Darkness

Zeus's lightning eagle traveled through the town, letting Zeus perfectly see and hear through the created animal. It was jutsu that utilized his immaculate chakra control and the puppeteer techniques that he had read about when he was a child. Basically, Zeus created a thin chakra thread and attached it to the animal's system, thus sharing their senses.

As the eagle continued flying through the town, Zeus saw multiple shinobi causing a ruckus beneath, searching for the intruder everywhere they could. The entire village was turned over, but Zeus cared little about it. If he felt anyone coming near his hiding spot, then Zeus could once again escape.

Considering that even Jiraiya had difficulty matching his speed, Zeus didn't think there would be people fast enough to react to his movements, unless, of course, it was the Kazekage himself. Though Zeus knew little to nothing about the man - that's why he was going to find out more about that right now.

The eagle continued its journey onwards, maneuvering through the stone buildings, undetected by any of the civilians. The eagle drew closer and closer to the Kazekage building, until finally levitating right above it. On Zeus's command, it lowered itself, circling around the building with continuous swings of its swings.

Eventually, Zeus caught a glimpse of an open window, through which he could see multiple figures standing. One of them Zeus recognized at the current Kazekage, with his distinctive red hair. Along with the person, there were multiple other figures, and most of them looked elderly. Perhaps they were the elders.

All of them were circled around a kid no older than twelve, who had a similar shade of red in his hair. Zeus didn't even have to look twice, understanding that the kid was probably Kazekage's son. However, looking at the kid, a huge frown suddenly formed on Zeus's face.

He sensed the divinity, a kind that he already could recognize. It gave off the same nasty feeling that Naruto did, only that it was much less potent and somehow twisted. Now that he considered it more intently, it was indeed different, yet very similar in its nature. The kid was, most probably, the Jinchuriki of One Tail Beast.

Did all Tailed Beasts come from the same origin then?

Looking through the eagle, Zeus saw the kid suddenly frown and storm off the office. One elder tried to stop him, but one deathly glare from the kid forced the man to stand back down. Kazekage remained unmoving throughout this whole interaction, letting the kid leave through the front door.

Zeus considered the situation from above, eventually deciding to follow the kid for now. He had more than enough time to spy on Kazekage later, especially considering that he was currently having useless conversations with his elders. If Kazekage really had any dealings with Orochimaru, they would be done in the dark. Most probably, during the night.

That's why, Zeus was going to saturate his own curiosity for now and simply follow the kid. The eagle moved according to his command, flying into another empty building, which had an open window. The eagle hovered in the air, staring toward the entrance to the Kage building.

After a few minutes, the red-haired kid walked out, and Zeus finally noticed the strange-looking tattoo on his forehead. Putting his hands into his pockets, the kid walked down the empty street, his face a constant frown.

The kid excluded such negative energy that even Zeus could feel it. Slowly but steadily, the eagle flew back out of the building, following the kid from above. The civilians, who were previously causing a ruckus due to Zeus's infiltration, immediately quieted down upon noticing the kid. Some of them even rushed back into their dwellings, clearly scared for their lives.

Zeus continued following the kid, furrowing his eyebrows. Why did they treat him like that? Was it because he was a Jinchuriki? Zeus didn't really understand the reason, and his sight darted back to the kid, who passed through populated places, eventually entering a sketchy-looking valley. There, Zeus noticed a few figures hiding in the dark, clearly scheming something hazardous for the kid.

When the kid took a step there, a few shurikens flew his way, aimed directly at his head. Surprisingly, the kid didn't move an inch despite lifting his head to face the danger, and the sand beneath him extended upwards to block the attack. Killing intent spread through the valley, as the kid's eyes twisted and his face was taken over by craziness.

The kid lifted his hand, forcing the sand beneath him to stretch outwards and latch onto the figures' limbs. Then, the kid closed his palm, causing a deafening shriek to overwhelm the city. Zeus disintegrated the eagle after seeing the kid walk even further into the darkness, clearly having more ill intentions toward the attackers.

However, Zeus deactivated the jutsu not because he was done with the information gathering, but rather because he felt a presence of a shinobi entering the house. Zeus lifted his body from the sitting position, stretching his neck, as he looked at the door right in front of him.

When it opened, Zeus had already disappeared from the spot, as he grabbed the shinobi by the head. Within a second, Zeus closed the door and kicked the woman in her stomach, forcing her to gasp for air. Then, Zeus grabbed her by the long hair, forcing her to collide with the nearest wall head-forth.

Feeling no further resistance from the woman, Zeus opened his mouth. "Don't scream or talk loudly. Otherwise, I will kill you in one smooth attack. Cooperate with me and answer my question - I will let you go."

"Fuck you." The woman growled back, forcing Zeus to once again push her head against the wall. Despite that, her face remained determined and unhinged. Though, she didn't shout, still desiring to get out of this situation alive. Perhaps she thought that Zeus would start torturing her, and she would overcome this ordeal. Little did she know that Zeus had a different plan in mind.

A lighting flute formed in Zeus's hand, and a smile overtook his face. "Let's see how you will talk now," Zeus mumbled, beginning to play the flute quietly, forcing the sound into her ears. Slowly but surely, her face twisted into something extremely horrified. Her legs sunk into the floor, while all the surroundings grew completely dark.

Hundreds of dark hands latched onto her body, pushing her further into the ground, letting her sink. She grabbed onto Zeus, for he was the only being that didn't sink through the floor. She felt the pull from the ground, as she pleaded for her life with her eyes, staring at Zeus.

An indifferent face remained on Zeus. "Answer me some questions, then I will pull you out."

"I will answer ev-everything!"

"First question. What is the name of Kazekage's son and why does everyone seem to hate him?"

"I-It's Gaara." The woman pleaded, glancing back into the darkness for an instant before continuing. "He is the Jinchuriki of One Tail. I-it is extremely difficult to control him and the beast hidden within, and he has caused a lot of d-death in the village. B-basically, everyone wants him gone, and some even try to kill him, but Kazekage remains steady-headed about Gaara's use in wars."

"Second question." Zeus barely let a second pass, registering the information. "Has Kazekage been making any deals with external forces recently? Has he been acting suspicious in any way?"

"I-I don't know!" The woman shouted, more of her body being sucked into the darkness. "I am not an important asset to this village, and I don't hold any positions here! Please just let me go!"

"Alright." Zeus let go immediately, forcing her to get sucked into the darkness.

Her scream of agony resounded throughout the vicinity, but Zeus remained standing in the same spot. He shrugged. "Why would she ask to let go? People are unpredictable sometimes."

***

Gif: Fear of Darkness

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