9 Chapter Nine: Kakashi II
[A/N: Let the Cause and Effect Start!]
--------------------------------------------------------
September 1st, Year 65, Konoha Cemetery.
--------------------------------------------------------
"It's been a while... Rin," I greeted, my voice barely above a whisper.
As I stood before her grave, memories of my late teammates flooded my mind.
It was the first day of the month, a day I always set aside to pay my respects to those who had passed on.
But as always, there was no answer from Rin. I knew there will never be… Yet, I couldn't help but speak to her as if she were still here with me. "A lot has happened since I last visited,"
I said, placing a bouquet of flowers on her grave. "Kushina is still as energetic as ever, and she still makes me eat ramen with her whenever she catches me."
I looked up at the sky, my thoughts drifting to my sensei and the problems at the northern border.
"Sensei has been swamped with work, and we've been hearing about some trouble at the border. Though he says that it's just Kumo and their usual probing."
Despite the sadness that weighed heavily on my heart, I couldn't help but smile as I thought of the little brats that I have been keeping an eye on.
"We have some promising juniors, you would have liked them really…
One of them a training maniac… kinda like I used to be.
And the other… is a boy… a lazy bastard, but he is… special."
But as I spoke, my thoughts turned to the past and the war that had consumed our lives. "Honestly, it makes me sad that this era doesn't know war. If only we had been born a little later, we could have... you might be..."
My voice trailed off as I struggled to speak. But taking control of my grief, I continued to speak,
"Speaking of being born later... This is technically top-secret information, but... M-" Before I could finish my sentence, a sudden jolt ran through me. My years of trained senses screamed at me and I attempted to escape, but found my mouth trapped within a weightless, dark binding, rendering me mute.
A familiar voice whispered near my ear, bringing back a memory I dreaded.
"You know, even trees have ears, Senpai." There was a hint of childish amusement in the voice.
Just then, something was hurled from the shadows towards the trees behind me.
Realizing that I could still move, I followed the trajectory of the object which turned out to be a special Kunai I knew all too well, leading me toward the tree line. I squinted and saw a human figure, causing my eyes to widen in disbelief.
Kuro remained hidden, his whereabouts unknown. As the Kunai went straight through the humanoid figure, the shadows around the figure dissipating, and I watched in awe as Minato-sensei materialized out of thin air, wielding a Kunai that sliced into the figure, eliciting a loud scream.
Kuro's shadows sprang in to life, enclosing the figure within a dome-like capsule. However, I heard Kuro click his tongue and exclaim, "Damn it! Old man, he isn't inside."
Understanding that we were dealing with an intruder, I immediately took action and pursued the trespasser, revealing my left eye as my sharingan glared.
The gravity of the situation became clear to me... My back got covered in cold sweat.
I had almost revealed classified information to an intruder who had skillfully concealed their presence, listening in on my one-sided conversation.
I knew it was no time to dread as we had an intruder to apprehend. I tried to find where the intruder went only in that moment, I witnessed sensei smashing a tree with his Rasengan, breaking it apart and revealing a masked individual emerging from the other side as if materializing from thin air.
The intruder attempted hand seals but quickly turned intangible again when a staff passed right through him. He swiftly evaded sensei's attack, leaping away.
"You were right to call for me, Minato. This man possesses an ability to become intangible… I've already deployed the ANBU to secure the entire perimeter," spoke an elderly man in battle armor, holding a staff.
Lord Third?
I was taken aback, realizing that even the seasoned professor and the ANBU were aware of this covert mission.
It became apparent that I had been used as bait. That means Sensei and the others knew that I was being followed…
But who would target me?
Just then, I heard a whisper in my ear.
"Stop entertaining strange thoughts, senpai. That guy's movements are erratic. Try to control his actions so I can use my shadows to restrain him. He is moving too much… Troublesome…" Kuro instructed with surprising amount of vigor. His usual Lazy drawl was no where to be seen.
I understood his plan. It was simple really.
Lightning Chakra started gathering in my hand as I disappeared towards the masked man. Anger surged within me as I couldn't fathom how someone would exploit my time spent with my departed friends to gather information about the village.
With Raikiri crackling in my hand, I materialized directly behind him, ready to strike his heart and end it all.
However, my jutsu passed right through him, and at that moment, he turned towards me.
I glimpsed his eyes...
Those eyes...
The same red… filled with anger and pain...
A Sharingan…
Glared at me, its pattern different from what I had seen before.
I flinched for a second, but swiftly regained my composure, passing through him I launched a barrage of kunai at the man hoping to land a hit.
Only for the masked intruder to materialize elsewhere.
I declared aloud, "He possesses a different Sharingan." Both Sensei and Lord Third were taken aback, growing cautious at my statement.
But this time, the man finally spoke from where he stood.
Looking down at us with his eyes blazing with hatred.
"Be warned, Konoha. I… Uchiha Madara, will exact my revenge," he declared, attempting to vanish with his power. However, before he could disappear, we heard Kuro shout.
"Once you're here, you better stay for dinner, you bastard!" Kuro's shadow darted towards the intruder following into the swirling void, trying to prevent his escape.
But all we saw was the man disappearing into vortex.
"Damn it! I had a hold on him, but I can't sense my shadow anymore," we heard Kuro curse.
Finally, we found Kuro standing under the shade of a tree coming out of his hiding.
"It's alright, Kuro-kun. It's not your fault…that the intruder got away..." Lord Third approached the boy, offering him solace. Minato-sensei arrived, accompanied by members of the ANBU squad—Boar and Bear.
Sensei appeared furious, and when he looked at me, a disappointed expression crossed his face.
"Kakashi... We'll discuss this later..." he said, addressing me. I had lowered my head in shame. He didn't say anything more.
Then, he turned to Kuro, adopting a serious tone. "What could you gather from the battle?"
That simple question surprised not only me but also Boar and Bear. Yet, its significance weighed heavily, for the boy's response held importance even for the Kage of a Hidden Village.
"Sigh... This was so troublesome, old man," Kuro sighed in exasperation. "Remember when I mentioned the strange shadow?" earning a nod from sensei.
"That guy didn't have a shadow when he went intangible. So troublesome…
That's why I couldn't capture him using his own shadow. And throughout the battle you guys were moving all about the place, I was having trouble keeping up… Sigh… Stupid fast people… making it hard for me to utilize the surrounding shadows around him. That's why I had to get so close for that final strike... I don't know if it got him or not... I did feel that I got a hold of him… But I doubt it did much. I was actually going in for the kill there."
Upon hearing those words, Lord Third let out a saddened sigh. Probably due to Kuro speaking so casually about killing someone.
"Sheesh, gramps... He was an intruder. For the safety of my family, I will kill if I have to. Stop acting like it's not in the job description… Troublesome old man," Kuro mumbled the last part.
In that moment, I heard Lord Third chuckle softly while Minato-sensei smiled at the boy's antics. It helped ease my own uneasiness, as the situation had shaken me as well.
Boar, breaking his silence, spoke up. "Hokage-sama... That man identified himself as Uchiha Madara and possessed a Sharingan... Is he...?" His question remained unfinished as Sensei intervened.
"For now, this will be classified as an S-ranked secret. No one should mention Uchiha Madara or anything related to him to anyone," Sensei stated firmly.
Boar and Bear nodded before disappearing in a flash.
Sensei then turned to Lord Third and asked, "What should we do? I don't want to believe that the Uchiha are involved."
The elderly man let out a deep sigh before responding, "Until we conduct further investigations, we can't jump to conclusions. However, it would be wise to increase surveillance around the Uchiha clan."
But Kuro interrupted abruptly. "Are you going senile, gramps?"
I tried to admonish the boy, but Lord Third halted me and gestured for Kuro to continue.
"You're planning to increase surveillance on a clan of ninjas who have exceptional perception and can detect the slightest movements with their freaky red eyes? Are you sure you're not trying to provoke them or something? Making them feel like the village doesn't trust them?
You should know how rumors get spread, right?... They already get hate since they serve in the police force and are known for their stern treatment of criminals, you want to add to that?" Kuro finished with an annoyed face.
Lord Third listened attentively before responding, "Hmmm... What you said holds truth Kuro-kun… But this incident poses a significant threat to the village. If we don't uncover the truth, we may face an attack from within our own territory."
"Sigh… Troublesome. Why are you thinking about this from the wrong angle, gramps? I never said we shouldn't do something…
Instead of doing something that might provoke one of the strongest clans in our village… Why not simply call a meeting with the Uchiha leaders and inform them about this incident? Instead of pointing fingers at them, why not task them with finding the culprit who's calling himself Madara.
Give them the responsibility to hunt down this masked criminal who supposedly has a Sharingan, which may or may not be stolen… and let them clear the name of their clan. Make it seem like doing this 'quest' will be glorious or something of pride or something, they like those sorts of things, no?" Kuro finished with a huff.
Sensei had a slight smile on his face, as did Lord Third. After contemplating for a bit, I also found this to be a reasonable idea.
"But what about the rumors you mentioned earlier, Kuro-kun? Won't they still spread if a large group of Uchiha starts moving?" Sensei pointed out, much to the boy's annoyance.
Kuro gave sensei the stink eye before replying, "You do realize we're ninja, right? We play around with information. Instead of letting rumors spread uncontrollably, we can shape the narrative ourselves. Spread our version of the story before it becomes a messy rumor.
Plant the information you want the village to hear and understand, coming from reliable or even official sources. You can control the information to your advantage. If you can shape how the village perceives the situation, you might even earn the gratitude of the otherwise troublesome Uchiha bunch."
This time, Sensei wore a cunning grin as he posed another question, "What if the Uchiha are the true culprits and they use this information to their advantage, planning a more effective attack on Konoha?"
At this point it was clear to everyone that the two Hokages were trying to see how Kuro's mind worked.
The boy glanced at Sensei as if he considered him foolish and retorted, "You already have the upper hand with the information. By revealing that there's a mad Uchiha on the loose, they'll already be on high alert, fearing prosecution for any misstep. So, the next step is to manipulate the situation... Troublesome..." He let out a sigh and settled down on the ground.
"Present the information in a way that appears protective of the Uchiha, while still keeping a watchful eye. They will understand that they aren't in a safe position but won't blame the village for it as you are giving them a chance to prove their loyalty in their own manner.
Avoid making demands and instead create circumstances to test their sincerity. If the Uchiha aren't plotting a rebellion, their actions will demonstrate it. Offer praise when necessary and issue warnings to establish boundaries. And stop pestering me trying to make me do your job for you… Troublesome old men…"
Sensei and Lord Third remained silent as they processed what they heard from Kuro. They seemed to have a silent conversation with their eyes before, instructing me to escort Kuro back home.
They then thanked Kuro for his service, before Sensei touched Lord Third and disappeared from their spot.
I stood up and prepared to accompany the boy on his way home. Unexpectedly, he spoke up, breaking the silence, "You are limiting yourself with your sorrows, senpai."
I didn't turn to look at him, simply responding, "You wouldn't understand..."
"Perhaps. But if I were to die, I would want my friends to move on, become badasses, and maybe even avenge me, but most importantly, I'd want them to live wonderful lives," he replied confidently, walking ahead of me.
His words gave me pause for a moment, but I quickly shook my head. After all, he was still just a kid. He wouldn't understand…
So, I decided to divert the conversation and tease him instead.
"Hooo… friends? I thought you only had a girlfriend, little Kuro." I teased, trying to divert the conversation.
"Izuna isn't my girlfriend, you emo-cyclops," he huffed in response.
"But… I never mentioned Uchiha Izuna, though," I grinned mischievously under my mask, earning a stink eye from the boy.
He muttered, "Troublesome village with troublesome emo-cyclops ninjas," as he walked away, and I followed him with one eye, briefly glancing back at the cemetery.
Maybe... just maybe... Kuro had a point...
...
--------------------------------------------------------
Hey there, friends! Lumi here, and I must say, this chapter was a tough nut to crack.
In the original storyline, Obito discovered the truth about Kushina's pregnancy through Kakashi's accidental slip-up at Rin's grave. But guess what? Things have taken a whole new twist this time around! So, what does this mean for the Ninja world? Well, you'll have to stay tuned to find out!
Oh, and speaking of staying connected, don't forget to check out the Discord and Patreon links in the synopsis. Join our community and get in on the fun discussions! By the way, I'll be uploading 30 chapters of my draft DBZ fic on Patreon tomorrow. So if you wanna check it out you are free to do so.
Thanks for all your support
<quillbot-extension-portal></quillbot-extension-portal>
<quillbot-extension-portal></quillbot-extension-portal>
