PLEASE NOTE: This has been edited and fixed (first time by me), so it may differ slightly from original version. Absolutely NO yaoi! Starts in Chapter 437 then is AU onwards.
I am only typing this once: I do not own Naruto or characters-Naruto is property of Masashi Kishimoto and Shonen Jump.
A Game of Shogi/ To Start a War
_-xXx-_
Turn 1: PAWN-Capture of the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki
Shikake wa fu no tsukisute kara
Start the fight with a pawn sacrifice
_-xXx-_
Chaos.
Never before had the village of Konoha witnessed such horror than it was now. Not even when the demon fox ferociously attacked and destroyed nearly half the village sixteen years ago.
Now, what once was the proud and strongest of the shinobi villages was nothing but rubble, lifeless bodies, and a few survivors scattered about in fear not knowing what to do. And in the heart of this hell, the gigantic crater of what had once been the center of the village, was Uzumaki Naruto facing off to Pain, the heinous villain responsible for Konoha's destruction.
Meanwhile, in a relatively safe distance from the massive crater, his shy classmate Hyuuga Hinata, without even realizing it, nervously fiddled with her fingers as she anxiously watched from afar. A nasty feeling formed in the pit of her stomach as worry for the blond threatened to overwhelm her.
The battle with the Akatsuki leader had long taken a turn for the worse but yet she was commanded to stay put. And she did so for she was not accustomed to not doing as she was told. As the lone heiress for her clan disobeying was absolute taboo. But now, more than ever, she wanted to do nothing more than just that. Why? Because the one she loved was in danger; it was as simple as that.
It felt like she was drowning, raw feelings washing through her violently, crashing into her skull with raging emotion as what she was witnessing threatened to cause her to faint as she so often tended to do but this was not the time to lose consciousness. It was the time to move-to protect the one she had always received encouragement from! He was what had made her strong enough to continue on. She had to do something!
She quickly glanced at the loyal Hyuuga guardian who was always by her side and he shook his head gravely in reply. "Do not interfere, Hinata-sama," he said gently as he tried to not wince from the pain in his leg. "You must stay back…He'll be fine. You'll see."
He was trying to keep up a strong appearance but Hinata could tell it was an act. She glanced at his hands that were holding tightly to where his leg was injured. His dark blue pants were darkening as blood continued to ooze from the wound.
Tsunade's giant summoned slug had not been able to prevent the injury. Yet even with the injury he was still doing all he could to loyally protect her, just because she was the eldest daughter in the Main Branch of the Hyuuga clan. It wasn't fair. While she stayed behind the sidelines like a fragile royal, Naruto was risking his life for the entire village all alone. The very village that had shunned him during his childhood.
It just wasn't fair.
Hinata squeezed her fist as she looked towards the battle field once again. Naruto was down and it had been a good while yet he had not gotten up. The Hyuuga quickly activated her Byakugan so she could get a better look. As chakra veins appeared she could see from the great distance that separated them his chakra, but it was weak and tainted by the chakra of another-Pain's no doubt.
Looking even more closer she cringed as she noticed he had been impaled multiple times by Pain's rods, just not in any vital spots which signified Pain was only interested in capture. If he didn't get back up and no one helped him….
Again she felt the urge to move but whispered warnings spun around her head. 'Don't interfere.'
It wasn't good enough.
She felt resolve flow through her, giving her frail confidence strength. She had to do something, even if she had no chance against this S-Rank criminal. She had to move. She HAD to! Right as her foot landed against the dry earth in an attempt to run, a hand shot out and grabbed her arm.
She quickly turned around. Her panicked eyes met with the eyes of her father, Hyuuga Hiashi. Surprised to see him she gaped at her father's lean and solemn face. Firm cheekbones followed by pure white eyes like her own, but aged by years of inner battles, of nobility, stared back. He was supposed at a meeting outside the village so why was he here? "F-Father!" She stammered. "What are you doing?"
"I saw the smoke from afar and came right away. I can only assume this is the Akatsuki's doing." His eyes quickly scanned at the wreckage of the destroyed village then to the center where Pain was.
"Father. Naruto-kun is fighting the head of the Akatsuki. He needs help-my help!" She cried, shocked to hear herself speak so desperately to her father. But there was no time for formalities. Every second she wasted with words….
"No." His answer came so sudden it caused her to gasp. "Let someone else assist him. Your main concern is preserving your bloodline trait. Going into such fatal and unnecessary danger is out of the question."
She wanted to protest, to run, but years of being trained to be a proper member of the Hyuuga Main Branch had steeled in her to not talk back or do anything to challenge the clan's authority. Even so, she bit her bottom lip, still unsatisfied. "He is in severe danger. I-I…Did you say unnecessary?"
Her father's gaze hardened as he tightened his grip on her arm. "It is the Anbu's job to watch over him. Let them do their job and you yours."
His answer seemed cold, even to him. True he no longer housed hatred for the Kyuubi host as the boy had been the catalyst for bringing him, Hinata, and his nephew Neji closer but he would not risk his eldest daughter to the leader of the Akatsuki.
"Just look at the village, there is nothing you can do but get yourself killed by this treacherous criminal."
Did he see her as that weak, still? And did he have to imply it so bluntly?
Hinata suddenly felt heavy, like her chest had caved in. She knew her father was right but hearing the words come out of his mouth reopened wounds from long ago. Wounds she thought had healed the past few years as she had trained to get stronger. Those wounds, such terrible scars, of being the eldest yet weakest and years of being looked down upon with disappointment when she just wanted love-for a father to embrace her instead of scorn her.
Again the word 'unfair' surfaced in her heart and the faintest feeling of bitterness rose up in her for the briefest moment before she pushed it down, refusing to let it harbor in her heart. Even so, she whispered to where her father could not hear, "I must be such a disappointment, huh?"
When she looked back to the clearing a tear slid down her cheek as she saw that Naruto and Pain were gone. A cloud of drifting smoke signified a transportation jutsu of sorts had swept them away.
The one who had given her hope and strength was lost.
Captured.
Gone.
The cruel words echoed in her head as the tears fell. Had her father not been right by her she would have fallen to her knees, such improper behavior for one born of high class. Especially for a heiress of the Hyuuga clan.
_-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx-_
Not much further away, hidden inside a fake tree made of chakra-enhanced paper, there were two figures cloaked by darkness, the red clouds on their black robes that signified they were of the Akatsuki organization were barely visible in the inadequate light. Still, you could make out some of their trademark features.
A pale face with shining silver eyes followed by a bob of hair and a crumple of paper forming a flower was trademark of the Rain's-no-God's Angel: Konan. The other figure looked like a skeleton before a cross that's top was not formed by wood but many impaling black rods. His strange mauve eyes marked by thin ripples, trademark of the Rinnegan, were the same eyes as the six Pains who had attacked Konoha. Who had just captured the Jinchuuriki.
Konan looked to Nagato, anger delicately mixed in her usual somber expression. "You did not need to transport the Kyuubi all the way to the hideout right away. Your chakra is low enough as it is."
The plan had been to originally bring the Jinchuuriki to them as the location was close enough to control his movements through Pain's chakra rods. The Akatsuki hideout, where the surviving Akatsuki members waited for them, was too far away for him to transport the host right now, especially considering his level of chakra.
Nagato's breathing was loud and wheezy. After a moment or two he managed to get out in his raspy voice, "I've underestimated the village enough as it is. It won't be long until they discover my location."
Konan glared at a small forest creature that was scurrying across the ground. A creature that did not belong anywhere near her god. She sent a tiny paper shuriken to its head, killing it in a single hit and watched as blood spilled out from its fragile body. "That's what I'm here for. I won't let anyone reach you."
I'll always protect you…Even though I was unable to do so for.…
Blood dripped from Nagato's lips as he started to cough. His chakra was dangerously low. The transportation jutsu had been a hazardous move but when the goal, Peace, was so close it would surely merit all the sacrifice, all the Jinchuuriki's lives, all the pain, the suffering, everything. It would all be over soon. "Madara will be able to handle the boy until we reach the hideout," he said, his voice weak.
Konan flicked her eyes to her childhood friend and fellow orphan. The two of them were the last surviving of the original three. Even though it hurt to she found herself often wondering about the Third, and what would be if he was still around. Deep in her heart she knew he would not approve of Madara being apart of their organization. "There was a time Yahiko didn't trust that man," she stated carefully.
She hated bringing up Yahiko's name out loud. Especially around the man who had held the kunai that made its way to his best friend's heart. Yahiko...It was a name that should be only said in prayers of respect and even of mourning. Not as a card to pull.
As God's Angel did all she could to please Nagato but of late she, like their dearly departed friend, had been suspicious of the man with the mask and wished to express this to him-to reach him in the despair they were buried in. Despair Madara could not possibly understand.
There was just too much they didn't know about him. Did they really all share the same goal? Or was he just playing and using Yahiko's dream and the Akatsuki?
Nagato grimaced at the memory of that terrible rainy day; the Man who had forced Yahiko to make that terrible choice in order to save Konan, dug them all into hell, and taught Nagato what true pain was which forced him to grow up in this new painful reality.
Nagato closed his eyes, as he focused on Yahiko's body that was in a chakra-reduced state from the transportation right after the battle. All he saw from it, and the other bodies, was darkness. "Yahiko's dead."
_-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx-_
He seemed to be fading in and out of consciousness, unable to either rest or stir completely. Both were lost to him in the thick fog of pain he was floating in where time could not be measured. In this daze he thought he heard a clatter, like metal falling to the floor, followed by a dull pain. But then he zoned out again. Whether this lasted for minutes or just mere seconds he couldn't tell. In fact, he couldn't tell anything. Why?
The disorientated teen was quickly roused again when he heard a dull hum of voices. He couldn't understand what they were saying, or even who the low voices belonged to. He was going to take a wild guess his hearing was impaired by this strange state of fatigue he was in, like all his other senses too. Then a smell reached his nose that stank of that foul copper and rust. It was that scent that could only be one thing: blood. Why was that?
Slowly peeling his eyes half-way open he could see a blurry image of what appeared to be dark rods thrown about the shady ground, their tips coated in blood. His blood. It took him another moment and horrid throbbing pains to remember why that was. Konoha! PAIN! What had transpired the last few hours suddenly flashed in his head in scorching images. He felt anger boil up inside of him that was seriously close to snapping and brought with it some clarity to his weary senses.
Wanting to get up so he could see where the hell he was Naruto attempted to move but the slightest movement caused pain to explode from his joints. He collapsed his head back to the ground in an all too early defeat. Colors flashed in front of his eyes as the room spun for a second or two. He found it frustrating, how weak he was! Damn Pain!
"So he's awake already?" He heard a voice say that he did not recognize.
"Not for long." Another voice muttered that was close by. Naruto opened his eyes wide enough to see he was surrounded by figures standing around him, tall, and their dark faces were hidden from view with his current low position. The only thing he could make out clear enough to somewhat identify them were their multiple sets of feet. Their toe nails were painted. One pair of feet was dark gray in the lighting from an unnatural skin-tone, so he could immediately tell that it was Kisame, the unforgettable shark-skinned man he had seen a few years ago trying to kidnap him.
Akatsuki!
Pain must have taken him to the Akatsuki's hideout! He had to get out!
Without a word he quickly tried jumping to his feet but from behind someone slammed him back down with a vicious blow that twisted him around so he hit the ground face first. Why were his reflexes so slow!? He groaned from impact, spitting out blood as he titled his face up and rested his chin on the ground. A heavy foot pressed against his back, holding him down.
"Still so reckless, I see," Kisame said. He then cleared his throat, turning his attention back to his fellow Akatsuki members. "So as I was saying, it seems this brat's capture took a toll on Leader-sama's chakra if he's not here yet. And what are we going to do about the Hachibi being a dud? Leader-sama's not going to be happy about that."
"True…" A deep voice said. It sounded familiar somehow. It took Naruto a moment to realize it belonged to the man in the orange mask that he had seen that one day taunting them when they were trying to capture Itachi. The goofball Tobi had seemed invincible with his strange untouchable abilities. But that man and this man were totally different, he could tell that right now. His tone made it clear he wasn't in a mood to joke, anymore. Crap, crap, crap! Naruto again fought to get up.
His success last only briefly.
Twisting free from the foot, he rolled into a crouch and lunged at the closest figure like a rabid madman. Seeing the first guy was the strange plant-face from that day, too, he slammed his elbow against the Akatsuki member's ribs. A sickening crack was heard but he didn't take the time to relish the success as he was still dangerously surrounded by two more.
As he spun around to hit the next person a hand sliced through the air towards him, slashing into his face. The ring they wore cut from his jaw to his right eye-brow in a single line. He gritted his teeth as pain burned through him. He could feel hot liquid drip into his eye, blinding him.
This was all his opponents needed. A foot, Kisame's most likely, kicked at the back of his legs causing him to buckle to his knees. The one in the orange mask was quick, and not finished making sure Naruto stayed on the ground.
He grabbed a handful of the blond's hair in one hand and with the other slammed his fist into the boy's stomach, knocking the air out of him. Naruto coughed more blood out, completely exhausted and fatigued as he tried to catch his breath.
"St...stop," he begged between pained breaths, seeing the figure holding his fist out again. "You...win."
The spots where Pain had impaled him with those cursed rods were echoing painful pulses repeatedly. His chakra was gone. He hurt all over. He just couldn't do it anymore, not right now.
The grip on his hair loosened, he felt his head slump down as he continued to gasp for breath.
"Don't make your capture more difficult than it has to be, Naruto," the figure said wiping the blood from his ring. "Keep down."
Difiantly, after wiping his eye with his sleeve, Naruto titled his head back up with determined pride to meet the masked man's single exposed Sharingan eye. Deep inside Naruto the Kyuubi reeled back and roared as it then proceed to bang against the bars of his confinement. 'Those eyes! Those cursed eyes!' Naruto cringed at the ruckus and yelled, 'What is it!?'
The fox howled, 'That man! It's the same man who controlled me sixteen years ago with his Sharingan, he used me to attack the village, that man, that UCHIHA MADARA!'
Naruto was taken aback. Impossible! Even with what little he remembered of Konoha's history from when Iruka had taught him in the Academy he still recognized that name and knew that Uchiha Madara was long dead-brought down by the first Hokage himself. He couldn't be Madara! The fox's rage insisted otherwise
It then did what it did best and commanded Naruto to break the seal, which led to Naruto to take his attention away from the beast back to the outside. There was too much going on enough as it was for him to pay attention to the furious tailed beast.
The man continued the conversation, ignoring the blue eyes glaring at him viciously as if he was a monster. "I'm really disappointed in Sasuke, too. I want the Bijuu hunt to end just as much as you do, Kisame. And thanks to Pain, well, we're going to have got a lot of attention so hunting the beast again will be even more-"
"WHAT DID YOU SAY ABOUT SASUKE!?" Naruto interrupted. He had no clue what they were talking about but he did know that the man in the mask had had his eyes on Sasuke after Itachi's defeat. He had to know where he was now!
Madara ignored the Jinchuuriki's outburst and Kisame chuckled. "Well it's not like we can just return him," the blue Akatsuki member said giving Naruto a small kick to the side. Ug."Which means he'll have to remain imprisoned until we catch the Hachibi."
Stop talking like I'm just a thing!
"That won't a problem. It'll be the damn Leaf's persistence. What a bothersome hindrance, right Madara?" Naruto noticed this voice seemed to be coming from the black side of the Plant-Face, and just like his color, his voice was darker, too compared to the other white half. But that aside, Naruto was more taken back by the name confirmation.
That name again! Impossible! Naruto's thoughts rushed as he tried to understand what was going on around him. None of it made sense. How was Madara still alive? Where was Pain, and most importantly…He screamed in frustration "WHAT ABOUT SASUKE!? What have you bastards done with him!? Tell me!"
Obito leaned down stared into the boy's eyes. Such young eyes that were so naïve. "Under my command he was ordered to capture the Hachibi-"
"He would never!"
"When asking someone a question it would be wise to not interrupt until you've heard the entire answer, Uzumaki Naruto."
Rage swept through Naruto. How can he speak so calmly! I don't have time for this! I have to find Sasuke then find that teme Pain! Without thinking, on pure impulse his shaking hands raced to the collar of his jacket where he dug for the stringed crystal hanging around his neck. Right when he was about to rip the necklace off Obito grabbed his wrist.
"Would you really so quickly give your body to that demon for the sake of revenge? Fool."
Naruto's head sank, his eyes unwilling to acknowledge that the man had just stopped him from doing the very thing Captain Yamato had warned him against. That power surge was amazing but the consequences were great. All he had to do was remember the scars on Sakura's arm. If he entered into that state with his seal weakening daily and with his anger at the level it was now there'd be no return. He wouldn't be able to escape or find Sasuke.
"Let go of me, bastard," he growled.
Obito did not release his wrist. "You're the very example of Konoha's hypocrisy."
"What are you talking about?" the sixteen year old retorted finally glaring back into the Sharingan eye.
"You would kill for your revenge yet condemn others for doing likewise-such is the flawed shinobi system. It's the Akatsuki's goal to correct the corrupted system."
Pain's words came back to Naruto and his eyes fell down as he remembered the uncertainty he had felt earlier when Pain had questioned him. It was a cycle of hatred, but again Pain's way of trying to obtain much needed peace was not acceptable.
"You're…wrong. Now where's Sasuke?!"
"Sasuke, Sasuke, Sasuke," mocked Kisame, amusedly. "It's amazing-your useless fixation with him."
Obito only stared at the downcast blond as upon releasing his wrist the boy pressed his palms to the ground for support. Memories of Minato flickered in his eye seeing the Hokage's kid. "Do you want me to tell you about him? But even if I did, you could never understand the pain he's had to go through, orphan."
Before Naruto could even think or curse himself for looking into that blood-red eye he was trapped in it a Genjutsu that felt like it took him to another space and time….
"I'll show you the truth about Sasuke. Maybe then you could see how futile your persistence is."
_-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx-_
Author's Note:
Edit changes included fixed typos, formats, condensed first few paragraphs with Hinata, added descriptions of Konan and Nagato, and the more detailed scuffle between Naruto and "Madara".
Stay tuned for the next part's purging.