Chapter Text
Despite it All
Chapter 96: Finally Found You
Notable Feedback and Response
(R) - Kabundio - FF - Chapters 12,15,18,36
Summarizing as I normally do for string reviews, they are my favorite however. They are quite flattering honestly, liking the world, characters, and thanking me for my efforts. Liked chapter 15 plot twist (me too). Expresses their usual distaste for Ino and Naruto pairing, but expresses enjoying Naruto and Samui's chemistry. (Samui finally getting some love lol)
(N) - sophiawillson314 - A03 - Chapter 95
Think this is one of those bot/commission accounts, but on the off chance your a real well intentioned reader will at least mention it.
(R) - erikteviking1112 - A03 - Chapter 95
<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3 Thank you as always hope you enjoy my person (gotta be careful to use gender neutral terms).
AN
Sorry for the bigger gaps between chapters. For one I've been working on my own original work, and two have been taking my time with these chapters. Recent ones feel a little rushed and wanna nip that in the bud.
In other news, thanks for the feedback as always. And hope you enjoy the chapter!
Kurotsuchi's POV (Nearby Entry of Stone Tunnel - Land of Earth)
"Hey, girly," Roshi said with a sigh. "It's been your turn for nearly ten minutes now. I don't mind being mindful, as Han put it, but if your hand is that risky, fold."
"It's obvious she has something on her mind, old friend." Han rebuked the man with a shake of his head. "The youth tend to be that way, inside their own little world."
"Stop calling me girly, you old farts." Kurotsuchi bit back with false heat. However, Han would be correct; her mind was elsewhere. Since her confrontation and subsequent punishment, her interactions and battle with Naruto Uzumaki have been at the forefront of her mind. At first, she had found him to be a goofy clown, confident and laid back, but unlikely to be remarkable besides it. Then he had proven a decent opponent, showing power and skill seemingly alien to the man she had come to know. Then he had faced her down in combat, while powerful Kurotsuchi had been confident she could defeat him. Only for him to overpower her and her worldview. It had made her adjust and relax into the goal she had in mind, with a new definition of what a leader was. Why was that coming back to her now?
"She's lost again, Han. I'm checking her hand." Roshi said with a snort, snatching the hand of Kurotsuchi, who was so preoccupied she subconsciously allowed it. "Huh, four of a kind, grateful she's feeling whimsical today, I have two pairs."
"She got told off by her grandfather and lost her promotion," Han said with sympathy. "It makes sense she's a bit off. Three of a kind by the way."
"Damn it all!"
Kurotsuchi figured it was due to her recent disagreement with her own leader. Something about the plan regarding the Leaf made her skin crawl. If they were to crush the Leaf, let it be in earnest combat, but indiscriminate destruction surely couldn't be better. Naruto had instilled in her the idea of a leader of the people, one who was one of them instead of above them. And she had considered her grandfather one of them. But he had discredited her opinion, dismissed it, even punished her for merely offering it. Was that what a leader was?
"Wait, let me see that hand!" Roshi demanded.
"Why?" Han complained, but Roshi used the moment to swipe one of the cards from his hand. Scrutinizing it, he ran his finger along the edge, using his nails to pry off a thin sticker. "Now Roshi…"
"Don't Roshi me, Han, you cheap bastard!" Roshi roared. "I've lost nearly ten thousand Ryo to you today."
"Well, now you have the chance to win it back!"
"Or kick your ass!"
"Now Roshi…"
'We can't be great leaders unless we're great people.' Naruto's voice ran through her mind again. It had resonated within her that day, and still did. Made her rethink her attitude. Could she be the kind of leader she learned of that day, that she swore to become, if she allowed this tragedy?
"Roshi. Han." Kurotsuchi said, suddenly stopping the two who had begun to stand to start a battle. "Can I ask the two of you something? Something you got to keep to yourselves?"
"Girly is now linking us into trouble," Roshi said with a raised brow. "I just knew she was trouble."
"Oh, stop pretending, Roshi." Han said with a hearty chuckle. "We both enjoy her fiery spirit. It reminds us of ourselves when we were younger."
"True enough," Roshi admitted with a shrug. "Go on, girly, neither of us is so close with the Stone government. Assuming it's not anything that outright involves or includes us, we won't mind hearing you out."
Kurotsuchi nodded, subtly stashing away her displeasure with the two. She had been hoping, in part, that the two might be supportive of her goal. But it seems their displeasure with their home was just that. "What do you truly think of Onoki? As a leader."
"I personally hate the man," Roshi said, spitting onto the ground beside their table in disgust. "However, as a leader and shinobi, few have proven to have the staying power or wisdom of the man."
"He can be merciless and cutthroat, but most leaders are. When you must be the balance between loss and gain for the entirety, the responsibility is massive. Sometimes the good of the many outweighs the few, sometimes the right few outweigh the many…" Han said with a sigh.
"The two of you mentioned the wars of the past earlier…" Kurotsuchi mused. "And neither of you seems fond of Onoki. Just what did he have you do in the war before?"
"What Jinchuriki like us are meant for," Roshi answered bitterly. "Wanton destruction and slaughter. The two of us worked as a terrifying team. We both have near-perfect control of the beast within us. Combined, the two of us were a power duo that couldn't be matched. We were sent to where the bloodshed was the thickest and survival was the most unlikely. We killed all before us, destroyed their homes afterward to ensure they were done. Grim and soul-wrenching work… work we excelled at."
"Roshi used to be a more cheerful man, Onoki too," Han said with a forlorn sigh. "But the wars changed us all. Onoki became more and more desperate. The Stones' situation grew increasingly unstable. So he became something more than the "Fencesitter" title they gave him. He became a man who cared for results more than everything else…"
"Have you ever thought about doing something about it?" Kurotsuchi stated bluntly.
"She's lost her damn mind," Roshi said with a chuckle.
"Girly, we'll forget you said that," Han said quietly. "That's outright treason."
"I'm just saying, if we disagree with our leader, shouldn't we be able to voice such?"
"It's a Kage, you don't just tell a Kage they're doing their job improperly." Roshi pointed out with a chuckle. "I doubt any of the five would tolerate that for very long."
"Besides, there are checks and balances for this sort of thing." Han pointed out. "While the council can't outright dismiss their orders, they can hold them accountable, with enough unity and the support of the Jounin force, they can even have them removed, that's standard between all five villages as well."
"Two old farts like you know just as well as I do. Onoki has them both in his pocket. I'm just saying we should do something." Kurotsuchi said. "Do the two of you truly support this plan?"
"Nothing more than more senseless bloodshed, and the two of us are set to be at the center," Roshi complained. "Of course, we're not fans of it."
"But we both know better than to try to weasel out of it," Han added. "I can respect you disagreeing with your grandfather; it speaks well of your character to consider acting on your ideals. But it would be foolish."
"What's foolish is having too high-value personnel like yourselves outside the village proper. Makes finding you shitheads a lot easier, will make the fun smoother too." A cocky voice broke through their conversation. The three of them turned to see two strange men in black cloaks, their red clouds swirling. One had silver-slicked back hair; the other wore a hood and masks covering most of his face and body, save for the strange green and pink eyes peering at them. "These are our guys, right, Kakazu?"
The second man pulled his hand forward, dragging a badly beaten and barely alive Jounin behind him. "Are these the jinchuriki?" The apparent Kakazu asked in a deep, grave voice. The Jounin, obviously terrified, stiffly nodded, crying out in fear as Kakazu suddenly grabbed and snapped his neck with a single hand. "It appears we've finally found you."
Roshi and Han suddenly stood up, both tense and serious. "Roshi, I didn't sense them approaching, and they should've run into others." Han offered as the two began walking toward the two new arrivals. Kurotsuchi was made to follow them, but Roshi held up a hand, stopping her.
"Meaning they're skilled enough to hide their presence, and likely strong enough to kill Jounin without a struggle." Roshi agreed gravely. "I can sense the killing intent from them from here; they practically reek of blood. Girly, you need to sit this out; these two seem to be on a higher level."
Kurotsuchi hesitated. She was no coward and fond of her new friends. But something about the two screamed power; here they were thick in the territory of the Stone. Seemingly fearlessly hunting not one but two jinchuriki. They were sure to be anything but regular.
"If we're right, this battle will draw attention," Han assured her. "Help should be coming slowly but surely, and besides… if you meant what you said earlier, this could be the perfect chance."
That decided for her. Kurotsuchi was shocked, but she turned and ran, heading straight for the entrance of the Stone Tunnel they were preparing. Praying she wasn't leaving her new friends for death…
Naruto's POV (?)
Naruto awoke to a pleasant sensation along his scalp. Slender yet firm fingers delicately worked their way through his hair, lightly massaging his scalp. So lovely it was, Naruto nearly forgot what he had awoken from. The memories of Akahoshi's attack and his subsequent defeat were fresh in his mind. He smiled. Ino had saved him after all.
"Ah, good sleeping beauty is finally awake. Looks like you don't need to baby him anymore, Nurse Ino." Tsunade's voice taunted.
"Oh, shove it, lady." Ino fired back with narrowed eyes. Continuing to play with Naruto's hair, the blonde opened his eyes and glared at Tsunade, who smirked in response.
"That healing factor truly is something else." Tsunade complimented him. "Nearly beats out my own, though maybe next time don't take those kinds of attacks head-on."
"It was the quickest way." Naruto defended.
"But you won't be doing it again," Ino warned, tightening her grip in his hair warningly.
"Which I won't." Naruto agreed with a nervous laugh. "Where are we anyway? And what happened to those Star guys?"
"To the latter, they are dead," Ino said with a heavy sigh. "The weird one died from the fall. I didn't feel good about it, but it was the only way to keep that leader from powering up anymore."
"The leader surely died from the fall himself, if not from my strike outright," Tsunade added. "As for the place, we had two downed Uzumaki's and were feeling worn out ourselves. Found a mostly standing and not scarring building to hide in, even had a fireplace, so we decided to get some rest."
Naruto scanned the area around him. His head was in Ino's lap, and the two of them lay on top of a blanket next to a slightly sagging, but still standing, chimney fireplace. Across from them was a laid out and unconscious Karin, her hands and feet bound, and a chakra sealing tag placed on her forehead. In front of them, furthest from the fireplace, sat Tsunade on the futon. The home they were in was a simple stone structure, the roof slightly lowered from an apparent impact, and the doorway that would've led to the rest of their home was blocked by debris, still somewhat standing.
"You okay now, Naruto?" Ino asked him softly. Naruto looked up to Ino, gulping from his odd angle. Her eyes were soft and concerned, yet her gaze felt heavy. It seemed impossible to miss now the intensity and care Ino had for him; was he truly so oblivious till this point?
"Uh, yeah," Naruto assured somewhat awkwardly. Relaxing slightly as Ino reflexively began running her fingers through his hair again. "Assuming you saved me?"
"Yeah, barely anyway," Ino said with an awkward apologetic smile. "Tsunade tried but only had an arm."
"She regrew an arm?"
"I am a Sannin." Tsunade chided. "Anyways, now that he's up, we should plot our next move. Those Star shinobi referred to others at some point; we can assume they are pursuing the others."
"Should we regroup like we initially planned?" Ino asked.
"Wouldn't be the move I'd suggest." Tsunade offered. "Those two seemed to be the strongest of the bunch, and we defeated them with relative ease. Kakashi, Kushina, or even Neji should be able to handle them."
"We can trust them to be okay." Naruto agreed with a frown. "We should focus on the reason we came here. Even if Ikam is here, finding those plants for Choji and Lee comes first."
"Hmm, it was the Whirlpool Weed and Strands of the Waves, wasn't it?" Ino reasoned. "The first is supposed to grow within the whirlpools, which is kind of out of reach for now. What about the Strands of the Waves?"
"While I know they're indigenous to this island, the location they grow is a mystery to me," Tsunade said with a sigh. "We might have to go the hard way."
"Why don't we just ask her?" Naruto asked, pointing at the unconscious Karin. "She's supposed to be the guardian of this island or whatever. If anyone might know where to find them, it would be her."
"She's also an enemy of Naruto." Ino pointed out. "She wiped out the ship that brought us here. Nearly killed us all as well."
"Still, we should try." Naruto insisted. "Leifazu and Mishiro both went along with Ikam for complex reasons. One for fear and the other for love, I think he manipulates his followers like that, and if so, maybe we can get through to her."
"I thought you were joking earlier, brat," Tsunade said sourly. "She really did intend to kill us earlier. From what we've seen, she can control the traps throughout this village from a distance. We nearly got caught in a few on our way here."
"If that's the case, isn't trying to negotiate all the better?" Naruto reasoned.
"Blondie does have a point; if this entire island is littered with traps, it would be nice to have her on our side," Ino added, defending Naruto's point. "I can use my jutsu if need be, see if I can gain some perspective."
"I wouldn't try that," Karin spoke, startling Naruto and Ino, but not Tsunade, who silently hovered over her. "Ikam has prepared us for all sorts of situations. He figured the Leaf may leverage the Yamanaka eventually. Various seals protect my mind, one's even I struggle to decipher."
"And we're beginning to lean toward my idea," Tsunade said bluntly. "If we're not able to disable you, we have no choice but to kill you."
"You don't need to kill me; besides, I could cause you plenty of trouble even now," Karin said. As she finished, the shelter they lay within became coated with an orange light on all surfaces. "Even without access to my chakra, I can activate the various seals placed within this island. If I wanted to harm you or kill you, I would've already." As she finished the statement
"So why are you not?" Ino asked with narrowed eyes. "You've already attempted to slaughter us. Why suddenly play nice now?"
"Because I had no choice at the moment, and now I find myself interested and curious enough to where I'd rather not fight for now," Karin explained. "With your landing and assault, I have the freedom to do as I please, so I shall."
"We can't take her word for it," Tsunade assured the other two. "Trust someone who's seen some things. She's attempted to leverage our compassion against us. Even with that little barrier trick she pulled, she couldn't have escaped. This is all a ploy."
Ino sighed as she looked at Naruto. "I'm not sensing deceit, Naruto, but you have to realize this is how the human mind works. She has shown no signs of being anything else but loyal to Ikam."
"I can feel it," Naruto replied, simply stepping forward. For a moment, he and Tsunade met eyes; for that moment, a standoff was had. But eventually Tsunade sighed with an amused smile and stepped aside. "I felt the same thing when I met Gaara, Neji too, I think I can trust her. We are technically a family."
"Distant but yes," Karin said simply, seeming puzzled for a moment before continuing. "I've never liked family."
Naruto frowned as he crouched low, pausing before freeing Karin. "Just why is that? Why do you all hate Uzumaki like this? Why be so determined to slaughter your own blood?"
"Don't assume Ikam and I have the same goals," Karin said darkly. "I despise that man; he was an angel and a devil to me… I hate my family due to the way they have treated me over the years."
"What does that mean?" Ino asked curiously. "The Uzumaki have been mostly slain and spread out so thin they are mostly forgotten by most. How could you have had such a poor experience with a nearly nonexistent group?"
"When the Uzumaki fell, my mother and I, as infants, were among some of the few to escape their wrath." Karin began explaining. "My mother left with a group of them; they ran and ran for days, desperate to escape the death and ruin behind them. However, the group was not a good one; the men within the group were stronger and cunning. They realized the hidden talent of my mother and me, a bloodline exclusive to our family. Our skin, or rather the chakra within it, has unique healing properties. Anyone who bites into us can drain this chakra to heal practically any injury. With this in mind, the group put my mother to work; they did the same to me when the time came. It wasn't until we met Ikam that we were freed from their shackles, only for me to discover we had merely traded jailers, not escaped the jail."
"I can see why he wanted the two of you," Tsunade said with a hum. "Bloodlines in general are highly valued, healing ones even more so."
"How could someone do that!" Ino said, distressed. "Forcing a mother and daughter to be used as tools!"
"I hate those men; they are dead now, however. I've learned since that day the depravity hidden within, and I can even sense it within their chakra. It's why I decided to attempt to make peace with you all. Naruto here has the warmest, most gentle chakra I've ever felt. It even stands out despite the Kyuubi." Karin said with a shrug. Sitting up, Naruto grit his teeth and freed her from the binds. "Ikam slayed them that same day, and entrapped my mother and me to his cause."
"Entrapped," Naruto said with a growl.
"My mother saw it differently. Those years of forced servitude and abuse had weathered away on her and left her broken, almost empty, a shell seeking purpose and protection. Ikam, when he killed those men and treated her even somewhat humanely, became that; my mother fell in love with the man then and there. She saw him as a hero, someone determined to save the world, someone she wanted to be with more than anything. And so mother and I joined his side, and his quest to slaughter the Uzumaki clan in its entirety."
"What's the point, though?" Ino asked earnestly. "The Uzumaki are almost gone; surely, there's nothing to gain from killing them."
"Ikam plans to take over this continent and rule it as a Kage over the entire Elemental Nations," Karin explained. "In hopes of achieving such, he has deemed the Uzumaki must go; he believes once he is ready, they'll be the only ones who can truly threaten him."
"He's arrogant then," Tsunade said with a snort. "Between the five Kage, the five villages, and even the samurai in the Land of Iron, he'd find plenty of capable threats."
"That would be because of a seal he created," Karin answered. "It's a defensive seal, one that surpasses even Ashira's own. With it, only the Uzumaki can hope to harm him; any outside of the bloodline will find it impossible. The Blood Shield Seal…"
"So I'm the only one that can do it…" Naruto said gravely.
"Or Kushina and Leifazu." Ino countered. "But it makes this a lot more dangerous."
"So Karin," Naruto said seriously. "Do you know why Ikam is so insistent that he take over everything?"
"To end the practice of shinobi, to end the Shinobi World as we know it," Karin answered honestly.
Obito's POV (Sound Headquarters - Land of Rice)
Obito paused in his stroll. It was clear that several battles were raging within the fortress. He himself had been forced to strike down several shinobi as well. But the latest explosion sent rumbles through the entire compound. He felt the ground shake, the walls and roof starting to crack from what was surely quite the impact. He had yet to find much of anything, however. Somehow, Orochimaru had escaped his wrath, and Itachi was seemingly nowhere to be seen.
So Obito continued to trek throughout the base, freeing those who seemed innocent and defeating those who seemed less so. While Orochimaru's assassination was the primary goal of this mission, disabling the Sound in the process was arguably just as important. And with all the battles raging, it seemed likely the snake hadn't made a smooth getaway. Must it have been the group following them before?
So Obito found a series of small offices. Obito began investigating them thoroughly, while a sick and demented reptile, Orochimaru, was nothing short of informed and a genius. It would invariably be useful to scan them.
The first office was more frustrating than helpful. It wasn't easy to quickly search through filing cabinets and attempt to determine their worth. But Orochimaru's arrogance proved helpful in that regard. He had his scientists and men under him work with professional and clinical diligence—each file labeled and organized alphabetically. However, within minutes of discovering this, he realized this first room was simply files regarding various shinobi throughout the Hidden Leaf. Detailed Files on Hiruzen, Jiraiya, Tsunade, Kakashi, Asuma, and even more. Less detailed files on Itachi and himself. Detailed notes on how to infiltrate the Leaf and its weak points. Helpful information in some ways, but mostly a detailed list of their failures.
The second was sickening; it held the records regarding the many experiments conducted by Orochimaru and the Sound. From unique and creative ideas like infusing natural chakras or even bloodlines into subjects, to brutally trying to extract them. From experiments seemingly testing the limits of human abilities, to seeming torture, to just testing the limits of suffering. Obito torched the room before leaving, ashamed that the Leaf had allowed one of their own to enact such evil.
It was the third one, however, that held the jackpot. He had known it was something special when he had encountered a barrier guarding it. Using Kamui, he easily bypassed the barrier and entered the final office. It held only three files, each within a glass display case, shimmering with seals drawn on the glass. Obito stalked into the room, barely flinching as slots opened on all the walls and spikes shot through them, filling the room with razor-sharp metal within an instant. However, as they retracted, Obito was revealed unharmed, approaching the displays and reaching through them with ease.
He grabbed the first file and leafed through it with interest, raising his brows at its contents. It seemed their information, supposing Orochimaru and Ikam had once worked for the organization, was true, for the file head detailed records on several members of the Akatsuki. Sasori of the Sand, Deidara of the Stone, Kakazu of the Waterfall, Hidan of the Hot Springs, and even more. It detailed their appearance, history, theorized threat level, and summary of their abilities.
The Akatsuki was a shadowy organization that had only been revealed to them due to Jiraiya's tireless work. The goals, operation style, and even the complete member list were unknown. But for one reason or another, they had attempted to capture Naruto. They seemed interested in jinchuriki; worse yet, they were rumored to be composed solely of the most dangerous criminals. This information would give the Leaf some much-needed leverage against them.
The second folder was confusing; it was a detailed yet lacking account of the current Raikage of the Cloud. Obito frowned as he looked over this. It wasn't absurd, he supposed, to keep tabs on a world leader as turbulent and deadly as A. But keeping it locked away, just like the Akatsuki file, suggested he considered it vital. The information the page held was, for the most part, fundamental, but it was covered in handwritten notes. Question regarding his actual abilities and the source of them all. Was the snake that was concerned about A?
The last made the question only increase. The previous file contained a description of an item that made Obito's stomach ache. A ginormous and barely humanoid statue of sorts, which seemed to be the prized possession of the Akatsuki, some artifact that Orochimaru seemed to be fascinated by and stumped by. He questioned its origin, how the Akatsuki had acquired it, and, most confusing of all, questioned the connection between it and A…
AN
So many things are just about to get revealed. Can't wait for you all to see just what Ikam is about, the Akatsuki, and the connection to the Cloud. Thanks for reading, share ya thoughts, and most of all, Peace~!