Chapter 30- Contemplations of an old man

Onoki POV

 He stood on the side and watched once again as a new contingent of shinobi was deployed to the front lines to reinforce their army.

Another group of young, promising shinobi with their entire life ahead of them. Lives, that they might never get to enjoy because he decided to send them to war.

He shut his eyes, reminiscing about the past when he, too, had been dispatched to the battlefield by the 2nd Tsuchikage.

Word about him having the Dust Release had already spread by then, leading to the 2nd Tsuchikage taking him under his wing. Because of this, he was deployed in the safer areas during the war. To areas that saw the least amount of combat and could easily be reinforced by other powerful shinobi.

This isn't to suggest that he didn't fight powerful enemies where a single misstep could mean the end of his life. Near the end of the 1st shinobi war, he was as much a guard to the Tsuchikage as he was a student.

Or that's what his young mind told himself at least.

Then the 1st Shinobi War ended, and a few years after that, his mentor fought the 2nd Mizukage to a standstill and both of them lost their lives.

Being the student of the Tsuchikage, an S-class shinobi with a powerful bloodline, and having the backing of a powerful clan allowed him to take the seat of the 3rd Tsuchikage.

And he'd pledged to himself that he'd bring peace and prosperity to his village, steering clear of senseless conflicts with other major shinobi villages.

If only he'd known.

Then the 2nd shinobi war arrived at his doorsteps. No, who was he deceiving? He was the one who brought that war to other's doorsteps.

Suna and Ame had been expanding their territory, attempting to acquire the lands of their more fertile and resource-rich neighbours. In response, Konoha declared war on them. And when it seemed that Konoha might emerge victorious and seize control of the Land of River and Rain, he chose to enter the battlefield to keep them in check.

He could still remember the first time he had seen the casualty report. How the feeling of guilt and despair had almost overwhelmed him. So many young lives snuffed out due to his actions. Due to his orders- orders that they had no choice but to obey, because not doing so meant death.

Sending young, promising shinobi to the battlefield, knowing very well that they might die, always weighed heavily on his conscience. However, that sense of guilt had significantly diminished over the years.

There was a time when he used to read and memorise the name of every single shinobi who died due to his orders. And the personally go to each of their homes to give condolences.

Now, the only thing he saw was causality reports and statistics. And the burden of giving condolences was left to their respective Jounin Sensei.

He wondered if that made him a worst monster for his own village than any of the enemy villages. If his own decisions had caused the deaths of more of his people than the enemies did.

The burden of the Tsuchikage hat had become overwhelming by the end of the 2nd shinobi war. And he promised to himself to never go to war, ever again.

Then, the 3rd shinobi war came knocking and he plunged his village into war once again.

That war lasted for over 8 years. And by the end of it, every single major village had resorted to sending children to the frontlines. The very children that the major villages were build to protect.

'Where had it all gone so wrong? Why cannot we simply have peace and live together in harmony? Why must I stain my hands with the corpses of my own people?' He asked himself.

By the time the 3rd shinobi war ended, he had been desperately searching for a successor. If only to spend his remaining years with his granddaughter.

But there was no one who was capable of taking the mantle from him. Oh, there were some who had the potential and he'd even considered the two Jinchuriki for the task. But in the end, he found himself unable to choose a successor.

They were either too weak, lacked the correct mindset, or didn't have enough support from the major clans or the shinobi population. And he needed to be careful with his choosing.

After all, Iwa was not just any shinobi village. It was a major shinobi village. One of the great 5. And often butted heads with Kumo for the position of the 2nd most powerful village in the Elemental Nations.

Not just anyone could lead the village. Not when both Konoha and Kumo had both been blessed with powerful Kage.

And thus, his search continued.

Continued till the day he caught wind of rumours about a young shinobi in Konoha. A 6-year-old Uchiha who managed to defeat an S-class Kunoichi. And it triggered flashbacks of his past, when Madara had effortlessly defeated both him and his teacher.

The mere thought of Konoha having such a formidable shinobi in their ranks once again sent shivers down his spine. And he knew that he couldn't let this monster reach adulthood, or the entire Elemental Nations would suffer.

Back in that time, Hashirama had been there to keep peace. To keep Madara in check. But there was no Hashirama now. Who would keep this new threat in check?

So... he plunged his village into war once more.

And now his shinobi were dying once again. Dying at his orders.

He stared at the portrait of his mentor, hung in the wall of his office and sighed. 'Is this what you envisioned when you choose me as your successor, Sensei. When I die and go to the Pure Land, would you greet me with open arms, commending my efforts, or would be disgusted by my actions.'

Worst part of it all was that he didn't even hate his enemies.

Oh, there was a time when he did. A time when he used to despised and singled out any enemy who killed too many of his shinobi. Sometimes even at the risk of his own life.

Hell, he'd gone far enough to make a secret alliance with the other major villages in order to wipe out the Senju from the battlefield. And once most of them have been wiped out, he made yet another alliance to do the same to the Uzumaki.

But by this point, the embers of his rage had long since burned out. And when he looked at his enemies, his own face stared back at him.

They didn't choose this war. They were not some evil monsters trying to kill his people. They were the same as his own people. Fighting a war they didn't want. Hoping to survive yet another battle and return safely to their families.

But all the same, he couldn't let there be another Madara Uchiha in the world.

And so off they went to war.

He stared at the map once again, contemplating his next strategic move.

He was tempted to push into the Land of Fire. Deeper and deeper until they'd forced that accursed brat out so they could take his head.

However, the leader of the enemy army was none other than Sarutobi Hiruzen. The former Hokage of Konoha. One of the most dangerous shinobi in all of Elemental Nations and the only man he had ever regarded as his equal.

Rushing a war against the likes of Sarutobi Hiruzen would be tantamount to leading his men into a futile slaughter.

*Knock Knock*

His contemplation was interrupted by a knock on the door, and judging by the sound, it was his secretary. They'd worked together for long enough that he was able to recognise her by her footsteps and knocks.

"Come in." He said, his eyes not leaving the map for an instant.

His secretary came in and stood beside him before clearing her throat.

She only skipped the customary wait when the information was exceptionally critical. Thus, he raised his eyes to her, and the somber, defeated expression on her face caused his heart to plummet.

"There's news from Kiri," she informed him, prompting his mind to conjure the most dire scenarios.

Kiri would never ally with Konoha. That was not his fear. What he feared was the possibility that Kiri might abstain from engaging in this war.

Kumo and Iwa were powerful villages. But even working together, it might not be enough to defeat Konoha. Not when Konoha had a large number of S-class shinobi, and an extensive network of allies.

Even now, he received daily updates from his spies in Suna. Additionally, a regiment of shinobi guarded their Southern borders in case Suna chose to align with Konoha in the ongoing war.

Kiri was weak enough that even them joining the war, victory wasn't guaranteed. But their chances would definitely rise by a fair amount.

Especially now, when the Uchiha clan have decided to hash out a veritable army of Elite Jounins out of nowhere and were slaughtering the Kumo army with impunity.

The war had only just started and Kumo was already losing men by the hundreds every single day. And he himself was too wary to commit too many men, or advance too aggressively.

Having Kiri join them would finally turn the war to their favour. But now, he had a bad feeling that things would not go as they'd planned.

"Kiri was destroyed." His secretary said and for a moment, he wondered if he has started to hear things in his old age.

"What?"

"Kiri was destroyed. Not completely but to the point where they'll not be taking part in this war." His secretary said, loud and clear.

He collapsed into his seat, all fight leaving him for that instant.

He would never show such a weak side to anyone else in the village. He was the Tsuchikage, after all. Their bastion of strength. He was the pillar who held the village in place when all else seemed to be crumbling around them.

But he'd worked together with his secretary for a long time. And she'd seen him through all his highs and lows.

And this was undoubtedly a low point. The only comparable instance was when the Yellow Butcher of Konoha decimated an entire regiment of Jounins on the battlefield, forcing him to conclude the 3rd Shinobi War in complete defeat.

And now…

"How?" He asked, his voice barely audible to his own ears.

"Konoha launched a surprise attack on Kiri during the night. It seems like The Yellow Butcher brought an elite company of shinobi to their borders, launched a devastating attack and then retreated before the battle could turn against them."

"And what were the Kiri shinobi doing? Were they just sleeping when Konoha attacked and slaughtered all of them?" He asked bitterly.

Kiri might be weak, but they had a group of S-class shinobi of their own. While none of them were powerful enough to contend with the likes of him, Hiruzen or the Yellow Butcher, they were powerful in their own right.

So how did this happen?

"Konoha deployed the Yellow Butcher, the 9 tails Jinchuriki, the Snake Sannin, Wicked Eye Fugaku, former member of the Seven Swordsmen- Ringo Ameyuri and an unknown S-class Anbu in the battle along with about two dozen Elite Jounin." His secretary reported. "From the reports our spy sent us, over half of Kiri's shinobi population along with all its S-class and Elite Jounin were killed in this attack."

His face fell further. "Not even a single person to take the mantle of the next Mizukage?"

"There is still the 6 tails Jinchuriki who was out of the village during this attack. And one of the Rogue Swordsmen might return now that the village is in such dire straits. But aside from that, no."

He rubbed his forehead and held back the urge to laugh at this utter madness.

Kiri. One of the 5 great shinobi villages. Defeated. In a single night.

It reminded him back when Iwa, Kumo and Kiri allied together to attack Uzushiogakure. The home of the Uzumaki.

He could still vividly recall the carnage that ensued in that battle, where the members of the Uzumaki clan, vastly outnumbered at 20 to 1, valiantly fought until their last breath.

Not even half of their army returned from that battlefield. With Kiri losing of both its Jinchuriki in that battle, and Kumo losing its 2nd Tailed Jinchuriki.

And this was when they took the Uzumaki clan by complete surprise. He shuddered to think how that battle would've gone if the Uzumaki had the chance to prepare for their attack.

And now, a major village has been wiped out in a similar manner.

"At least tell me that Konoha lost a few of their S-class shinobi in this battle?" He asked, clutching at straws at this point.

"We don't have a report on that. But from what our spy witnessed, the Konoha shinobi managed to retreat in good order after the battle."

"And we do not have any spies in Konoha to tell us the situation there." He said with a subdued chuckle. "The 4th Hokage, along with all other shinobi sent to this battle might be dead now, and we would have no way of knowing."

Not that he believed that such a thing would happen. The 4th Hokage, with his Hiraishin Jutsu, was nigh unkillable in the battlefield. The same went for Orochimaru. And while information on the 9 tails Jinchuriki was sparse, Jichuriki don't tend to die easily. And the 9 tails is the strongest of all the Tailed Beasts.

The only one he believed could've died in that battle were Fugaku, Ringo Ameyuri, and that unknown S-class Anbu. However, even all three of them they died, which he doubted, the war would not turn in their favour.

His secretary maintained silence in response to his despondency until he shifted his gaze in her direction. "Is there anything else I need to know?"

"No, Lord Tsuchikage."

"Then you're dismissed." He said as he rose from his chair. "Take the rest of the day off. And tell them that I won't be taking any visitors for the rest of the day"

His secretary looked like she wanted to say something but in the end, she simply nodded and left the room, leaving him to his own thoughts.

They had started this entire war in order to kill a child with the potential to become another Madara Uchiha. With the belief that if 3 of the Major villages worked together, then they might defeat Konoha at last.

But it seemed like the Yellow Butcher just added another achievement in his belt, by eliminating Kiri from the board.

Seriously. Who just goes into another shinobi village at night and slaughters their entire high ups along with half their population.

He tried not to think about how they did just that, if not worse, with Uzushiogakure.

If both Kumo and Iwa used all their resources and manpower, then there was slight chance that they might win. What at what cost?

Would they even remain a major village by the end of this conflict. Or would they be weakened to the point that a minor village would be able to take that mantle for themselves.

And even if they won this war, there was no guarantee that they would succeed in killing that Uchiha boy.

For all they knew, the Hokage might send the boy away to be hidden away in some remote corner of the world. A place where the boy could train until adulthood, becoming the very monster they all dreaded, and then come and wreck bloody vengeance on both Iwa and Kumo.

Kiri, joining this war, had been his hope to turn things around. To end things quickly. And now that hope had vanished, reduced to nothing but dust.

'And now, is there a way to win this war. Or would I just have to continue sending young men and women to their deaths, hoping for a miracle.' He thought, knowing well enough that there was no answer waiting for him out there.

—————

Ren Uchiha POV

He used Hiraishin and arrived at a campsite riddled with lifeles bodies.

And in the midst of those corpses sat a girl, only a few years older than him, staring at the corpses of her friends in a near catatonic state.

He used Chakra Sense to make sure that there wasn't any other shinobi lurking around, and then used Shadow Clones to double check and then create a parameter around the campsite.

If his meeting with Mito had taught him anything, it was that his Chakra Sense was not infallible. So it's always better to have a second way of checking and securing his surroundings.

After making sure that everyone in the surrounding was truly dead and not merely pretending, he finally approached the Uchiha girl who knelt before the corpse of what he presumed was once a dear friend.

He pulled her into a hug, an action made easier by the fact that she was still kneeling. And then felt worried when she showed no reaction to his presence.

One of his Shadow Clones dissipated and sent memories detailing how the attack likely transpired, based on the evidence scattered across the campsite.

They were sleeping, and got attacked by enemies at dawn. The sentry got killed instantly but was able to make some noise to alert the others. That gave them enough time to fight but they were still too unprepared and both the Jounin and Chunin fell in short order.

And she would've died as well, if not for the four pointed shrunken shaped pattern now swirling in her eye.

Despite his his Hiraishin kunai to everyone he holds dear, why is it that he always arrives too late? Is this the same anguish Minato feels whenever he cannot rescue someone? The fastest iindividual in the Elemental Nations, yet always late when it truly matters.

"Shisui." He said but the girl remained unresponsive.

He patted her cheek but her eyes didn't leave the body of her deceased friend. Or was it something more?

He created another Shadow Clone who went around collecting the enemy and friendly corpses in two separate scrolls, along with all their belongings.

Only after the bodies of her teammates were securely sealed did Shisui display any response.

Tears trickled down her cheeks as she leaned into his embrace. Her body began to tremble, and he gently tightened his arms around her.

"Yes, let it all out Shisui. Let it all out." He said and she finally burst into tears.

And despite the fact that she finally acquired the eyes he'd wished for her, and the fact that she was finally close to the Tier 6 mantle, he couldn't help but feel terrible about this whole ordeal.

—————

Nagato POV

His opponent stood in front of him, his main body hiding inside yet another puppet, while the aftermath of their battlefield lay scattered around.

An entire army of puppet had been brought forth to fight him. And now, all of it was nothing more than scrap. Even his enemy's main weapon, the 3rd Kazekage, looked like it would fall apart at any moment now.

"Sasori. Would you accept your defeat and join us? Or do I have to kill you?" He asked in the voice of his deceased friend, his tone uncaring and unchanging.

"You're strong. I admit it." Sasori rasped out. "And those eyes. What are those eyes?"

"These, are the eyes of a god. If you're wise, you would kneel and pledge your service to me and my organisation."

"Akatsuki, yes? And what's the goal of your organisation?"

"Eternal peace, for the Elemental Nations."

Satori's puppet stared back at him for a long moment. "And how do you plan on accomplishing that?"

"You'll be informed of our plans when you join us. Now, make your choice."

"Heh. Choice. Do I even have that?"

"Yes. You can always refuse and die."

"Who else is in your organisation?"

"You'll learn when you join us."

Sasori was silent for another long moment before his puppet moved toward him and made a show of kneeling. "In that case, it pledge my loyalty to the Akatsuki."

He nodded, despite being well aware that Sasori would never truly be loyal to them and would backstab them at the first sign of weakness.

But that was the price of doing things this way.

They'd tried doing things peacefully. And that led to their entire organisation being wiped out. With him and Konan as the only survivor. His friend dead at his own hands.

"Gather your puppet and come find me in Ame. Do not think or running." He said and turned his back in another show of dominance before he had his Deva Path leave the battlefield.

"Did you succeed?" Konan aside, standing guard beside his true body and he nodded at her.

"He pledged his loyalty to us. Now, we see what his words are worth." He said and his friend nodded, using her Fuinjutsu seals to seal up all his Paths for their return back home.

"Very well then. Let's head back to Ame."

—————

He sat on the balcony of the tallest tower of his village and stared at the metallic buildings all around him, a relic of a by gone era.

"I heard that you succeeded in gaining Sasori's allegiance." Madara's voice came from behind him and he nodded, not turning around to face the man.

Talking with Madara was always a risky prospect. Mostly because he still didn't know the man's true strength and his motives. He doubted that the man was even Madara. But regardless, he was someone to be wary of until they found a way to negate his Intangibility.

"How many Akatsuki members are there now?" Madara asked, coming to stand beside him. Or more correctly, the Deva Path he was controlling.

"Seven." He replied. Himself, Konan, Pakura, Kakuzu, Juzo Biwa, Zetsu and lastly Sasori. Eight, if they counted Madara, which he didn't.

"We need three more then." Madara said and then a black swirl formed beside him. A moment later, a body dropped out of the swirl and landed beside him. "Here's one more then."

He stared at the body, his eyes showing him the robust Chakra System of this man. And despite all the heavy injuries in his body, the man was still breathing, proof of his great vitality.

"Who is he?" He asked.

"That's Fuji Kaguya. The leader of the now destroyed Kaguya clan. An S-class shinobi, thanks to his powerful bloodline." Madara said. "Unruly though. Do not expect him to submit until you've defeated him half a dozen times. Brutally. And even then, be wary of his bloodlust and violent tendencies."

He nodded. "Anything else."

"Kiri village has been all but destroyed by Konoha."

"I'm aware of that."

"Suna has yet to take part in this war, but they're a weak village to begin with. And the other three villages are warring with each other."

"Are you going somewhere with this?" He asked.

"Our enemies are as weak and distracted as they'll ever be. It's time we begin with the plan."

He shifted his gaze to Madara and the man stared back at him. Their stare off lasted for a long moment before he got up and carried the limp form of Fuji Kaguya with him.

"Very well." He said as he left the balcony. "We'll start with the 1st tail and then move up from there."

—————

AN: In canon, Akatsuki waited that long because the 3 tails died with Yagura and took years to reform. But 3 tails is still alive in this world. All other Tailed beasts are also accounted for, plus the major villages are currently at war with each other. This is as good a chance as any for the Akatsuki to gather the Tailed Beasts.

We see things from the perspective of Onoki. How he feels about this war and how the destruction of Kiri will impact him.

Aside from that, Shisui unlocks her Mangekyo Sharingan and gains Kotoamatsukami. And Sasori joins Akatsuki after being personally defeated by Pain.

That's it for this chapter. Hope you guys enjoyed reading it.

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