“Konoha, Iwa, Suna and Kiri… Akatsuki is made up of missing nin from your villages,” the Raikage spoke, “And that’s not all. I know there are those among you, including former Kages, that have used Akatsuki for their own purposes…. I do not trust you. I had no intention of speaking with you. I called you all here to find out where your true loyalties lie.”
“What do you mean ‘use Akatsuki’?” Gaara asked.
Every head in the room turned his way. “You’re the Kazekage,” Raikage said, “how can you not know? Haven’t the elders told you anything?”
“The Great Countries are enjoying a time of relative peace,” Tsuchikage explained, “As tensions ease, the threat of war grows smaller. Military villages are a drain on country’s resources. And there’s a risk. What if war suddenly breaks out? They can’t rely on young untested ninja in the heat of battle. They’d lose the war.”
“So one way of dealing with that was to use a mercenary force,” Gaara understood, “like Akatsuki?” ‘Taryn,” he thought, ‘Taryn would know.’
Taryn silently moved through the building, carefully making sure she wouldn’t be detected. If Sasuke was already here then Karin would sense her and that ninja from Mist had Byakugan. Besides, chances were big that Madara would be crawling through the building somewhere too.
When she heard footsteps approach, she hurried to hide in the shadows. Concealing her chakra was too risky at this point with all those sensors around.
When the samurai patrol had passed, Taryn stepped onto the hallway again. ‘Now, where is that meeting?’
If it was still being held in the same room as last time then it would be on the top floor. The door would be strictly guarded, but Sasuke would have to get inside too. ‘I can climb the outside wall, but that will put me in plain sight.’
That was still less risky than walking through the door. She sighed and headed for the nearest window.
“It would take time and money for a village to build such a force themselves,” Tsuchikage said, “but Akatsuki were professionals and they could be hired for relatively little. Furthermore they always had good results.”
The Raikage slammed his hands on the table. “I don’t want to hear it!” he shouted, “Suna used Akatsuki to try and destroy Konoha! Both of the former Kazekage and Hokage ended up dead… I can’t help but think that must have been part of someone’s plot.” He glanced at Danzou, but the Hokage pretended not to notice. The Raikage scoffed and turned the other way. “And Kirigakure, you are the most suspicious. You have no diplomatic relations with other countries and there are rumors that Akatsuki was formed there.”
Taryn hid her presence in a corner of the room next to the council room. As long as the meting was still going on, she would not interfere. She could hear the discussion getting quite heated, but she had expected no less. There might be peace between the countries, that didn’t mean the Kages trusted each other. It had always been that way. Even in peace time they rivaled each other. Why would this time be different?
Up till now, Danzou had kept quiet. That was a smart move and one her father had taught her the moment she was old enough to hold a dagger. Let others do the talking, silent observation is the best way to learn about our opponent’s strategy and less risk to give away your own.
In this case, Danzou had a lot to hide.
Taryn focused on the others. The Raikage was short tempered and the Tsuchikage must be at least eighty years old. He was the kind that held on to old-fashioned traditions. His age didn’t mean he should be taken lightly though. He was al legend of his own.
The Mizukage from Hidden Mist was the only woman in the room. Taryn didn’t know much about her. She was fairly new in her position and Taryn didn’t like mist shinobi overly much.
Kisame came from that village. And that kid, Suigetsu too. The Blood Village as some called it.
Taryn sighed when her eyes rested on Gaara. He was the youngest one here and still had to earn the respect of the other Kages. But he held himself well.
And Danzou… Taryn narrowed her eyes. The hate she felt for this man made her blood boil. He was the cause of all this misery.
In the conference room, the meeting had come to another boiling point.
“Watch your tongue Raikage!” Tsuchikage said, “it’s because you were continuing to build up your power and techniques during this time of truce that other countries were forced to hire Akatsuki in the first place!”
“What!” Raikage shouted.
“Gentlemen,” Danzou suddenly spoke, “Before the discussion leads to anymore fighting, there’s something I wanted to tell you all.”
“What is it?” Raikage demanded.
“Akatsuki’s leader is almost certainly Uchiha Madara,” Danzou said calmly.
The gasps that followed weren’t just coming from the other Kages. Taryn gasped too. What was Danzou plotting now? What did he intend to achieve by mentioning this? And then she understood. And the direction the conversation headed confirmed her suspicion. And she did not like this at all.
“How is this possible?”
“I don’t know either,” Danzou sad, “but our source was certain.”
‘Source?’ Taryn frowned, ‘what source?’ A far as she knew he didn’t have any informant in Akatsuki. Unless… ‘Orochimaru. OF course.’
“As a neutral country I have to say that the leader of Akatsuki read the signs of time,” Mifune stated, “he used the stability and suspicion of the other countries to increase his power. But there’s always a silver lining. It is rare for the five Kages to come together like this. What do you think, until Akatsuki is taken care of, what would you think about forming a five village alliance?”
There it was. Danzou’s plan. Taryn clenched her fists in frustration. One way or another, this was going towards an all-out war.
“An alliance?” Raikage questioned.
Danzou nodded in approval. “It’s a good idea. We are in a state of emergency. We have to cooperate.”
“The chain of command should be uniform,” Mifune continued, “we want to avoid further confusion.”
“So the question is who will be in charge?” Tsuchikage said.
“Since I’m the neutral party here,” Mifune said, “I will decide who among you is best suited for the job.”
Behind the door, Taryn shook her head. She knew exactly where this was going.
“The only host left is Konoha’s nine tails,” Mifune said, “I think it will be the key to all of this. What do you say? Will you allow the Hokage to lead this alliance?”
And with that all of hell broke loose.
***
“Liar!” Naruto shouted, “it’s not true! I don’t believe you!”
Yamato was in shock too. ‘Can it be true?’ He glanced at Kakashi who had a sad and thoughtful expression.
Madara was still being held by Yamato’s jutsu, but he didn’t even pay attention to it. He kept his attention on Naruto. “I’m not lying,” he said, “that’s the truth about Itachi. He died for Sasuke and for Konoha. He was to never talk about it and he hid his secrets well. Not even Taryn knew until Itachi himself told her and that was not that long ago. Do you know whey he chased her out of Konoha that night?”
Naruto had a thoughtful expression. Could it be true? He didn’t want to believe it, but it would explain a lot. Why Taryn was always so quick to defend him. Why she had gone to such lengths to protect Sasuke. Why she had been so angry with him after Itachi’s death. But if she hadn’t known…
Then he remembered Madara’s question. Why had Itachi chased her out of Konoha?
“Because they were in love,” he suggested, “he didn’t want her to hate him. Because she might try and stop him.”
Madara scoffed. “A child’s answer. Try again.”
“They would suspect her. They would think she had helped him.”
“Suspicion would never fall on her,” Madara said, “it was the elders of Konoha that had commissioned Itachi in the first place. They would know the truth. But perhaps you figured it out, Kakashi? You served the ANBU. Surely you must realize.”
“The elders wanted her dead,” Kakashi stated calmly.
“Very good,” Madara smirked, “because she was so close with Itachi, it endangered the mission. They were afraid he would back out.”
Naruto narrowed his eyes. “I don’t believe you! The Hokage would never allow that!”
“Don’t be so foolish,” Madara told him, “why do you think he let her stay in Konoha after her banishment? Not out of the goodness of his heart. She possessed Byakugan, which belongs to the Hyuuga clan. Also, she’s a strong fighter and an excellent spy. He’d be a fool not to use such a weapon.”
Naruto shook his head. He couldn’t believe it. But even Kakashi-sensei believed it.
“What about Sasuke then?” Naruto asked.
Madara looked at him amused. “As his friend, you think you know him, but you don’t understand him at all. He’s the real thing. A true avenger. He chose this himself. I took a gamble with him, not knowing whether he would follow Itachi’s wishes or choose revenge against Konoha. He chose revenge. That just means that in his heart, he was always one of us. Right now, Sasuke’s goal is vengeance against Konoha for what they did to the Uchiha clan and to Itachi.”
“I’m not going to take revenge on him.”
Taryn’s earlier words. She had felt guilty.
‘It’s all my fault.”
Her fault that she hadn’t told him herself? Or that she hadn’t prevented Madara from telling him? “Why?” he whispered, “Why did this have to happen to him?”
“He had no choice,” Madara said, “hate is the destiny of the Uchiha clan. It has been like that for generations. It began long ago with the founder of the ninja world. The Sage of Six Paths.”
“He’s nothing but a myth,” Kakashi said, “the Rinnengan is just a mutation.”
“The myth is based on real evens,” Madara countered, “the Rikudo Sage preached the way of the ninja and tried to bring peace to the world, but when it was still just a dream, his time came. He entrusted two boys with the power and will of the ninja way. The elder was born with the Sage’s eyes and was gifted with a powerful chakra and spiritual energy. He believed that was the way to peace.
The younger was born with the Sage’s body and he was gifted with his life force and physical energy. He believed love was the key to peace. On his death bed the Sage had to choose a successor. And this chain of hated was born form that decision. The Sage believed it was the younger who was best suited to be his successor and chose him.
Convinced he should have been chosen, the elder could not accept it. And he attacked his brother in hatred.
Time passed and though their blood had thinned, the descendants of those brothers still warred with each other. The descendants of the elder brother were called Uchiha. And the descendants of the younger became Senjuu. My battle with he First Hokage , Senjuu Hashirama, was fated. Though I don’t know you, I can see the fire if the Senjuu clan dwells within you.
The First Hokage was my rival and I admired him. And I hated him more than anyone else. Senjuu and Uchiha. Fire and hatred. Naruto and Sasuke. One day you will have to fight Sasuke. Or rather… I will make you fight. Sasuke. I will use Sasuke to force people to acknowledge the Uchiha clan.”
Naruto’s eyes filled with anger. “Sasuke isn’t your toy!” he shouted, “you’re out of line!”
Madara chuckled. “Do you think you can change Sasuke’s heart as you did Nagato’s? I think you’re the one that’s out of line, Naruto. If you want to control people’s hearts, you have to use the darkness within them. Nagato was just too easily influenced.”
“You and Nagato are nothing alike,” Naruto growled, “he wanted peace! But not you!”
“Heh, you’re right,” Madara scoffed.
“If all you wanted is to make people acknowledge the Uchiha clan, then why do you need the tailed beasts?” Kakashi demanded, “what the hell are you really after?”
“Well… if you must know… it’s to be complete.”
Kakashi, Yamato and Naruto stared at him confused.
“What do you mean?” Yamato asked.
“There’s no use in telling you,” Madara said, “there are other, more effective places to have this conversation.” He smirked and slowly started to dematerialize. “It’s been fun chatting,” he said, “see you.”
And he was gone.
***
“Shouldn’t we have asked permission first?” Hiro asked hesitantly, “I’m not sure this was such a good idea.”
”Who should we have asked?” Daro stated, “the Kazekage has left for the meeting. There is no one else.”
“I thought Taryn-sensei told us not to follow her,” his friend said, “She said so in the letter.”
“Note? I didn’t see a letter,” Daro answered innocently, “besides, she needs us. She’ll only get herself in trouble.”
Kuro sighed. This was the first time the were out of the village without a Jounin to lead them. Technically they were breaking the law. The Kazekage had forbidden them to go after Taryn. But the Kazekage wasn’t here now. If it hadn’t been for the message, the might not have left.
Kuro had been in the tower, helping his father, when the hawk had come. The message was meant for the Kazekage, but at that time, Gaara had already left for the land of Iron. When his father had turned his back, Kuro had slipped the note into his pocket to share with his friends. His father was going to kill him if he would find out.
It was just as well that they were miles away from Suna by now.
He looked up at the sky where Kera was soaring.. Then he turned to Daro. “Do you even know where we’re going?”
“You said the meeting would be held in the land of Iron, right?”
Kuro nodded. “Yeah. That’s what the scroll said.”
“Well then.”
“But what direction is Iron?”
“I have a map,” Daro said and took a folded paper out of his pocket,
“Whoa,” Hiro said, “where did you get that?”
“I borrowed it,” Daro shrugged.
“You were in the archives? Only Jounin with special permission are allowed to enter there.”
“You stole it?!” Kuro gasped.
“You stole an official message,” Daro pointed out.
“We’re in so much trouble,” Hiro whined.
“We can worry about that when we get back,” Daro said, “now let’s go.” He looked at the map. “That way.”
Hiro spurted after his two friends and meanwhile glanced up at the sky. “Kera, do you see anything yet?”
The large hawk glared down. “I see a lot of things. Could you maybe be more specific?” She sighed. “I’m a ninja hawk, not a pigeon. This kind of work is demeaning.”
“You keep saying that,” Hiro reprimanded, “but you’re not acting like a ninja hawk at all.”
“What was that brat?!”
Hiro scoffed. “Surveillance is one of the most important tasks of a ninja. But you can’t even do that.”
“How dare you?!” Kera screeched insulted.
Hiro smirked to himself, but made sure the bird wouldn’t notice. After being her partner for so long, he knew exactly how to trick her. “I should have asked one of your sisters to come.”
“Them?! They’re barely trained! You can’t trust them with something like this!”
Hiro shrugged. “You don’t want to do it ,right? Perhaps I should take them with me on missions from now on.”
“No!” Kera shouted.
“Yeah,” Hiro said, “you were right. What was I thinking? Tracking is below you. You’re too good for that. You can go.”
“Wait,” Kera said startled, “we haven’t even ended this mission yet.”
“We’ll be fine. Daro has a map. I shouldn’t have bothered you with something so simple.”
“Maps don’t show you what lies ahead. You could walk right into a trap! What if the enemy spots you?”
Hiro shrugged. “We are trained by Taryn-sensei. We can take on any enemy.”
“Brats!” Kera scolded, “you don’t even know what you’re getting yourself into! I’ll fly on ahead and see what I can find.”
Hiro chuckled softly when the large hawk flapped her wings and vanished into the distance. Quickly he ran ahead to catch up with his friends. They would find Taryn-sensei in no time now.
***
“I’d be honored to take the position,” Danzou said.
“Why him!” Raikage shouted, “he’s the embodiment of the darkness in the ninja world! We can’t trust him!”
“Then who?” Mifune growled.
The Raikage stood up. “No one in our village was involved with Akatsuki. I’m the only one trustworthy enough to…”
“I do not agree,” Mifune interrupted, “it’s true that some emotion is necessary to lead so many strong warriors, but you let that emotion get the better of you. You’ll destroy the alliance before it is a fact. The Kazekage is too young. The other countries will not accept him. The Tsuchikage is too old and has mobility problems. Kirigakure is the seat of Akatsuki, so if the Mizukage were in control, there would be concern of treason. We can’t let Akatsuki get their hands on the Nine Tails. And the Nine Tails belongs to Konoha. It’s only right that the Hokage should lead.”
One of the guards of the Mizukage narrowed his eyes in suspicion. ‘Something doesn’t feel right. I’ll have a better look…’
“Chojiro,” he muttered at his partner, “prepare for battle. This might get out of hand.” He activated his Byakugan, a souvenir from a battle with a Hyuuga member. His eyes scanned the room and rested on Danzou. ‘The color of his chakra… in his right shoulder and arm. And even his right eye… No doubt about it. It’s Uchiha Shisui’s color. I’ve fought him once. I’ll never forget.’ He stood up.
“Hokage, let me see that eye beneath hat bandage.”
“What’s going on?” the Tsuchikage said.
“Apparently,” the Mist ninja said, “his right eye was stolen form Uchiha Shisui and implanted.”
Behind the door, Taryn gasped. Shisui? Itachi’s friend? She gritted her teeth and her hands clenched into fists. Danzou had stolen Shisui’s eye? What else had he stolen? She hadn’t thought she cold hate this man anymore than she already did, but she had been wrong.
“Shisui had the power to get into his opponent’s mind and control them,” the Mist ninja continued, “it’s one of the most powerful eye techniques. His opponent wouldn’t even realize he’s being controlled.”
“What?!” Several gasps came from the other attendants.
“Hokage,” Raikage growled, “are you controlling Mifune?”
Mifune narrowed his eyes.
The Mist ninja glared at Danzou. “My own right eye is a souvenir of my battle with Hyuuga, so I can’t judge you on that account, but my eye saw through the illusion paced on the Fourth Mizukage, so you can’t fool me and…”
“You bastard!” the Raikage growled.
Before things could get out of hand any further, some one came crashing the party. Out of the floor rose a figure… or yet… half a figure.
Zetsu’s white part appeared in the center of the conference room.
“Hellooooooooo!” he greeted maniacally.
Everyone jumped up. “What the hell?!”
“Now what!”
“Akatsuki!”
Taryn flinched as well. She hadn’t even sensed him. She had been completely focused on the Kages’ conversation. She had let her guard down.
White Zetsu grinned. “Uchiha Sasuke is here around somewhere. The question is… where?”
“Dammit,” Taryn muttered.
The Raikage reached out to Zetsu. “Where is the Uchiha brat?! Tell me!”
Zetsu’s laugh was all that was left. He was already gone.
“Shi! Let’s go!” the Raikage called for one of his guard. He looked at the Mist shinobi. “You with the white eye, keep an eye on the Hokage!”
Danzou glared at him annoyed. “Shi! Darui!” the Raikage turned and slammed against the wall. There was a large hole there now and he ran through it.
Darui scratched his head and turned towards the others with a sheepish grin. “Sorry about the wall,” and he ran after his lord with Shi.
“He always did have temper issues,” the Tsuchikage muttered.
One of the samurai leaders took out his transmitter to rally the guard. “Everyone prepare for battle,” he said, “find the intruder Sasuke Uchiha.”
Sasuke’s team had retreated on the lower floors as soon as the meeting had begun. As long as the meeting was still going on, there was no use in attacking. There were too many guards. They had decided to pull back for the moment and think up a strategy.
Suddenly Karin’s head snapped up. “The samurai are starting to move. They seem to be looking for us.”
“Zetsu?” Juugo growled, “it must be him.”
Taryn bit her lip. What was she supposed to do now? Should she go after Sasuke or stay here? She might never have the opportunity again to get this close to Danzou.
She glared towards the man she hated so much.
But she could hardly kill him here, in front of everyone.
Not only was her brother still here, it would reflect bad on Suna as a whole since they were allied with Konoha.
She couldn’t damage Gaara’s reputation. Not while the other nations already had difficulty with his age.
Besides, if she attacked now, it would certainly mean her death. She wasn’t ready to die.
Danzou would have to wait.
She sighed deeply and turned to the window.
Finding Sasuke came first.