a pair of sharingan eyes.
"Who the hell are you?" Sasuke asked bluntly, his eyes narrowed.
The man chuckled. "Do you mean to tell me that, even after everything father told you, you still can't recognize who I am?"
That was all Sasuke needed. "Indra."
Indra nodded. "Exactly. I must say that it's a shame, though, that not even my descendants can recognize me anymore. Then again, it has been quite a long time since I last roamed the Earth with a body of my own."
"What exactly are you doing here?" Sasuke asked, ignoring what the man said for the most part. "You're only supposed to be a bundle of chakra!"
Indra smirked. "Don't tell me you've forgotten what Nori did to you before you let your uncle slip away from your grasps."
Sasuke's eyes widened at this. "What?"
"That's right," Indra said. "He let me have more…freedom within you. Quite a gift, don't you agree? But don't misunderstand. Even if we weren't able to communicate with one another, I still had a conscious of my own. I still knew of everything happening with you. I just couldn't talk to you directly."
Sasuke scowled. "Well, isn't this something? I never would have thought that I would get to speak to the long dead founder of my clan like this."
Indra shrugged. "Just like you never expected to travel back in time. But nothing is the same anymore. I'm sure we can at least agree to that."
"Yeah, we can," Sasuke said. "But then that leaves me with the most obvious question: what do you want?"
Indra smiled. "I'm not here to take over your body…..if that's what you're asking. Like I told you, you are an enigma to me. Out of all of my descendants that I have reincarnated into, you're the first one to choose this kind of path. Instead of relying on yourself, you're working with others towards a goal that's a bigger and different than anything else anyone has tried in a long time. That's why I am interested to see where this will go. And so far, I haven't been bored yet."
"And when it stops being amusing to you?"
Indra chuckled. "That will be interesting, won't it? But that's a question I have no incentive of answering right now. Especially since I don't see myself becoming bored anytime soon."
With that, Indra turned away from Sasuke. "I only wanted to introduce myself for today, Sasuke. But we will be seeing a lot of each other from now on."
"Just one more question."
Indra turned his head towards him with a raised eyebrow. "And that would be?"
Sasuke locked eyes with him. "Why would you ever agree with Nori? You had your brother. You had a whole life together. Instead of fighting, you two could have accomplished so much together. But instead, you decided to throw it all away."
"I didn't throw anything away," Indra answered as he faced away from Sasuke again. "There wasn't anything for me throw away in the first place."
Sasuke could only stare at Indra's back in confusion as said man disappeared without a trace.
Sasuke's eyes snapped open as he stood back up into a sitting position. He was also covered in sweat. Looking around, the Uchiha found himself in the same clearing that he had fallen sleep in within his small makeshift camp.
Holding his head, Sasuke knew that things had just gotten more complicated for him. As if things weren't already complicated enough. Now he had to deal with another talking voice inside his head. Then again, Naruto had to deal with that everyday. And it was with nine different ones.
Thinking of the blond made Sasuke wonder if Nori had done the same thing to the Uzumaki. But knowing the man's nature as a trickster, it was almost certain that he had. With his current position, though, contacting Naruto about this new development will have to wait.
With that in mind, Sasuke gathered some of his supplies before he went on his way towards the nearest stream to get his day started.
Today was going to be a very busy day.
Kakuzu wanted to kill someone right now. And fast. That feeling had only been growing ever since he had been paired up with the loudmouth Jashin follower next to him. Even though Akatsuki had brought great wealth and protection to him ever since he had joined, Kakuzu didn't know if staying with this partner of his was worth it.
"Hey, are you listening, Kakuzu? Don't tell me you're thinking about money again. Like I keep telling you, that thing will only pollute your soul!"
Kakuzu sighed. "No, Hidan. I'm not thinking about money. And I find it hysterical that you of all people are warning me about the condition of my soul."
Hidan looked confused at this. "What the hell does that even mean? Thanks to my devotion to Jashin-sama, my soul is as clean as it can be!"
Kakuzu had no intelligent response to that. So the man opted instead to keep quiet. Which he preferred anyway. It had been a long trip, and he had heard enough of Hidan to last for a lifetime. No, make that multiple lifetimes.
'Ugh, I'm sure Fuka got the better end of the deal,' Kakuzu thought, remembering the young and quiet redhead the Uzumaki had been paired with. Still, he supposed money did come with sacrifices…one big sacrifice in this case.
"I still don't understand the whole point of this," Hidan began, making Kakuzu come out of his thoughts. "I thought we were supposed to make sure that Akatsuki's name was known. But working for a hidden village?"
"It's for security," Kakuzu replied calmly as the two continued walking at a normal pace. "If we take jobs for the shinobi villages, they won't feel threatened by our presence. Although given the news we received, I don't understand the point anymore either."
"You're talking about those two brats," Hidan said with a grin. "It's not a big deal. I can make them sacrifices for Jashin-sama in an instant!"
Kakuzu raised an eyebrow. "Is that so? Because Fuka told me that one of those brats kicked your ass pretty easily."
Hidan growled. "That was a cheap shot! Besides, I'll be more prepared next time. That's why I think that we should just kill them all and be done with it."
"And like I've told you, these things take time," Kakuzu replied calmly. "Right now, just focus on your mission. We're not even hunting jinchuriki right now. So you'll get to kill as much as you want."
Now that made Hidan smile. "Now you're talking, Kakuzu! I knew you would come around eventually."
Kakuzu merely sighed again, not bothering to respond. If there was a god out there, then he must be laughing at his current predicament right about now.
'What the hell is this?' Sasuke wondered in slight amazement.
The Uchiha, now transformed into a regular simple civilian with his special genjutsu, spotted two individuals that made him pause and rethink everything that he was about to do. And why was that? It was because the two individuals were none other than Akatsuki members. Sasuke recognized Kakuzu instantly. But he honestly shouldn't be surprised. If Fuka had joined, then it was almost certain that Kakuzu would too.
But this also made Sasuke question a lot of other things, the most prudent being just what the two Akatsuki members were planning on doing in Iwa. They weren't even trying to be discreet either. They were using the main road, after all.
'What to do?' Sasuke thought, quickly analyzing his options as the Akatsuki duo in front of him continued to walk without a care in the world. This certainly was one of the last things he had been expecting when he had joined back up with the main road leading to Iwa.
This also presented him with an opportunity, though. An opportunity to thin Akatsuki's numbers by two in one go. It would certainly be a blow to Tobi's plans and consequently Nori's since the two were more than likely working together now.
But they were also severely close to Iwa now too. So if a battle broke out here, it would most surely reach the Tsuchikage's ears.
'No, I can't look at that as a negative thing,' Sasuke realized. 'These two are making their way to Iwa using the main road and without being worried about being spotted. That can only mean one thing: the Tsuchikage is expecting them. I don't know how, but this has to be tied to the reason as to why he declared war on Suna in the first place.'
No matter how much he thought about it, though, Sasuke couldn't see just how the Akatsuki would fit in to all of this. Gain the Tsuchikage's trust? But then again, Iwa had already lost one of its bijuu. The Tsuchikage wouldn't go to war again just on faith of the abilities that Akatsuki possessed. In the eyes of the world, Akatsuki was still a new organization. No, the man was too smart for that. So then what?
Already knowing that there was no use in further thinking about it, he charged a Chidori in his hand.
"Chidori Senbon!"
Both Kakuzu and Hidan paused mid step as a barrage of sharp senbon landed right in front of them.
"Well then, isn't this a surprise," Hidan said with a smirk as he turned to face the "innocent civilian."
"You've been walking behind us all this time, but I couldn't sense any sort of hostile chakra in you. And yet, to pull off something like that…hahaha, Jashin-sama will be happy with the sacrifice I'm about to give him!"
Instead of his partner's excited response, Kakuzu was quietly studying the civilian before him. Or more specifically, the jutsu that he had just witnessed moments earlier.
"Chidori…..I remember that technique." Kakuzu's eyes then widened. "You couldn't possibly be-"
No longer caring about hiding his identity as it was pointless, Sasuke deactivated his genjutsu around himself, reverting back to his true appearance and attire.
"It's been some time, Kakuzu. It looks like you're doing well. I also have a lot of things I need to ask you."
Hidan could only glance at Kakuzu in confusion. "Who the hell is this piece of shit, Kakuzu?"
But Kakuzu didn't answer him. Instead, the man could only stare at the pair of sharingan eyes before him. Only one thing came to mind right now.
"Fuck."
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