The sun had barely risen to usher in a new day. The sound of chirping birds woke the masses from their slumber—the rays of light piercing through their windows.
Those who had awoken, mostly the civilians with shops, had already begun tidying up their workplaces—preparing for a new day.
In the Uchiha compound, the streets remained as empty as ever—the silence was deafening.
Since the massacre of the clan, none resided in the compound—or better referred to as an estate due to its immense size.
None resided in the compound, bar from the son of the clan head himself—Uchiha Sasuke.
His head rested peacefully against his pillow. Locked in a deep slumber, his expression was like that of a baby—peaceful and without worry.
Sasuke's breathing remained completely at ease, a small smile spreading at the corner of his lips—his dream seemed to be a rather pleasant one.
But his peace was abruptly interrupted; a knock at the door—a rather loud one—startled his senses.
Sasuke's eyes snapped open in a blur, his gaze reflecting a dazed look as he adjusted to the sunlight.
His fingers raised as if to wipe his eyes, clearing the lingering sleep within. On shaky legs, he walked towards the door.
A yawn escaped him as he reached for the door—his fingers wrapping around the knob—opening it.
With glassy eyes, he stared blankly at Ren, who bore an amused expression.
"Do you know what time it is?" Sasuke's voice was laced with annoyance. He could feel sleep clinging to him for dear life.
Ignoring his question, Ren's expression never wavered. In fact, a smile began to form at the corner of his lips as he spoke.
"I know the location of Itachi Uchiha."
....
In the house, the duo began discussing their next course of action.
"How did you get this information?" The Uchiha's tone was filled with utter skepticism—was this really accurate?
"That I can't say." Ren's smile remained the same—refusing to falter even in the midst of the seemingly serious conversation.
"And why can't you?" Sasuke began to press. His tone shifted from being slightly calm to a rushing urgency. In this case, lack of information was worse than misinformation.
"Because I can't."
Ren shrugged his shoulders. Telling Sasuke about his plan did him no good. If anything—it might compromise his plans.
Ren's feet hit the ground with a soft thud. Since the conversation was going nowhere—leaving was the best option.
"Since you choose not to believe me, I'll take my leave."
The words hung in the air for a fraction of a second. And in that fraction, neither party moved an inch—or spoke a word.
Sasuke's eyes widened in shock. Would he really do it?
His worries were proved right, however; with his back facing Sasuke—Ren began to walk forward in a confident stride.
For a moment, Sasuke contemplated within himself—a bead of sweat slowly trickling down his forehead—his pupils contracting slightly. He had told himself to get over his need for revenge—and to an extent, he had.
But when the opportunity came in the form of Ren, he couldn't help himself.
"Ren, I want to..." The words left Sasuke's lips before he even knew what he was saying.
In Ren's mind, victory had been attained. But even still, a feeling of disappointment welled up from inside him.
'Sasuke, you are still the same as you were back then.'
"I want to kill him. But not just that—I want to know why he did it—why he murdered them all."
Sasuke's words held as much conviction as he could muster. His hand rested against Ren's shoulder—gripping it with force strong enough to shatter stone.
In the four corners of Sasuke's mind, he mocked himself. This was the second time he had made this declaration—the first was to Benimaru.
He thought he could keep it that time, and he tried to let go of his hatred—but he just couldn't.
Now... he would try again. This time, stronger and faster than he ever had been before.
Even Ren was surprised by his declaration; of course, he didn't let it show. But he made a mental note to himself.
'Regardless of the outcome, my victory is certain. If truly Sasuke Uchiha wished to engage his brother in battle, then I would gladly set the stage for them—ensuring Sasuke's win, of course.'
Ren's back was still turned, bells ringing in his head as thoughts continued to form.
'And if Sasuke cared not for Itachi, then I could just as easily manipulate the game from behind the shadows, creating a scenario where he would not only eliminate Itachi but also gain more information on the Akatsuki and, lastly—extend my hold on Sasuke.'
Ren's lips began to curve upwards—a deceptively sweet smile forming in their wake.
'In the end, Sasuke's choice never mattered. All that mattered was that I made my move. The second I decided to use you was when you lost all your rights, Sasuke Uchiha.'
On that same day, a decision was made. Although Itachi's position had been compromised—Ren opted to wait—to Sasuke's reluctance, of course.
Although Sasuke wasn't nearly strong enough to defeat his brother—Ren knew that Itachi would never kill his dear little sibling.
After all...
Ren had long been aware of the true reason behind the Uchiha clan massacre.
He knew that the chances of Itachi, the next clan head, running mad and killing his entire clan were rather improbable.
And through whispers, rumors, and other bits and pieces of information, he also figured out that Konoha and the Uchiha weren't on the best of terms.
And through some investigation, the answer was obvious—the Uchiha were planning a coup.
Being the clan head's son, Itachi was most certainly aware of this, and he made a decision.
Eliminate the clan to stop the coup and save Konoha, most likely under orders from the village.
But even Ren couldn't tell if the decision was right.
Had the coup taken place, the village would've been crippled and left vulnerable to outside forces, leading to eventual destruction—assuming the Uchiha won.
But on the basis that they lost, the village would've still been weakened and left vulnerable.
No matter what, it was a lose-lose situation—one that Ren had no right to comment upon.
Continuing their conversation, a memory resurfaced in Sasuke's brain—a spark flashing within his eyes.
A solemn smile graced his lips, his tone exemplifying a great sadness—but the glint in his pupils betrayed his act of sorrow.
He dropped a book on the table—one which Ren recognized instantly. His eyebrow raised, but he didn't ask questions—choosing to grab the book.
"Turn to page 96." Refusing to elaborate, Sasuke issued a simple statement. Doing as he was told, Ren opened the book—what he saw was interesting, to say the least.
"I was wondering when this would happen."
....
In a cold, sterile laboratory, walls were streaked bright red—blood red.
Multiple tubes containing bodies, both dead and alive, filled the room. The smell of death hung gravely in the air.
Dead bodies littered the floor, and a decapitated head rested against the table—currently being dissected by a pale-looking man.
The man in question, his skin deathly pale and eerily white, eyes like those of a snake—tongue stretching obscenely.
The man was, of course, Orochimaru.
In front of him was the Bingo Book, page 96 opened for all to see—his gaze glued to the picture.
"By all records, you should already be dead. So why aren't you?"
....
In the Village Hidden in the Stones, the Tsuchikage sat upon his village seat—surrounded by various elders and chiefs.
"Lord Tsuchikage, you need to see this," an elder said. An old man, hair already graying and beard turning white. His eyes were bloodshot, almost infuriated.
A book was in his hands, the Bingo Book; as he handed it to the Tsuchikage, Ohnoki himself.
Opening to page 96, Ohnoki's eyes widened. He could feel his old bones crackling under the weight of his own anger.
His fist slammed into the armrest of his chair. His anger soared to new heights, voice trembling with rage.
"What is the meaning of this nonsense?! Is this supposed to be a joke?!"
....
In the Village Hidden in the Mist, the newly appointed Mizukage, Mei Terumi, received the news with a bit of interest.
Opening the Bingo Book, her eyes latched onto the figure on page 96. A sensation of surprise welled up within her—but her mood was unwavering.
"What an interesting phenomenon. I've never seen something like this in all my days."
....
In the Village Hidden in the Clouds, the Raikage, A, could be seen in his personal training ground—pushing his body to its limit with his daily routine.
If the Kage of a village was not capable of protecting it—then what was the point of the position?—even more so if he/she wasn't the strongest Shinobi in that village.
The door to the training ground opened, and a familiar face waltzed through. But this time, his carefree expression had turned to a more serious tone.
"Bee, how many times have I told you to stop interrupting my training?" A's voice boomed through the medium-sized field. His exercising never ceased even as he spoke.
"It's serious this time, bro." Bee didn't even bother explaining himself. Not only that, but his refusal to rap showed A that this was, indeed, serious. "Open to page 96."
Tossing a Bingo Book copy into his brother's hand, Bee left the training ground without another word.
Opening to the specified page, A saw a sight which dumbfounded even an experienced Kage such as he. The provided information had never been seen by anyone ever—not him, not anyone.
Instead of his usual confident and boisterous attitude, A's expression morphed into that of an eerie calm. His chin raised upward, and his eyes gazed at the clouds.
"How... just how is this possible?"
....
In the Village Hidden in the Sand, the Kazekage, Gaara, read the information calmly with no outward reaction.
But inwardly, gears began to turn in his head as he considered the possibilities. Never in the history of the Shinobi world had this ever happened.
....
In the Akatsuki hideout, in a rather convoluted area, two figures engaged in conversation regarding the information provided—both had completely contrasting opinions.
The female, her hair a light shade of blue and adorned with the Akatsuki robe, began to speak. Her words were laced with uncertainty and slight fear.
"Nagato, should we be worried about him?"
But the man, now identified as Nagato, broke out in a slight scoff. His words were unnerving but served their purpose to comfort the blue-haired woman.
"Konan, do not fear the might of men—for in the end they are merely men. And none can handle the weight of a god such as I."
But even despite his words, a lingering feeling of doubt crept up inside him—but it was quickly quenched.
Gods don't feel fear.
In another part of the hideout, a man, also wearing the Akatsuki robe, sat atop a large stone.
His face was covered with a spiral orange mask as he contemplated within.
"This man, he may prove a deterrent to our goal. But nothing will stop Project Tsukuyomi."
....
In a bar not so far away from the Land of Snow, a man in his 50s and clearly drunk held the Bingo Book in his hands.
Page 96 was opened to the viewing pleasure of whoever wished to see.
"This is impossible, I tell you!" A dumb smile stretched across his face—exemplifying his features.
"It says he died three years ago, yet he is alive? Bullshit!"
Rumors began to spur in the bar.
"Maybe he is right."
"He killed Deidara? Impossible!"
"Maybe he's one of those Edo experiments?"
"Or... a god walking among us?"
"It does sound crazy, I have to admit."
"The Bingo Book must be trolling."
"But would they really risk their credibility for a joke?"
Enjoying the attention he was getting, the first man swallowed an entire bottle of wine—losing himself to the pleasure even more.
His feet began to slip as the table wobbled beneath him.
He fell to the ground with a loud thud.
The Bingo Book fell not so far away from him.
And on it, page 96 read:
Name: Ren Takumi
Alias: Ghost of the Mist
Age: 13 (age of death), 16 (currently)
Status: Deceased
Village: Born and died in the Mist. Residing in Konoha, but the village refuses to acknowledge his citizenship.
Occupation: Ninja
Affinities: Unknown
Ninjutsu level: Unknown
Genjutsu level: Unknown
Taijutsu level: Unknown
Senjutsu: Unknown
Abilities: Unknown
Class: S-rank
Notable feats:
1. Made Danzo Shimura commit seppuku (suspected, not confirmed).
2. Is outside of even the Leaf village control.
3. Instantly killed S-rank ninja, Deidara of the Stone.
Run on sight order.