Chapter 13
"Then do it," and his words even surprised him, but the very fact that Danzo was still alive ate at his conscience. The bastard had to die.
"What?" Jiraiya-sama gasped at his challenge, but he refused to back down.
"Hang us both if you will, but that man must die," and even Hiruzen Sarutobi was taken aback by his vehemence.
"Gojo. You need to calm down," but the Hokage had already made up his mind.
"I refuse," he declared without any hesitation.
"Konoha has suffered enough. We have lost too much already," and he scoffed, for he had expected nothing less of the man.
He turned towards Jiraiya-sama, but the Hokage was his sensei, and despite his disgust, he would not go against the Old Man. He could try to take them both on, but he was barely keeping himself upright.
His eyes. They were foreign to him, and he had yet to understand his true powers. He would lose.
"Then so be it," he whispered, and untied his headband, as his hair fell down as the Hokage frowned.
"Gojo..." Jiraiya-sama tried to intervene, but he had made up his mind as well.
"Consider this my resignation," and he threw the hitai-ate at the Hokage's feet.
"I refuse to be a Konoha shinobi as long as Danzo and his ilk draw breath on this land...."
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ITACHI UCHIHA
Breathing was essential to life. It was the cornerstone of it. Most people in the world performed this rather simple but essential act on pure instinct, but he was not one of those people.
No. The very act of breathing pained him. The mere act of drawing in air into his chest made him wince in pain as he tried to fill his body with enough air to fuel his cells. It had not always been like this.
He had been healthy once, but that was a long time ago. He couldn't even remember the last time it had not hurt to draw in a breath, but the pain was a penance of sorts for him. A retribution for the sins that he had committed.
"Konoha," and his heart lurched as he heard that name from the mouth of pain. He stood in the cave, along with his partner, as the leader of the Akatsuki addressed them from the shadows.
"The village is holding the chunin exams as we speak, and we have it on good authority that two jinchuriki are participating in those exams," and the Akatsuki had been slowly gathering the bijuu for years. Itachi himself had helped the group capture three tails, and now they had set their eyes on Konoha's bijuu.
No one knew of their purpose or their intent, but he doubted that such a mission could have a peaceful purpose. He was here to learn of their intent and their purpose, and to neutralize them in case the group may pose any harm to his home, for he was still Itachi Uchiha of Konoha.
"Apart from that we believe that Orochimaru has infilterated the village as well and is planning to raze his old village to the ground in revenge," and that was a name he was not expecting to hear.
The Snake Sanin had been a deserter to Konoha and to Akatsuki. The group had sought to neutralise him for years now, and with the added incentive of two bijuu, their leader's intent was obvious.
"You are proposing an attack," Itachi asked, and those purple eyes fell onto him, and the Rinnegan cut through his body as if he could hide no secrets.
"I am asking your opinion on it," and he had to be cautious. He thought about his village, and his brother and his heart ached to see him again, yet he knew that he could not set foot in the place.
Not without facing him.
Still, it had been years since he had last set eyes on his brother. Years, and a part of him wanted to see the kind of man he had become.
"It is your former village of course," Pain continued, and it was his village still. It always would be.
"I would advise against it," Itachi countered, and saw those purple eyes narrow.
"Why?" he asked, and thankfully, he had a good reason for his answer.
"Despite its various troubles, Konoha remains formidable. The Sandaime Hokage is a veteran of three Great Ninja wars, and only a fool would underestimate Jiraiya," and it was well known that the Toad Sage had returned to Konoha for the exams, but it was not just the two of them that guarded Konoha.
"If Orochimaru does mount an attack, an extraction could be done covertly," and that would be true usually.
"No," Itachi retorted.
"While the Sandaime Hokage and Jiraiya may be the more well known entities, the truth is that Konoha has another S-ranked shinobi. One whose prowess make it impossible to mount any kind of covert operation," and he was not surprised that they did not know about him, for he had retired from active duty five years ago.
"Who?" asked Pain sharply.
"Gojo Hatake," and those eyes narrowed at the mention of that name.
"The Invisible Blade," and it was Kisame who cut in from the side, and the former Kiri-nin seemed to know of the threat he spoke of.
"Yes," though now he had a few other names.
"I see," and Pain had heard of him as well, and for good reason.
"I thought that he was dead," Kisame added, and it was obvious why he would think that, but Itachi shook his head.
"No," he answered.
"He simply retired from active duty, but we both know what that means," and shinobi did not retire. No. The only time a shinobi truly retired was when they were dead. Everything else was subjective.
"As long as he is in Konoha. Launching any covert operation would simply be useless," and Pain nodded in understanding.
"The All Seer," and that was one of his new monikers, and a very well-reasoned one.
"I have heard quite a few rumors about him," and most of them had come from Konoha itself, or at least an entity within Konoha.
"He could be quite a thorn in our side," and he hoped that his presence would dissuade the Akatsuki from launching an attack, but if only it would be so simple.
"Perhaps it is time we find out the truth of them," and those eyes fell on him again.
"Stay near Konoha, but do not wander into the village on your own. Wait for my signal," and Itachi nodded and closed his eyes, and soon enough, the cave was gone, and he found himself once more on the top of the hill alongside his partner.
"I did not know that you were friends with the Invisible Blade," the blue-skinned Kiri nin asked excitedly.
"We are not friends," Itachi countered, even though they could have been.
"Really?" he asked, with his toothy grin, and Kisame could be rather sharp. The man had the instincts and senses of a shark.
"Why are you so interested in him?" he asked, and the man's grin widened.
"Of course I am interested," and he threw his sword on his shoulder as he answered back.
"It is not every day you learn of a swordsman wielding an invisible blade," and that was true.
"I have always wanted to test my mettle against him. But I thought that the opportunity had passed me by, but now you have given me new hope," and it seemed to him that Hatake had built himself quite a reputation, and for good reason.
"Tell me, have you ever faced him?" and Itachi was reminded of their one confrontation.
"Once," he answered honestly.
"Who won?" the Kiri nin asked.
"No one...."
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GOJO HATAKE
Gojo found himself standing in front of a grave, as he thought about the future. His own brother's words continued to ring inside his head as he found himself facing a moral dilemma.
He knew in his heart that Sakura and Lee were innocent and that subjecting them to pain because of the wrongs committed against him was no sanity, but the objectivity did not make it any easier for him to act.
Despite Sakura's perseverance, Lee had stormed his shop, refusing to be treated. The boy was a bundle of willpower, and reminded him much of another soul.
"For some reason, they remind me of us," he spoke to Hana, and he had not had much to talk about with her in years. The two of them had met like this as well, while he was doing his shift in the Hospital.
He had been simply taken aback by the will of a young girl who was struggling to live a singular day. He was surprised by her smile, and her desire to help others, and so he had decided in that moment that he was going to help her.
That he would offer her kindness in return for the kindness she offered the world, and he knew that his kindness was what she valued most about him.
Not his skills as a shinobi, or his prowess as an iryo-nin. No. Hana Uchiha had loved his kindness, yet somehow her death had ripped it away from him.
"I am going to help them," he offered, and he knew that she would want him to do more.
"I am going to change it all," and with that, the sunlight cut through the clouds behind him and fell on the gravestone. But by then he had vanished from the secluded grave, and stood infront of the hospital.
The pink-haired kunoichi was already waiting for him there, and he looked down at her before he reached into his pocket and took out the hitai-ate she had offered to him.
She seemed surprised when he offered it back to her, and her eyes fell to it as she refused to take it.
"Don't worry," he spoke softly, in his usual nasal tone.
"I was just testing your resolve," and that was a lie, and her eyes widened at those words.
"Me and my brother do not agree on much," Gojo began, as he ruffled Sakura's hair.
"But we both agree that shinobi who give up on their comrades are worse than scum," and that loyalty was what had forced his father to take his life.
"You were willing to give up on your dreams to save a comrade of yours. That is the true hallmark of a shinobi," and she was crying now, as he stooped down and tied the headband on her head.
"Now let us go and save that idiot friend of yours," and she nodded as they walked through the Halls and the staff at the Hospital already knew of him, and waved at him as he walked past the rooms to reach the theatre where Lee lay on the bed, with bandages covering his entire body.
"What do you think you are doing here?" Lee asked as he saw them enter his room.
"I thought I was clear. I have no need of any treatment from you," and Gojo smacked him on the head.
"Shut up, kid," he retorted.
"I will not let you destroy Sakura-chan's dreams. Never," and he lowered himself.
"For that, you will have to get much stronger, kid. You are good, but honestly, I have seen better
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SAKURA HARUNO
A week had passed since she had chosen to put down her hitai ate for the sake of a friend, and without her dream, she was simply shattered. For as long as she could remember, Sakura had longed to be a kunoichi, but now that dream had been ripped from her.
She did not regret her choice. Not at all.
But it did pain her. She had been holed up in her room for days now, but she knew that she could not wallow in here like this for much longer. Not when today was meant to be day for the final phase of the exams.
She had to go to the arena to cheer for her teammates, and so she pushed herself out of her bed only to find herself staring at a complete stranger standing outside the window, waving at her.
"AGHHHH!" she screamed, as she rolled of the bed in panic as Kakashi-sensei's brother waved at her from the window.
"Open up," his whisper reached her ears, and she walked to the window and pushed it open.
"What are you doing here, you pervert?" she raged at him.
"Please, I am blind," and that was a lie, and he looked around the room.
"Why are you here?" she asked again, a bit more seriously.
"Well, I am here to apologize," and she was taken aback by his words, as she blinked owlishly.
"I can see now that I have been quite a jerk to you and your friend and I want to apologise to you for that," and she drew in a breath, as he reached into his pocket and took out her hitai ate and offered it back to her.
"The life of a shinobi is hard. It is filled with pain and regret, and I simply wished to spare you all that suffering. But I have realized that it is not my choice to make," and his face softened as he spoke to her, as tears welled up in her eyes.
"I simply wished to spare you the pain that I suffered. But I was wrong in my actions, and I greatly regret the choice I forced onto you," and he raised his hands.
"You have shown yourself to be a true shinobi with your choices. Now, it is time for me to show you my own worth as a shinobi," and she took back the hitai ate, and looked at his bandaged eyes.
"Come, let us heal your friend," and those words were like music to her ears, as she found herself nodding weakly as tears dripped down her face.
"Thank you," she whispered.
"Thank you," she repeated, and he gave her a smile.
"Go get ready, I will be waiting right here," and he turned around and plopped down right there on her roof as she wore her uniform and wore the hitai ate once more, and once she stepped out, he smiled at her and offered her a hand.
"Take it," and she did, and then she saw him raise his other hand as he cycled through a series of handseals, before suddenly she felt the world vanish, and when she opened her eyes once more, Sakura found herself standing outside the Konoha Hospital.
"What the...." and that was not just fast. No. This was impossible.
"You are here," and someone else was already there, waiting for them.
"Gai-sensei," she recognized the man easily, as Lee's teacher. He had a rather serious look on his face as he stood there at the entrance.
"Is everything ready?" Gojo sensei asked him, and the man with thick brows nodded.
"Yes," he answered, and Gojo sensei walked forward. They walked through the halls, and she could hear the whispers and murmurs as they walked through the staff to reach what seemed to be an operating theatre.
Lee was lying there on a table, and Gojo sensei walked into the room, and as someone else tried to stop her, he called out.
"She is with me," and with only those words, she was led inside the room as Gojo sensei stood over the unconscious form of her friend.
"Leave," he ordered, and the staff all bowed and left the room one by one, until only she and Gojo sensei remained.
"Only a handful of shinobi have ever seen my eyes," and she saw him reach for his blindfold as he began to unwind the bandages.
"Today, you are going to join that list," and soon enough, the bandages were gone, and she had thought that he wore them to hide some scars or wounds, but she saw nothing of the sort.
But when he opened his eyes, Sakura found herself gasping as she felt an enormous pressure push down on her.
They were blue. A bright and dazzling blue, and in them lay the secrets of the entire world.
"Let's start...."
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Far away in the depths of the hidden Forest, a red-haired kunoichi sat hidden under the trees as she feared punishment for her failure. Ever since she had set foot in the village, she had felt as if a presence was watching her, but in that moment she felt it more clearly than ever.
The foreign presence was watching her, and everything. It was real, and now it was looking directly at her.
No. She focused her chakra a bit more to understand his abilities, only to be shocked by her findings.
"He is not just looking at me. No," and the realization made her gasp as she realized the futility of her actions.
"He is looking at everything....."
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