Chapter 24
What a mess. As the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi had to deal with many things in his time. But he had grown too old for this. All he wanted was to enjoy his hobby as a painter. But there was no rest for these old bones.
"I hope you understand what you are doing, Danzo."
Hiruzen kept the death of Mizuki and everything tied to it quiet from the rest of the village. So, only he and Danzo knew what was going on. Though that could change as the night deepened. At least by not letting it spread any further, it might help Iruka somehow.
"I don't understand what you mean by that."
"You've been by my side my whole life. We trained together, we fought together, and I thought we could continue to protect this village together. But now I see, at some point, our paths separated; you chose yours, and I kept to my own."
There was nothing more to it. Who was on the right path didn't matter. Hiruzen was just disappointed that he had such a hard time accepting it. Even now, when he knew, he couldn't bring himself to do anything about it. After all, he was a shinobi through and through, even if he was just a deceived shinobi who wanted to believe in his lifelong friend to the very end.
"Iruka Umino will be brought to justice, since my shinobi were the first to respond. I implore you not to interfere."
"To the very end, you are not listening to me," Hiruzen could only sigh.
Today, he would either lose his dear friend or he would have no right to be called a Hokage and a shinobi of Konohagakure. When did everything become so complicated? And why did he have to continue to pay such a heavy price for every action he took?
"I will not interfere as long as you don't give me a reason to do so," Hiruzen finally made his decision. "But as your friend, let me tell you something."
"What is that?"
"You fucked up."
"What?"
"You shouldn't have let him get away," Hiruzen replied. "That was your only chance. Iruka Umino isn't your average shinobi. On paper, his skills are average, but there was only one mission in his career that he failed. The one time he failed his mission was the time he decided to leave his life as a shinobi behind. But you brought him back, and his only mission is going to be to kill you. He won't stop. You can break his legs; he will crawl to you. Cut off his arms, and he will still try to bite you. Even as you take his head, he will curse you. So be prepared."
"I will keep that in mind."
Hiruzen glanced at Danzo's hidden arm and bandaged eye as he left. He hoped he was wrong; he hoped he could still trust his friend. Sadly, this hope was a dangerous thing he was playing with. And now, either way, he was going to be burned by it.
"I am too old for this," Hiruzen could only complain as he returned to the painting he was working on.
"You, pathetic human, I have a message for you." Hiruzen slowly turned to look at the black and white honey badger standing on his hind legs, acting all haughty as it tried to look down on him.
Hiruzen turned back to his painting, but not before putting down his pipe. He was now concerned about what he was smoking. Either way, it was definitely better to ignore what he had seen and heard.
…
Slow. That was the first thought that entered Iruka's mind as he tilted his head to evade the sword going for his eyes. Fu Yamanaka wasn't a frontline soldier; his capabilities had limits to them, even if his other skills were useful.
But Torune Aburame was the dangerous one in close combat. Iruka couldn't let himself be touched by him, not even once, or it would mean his demise. And he wasn't even using his poisonous bugs, but his sword.
They cut through the walls and furniture like they were made of paper as Iruka continued to dodge. He wasn't even given time to activate his seals, but Iruka knew that they wanted him alive.
For whatever reason that might be, Iruka felt quite insulted that these two thought they could hold back against him. As impressive as their skills were, they weren't even close to the skill of Hayate in swordsmanship. As sharp as a sword is, it is useless if it can't connect with the flesh of its target.
Iruka didn't have time to play with these two. The medicine wouldn't last forever. Though even if he said so, they weren't easy opponents. Fu was dangerous from a distance, and Torune from close.
As Iruka's sword blocked Torune's, he looked at Fu. That fucker was preparing to use his mind transfer jutsu on him. To avoid it, Iruka had no choice but to put Torune in front of himself. If only it were that easy.
At least he knew why they wanted him alive. They were planning something to do with his body. Something that couldn't be allowed. And yet it was easier said than done, as the moment Iruka clashed his sword with Torune's, that fucker was prepared to strike him with his bare hand.
One touch, and even if he wasn't killed, he was done for. And his apartment wasn't big enough for him to evade forever. It seemed he was pushed into a corner with no way out. So, he guessed he had no choice but to deal with them directly.
"Mind Body Switch Jutsu."
The moment Iruka got into Fu's sights, it was already too late. He had no way to fight it, as his body slumped down and he felt his mind go blank. He couldn't move and only stared blankly at nothing as a foreign presence entered his mind.
…
"What is this?"
Fu Yamanaka was panicking as he looked around. The sky was colored in red hues as the red and bloody mist surrounded him. Wherever he turned, there was only death and blood. And on top of all these dead bodies sat Iruka Umino.
He didn't look like he usually did. His hair covered most of his face in dark shadows, and only his clean white mask could be seen. Blood dripped from his sword as he slowly lifted his head to look at Fu. As their eyes met, Fu realized he was screwed.
"Do not fear, they are all dead," Iruka Umino said. "Every single one lying here is someone I have killed. I remembered every last one of them—no, should I say I made sure to remember every single one of them. And I kept them here, in my mind."
"Am I in your mind?"
"It is genjutsu," Iruka explained. "A self-induced one. Though it wasn't made to counter you, it seems to work just fine. You look nervous. Don't you like what you see? Then let me change the scenery."
Now they had gone to a different place. A giant tree stood before them, as dead once again lay on the ground. Discarded like their weapons. Broken and bloodied. But this time it wasn't the people Iruka killed, it was people that Fu knew.
Everyone from his village and from other villages. The Kages, the powerful shinobi, and everyone else. And it wasn't Iruka who stood upon these corpses but another man. His black hair didn't mask his face.
"Madara Uchiha," Iruka Umino spoke from his side. "This is the future your actions will bring."
"What nonsense are you talking about?"
"It's fine, you probably won't be able to get away from here alive. So, I can show you everything. Whether you believe it or not, that is none of my concern."
The scenery once again changed. This time, they were back in the village. People were screaming as a giant three-headed snake attacked through the village's walls. And then he saw Orochimaru fighting the Third Hokage with the reincarnated First and Second Hokage at his command.
"Tell me, where are you in this mayhem?"
"What?"
"Orochimaru tricked the Suna and used the Chunin Exams to his advantage to kill the Third Hokage and attack the village. But the question is, where is Danzo? Where are you?"
"Stop this bullshit and kill me already if you want."
The scene once again changed, and this time it was in the ruins of the village. People were barely crawling out of rubble left by devastation. There was hopelessness in the air; nothing was right. Then he saw the figures in the center of it all.
"The Akatsuki," Iruka explained. "They were here for Naruto. More precisely, for the Nine-Tails. They destroyed the village. Killed most of the shinobi and civilians. Nobody could stop them. But once again, do you notice something missing?"
"What?"
"Where are you?"
Fu looked around. There were no ROOT shinobi around, no Danzo. Only to relax, after a moment, this was just a trick, an illusion. Iruka Umino was just playing with him. Though he fell into his trap, there was no way he would be tricked by his words.
"You don't believe me, it is a reasonable thing to think," Iruka said. "How could I possibly know of any of this? But then again, how could I have known this?"
Now Fu found himself facing himself. Himself, Torune, and Danzo as they took Shisui's eye from him. It was just as he remembered that day. But how could Iruka know of it? He wasn't even in the village when it happened.
"I know everything," Iruka said.
Fu's eyes blurred for a second before he was faced with Danzo running away from a man with a sword. That man was an older version of Sasuke Uchiha. His eyes were bleeding as they had now evolved from Sharingan into something else.
"Sasuke found out what truly happened, and he pledged to take his revenge. After seeing this, wouldn't you do the same?"
They were on the streets of the Uchiha residence. He watched as a masked man killed every single member of the Uchiha as he went from building to building. The police force was the first to fall, completely massacred. Before joining in with Itachi Uchiha.
"That?"
"Madara Uchiha," Iruka replied. "Or at least that's what he goes by. But he has a different identity."
They were in a cave. There was a boy, crippled, judging from his one half destroyed. And there was a man, old, with completely grey hair, looking at the boy with his Sharingan. Fu couldn't believe what he was seeing; he refused.
But Iruka wasn't done; he showed everything. All of it was so detailed that it was hard to call it a lie. The more Fu saw, the more he believed what he was seeing, as there were things that Iruka shouldn't have known. Nobody should have known.
Death after death, destruction after destruction, the cycle of hatred and pain, never-ending. This wasn't what he wanted; this wasn't what should have happened, and it wasn't something that should have happened. Isn't that why the ROOT existed, to make sure that something like this never happened, even if they were never remembered?
By now, Fu didn't know how long he had been here. And right now, he looked at the scene before him, Danzo making a deal with Hanzo the Salamander to destroy the early iteration of Akatsuki, only to see a monster and the start of it all.
"I don't know what will happen to you once you exit this place," Iruka said by his side. "It wasn't meant to trap someone like you. I worked for years on this jutsu to defend myself from someone taking over my mind, unlike you, who can only take my body. So, the backlash to you will be far harsher than anything I could imagine. But before anything else, tell me what I need to know to stop the future you saw and fix what Danzo has done."
…
"It took longer this time," Torune said after he saw Iruka starting to move. "I will bring your body back first, then I will return to assist you."
Iruka looked over Torune to see Fu's body collapsing to the ground. The strain on his mind was too much as blood dripped from his nose and ears. Even Iruka felt the backlash, barely able to stand on his feet. Every jutsu that messed with one's mind had a horrible backlash that was simply unpredictable.
"Fu?"
Before Torune realized what had happened, Iruka gathered himself and moved. With the hilt of his sword, he smashed his throat before cutting at his ankles, so he wouldn't be able to move for a bit. For the courtesy of the man who realized his mistakes, Iruka checked on Fu only to find him dead.
"What have you done? You won't escape. They have surrounded this place, and now they will come to take you out since we failed."
"You are only alive right now because Fu asked me to spare you, and you are also my student's brother, so don't waste this opportunity," Iruka said. "Find the Third after tonight and ask him to take you in; maybe you can repay the village for your master's mistakes and will be able to take care of your brother."
Iruka would rather kill him, but before he put on his mask, he would make this one exception. He didn't think he would survive tonight, as he knew his limits, and he knew what Danzo now possessed.
Yet he still took out the white mask lying on top of the cupboard. It had gathered dust, but it was the last thing that would hide him from the world and his own humanity. The only way he found to truly become a ghost that could not be seen before one was already dead.
A.N. Sorry for delays in my updates. Still have some health comlications. One day I feel good, the next I don't even want to get up from the bed. And I am on quite a few pills.
As always. Thanks for reading and supporting me. If you want 7 early chapters of this story and 42 chapters in total with all my current stories, please consider supporting me on pa treon ironworlf852. Thanks in advance.