Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto
Warning: All warnings addressed at the bottom of chapter 2. Trigger warning for dissociative break.
Beta: Cyndaquil123
(ง ⌣ ~ ⌣) ง
Funny how you think I'm bothered
Know I'm nothing like the others
You shouldn't have messed with me
'cause I heard you were afraid of
Monsters
Are you ready for the Monster?
Monster by Kira
(ง ⌣ ~ ⌣) ง
I
I
I st
I no
I NO
I sto
I
I NONONO
I stopitstopstopit
I NoNoNoNoNoNoNo
Stopped.
Owari, Madara's right hand, slipped on his mask and tightened his gloves. I, no, no, no, Naasica, slipped away inside of his mind like a distant thought. She hovered in the back of it, always aware, always watching, but no longer interfering.
Owari pulled the hood over him, activating the seal-genjutsu that was drawn inside of it. The end of the hood stuck to the top of Owari's mask, firmly keeping it in place. His mask, white as the ghosts he avenged, with eyes as red as war, acted as a good gas mask, as well. It would filter out the worst of the offenders he would have to breathe in while he worked.
His hood, black as his heart, was part of his cloak that ended at his tailbone. Long cloaks did not offer enough maneuverability for him to work.
He kept the standard black pants, and the standard black boots. He had a red, red, red shirt that was mostly covered by his black cloak.
When the Akatsuki was done he would add a red cloud to the back of his cloak.
Madara watched Owari finish getting ready before smiling at him. "Owari. A good name, for our cause. The End."
"That is what we are, Master," Owari answered. The mask turned Naasica's voice into Owari's, making it deep and soft.
"Go, then, Owari. It is time the real Akatsuki was born."
Owari bowed to Madara, before he slipped away into the night.
(ง ⌣ ~ ⌣) ง
The three grown orphans stood in the cave, huddling around a fire.
Owari approached them, not bothering to hide his presence. "Good evening."
Nagato's one Rinnegan eye turned to look at him, while his other eye remained hidden by hair. Konan and Yahiko both narrowed their gaze as Owari approached.
"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
Naasica sang the back of his head. She sang of sunshines and joy. She sang of, and warmth.
Owari gave Hanzo more rumors to fear.
Hanzo, in a fit of fear, killed his heir to the Salamander Contract and hid it. Owari watched him bury it in a cave.
Danzo started to approach Hanzo after that, using his own broken tools.
Owari snapped their necks after they were done reporting.
Neither he, nor Naasica, liked Danzo and his tools. He wished he could snap Danzo's neck.
No, no, he wished he could spill Danzo's guts out on that expensive rug in his rich home.
But Madara said no because Danzo was to play a bigger role.
Danzo would die, but not for another six years.
Owari and Naasica could wait.
It would be a death worth savoring.
(ง ⌣ ~ ⌣) ง
The Akatsuki was growing bigger.
Hanzo was scared.
Danzo was scheming.
It was almost time.
Three months it took.
Three months before Owari would bReAk them and FiX them.
Break and fix like Madara and Naasica.
Broken boy, broken girl.
All built back up. Stronger because of the breaks. Wiser because of the shatter.
Owari hoped they would remember to thank Owari for all he had done.
(ง ⌣ ~ ⌣) ง
Naasica struck Tsunade's name out from her clan. Tsunade no longer had the right to hold the surname of Senju.
Kakashi and Obito stood beside her when she did so.
Kushina pleaded with her not to, asking the girl she loved like a daughter to give the Sannin forgiveness.
Naasica refused.
Owari took back over, and on and on the crusade went.
(ง ⌣ ~ ⌣) ง
It was time for them to break.
Owari watched in the shadows. He killed the Akatsuki messenger boy before he could warn them of the trap Hanzo had set for them.
Yahiko died.
Nagato broke.
Konan screamed.
And the red, red, red filled the air.
(ง ⌣ ~ ⌣) ง
The two of them came to him, and he patiently waited for them under that red-leafed tree that he grew.
The leaves always turned red when Owari used the mokuton, and the bark darkened to a sickly black.
"This world is rotten," Nagato whispered, tears in his eyes. "How can we save it?"
"You have experienced true pain, brother," Owari said, opening his arms. "This breaks my heart as much as it fills me with hope. Now you see it, brother, how awful this world is. You know now we must save it."
"What do we do?" Konan asked. "How can we—how can we save the world?"
"It will take time, sister," Owari said, "but such is expected when we're saving all of humanity. First, we must gather powerful followers. Second, we will take every bijū and awaken the ultimate weapon: the jūbi."
"Weapon? I don't want anymore war—"
"Neither do I," Owari said, pain in his voice. "I never, ever want to see another dead child lying there on the street. Listen to me, my siblings of peace, listen to my plan entirely and you will understand."
They listened.
They understood.
The true Akatsuki was formed.
(ง ⌣ ~ ⌣) ง
Obito's mother caught a cold that didn't go away.
Naasica and Kakashi held him when he cried.
He moved in with them, just as Kushina and Minato moved out.
Naasica, Kakashi, and Obito, lived together in that small little home.
They were happy, though.
When any of them felt like it was too much, the others would turn to comfort.
They were survivors of war.
Now they had to survive living.
(ง ⌣ ~ ⌣) ง
Nagato was meticulous.
He cleaned up Hanzo's mess. He killed those in the way.
Owari was more thorough. He knew how dangerous it was for Danzo to get any information out of Amegakure. He set up Zetsu spores all along the border lines.
He burned Danzo's men, chopped up their bodies, and sent them back to the warmonger with picture of a smiling face on top.
Danzo sent more men.
Owari only sent back their skins that time.
Nagato took control of Amegakure.
Owari ended the civil war. No one could enter these lands without his, or Nagato's knowing.
It was still weak, though. The people were sickly, tired, and weak.
Owari stole supplies from the wealthy and gave back to them. They praised him like he was an angel. He made Konan and Nagato deliver these supplies. He made Konan and Nagato repair the broken buildings and homes beside these people.
The people loved them. The people praised them.
Owari kidnapped some doctors and their families. He broke their minds to obey him. He sent them out into Amegakure to heal the sick and strengthen everyone else.
Konan gathered up the orphans and taught them how to fight.
Everyone had to know how to fight.
Everyone had to be strong now.
Everyone had to sing praises of the two angels, and the god that was Pein.
Angel of white, Konan, who was as beautiful as she was kind.
Angel of black, Owari, who was as fierce as he was protective.
They would keep Amegakure safe, the people believed.
And they would.
(ง ⌣ ~ ⌣) ง
Kushina's belly was getting bigger.
Madara told Naasica to have Mo request her back at the capital on time for Kushina's birth.
Naasica snuck away to the capital and told Mo she needed a cover that night. The love-struck idealist agreed without hesitation in exchange she trained him that week.
Every night Naasica teleported back to the capital and trained Mo in secret.
She whispered sweet things in his ear.
She learned about his secrets.
She learned about his weaknesses.
She planted seeds of devotion in his head.
(ง ⌣ ~ ⌣) ง
Owari kept Amegakure safe while Konan and Nagato healed it. He kept the prying eyes of the nation away from it, by planting false information in spy networks and snapping the necks of those who knew too much.
Eventually Amegakure was left alone, and the Akatsuki could take its first small step.
With that being taken care of Owari turned to Kirigakure.
Two years, Owari thought, and I will take Kirigakure.
He left Kirigakure alone until then.
(ง ⌣ ~ ⌣) ง
It was time.
Red like Kushina.
Owari and Naasica returned to Madara's side one week before Kushina was due.
"For what you have to do," Madara began, his voice a soft whisper, "is something that may break you for a while."
Owari raised his head. "Master?"
"Naasica," Madara addressed, "I know how hard this will be for you. After everything we've sacrificed, and done, I must now ask of you to sacrifice again."
"Master?" I whispered.
"She is your light," he said, "I know this. But now it is time for you to surrender her, and accept the dark entirely. We need Naruto to be the vessel. We need the Uchiha to be held responsible for her death. We need her to die, my dear Naasica."
Words failed me.
Owari said, "Yes, Master."
"Take your time after this sacrifice," he told us. "Zetsu will monitor the Akatsuki for us while you heal. Repair your heart, and steel it. After this sacrifice... everything will come with much more ease, I promise you."
"Yes, Master."
(ง ⌣ ~ ⌣) ง
Next chapter will be Naruto's birth and mostly back in Naasica's perspective.
To confirm: Yes, Naasica now has dissociative identity disorder brought on by the horror of war, the "monsters", her delusions of paranoia, and a few other attributing factors I will not blatantly spoil.
When the story diverges into Owari's perspective it'll be a lot more jumbled and chaotic as he is extremely "fractured."
Answer: While I adore the Skulduggery Pleasant series by Derek Landy, I abhor the main character. I liked her in the first few books, but she turns into... someone rather dislikable after certain events transpire.
Question: What story would you want to be the main protagonist in? Like, would you want to be your own Harry in Harry Potter, or perhaps Sailor Moon in Sailor Moon?
Reviews are love!