Interlude I: Drums of War
Three Years Later
Konohagakure no Sato
"For how long will we continue with this policy of reconciliation that you seem to be so fond of, Hiruzen?"
A crisp, cold voice echoed out in the general meeting room of the Hokage's Tower, where the elders gathered, sat, and discussed. The voice came from one old man with an x-shaped scar on his chin, with one eye of his covered, and his voice extremely and exceedingly stern.
"And you would prefer open warfare, would you not?" Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Professor, the God of Shinobi, spoke.
"They," Danzo said, enunciating the word as though it were a venomous snake "Came to our country. With faux pretenses of peace and nonsensical talks of treaties. I had my misgivings from the beginning, and I informed you of them – but you chose not to listen."
"And now? Now – after their Head Ninja attempted and failed to capture the Byakugan – failed to escape with the Hyuga Heiress – they cut off all ties and play a pathetic façade of being the offended party. Yet, curiously, they have the gall to demand from us… compensation?"
The remaining two elders and distinguished shinobi in the room watched the exchange between light and dark like children seeing a butterfly emerging from a cocoon. This situation, watching the conflicting ideologies between Danzo and Hiruzen, had become the norm in the past three years.
"And for some reason, you wish to actually grant them their desire? To hand over a capable man to his death? To weaken ourselves and cave in like a bullied child to them?" Danzo almost growled. "Because they threaten us with open warfare if we choose not to?"
"You disappoint me Hiruzen."
The temperature in the room chilled.
"You will remember where you are and who you are speaking with, Danzo."
"I remember very clearly." Danzo replied. "I remember that I am not the man in the chair. For if I were, this conversation would not even be occurring. I am, however, on the Council of Konoha, and my interests include what is best for the village."
Hiruzen glared, the man's face stony as steel. "Three years ago, we lost a great deal of our shinobi to the Kyubi's attack. There are many still grieving, and we have yet to return to our full strength. Seven years before that, we were thick in the midst of the Third Shinobi World War. Dozens of shinobi, of good men and women lost their lives fighting." Hiruzen shook his head. "I do not wish for the same to occur again."
"The life of one man in exchange for the lives of the many." Danzo said slowly. "How ironic is it that this ideology appeals to you when on the defensive, yet, when I ask you to hand me the Kyubi Jinchuriki to be trained under my care – this very ideology appalls you."
"This is not the time to bring up that topic."
"I suppose it is never the time to point out a man's hypocrisy."
"Danzo that's enough!" Koharu Utatane chided, glaring at her former teammate. "I don't know what has happened to you in the past few years, but you used to be far more collected."
"No, what I used to be was indirect and elusive. Playing a game of words and pointless subtlety and bickering. But I have neither the time nor patience for any of that anymore." Danzo spat. "There are unforeseen threats out to the North. Enemies with unknown capabilities and potential that I spend my every waking moment attempting to prepare for, while all of you sit down content and blinded by this pitiful delusion of peace."
Homura sighed. "He's talking about Yuki no Kuni again…"
"A country where no spies return. Where no diplomatic envoys are allowed. Where foreign shinobi are immediately either turned away or executed, a 'Holy Land' led by a religious leader who happens to be our country's Daimyo-sanctioned Enforcer and you expect me to leave it be?"
"Enough." Hiruzen spoke. "We did not gather to discuss Yuki no Kuni –"
"That is true. We came here to discuss your cowardice in handling Kumo."
"Danzo –" Koharu warned.
"Do we no longer call a spade a spade?" Danzo said "Let us look at the situation with Kumo and the Hyuga as it is."
He turned to Homura.
"You offer a man a hand of peace. He slaps aside your hand and attempts to rip out your tongue. You bite down on his hand, eliminating his fingers, and he recoils in pain. Then, claiming he never meant to rip out your tongue, he draws a kunai and demands your eye as compensation for his fingers, or he takes your life."
He turned to Hiruzen.
"And then you give him your eye."
The room was surprisingly quiet.
"Tell me Hiruzen, if this is not cowardice, then what is?"
"Wisdom." Hiruzen said calmly. "You lose your eye, so you may not lose your life, or lose more than your eye should you chose to fight."
"That would apply only if you were weaker." Danzo argued, "But if you are stronger – strong enough to oppose your attacker, defend yourself and ensure that you lose nothing from the exchange – would you still hand out your eye?"
The answer was clear to everyone in the room. Clear enough that no one needed to respond to it.
"To bend over to Kumo's wishes is to tell the world that Konoha is weaker." Danzo declared. "We, the first Shinobi village, whose founder captured all nine biju, and who gave them away to the other villages – are now weak, caving to the demands of a village who would never have existed without our founder."
The man with the x-shaped scar stared across his companions.
"Is this the message you wish to send to the world?"
In another world, another time, under other circumstances, Danzo Shimura would never be so bold. So blunt and direct. He would have done his best to remain unseen and unnoticed, sticking to the shadows and operating by subtle coercion and means. He and Hiruzen would have engaged in a battle of covert and subtle, hidden exchanges over this topic, and at the end, his own opinions would be disregarded by the Sandaime Hokage, and his influence would have done very little.
But things had changed. The Daimyo picking a random person as the Enforcer of the Land of Fire had put Danzo on high-alert. The rapidly spreading religion and its implications also caused Danzo more and more unease. Then, the fact that this Enforcer had holed away himself to the Northern part of the world, a winter wasteland, and had declared this place a holy city was even more disconcerting. There was a complete lack of information in that city – and none of the agents he sent there had succeeded in infiltrating.
Then, there was Kirigakure – a land which was supposed to be a bloody nightmare, transformed into a sprawling, developing economy, advancing faster and faster with each passing day, booming and becoming more prosperous. Information and spies were easier to place there – and the news Danzo received of the place was frightening. Their advancement was dangerous. Their progress was deadly. The world was not a place which enabled you to celebrate the success of others. Because the success and progress of other people often came at the detriment of your own.
Customers. Business. Trade. Resources. Tourism.
The richer and more developed Kirigakure and the Land of Water became, the inverse it would be for other countries and hidden villages. Already, minor hidden villages were seeing a rapid decrease in Tourism and Shinobi Missions. People wanted to hire Kirigakure-nin – people wanted to travel to the Land of Water and see its majestic wonders and experience its high-end technology.
And all of this progress – all of this change – it was one man behind it all. His name was on every piece of technology. His name was on every aspect of development. He was the one spear-heading all of it – he was the one who transformed an entire country within the span of a few years.
So Danzo feared what this same man would do, alone and unchecked in a secluded part of the world.
He could no longer afford to be a passive player on the grand stage. Not when the future progress of his village was no longer guaranteed. He could not fight The Shepherd in the dark. Covertness and subterfuge, reconnaissance and defamation – none would be enough on its own to take down such a man. Hence, Danzo Shimura, the Darkness of Konoha –
Came into the light.
Hiruzen would never have been swayed by his old method of doing things. No, Hiruzen would have continued to either ignore his recommendations, or outright refuse them. But by instead, cloaking all his motives and motivations in furious nationalism and pride, bluntly declaring and baring them, bathing and embalming them in his clear strength of conviction and pride in his village, in Konoha –
"No." Hiruzen spoke. "No, it is not."
He could succeed.
XXXX
"Another one."
"Er… are you sure – you've had quite a lot –"
"Did I stutter?"
"W-well no –"
"Am I not paying for the drinks?"
"W-well yes – but –"
"Then swallow your opinions that I didn't pay for, and make yourself useful with another drink."
The nineteen year old Chunin sat in the bar, her enchanting red eyes intimidating the bartender enough for him to wisely keep his mouth shut and do his job. To her side, a loud sharp whistle broke the awkward silence.
"Damn girl. Keep that up and people will be calling you 'Ice Queen' in a couple of years."
Her red eyes turned, noting and identifying the flak jacket of a fellow Chunin beside her, albeit slightly younger in age. Other than the flak jacket, what she wore could barely be considered clothing – as a pair of mesh, fishnet shorts extended from below, and wrapped in bandages enabled her legs and skin to be seen from the thigh downwards. The younger girl, who should be fifteen or sixteen, clearly cared little for her lack of modesty, as she sat unbothered.
The red-eyed Chunin knew who the younger black-haired one was. It was hard not to – as ex-apprentices of Sannin were so low in demand.
"Mitarashi-san." She greeted curtly, with a tilt of the head.
"Pft! Cut with all that honorific stuff! It's Anko. Preferably Anko-chan. Or maybe Anko-sama if we want to get kinky." The girl wagged her eyebrows, a gesture that the older Chunin found amusing.
"So, are you going to tell me your name or take a long swig and tell me to fuck off?" Anko asked, "I wouldn't mind if you did both though – so long as I get your name I'm still golden."
The wagging eyebrows, and the tone of banter brought the older woman to one conclusion.
"How old are you… exactly?"
Anko grinned. "Old enough to know what I want."
The red-eyed chunin rolled her eyes. "And that would be?"
"Finding out what a girl like you is doing in a place like this."
The older Chunin couldn't keep the twitch that escaped her lips. "Cute. But I'm not interested."
"Yet." Anko responded, grinning cheekily. She laid back on her chair throwing her arms behind her head. "Trust me – it's only a matter of time."
The red-eyed Chunin shook her head, before slowly swirling her cup in her hand. She rose it to her lips, slowly, and then she drowned everything in one gulp, feeling as it burned down her throat and letting herself wince slightly at the sensation.
"Yeah, that Gat-Vodka really hits the stuff doesn't it." Anko said with a pleased sigh, "Way stronger than anything I've ever tasted. Heard it comes straight from Mizu no Kuni… I think it's gonna be selling a lot now that… you know."
"Now that we're at war." She responded with a bitter chuckle.
Anko winced. "Yeesh, I'm guessing that's why you're not exactly in the greatest mood right now."
"What gave it away?" she laughed sardonically.
"The slouch and the grouch mostly." Anko said. "But… well, mostly people get drunk and despair in bars during the war, or after it – not before."
She stared into her cup for a few seconds.
"Three years ago, my father died protecting the village from the Kyubi attack." She said. "I, like many others, wanted to defend the village too. I wanted to help repel the beast – but I was stopped. My father stopped me from fighting. Do you know why?"
She turned her gaze to the younger Chunin, who sat, unsure of how to look or what to say.
"He said I shouldn't help fight against the beast. He said that it wasn't a war. It was an internal village issue, and that as that we are shinobi, our lives are brief. He said he wanted me to live long enough to ensure that a next generation, that our generation, would survive and inherit the Will of Fire."
She clenched her hands around the mug.
"And then he died."
"Wow… I-I- that's… kind of heavy." Anko said, awkwardly rubbing her shoulders as she seemed to find trouble finding a good way to sit.
"And now, three years after his sacrifice… we're going to fight a war. So… what was the point? Why did he have to sacrifice himself?"
"Woah woah woah – hold it there –" Anko said, "You're still alive aren't you? His sacrifice wasn't in vain as long as you keep on kicking – I mean, it's not like you're counting on dying during the war –"
"Does anyone who ever dies in a war count on themselves dying?"
"That doesn't mean you're going to die –"
"No. It just means people will die." She shook her head. "Good people. Strong people. Innocent people. People who just want to live their lives. Shinobi. Civilian. That's how war is."
The two sat, the sound of nothing but ambient background chatter echoing amongst them.
"Shit that's depressing."
She chuckled, before raising her cup. "That it is."
"But that's the way things kind of are. We knew what we signed up for when we became shinobi."
"Did we? Did we really?"
The younger girl didn't respond, instead, her hand moved over to her neck, rubbing it slowly as she made a pained expression.
"No. I guess we didn't." She took in a deep breath. "But – we might as well make the most of it, right? If I'm going to meet the Shinigami at any time – I might as well do it kicking ass, taking names, banging hot guys – or gals, just so you know – and living as large as possible."
Anko grinned, turning to her acquaintance.
"So we can keep sitting here, moping over stuff we can't change – or we could be elsewhere, adding another fucking fantastic moment to our lives. Three guesses as to which is more fun."
The older Chunin's lips twitched. "I wasn't moping."
"Uh-huh." Anko said dryly. "And I'm a divine priestess of Gatoism."
"I was just…" she stopped, seeing the younger woman's gaze, and feeling her cheeks heat up. "Okay, maybe I was moping just a little."
"Hey, we can't be all sunshine and happiness all things considering." Anko said, shrugging. "I think every shinobi falls into a slump or feels low every now and then. Some kick back faster than ever – and others, well… others never get out."
Both ladies vision caught a glance of long spiky white hair and a face-mask, moving outside the bar.
"But… we can try to get them out. Right…?"
"We can." Anko nodded. "Cause if we Konoha shinobi can't help each other out – then, who can?"
The fishnet wearing teen shot a wide grin.
"Maybe, if you help enough of them… one day, they'll learn to help you too. They'll help you… even when you can't help yourself."
It was an odd meeting for an older Chunin, meeting a younger, quirkier girl who blatantly attempted to flirt with her in a bar. A girl with a wide grin and a wider smile, both of which never seemed to reach her eyes.
"Yuhi Kurenai." She introduced herself, gesturing to her sister in arms, whose eyes widened for a fraction of a second, before lighting up.
"And as you know, I am the one and only, sexy and fabulous, super-kunoichi Mitarashi Anko!"
Kurenai chuckled. "Super-kunoichi?"
"What? Is it too much."
Kurenai shook her head. "No. I think… it's just right."
XXXX
Uchiha Clan Compound
"Another war." A man said, taking in a deep breath. "Already, the forces mobilize. Already, Konoha begins preparations. To battle, to fight and to bleed – there are chances that this could escalate if the other villages get involved."
"And why do we have to fight for them Fugaku?" An irate older man said, "During the Third Shinobi World War, you were famed as Wicked-Eye Fugaku, and you were dreaded on the battle field just as much as the Fourth. Yet, when it concluded, you got no accolades, no recognition for your skills and efforts – nothing!"
"Not to mention, the entire village secluded us to this compound!"
"They think we're the ones who orchestrated the Kyubi attack! After all these years! After everything the Uchiha Clan has done for this village – if it weren't for us, there would be no Konoha –!"
"The Hyuga were the ones who let their heiress be captured. Why do we have to make up for such incompetence – !"
"Enough." The voice of Uchiha Fugaku cut across the room with impunity.
"In order – we fight for the village because we are a part of this village, and I do not wish to awaken one morning and see my three year old son sprawling dead on the floor at the hands of an enemy." He turned to the older man. "My accomplishments during the Third War and the lack of recognition I received far better suits me than the fancy accolades Namikaze garnered. A famous shinobi is a dead shinobi."
He turned to a younger man. "The Village did not seclude us – rather, this Clan Compound is the largest in the entire village. It is a bit far off from the village itself, granted – however, what you see as seclusion, I see as a chance for distinction."
He turned to someone else, red eyes flaring. "The investigation on the Kyubi attack is still underway – making conjectures at this point is pointless. In time, our innocence will be proven clear, and we do not need to further aggravate the situation with hot-headed sentiment."
And finally, to the last woman, he sneered. "The Hyuga-clan's incompetence notwithstanding, should the heiress have been successfully kidnapped, she would have been used as a breeding mare for Kumogakure. Enslaved and forced to have numerous children at first blood, and breed an army of Byakugan wielders that would be loyal to their village. If the life or suffering of one girl is of no interest to you, do note, that it might as well have been a member of the Uchiha Clan they chose to use as livestock. It could have been you."
The silence in the room was absolutely jarring.
"I understand that many of us harbor grudges and grievances towards our treatment in the village, however, now is not the time to focus on it. The model is – me against my brother. Me and my brother against the neighbor. Me, my brother and my neighbor against the stranger." Fugaku declared. "As it stands, Konoha is our brother and neighbor, and Kumo is the stranger. Until we have fought this war and brought victory to the Uchiha-Clan name and Konoha – we will put on hold all grudges and resentment. The Uchiha-Clan is unified with Konoha. Is that clear?"
No one argued. No one could. There was a reason Fugaku was the leader. A reason he commanded such authority and power within the clan.
"Very well." He acquiesced. "Now, unto Police Force business. We will need to double the amount of patrols to deal with possible drunken brawls and other minor crime infringements occurring as a result of Sandaime-sama's declaration of the war. Moreover, we will be working with a Hyuga-clan taskforce and the ANBU in order to prevent possible infiltration attempts. Following that –"
XXXX
Bounty Hunter Outpost
"Damn, you really did a nasty one on this guy. But, still identifiable enough… barely –"
"…Are you done?"
"Fine – fine – it's all here. Three million ryo per head." The young bounty dispenser said. "Although, I get a feeling business is going to kick up tons and tons for you."
"How so?"
"Get this, the Sandaime Hokage of Konoha – the God of Shinobi – just declared all-out war on Kumo." The man said, shaking his head. "I mean Konoha declaring a war? Who would have thought that'd ever happen? I thought the tree-lovers were all about peace and flowers and what not."
"He is no God."
"Er… what?"
"Sarutobi Hiruzen – he is no God. I have fought the one and only God of Shinobi – and Sarutobi Hiruzen does not possess even a slither of that man's power. To call him a God is to grant him an accolade he does not deserve."
"I – I don't make up the monikers – I just use them!"
"…very well. Tell me – are the bounties on the Kages still active?"
"Er… yes – I think so, no one ever formally removed them so – h-hey – where are you going you still have to sign the form!"
XXXX
Amegakure no Sato
"A war is brewing on the horizon." A man with red hair and purple eyes said, frowning. "This will either make our plans far more difficult, or far easier. The Jinchuriki will be at the forefront of the battles – so we may need to capture them as quickly as possible, or we risk them dying and postponing our plans even further."
"Isn't the war only between Konoha and Kumo?" A blue haired woman responded.
"Depending on who wins or loses the skirmish – the other villages will choose to capitalize on it. Should Konoha seem to be failing, others will immediately seek to topple the giant, and erase it from the pages of history, not unlike they did Uzushiogakure." The red haired man closed his eyes. "Such is the nature of this corrupt world. Volatile, always in chaos. It is in need of proper guidance. We will need to hasten our recruitment plans to accommodate for the change."
The woman nodded. "Sasori and I are still searching. We believe the bounty hunter Kakuzu may join our cause… however, Hoshigake Kisame seems disinterested in joining now that Kirigakure has been… transformed."
"Courtesy of the man who claims to be a messenger of a god?"
"Yes… Gat. He is… adored… in Mizu no Kuni."
"…I see." The red-haired man opened his eyes. "I would want to meet this man who sells falsehood, and see what he does beneath the might of a true god."
XXXX
Sunagakure no Sato
"Konoha has declared war." Rasa, the Fourth Kazekage spoke. "Kumo played a gambit against them and failed, and now, for what is the first time in the village's history, they chose to go unto the offensive rather than the defensive."
"What does this spell for us?" An aged man in the meeting room asked.
"It means that we cannot afford to stagnate now. An aggressive Konohagakure is not something the world has ever seen. Many may forget easily, but that village is the only one to have two shinobi from it be declared as God of Shinobi. It is the only one to have produced a shinobi with an SS-Rank 'flee-on-sight' order. Should they choose to like their new taste of militaristic violence – we must be ready."
Numerous murmurings and whispers travelled across the room.
"Effective immediately, a harsher training regimen will be employed on the Suna Fan Corps and Suna Puppeteer Corps. Our village while producing excellent specialized squadron, had very few popular names that can be rallied upon. Pakura and myself notwithstanding, our village's quantity of S-Rank shinobi is sorely lacking. That needs to be corrected, immediately."
In another world, another time, Pakura of the Scorch Release would have died courtesy of the volatile tensions in Kirigakure no Sato, after being sent on an ambassadorial mission, and after her bloodline would have marked her as a target.
But this was not that world.
In this world, Pakura of the Scorch Release was one of most renowned Kunoichi in the world. She was Suna's prominent S-Rank, standing tall with the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa of the Golden Sands.
"Furthermore, we need to seek alliances with other countries – Iwa is least likely, as our dispute for land and territory seems unlikely to end soon. Rather, unexpectedly, Kiri is the perfect choice. In addition –"
XXXX
Moeru, Land of Fire Capital City
Another war. Why wasn't she surprised? What else was she expecting? That was the lifestyle that she chose to abandon after all. Pointless fighting, bloodshed and chaos. Still – she knew it shouldn't have bothered her. Yet, it did. It bothered her more than she cared to admit. The world was a different place for a war to occur – especially with so many changes and benefits that the brat she taught had come up with. How would this religion of his handle warfare? How would it handle the chaotic bloodshed?
"Ha! Full house! I can't wait to take off your clothes you big tittied blonde!"
She grit her teeth. Remember – he's a noble – even you can't attack a noble and get away with it without consequences. Just remember that Tsunade – remember it –
She turned over her cards –
And instantly felt dread.
"W-w-ah? Royal Flush?! All the same suit?! No way - !"
No –
"Another one?! What the hell?"
No –
"Three in a row – that's bullshit – you – you're cheating! You have to be cheating! No one has luck that good!"
No –
"Four?! FOUR?!
No –
"Someone call security! She's cheating somehow! I know it! NO ONE CAN GET A ROYAL FLUSH FIVE TIMES IN A ROW!"
No one could. Such odds were impossible normally, and for someone like her?
"Shizune… we need to leave. Something… is wrong. Something is very, very wrong."
XXXX
Land of Hot Water
Yugakure no Sato
"P-please – please sto – GURK!"
"FUCKING BLASPHEMER!" A silver-haired man, dressed in head to toe in bloody rags screamed at the top of his voice. "FUCKING BLASPHEMERS ALL OF YOU! FUCK YOUR DIVINE! FUCK YOUR SHEPHERD! FUCK! IT! ALL!"
Behind him, a trail of blood seeped into the earth, the man stood, panting, growling, cursing all the way as he stared at the surrounding bodies. To his left, a young body lay, a girl of about five years old, bones broken beyond recognition, clothes torn apart, and body mutilated beyond all recognition.
"FUCKING SHITTY FUCKERS! THERE IS ONLY ONE GOD AND HIS NAME IS JASHIN!"
Yes… my child… kill them all. Kill the fakers. Tear asunder their nonsense – Carve your way through them with pain and blood –
The silver-hairedgrinned satisfied from the voices spurning him on. He spun his attention to the sound of footsteps, his gaze eventually locking on to, and finding the mother and daughter duo that were weeping as they ran.
"Divine help us!"
"Shepherd-sama! Shepherd-sama!"
"FUCK YOU BITCHES!" The silver haired man cackled, blurring forward with a long scythe "THERE IS ONLY ONE GOD! ONE! GOD! AND HIS NAME – IS JASHIN!"
The scythe hit the girl first, slicing off her right arm from the armpit upwards. She screamed, roaring out in pain – for all of a few seconds before the scythe came back down, cleaving her in half from skull to privates. Both parts of her body fell aside to the ground in a spray of guts blood and gore.
"Repeat after me!" The man yelled "THERE IS NO GOD BUT JASHIN!"
The woman, sniveling, and begging for her life conceded "T-t-there is n-no g-god b-but J-J-J-J-"
Her head parted from her shoulders. The movement was fast enough that she did not realize it had happened until it did, and until she was staring up at her now headless body.
In her final moments… defile her.
"Heh – you know Jashin-sama – I fucking love the way you think."
Only the silent sounds of grunting, and heavy yells of "Jashin-sama!" would be heard in the village, as one man, in his rage and immortal fury, slaughtered all those who believed were blasphemers.
Every man, woman, and child.
XXXX
The Moon
"Another one. They prepare themselves, yet again, for another war. For more bloodshed and fighting – for more chaos and death. To think that Hagoromo-sama's teachings of ninshu and chakra would have degraded so much."
"Father… the Byakugan Princess… she was almost kidnapped."
"…Yes."
"Why did they want her?"
"For horrible reasons. Very horrible ones."
"Can… can we stop them?"
"I have been thinking about it… yes. We can. No, we should. Four Wars between them in less than a hundred years – it seems Hashirama's goal of peace was nothing more than wishful thinking." The man let out a heavy sigh.
"As the descendants of Hamura… it is our duty to end this depraved world."
"Really?"
"Yes. And when the time comes… it will be you, Toneri-kun, who upholds Hamura's will."
"I will do my best father."
"I know you will Toneri-kun. I know you will."