Chapter 3

A Deal with the Devil

Chapter 3,

With a gasp, Kagami opened his eyes and shot upward. Sweat gripped his palms and his heart pounded against his chest as Kagami rapidly blinked his eyes awake. The night sky was calm, so he assumed that he was only asleep for an hour or so. The last thing he remembered was… However, before he could reflect any further; opposite of Kagami, three people regarded him with stares.

Only one of which Kagami was vaguely familiar with.

It was the very same woman who confronted him earlier before he passed out from exhaustion. Her red eyes were onyx again and were pointed stoically at him as she ignored the two whispering young men situated by her side.

In-between Kagami and the mysterious trio was a small bonfire that helped identify their faces.

The first guy and the louder of the two was tall and sported a lanky build; with pale blonde hair that glowed orange due to the dancing flames. His eyes were big and teal, and he stared directly at Kagami as he gossiped to the other male about no doubt, Kagami.

The second was more composed in comparison to the former and radiated an air of seriousness. He was average in looks and height; with an athletic frame and straight black hair that fell to his shoulders. His eyes, just like the mysterious woman's, were onyx black and stoic as he examined Kagami with a scrutinizing glint in his gaze.

The black-haired male's eyes squinted, even more, when Kagami's locked gazes with him.

Kagami was swelled with annoyance by then. At a loss for words in the strange situation he found himself in, he remained quiet. He watched them closely, and his eyes drifted to the metallic headbands each of them wore. Unconsciously, he had brought his hand up to his own forehead.

He shivered at the cold feel of the metal fastened to his head and let out a sigh of relief. He was one of them apparently.

For the first time since his encounter with the vengeful old man, Kagami let down his guard. As he did so, the tension in the air disappeared as a result.

The blond was grinning ear to ear at him now and the black-haired youth averted his gaze to the campfire.

Well, looks like that settles that. I guess I'm going to be sticking with these three for a while, Kagami thought, taking a peek at the beauty still watching him.

Shifting uncomfortably when the blonde followed his eyes and grinned wider, Kagami had the urge to strangle the brat.

"So…" was all the blonde said before continuing. "Since Kagami-Taicho hit his head and lost his memories, does that mean that we can return to the village earlier than expected?"

"No Inojinchi," the other male responded quickly. "You know just as well as the rest of us how important this mission is to Konoha."

"What mission?" Kagami whispered louder than he expected.

The blonde, Inojinchi leaned forward, nudging the other guy's shoulder. "Well, Hotaro why don't you inform the Taicho about what our great and noble mission is."

Nobody missed the sarcasm in his voice but Hotaro explained, nonetheless.

"The Lord Hokage entrusted this mission to Fugaku-sama, and he in turn trusted us to carry out this mission in the Lord Hokage's name."

The lone female of the group nodded her head firmly, having accepted Hotaro's summarized explanation.

Kagami would've assumed that this 'great' and 'noble' mission was just that, had the blonde not shaken his head with a far-away look in his eyes.

"You mean in the name of the Uchiha clan," Inojinchi said earning two glares. "Ugh, remember I'm only here to earn a promotion, can we even complete the mission with Taicho the way he is…?" He looked at Kagami doubtfully before his eye-brows shot up and his sour mood did a complete one-eighty.

"What if I, you know mess around with his head some?"

No, I don't know, Kagami thought with a guarded expression.

Before he could make do with his offer, the woman slapped a hand over his shoulder fixing the blonde with the nastiest glare Kagami's ever seen.

"Fine fine, but you don't have to be so uptight Shisu-oba~" Inojinchi flinched when her grip tightened. "Hmph, you just don't want me to find certain memories of you in Taicho's broken head." He announced smugly with a huff.

His smugness was short-lived however when Shisu slammed her free hand atop the crown of his skull.

"You're mother would be ashamed." Was all she said as she sat back down; her dark eyes landing ever so gradually on Kagami.

"Perving on a married woman twice your age," Hotaro snorted. "And your mother's trusted friend too. No wonder Inoichi-sama hasn't started your training to replace him as clan head."

Inojinchi flushed red at this. Whether it was out of anger or embarrassment, Kagami didn't know nor exactly care seeing as how he could barely follow the conversation.

"Y-You're wrong! It's because I wasn't born with a suitable Nara or Akimichi to team with! Besides, when I become a Tokubetsu Jonin, my father will begin my indoctrination." Inojinchi defended himself, only to face-fault when Hotaro rolled his eyes.

Kagami ignored the two boys and glanced down at Shisu's hands that were now positioned in her lap, and surely enough, there was a ring on her finger. It wasn't an overly shiny or fancy ring that reflected the bonfire's flames into hundreds of different colors, rather, it was a simple diamond ring.

And based on the matching ring adorned on his hand, Kagami assumed that she was his and he was hers. He couldn't help but sigh, mentally curing the demon. Marriage was not something Kagami was looking forward to again. Wedding rings were like small handcuffs, binding you to another for the rest of your life.

Kagami only married his former wife simply to get in good graces with her father, his boss. And it was worth it; the branch manager position he had wanted was handed to him on his wedding day. The marriage wasn't loveless; that's how much of an exceptional liar he is, but it was tiring having to pretend for so long.

"Then what should we do since you won't let me fix his scrambled brain?" Inojinchi grumbled.

"Kagami-Taicho's brain shouldn't be searched by a freshly promoted Jonin like you anyways, Yamanaka," Hotaro said in a matter-of-fact tone. He then looked towards Shisu, wordlessly asking her what they should do next.

She simply glared into the bonfire; her forehead creased in frustration as she raked through her mind for possible solutions to Kagami's unexpected memory loss.

"Well, we need to hurry and decide," Inojinchi told them. "There's no way we can wipe out those devils without Kagami-Taicho at his best."

Kagami's heart began thumping against his chest as he pictured the demon who brought him to this world. He stared into the fire, picturing the demon's fiery red eyes that oozed death.

Was that the mission?

It seemed like an impossible task to kill something that was even a fraction of the demon that he conversed with earlier.

"We continue onward to the Land of Water and complete our mission. The Uchiha clan must be the ones to do this, to bring honor to Fugaku-sama and our Lord Hokage." Hotaro retorted.

Shisu nodded in agreement, albeit, slower than before.

Who's this Fugaku guy and Lord Hokage? Kagami questioned with a curious expression.

"Uchiha clan this, Fugaku-sama that," The Yamanaka heir mocked with a sneer. "Is that all you Uchihas ever think about? How to get one of y'alls own on the Hokage seat?"

Hotaro gave the blonde a furious glare, then scoffed as he said, "You're not one of us, you wouldn't get it, idiot."

Shisu fixed Inojinchi with a warning look and Kagami sighed deeply after all was said and done. This was getting ridiculous; The Lord Hokage and this Fugaku character… Who were they to garner such respect from Shisu and Hotaro? He had a feeling that they weren't the type of people to be easily impressed.

He froze.

What made them respect him so much too?

Kagami closed his eyes and gathered all of his thoughts. Clearing his throat, he almost faltered due to how fast the three looked his way, but somehow managed to continue regardless. "We continue with the mission."

Immediately the Yamanaka heir busted out into protest as Hotaro smirked victoriously, and Shisu silently bobbing her head up and down in acceptance. "Fuck," Inojinchi cursed and Kagami wondered if he made the right choice.

He wanted nothing to do with these so-called devils.

But he wanted even less to do with the Lord Hokage and his apparent clan head. Let alone returning to a home he's unfamiliar with.

"Are you sure that you're ready to go yet, Kagami-Taicho?" Inojinchi bit his lower lip in question. "The Kaguya clan are monsters that even their own countrymen are scared of. Without you at your best, we'll surely die Taicho."

Kagami couldn't help but grunt at the blonde's skepticism.

In truth, he's never felt better in all his thirty-eight years. Plus… he clenched his fist, an action that didn't go unnoticed; he wouldn't allow himself to die.

Again…

"Are you sure though," Inojinchi gulped nervously?

"Yes, we leave at sunrise." Kagami nodded for what felt like the umpteenth time and stood up, turning to his wife in the process. "Can I speak to you in private?" he asked and began trotting away before Shisu could answer.

She shared a look with her fellow Uchiha and after a second murmured, "Hai, Taicho," and followed after Kagami.

As the two entered further into the woods Kagami listened to Shisu's footsteps, or rather, lack of footsteps. In reality, he didn't know what he was going to ask her. There were hundreds of questions spinning in his head, but he was having a hard time deciding on which to ask.

What kind of woman was she? What role was he expected to play in her presence? Why did it seem like our fellow Uchiha's back home were being prejudiced against? He'd go with the most important one, he concluded as he came to a stop and turned to face his wife.

"Shisu," Kagami spoke slowly. "I'll be honest, I haven't remembered much besides my name and who you are of course. Everything else is a blur…" The best lies are the ones littered with the truth. "Is it okay to ask you some questions to re jog my memory?" he said.

Shisu who was a head shorter than Kagami, tilted her head up to meet his gaze. There was a glint of worry in her onyx orbs as she without hesitation nodded, and Kagami couldn't help but admire his body's former host taste in woman.

"I'll be blunt then Shisu," Kagami proclaimed. "Do we have children?"

If wedding rings were shackles; children were fifty ton balls attached to them. He'd be linked to her, the village, and the child/children for the rest of his life…

A cold breeze blew and Shisu's worry shifted into one of feeble panic. She fidgeted with her fingers and looked down at her sandal-clad feet before back at him with all the emotion wiped from her face. Once again, Kagami couldn't help but admire her beauty even as she struggled to hold back her feelings.

Shisu nodded fast and proudly, "We have one back in Konoha. He's staying with Fugaku-sama and Lady Mikoto." She studied Kagami's expression and let out a relieved sigh when he merely stared back, not displaying the inner turmoil playing out in his head.

"Hmm, just one. Okay then," Kagami stated monotonously.

Shisu looked down once more. At her flat stomach and began to say, "We also-"

As if cursed by the demon who gave Kagami a second chance, an explosion resounded from the area they had come from, causing some of the trees to sway.

Frozen still at what Kagami could have only assumed was a bomb being dropped on their campsite, he was snapped out of his daze by Shisu whispering, "Hot Water shinobi…"

"L-Let's go."

He hated how nervous he sounded but forced himself to stand straight. Shisu nodded and broke into a sprint in the direction of the bonfire, and Kagami was surprised when he noticed that he was able to match her speed. Arriving at the campsite faster than they had left it; the first thing Kagami noticed was that the bonfire was extinguished, and scorch marks illuminated under the moon.

Hotaro and Inojinchi were kneeling side by side to one another and circled around them were numerous masked individuals: Hot Water shinobi, no doubt. Each of their masks had abstract red lines firing out in every which direction, but Kagami saw a pair of eyes dart his way beneath the black eyeholes of one of the ninja's mask.

They widened before narrowing on his own.

"Great, you're all here." The Hot Water shinobi bellowed, motioning towards Kagami and Shisu. "You Konoha nins are arrested for trespassing on Hot Water territory without permission. And you, Mr. Uchiha, are under arrest for the torching of Springwell village." He pointed an accusatory finger at Kagami.

Not bothered by the fruitless accusation, Kagami was more confused about the foreign ninja knew of his clan name.

"But how?"

"Taicho, you're Sharingan is still activated…" Shisu disclosed while moving her hands in rapid motion, much too fast for the Hot Water shinobi to see in the darkness.

"Quiet you two," another one of the masked ninjas spat venomously. "Come with us peacefully, and we'll maybe let you live to see day-" His throat was promptly slit with a simple flick of Hotaro's wrist, who happened to be positioned beneath the ninja. The hidden shuriken Hotaro hurled, longed into the bark of an adjacent tree, and before any of the other Hot Water shinobi could react, Inojinchi and Shisu attacked.

Limbs fell and blood sprayed against the moonlit ground. The three dimwitted idiots who Kagami had thought he had all figured out, like a flipped switch, turned into bloodthirsty demons who killed without restraint or remorse.

Seeing movement in the far distance, hidden mostly by the undergrowth of the dark forest was a fleeing ninja. He raced between trees, dodging left and right to throw off his gaze, but like a solar radar, Kagami's eyes followed effortlessly. His hands moved on their own as he took a single step towards the sprawling forest; Kagami didn't know how, but he knew that he'd hit his target.

Weaving signs that seemed natural to his body but foreign to his mind, Kagami took a deep breath. A fiery aura of charcoal fumes gathered in his chest. Exhaling the mysterious energy, he mentally exclaimed, "Katon (Fire Style): Great Fireball Jutsu!"

A massive ball of condensed fire spat out of his mouth, reeking of the mysterious energy. The fireball launched towards its target, ignorant of the trees and shrubs impeded in its way. It hit, imploding in a shower of crimson red drowning out the desperately fleeing ninja's pained cry.

Kagami lowered his hands to his side and smirked triumphantly.

Confidence filled him as Inojinchi slung an arm over his shoulder, uncaringly drenching him in blood. Blood that didn't belong to him…

"Nice shot, Kagami-Taicho." Hotaro whistled with a conceited grin. "See Yamanaka, everything will be fine as long as we have Kagami-Taicho with us. With or without his memories, he's still the greatest Uchiha of this generation."

Inojinchi simply nodded, never looking away from the destruction Kagami's fireball jutsu caused.

Kagami too couldn't bring himself to look away from the fiery destruction.

The forest where it had hit was lit aflame, in his fire, and the area not yet consumed by the roaring inferno was charred black just by being within close proximity. The forest fire that surrounded him and the old man he had killed earlier paled in comparison, and he idly wondered who produced them.

"Um y-yeah!" Inojinchi pumped a blood-coated fist in the air, grinning broadly. "Those devils are gonna be a piece of cake with Taicho with us."

"Well done, Kagami-Taicho," Shisu said from behind.

The three of them turned to the lone female of the group; she was knelt over the corpse of one of the Hot Water Shinobi, rummaging through the grey flak jacket he wore. She withdrew a black book from his vest and pocketed it as she stood back up to her full height. Her eyes shone with respect and relief as she stood at attention in the blood-soaked ruins of their former campsite.

A comforting silence descended over the group and Kagami almost felt his heart flutter at the way she was looking at him.

Almost.

"What do we do now?" Inojinchi broke the silence. "More Hot Water shinobi are bound to show up once they notice that these guys haven't returned." The blonde crudely jabbed a thumb at the dismembered corpses. "Do we continue towards The Land of Water… or what?" he asked.

Kagami knew exactly what he meant by "or what" but ultimately did not want to return to the village… to his apparent son… Pretending as though to be considering his words, Kagami closed his eyes and inwardly sighed. When he reopened his eyes, the idiot and his clansman were standing next to Shisu, backs straightened like boards.

It was then that Kagami realized what they were to him and what role he was supposed to be playing. They were soldiers, his soldiers.

And he was their ever-diligent leader.

Looking at how uncharacteristically stiff Inojinchi was, all but confirmed Kagami's thoughts.

Kagami turned his back to the three of them, facing the forest fire he created with a menacing smirk. He'd fake it until he found a goal besides living a long life in this murderous land of war-waging shinobi. Overall, it wasn't looking as bad as it initially seemed. His wife, Shisu, didn't seem to mind Kagami's indifference and in fact, seemed to prefer his aloof personality.

"Pack up," Kagami asserted. "We're leaving for The Land of Water right away. My head is still ringing," he turned around facing Inojinchi. "Remind me how long the trip will take?"

He figured his fellow Uchiha's were well-versed in well… everything considering how they held themselves, but as for the Yamanaka heir, Kagami wasn't all that sure of the boy's genius. If he was going to use him accordingly, Kagami needed to know what strengths his loyal pawn had.

And that's if he had any at all…

Inojinchi fidgeted at having all the attention. He furrowed his brows and just when Kagami didn't think he'd get it, the blonde's eyebrows shot up in eureka.

"About a week's travel by sea and maybe four to five days if we sneak from island to island, till we reach the main body of land where the Kaguya clan are located." He answered.

So, the Land of Water is unsurprisingly surrounded by sea and also framed by islands… Kagami mused. Seems like we're going to be island hopping.

"Good job, Inojinchi." Kagami praised with a smile that didn't quite meet his eyes. "Going island to island won't be a problem will it?"

He received three confident head shakes in response.

"Then we set out as soon as we clean up here," Kagami turned his cold gaze to the pile of dead bodies, then to the roaring flames.

"Hai, Taicho!" The three shinobi saluted.

End