Rotted Rowan

Owari

"Can we help you?" Yahiko asked.

"Yes," Owari answered. "My name is Owari. You," Owari raised a finger and pointed towards Nagato, "and I are destined to save this world."

"Come again?" Yahiko asked with a raised eyebrow.

Owari's rinnegan came to life, and all three of them stared at him with wide eyes.

"That's just like my eye!" Nagato blurted out. "You—You know about this?"
"It's called the rinnegan, my brother," Owari said. "It is the eye of the Sage of Six Paths. You and I were born to work together to save this world. We are the reincarnation of his sons, Uzumaki Nagato. I have been searching for you all my life, and now... at last... I have found you, my brother."

"Brother—?"

"Who are you really?" Yahiko demanded, his expression conflicted.

"A lost soul who has seen too much war and wishes for it all to end," Owari answered. "Your eye... it remains dormant. You have yet to see true pain, then, my brother. You will, though. It is our curse. We must suffer through pain before we are blessed with the vision. When you are ready to save the world come find me... I will be at the tree with leaves the color of war."

Owari left, then, his seed planted.

Now I must make them suffer, he thought to himself. Now I must break them in order to rebuild them.

(ง ⌣ ~ ⌣) ง

Zetsu whispered in Hanzo's ears.

(listenlistenlistenlistenlisten)

Owari sabotaged villagers. He took on different forms, playing both sides to this quiet civil war. The true war of the nations was over, but still they squabbled in Amegakure's land because money, money, money.

He skinned humans. He placed their skins on the road for the Akatsuki to see.

(Konan cried.)

He snapped the necks of children. He placed them on the road for the Akatsuki to see.

(Yahiko cried.)

He mutilated adults. He placed their twisted corpses on the road for the Akatsuki to see.

(Nagato cried.)

He burned villages while dressed as Hanzo's men.

(They wept.)

He slaughtered so, so many, it all started to blur.

(It wasn't enough to break them, yet.)

Naasica had to intervene a few times to return to Konoha.

Naasica had to play the role of a happy daughter, even while she cried tears of pain, hatred, and self-loathing.

Owari watched as their group started to form.

Owari smiled behind his mask of ghosts.

So lovely, Owari thought, so sweet. So innocent. So very, very, very, not red.

It must be red.

Owari would paint the world red.

Red like Kushina.

Red like Grandmother.

Red like me.

(ง ⌣ ~ ⌣) ง