The Hokage had received news that the 4th Raikage wished to meet in person to discuss a peace proposal. Hiruzen sat in his office after he had read the scroll, making his mind up and coming to a decision.
"Very well Itachi, have word sent to the Raikage that I will meet with him." The Hokage said, taking a large puff on his pipe.
"Very well sir," Itachi said, nodding his head.
The Hokage also had an important decision to make as to who he would take as his aid. The summons had been very specific on how many men to bring from each side in order for the meeting to go ahead.
After all, taking too many men would be perceived as a potential threat, and taking too little could leave oneself open to assassination.
"Itachi..." The Hokage said before he walked out of the room, causing Itachi to turn around and look his leader in the eye.
"I want you to come with me to the meeting with the Raikage," Hiruzen said, taking Itachi by surprise.
"Me? But sir." He started.
"No buts Itachi, you will join me, unless you don't want to," Hiruzen said with a smile on his face.
Itachi gave in and also smiled.
"Very well, sir." He said nodding his head in respect.
Hiruzen watched as Itachi dismissed himself, knowing he would have to choose another to bring with him to the meeting, already having a candidate in mind.
With that Itachi headed home, signing off duty so he could prepare for his new mission as one of the Hokage's aids.
Itachi walked through the village before getting to the Uchiha district, located on the outskirts. He watched the hustle of everyone there, each of them going about their business before waving to Itachi as he walked past them, heading towards his home.
"Big brother, big brother!" A voice said coming from behind him.
Itachi turned around to see his younger brother Sasuke running over to him with a happy expression.
"You're home early!" Sasuke said, running alongside his brother to greet him.
"Ah, Sasuke," Itachi said returning his smile.
"Yes, I finished early today." He also said, seeing the scuff marks on his brother's clothing.
"How was your day at the academy?" Itachi then asked.
"It was great! First, we had shuriken practice, then we did Taijutsu!" He said, pointing his thumb at himself.
"Of course, I won, nobody can beat me!" He said acting cocky.
"Is that right," Itachi said with a smile, proud of his younger brother.
The two turned the last corner that led them towards their house, seeing a group of the Uchiha police standing with none other than the head of the Uchiha clan and their father.
Itachi didn't catch what they were talking about but could tell whatever it was, they didn't want him to hear about it.
"Ah, Itachi, welcome home," Fugaku said, greeting his son.
"Father!" Sasuke said, flashing his father a smile as he ran over to him.
"And Sasuke too, my what a surprise." He said, looking at the others.
"We shall finish this conversation another day, for now, I have something to talk about with my son," Fugaku said, dismissing the others.
Itachi could tell that there was still unrest among the Uchiha clan. He had hoped that with the death of Danzo and the talks of peace between the Hokage and his father, the unrest would settle, but he knew better than to believe in such trivial things as hope.
"Come Itachi, we need to talk," Fugaku said, turning on his heel.
Itachi nodded and started to follow, seeing the look on his brother's face as he did.
"Don't worry Sasuke, we can talk later." He said, poking his brother on the forehead as he usually did, getting a smile from the boy.
Itachi walked into his father's office, taking a seat by the table and waiting to see what his father had to say.
"I'm sure you are already aware Itachi..." Fugaku started, taking a seat before he continued.
"But the unrest among our clan is still growing," Fugaku said, looking into his son's eyes.
Itachi chose to remain silent and waited for his father to continue.
"I know you will be escorting the Hokage on his trip to meet with the Raikage," Fugaku said, taking Itachi by surprise that he already knew that information.
And it had been decided by the clan that the time to strike is upon us." Fukagu said.
"Strike?" Itachi asked.
"With Danzo dead and the village torn and between another war with the other nations. We feel that the time has come for the Uchiha to take our seat at the village's head and lead a new path towards our future." Fugaku said, seeing that Itachi hadn't given him any signs or signals yet.
"Don't say it, father..." Itachi said after a moment of silence, causing Fugaku to give him a stern look.
"It's out of my hands now Itachi," Fugaku said, seeing where his son stood in this.
"It has already been decided by the clan," Fugaku said.
"You are the head of the Uchiha clan, surely you can convince them that this is not the right path for the village," Itachi said, trying to reason with his father.
Fugaku sighed as he scratched his head.
"You don't seem to understand the position we are in... I have done everything I can to hold them back, but now. With or without me, the men are going to act. It's either this... Or it's a civil war between the leaf and the Uchiha." Fugaku said.
Itachi could tell that this was not what his father wanted. But he could also tell that he stood with the clan rather than with the village.
"You are the only one who can get close enough to the Hokage to get the job done without this backfiring on us," Fugaku said, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Once he is out of the way, I will step in as the fifth Hokage, and pave a new path for our clan and for our village!" Fugaku said, seeming to have a new ambition burning within his eyes.
Itachi was shocked that it had come to this, and in honesty, he did not know where he stood.
Fugaku could see that he was struggling within himself as to what to do and decided to share his ideas with him.
"Itachi, allow me to show you the future of what could come," Fugaku said, activating his Mangekyou Sharingan and placing Itachi in his genjutsu, taking his son by surprise.
Itachi saw the sudden flash of red in his father's eyes as they changed their pattern, eclipsing him under his genjutsu and showing him both paths they could take.
Itachi watched as the first one fell underway with the Uchiha capturing Naruto and unleashing the nine tails under Fugaku's control with his Sharingan, using the power of the beast to take control of the whole village by force, starting a war which would result in the destruction of the village, leaving them open to invasion from the other nations.
"No... Itachi said as he watched the village he loved burn to the ground, unable to stop it.
"I told you. It doesn't have to be like this." His father's voice said again, showing him the other option.
Itachi watched as he killed the 3rd Hokage from a distance, watching the effects that his death would have upon the village and its people as his father took up the position as the new Hokage, bringing a brighter future to both the clan and the village by uniting them both under his rule.
The genjutsu ended as quick as it had started and Itachi dropped forwards, feeling his heart racing from what he had just witnessed.
"When did you gain the mangekyou Sharingan..." Itachi asked slowly, not looking up from the ground.
"I unlocked this power during the 3rd shinobi war... After I failed to save my clan members and people, I called my friends." Fugaku said, remembering the moment with a heavy heart.
"You have seen for yourself what can be... Now you must choose the future that will best fit your path." Fugaku said, keeping his arms crossed.
"My path?" Itachi asked, looking at his father again, suddenly realising what his father was hinting at.
"You knew... You knew all along what Danzo was planning. What I was willing to do." Itachi said in surprise.
"I did... But that time has passed us, and I will no longer allow that future to come to pass." Fugaku said, almost as a warning to Itachi.
Itachi knew that if his father possessed the mangekyou Sharingan, he was no longer a match for him.
"Don't fight me, Itachi. I want you by my side to help protect our village." Fugaku then said, lowering his head to his son, something that Itachi had never thought he would see.
"Together we can build upon what the past Hokage have created and put their mistakes behind us as we work together to create an even greater village," Fugaku said, begging his son to help him achieve his goals.
Itachi was shocked and didn't know what to say. After seeing his options and knowing that his father was prepared to fight to achieve them, he knew there was no hope in stopping him now. Leaving him with only one choice to secure a future for the village.
The next day came quickly for Itachi, a little too quickly given that he had failed to sleep for most of the night thinking about what he should do.
Itachi had thought about speaking to Shisui about what his father was planning, however, he was on a mission for the Hokage and out of reach, leaving Itachi to make this decision alone.
With that all done, Itachi reported to the Hokage's estate, where they would begin their journey to the meeting point with the Raikage.
"Good morning, Itachi." Hurizen said, greeting the young Uchiha as he titled his Hokage's hat towards him.
"Good morning, sir." Itachi said, greeting him back with a bow.
Itachi also noticed another standing with the Hokage, seeing that it was the commander of all of the Anbu under the Hokage.
He was wearing his white cloak and black trousers with bandages tied around his right leg, arm guards, gloves and black sandals. He also has brown, spiky, hair and wears a mask with a dog motif inclusive of pointed ears, detailed eyebrows and three, thick stripes with two along either side of his cheek and one on his forehead.
He nodded to Itachi and Itachi nodded to him back, knowing that if the Hokage was bringing him along, then he was serious about having skilled shinobi by his side during the meeting with the Raikage.
"Very well then, if you are both ready, shall we make a move?" Hurizen said as he lit his pipe with a match.
"Yes sir." The head of the Anbu said, following a long before he looked over at Itachi.
"I shouldn't need to tell you but keep your guard up at all times." He spoke.
"Yes sir," Itachi said, nodding to his commander.
To be at the top head of the Anbu was a top-secret position that even Itachi didn't know the name of the person in charge. He reported only to the Hokage and elders himself and no one else knew him. He also had overall authority in regard to anything if the Hokage was not able to make a decision, meaning that he was indeed a powerful member of the village, meaning he was equally powerful in his own right, holding much influence in the ideals of the village.
With that the three of them left the village, keeping out of sight until they got onto the main road. That way the villagers wouldn't have to worry about knowing that the Hokage himself was leaving, meaning there would be panic over the situation.
After all the meeting with the Raikage was top secret, and a need to know that only the top brass of the village knew about.
The meeting itself was set to take place on the border of the land of frost, a neutral nation that sat between the land of lightning and the land of fire. Making it the perfect place for the meeting, as it was equal for each party to travel to.
The three of them made their way towards the meeting, heading there at a steady pace as they had plenty of time before the meeting.
For the most part, they travelled in silence, with the Hokage simply humming a small tune as he smoked his pipe, seeming to be at ease as he enjoyed the journey.
Itachi was keeping his senses sharp and alert so that nothing would take them by surprise, as was the Anbu commander who also kept a close eye on Itachi, something that he could feel him doing.
Itachi had hoped that he would be able to have a conversation with the Hokage, perhaps telling him about his father's plan to overthrow him and take control of the village by force if he needed to. But he didn't see the time to do such a thing at the moment.
He was also sure that if the Anbu commander got wind of this plan, then there would be a full-scale war between the Uchiha and the village. Itachi knew that he would have to handle this situation carefully and had decided that he would speak to the Hokage after the meeting with the Rakage, knowing that he would know what to do.
"Is something on your mind, Itachi?" Hiruzen suddenly asked, taking Itachi off guard for a moment, as if he had read his mind.
"No, sir," Itachi said after a small pause, trying to contain his thoughts so that his answer didn't give anything away.
"Very good," Hiruzen said, taking another puff on his pipe.
However, the Hokage was no fool and could indeed tell that there was something weighing heavily on the boy's mind.
"Sir, we are almost at the meeting point." The Anbu commander said, noting that they had arrived at the border of the land of hot water, about to cross into the land of frost.
"Yes, it would seem so," Hiruzen said, noting that the weather had gotten much colder as they continued on their journey.
"I know the leader of the village hidden in the frost agreed to this meeting to take place in their land but keep your guard up." The Anbu commander said, knowing that even though they were only a small shinobi village, they could still try something.
"Now, now. I don't think we have anything to worry about from our friends here in the land of frost." The Hokage said, chuckling to himself.
Both Itachi and the Anbu commander remained quiet as they continued to scout the area, seeing that there was no sign of anyone watching them.
"Come now, let us press on to the final part of our journey," Hiruzen said, seeming to speed up a little, getting both of them to do the same, following his lead.
Soon enough the three of them arrived at a large mountain that would be the setting for their meeting place. The mountain was covered in snow and ice, seeming to take on the appearance of a large dragon's head.
"What is this place?" Itachi asked, having never seen it before.
"This is dragon fang mountain," Hurizen said, keeping his hands wrapped behind his back as the cold air blew from the top of the mountain.
Suddenly, Itachi and the Anbu commander put up their guard as they sensed someone approaching, seeing that it was a ninja from the hidden cloud.
"Greetings, lord Hokage." He said, getting a nod from the Hokage.
"Please, lord Raikage has sent me to fetch you, if you would be so kind as to follow me." He then said, extending his arm for them to follow him.
The Hokage did so without question, seeming a little too trusting for Itachi's liking.
The three of them soon arrived at a large opening that looked like the mouth of a dragon. The outside of the cave was decorated with the flag bearing the markings for the hidden cloud and leaf, set up to be suitable for the two Kage to meet.
Itachi could see two other cloud shinobi standing outside of the cave. One being Darui and the other being what looked like a member of the hidden clouds Anbu.
"Greetings lord Hokage," Darui said, rubbing his head as he walked over towards them.
"Lord Raikage is inside the cave waiting for you." He then said, turning around as he took a step inside of the dragon's mouth.
The Hokage nodded and followed him inside, turning to Itachi and the Anbu commander before he did.
"Please, Itachi, come with me," Hiruzen said, surprising Itachi that he chose him to follow inside.
The Anbu commander nodded and waited outside of the cave, knowing that only other was allowed to enter the cave with the Hokage as per the agreement between the two Kage, and remained outside with the cloud Anbu member.
Hurizen walked into the cave to see that seating had been arranged and that the Raikage was already sitting waiting for him to arrive.
"Lord Raikage, it's a pleasure to see you again," Hurizen said, greeting him.
"Ah... Lord Hokage." A said as he stood up from his seat, also greeting Hiruzen as he waited for him to sit down.
Itachi had never seen the Raikage before and couldn't help noticing how strong he looked, as well as sensing his huge chakra.
"I do apologise if you have been waiting long lord Raikage," Hiruzen said, making conversation.
"Not at all." A said, looking at Huirzen and then at Itachi.
"Shall we move on to business then?" The Raikage suddenly said, giving Hurizen the sense that he didn't want to waste time.
"Very well, let us talk peace," Hurizen said, feeling a sudden seriousness form in the atmosphere.
"Yes, peace." The Raikage said as he slowly leaned forwards, interlocking his hands with a serious look forming on his face.
"I have taken a step back during this war so far, feeling as if my nation has no need for the petty squabbing that brought this all about." The Raikage started.
"However, after witnessing the combined strength between the leaf and the mist, I can no longer stand by and wait for you to eclipse us in power. That is why I summoned you here to meet with me lord Hokage."
"What is it you are asking, Raikage?" Hurizen asked, not liking where he was going with this.
"I am demanding that you break off your alliance with the Mizukage." A said, leaning back into his chair as he watched the Hokage carefully.
"And why would I want to do that?" The Hokage asked, already knowing the answer.
"If you do not, I will not sit by and wait for you both to grow in power. Your alliance has already thrown the power balance in our world off, and it is time to be set straight."
Hurizen sighed and slowly reached for his pipe, causing Daui's eye to flinch a little before he realised it was just a smoking pipe.
"This is not something I wanted to hear today," Hiruzen said, lighting the pipe and taking a puff.
"Hear I thought I had travelled all this way to barter peace between our two nations, yet instead you stand before me with only threats."
"I take it if I am to say no, then that would mean you will be joining the war against myself and the Mizukage?" Hiruzen asked.
"That's right." A said, not backing down.
Hiruzen blew out a large puff of smoke giving a large sigh as he weighed up his options.
"Sometimes the toughest decisions bring server consequences, yet although the easier option may seem presentable in those situations, that does not mean it is the right one," Hiruzen said, seeming to tug at Itachi as he said them.
"That is something that even in my old age I am still learning." Hiruzen said, looking the Raikage in the eye.
"I am afraid that the alliance between the leaf and the mist will stand. We will not back down to your threats." Hiruzen said, getting an angry glare from the Raikage.
"Do you really think that the Mizukage will honour your alliance as you have, to risk war and death upon your people for another who could betray you on a whim!" The Raikage shouted, growing more enraged that Hiruzen was not budging.
"I can see you are a man of action, just as your father was before you lord Raikage. However, my alliance with the Mizukage means more to me and my village than to let others try to bully us away from our goals for peace, even if that means we risk your wrath." Hiruzen said, feeling the Raikage getting angrier.
"Do not forget Raikage, that it was your nation that caused so much bloodshed for my own. You and your father before you have made many efforts to indulge in war with the leaf, and I can see no reason now as to why you would want peace at all."
"The Mizukage! That bastard! If you will not accept my terms, then you shall see my wrath and you will have war!" A yelled as he suddenly slammed his fist into the table that sat between the two Kage, breaking it in two with ease.
Itachi didn't like the situation and had already activated his sharingan, seeing that Darui was also reaching for his sword.
Hiruzen slowly stood to his feet, looking down at the Raikage as he blew another puff of smoke from his mouth.
"You disappoint me lord Raikage. I had hoped for a better outcome to this meeting other than you making one-sided demands."
A's eyebrow suddenly lifted as his face flashed with anger and his chakra suddenly burst to life.
"To hell with the armistices! I will end this now!" The Raikage yelled, allowing his anger to get the better of him as he burst into life, jumping across the room as he went to attack the Hokage, causing both Itachi and Darui to react.
Hiruzen had, had a bad feeling that this would happen from the start and was already prepared as he clicked his teeth together, creating a spark that suddenly ignited the smoke in the air.
"Burning ash jutsu!" He said, watching as the smoke exploded in a burst of flames, forcing both the Raikage and Darui to jump back to avoid being caught in the jutsu.
"AHHH! Kill the Hokage and don't let him escape!" The Raikage yelled, causing Darui to sigh, knowing that it would come to this.
"If you say so, boss."
"Itachi, this will not be an easy battle, in the event of my death, you must escape and report back to the village, your strength will be needed in what is to come," Hiruzen said as he suddenly pulled his Kage robes off revealing his battle attire underneath.
The explosion shook the cave from the outside, giving both of the Anbu that were waiting a bad feeling as they looked at each other, knowing what it meant.
Without a word of warning the cloud Anbu suddenly charged at the lead Anbu commander, attacking with a kunai in each hand aiming for his vitals.
"Darn it! What the hell is going on!" The Leaf Anbu commander thought as he blocked the attacks, quickly countering with his own as he pulled a sword from his back to block the barrage of kunai.
"You Hokage have always acted high and mighty compared to the other Kage! I will show you the might of the Raikage! And finish you off for good!" A said as he pulled his white robe off and suddenly allowed his lightning chakra cloak to flare to life, sending his chakra levels through the roof.
Hiruzen knew all about his lightning chakra cloak as he had witnessed it first-hand from the 3rd Raikage, knowing that he was going to be in for the fight of his life.
"I have no choice, summoning jutsu!" Hiruzen said as he quickly made the hand signs and placed his hand onto the ground, summoning monkey king Enma into the battle.
"Quickly Enma! Adamantine Staff!" Hiruzen shouted, showing that he was indeed desperate to stop the Raikage's advance.
Itachi watched the Raikage with his sharingan but lost track of him in an instant as he disappeared, moving too fast for him to see.
"How did he?" Itachi asked, watching as he reappeared slamming a powerful punch into a square prison of Adamantine Staff's that the Hokage had created around himself so that A couldn't get to him.
"Just in time!" The Hokage said as he quickly made more hand signs.
"AHHH This won't stop me!" The Raikage said as he struck the ground, causing the very earth below them to shatter with lightning chakra, sending both the Hokage and Itachi flying with the debris.
"You could have said you were fighting against the Raikage Hiruzen!" Enma said as his eyes opened from a part of the staff, taking a look around the battlefeild.
Hiruzen had finished his hand signs and slapped his hands together before he landed on the ground.
"Earth style, great mud river!" Hiruzen yelled as the entire floor of the cave turned into a raging mud river in a matter of seconds, threatening to flood the entire cave as it rushed towards the Raikage and Darui.
"Well, I didn't have time to explain!" Hiruzen then said back to Enma who was watching what was going on from his staff transformation.
"Darui, you deal with the Uchiha." A said as he watched the mud river rage towards them both.
"Yeah, I got it," Darui said, quickly making his own hand signs before A disappeared in a burst of speed, leaving only a flashing of lightning behind him.
"Now, fire style, dragon flame bullet!" Hiruzen said as he shot out a barrage of flame bombs into the mud, causing it to set on fire and create a huge explosion that covered the whole area of the cave, leaving no gaps and nowhere to hide.
"Water style, water wall!" Darui shouted as he expelled a large amount of water from his mouth to protect himself from the explosion that came his way, leffectivly wrapping himself in a huge water bubble to stop the explosion and mud river that mixed into the water turning it brown.
"That should keep them busy! Quickly Itachi, get out of this cave!" Hiruzen said, watching as Itachi's face turned into shock as he saw the Raikage appear behind him with his fist pulled back ready to strike.
"Lightning punch!" The Raikage yelled as he let his first rip, hitting right through Hiruzen's body with a powerful punch that boomed like thunder.
However, the Hokage's body turned into a pile of mud, showing that he had used a substitution.
Itachi followed suit and made a break for it, heading towards what was left of the exit of the cave, knowing he would have to get clear of their fight for the time being.
"Where are you going!" Darui suddenly said as a large burst of water blocked Itachi's escape, picking him off of his feet with the force of its current.
"Lightning style, wave of inspiration." Darui then said as he allowed his lighting style to flow into the water, creating a strong combined jutsu than zapped Itachi with a powerful force while the water crushed him.
However, Itachi's body burst into white smoke, causing Darui to panic a little as he was sure he had trapped him.
"Darn it, a shadow clone!" He said knowing his guard would have to be up.
Suddenly four blasts of water burst from the ground in the shape of drills, pulling Darui into his own water style that had flooded part of the cave.
"What the!" Darui said as he became submerged in the water, trying to fight the jutsu before he was able to let loose a small burst of lightning-style chakra that freed him from the grip of the water, however, in doing so had shocked himself at the same time.
Darui pulled himself back onto the water, taking a breath of fresh air before he stood onto the water and drew his sword, blocking a sudden attack from Itachi as he tried to clear the muddy water from his eyes.
Darui looked into Itachi's eyes, seeing the red tint in them before he was pushed back by him, quickly wiping his brow with his sleeve.
"Damn this guy, he's only a kid and he's already this strong." He thought, gaining his balance back before he raised his sword and clapped his hands together.
"Storm style, laser circus!" He said, allowing what looked like beams of concentrated light to form and rush towards Itachi.
"There is no getting away from this jutsu!" Darui said with a smile on his face, watching as the light beams were about to make contact with Itachi.
"You may want to rethink that attack before it's too late." Itachi's voice suddenly said inside Darui's mind, causing him to realise he was inside a genjutsu.
"No way!" He said before his own jutsu blasted into him, bursting off of his body as they exploded one at a time and sent him flying to the ground with a hard crash as his body smoked from the burns on his skin.
Itachi stood on the water as he watched his handy work before he heard another explosion come from further inside of the cave, knowing that he needed to try and help the Hokage.
Hiruzen was currently trying to fight the Raikage, however, his speed was simply too much, and he was being forced to defend himself more than attack, knowing that if the Raikage could land a direct blow he would be done for.
Hiruzen flipped over another of A's attacks, narrowly avoiding the punch before the Raikage vanished again, forcing Hiruzen to use a combination of Enma and shadow clones to form the Adamantine prison around him to stop the Raikage from being able to reach him with one of his strikes.
"You really think this cage can protect you!" A yelled as he grabbed one of the bars and tried to break it away with brute force, letting his chakra flare to life.
However, Enma himself suddenly grew from part of the staff and grabbed the Raikage around his waist and back, putting him in a full nelson and holding him still.
"Now Hiruzen, finish him!" Enma shouted, holding the Raikage tight as he tried to break free of the monkeys grip.
The rest of the staffs burst into smoke as they turned into giant shuriken that surrounded the Hokage while he quickly made the hand signs causing them to start turning at a rapid rate.
"Your lighting cloak is impressive indeed Raikage, but if you cannot move, you will be unable to dodge this attack!" Hiruzen said as he embodied the giant shuriken wind-style chakra, knowing that lightning style was weak to wind.
"AGHHHRGHH!!!" A roared as he let his chakra explode, causing Enma to almost lose his grip around him, knowing he would not be able to hold onto him for long.
"Quickly Hiruzen, I can't hold him for long!" He roared, doing his best to not let go.
"GO!" Hiruzen said as he threw the giant shuriken, watching as they whistled through the air with the razor-sharp boost of the wind-style chakra, cutting through anything in their path as they headed towards the Raikage.
"I don't think so!!!" A roared as he suddenly burst full of power, letting his lightning-style chakra cloak burst even larger, allowing him to even break free of Enma's powerful grip, forcing him back and allowing him to charge forwards.
"AARGGHHHH!!!" The Raikage bellowed as he hit the wind-style shuriken head-on, shattering them one after the other to prove that his strength was beyond what the Hokage would be able to handle.
"LARIAT!!!" A roared as he smashed the last shuriken and extened his arm, moving so fast that Hiruzen couldn't even track him with his eyes.
Hiruzen was shocked that even his wind-style jutsu had failed to stop the Raikage, remembering the insane durability that his father also had while in this state.
Hiruzen was called the professor... A god of shinobi, master of over 1000 jutsu and all of the jutsu within the hidden leaf. He had lived through not three but four wars now and served as the Hokage through three of them.
But even with all of those titles and jutsu, he knew that in his old age he was no longer a match for someone like the Raikage.
"There is only one way to end this... It has to be that jutsu." Hiruzen said as he quickly snapped his eyes open, dropping to the ground and avoiding the Raikages final attack, causing him to crash into the cave wall and burst out into the blizzard outside.
"Enma quickly!" Hiruzen said, quickly grabbing his staff as Enma jumped to his side.
"How are we going to deal with this guy Hiruzen? He is way too powerful and fast." Enma said, trying to sense if the Raikage was coming back.
Meanwhile...
Itachi had been successful in defeating Dauri, leaving him injured on the ground after he had hit himself with his own jutsu.
Itachi had done as the Hokage had told him, quickly making him way out of the cave to see the Anbu commander struggling in his battle with the cloud Anbu.
Itachi could see that he still had the element of surprise, and pulled out a handful of kunai, throwing them into the air before he jumped into action.
"Fire style, scarlet claw!" He said, throwing more shuriken that he art on fire towards the Anbu member.
The leaf Anbu commander blocked another assault and ducked under a swift kick, doing his beat to get clear so he could use ninjutsu, however, his opponent was quick, and clearly more suited to close combat wanting to keep the fight in his lane.
Suddenly the fire shuriken caught Anbus's attention, causing him to take his focus off of the lead Anbu and jump high into the air to avoid them.
However, Itachi had already seen this outcome, planning ahead for it with the kunai he had thrown into the air colliding off one another to delay their trajectory and hit the Anbu as he jumped into the air at the perfect time, giving him no time to block the attack.
"Argh!" He yelled, being stuck by two of the throwing knives that he couldn't avoid and falling to the ground.
The leaf Anbu commander was impressed and quickly took advantage of the situation and finished off the cloud Anbu member, leaving his corpse lying on the ground.
"Where is lord Hokage?" The commander quickly asked, seeing that Itachi was standing with him and had escaped the cave.
"He is inside fighting against the Raikage, he told me to get out of the way," Itachi said.
The commander nodded.
"That sounds like the Hokage." The commander said before an explosion that shook the mountain caught their attention.
"A battle between two Kage level fighters... I'm not surprised lord Hokage told you to get out of the way... But we need to find a way to help if we can." He spoke.
Itachi agreed, looking over to where the explosion had come from.
"Dealing with someone like the Raikage is beyond our ability," Itachi said, already knowing he didn't have any other way than genjutsu to stop the hulking man, but given his speed, he was struggling to come up with a way to trap him, having never seen anyone move so fast before.
Hiruzen was still standing in the cave, watching as the cold air from outside blew in thanks to the hole the Raikage had smashed through the cave wall.
"This whole place is unstable; we need to get out of here," Enma said, feeling that the cave was about to collapse around them.
However, Hiruzen knew that fighting the Raikage in the open would be much more difficult than in a cave where he could make use of the environment.
"Alright, let's move." He then said, coming up with an idea as he dashed towards the exit and avoided the cave-in as the mountain tried to swallow him whole.
As soon as Hiruzen jumped out onto the mountain, the Raikage was on him, having been waiting for him to come out from the cover of the cave, allowing him to attack him at full force.
"You're mine now Hokage!" A shouted, gripping the Hokage by his neck before he lifted him into the air and choke slammed him to the ground.
Hiruzen was slammed into the ground hard, knowing that he would not be able to overpower the Raikage with taijutsu as he was pinned into the ground by his neck.
"Don't count me out just yet!" Hiruzen yelled, quickly kicking his legs up around the Raikages arm, locking them in place as he attempted to snap the Raikages elbow joint.
However, A's muscles were far too strong for the Hokage to break his arm, simply holding him in place with pure strength.
"Did you think that would work on me!" A yelled, lifting his arm into the air with Hiruzen still wrapped around it, smashing him into the ground again.
But this time, the Hokages body burst into smoke, transforming into Enma, who growled with a sinister smirk on his face.
"How about me, am I strong enough!" Emma roared, suddenly gripping the Raikage with his claws as he pulled down on his arm, breaking the joint at the elbow and holding the Raikage in place.
"Aargghhh!" The Raikage yelled, doing his best to control the pain as his eyes glared at the monkey king.
"Why you!" A yelled, lifting his other arm into a knife hand position, letting it become enhanced with lighting-style chakra, clearly planning on killing Enma in one blow.
"Hiruzen, Hurry up!" Enma yelled, knowing he would have to release the summoning contract in order to avoid the Raikages blow.
"I'm on it!" Hiruzen shouted, forming a handsign to create shadow clones around the Raikage in the shape of a pentagon.
The Raikage watched confused as to what the Hokage was planning on doing, still fighting with Enma who held him in place.
"Now Enma!" Hiruzen said, watching as Enma burst into smoke taking the Rikage off guard as he turned into an unbreakable adamatine staff prison around him, trapping the Raikage inside.
"Do you really think this jutsu will hold me?" The Raikage said, growing angry that the Hokage continued to underestimate him.
"On the contrary lord Raikage, the fact I am forced to use this technique is a testament to your strength!"
"Now, five style massive combo jutsu!" Hiruzen said as he and his shadow clones all formed different hand signs, each of them building up a large amount of chakra to create a powerful A rank jutsu in the form of each element, something unseen by almost all shinobi.
The Raikage knew his lighting chakra cloak offered him great defensive ability, however, he also knew that a combined jutsu that used all five elements of chakra nature would be no joke and didn't want to risk it.
Quickly concentrating all of his power into his good arm, A burst forwards at lightspeed, smashing into the wall of staffs that trapped him.
All of the jutsu that the Hokage used collided with one another, bursting into a high tornado of light that became engulfed by flames.
Both Itachi and the Anbu commander watched from the distance, amazed at the combination of jutsu, knowing how amazing it was to see all five chakra natures be used with such mastery.
"Amazing..." Itachi said as he watched with his Sharingan, knowing even with his eyes he would not be able to copy such a level of jutsu.
Hiruzen watched as the dust settled, knowing that everything other than Enma should have been turned to dust thanks to that jutsu, only having survived thanks to having a density equal to that of diamonds.
However, the Raikage was nowhere to be seen, leaving Hiruzen stunned as he tried to catch his breath for expelling such a large amount of chakra.
"Lord Hokage, look out!' Itachi shouted, catching movement with his Sharingan.
Hiruzen only noticed the hole in his staff prison at the last second, watching as Enma transformed back into his form, badly injured with his arm extended, trying to warn the Hokage.
"ARGHH! Liger bomb!" The Raikage roared, appearing behind Hiruzen, having figured out which was the real one.
Hiruzen was taken by complete surprise as the Raikage picked him up over his shoulder, leaving him helpless in the air before he dived towards the ground, about to finish him with the powerful taijutsu move.
"Earth style, mud bath jutsu!" The Anbu commander shouted, making his hand signs with incredible reaction time, quickly turning the ground under both Kage to soft mud, allowing the impact for the Hokage to be softened just enough for him to survive the attack.
"Lord Hokage!" The commander yelled as he jumped to try and help him, pulling out his sword and enhancing the blade with wind style.
The Raikage was confused as to why the Hokage was still alive, seeing that the ground had gone all soft.
"Darn it!" He yelled, getting angry before he turned around to block an attack from the Anbu commander, feeling the wind-style sword sink into his flesh a little.
The Raikage pushed the Anbu commander away, about to charge at him, feeling his leg gets trapped as he looked down to see the Hokage holding on to his ankle.
"I won't let you!" Hiruzen said, biting through the pain in his body.
Itachi could see that this was his chance, quickly jumping in to attack the Raikage with his own sword, knowing he would block it with ease.
"Fool!" A yelled, blocking Itachis's attack and punching him with his broken arm, sending him flying through the air before he hit the ground and rolled to his feet.
"Suddenly the Raikage stopped moving, seeming to lose the will to fight as he slumped down to his knees, surprising the Hokage and Anbu commander.
"Genjutsu success," Itachi said as he stood up, having placed the Raikage in the strongest genjutsu that he could.
"Not even you will be able to break free from this genjutsu so easily," Itachi said as he walked over to the Kage, looking down at Hiruzen who did his best to get back up to his feet.
"Lord Hokage, are you alright?" The Anbu commander said as he rushed to his aid.
"I'm alright, thanks to Itachi." He said, impressed that he was able to trap someone like the Raikage in a genjutsu strong enough to hold him.
"We don't have long though, I'm not sure how long it will take him to break free from my jutsu." Itachi said, knowing that the Raikage was too strong to hold for long.
"We should finish him off lord Hokage, quickly before he has a chance to counter us." The Anbu commander said, getting his sword ready.
Itachi watched both of them, seeing the perfect opportunity to carry out the task his father had given him. Knowing that this would be the only moment he would get to kill someone as strong as the Hokage. The only question that remained, was could he bring himself to do it?
On one hand, Itachi trusted the Hokage, knowing that he would try his best to quell the uprising and anguish that the Uchiha felt towards the village. But he also knew that they had run out of time and that despite all of the Hokage's efforts, it would no longer be enough to stop a civil war.
Itachi had been prepared to even kill his whole clan for the greater good of the village, being willing to go so far for his nation. But now, would he be prepared to do the same thing to the Hokage if it meant the same result?
After all, the future that his father had shown him was now up to him to create, knowing that nothing else he did would result in anything different.
Itachi lowered his head, feeling the weight of the whole village fall upon him before he looked into the Hokages eyes.
"Forgive me... Lord Hokage." Itachi said, getting a surprised expression from the Anbu commander as he sensed what he was about to do.
"Itachi! Why you!" He shouted, quickly trying to make a move on him and attacking with his sword.
However, Itachi simply burst into crows surprising the Anbu commander before they swarmed him, causing him to realise he was also in a genjutsu.
"No! When!" He said, trying to think when he had been placed under genjutsu.
Suddenly he remembered when Itachi had helped him defeat the cloud Anbu, having seen that his Sharingan was active, knowing that must have been the moment he had cast it.
"Curse you..." He said before he fell onto the ground, falling unconscious and leaving only Hiruzen and Itachi.
Hiruzen was impressed by Itachi once more, seeing how effectively he used his Sharingan and his sharp mind.
"So, it has come to this?" Hiruzen said, having known that something was going to happen sooner or later.
"I wish I could do this another way... I had hoped for more time." Itachi said, getting a slow nod from Hiruzen.
"Yes... Time is the one thing that escapes us all."
Itachi could see that Hiruzen wasn't going to fight him, and was a little confused as to why.
"I understand Itachi... You truly are a kind child and a true shinobi." Hiruzen said, even going as far as to praise him.
"Even at such a young age, you were able to place the needs of the village above the needs of one's own emotions, truly inheriting the will of fire and acting like a Kage would.
"That is why, if my death will bring peace to the Uchiha and allow the village to grow stronger, then I welcome it like an old friend." He said, extending his arms to Itachi.
"Just promise me one thing." He said, getting a nod from Itachi.
"Promise me that you will keep the village safe, no matter who it is that threatens it. Even if that person is of your own blood, promise me you will protect the leaf and her people." The Hokage said, looking into Itachi's eyes with a burning flame in his own.
"If you can promise me that, then I will gladly give you, my life." He then said, causing tears to flow from Itachi's eyes.
"Do not fear it, Itachi. For this is the path you have the choice to bring peace to our village." Hiruzen said, placing his hand on the boy's shoulder to help put him at ease.
Suddenly Hiruzen pushed Itachi back, taking him off guard as he watched the Raikage appear with his Sharingan, knowing that his attack would have killed him if not for the Hokage.
"DIE!!!" A roared at the top of his lungs, smashing his arm with a powerful Lariat into the Hokages chest, ripping his chest open from the force of it.
"Lord Hokage!!!" Itachi yelled at the top of his lungs, watching the small smile that formed on his face, whispering something with the last of his breath, knowing that Itachi would be able to read his lips with his eyes.
"In the end, I'm glad it wasn't you that had to bear this burden... Live well Itachi, When the tree leaves dance, one shall find flames. The fire's shadow will illuminate the village, and once again, tree leaves shall bud anew..." He whispered in his final moment, knowing that Itachi would understand his words.
Hiruzen's body smashed into the ground as the Raikage burst through him, skidding to a halt from the force he had put into his attack, looking down at his handy work.
"That attack was meant for you, Uchiha brat!" He said, wiping the blood from his arm.
"But the Hokage's death is just as good!"
Itachi looked at the body of the Hokage, feeling the twisting of such intense emotions that he didn't know how to come with it.
"That was a powerful genjutsu, I have to hand it to you, it took me a while to escape that little jutsu of yours brat! But it won't work on me again!"
Itachi could feel the pain in his heart at what had happened. Even after he was about to kill the Hokage, he had still sacrificed himself for Itachi, proving that his love for the village came above everything else, including his own life.
A watched as Itachi opened his eyes, seeing that the pattern of his sharingan had changed.
"What is that." He asked, having never seen anything like that before.
"Lord Raikage!" Darui shouted, landing next to his leader, looking to be in bad shape.
"So, you're still alive." A said, not impressed that he had been defeated.
"Yeah, kid cot me in a genjutsu," Darui said, feeling embarrassed as he held his arm with his good side.
"Me too." The Raikage said, letting Darui know he wasn't the only one.
"Don't look into his eyes." The Raikage said.
Itachi could feel the power that his eyes had unlocked, knowing that this could be only one thing.
"The Mangekyou Sharingan." He said, suddenly activating his right eye.
A sensed something coming his way and suddenly dashed out of the way, using his speed to avoid a burst of black flames that hit the mountainside behind him, also causing Dauri to also be shocked at what happened.
"What the hell is that?" Dauri asked, quickly jumping out of the way of the fire.
A quickly appeared next to Itachi with his arm raised over his head, about to slam a hammer fist down onto him and finish the fight once and for all.
However, both of Itachi's eyes glowed to life, forming a red skeleton around his body that grabbed the Raikages fist, blocking the attack even at full power.
"What is this!" A said, watching as the skeleton grew larger and even started to form muscles and then what looked like skin over its body.
Darui also watched, not understanding what was going on.
"No way... I'm not letting you get away with this!" He said, quickly making some hand signs as he generated lightning around his body, turning it black with his final hand sign.
"Lighting style, double black panther!" Dauri yelled over the thunder of his jutsu, watching as the lighting formed into two black panthers, gripping Itachi's Sassano by the neck as they tried to pin it to the ground.
"So, this is the Susanoo..." Itachi said, feeling blood run from his right eye as he allowed it to grow, even more, watching as it became cased in armour, breaking free from the black lightning jutsu.
"No way!" Dauri said, watching as Itachi broke free from his most powerful jutsu with ease.
The Raikage was also shokced, knowing how strong the black lightning jutsu was.
"What the hell is that thing..." He said, knowing he would need to use all of his power to try and defeat it.
Itachi allowed his Susanoo to create what looked like beads in its hands, throwing them at Darui knowing he would not be able to avoid the attack.
"Look out!" A said, quickly appearing as he moved Darui out of the way, watching as the yasaka beads exploded against the mountain.
"Lord Raikage, we should retreat," Darui said, knowing that he was no match for the Uchiha and would only slow the Raikage down.
"Darn it..." A said, knowing that he was right.
"Alright, let's get out of here. We did what we came here to do." He said, settling for the death of the Hokage.
"This battle isn't over, Uchiha!" A yelled, watching the boy carefully as he stood inside of his Susanoo, watching both of them.
With that the Raikage and Darui retreated, leaving Itachi alone on the mountain in the snowstorm. Allowing him to let his Susanoo fade and rest his eyes before he dropped to the ground, feeling pain radiate throughout his entire body.
...
Fuyōna finished reading the report that the scouts had given, seeing that it was the Raikage that had killed the Hokage and declared war upon them.
Fuyōna placed the scroll down onto the table, trying to hold his anger in at what the Raikage had done, knowing that if he had killed him, this wouldn't have happened.
"Fuyōna... Are you ok?" Mei asked, seeing that he wasn't.
"I'm fine. If it is a war that the Raikage wants. Then a war he shall get." Fuyōna said as he stood up tall, making his mind up and giving the order to begin the preparation.
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Alright thats the end of this chapter!
I hope it was worth the wait. This one took me a while to write, but it was worth it.
As always thank you for your support of the story and have a great day! Remember to check out the rest on my P.atreon page!