PLEASE READ!
Hello peeps, its time again for another chapter. First of all I would like to thank all those who voted for me in the September Fan Fiction of the Month Contest. The first three chapters of Crow in the Shadows won 2nd place and gave me my fourth medal. So, thank you all! ^_^
Was surprised that a whole lot of my usual readers didn't vote at all in the contest. Hope you guys will show up next month. Anyways, I'm already rambling. Let's get on the chapter. Read, enjoy, comment, and if possible critique and rate. *_*
The ANBU trio hurried away from Mitsuki’s with hasty goodbyes and followed the ANBU messenger who was sent to fetch them. Itachi was not all that surprised when—as they sped to the office of the Hokage—the wind threw back the hood of the masked fellow’s cloak and a large mop of silver hair was revealed to under it. He knew he recognized something about the man’s voice. By the look on Sato’s face, an expression of dawning understanding and a tinge of surprise, it was clear he realized who their messenger was as well. After a few moments of leaping from building to building under the stifling heat of the midday sun, they arrived at the large rotunda that was Hokage Office Building.
“I appreciate your quick response” said Hiruzen from behind his desk as they entered his office. The ANBU messenger removed his porcelain mask and the masked face of Konoha’s Copy Ninja was revealed to be behind it.
“K-Kakashi-san!” Hoji stuttered in surprise, finally realizing what Itachi and Sato had already known. “What are you—”
He was interrupted when the Hokage cleared his throat. Everyone turned their attention to the elder. There was an grim and impatient expression on his face, with his brows knitted and drawn over his sunken brown eyes, and his old pipe was jutted at a rude angle at the side of his thin, wrinkled lips. “I’ve called you three here in regards to a mission. I will give you details when the rest of you are here.”
“The rest of us?” inquired Sato, eyebrows raised in surprise. He, Itachi, Sato and Kakashi already made up a complete four man cell. The Hokage needed more?
At that moment, the front door opened slowly with a low creak and Sarutobi Himura stepped into the office. The expression on his face was as strong and placid as always and he strode in with a jaunty air. His auburn hair seemed to be longer and more spiky than when last they had seen him and the thin beard that lined his face was a trifle thicker and darker but still sharply trimmed. Most shocking about his appearance was the lean but conspicuous scar trailing from his left temple, running between his eyebrows and ending just underneath his right eye.
“Good day Uncle Hiru—I mean Hokage-sama!” he greeted with a small, nervous smile, shoving his hands into his pockets. He was dressed in casual clothing, a blue, long-sleeved shirt and dark pants with green sandals.
“Ah, Himura.” said Hiruzen. “The only ones left are—”
Two individuals materialized in their midst with the Shunshin no Jutsu, clad in full ANBU uniform with the exception of the cloak. One was tall and rail, with long hair packed in a high and spiky ponytail while the other had brown bristling hair and a larger build. They removed their masks and the former was revealed to be a young, gaunt, oval-faced, thick-browed and sharp-nosed fellow, with dull, sunken gray eyes and a sobersided expression on his face, while the latter was Tenzo who also looked grave.
“Hokage-sama.” The duo greeted in unison and Hiruzen nodded in acknowledgement of their presence.
“Shiko. Tenzo. Since, you’re all here,” began the Hokage, bony wrinkled hands shuffling over some documents on his table, his eyes running swiftly over the papers, “I guess we better get down to it. An S-Rank mission of utmost importance. A few days ago, my office received a request from a town not too far from Konoha called Aoran. They were being terrorized by what they described as a monster. I assumed it was some wild beast so I sent a simple Chunnin team. None returned. A letter came yesterday informing me that their mangled, half-eaten remains were found in the forest on the outskirts of the town.” Here the Hokage paused to look up at the faces of his listeners; Hoji especially looked aghast but the expressions of the rest grew severe. “I convened with the Konoha Council today to discuss this issue and I found out that it was deeper than I thought.”
Hiruzen slid a file to the other side of the table. Everyone present leaned forward to get a glimpse at it. It was a thin document and on the beige front page of the document, typed in large, thick and black capital letters was the word ‘AKAKUMA.’
“That,” began the Hokage, “is one of Orochimaru’s experiments.”
“Danzo brought that document today. He explained that about two years ago, Root had discovered one of Orochimaru’s abandoned laboratories and that was where they found this. According to the file, this Akakuma is a red-skinned creature of Orochimaru’s workmanship. He drugged and modified the body of one of his guinea pigs so much that this person lost his mind but was given incredible powers: Speed, strength, sharper senses and a thick hide which could withstand most ninjutsu attacks. The creature also gained the ability to convert the energy in any substance into chakra by consuming it. In theory, it could eat even fire and turn it to chakra, and who knows what other sort of powers it possesses.”
“Root searched this lab but the creature was nowhere to be found. According to Danzo, they eventually tracked down the beast and tried to capture it. All of them were killed. Danzo sent subsequent, more skilled teams after the monster but it slaughtered them all. Eventually, he gave up the chase. Now the matter has come up again. There’s a nearly 100% certainty that Akakuma is the monster of Aoran.”
There was a heavy silence in the office of the Hokage, and all that could with heard was the distant bustle of the villagers from down below. The weight of the matter seemed to bear down on all of them. Normally, missions were received with a cool, almost indifferent air. The difficulty of the assignment was always tailored the skill level of the ninja’s who were to be sent, so the risk of death was almost non-existent. However, after the horrific chain of events Hiruzen had just narrated, it seemed the task before them was more like a suicide mission than anything.
Sato’s chest swelled as he inhaled deeply. He took and firm and decisive step forward and exhaled. “So, ” he began, “when do we leave?”
Hiruzen chuckled, amused and impressed by his bravery. “I can see that you are eager.”
“What can I say, Konoha’s been dull these days.” replied the Hyuuga.
“Well, it would be best if you were to leave tonight. I want this handled as quickly as possible and I believe you are the men for the job.” said Hiruzen. “Tenzo, Shiko, Itachi, Hoji, Sato, Himura. You are instructed to find and eliminate the creature known as Akakuma.” commanded the Hokage. Nara Shiko stepped forward to take the document from the office table. He began to peruse the file, his intense concentration evidenced by the constriction of his eyebrows as he flipped the pages.
“What about me?” questioned Kakashi, single visible brow quirked in apparent surprise. Everyone else had also noticed that the Hokage had not called the Copy Ninja’s name. A mission this risky and dangerous practically had his name on it. In the ANBU it was said when an assignment borders on the impossible, Kakashi was the man for the job.
“Oh, I called you here on a different matter.” responded the Hokage. “The rest of you are dismissed.”
Danzo stood with his left hand resting on the steel railing of the long and broad overpass which stretched across the atrium of the Root Underground headquarters. His wooden cane leaned against the parapet beside him on the left, and his head was slightly lowered pensively. The air was cold and dreary, and the light was feeble such that very few could be seen in the subterranean cavern, but Darkness was Shimura Danzo’s element, his natural habitat, even his namesake.
One bony finger tapped impatiently on the metal and each rap echoed off the unpainted metallic walls of the dark, capacious and gloomy chamber. In a moment, the elder was joined by one of his Root soldiers, who appeared in a puff of smoke beside him. The individual was dressed in the full ANBU uniform and was down on one knee in respect before his superior. Apart from ceasing to tap his finger, Danzo did nothing to acknowledge the ANBU’s presence, keeping his head lowered and dimmed eye looking over the railing, his expression cold and austere.
“Well, did Hiruzen send the Uchiha?” inquired Danzo in a deep guttural voice which reverberated throughout his domain.
“Yes, him along with Nara Shiko, Wood Style Tenzo, Sarutobi Himura, Hyuuga Sato and Senju Hoji.” responded the Root operative.
“Very good. It’s all going as planned. Dimissed.” said Danzo and the corners of his lips raised into a sinister smile. The Root operative beside him took his leave in a haze of white smoke.“I only gave that old fool part of the details of Akakuma’s power. That team will surely be destroyed.” thought the elder. ”Without Uchiha Itachi standing as Hiruzen’s only pathetic ray of hope for peaceful dialogue between the village and the Uchiha clan, there will be no other choice but to wipe them out with the full brunt of our military power before their coup matures. It is the cleanest way to resolve this conflict.”
“Orochimaru betrayed me and took the boy Kabuto with him, but he neglected to clear out all his research facilities. Though that traitorous snake was unable to control the Red Devil, Akakuma will prove useful after all…to me! After it wipes out Hiruzen’s ANBU squad, I will use Shisui’s Mangekyo Sharingan to control it, strengthening Root’s, and by extension, Konoha’s military power. Yes, it’s all going according to plan.”
The day in Konoha drew to a close. As the sun settled beneath the horizon, giving off its last pink flush of light, as the rows of houses in Konoha darkened in the growing twilight, and as the shadows of its denizens stretched longer while they went about their normal business, Itachi and the rest of the chosen team set off for Aoran to destroy a monster. A mission from which they might never return.
To Be Continued.
Hello peeps, its time again for another chapter. First of all I would like to thank all those who voted for me in the September Fan Fiction of the Month Contest. The first three chapters of Crow in the Shadows won 2nd place and gave me my fourth medal. So, thank you all! ^_^
Was surprised that a whole lot of my usual readers didn't vote at all in the contest. Hope you guys will show up next month. Anyways, I'm already rambling. Let's get on the chapter. Read, enjoy, comment, and if possible critique and rate. *_*
The ANBU trio hurried away from Mitsuki’s with hasty goodbyes and followed the ANBU messenger who was sent to fetch them. Itachi was not all that surprised when—as they sped to the office of the Hokage—the wind threw back the hood of the masked fellow’s cloak and a large mop of silver hair was revealed to under it. He knew he recognized something about the man’s voice. By the look on Sato’s face, an expression of dawning understanding and a tinge of surprise, it was clear he realized who their messenger was as well. After a few moments of leaping from building to building under the stifling heat of the midday sun, they arrived at the large rotunda that was Hokage Office Building.
“I appreciate your quick response” said Hiruzen from behind his desk as they entered his office. The ANBU messenger removed his porcelain mask and the masked face of Konoha’s Copy Ninja was revealed to be behind it.
“K-Kakashi-san!” Hoji stuttered in surprise, finally realizing what Itachi and Sato had already known. “What are you—”
He was interrupted when the Hokage cleared his throat. Everyone turned their attention to the elder. There was an grim and impatient expression on his face, with his brows knitted and drawn over his sunken brown eyes, and his old pipe was jutted at a rude angle at the side of his thin, wrinkled lips. “I’ve called you three here in regards to a mission. I will give you details when the rest of you are here.”
“The rest of us?” inquired Sato, eyebrows raised in surprise. He, Itachi, Sato and Kakashi already made up a complete four man cell. The Hokage needed more?
At that moment, the front door opened slowly with a low creak and Sarutobi Himura stepped into the office. The expression on his face was as strong and placid as always and he strode in with a jaunty air. His auburn hair seemed to be longer and more spiky than when last they had seen him and the thin beard that lined his face was a trifle thicker and darker but still sharply trimmed. Most shocking about his appearance was the lean but conspicuous scar trailing from his left temple, running between his eyebrows and ending just underneath his right eye.
“Good day Uncle Hiru—I mean Hokage-sama!” he greeted with a small, nervous smile, shoving his hands into his pockets. He was dressed in casual clothing, a blue, long-sleeved shirt and dark pants with green sandals.
“Ah, Himura.” said Hiruzen. “The only ones left are—”
Two individuals materialized in their midst with the Shunshin no Jutsu, clad in full ANBU uniform with the exception of the cloak. One was tall and rail, with long hair packed in a high and spiky ponytail while the other had brown bristling hair and a larger build. They removed their masks and the former was revealed to be a young, gaunt, oval-faced, thick-browed and sharp-nosed fellow, with dull, sunken gray eyes and a sobersided expression on his face, while the latter was Tenzo who also looked grave.
“Hokage-sama.” The duo greeted in unison and Hiruzen nodded in acknowledgement of their presence.
“Shiko. Tenzo. Since, you’re all here,” began the Hokage, bony wrinkled hands shuffling over some documents on his table, his eyes running swiftly over the papers, “I guess we better get down to it. An S-Rank mission of utmost importance. A few days ago, my office received a request from a town not too far from Konoha called Aoran. They were being terrorized by what they described as a monster. I assumed it was some wild beast so I sent a simple Chunnin team. None returned. A letter came yesterday informing me that their mangled, half-eaten remains were found in the forest on the outskirts of the town.” Here the Hokage paused to look up at the faces of his listeners; Hoji especially looked aghast but the expressions of the rest grew severe. “I convened with the Konoha Council today to discuss this issue and I found out that it was deeper than I thought.”
Hiruzen slid a file to the other side of the table. Everyone present leaned forward to get a glimpse at it. It was a thin document and on the beige front page of the document, typed in large, thick and black capital letters was the word ‘AKAKUMA.’
“That,” began the Hokage, “is one of Orochimaru’s experiments.”
“Danzo brought that document today. He explained that about two years ago, Root had discovered one of Orochimaru’s abandoned laboratories and that was where they found this. According to the file, this Akakuma is a red-skinned creature of Orochimaru’s workmanship. He drugged and modified the body of one of his guinea pigs so much that this person lost his mind but was given incredible powers: Speed, strength, sharper senses and a thick hide which could withstand most ninjutsu attacks. The creature also gained the ability to convert the energy in any substance into chakra by consuming it. In theory, it could eat even fire and turn it to chakra, and who knows what other sort of powers it possesses.”
“Root searched this lab but the creature was nowhere to be found. According to Danzo, they eventually tracked down the beast and tried to capture it. All of them were killed. Danzo sent subsequent, more skilled teams after the monster but it slaughtered them all. Eventually, he gave up the chase. Now the matter has come up again. There’s a nearly 100% certainty that Akakuma is the monster of Aoran.”
There was a heavy silence in the office of the Hokage, and all that could with heard was the distant bustle of the villagers from down below. The weight of the matter seemed to bear down on all of them. Normally, missions were received with a cool, almost indifferent air. The difficulty of the assignment was always tailored the skill level of the ninja’s who were to be sent, so the risk of death was almost non-existent. However, after the horrific chain of events Hiruzen had just narrated, it seemed the task before them was more like a suicide mission than anything.
Sato’s chest swelled as he inhaled deeply. He took and firm and decisive step forward and exhaled. “So, ” he began, “when do we leave?”
Hiruzen chuckled, amused and impressed by his bravery. “I can see that you are eager.”
“What can I say, Konoha’s been dull these days.” replied the Hyuuga.
“Well, it would be best if you were to leave tonight. I want this handled as quickly as possible and I believe you are the men for the job.” said Hiruzen. “Tenzo, Shiko, Itachi, Hoji, Sato, Himura. You are instructed to find and eliminate the creature known as Akakuma.” commanded the Hokage. Nara Shiko stepped forward to take the document from the office table. He began to peruse the file, his intense concentration evidenced by the constriction of his eyebrows as he flipped the pages.
“What about me?” questioned Kakashi, single visible brow quirked in apparent surprise. Everyone else had also noticed that the Hokage had not called the Copy Ninja’s name. A mission this risky and dangerous practically had his name on it. In the ANBU it was said when an assignment borders on the impossible, Kakashi was the man for the job.
“Oh, I called you here on a different matter.” responded the Hokage. “The rest of you are dismissed.”
00000
Danzo stood with his left hand resting on the steel railing of the long and broad overpass which stretched across the atrium of the Root Underground headquarters. His wooden cane leaned against the parapet beside him on the left, and his head was slightly lowered pensively. The air was cold and dreary, and the light was feeble such that very few could be seen in the subterranean cavern, but Darkness was Shimura Danzo’s element, his natural habitat, even his namesake.
One bony finger tapped impatiently on the metal and each rap echoed off the unpainted metallic walls of the dark, capacious and gloomy chamber. In a moment, the elder was joined by one of his Root soldiers, who appeared in a puff of smoke beside him. The individual was dressed in the full ANBU uniform and was down on one knee in respect before his superior. Apart from ceasing to tap his finger, Danzo did nothing to acknowledge the ANBU’s presence, keeping his head lowered and dimmed eye looking over the railing, his expression cold and austere.
“Well, did Hiruzen send the Uchiha?” inquired Danzo in a deep guttural voice which reverberated throughout his domain.
“Yes, him along with Nara Shiko, Wood Style Tenzo, Sarutobi Himura, Hyuuga Sato and Senju Hoji.” responded the Root operative.
“Very good. It’s all going as planned. Dimissed.” said Danzo and the corners of his lips raised into a sinister smile. The Root operative beside him took his leave in a haze of white smoke.“I only gave that old fool part of the details of Akakuma’s power. That team will surely be destroyed.” thought the elder. ”Without Uchiha Itachi standing as Hiruzen’s only pathetic ray of hope for peaceful dialogue between the village and the Uchiha clan, there will be no other choice but to wipe them out with the full brunt of our military power before their coup matures. It is the cleanest way to resolve this conflict.”
“Orochimaru betrayed me and took the boy Kabuto with him, but he neglected to clear out all his research facilities. Though that traitorous snake was unable to control the Red Devil, Akakuma will prove useful after all…to me! After it wipes out Hiruzen’s ANBU squad, I will use Shisui’s Mangekyo Sharingan to control it, strengthening Root’s, and by extension, Konoha’s military power. Yes, it’s all going according to plan.”
00000
The day in Konoha drew to a close. As the sun settled beneath the horizon, giving off its last pink flush of light, as the rows of houses in Konoha darkened in the growing twilight, and as the shadows of its denizens stretched longer while they went about their normal business, Itachi and the rest of the chosen team set off for Aoran to destroy a monster. A mission from which they might never return.
To Be Continued.
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I'd like to see just how powerful this Akakuma really is. And I agree with Germ about Danzo, man. If I remember right, he wanted to confide in Itachi to wipe out the Uchiha, too, so why does he want him dead here? Oh, and the Hokage's office is inside the Academy. Just something to keep in mind*_*
About Danzo, guess to him, more power means safety for Konoha XD Hmm...maybe, maybe not. You're just gonna have to keep reading!
