16 Chapter Sixteen- Dead Men Tell No Tales
Once the squad began moving again all discourse halted and the world twisted. Time seemed to move in an erratic way to the point that it turned to nightfall in a few minutes. It intrigued me greatly how odd time worked in this 'trial' or genjutsu. I still wasn't sure if I was just completely enthralled by Koshu's justu or I was really watching the past flash before my eyes.
It wasn't until the three headed monstrous ninja dog returned that time seemed to slow to a halt and return to normal. Still, I would never forget the sensation of watching time slow and accelerate in such a manner.
The ninja dog seemed young now that I had a chance to actually observe it. Brown fur along with wolf like eyes were its main features, well besides the fact that it had three separate heads.
Sakumo conversed with the hound in an odd way. The ninja dogged didn't seem to be able to communicate in human tongue but it seemed my younger sensei could discern a lot from a few barks, howls and odd charades the ninja hound went through.
"Status?" My father asked as he appeared beside him, red eyes spinning as if waiting for battle to begin at any moment.
"A single platoon numbering twenty strong, all jonin along with our target Gari. They seem to be camping under a mountain pass just off the border between Stone and Rain." Sakumo answered quickly as his hound dispersed in a cloud of smoke.
"Hm, most likely awaiting intel on the North-Westerns Armies location, or awaiting the order to strike." My father stopped as he began pondering over their target's current position. Eventually he sighed and motion Sakumo to return the hastily made campsite.
"In all reality the idea of a solid plan is pointless, we will either be walking into a minefield or be bombarded from the sky." After a few minutes my father gathered his squad and briefed them on the situation.
"Most likely both, so the plan will be rather simple" The Uchiha jonin said with a sigh as he massaged his temples in a way that brought back flashbacks. An A-rank shinobi registered as KIA in the bingo book
Toketsu Uchiha known during his time as The 'Leafs Blaze', a ninjutsu and Genjutsu specialist. The apparent leader of this suicide mission and my father.
"So what are your orders" A whimsical voice asked. My mother, Misaki Uchiha is a Jonin that didn't have a page in the bingo book. It was odd seeing my gentle mothers shinobi persona, it felt wrong in a way.
"You and Taishu will run distraction, try to get most of their attention and at best try to make them give chase." Toketsu replied in a monotone voice.
"They are the explosion corps after all, they will see a few targets and begin a full bombardment. Unnecessary but usually effective, but it will cause chaos. Well before the smoke settles Sakumo and I will make a desperate charge for Gari's neck" My father finished going over their game plan.
"I still don't understand our team formation….. It doesn't make sense" it seemed Sakumo sensei was troubled by being told to assassinate an S-rank shinobi with only a four man team. Not even to mention the fact that a chunin shouldn't even be among them on a mission of this scale.
"It's a shot in the dark." The guy that has barely spoken finally joined the conversation. He looked to be a young Akamichi if his build was anything to go by. That seemed to cause a reaction from Sakumo as his head whipped around in slight confusion, though my father and mother just nodded their heads at the chunin's deduction.
"He's right, all of us are disposable assets." My father said with a shrug as if he's had to do a mission like this before. It seemed that Sakumo sensei didn't take it well as he began shaking in rage.
"What the hell is 'The Will of Fire'? Merely a tool used by our Kage and elders to indoctrinate young shinobi. It's fucking disgusting" My younger sensei said, the fire in his eyes began dying out as he finished his rather cynical review of his shinobi training.
'Not that he was wrong but this is the shinobi world. Pretty words and promises only work on children and idiots'
"I've told you countless times kid, blindly following the village's words is for unaware children and buffoons" that phrase from my father caused me to stagger slightly at how similar our views were. Like looking at a more angry and older version of myself.
"Enough everyone, I'll take the first watch. Get some rest" my mothers kind voice broke the gloomy and resigned atmosphere. It was rather magical to watch the scowling facing turn neutral as they left to head towards their tents.
My mother left the others to go sit atop a tree that had a perfect overview of the campsite and surrounding area. I found myself sitting next to her without even realizing it.
Soon she started to hum a quiet tune that brought back a multitude of memories, a tear slipped from my eyes as my Sharingan came alive. Hoping to capture this scene until the end of time.
It had been four years since I last saw her or my father. The memories began to fade in some spots that it even became hard to remember their faces sometimes. At least now I would always remember her and my fathers face. A dusty picture could only mean so much after all.
The beautiful scene would've continued, if not for them.
I felt something shift in the air but my mother seemed unaware. My eyes rose slowly as if I was affected by whatever time manipulation this genjutsu had.
The first I saw was only about ten feet away, a white clay based creature. As my eyes continued to travel upward there were hundreds..... No, maybe even thousands of these small spider-like creatures falling from the sky at a snail's pace. Almost as if it was raining clay monstrosities.
I caught sight of something else almost hidden by the full moon's glow.
A pearl white giant raven surely made of the same material of these odd spiders.
But it was the man riding it that took my interest and my horror.
Spiked brown hair, a stone colored Jonin jacket and an Iwagakure headband sat proudly on his forehead. But his smile seemed to come from the pits of hell, while his gleeful eyes made me want to recoil at joyful cruelty they possessed.
My eyes were as wide as saucers and my face as pale as the full moon staring back at me.
"Gari of the Explosions" I whispered out as I turned back to my mother who finally noticed what I had.
Her blazing red eyes expressed her concern and it was easy to tell that she was screaming her lungs out even as time moved at a fraction of a second.
But the Sharingan was not the Byakugan. The copy wheel eye could see chakra but….. I tried to move, I begged my body to move. I even prayed to the paths to let me move in this genjutsu of slowed time.
I could see in minute details as the spider dropped to her shoulder and began to vibrate with chakra.
It was all for not, I watched in perfect clarity as my mothers head and most of her upper body was blown to smithereens. It was also a perfect time for the time slowing part of this genjutsu to kick in.
The fate of my father and the rest of my sensei's old squad was forgotten as I fell to a knee beside her corpse.
My eyes burned like hell but my tears seemed to refuse to fall. Nor did the bile in my throat ever come out, but it felt like it was always rising from the pits of my gut.
Seconds turned to minutes as I just sat there in front of her still warm corpse. It wasn't long before the explosions and sounds of battle stopped.
Then those minutes turned to hours as a group of Iwagakure shinobi joined me on the forest floor.
"Dammit Gari sir, the nicest piece of ass in a thousand miles turned into a headless corpse" An older Jonin said with an unhappy sigh as he stood with his back to me.
"What the hell are you talking about Yurasaji? She could've been the ugliest woman in the world, how could you know" a younger Jonin appeared with a lanky appearance and a shrunken face.
"Doubt it, look at that symbol on her back. An Uchiha woman, I would have ravaged her if given the chance" Yurasaji boasted as he puffed his chest, causing the rest of the shinobi to break out into boisterous laughs. All except one, the perpetrator and leader of this division.
"Enough, burn the trash and take whatever is valuable. One got away so it is unknown if reinforcements will arrive." Gari said as it seemed a large scowl replaced the borderline insane smile he wore at the start of his assault.
It was after that cold order and uncaring assessment that I finally broke for the first time in my life.
As if a demon possessed me I moved like the wind, my great grandfather's sword appeared in my hand as I decapitated Gari in a single deft motion. My satisfaction lasted for mere moments as I realized it didn't end.
"Really sir? How could a lone shinobi escape your signature bombardment?" The lanky shinobi asked as I stabbed him in the chest, but he merely looked through with a curious tilt of an eyebrow.
"Another Uchiha managed to distract me and hold me off long enough for a white haired kid to reverse summon himself." Gari said as he spat on the ground at the unfortunate scenario. If I was more sane I would've noticed that one of his arms was turned into a near charcoal color.
"FUCKING DIE!" I screamed in rages as snot and tears pushed through as I tried my damndest to secure a killing blow on all of them.
It was all for not, no matter what I did they continued about their business as they threw two other corpses atop my mothers.
"Don't touch them you Stone bastards!" I attacked again and again. But it didn't matter, I collapsed to my knees in front of the flame that was created from my parents' corpses.
I swore that no matter what it would cost me, I'd be the one to dismantle the explosion corpse.
As if goaded on by my desire for revenge my eyes would undergo a change. A tomoe split and turned to two, a fully matured Sharingan was the morbid reward for watching this.
"Listen sweetheart, don't rush to unlock your eyes." My mothers burning corpse rose from the fire as her head somehow rematerialized. I would've been shocked or even disgusted by the sight at any other point but I merely tilted my head upward and listened with a lifeless expression.
"Power comes at a cost, every time you open your eyes you'll have to pay that cost." Her single warning she told me as a child was replayed but this time it had a sick undertone that caused me to shake with rage. At the world, at Iwagakure and even myself for choosing to become a slave to save my life in this shit hole of a world.
