Decides Who Lives And Dies
The Thunder Palace had not been constructed with receiving guests in mind. It was a magnificent space, of course, built to demanding specifications in the eastern mountains and large enough to host the Daimyo, his court, and all their attending servants, but it was residential first and foremost. Unlike the Storm Palace, it did not have an audience chamber that looked out on the surrounding mountains, nor accommodations for honored guests kept to a specific wing and guarded by elite shinobi.
Because of that embarrassing reality, when one of the Amekage visited the Thunder Palace, he was received in a large ballroom meant for dining and parties rather than negotiations.
"Send your servants away," was Nagato's first demand.
There were arguments, bickering, shouts of refusal. The Lightning Daimyo and most of his court were present, having only recently been evacuated from the Storm Palace, which meant there were a little more than thirty men and women berating Nagato. They were guarded by ten ninja as well, none of whom seemed confident in their chances. One did not become a Daimyo's Guard in the Land of Lightning through incompetence or nepotism, and they were indeed elite ninja, but word of what had happened to Kumogakure had spread far and wide by the time of Nagato's visit on May 5th. There were about seven-thousand Cloud ninja left in the world, and that the Amekage was responsible for that was not a mystery.
"Send them away now, or I'll kill you all," Nagato clarified, and for some reason that command was followed without as much dissent.
When the building was cleared, Nagato waited. He waited for about twenty minutes, letting the supreme overseers of the government of the Land of Lightning stew, and then he began asking questions.
Why had they attacked Amegakure without provocation? Why had the Lightning Daimyo bitten the hand that had fed him, assaulting Rain even though the Akatsuki had been instrumental in his rise (this question proved quite scandalous with less informed members of the court)? What did Lightning intend to do now that the Raikage was dead, Kumogakure was devastated, their Tailed Beasts had been lost, and the Cannon was out of their hands?
The answers he received were varied and desperate, the Court of Storms treating each other with less respect than crabs in a bucket as they scrambled over one another to provide explanations and excuses.
Amegakure hadn't been attacked without provocation: after all, it had been conspiring to overthrow the governments of other countries for years, having disposed of its own Daimyo after all. And even if it
had been attacked in a manner that was unsporting to say the least, the Raikage had been the one to make the decision anyway. It had been A that had taken the proposal to the Daimyo after the latter had made his displeasure with Rain clear, pointing out that a weapon of deterrence was no good if the world wasn't aware of it.
For indeed, the Cannon had always been meant to keep anyone from challenging Lightning's continued expansion into the Land of Frost. Rain had survived the weapon's test (because Rain was
always where weapons were tested, after all), and the Raikage was now dead: a new one hadn't even been picked yet, so it was all out in the wash. The guilty had been punished, and Kumogakure's near total destruction was far more than Amegakure had suffered anyway.
Now that Amegakure had proven itself so powerful, it was definitely obligated to a piece of the pie, surely. The Land of Frost needed strong new governance with its Daimyo still fled (and maybe even held hostage by the Hidden Mist) so perhaps the country could be split between Lightning and Rain, to create new buffer states and recompense Rain's suffering? There were practical matters to discuss now that the war was, obviously, over: it was time for everyone to go home and lick their wounds, and Rain wouldn't want to make enemies of the world again when Stone and Sand were clearly waiting in the wings to swoop down on the injured. The Fence Sitter and the Earth Daimyo were the real threat, having suffered nothing in this whole mess.
Nagato listened to everything that was said quietly and patiently, nodding along and moderately interjecting where appropriate as he took in the government's vision for the future. The conversation lasted more than an hour, and to many in Lightning's government seemed promising, though several members of the Court and one of the shinobi guards slipped out in the course of the proceeding after they were given a premonition by sharp instincts.
Nagato did not stop them from leaving, which only gave the rest of the Court more hope that an agreement could be reached. Lightning, after all, was one of the oldest and most successful nations in history, with nearly three-hundred years of continual governance and a divine unity mandate that had kept it intact and expanding all that time. There was no doubt that it would survive and continue onwards despite the recent trouble; despite how horrific the devastation of the Land of Frost and Kumogakure had been, they were fundamentally seen as "shinobi business," and in the past such things had always blown over.
That delusion was why so many present were shocked when Nagato stood up and dusted himself off at the conclusion of the negotiations, sighing as he picked an errant red hair from his Akatsuki garbs.
"I believe that I've heard enough," he said, drawing another round of complaints, pleas, and even insults. "I apologize for wasting your time, but I do not believe the Nation of Rain and the Land of Lightning have any future together." He looked over the whole room, and his fatalistic words left everyone present shocked to silence. "Something like this was probably inevitable, so it is only bad luck that put us in opposition. I do not believe you are inherently evil people, nor that you all deserve to die. Nonetheless, there is a scapegoat required for everything that has happened. For that, I am sorry."
Then he made a series of hand signs, and vanished. One of the Daimyo Guard recognized the Hiraishin, but all the ninja present were alive to the danger, immediately scrambling to protect the Court against an invisible threat. They began to coordinate an evacuation, demanding that the richest and mightiest in the Land of Lightning leave without even packing their baggage trains.
About forty seconds later, a shot from the Cannon struck the Thunder Palace. It had not been fired at full power, being only a single beam instead of the full eight that the weapon was capable of. The structure and the mountaintop was obliterated, instantly killing every present member of the Court of Storms and their shinobi guard.
It was a shot heard around the world, confirming that the Nation of Rain did indeed possess Lightning's weapon and knew how to use it. Within the hour, the Daimyo of the Lands of Fire, Earth, Wind, and Water would be rushed into fortified secret shelters, and every Hidden Village in the world was on high alert, scanning the skies for an apocalyptic attack. After what Rain had suffered, it only made sense for them to return it.
But instead of receiving Cannon shots, one by one the villages, even the minor ones, received ambassadors, each carrying the same demand.
Konoha was the first.
###
When Amegakure's ambassador arrived, they were escorted to the gates by a very nervous squad from the barrier quick response force, and steadily picked up more and more observers as they made their way into the village proper. By the time they made their way to the battered Hokage's tower, it seemed that half the village had come to watch; Genin and Chunin crowded around nearby rooftops, while Jonin stuck to the shadows and tried to keep younger ninja out of trouble. Someone from the Hidden Rain being in Konoha was unbelievable, especially so soon after the attack that had claimed so many lives.
The fact that it was Konan, one of the Amekage, only made it more so.
She climbed the tower and met with Minato and his advisors, including Shikaku Nara, Obito Uchiha, Homura Mitokado, and Koharu Utatane. Jiraiya the Toad Sage would later curse his absence, being away on business in Myoboku at the time. Not long into the meeting, it was interrupted by Obito's team, who had come to see Konan once more after their abrupt departure in the Land of Frost. Konan greeted them all with warmth, but was held back by the weight of the message she was there to deliver. Before long, the truth behind her visit became apparent to all.
###
"A Kage Summit?"
Obito was the one who posed the question, and Konan took it gracefully, much as she did everything else. She'd come in a simple brown uniform and flak jacket, not wearing the Akatsuki's uniform, which Naruto had picked up on right away. It was a statement, though he couldn't figure out its exact meaning right at that instant. Sakura probably could, and Sasuke too, he thought, but that was fine: he could ask them once everything was done.
They were both waiting quietly with him, content to observe the negotiation. Naruto was only half-listening; his head was still buzzing from his success yesterday, finally having made a breakthrough with Jiraiya on improving his Adamantine Rebirth. Right now, everything seemed, if not good, then
possible: the war was over for now, the Cannon was out of Cloud's hands, and Rain would surely be rational now that Nagato and Konan were in charge. They'd finally have time to sit down and figure everything out.
"Precisely," she said, staying demure and polite, nothing like the bold war leader Naruto had known just a week ago. "In two days at noon, at neutral territory in the Land of Iron: the samurai's Mountain Fort. Though unlike previous Summits, we will be inviting the minor villages as well. We were concerned that given our defensive alliances, it could be seen as favoritism, but Nagato and I hope that it will allow everyone to have a voice at the table."
"What exactly will be discussed at the Summit?" Minato said, razor focused as usual, and Konan turned her attention to him. The two of them and Shikaku were the only two sitting in the room: everyone else was standing or milling about, even the elderly Koharu and Homura, one of which was staring out the window over the village.
"Existing alliances and cease fires, first and foremost," Konan said. "The Nation struck back against the Land of Lightning; a justified retaliation, we believe, given that they fired the first shot, but we're not interested in spiraling into another series of revenge-driven wars. We wish to make it clear to the world, at once and definitively, that there will be no further destruction. That it is time to let bygones be bygones."
"That will be difficult with the threat of the Cannon present," Minato noted, and Konan folded her hands with a nod. She was building up to something.
"We are well aware. That is why we intend to destroy the Cannon, publically, at the Summit. As a promise, and a show of solidarity," she said, and Minato leaned back, showing some surprise. Naruto felt relief flood through his whole body, and looked to Sakura and Sasuke to see if they were feeling the same thing. Sasuke was nodding, looking unsurprised, but Sakura caught his glance and shook her head, a small frown twisting her lips.
That's not all there is to it, she mouthed, and Naruto frowned back. What more could there be?
"The samurai are allowing the Cannon to be brought to the Land of Iron?" Minato asked, and Konan nodded.
"They have been convinced," she said, which to Naruto sounded like they hadn't been left with much of a choice. "The Cannon was partially their responsibility, after all: it was their arms dealing that made it possible. Hosting it for a short time is the least they can do."
"You and Nagato are making a strong statement, then," Shikaku said, a finger tapping on his wheelchair. "But you said it was a show of solidarity."
"That relates to requests I've been sent here to make," Konan replied, and Naruto kicked himself. "Which I'm sure will prove difficult to stomach. I have two."
"Spit them out then," Shikaku said. "You've been dancing around something since you showed up. What are you afraid of?" As Konan looked over to him, he gave her a very Nara-looking scowl. "Not more news that Yahiko is planning to stab you in the back, I hope."
"No, he's quite handled," Konan said quietly, the words obviously painful. "Nagato and I want to use the Summit as an opportunity to shape the future of shinobi. Just as the first Kage Summit was called to distribute the Tailed Beasts and build the future of the Villages, we have before us an opportunity to create a new status quo." She straightened up, her golden eyes sweeping over everyone in the room and lingering on Naruto in particular. He blinked, tilting his head with an unspoken question, and he saw a vein of hidden grief reveal itself in her eyes for a moment before she turned back to his father.
"The first request is specific to Konoha," she clarified. "We are aware that Katasuke Tono has taken shelter in the Hidden Leaf; given the danger the Cannon presents, and his role as its designer, we would demand that he be taken to the Kage Summit and put on trial before the Villages. If necessary, executed, to ensure that no other weapons of such terror can be created."
"That's understandable," Minato said, not committing one way or another. Naruto wasn't sure how he felt about the idea of killing someone after they'd been forced to make a weapon. He didn't know anything about Katasuke, but judging by Obito's discomfort, the guy probably didn't deserve it. "And the other?"
"The second request is being given to every village," Konan said. "Any Tailed Beasts or Jinchuriki in their possession are to be taken to the Summit."
Minato didn't freeze, but he did pause, searching for the correct words. Naruto found that he couldn't breathe; there was a premonition sweeping over him like a freezing waterfall.
"Why?" Minato eventually decided on, and Konan bowed her head.
"So that the Jinchuriki can be executed, and their Tailed Beast destroyed," she said, quietly but firmly. "So that the catastrophe in the Land of Frost, and many others like it, cannot be repeated."
Minato responded with incredible speed, considering they were discussing his wife's, no, Naruto's mom's execution. "Bijuu cannot be destroyed," he said. "It's been attempted, but it's quite impossible."
"Nagato is convinced he can do it," Konan said matter of factly. "Not simply killed or permanently imprisoned. He intends to lock them into an endless cycle of reincarnation, so that they cannot fully manifest ever again. He will lay out the method at the Summit, and if the Kage all agree… carry it out."
"You can't-" Obito started to say, before Minato held up his hand. Naruto felt like he was trapped inside his own body, watching the conversation happen without any hope of interceding. He was glued to the floor, unable to believe what he was hearing. Didn't Konan understand what she was saying? How could she do this, when they were so close to everything being over?
"It would give Rain an opportunity to claim all the Bijuu for themselves, bringing them together in the same place like that," Minato said, always so calm and rational. "Which I'm sure the other villages are aware of. Do you believe anyone will accept this request?"
Konan shifted. "I'm going to speak frankly," she said, looking around the room. "I assume that's acceptable."
"Go ahead." Sakura was the one to say it, catching everyone in the room off guard. "Try to make us understand, Konan." The words sounded sincere, but Sakura's face was a parody of sincerity.
"If we wished to take the Tailed Beasts by violence," Konan said, "we would do so. This is our attempt at resolving things without further destruction."
She leaned back, and Naruto felt himself start to shake. From anger or fear, he couldn't tell. Probably both. "You could not defeat Nagato, Minato. Nor you, Obito. Perhaps the two of you working together could manage it, but I think we are all aware that what has transpired in the past month… was a prelude. We are on the cusp of a tremendous war, unlike anything seen in history."
She shook her head with a mournful expression. "Nagato made this decision while I was in Frost, and I reacted the same way at first. It
is a betrayal; it
is a hypocrisy. But even when I was denying him, I understood his logic. The Nation already possesses a plurality of Tailed Beasts: the Ichibi, the Nibi, the Nanabi, and now that we have captured Killer Bee, the Hachibi."
That caused a stir across the room; the Hachibi's location hadn't been known, as far as Naruto understood, but Nagato had gotten him. It didn't even seem worth questioning. After what they'd seen in the Land of Lightning, nothing seemed impossible for Nagato to accomplish.
"If we wished to use them purely as weapons of war," Konan continued, "it would be well within Nagato's power to do so. He was able to make one Jinchuriki: it would be simple to make more."
Naruto couldn't help but carefully watch Sakura at those words; just like he'd expected, she froze. It might have been mean, but he wished she'd cry instead. The longer she kept herself from confronting it, the worse he knew it was going to be.
Konan closed her eyes. "We could conduct a traditional war against the other villages, and likely win.
But we do not wish to. We want this to end in some sort of conclusion instead of another slaughter: we want to try
something instead of spending another decade agonizing in search of a solution. This was the way forward with the least possible deaths."
"So that's the way it is?" Obito said, practically vibrating. "You're threatening us with a full blown war unless we give up Kushina?"
"We're tired of war," Konan said. "All of us, everyone in this room. This latest one has barely begun, and we're already exhausted. I understand how personal this request is-"
"It's not a request. It's an ultimatum," Obito said, his face twitching, and Konan acquiesced.
"That's true. It's a threat. Nagato has decided that power such as the Tailed Beasts should not be in the hand of any village-"
"That's rich coming from the guy who shattered Kumogakure by himself-!"
Minato laid his hand down flat on the table, and the subtle motion was just as good at getting everyone's attention as if he'd slammed the desk in half. Naruto desperately hoped his father was going to reintroduce sanity to the situation.
"I think it's a foolish plan," he said mildly. "Hashirama's experiment wasn't a failure; until just months ago, the Bijuu kept the villages from destroying one another. If they were removed, there would be little preventing total war between the villages, as there was between the clans in the era before. Removing the Tailed Beasts and the Cannon will just give rise to other great weapons like Stone's genetic engineering, or Sand's toxins and plagues." He locked eyes with Konan, pinning her in place. "But that doesn't matter. The consequences do. The Cannon will be turned on any village that refuses to attend the Summit in good faith."
Konan nodded, Minato having somehow read her mind. She did not look ashamed, Naruto thought. If Sakura asked him to do something as insane as Nagato was asking Konan to do, would he stand by her like she was him? "And during the Summit, it will be kept loaded to prevent any interference," she confirmed. "Aimed out at the world, to attack any village that tries to stop it."
"Oh, I'm sure the samurai will love that," Shikaku said quietly.
"They won't," Konan said humorlessly. "But theirs is the only country that can be believed to be neutral now. The Nation's own strategy of allying with minor countries has backfired, in that respect."
"Konan…" Naruto finally found his voice, and the room turned to him. His father's facade cracked for just a second, and he saw his dad was just as torn to pieces as he was. Somehow, that gave him the strength to keep going, desperate to keep his emotions under control. "Can't you just… not? None of us are enemies: we've known that from the beginning. And now… I mean, what about Fuu? Can't you and Nagato just use the Cannon to keep anyone from fighting, like what Sakura talked about?"
He looked over to Sakura for support, but she shook her head.
"That's not what they want," she said, and Konan gave a sorrowful nod. "They want to keep anything like Frost from happening ever again. So long as the Cannon and the Bijuu exist, that possibility is there. It's as simple as that, right, Konan?"
"You're right, Sakura," Konan admitted. "We were there: we saw what was unleashed on Frost. Something like that cannot ever be allowed to happen again." She leaned forward. "The power of the Tailed Beasts, even when used for benevolent means, cannot be safely managed. Their power is not like a shinobi's: Frost proved that."
Sakura laughed, her tone growing more bitter.
"So Fuu has to die because she saved us?" she said, and Konan drew back.
"That's not-" she started to say, before Sakura cut her down.
"She's in a terrible place. She was raised all her life to be a weapon, and then she had that connection with the other Jinchuriki in Frost," Sakura said, eyes narrow. "She thought that what happened in Frost was her fault. It was easy to convince her she had to die, wasn't it? Did you feel proud, doing that? Or was it just another sad necessity?"
Sakura stepped forward, looking ready to leap into an attack, but somehow Konan stayed collected. Naruto couldn't believe it; she didn't even deny it.
"None of this makes me feel proud," Konan eventually said. "We are weighing a handful of lives against the safety of the world; it's an equation anyone could solve. That does not make doing so just or kind."
"If there's no justice or kindness in it, what's the point of doing it?" Sakura asked.
"Following justice hasn't led us anywhere but a mass grave," Konan snapped, finally showing some emotion. "We did everything slowly and politely, and were rewarded with the Cannon. We fought in Frost like shinobi were supposed to, keeping the conflict in a border state, and gave it an apocalypse. Every attempt at moderation has failed, and that goes for you here in the Leaf as well. I counseled Yahiko to negotiate, and that nearly resulted in
your village's destruction; the world of shinobi has proved beyond a shadow of a doubt there is no room for trust."
"Nice justification," Sakura sneered. "But I just see a bunch of individual failures that you're too cowardly to own. Do you think Jiraiya would give you the benefit of the doubt?"
Konan stood up; everyone in the room stared at her or Sakura with obvious anger. Even Minato's calmness had faded, replaced with a deep lethality. "I can see that I've worn out my welcome," she said, her tone icy, "so I will take my leave. My apologies."
"You won't see us at the Summit," Obito promised. Konan gave him a sad smile.
"Then I don't imagine I'll see you again," she said, chilling Naruto to the bone. "Farewell."
Then she left, closing the door behind her as an ANBU escort followed after her, and the room was silent. It sank over everything like a burial shroud, until finally there was no choice but to push back against it.
"Sensei," Obito said.
"Dad," Naruto said at the exact same time.
"You can't let this happen."
Minato was quiet, his hands folded before his face, his eyes closed. His breathing was under control, but his chakra was racing; fractures raced across his desk, before he stilled, fully under control.
"They are pressing on every possible weakness," Homura said quietly. "You knew this day would come, Minato."
"Don't you dare-" Obito started to say, before Shikaku grabbed his arm. He glanced back at the Jonin Commander with a snarl, but Shikaku just shook his head with a serious look.
"There's no point in dancing around it, especially if it's true," he said, his eyes flitting to Naruto. "Naruto, you can leave if you want."
"I'm not leaving," Naruto said numbly, and Sakura and Sasuke echoed him. "Not until I know what's happening."
"Okay," Shikaku said, accepting his right to be there just like that. Naruto could be grateful for that at least. "Minato, your wife being the Jinchuriki was always a complication. It's cruel to put it that way, but it's the truth. You and Kushina did an incredible job of balancing it, even raising a family, but there was always a possibility something like this could happen. From day one, it was her job to sacrifice herself for the village." He took a sharp breath. "That day could be here."
"Shikaku, I swear that I'll make you regret saying another word," Obito swore, anger boiling off him. His Sharingan was active, but Shikaku swiveled to look at him, obviously unimpressed.
"What'll you do, Obito?" he said with a bit of heat, gesturing to himself. "Put me in a wheelchair? I'm just explaining the facts of the situation."
"It's ridiculous," Obito said. "We don't have to accept this. She was right: sensei and I
can win. We'll go to Rain, we'll beat Nagato, and we'll put an end to all this."
"And who will defend the village while you are gone?" Koharu asked, and Obito paused. "Unless you believe that you can face Nagato, four Tailed Beasts,
and prevent the Cannon from destroying the village all at once."
She paused, obviously waiting for Obito's response, and continued when he didn't give one. "The situation is unprecedented; the strength of Konoha's enemies beggars belief. Not even Madara Uchiha was such a threat. Not to mention that Rain has already shown a willingness to obliterate foreign governments. The Land of Lightning is already descending into warlordism, every suppressed power bloc and ethnic dispute boiling back to the surface. If we refuse and the government of the Land of Fire is hunted down and killed, where will the world be left? The continent will descend into anarchy that will make the Warring Clans Era seem like
paradise."
Koharu finished with a grunt, obviously furious. "It may be that all we can do in this situation is buy time. Time enough for a permanent solution to Nagato to be found. If the Cannon really is destroyed, at the cost of Kushina…"
"We can't let it happen though," Naruto said, hoping his friends would back him up.
"Naruto's right," Sasuke said, giving him infinite relief. "There has to be something we can do. If we evacuate the village, maybe-"
"Rain would understand the meaning of it immediately," Homura said bitterly. "Their information network is still intact: even after the invasion, there was no great purge of spies. Evacuating would be a blatant declaration of our intent."
"So you'll give up Kushina?" Sakura said quietly, her voice freezing everyone present. Naruto understood it: in that moment, he was grateful for it. Even though he and Sakura were the same age, and had experienced so many of the same things, there was something in her words that resonated more than his. Maybe it was because she had distance, or could see things clearer than him. Whatever the reason, everyone stopped and considered when she spoke.
When no one immediately answered her, Sakura repeated the question, showing a bit of teeth. "So you will give up Kushina?" she said, turning to Homura, Koharu, Shikaku, and finally Minato. "Is that where you're going? Because it certainly seems like it."
Sakura smiled joylessly. "Is that where we've ended up? Sacrificing people to draw things out a little while longer, keep things normal? Turning back the clock to try and pretend what happened didn't? Or are you just scared?"
"Watch it," Shikaku said quietly. "We're all aware of your sympathies, Sakura."
"I have no sympathy left for anyone," Sakura said with the same quiet fierceness. "The Akatsuki obviously failed. Just like Jiraiya said, it drowned in its own self-importance." She pushed herself off the wall with a sneer. "I'm going to take a walk. Naruto, come find me when they're done."
Wait, he wanted to say. Don't leave me. I need your help.
But the words wouldn't come out, even when Sakura opened a window and jumped out, and the hole they left in his chest felt like it would eat him alive.
"Sensei, you've gotta say something," Obito said, barely distracting Naruto from the pain in his heart. "We can argue all day. You have to make a decision."
Gradually, Minato spoke.
"There's only one person who can make this choice," he said, his tone dead. "And it's not me." He pulled himself up from his desk like a man covered in leaden weights, and everyone else stood at attention as he straightened up.
"I'll leave it to Kushina," Minato said, looking at Naruto. He couldn't breath; he could see the truth in his dad's eyes.
The Hokage who had stuck by his Nindo that a shinobi was one who sacrifices was trapped by the impossible situation, unable to move forward or step back.
"She'll be the one to decide."
###
The conversation at the spiral house had fewer people. Sasuke had stayed with him, and Obito and Shikaku had come along. Koharu and Homura had retreated, perhaps sensing the danger. Naruto said cross-legged with his eyes closed, trying to control his breathing, as Obito, Shikaku, and his father explained the situation. The whole time, Sasuke had his hand on Naruto's shoulder; it was a stabilizing presence, one that he didn't know how to express his gratitude for. The fact that Sakura had just left gnawed at him. She wasn't obligated to be there, of course, but how could she just abandon him?
When they were done, his mom was silent for a while. When she eventually spoke, Naruto's heart broke.
"I mean," she said with a little laugh, "it doesn't sound like I have much of a choice."
"Kushina," Minato said, so sincere he could have bled. "You do have a choice. Say the word, and Obito and I will go to Rain right now. We'll take everyone we can spare, and we'll do everything we can to destroy the Cannon and Nagato. It will be as simple as that."
"That's really sweet, Minato," Kushina said, and Naruto finally opened his eyes. His mother didn't look scared; instead, she was beaming at everyone in the room. "But I don't think it's happening. Nagato's just too strong: not even human anymore, you know? I felt a little like that when I got Kurama's chakra working…"
"If you did that again, you could defend the village while we were gone," Obito said, quiet, desperate, sounding like he was Naruto's age and not a grown man. "You've had plenty of time. The Fox isn't-?"
"He's not cooperating," Kushina said bitterly. "He won't take that next step." She tapped her head. "He's screaming at me right now, loud enough I can barely hear you. About how I'm a hypocrite, first extending him a hand and now being happy to hand him over to someone like Nagato." She raised her voice a little, some anger leaking through. "But I made the first step! I tried! I've been talking to him every day for weeks, trying to get him to come around, but he's just an
asshole! Even now-!"
She shifted, shouting at herself. "Even now, when we've got a choice between cooperating and dying, you still won't shut the fuck up! You'd rather win the argument than live! I'm sick of it!"
Kushina shook, her beaming smile fading for a second. "So, I guess I failed. But that's alright. I've succeeded at so much that failing to change something like the Nine-Tailed Fox isn't such a big deal, especially when I made an honest try at it. So if it's my life or the village, well, like I said, I don't have much of a choice."
She looked around and noticed Naruto struggling to speak. "I think we'd all do the same, right? We'd look for a way out first, like ninja should. And you all have done that, and I'm so grateful for that. But someday, every ninja can be expected to give their life for the village. That's part of the deal, part of the Will of Fire: burning up, y'know? So if the best way to keep the village safe is to go to the Summit… I'll go."
She was asking him for permission, Naruto realized. His mom had already made her decision, and she was asking him to let her.
He grit his teeth, feeling a scream building in his chest. He tried to shut it away.
But why was he trying? This was all wrong.
He let it all out.
"I won't let you," he said, and Kushina raised an eyebrow.
"You won't let me?" she asked, obviously amused, and Naruto burst.
"It doesn't make any fucking sense!" he said, bursting to his feet and startling everyone in the room. He was carried away by a freezing tide, speaking from the heart without reservation. "That's not what the Will of Fire is! It's fighting to protect the village, protect your family, not sacrificing it! A shinobi sacrificing is a decision that only they should make! Otherwise, they're just
being sacrificed!" He saw Obito stiffen, but continued on nonetheless; nothing in the world could stop him now. "And that's what's happening here! I don't
care if you're a Jinchuriki, or if you were always expected to die: it was stupid then and it's stupid now! It was stupid with Fuu, and it's stupid with you, and with Gaara, and with everyone else that's been stuck with a damn Beast just because the villages needed an excuse to not kill each other all the damn time! The power of human sacrifice doesn't mean a fucking thing, especially
now when it's just being used to delay shit! It's not even gonna fix the fucking problem!"
He snarled, jabbing at his mother and father with enough force to hurt his shoulder. "
You'll burn your family to protect your family?!" he shouted in a rage. "It's wrong! It's not how anything should be! I won't accept it! There's another way, a better way, and
I'm going to fucking find it!"
The room was stunned into silence by his outburst, and Naruto heaved, his heart hammering in his chest as he wished that just screaming loud enough would change everything and make his parents see sense. He knew that he was being crazy, but he didn't care. In that moment, he believed that belief alone would reshape reality.
"Naruto," Kushina eventually said. She stood up and came to his side, and Naruto started shaking, seeing that her resolve hadn't been broken. She sat next to him, wrapping her arms around him, and he started hyperventilating, unable to stay in control.
"You're right," she said softly to him. "You're right, and I love you for that. But that's not the way things are. The world is not fair, and no one should have to make this choice." She drew him into her chest like a baby, and Naruto was shaking too hard to resist, to push her away. "Please understand that everything I've ever been given… my life was like a dream. You and your father, you were a good dream that I never wanted to wake up from."
She sniffed, and Naruto couldn't hold back his tears anymore. His throat felt like it was swollen; he was out of words. He started silently weeping as his mother kept speaking to him, whispering so softly that only he could hear.
"I wanted a child even though it was dangerous, for me and the village," she said. "And you've been everything I ever could have wanted, way, way more than I ever deserved. You've been smart, and kind, dedicated to your friends, filled with love; a great ninja, but more importantly a great man. I wanted to see you grow up, but what I've already got is more than I ever could have expected. You've made me so happy, and so proud, and I don't want to say goodbye to you."
She pulled him in even tighter. "
But this is the best way I can keep you safe. I know you understand that, even if you don't want to. That's a parent's first and most important job, y'know. From the second you were born, I knew I'd throw myself in front of anything to protect you. I'm not doing this because I'm a Jinchuriki; that just makes it easier for me. I'm doing it
for you."
"You can't," Naruto sobbed. "I don't want you to."
"I know," Kushina said, and she was finally too emotional to offer more than that. "I know."
She held him like that for a long time until Obito spoke, his voice thick. Naruto could barely hear them over the sound of his own breathing.
"I can't accept this, Kushina," he said, and Kushina giggled.
"I know, Obito. We already had that conversation. Is there anything else we could say?" she said, sounding far more at peace than Naruto would like.
"I've changed since that day, Kushina."
"I have too. But what I said then is still true. So if you come up with something new, feel free to let me know. If not…" She sighed, drawing Naruto into her again. "You don't have to accept it, Obito. But I hope you can, for your own sake."
His dad wasn't saying anything, Naruto noticed. He'd been quiet this entire time, sitting on the couch with an unreadable expression. Naruto had never been great at reading his father, but now, he was sure that Minato felt that this was his fault.
"Look," Kushina said, maybe noticing where Naruto's attention was going. "We've got a day and some. How about everyone take some time, and we'll meet up again for dinner, okay? I think that would be nice."
"I don't want to go," Naruto whispered, and his mother hugged him again.
"I'm asking you to. Just for a bit, okay?" she said, and he nodded, not wanting to but unable to refuse her. He dragged himself to his feet, Sasuke following him, and turned to Obito.
His sensei gave him a furious look; not angry at Naruto, but at the entire world. With a shake of his head, Obito vanished into the Kamui.
"Alright," he muttered. "I'll go."
"It's okay, Naruto," Kushina said. He turned to go, barely able to control himself. "It'll be okay, I promise.'
Naruto was too choked up to respond: he stiffly walked out of the room, Sasuke following after him. Past the threshold of the door, he stopped and pressed himself against the wall, shaking too much to walk. Sasuke stopped to help him, and they both heard Minato's voice.
"Kushina… I'm sorry. This is all-"
"Shh," Kushina said, and Naruto pushed himself away from the wall. "Wait until Naruto's gone."
For a second, he wanted to shout and turn back, but he could feel that wasn't what his mom wanted. So Naruto kept going, out the front door and into the streets of Konoha, leaving the white-noise home and its chakra-suppressing field behind.
"Naruto," Sasuke said, stopping him before he wandered into traffic. "What should we do?"
"I don't know," Naruto said listlessly, nothing seeming real. "I guess I should find Sakura. She told me."
"Okay," Sasuke said, obviously uncertain. "I'm gonna go speak with my mother; she has to know what's going on. Maybe she'll…"
He couldn't finish the sentence, and Naruto didn't want him to. If he couldn't convince his mom to live, what chance did Mikoto have? Kushina had made up her mind to die for the village; it's what she'd been raised to do from childhood. Against that, there wasn't anything any of them could do.
"Go," Naruto said, giving Sasuke permission. "We'll catch up in a bit."
Sasuke left, and Naruto found himself staring up at the sky. It was beautiful and cloudless, blue as far as the eye could see. Horribly pretty for the kind of day it was. He wished it would rain, something torrential and irresistible that would sweep everything away. He felt like he should start screaming again, but he didn't want to freak anyone out, so he stood there shaking and staring for several minutes, trying to make everything make sense again.
"Sakura," he eventually muttered. "Right."
He didn't really want to find her, not after she'd left, but there seemed to be nothing better he could do. Naruto backtracked to the Hokage Tower and began searching for her, the familiar rituals of tracking and investigating somewhat soothing to him. His brain turned off as he traced her steps, asking people if they'd seen her whenever he got lost or remembered what was happening and got too distracted to track properly.
It took him an hour, but eventually Naruto caught up with her. Sakura was somewhere neither of them had visited too often; the Memorial Stone out amidst the training grounds. She stood in front of the stone, her arms crossed, eyes tracing over the hundreds of names carved into it as Naruto approached. She acknowledged him with a flick of her eyes, and then looked back to the Stone, her face calculating.
Naruto stopped at her side, his own gaze drawn to the Stone. He knew a lot of names there, he thought. Obito's teammate, Kakashi Hatake, and his brother, Shisui. Sasuke and Choji and Ino's fathers, Hinata's mother, his dad's teammates, the Third Hokage, and hundreds and hundreds more. Kabuto, Suigetsu, and Haku weren't even on it, carved into his and Sasuke and Sakura's hearts instead.
When his mom died, wouldn't she end up on the Stone too? Would he have to come here if he wanted to talk to her?
"She decided to go, didn't she," Sakura said. It wasn't a question. Naruto's breath hitched, and he nodded.
"Figures," Sakura said, somewhere between bitter and resigned. "That's what the village trained her to do, I guess. Just like Fuu. If they met, they'd really get along." She considered. "Maybe they will, at the Summit."
"Sakura." Naruto breathed out, trying to keep himself steady. "You're not helping."
She turned to face him, her eyes warm for the first time in what seemed like weeks. "Sorry," she said, sounding sincere and looking honest. Naruto remembered the kiss they'd shared in Frost, and the memory helped drive away the freezing darkness that seemed to surround him. "I've been thinking."
"You're always thinking," Naruto said, and Sakura laughed. The sound faded as he crouched down, his arms coming up over his head as he finally succumbed to panic. "But I can't think anymore. This is all wrong."
"Yeah," Sakura said, crouching down to stay level with him. "It is."
"All this is wrong," Naruto repeated, desperate not to start crying again. If he did, he might never stop. "I don't know what to do. What should I do?"
"What do you think, Naruto?" Sakura asked, and Naruto shook his head.
"I can't let my mom die," he whispered. Sakura nodded along as he continued. "If a shinobi is one who sacrifices… if being a shinobi means sacrificing her, I don't want to be a shinobi at all."
"Yeah," Sakura said, pressing her forehead to his. She was cool, or maybe he was feverishly warm. Naruto's shaking stopped as he leaned into her, breathing out and feeling a measure of relief. "We've tried being shinobi, and it hasn't really worked out, has it?"
Naruto looked up and found her staring into his eyes from just inches away. His heart sped up as Sakura smiled. "Maybe we should try being something else, huh?"
"Sakura, what are you talking about?" he muttered, unable to pull back. Her gravity was irresistible: the more she spoke, the more passionate she grew, her words a siren call that drew him past the point of no return.
"Like I said, I've been thinking." Sakura beamed, the happiest Naruto had seen her since they'd kissed. "I'm not going to tell you it's going to be easy, or safe, or sure, Naruto. But it's going to be alright. We can save your mom. Us, and just a couple other people. We can save her and everyone else."
"What?" Naruto said, life crashing back into him. He reached out and took hold of Sakura's shoulder, the both of them nearly stumbling to the ground from his sudden energy. "What do you mean?"
"It's really simple when you think about it, Naruto," Sakura said, her breath tickling his cheek. "Everything is at the Summit: Nagato's doing that to make a statement, but we can use that." She smiled. "We'll go rogue, to keep Konoha safe. Just like old times, but for a way better reason. You, me, Sasuke, Mikoto, Obito-sensei… and Itachi. We just need to find him. Once we do, we'll have a team strong enough to oppose even the Kage… because we'll have four Mangekyo Sharingan in the same place as all the Tailed Beasts. Your mom will help us; Fuu will help us; the others won't have a choice."
Naruto was entranced as Sakura continued, not able to tell if she was going insane or not. "The Cannon will be there," she said, eyes gleaming. "All the Tailed Beasts will be there. Itachi's Shadow will be there. We'll be able to take everything we need all at once. It's that simple."
"Sakura, there's no way-"
"There is," Sakura said, quiet but firm. Naruto shut his mouth. "We've spent too long going 'That's not possible.' But Konan was right about one thing. It's time to do something decisive." She smiled, a genuine, joyful smile that Naruto couldn't turn away from.
"We'll crash the Summit. We'll take the Cannon. We'll take the Tailed Beasts. And then, it will be
us dictating terms."
Sakura stood up, dragging Naruto with her. He let himself be carried to his feet, unwilling and unable to stifle the swell of hope and sudden desperation pushing him up.
"Not Nagato and Konan. Not the other Kage. Not the Shinobi System," Sakura said, and lightning fast she planted a kiss on his lips. As Naruto blushed, his entire body tingling, she grinned.
"
Just us."
