Mari Makinami
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Good news everyone! I've found myself a beta, so starting with the next chapter, the quality of the writing will be significantly increased. The previous chapters are also being slowly fixed - if you are interested to read the fixed version, PM me to get a link for FF dot net. Enjoy!
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20/12/15. The chapter has been updated, providing the results of my beta's splendid work. Thank you very much, Alice!
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Chapter 15. The Ties That Bind Us
"Now tell me, boy... what do you know about pain?"
Sasuke gritted his teeth, feeling utterly lost for a moment. When he heard Hinata screaming somewhere on the lower floors, his first desire was to teleport down straight away, for such reaction to injures was something far from ordinary for her nowadays.
From what he had learned during their recent training sessions, the girl had acquired very high pain tolerance now that she'd had awakened that kekkei genkai Orochimaru had given her. Since she could now change the shape and size of her bones, it caused her cells to adapt to the new ability, dramatically increasing their regeneration speed – it was now much faster than that of a regular man, basically giving her the ability to heal herself nearly on par with the famous Byakugō seal wielders. Though it made perfect sense considering that whenever she used that ability her muscles, internal organs and skin were heavily damaged. That's why the incredibly fast regeneration was mandatory – so that her body could adjust to the constant changes as fast as possible.
Back when she'd first awakened the kekkei genkai she told him that the pain was nearly driving her insane whenever she tried to use it. But it was getting better with each further try, and once her brain finally accepted the fact that from now on Hinata could take immense amount of damage without risking her life, the levels of pain her body felt rapidly decreased in order to preserve the healthy state of her psyche. So now the girl usually didn't even notice scratches, cuts, and piercing wounds – after all, they always regenerated shortly.
But like his brother always told him: Every jutsu had a weakness, and this one was no exception. The huge flaw there was that the regeneration took significant amounts of her chakra, and since she'd always had rather small chakra reserves and didn't have it stored in a seal like the said Byakugō users, the girl had to train physically without allowing herself any indulgence in order to increase her capacities, which she did – the Hyūga had nearly doubled them during the last few months. It had also caused quite a notable good effect on her body, but currently it was certainly not the time for Sasuke to focus his thoughts on that part – that scream of hers could only mean that Hinata was now very close to being out of chakra. And apparently the passive regeneration stopped in order to preserve the remaining energy to prevent her from dying due to chakra exhaustion.
In other words, she was likely to get killed any second now.
That's why he had no other choice but to go all out. He really hated it – after all, Sasuke vowed to himself not to harm his possible surviving relatives under any circumstances ... yet still Yutaka, who clearly was controlling the Kyūbi jinchūriki, whom Hinata fought, was leaving him no other options. After all ... to think about it, years ago Obito did tie him up before revealing the truth about Itachi, which probably was a right thing to do, since otherwise he wouldn't have listened back then, of that Sasuke was sure. Therefore, sometimes even violent measures could bring good in the end. And given that Hinata could die now because of his principles, the Uchiha made the only natural decision he could make at the moment – he gave up on said principle.
“Enough with the sideshow.”
His Rinnegan flashed as a burst of his chakra ruffled the boy's hair. There was a glimpse of surprise, recognition and shock in Yutaka's eyes before they turned purple, covered with a ripple pattern, and then the man's face became absolutely blank.
At the same time an invisible and intangible copy of Sasuke appeared out of his body, instantly using Amenotejikara to get to Hinata. And to Sasuke's relief, since his eyes were linked with the eyes of the copy through the invisible chakra connection, he could see that it got there right in time to protect the girl from the killing blow, blocking it and making Hinata gasp in surprise.
He smirked. Of course, she couldn't see nor feel it.
Back during the war, only those who possessed the Six Paths senjutsu or Rinnegan could recognize the presence of Madara's Limbo. And certainly a mere Byakugan couldn't perceive it at all ... so she probably didn't even grasp what exactly saved her, since he never told the girl anything about this particular jutsu – after all, he hated to use anything related to copying himself. Like he once told Naruto back at the Valley of the End, he considered relying on clones a symbol of weakness and solitude, both of which he despised. And now he was using the exactly same technique his predecessor had been so fond of – the irony!
Of course, he had a different point of view now after all those months of thinking and reconsidering his philosophy, so it was more of an old habit now, but it was still there nonetheless – that was why he usually preferred to avoid using Limbo if it wasn't absolutely necessary. Not to mention that it was very chakra consuming as well... but, no matter.
Sasuke let out a heavy sigh, feeling his heart racing madly. If he had been just second later, he could've lost her...
Undo the control over the Kyūbi, he sent the silent order, and the man quickly formed the confrontation seal – Sasuke could feel the flow of chakra that was streaming down through the floors of the building and to the bijū instantly disappear. He smirked in satisfaction – through the eyes of his copy he could see that the Kyūbi stopped – it already reached its eight-tailed form, and was covered in muscles and skin, though there was no fur yet, which made it look a bit weird and probably even more repulsive than its usual appearance. The beast looked angered, but it was just standing there, panting and glaring at Hinata with recognition in its red eyes.
The girl herself, however, looked really bad – the beast had ripped her arms away, and she was standing there on her knees in a puddle of blood, much paler than usual, trembling and breathing heavily – it was clear that she was desperately trying to stay conscious in spite of the multiple deadly injuries.
Come downstairs right away. We'll meet there.
Yutaka nodded without any questions – after all, Sasuke's Rinnegan genjutsu was probably the second strongest illusion technique that ever existed, so a mere Sharingan user, even with the Uzumaki genes, couldn't possibly hope to defy it.
Sasuke then used his Rinnegan's power again, this time to swap places with his shadow, appearing before Hinata and staring into the Kyūbi's hateful eyes.
“Uchiha– ” The creature growled, instantly recognizing him.
“Hold on.” Sasuke turned away – just in time to catch Hinata who was about to fall down onto the cold concrete floor. Gripping her waist with his only arm, he stared into her clouded white eyes.
“Sa- Sasuke ... you've come– ” whispered the girl, giving him the weakest of smiles.
“Don't talk. I can see you're nearly out of chakra ... but it can be fixed.”
He lightly tapped her forehead with his fingertips before channeling his own chakra into his palm – a small black metal rod appeared on it, and the boy thrust it directly into the tenketsu point on her chest.
“You dumbass ... why didn't you use the seal?” He frowned, looking at the black mark on Hinata's neck.
Jun, who was half-sitting on the floor a few yards away from them, waved his hand at Sasuke.
“Hey, kami-sama ... I'm glad that you're so caring about the well-being of your followers. Just wanted to tell you that I'm alive, though not that well. Already started to think you were going to let us die here.”
Sasuke ignored the man, seeing as he was relatively fine despite the open fracture of his leg. The teen knelt down to Hinata who gave him a weak smile again, whispering,“You ... told me ... not to ...”
“Stupid.”
He channeled his chakra through the rod – since there already was a portion of his energy in her system, it was rather easy to connect with it and to start filling her body with his own chakra – the results of that became pretty evident shortly as the girl's arms started to rapidly re-grow, and Hinata herself, despite coughing up blood and panting heavily, became much less pale than she was prior to his arrival.
“That should be enough …,” he finally concluded after a minute, turning his head to the beast that, for some reason, had been unusually patient and silent, yet still staring at him with unveiled hatred in the fearful eyes. As far as Sasuke knew the Kyūbi was no fool – the creature probably realized that attacking him would be a waste of energy, given that he was now in full control of his power, unlike that time half a year ago at the Valley of the End – and even that time such an attempt had turned out to be futile.
“Your kind never changes, Uchiha,” the fox growled again, still not moving an inch.
“You're wrong,” uttered Sasuke. Now, after all those months of thinking, he realized that the beast was an intelligent creature that actually had feelings and thoughts of its own. It couldn't be dealt with like a tool.
“Oh, really? I find it hard to believe. This piece of trash is of your clan, and he used his abilities to control me, just like you and your predecessors did in the past.”
“That's not happening again.”
Sasuke's voice was steady and rigid, so the fox narrowed its eyes, frowning – it was looking pretty weird considering its incomplete form, but the Uchiha didn't really care. He had finally made a decision concerning the demon, and this time he wouldn't change his mind no matter what.
“I know that Naruto trusts you–” The beast finally rumbled, “...and, considering that you were the one to free me now, I suppose I could trust his judge and accept the fact that you really have changed. But you should be able to understand – those who have access to a great power will always crave it, no matter what they do. If you succeed at reviving your clan now – someday, an Uchiha will come up with the idea of controlling me. Perhaps it will even be your next–”
“I understand.”
The beast certainly didn't like being interrupted like that, yet still the fox stopped talking, waiting for Sasuke to continue and trying to stay patient. The teen himself suddenly looked a bit troubled, which nobody missed – though he'd had months to come to this certain decision, he still had some doubts. What if he was wrong, after all? What if Naruto's idea of peace failed? Would it eventually come back to the idea of revolution...?
No. Even if it was bound to happen after all, he could make it even without the bijū. And if the Kyūbi tried to stop him, then he would be free to protect himself by any means necessary.
“I can't guarantee anything for the time when I am no more,” he finally said. “But until then – while I'm the head of the Uchiha clan – I promise you that I will personally execute whoever is going to try to abuse his power over you again. Unless you attack any of us on your own, of course. ”
The Kyūbi smirked bitterly, cocking its head.
“Why so generous all of sudden?”
That was a one million ryo question. But Sasuke could answer it – after all, he'd had plenty of time to find the answer prior to that night.
“There are several reasons. First of all, after our last meeting, I realized that you beasts are more than just nearly endless sources of chakra. Thanks to Naruto, of course ... yet still, I now understand that you are a person, just like me, though of a different kind. And, trust me or not, I don't fancy slavery in any form. Besides ... I'm a part of Konoha now, and so are you. So it's one of my duties - to protect you no matter what.”
The beast laughed, and Sasuke could hear Hinata gasp at the scary, loud sound.
“A bold claim. What are you going to do now, then? I'm still enslaved, as you can see.”
The Uchiha blinked – he didn't think that part through. Apparently the bijū was referring to its host...
“I–”
He stopped, not knowing what to say.
The Kyūbi smirked.
“I knew it. You humans are always the same. Even those hypocrites who try to befriend us, you still don't consider us equals – you won't kill one of your kind to free me, will you? Especially since this girl is the wife of your clansman ...”
Now that was quite a dilemma. Would Yutaka ever forgive him for killing his beloved one? Perhaps he could do it while the man was...
Sasuke cursed, gazing at the entrance of the hall. No, that idea wouldn't work now – the other Uchiha had just appeared, though still under his genjutsu, but Sasuke knew that the man could see and hear them clearly even without being able to control his body.
“Right. Your words are as empty as your soul, Uchiha. Come now, put some seal on her so I can return to my prison. I don't want to face you anymore, filth.”
The raven haired boy scowled – it was the first time in awhile that he didn't know what to do. Perhaps now he could talk to Yutaka? Maybe he would understand ...? After all, killing the man absolutely was not an option in any possible case, just like letting him go. Sure, he could hold him under the genjutsu forever, but ... was that the way he wanted to run his family? Certainly not.
“Stand still. I'm going to resolve this, in one way or another,” mumbled the Uchiha, partly undoing his genjutsu in a way that the man could think and talk on his own free will, yet still had no ability to move.
And, just as he did so, Yutaka gave him a hateful glare.
“You're incredibly powerful, I will give you that. And to think that you, of all people, have the god's eye ... you truly are the chosen one. I can now see how naive I was, thinking that I could defeat you ...”
“Why did you seal the Kyūbi inside your own wife? Weren't you aware of how dangerous that is?” asked Sasuke, looking the man in the eyes without any sign of conflict in him anymore. He couldn't allow himself to look weak now, no matter what.
“Oh? So now you are interested, huh?” the man chuckled sadly. “It's fairly simple. Yes, I am aware of the demon's capabilities. She was dying, and that was the only way to save her life.”
Sasuke narrowed his eyes, thinking quickly. Now it made more sense, though not entirely so ...
“Apparently you really don't understand what power you are dealing with.” Sasuke sighed, helping Hinata get up - she was still recovering and silently listening to the fateful conversation. He took the torn Akatsuki coat off her shaking body and draped his own over her shoulders – it was a few sizes bigger, so the girl looked a bit ridiculous wearing it, but none of them really cared.
Yutaka simply shrugged, still unable to move his arms and legs.
“I knew that this beast was capable of healing its host. I also knew that we needed a weapon to protect ourselves. That was the best decision I could make at the time.”
Sasuke gritted his teeth again. Sure, that was justified, but it didn't make the situation any better ...
“But can't you see that you were wrong? Sure, you prolonged her life, but such a way of living is pure suffering. Her body is too weak to hold the beast inside, and its chakra is much more potent than hers. That's why you weren't able to maintain the seal, no matter how hard you tried.
Yutaka shrugged again, lowering his eyes in defeat.
“I suppose you're right ... but what else could I do? I love her. Just as much as I love my village. I had to save her, no matter what it cost me. But I'm sure you understand me, too.”
The man glanced at Hinata who now held her breath, gazing at Sasuke hesitantly.
The Uchiha could feel his resolve break at once. He still couldn't say what he felt towards the girl that apparently loved him deeply, but for some reason he now felt the strange empathy towards his clansman. If Hinata was about to die, how far would he go to save her ...?
But he already knew the answer, even though it was kind of frightening to him. And this situation still needed to be dealt with, so instead of giving the direct reply though, he sighed, “I suppose I do, in a way. But I think I'd rather let the woman I love rest in peace than force her to suffer like this. Can't you see it? Every minute of her existence that was artificially prolonged by you is full of pain she can barely withstand. She is probably nearly insane by now because of it. Did you even talk to her? At least once since the moment you sealed the bijū in her?”
For the first time during their entire conversation, Yutaka looked really conflicted and insecure. After a moment of thinking, he uttered, lowering his eyes, “No ... I don't think so.”
Sasuke let out a quiet sigh of relief. That was the start.
“Look, I can see that you love her. It runs in our blood – an Uchiha's love is hard to get, but it's incredibly strong once it's acquired. I myself went through hell because of this feeling ...”
He didn't see it, but Hinata gave him a troubled, empathic look, realizing that he was talking about his parents and his brother Itachi. Jun, too, remained surprisingly silent, gazing at him thoughtfully. “But we have to get over it if we want to survive. And right now I need you. Not only because I consider you family, but also because our bloodline will die if we do not unite to protect ourselves.”
“Yeah ... and to do so, you need to kill Kimiko ...?” Yutaka asked, giving him another hateful glare.
Never in his life had Sasuke felt so torn before. But at the same time he really had no choice – he had to free the beast. Furthermore, he truly considered the woman's artificial existence an abomination – she deserved her peace in the afterlife. It had to be stopped.
“Yes. I do. Not only because I won't let anyone enslave this particular beast again, but also because I think you're wrong. I understand your feelings, I truly do, but you have to accept the inevitable. Even if by some miracle you manage to maintain that seal for months, for years, it's not the life you wanted her to live, is it? After all, didn't you tell me just few minutes before that pain only makes you stronger? Then you need to become stronger by overcoming it.”
The man closed his eyes, sighing heavily in defeat.
“Perhaps you are right. It was my weakness that led me to doing this to her ... I was far too afraid to lose her, and I don't want to be weak. I can't afford it. I don't really know why, but I can see it in your eyes ... that you're telling the truth. That you understand me. That's why ... I ...” Tears streamed down his face which made Sasuke's heart clench for a second – but then he felt Hinata's fingers gripping his own hand, which made him suddenly feel the power to withstand it.
“I will help you. I understand you want to join Amegakure with the Fire Country, and seeing as your intentions are pure – fine, I accept it. You want to save our clan – I respect this wish as well. But ... I want you to make a promise. No ... I want you to make a vow.” His Sharingan eyes finally met Sasuke's, and the teen could see the incredible pain overwhelming his newfound clansman. “As the leader of Akatsuki and of our clan, you must protect both. Can you guarantee that such tragedy won't ever happen again? Can you promise me that while you are alive, you will do everything in your power to ensure that none of our possible descendants will suffer this pain? That unlike us, they won't have to be strong above everything else?”
Sasuke could feel the betraying tear flow down his face, and he could only be grateful to the girl that was now standing next to him, giving him the light that helped him to stand still in the face of the very thing that had been stalking him in his nightmares for many, many years now – and even though he'd always dealt with it on his own, despite certainly being strong enough to deal with Yutaka's pain of losing the closest person he had that was so familiar to him, the teen still felt the warmth of her assuring clench on his hand reach the depths of his heart, and it made him feel like the ice he had chained his heart with years ago was finally melting now. Very slowly, but that was the start...
“Yes. I give you this vow.” He stepped towards Yutaka, canceling the genjutsu and letting the man go. Shaking his hand, Sasuke saw the man nodding.
“Go ahead now. Just ... please, make it as fast as possible. I don't want her to suffer anymore.”
Sasuke didn't know what to say. To kill the girl would mean the bijū chakra was to disperse for many years, reforming much, much later. He needed to actually extract the beast from her body, just like Akatsuki did it with the other beasts in the past ... and he could do it with his left eye's prowess. But it certainly wouldn't be instant, nor painless ...
“I'll try. But I'm afraid it might not be as quick.” Yutaka gave him a weak nod again, and Sasuke turned towards the beast that was patiently waiting for the ending of their conversation, gazing at him in utter shock. Apparently he surprised the Kyūbi to say the least.
“I'm going to pull you out of her now. Any advice to not screw it up?” The teen barked, making the Kyūbi give him an incredulous glare before slowly replying,“Just use the Preta Path of your Rinnegan, brat. I've nearly broken the seal anyway. If you take more of my chakra out, it will break. She will die the instant you do it, though.”
“Fair enough.”
Sasuke came close to the immense creature, touching it's chest with his palm and starting to drain the chakra as fast as he could, not allowing it to enter his own system though.
It didn't take much time, just like the beast anticipated – in just a minute, the massive furry creature was standing there above the corpse of a beautiful woman that was once the beloved wife of Yutaka Uchiha.
Sasuke looked back to check the man and nearly gasped – his eyes changed its usual three tomoe pattern, making them look more like three diamonds around the pupil, connected by a broad circle. Apparently the man awakened his Mangekyō Sharingan, which was to be expected now that Sasuke thought about it.
“That's ... surprising …,” the beast rambled, looking at Sasuke with caution and confusion in its red eyes.
“Is it?” He could only say that much, glancing at the Kyūbi who now looked like a lost puppy all of a sudden.
“Yes ... I never thought you could change this much ... Indra.” Sasuke could see Hinata's eyes widen as she heard the name. He still had to question her about the things she was not supposed to know later...
“Neither did I. But it happened nonetheless. You are free now.” He turned away, looking at Yutaka who was now sobbing, sitting on the floor and hugging his wife's dead body.
The Kyūbi hesitated for a few seconds.
“I know ... and you are the one to thank for it. Perhaps the old man wasn't all wrong about you, after all ...” Sasuke could feel the beast stride forward, lowering its head and quietly uttering,“Your predecessors used to take this privilege by force ... I think it will only be fair if I give you that, now that you've shown me your dignity. After all, maybe Naruto wasn't wrong about you, either ...” Sasuke looked up to meet the suddenly warm, though a bit awkward gaze of the beast. “From now on, I allow you and only you, Uchiha Sasuke, to summon me for your assistance in critical situations. Don't abuse it for the stuff you can take care of yourself, though – I'm aware of your capabilities, brat, so it's gonna be a very rare occasion, but in case you ever need my help–”
Sasuke gave the beast a small smirk.
“Yeah. I know. Thank you ... Kurama.”
The bijū snorted, frowning and turning away.
“That bastard Naruto ... I hoped he would respect me enough to not reveal my name to another brat.”
Sasuke smirked.
“Fine ... I'll be calling you Kyūbi anyway. Wouldn't want to ruin the intimacy between the two of you.” The beast began to growl, but then Sasuke raised his hand in a conciliatory gesture. “Just kidding. Thank you. And sorry again for this mess.”
“No worries, no worries. My leg will wait another few hours, 's okay.”
Jun finally moaned, not able to hold the irritation and pain anymore, though apparently he realized the importance of what was going on.
Hearing this, Sasuke met Hinata's eyes, and the girl gave him another warm, understanding smile.
“Go. He needs you now. I'll heal Jun meanwhile – you gave me more than enough chakra.” She pulled the black rod out of her flesh and dropped it aside – the wound began to heal the instant she did so.
Nodding hesitantly, Sasuke stepped towards Yutaka who was still sitting on the floor, hugging the dead body of his wife. There was the hardest part ...
He came close to the man, lightly putting his hand on his shoulder.
“Can we talk?” he asked as softly as he could, suddenly feeling weird – the man was a good decade older than him, yet still he felt what he imagined to be what Itachi always felt when he was trying to comfort him back during their childhood – as if Yutaka was his younger brother.
“Yeah ... I suppose …,” Yutaka mumbled, caressing the woman's cheek for the last time before finally letting her go. He got up, meeting Sasuke's only visible sorrowful eye – the teen's Sharingan was deactivated now, and the Rinnegan got covered by his hair again.
Yutaka's eyes, though ... without a doubt, it was his Mangekyō Sharingan.
“Can you bury her? The way it's supposed to be done in our clan.” Sasuke gasped in surprise – he certainly didn't see that coming. As far as he knew, the burial tradition in Amegakure was completely different from that in Konoha ... but, seeing as the man apparently wanted to get accustomed to his newfound family, and considering that his wife technically was a part of their clan, too ... he didn't see any reason to refuse.
“Sure.” He turned to Kimiko's body, moving a strand of his hair away – a drop of blood came from his left eye, streaming down his face. He cleared his throat before initiating the ritual, feeling a bit nervous – after all, he never did it before. That's why he decided to go for the short version, the one that usually was performed in a middle of battlefield, when there was no time for a proper burial.
“May the Will of Fire stay strong in you in the afterlife. We are proud that you were a glorious member of our clan. Rest in peace, Kimiko Uchiha.” The black flames consumed the corpse, incinerating in within just a few seconds.
Silence fell upon the hall – each of those who were present were consumed by their own thoughts and emotions, and even the Kyūbi showed the respect by quietly lying down on the floor, not making any noises.
“My eyes ...” Yutaka finally mumbled quietly, closing the eyelids and rubbing his face. “They hurt ... do you know what's wrong with them?”
“Yes, I do. I'll explain it later, but you'll have to endure it for now anyway. Listen ... I want to do something much more important ...” The Uchiha clan's head put his only hand into the pocket of his pants and took something small and shiny out of it, showing it to the man.
Yutaka's eyes widened.
“It's ... this is ...!”
“Yes.” Sasuke smiled, putting the silver ring with the crimson red signet in the man's hand. “It once belonged to my older brother, Itachi Uchiha ... back when he was an Akatsuki member. Since you are the only relative I have now, it makes sense if you wear it ... since you're going to be a member too, obviously.”
“Me ...?” he gasped, staring at the ring in complete shock.
“Yeah. Or perhaps you'd like to–”
“No! Of course, I wanna stay! What else could I possibly do now, after everything ...” He shook his head, clenching Itachi's ring in his hand tightly. “Do you even have a plan now? I mean, you obviously do, seeing as you came prepared, but ... what exactly do you need to recreate Akatsuki for? It's not like you can't settle everything on your own, given your power and everything?” He now looked confused and a bit suspicious, though for some reason, it wasn't directed at Sasuke, the teen just felt it – the man trusted him now, which was a bit strange when he thought about it, but not that he complained. Apparently Yutaka just really wanted to get involved into the upcoming events ... perhaps to forget about his wife's demise?
“As I tried to explain it to you upstairs ... we can't let anyone think that we're still the ninjas of Konoha – that's because of the truce between the Five Great Countries. The small ones are allowed to do whatever they want, but our hands our bound. And Konoha is much weakened after the last war, thanks to Pain – the Akatsuki member you guys called god.” Yutaka's eyes narrowed offendedly, but then his features relaxed as he stared down at the floor.
“You knew him, didn't you? Was he weaker than you? And not a real god, I suppose?”
Sasuke shrugged indifferently.
“I knew him and saw him personally, and at the time, he probably was stronger than me. A very powerful and smart one, but still only a human ... just like me,” he added, reminding of it more to himself than to anyone else. “No, he was merely a pawn. The true leader of Akatsuki was the masked man, Obito. Though I don't think you ever heard of his existence,” said the teen, though carefully not mentioning the fact that Obito was an Uchiha too - he didn't need to know it, at least for now.
Yutaka smirked.
“Oh, actually, I did. He was the one who killed the god's ... no ... Pain's accomplice, the one that used to be called the god's angel in this village. Her name was Konan, as far as I'm aware. The blue haired woman, did you ...?”
Sasuke shook his head.
“No, I didn't know her personally, either. I was under Obito's tutelage at the time, and hardly had any contacts with the other members.”
“I see ... well, anyway. He killed her, and defiled Pain's tomb. That's what everyone here knows, at least. He's really hated in this country ever since. What happened to him, by the way?”
The teen sighed patiently. Apparently Yutaka really was quite talkative, quite unlike himself.
“He's dead. Regardless ... Konoha is on the verge of destruction right now, and so is the entire world. If a country decides to launch a large scale attack against us we're probably doomed. Even I alone won't be able to protect everyone, while the other countries are able to defend themselves.” That was a lie – he was certain that he could protect everyone with ease, but he couldn't reveal everything to Yutaka just yet. “That's why we need another stronghold to defend our borders while the village is recovering. But since we can't do anything but defend ourselves, the Hokage decided to pull this top secret operation ... I'm going to be completely sincere with you, Yutaka.”
He lowered his voice, meeting the man's conflicted yet curious gaze. “There is only one shinobi in the world who is as powerful as I am. And he's on our side, too. Together, we could probably enslave every human being on this planet for good, but fortunately we just want to maintain peace. For everyone. That's why I've been assigned to this mission. From the shadows, with the power I possess, we can make it. But I won't be able to do everything on my own. If somebody out of this village uncovers my identity, everything is doomed. The entire world will strike Konoha down, and me, along with him, will have to kill everyone who opposes our country. I need you and the others to become my hands. To act while I lead you from the shadows. Do you get it?”
After a few seconds of hesitant comprehending, Yutaka finally nodded.
“I guess I do ... well, more-less. At least what you're saying makes sense. If I'd known what happened to your village, I wouldn't launch those attacks ... we were sure that Konoha was as strong as ever, and some robbery wouldn't hurt it.”
Sasuke smirked.
“Well, now you know the truth. And I entrust you the position of the public leader of both this organization and this village. The vicar of god, if you please – that's what you're going to be to everyone in the Rain Country. Everyone in Akatsuki will be aware of my true identity, though. And the citizens of the village ... well, I've prepared quite a show for them.”
“That's fine by me, but this revolution ... weren't you the one who was behind all this?” Yutaka asked, looking at him with slight confusion in the eyes.
“I was ... but that was before I found out that it was you who was the current leader of this village, not some worthless moron. So I had to change the initial plan.”
Yutaka rolled his eyes, snorting.
“I guess my bloodline makes me a more valuable moron ...”
The younger Uchiha smirked again, lightly punching the man's shoulder.
“It sure does. And I'll personally give you a proper training. By the time we're done, you'll know everything about our clan, and you will also master a few really powerful techniques. So don't worry about it for now.”
The older man suddenly frowned. His Sharingan deactivated, and it was a good sign – apparently the warmth and kindness Sasuke showed to his family member pretty much stabilized his emotional state.
“You know, perhaps I'm not the only survivor ...”
Sasuke could feel his heart skip a beat, and his eyes widened as he heard Yutaka. Hinata, who was already done with healing Jun, stiffened as she heard it, looking at them attentively. As she did so, Jun himself gave up on trying to initiate a conversation with her, seeing as the girl wasn't any interested at the moment, and directed his attention at them as well.
“I'm not sure, mind you ... but I think I remember something ... if our clan had been wiped out years ago, and my father somehow survived it ... he was an outcast, right?”
The teen nodded impatiently. “If this is the case, than I might know the approximate location of another outcast ... if he's still alive after good fifteen years, of course.”
“How come?” Sasuke snapped quickly, too aroused by the unexpected news.
“It's my mom's ... she told me when we both were imprisoned ... told me that there could be a hope for us. She always said it to me while she tried to make me fall asleep in those god damned freaking cold, damp cells in Kiri ... it was like a futile prayer of some sort, but I'm pretty sure she wasn't insane. She sounded like she knew what she was talking about ...”
“What? What did she say?!” the Uchiha blurted out. His heart was racing now at the possibility of finding another member of his clan ... was it even possible to be so lucky?
Yutaka smiled, and for the first time Sasuke could see a real smile in his face.
“I can see that you truly care about our family ... I respect that a lot. But I really doubt it can be any helpful. She just told me that my uncle, dad's brother, was a nukenin who ran away from Konoha after being accused of a murder he didn't commit. Apparently he was hiding somewhere in Kirigakure, but that's nearly all I know. Or no ... not quite. I also remember his name, and the fact that he looked quite like dad, though he was a bit younger. Actually, it makes sense now that I think about it ... they probably didn't like the fact that father's sibling became a nukenin, so I bet they didn't exactly welcome dad in the clan after that. Could be another reason for him to leave–”
“What was his name, then?”
“Keisuke. Though he probably took on an alias. I'm sure he wasn't stupid enough to use his real name in Kiri anyway. He might not be alive, but if he had any descendants ...” He spread his hands, shrugging apologetically.
Sasuke sighed in defeat, frowning. Basically, it was another search for a needle in a stack of hay. But could he reject such a chance ...? Probably, considering that he was lucky enough to literally stumble upon Yutaka. But still ... that wouldn't be his way of doing things.
“Are you going to look for him?” asked Yutaka as if to confirm his thoughts.
Sasuke hesitated a bit before nodding.
“Yeah ... of course I am. But first things come first. We need to complete this mission and ensure the well-being of our two villages before everything else ...”
“What the actual ****?” Jun suddenly, jumping up and gripping his kunai as he stared at the hall's entrance.
Sasuke quickly turned to look at the man, confused by the sudden emotional expression, and ... he found Jun being dead scared and Hinata being ... happy and smiling? And both of them were looking in the same direction ... just behind his back.
Turning around, Sasuke raised his eyebrow as he saw the four familiar persons enter the hall and look around.
“What are you guys doing here ...?” asked the youngest Uchiha - he had to admit that this time they managed to surprise them, and in a good way.
“My, my, Sasuke-kun ... I thought you'd be glad to meet again, especially considering the dire atmosphere here. You should have some fun, at least once in awhile.”
“He has Hinata for that purpose …,” Jun mumbled, making the girl blush and smack his nape while Orochimaru smirked at the comment.
“'Sup, Sasuke, Hinata,” drawled Suigetsu lazily, though still looking happy to see his old friend.
“Greetings, everyone.” Jūgo looked polite and indifferent as usual.
Karin looked a bit confused and suspicious as she heard Jun's last line, so instead of giving a late greeting, she suddenly gasped, storming towards the Hyūga – the girl's body was covered with gore and she still didn't look that well.
“Oh my god, what happened to you? Are you hurt? I can heal you if ...”
Hinata quickly shook her head, interrupting the chattering girl and giving her an assuring smile.
“I'm fine, thanks to Orochimaru.” She deliberately didn't add any honorific to the sannin's name, though she wanted to – but Sasuke had always told her not to use them at all, implying that she was now powerful and independent enough not to admit anyone's superiority.
Said sannin's eyes widened in surprise.
“O-oh ... I suppose you've finally awakened the kekkei genkai, then?” he asked. To confirm his assumption, Hinata channeled some chakra into her hand – a long, thin bone grew out of the girl's palm and she took it like a kunai. Karin and Suigetsu gasped simultaneously at her performance while Jūgo's eyes narrowed – come to think of it, Sasuke could imagine what the man felt now, seeing this, considering his relationship with Kimimaro in the past.
“Splendid. Will you let me make a few tests later then? It can be beneficial to both of us …,” Orochimaru asked hopefully – apparently he was very happy to see that his experiment finally worked out in the end.
“Of course.” Hinata smiled, knowing that she most likely could take the sannin on her own now anyway. He was no threat to her.
“How did you get here? I don't think I've sent you a message asking to come just yet ...” Sasuke frowned, and Orochimaru turned to his former student, smirking complacently.
“Hokage-sama summoned us and ordered to come to your assistance. But I can see you're doing quite well on your own ... aren't you?”
The Uchiha sighed, closing his eyes tiredly.
“I was going to ask you to join us anyway, just didn't think you'd come so fast. And since when were your allegiances to Konoha?” he asked, though the teen already could imagine since when ... more-less. That Kakashi ... who could've known that he would turn out to be so good at plotting and strategic planning?
“Hokage-sama wants to build an alliance with Otogakure. And, since we already have some sort of alliance with you, Sasuke-kun, I've decided to give it a try. I'm an old man, after all ... and visiting Konoha again made me feel nostalgic. I don't fancy the feud anymore.”
It was just as he expected, then. Though it was obvious that sentiments were the last thing his former sensei cared about – Orochimaru intended to get very precise benefits out of this agreement, it was clearly readable on his face. But it was only good – this way Kakashi had spared him some time of boring waiting and doing nothing for few more weeks.
“Fair enough. I take it the rest of you agree to join Akatsuki, too?”
“We do!” Karin and Suigetsu replied simultaneously, shooting each other hateful glances, and the orange haired man just nodded, not saying anything.
“That makes the six of us then, right? Or no ... who are these two, by the way?” Orochimaru asked curiously, first looking at Yutaka, who gazed at them with open interest and respect, apparently he knew who Orochimaru was, and then at Jun, who clearly recognized Orochimaru as well and now stared at Sasuke as if finally realizing that the Uchiha was a completely mad man. The sannin's reputation truly preceded him everywhere ...
“This is Yutaka Uchiha. And that guy's name is Jun. Both of them are the strongest shinobi of this village, and they are now members of Akatsuki, too,” Sasuke replied calmly, putting his hand on Yutaka's shoulder reassuringly.
“An Uchiha ...? You sure are dedicated when it comes to reaching your goals, Sasuke-kun ...”
“Nice to meet you!” Karin smiled, waving to the two foreign men cheerfully.
“Yeah, hey guys,” mumbled Suigetsu with a bored expression, as always.
“Hello,” added Jūgo impassively.
“For a bunch of international criminals, you're surprisingly friendly …,” muttered Jun, though visibly relaxing at long last.
“You're about to become an international criminal too. So we're in the same boat, don't you think?” Orochimaru smiled devilishly, making Jun smirk.
After all, he had a point.
“It's eight of us, then. We still lack two members, right? I suppose you do have a plan, don't you?” asked Orochimaru, suddenly turning to face the bijū who still lay there on the floor of the hall, waiting for Sasuke to teleport it ... no, him away, and just gazed at the newcomers through his half-closed eyelids indifferently, as if he was too bored and about to take a nap.
“And even the Kyūbi ... long time no see. I take it Naruto-kun finally found the end of your tether and got himself killed, Sasuke-kun?” Orochimaru chuckled, and, seeing as Sasuke ignored the man's usual dire sense of humor, he stepped towards the beast, peering at Kurama with curiosity.
“This one is the other half ... it's a long story, but Naruto is alive and well.”
“More than you guys think!” They all flinched, turning to the hall's entrance once again, only to see the foreign woman in her twenties, wearing an Akatsuki coat as well. Her hair was long, wavy and blond, and the eyes were light green.
“I remember that voice!” Hinata suddenly gasped, taking a battle stance. “Haven't I killed you before? There, on the roof!”
The woman smirked.
“Didn't take ... Hinata-chan.”
The Hyūga frowned, activating her Byakugan. But she couldn't see anything unusual in her chakra network ...
“Just who the hell are you ...?”
And then, to her surprise, Sasuke smirked, half-turning away.
“What took you so long, you idiot?”
The woman smiled even more widely, though it seemed hardly possible and looked ridiculous given her beautiful and elegant features.
“I got lost on the road of life.”
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