[The Renegade] Chapter 16 - The calm before the Storm (Patreon)

Chapter 16 - The calm before the storm

A bit over a week passed since the Battle of Amegakure. Despite Might Guy’s death, life returned to normal for the former Konoha prisoners once they returned to the village. Might Guy wasn’t the first shinobi to die, and he wasn’t going to be the last either. That was a ninja's life. They all knew what they had signed up for. They understood that before going out on a high-rank mission there was a chance that they might not come back.

Konohagakure didn’t make a huge deal out of Might Guy’s death, but Tsunade still held a symbolic funeral for him. Naruto’s Rasenshuriken had reduced Guy’s body to atoms, so they didn’t even have a corpse to bury, but Guy’s team and his close friends and acquaintances gathered to honour his name and bring a flower to his tombstone.

After the funeral, everyone returned to their duties. Nonetheless, even though things seemed to have come back to normal, the people who had gone through this ordeal were not left without scars.

Kakashi and Yamato went back to ANBU. Kakashi, in particular, couldn't imagine ever picking another team of genins again after seeing how his Team 7 had turned out. Reading porn and throwing himself from one mission to another were the only methods he knew to distract himself from his guilt. Not only was he blaming himself for how Naruto and Sasuke ended up deserting the village, but he was also beating himself over the fact that he had not led his comrades to victory in the S-rank mission to Amegakure. On top of it all, his only friend and rival was now dead too.

Hyuuga Neji was a jonin himself, and Tenten was a chunin too. It wasn’t like they needed to be mentored by a Jonin anymore, and, truth be told, while they were saddened by their sensei’s untimely death, at the end of the day, the two of them hadn’t been particularly close to him.

As for Sakura, she went back to working in the hospital. The girl looked like a shade of her former self. Not only had the love of her life been captured and was awaiting trial, but Naruto had deserted Konoha and even killed one of his former comrades. She was in shambles.

Alas, while most of them gradually moved on with their lives, there was one person who looked like they weren’t going to move on anytime soon. Even a week after Guy’s death, Rock Lee still went to visit his grave every day. Might Guy had been more than just a sensei for him; he had been almost like a father. Everything that he was in the present, he owed to his sensei. The poor boy was inconsolable.

⁂

“Never thought I’d see myself wearing this cloak one day,” Naruto said as he looked at his reflection in the mirror.

If his normal clothes as a Rain Jonin were plain and basic, the black cloak with red clouds on it was nothing if not eye-catching.

“You don’t have to wear it if it makes you uncomfortable,” Konan said. She sounded hesitant.

Naruto took a long look at himself, not saying anything for a while.

“For the longest time, I’ve dreaded the sight of this cloak. The Akatsuki was trying to hunt my kind down. Gaara even lost his life after Deidara captured him.”

When Konan put her hands on the collar of his cloak, trying to take it off him, he stopped her.

“But I know what it means for you,” he said as he placed his hands on top of hers.

“You don't have to force yourself to do anything,” Konan said firmly.

He smiled.

“I know that. But I want to do it for you.”

From the very moment she took him in, Konan had tried to build a relationship of equals between the two of them. While she was doing her best to guide him and advise him when it came to making big decisions, she had never dismissed his opinion and always tried to get him involved in the village’s affairs and other things of importance.

“The road to hell is paved with good intentions… there isn’t any expression that describes Akatsuki better than that,” Konan said, looking down at his chest. “For the sake of peace, we did terrible things. Our goal had been to create peace, but in the process, we started a war. Many people lost their lives at our hands. I am just as guilty of it as the rest of my former teammates.”

Raising her head, her orange eyes peered into his as she said:

“Instead of bringing peace, we became a symbol of terror... That’s not how I want Yahiko’s and Nagato’s legacy to be remembered. I understand it won’t be easy to change people’s views of us after everything we’ve done, but I have to try. But you have no obligation to go through with this. These are my sins to bear, not yours. I am more than-”

“What are you saying? Of course I won’t let you do it alone.” Naruto said firmly, not leaving any room for debate.

He cupped her face with his hands, greatly enjoying seeing the way she leaned into his touch as he caressed her. Those warm amber eyes and her short blue hair left him mesmerized. She was so pretty that just looking at her was enough to make his heartbeat quicken.

“Wherever my lady goes, I will be there too. We’re in this together. We’ve made a promise, have we not?”

“Yes,” she said, closing her eyes when he pressed a gentle kiss on her forehead.

“Besides, what better way to show the world that the Akatsuki has changed than by having an actual jinchuuriki wear the cloak?”

She smiled at that, and for a few moments, they looked like they were only a moment away from starting to kiss each other. But they didn’t let themselves get swept up in their feelings because there was a very important task ahead of them that day.

⁂

“Is that Lord Pain?”

“It can’t be… I know him; he's Uzumaki Naruto. They call him the Hero of the Leaf abroad.”

“Then why is he wearing the Amegakure headband?”

“You haven’t heard? Lady Konan brought him here. The two of them fought against the Konoha shinobi that infiltrated the village a few weeks ago and captured them all.”

“Konoha did what?? I was stationed at the border with Suna; damn, I missed out on so many things!”

Nearly 5000 shinobi and kunoichi were standing next to each other on the shore of the Lake of Amegakure, outside the village.

The Land of Rain was not a Great Nation, but among the smaller Hidden Villages, it was the most populous. It was remarkable for a country as small as Rain, sandwiched between Three Great Powers, and after being ravaged by decades of war to have such a high number of shinobi.

That being said, while the number of shinobi was high, Amegakure itself was a small village. It couldn’t accommodate all of them together with the civilian population needed to support the shinobi as well. Half of those five thousand ninjas were spread throughout the rest of the country in various outposts and other villages in the Land of Rain or patrolling the border. Therefore, not few were those among them who were unfamiliar with the details regarding the events that had transpired over the course of the past few months.

Their murmurs stopped when a swarm of paper butterflies filled the sky above them and the Angel of Amegakure materialised above them, flying.

At the sight of her, whether they were genin, chunin, or jonin, the five thousand shinobi and kunoichi all brought a hand to their chests and bowed. The amount of fear, awe, and reverence that the Rain Ninja held for Pain and Konan could not be easily expressed in words.

“I have gathered you today for the sake of sharing with all of you three very important news.”

Although she was speaking in her usual quiet, breathy tone, somehow, her voice travelled perfectly in the ears of all the people present there.

“This is Uzumaki Naruto, the jinchuuriki of the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox… and Lord Pain’s successor.”

Her words elicited loud gasps from the shinobi and kunoichi below her. However, at that moment, while they were all looking at him, Naruto made use of Deva Path's ability to levitate and fly in the air until he was on the same level as Konan.

His ringed, purple eyes, the Akatsuki cloak, and the fact that he was flying left no doubts whatsoever about his identity.

“Lord Pain is no longer walking among us. But he did not leave us alone and unprotected. He had passed on his gift to Uzumaki Naruto. He had given him his eyes, the Eyes of God.”

“Amegakure is not weak. Amegakure has not become vulnerable. We are strong. We endure, and, ultimately, we pay back to our enemies tenfold!”

As the ninja below them started roaring in approval, Konan raised a hand to silence them.

“From today onwards, we will no longer isolate ourselves from the rest of the world. Now, we have the power to protect ourselves. Even if Iwa, Konoha, or Suna were to attack us again, we have the strength to push them back. And proof of that is that we killed the Tsuchikage no less than a week ago!”

Cries of shock and wonder came from the Rain ninja. Onoki was a legendary shinobi, and his fearsome bloodline limit had left a deep impression on them. They were having a hard time believing it, especially after finding out that their Lord, their God, was dead.

“The Tsuchikage and a group of over 100 elite Iwa ninja lost their lives at the hands of Uzumaki Naruto. We have shown the world that we are strong, and we will continue to do so from now on.”

“Tomorrow, I will select 1000 from among you. Tomorrow, we occupy the Land of Rivers.”

The air and the ground quaked with Rain Ninja’s cheers.

⁂

“If you’re going to kill me, just do it already!”

“Hey!”

“For how long are you going to keep me like this?”

For the first few days after getting imprisoned, Uchiha Sasuke was calm, quiet, and aloof. But, as days turned into a week, he grew increasingly restless.

His chakra was sealed, and a metallic pillory was cuffing his wrists and keeping his hands apart, preventing him from even attempting to make any hand seals. Trapped in an underground cell with no windows and only a tiny opening in its thick metallic door, Sasuke was quickly reaching the end of his limits.

“Hey! Is someone out there? Answer me!”

“HEY!

However, his yells were not met with an answer. Not for the first time that day, he banged with the pillory around his wrists against the door, a loud metallic clang ringing out from their collision.

Isolated in a stinky and tiny underground cell, living in a state of semi-permanent hunger and darkness, having no contact with any human beings, and being forced to sleep on the cold and humid floor were taking their toll on him.

When his pleas and requests didn’t yield any results, he resorted to screaming threats and swearing to massacre everyone. But he was still ignored all the same.

Slowly, but steadily, the last Uchiha was getting desperate.

Exhausted from all his screaming and banging against the door, Sasuke let himself slide down against the wall. With his cuffed hands resting on his knees, he laid his forehead on the metallic pillory and closed his eyes.

“Ohohoho! Is my sight betraying me? Is the mighty Uchiha Sasuke crying?”

At the sound of that obnoxious laughter and annoying voice, Sasuke instantly jumped up to his feet and instinctively backed away to the corner of the cell.

A venus trap-like plant person came out of the ground. It was impossible for Sasuke not to recognize him.

“Zetsu?! How the hell did you get in here?” Sasuke said in surprise.

“As if Konoha’s trifling barrier jutsu and cheap traps could stop me.”

“The sensors don’t even know we’re here. Hehehe!”

Leaving aside the strange appearance and behaviour of the bizarre plant-like person, Sasuke couldn’t think of anyone he would have been happier to see in his current predicament.

“Then, are you here to take me out?”

“Maybeee? It was kinda amusing to watch you sob.”

“Yes. But, before we take you out, I need your word that you will obey my orders.”

“Yes, whatever you say, just break these cuffs and let’s go! I'm surprised they didn't execute me on the spot when they captured me."

Black Zetsu scoffed.

"They'd have to be insane to do that."

"What do you mean?"

"There is no way they would kill an asset as valuable as you. Not only are you the last of the Uchiha, but you also have the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan. No village leader in their right mind would simply sentence you to death. Besides, you haven't done anything to harm Konoha while you were a nukenin."

Now that Black Zetsu mentioned it, Sasuke could see it too. Although he had deserted the village, in reality, he hadn't done anything to directly harm Konoha. If anything, he had done Konoha a great service by killing Orochimaru.

"If you just wait a few more days, they'll come to you with an offer. You could have a new life here if you so desired. You would even have women lined up for you to rebuild the Uchiha Clan. Your current living conditions aren't great because they're trying to soften you up so you'll be easier to negotiate with. As the saying goes, you're not you when you're hungry," White Zetsu cackled.

"White Zetsu is a cretin most of the time, but he's right now. They would definitely give you a second chance if you were willing to cooperate with them and-"

"Screw that!" Sasuke screamed, cutting Black Zetsu mid-sentence. "You'd think I'd be willing to go back to this village and play to their tune? After how they massacred my people? After how they manipulated my brother? I'd rather they kill me now!"

He was so angry that, at the end of his outburst, he started panting in exertion. Having been starved for so many days, his physical condition had reached rock bottom.

He couldn’t wait to get out of that hole.

"What a shame. You could've gotten a harem of your own if-"

"Read the room and be quiet for once, you imbecile."

"Take me out of here," Sasuke said. "Help me destroy the Hidden Leaf and, in turn, I will help you with whatever you want after I have my vengeance."

"I knew we were on the same page. Perfect. We have a deal."

With a chop of Zetsu's hand, the metallic pillory was sliced in half, freeing Sasuke’s wrists. Then, grabbing a hold of his arm, Zetsu and Sasuke started sinking into the ground.

⁂

A downward punch to the head made Killer Bee's body break through the floor and crash into the floor a level below theirs.

"Raikage-sama, isn't this too much?" Mabui tried to defuse the situation.

Killer Bee got up from the floor with no difficulty and brushed the dust off his clothes. That punch was so strong that it would've killed others on the spot, but he appeared to be unharmed, save for a bruise the size of an apple on top of his head.

"Bee! Do you have any idea how worried we have all been? We've even started a war for your sake, but what have you been doing in the meantime? Huh?"

"Why you so mad, big bro?"

Raikage looked like he was going to explode.

"You irresponsible dipshit! I'm- I'm going to-"

He was so incensed that he couldn't even speak coherently.

"I sent word of my survival, haven't I?" Killer Bee said. His instincts were telling him that if he were to start rapping at that moment, the Raikage might really kick his shit in. Violently.

Having taken a few seconds to regain his calm, the Raikage asked:

"Then, what made you finally decide to come back to the village?"

"It's about the Akatsuki."

"What about them? The Akatsuki were destroyed by Konoha and Ame. Uzumaki Naruto killed Uchiha Madara, and Uchiha Sasuke was captured by the Hokage. They're no longer a threat."

"That’s news to me,” Killer Bee said.

He had been living mostly off-grid for the past few weeks in order to not get found by his village so he wasn’t up to date with the most recent events.

“But still, I was attacked by the Monster of the Mist only a few days ago and almost got captured for real this time. It took me turning into the full form of Hachibi to defeat him. And he was wearing the Akatsuki cloak."

Now that Killer Bee mentioned it and now that he was significantly calmer than before, Raikage finally noticed the peculiar sword strapped to Killer Bee's back.

"Is that his sword?"

"Yes. It's Samehada, one of the Seven Swords of the Mist. But, more importantly, if Akatsuki is finished, where are all the tailed beasts that have been captured?"

"Don't bijuu need several years to reform after dying?" Mabui asked.

"That's the thing; they didn't die. They were extracted from the jinchuuriki. So what happened with the bijuu?” said Killer Bee.

“Do you know something, Bee?”

Killer Bee pushed his sunglasses with his finger before saying:

“When I gave Uchiha Sasuke the slip with my Octopus Leg Clone Jutsu, they took my clone into a hidden place, in a cave. The last thing my clone saw before being dispelled was an enormous, demonic-looking statue with 9 eyes. They cast a jutsu that siphoned my clone’s chakra into the statute.”

As the Raikage became silent, Killer Bee continued:

“Seven of the statue’s nine eyes were open. The Akatsuki had captured the first seven bijuu up until that moment. This is only my speculation so far, but I believe that the gigantic statue is a weapon that gets powered by the bijuu’s chakra. And once all the nine eyes open… …imagine having the power of all nine bijuu at their beck and call.”

“Why did you withhold such important information for so long? Goddamn it, Bee!” Raikage screamed, and the desk next to him was smashed into smithereens from his fist.

“Mabui, prepare for me another desk and get someone to fix that hole in the floor. Bee, bring Darui here. We have much to discuss. I don’t know who exactly is the one who controls that statue that you spoke of, but that’s too much power in the hands of any village, let alone a terrorist organisation.”

⁂

The regiment of shinobi that Konan took to the Land of Rivers was mostly not needed. She and Naruto could’ve settled everything by themselves, but parading around one thousand shinobi had its fair share of use as well.

Seeing such a large number of shinobi gathered in one place was a much more intimidating sight than seeing only two nins, be they S-rank or not. At the very least, the civilian population would never have any thoughts about starting some sort of rebellion and, on the other side, they would also be more willing to accept the new rule for the sake of the protection that Hidden Rain would bestow upon them.

The few missing nins who had had ambitions of occupying the Land of Rain like some sort of local warlords scurried away with their tails between their legs. It was one thing for them to face off against the civilians armed with pitchforks and a completely different matter to oppose an entire HIdden Village, especially one with a reputation as bad as Amegakure (Hidden Rain ninjas were notorious for their assassination skills).

In the end, nothing much was going to change for the average Land of Rivers citizens in the short term. The farmers, the merchants, and so on and so forth would continue their daily lives just like before.

However, while the average citizens would not experience radical changes overnight in their daily lives, it was the opposite for the people who used to work for the Land of River’s government under the rule of the deceased Daimyo. Taxes on land, profit, and customs duty would go to Amegakure now. For a country as small as the Land of Rain, that was an immense boon. 

But the biggest reason Konan decided to risk creating tensions with their neighbouring countries by annexing the Land of Rivers was that Hidden Rain would gain access to the ocean. Considering the large amount of rice and fish products that the Land of Rain produced every season, the trading possibilities were endless.

Seeing Konan discuss politics and economy with the Land of Rivers representatives and some of her advisers, Naruto felt completely out of his depth. It cemented in his mind the idea that he wouldn’t be a good leader for a village.

‘No wonder Ero-sennin repeatedly turned down the Hokage position.’

It took much more than strength to be a good leader for a village. Having strength was merely the starting line. Understanding the economy, politics, and diplomacy was probably even more important. He chuckled at the thought that he had wanted to become the Hokage. Until recently, he had not even known the general topography of the countries surrounding the Land of Fire. For example, he hadn’t known that one could reach the ocean by going down the river draining the Lake of Amegakure. He lacked too much essential knowledge.

As it was right now, he had nothing to help her with.

‘I’m only good at kicking ass.’

He had thought about learning other things, but, if his failed attempt at learning fuinjutsu was anything to go by, he was just not suited for that sort of stuff. He wasn’t good at studying. He couldn’t muster the will and motivation to do it.

He let out a sigh. Humans weren’t perfect. Everyone had something they were good at and something they sucked at.

‘In the end, one can’t have it all. So I’ll just focus on what I can do.’

As the administrative tasks were in Konan’s care, he had the job of protecting his village.

‘Right, she told me there used to be weapons manufacturers in this country,’ he remembered.

Takumi Village’s crafters were renowned worldwide for their skill in making ninja tools and weapons. Although the decade-long peace that followed after the Third Ninja War forced them to put their skills to use in another field, it wasn’t like they had forgotten what had brought them to the dance in the first place.

‘If the prophecy of the Great Elder Toad is true, then this peace we still have now is shaky at best.’

At this point, he had no doubts that the Elder Toad’s prophecy was the real thing.

‘The first prophecy was true: Uchiha Obito and Sasuke, the old enemy, ambushed us at the summit with Tsunade in the Land of Rivers. The second was true as well; I got the key to the seal, and I obtained Kurama’s power. Chances are that war will start soon…’

It could be over a month; it could be over a year; or it could be after 10 years. He didn’t know when it was, but he wanted to be prepared for it. With the power of the Rinnegan and that of Kurama added to his own skills, Naruto had no doubts or fears regarding his own fate. Should a war start, he was confident that nobody would be able to kill him. However, there was more to winning a war than just surviving. Furthermore, while he and Konan could keep themselves safe, they also had a village to protect.

Bearing those thoughts in mind, he wanted to do anything he could to increase the chances of Hidden Rain going through the war with minimal casualties. Making use of the Takumi Village’s craftsmen to create ninja tools for his village was just one of the things he was planning on doing.

‘I wonder, will it help them if I let them study my Asura Path?’

The abilities of the Asura Path looked like futuristic technology in his eyes. Rockets, chakra canons, chainsaw blades, and so on and so forth. He hoped that the craftsmen could draw inspiration from his Rinnegan abilities and make stronger ninja tools and weapons for the Hidden Rain.