High among the clouds the sun was beginning to rise above the village of Kumogakure no Kato, the beautiful view from the village unlike anything you would see anywhere else in the world, save perhaps for the Iron Mountains. When the sunlight pierced the sky and the rays hit the clouds that the village was hidden within, the colour spectrum that you could see was simply breathtaking. Many people from all over the shinobi world would travel to Kumogakure no Kato simply to see this view, something that was absolutely unparallelled. Kirigakure no Kato had the sun as it rose over the lake, when it would hit the midway point over the sea it was an impressive site as the sun would bounce off the water but it didn’t quite add up. In Sunagakure no Kato all you truly experienced was the blistering heat, which unfortunately took away from the gorgeous sunrise as the heatwaves would obstruct the view. Similar things happened in Iwagakure no Kato and Konohagakure no Sato where the view of the sunrise was often obstructed by the trees and the canyons around both villages. Kumo’s sunset was truly a thing of beauty and Mitsuo Sarutobi, the Sword Saint of Konoha, would go so far as to say that it was absolutely perfect as he looked over the village from a high up point, waiting to hear familiar footprints approaching him.


His dark eyes scanned the village below him from his vantage point, taking in all of the sights and sounds. It pained him to think back on the things that he had gone through over the past several years and when he was alone at this point it was hard not to think of those. He thought back to the deaths of his family members and of his former lover, the defection from the village that he loved and his murder of his best friend. He thought of the horrors of the war that he had fought through, and the pain that he had felt when he had to leave everything behind again after finally finding people who loved him and who he loved once more. He reflected on the three years he spent away from the lands of the shinobi, wandering the world and seeing the different things that the world had to offer. He had met fascinating people with fascinating abilities who managed to do things that Mitsuo couldn’t imagine without the use of chakra and jutsus, though he also often prefered not to use his chakra in favour of simply using the blade. With that blade he had forged his legacy, and it was a bloody legacy at that filled with death and pain.


He knew that in this village he was considered a wanted man, and it was because someone had sold out his organization, the Aoi Bara, to the Raikage for the death of the former Raikage Reika Misora. Mitsuo knew that he was constantly in danger of being arrested and put to death while he was in this village, but he did not let that bother him. While he may not have killed Reika, he had certainly committed his own fair share of crimes and were he to be put to death he would feel as though it was absolutely deserved and that justice had been served. While he was here, however, he had intended on following up a few leads that he had been told of by one of his contacts from the Aoi Bara, the group that he had spent a couple of years in after leaving Konoha for the first time. He had joined with them with the hope that one day he would come across someone who knew something about the death of his family, and the men who had been behind the entire situation, and he had tried to keep an ear to the ground and an eye out at all times since then. The best thing about being in an organization with as much reach as the Aoi Bara was you were bound to run into someone who could help you find information, and since these days information was what they dealt with, he was expecting that he would hear back soon.

It had felt like such a distant memory, when he had been summoned in to see the leader of the Land of Fire. He was asked to become the Hokage in his visit, being told that all of the leaders of the village had vanished, and that his position as a former head of the ANBU Black Ops, as well as his taking down of Hao Uchiha and Ukiyo Senju, had more than warranted his promotion. He didn’t agree with them personally, and told them that he would lead the village until someone better suited for the job came around. He couldn’t say that he hated his time running the village, however, as that would simply not be true. He had enjoyed the perks that came with being the Hokage, and while he led the village they had lived with relative peace. He was quite proud of his reign, and while it might not have been as noteworthy as some of the people whom had come before him, it was still a prosperous time for the village. He took the chance to remove Tsuyo Hyuga’s name from the bingo book as a favour to his former leader, looking towards where his name had been as well. He was classified as an S-Ranked Missing Nin, which was something that made him smile a little bit. There had only ever been one person who had been considered above S-Rank, and that was Hao Uchiha, a man that Mitsuo had personally slain.


He heard a pair of feet approaching him from behind, not turning his head to meet the man’s gaze as he knew exactly who he was and he had assumed that he also knew why he was here. The man confirmed his suspicions when he spoke. “Lord Hiroshi,” the man began, which marked him instantly as a member of the Aoi Bara, which was what he had been expecting. “I come with news from nearby. There is talk of a group of men who ran the secret prison in Konoha before its abolishment by the Seventeenth Hokage.” He smiled as the man mentioned the Seventeenth Hokage, clearly not realising that he was the man with whom he spoke. He didn’t mind however, and allowed him to continue his speech uninterrupted. “These men are supposedly protecting a few shadow members of the village council, people who have been rumored to be wrapped up in stuff such as slavery, drug trade and murder. They seem to match the description of the type of information that you have been looking for.” Mitsuo’s smile didn’t leave his face. This was the best lead that he had had in many years, and he was excited at the prospect to finally start taking down the bastards who had caused the deaths of his family members.


“You have done well agent, you are a boon to our organization, and I will ensure that you are properly compensated for this information.” He had the serious look on his face once more as he turned around to face the agent, walking up to him and standing in front of him. The man bowed, as a subject should to his king, but Mitsuo didn’t want any of that formality. “Stand agent, never feel the need to bow to me. I am simply a man. I am not above you or anyone else. We are all people.” The man stood and Mitsuo continued on. “Where is this place? Where have you found them?” The man handed Mitsuo a scroll with a map on it, where a small dot had been circled. He really had done his homework and Mitsuo was quite pleased with his work. He nodded his head and dismissed the man, watching as he bowed once more and then vanished down the mountain, Mitsuo turning back to look over Kumogakure once more. He had never felt so close to his retribution before, and the prospect of it all made him giddy with anticipation. His thirst for revenge would finally be sated and the people who had destroyed his life would be put to the blade.


His eyes were taking in information, ensuring that he would be able to see the quickest and most efficient way to get to his targets. He was curious to see how many people there would be, how the fortifications were, if there would be more powerful people there, and a million other tactical questions that sadly the man hadn’t provided. He had potentially dismissed him too soon, though he was also sure that if the man had had more information for Mitsuo, he would have told him. Mitsuo didn’t want to wait, but he also knew that it would be beneficial for him to wait until night, as he would have the element of surprise, and being someone who had been referred to as a “shadow’s shadow,” he was more than used to striking at night. He made his way down from the mountain, deciding that it would be good for him to grab a bite to eat as he waited for the opportune time to strike and prepare to take his revenge. He knew that he would have to not kill everyone, as he would need to be able to gather information on his target, but he also knew that it would be difficult to do such a thing after so many years of working towards his revenge.

As he sat at a table at a cafe in the village, he looked around at the people assembled around him. Many of them were in their teenage years, fresh faced and full of hope proudly showing off their shiny new headbands, clearly a group of recent academy graduates. They were so excited and unprepared for what the shinobi would would have in store for them. They probably couldn’t even imagine the things that could happen to them, the possibilities of their families been ripped from them before their eyes. Mitsuo pitied them and what they would eventually have to go through, knowing that for many of them if he were to strike them down right at this moment, it would be a mercy as they would never have to feel the pains that he had dealt with during his career as a shinobi. He felt like warning them away from their chosen career path, but he knew that it wasn’t up to him to do such a thing, as everyone had to find their own path, a lesson he had learned oh too well.


He watched as the waiter brought him his dinner, which was a simple plate of sashimi, a few different rolls of sushi, and several small Salmon Rose, which were his personal favorite, topped off with a glass of green tea. He took a sip of the tea, contemplating the actions that had brought him to this point in his life, where he was thinking that it would be better to kill teenagers than to allow them to live their own lives. He, of course, knew the answer to that question as well as he knew his own name. He had lived through hell, and he knew that being a shinobi was something that would lead to not only your own death, but also very likely the deaths of all of those you care about. He could vividly remember the day that he had brought his blade directly down through the center of Ukiyo Senju’s skull, splitting her in two and watching as the halves fell away from one another at different times, the blood spray and gore covering his blade and coating him as well. He could often still feel the warmth of her blood on his face and on his hands, something that would often awaken him from his nightmares.


Ukiyo was only the latest in an unfortunate series of events that had helped to steer the ship of his life, but it was certainly one that he would never possibly forget. He had never had to kill someone that he knew, or considered to be a friend. When he had killed Synn Karisuma, the only reason that it had bothered him was that he had seen what kind of suffering the man had been put through, and it broke Mitsuo’s heart to think of the torture that he had endured, though at the same time it meant that Mitsuo would be freeing him from his pain. He had realised that at that point it was one of the first times in his life that he had truly started to contemplate whether it would be so bad to die, knowing that it would end his pain and suffering. He had thought of the release of death often over time, wondering if it would be the best option, but he knew that it would destroy those close to him such as Strafe and his daughter, Kaia-Mai.


He pulled the package of cigarettes out from one of the pouches on his coat, his zippo lighter in his other hand. As he took a smoke from the pack he held it to his lips, using one hand to shield the flame from the wind as he struck the lighter with the thumb of the other hand, inhaling deeply and keeping the smoke in his lungs for a few seconds before exhaling the smoke out of his nose. Ah how he loved the light headed feeling he gained off of that first deep drag and keeping the smoke trapped. Longer gave better results and it gave Mitsuo just the release he needed to take the edge off of his stressful life if only for the five minutes it would take him to finish his cigarette. He knew it was a bad habit but with medical jutsu as advanced as they were he would never have to suffer the ill effects of smoking and was free to enjoy each cigarette as much as he wanted too. He took another drag and smiled softly, holding the smoke a little bit longer as he flicked the ash into a trey on top of the table that he was sitting at before exhaling the smoke through his nose once more,


He would reach down and pick up his tea, taking a sip before taking another drag of his cigarette. He remembered a time when it seemed like his life was actually in order, not too long before that thought had come crashing down around him, causing him great pain and making it so that he would have to go on a long journey in order to escape his past. He could still vividly remember the day that he had been told he would become the Hokage, an honour that he had never personally wanted but one that he had accepted nonetheless. It was a good time for him, when everything seemed to be right in his world, but of course that would quickly change…

Mitsuo finished his tea and sushi, leaving a generous tip to the waitress before making sure that he got away from the cafe. He didn’t want to harm anyone, and he was prepared to do just that, which was something that bothered him greatly. Had he become so out of touch with his emotions that he had become willing to murder a group of fresh genin? The thought wouldn’t have even crossed his mind before, but now it was something that was screaming into his mind. He couldn’t help but think about how disappointed he was in himself and the awful places that his mind was going to, He made his way towards the location where he would wait for a little while, waiting for the sun to go down so that he could start about the grim task that he was set upon, while also watching to try to count how many people were coming in and out of the camp. He activated his ANBU Sensory technique and could feel close to one hundred people in the cam, though the majority of them felt fairly weak. His mouth turned into a frown as he counted them off. At least ten of them were likely jounin level shinobi, with three more feeling similar to Mitsuo in power. He could also pinpoint one man who felt like he could potentially be more powerful than Mitsuo, which actually made him a little bit nervous. He was nervous but also excited, as if he were to die today, it would be a good death, and he would welcome his trip to hell with open arms.


He did his weapon check, making sure that he had everything that he needed and feeling the familiar feeling of each of his blades, as well as his chain whip. The weapons calmed him, and as the sun had gone down and most of the camp seemed to quiet down, other than a few guards, Mitsuo had decided that it would be the perfect time to make his move. He would pull out his tanto, the Chita no Kiba, which was a specially designed blade that he had gotten when he became the Head of Konoha’s ANBU. The blade was designed so that it was impossible for light to reflect off of it, making it so that there was no way to detect the blade. The Shadow’s Shadow moved quickly and quietly, making his way towards the first set of guards. His blade moved like the wind, slicing the throat of the first guard, ensuring that he also sliced the vocal chords so the man couldn’t scream out, before plunging up through the chin of the second, driving the tip of the blade into his brain. Mitsuo caught both of the bodies before they had a chance to hit the ground, making sure they wouldn’t make a sound in death. Two down, ninety eight to go. This was going to be a fun night for the Sword Saint.


He moved into the encampment, his body flowing like liquid through the huts as he went. He didn’t like stealth missions, he found them to be boring and he prefered the thrill of a good fight, but it had been a long time since he hd done something like this so he figured it wouldn’t be a bad idea. As he moved along, he would make his way towards the largest hut in the center of the encampment, a little surprised that they had huts at first until he realised what that had to mean. His trademark half smile spread across his face as one of the ancient clans of Konoha came to mind; Senju.Well that would be easy enough to deal with, as Mitsuo had never found a Senju who had posed a problem to him, or at least not since Sousetsu. He could feel the mokuton chakra, one that he was more familiar with than any other chakra, radiating from inside of that center tent, but a problem would end up arising. He could hear a bell sounding and people starting to shout. Shit, how did they see me? he thought to himself, not realising that while trying to find the Senju he had stood in one place for a little bit too long. Well, he had been wanting more of a fight, and apparently he was going to get it.

The Sword Saint put the Chita no Kiba back in its holster and took out one of his twinblades, Justice, as well as his chain whip Penance, the sword in his left hand and the whip in the right. He could see a small army of people surrounding him, which was more than okay too him. He had been looking forward to this for a long time. He hadn’t been in a real fight since the War of the Seven Bells, and he was starting to feel like he might be a little bit rusty. This would be a great chance for him to work the rust off of himself and prove that he still had it. He didn’t sense everyone here, the more powerful four people seeming to be absent, but the rest were all there, which Mitsuo still didn’t deem quite fair for them. The Hellfire Dragon allowed his chakra to flare up, the heat radiating off of him becoming unbearable, and he hadn’t even activated his fire cloak yet. Blisters would begin to form on many of the people close to him, as they would all step back slightly to try to escape the furnace levels of heat radiating off of him. He wouldn’t allow this, however, as he flicked his wrist with the chain whip after stepping forward, the blade wrapping itself around one man’s neck. Mitsuo would pull, easily lopping the head off of the shoulders. Three down.


One of the Jounin would yell at them to press forward, and point out that he was just one man. His foolishness made Mitsuo smile as the men began to brave the heat, making their ways towards him. It wouldn’t be overly difficult for him to kill all of them with his jutsu, but where was the fun in that? He would wait until they were all within his whip’s range, spinning on his heel and doing a complete three hundred and sixty degree turn, having the blades of his whip at neck level and cutting the throats of each man in the front row, who all fell to the ground gripping their freshly slit throats. They were as good as dead, and most of that morale had gone away as the Sword Saint began his assault. He began to bare down on his opponents, each thrust of his sword taking a life and followed by a snap of his whip which would take two, the flurry of blows an impressive thing to see. The low ranking people didn’t seem to even be able to move quickly enough to touch him, his prowess so far above their own that they were essentially lambs to the slaughter. After having butchered the majority of the lower ranking people, the Jounin who had sent them at first stood horrified at the edge of the carnage, a completely drenched in blood and gore Mitsuo making his way towards him. He truly was the Crimson Dragon now, and it was a terrifying sight to behold as each motion he made seemed to slay more men.


Mitsuo felt like he had caught his stride, a little bit sad when he ran out of meatbags to drop, but a little happier when he realised that after that butchery he would end up fighting against far more challenging foes. All that remained were the ten jounin ranked shinobi, and of course the four in the main hut. They stood in groups of two or three all around Mitsuo, and he smirked, looking towards them. He hadn’t broken a sweat, but the crimson mask he wore dripped down his body and gore and blood spilled off of him. He licked his lips, tasting the irony tang of blood on his tongue as the jounin looked upon him in horror. He cricked his neck, looking around him and saying; “Well I’m warmed up...who wants to play?” He didn’t wait for a response. They would all be used in his sport, his bloodlust rising as his veins pumped blood through to his brain and adrenaline made him feel like he was riding the greatest high of all. The jounin started making hand signs, Mitsuo activating one of his defensive techniques as this happened. He wouldn’t be caught in such pathetic fuckery, his Double Helix Armour enveloping him in flame and turning back their attacks. He watched as several Fuuton and Katon attacks bounced harmlessly off of his armour, causing him to smile even more. These idiots didn’t realise what kind of trouble they were really in, or perhaps they did. Mitsuo could smell urine mixed in with blood and laughed out loud, his booming laugh impossible to miss as it sounded like the cackle of a dragon.

He would charge at the three men in front of him, lashing out with his chain whip as they would all dodge, though he managed to grab one in his weapon around the shoulder. He would give a tug and rip the arm clean off, a torrent of blood spraying from the wound where his arm once was and coating his companions in blood. The others would come up behind Mitsuo, causing him to spin once more and flick out his sword this time, slicing one throat and hearing the body thud to the ground behind him. One of the men tried to punch him, and Mitsuo smirked as his hand moved away with burns so intense that he could see bone. Mitsuo would help him through that pain by removing the hand for him with one quick snap of his blade, the whip wrapping itself around the neck of another man. Instead of pulling, however, he would channel some of his chakra through the whip, saying “BURN OR YOUR CRIMES, HEATHEN!” as the whip would burn the mans throat with such an intense heat that it would bubble and burst the artery inside of him. He would be dead before he hit the ground, which was likely a mercy considering the amount of pain he would have to be in after taking such a strike. At it stood, three of them were dead, one was missing an arm and almost dead, and another had a hand removed. Mitsuo would swing the whip, having it snap around his own torso and latch into place in the same motion as his sword going back into its scabbard. With his right hand the Sword of the Immortal Blaze wound swing off of his back, the left hand coming to grab near the pommel as it reached for the sky and snapping it down, severing a man in half and watching as his body fell apart from itself similarly to how Ukiyo Senju’s had once done, the blood and gore spraying everywhere as it happened.


He could smell water behind him and all he could think was finally, someone is smart enough to figure out how to put out a fire. It would strike him, causing the flames of his double helix armour to fizzle out, Mitsuo spinning and snapping the blade across his body, severing the man with the water jutsu along the waist line, before kicking his chest so that it would fall away from his legs. The others around him were disheartened at this point. Half of them were dead and two were useless. It seemed like the remaining three were going to make a break for it, but Mitsuo had other plans, pressing his palm to the ground and saying “Not so fast, you won’t get off that easily.” As he said this, a cage of flames would build up around them, Mitsuo keeping his palm to the ground the entire time. He could hear their anguished screams and watched as one of them tried to make a break through the cage, his flesh charring off as he screamed one of the most satisfying screams Mitsuo had ever heard. He watched as the man fell to the ground, not even recognizable in his current state. The other men in the cage were developing intense burns and it was clear that the oxygen had been efficiently removed, each of them passing out as their burns over took them. Mitsuo would release the jutsu when he was satisfied, and personally remove each of their heads with his greatsword, before making his way towards the central hut.


The men inside the hut had surely heard the commotion outside, or at least the screams of that one jounin, and would be alerted. Mitsuo decided that instead of simply letting himself in, he would knock at the door and wait for a response. He wasn’t the most patient man however, and he would destroy the door if he had to, very easily as well. He held the Sword of the Immortal Blaze in his left hand, his right, completely soaked in blood, moving to knock at the door three times, the knocks would be booming and would leave a bloody hand mark as well as a small burn on the door. He heard a voice from inside the hut call out Who is it? These fools had no idea who they were angering. “I’ve simply come for a chat,” he would say through the door, a slight growl to his voice as he spoke. He could hear murmuring behind the door, and then footsteps maknig their way towards him. It was the senju, he could basically taste its chakra. His half smile would spread across his face once more as the man approached, wondering if he was truly going to let Mitsuo in.He knew, of course, that this was wishful thinking, but he would hold out anyway and wait and see. He heard the voice on the other side of the door; “We are willing to talk to you, Sword Saint.” so they knew who he was eh? Very impressive, Mitsuo thought to himself. He imagined there might be someone in there who would recognize him, and he was curious to see who it was. “As long as you leave your weapons outside. Enough blood has been shed today.”

Mitsuo bit his bottom lip and considered this for a second. He didn’t want to leave his weapons behind, but this was an important meeting. He was pretty sure that going in there unarmed was a bad idea, or at least they would think it was, though Mitsuo in all reality would be perfectly fine. He would lay down his greatsword, chain whip and the twinblade Justice and Retribution, keeping the tanto strapped to his calf under his pants in his anbu holster. It wouldn’t be detected there. “Very well, Senju, I have removed my weapons.” Mitsuo heard locks click on the other side of the door as it slid opened, his half smile returning once more. He stepped into the room and instantly knew which of them had recognized him. Of the four men in the room, Mitsuo knew two of them, and one a little more personally. He didn’t necessarily know the Senju, or one of the other men who felt like the Fallen Star Mitsuhide and his former sensei Takeshi, assuming he was likely an Uzumaki as well. The man sitting behind the desk was the man who had brought him out of the prison and in front of the Daiymo when he was told he would be the next Hokage. It was not him who got Mitsuo angry, as he glanced over towards a man whom he had looked up to and admired all of his life. The man in the room who clearly told them who he was, was Kimaru’s father. Mitsuo’s anger was turning into heat, and the Hyuga approached him, putting a hand on his shoulder before poking him as Mitsuo felt a searing pain under his skin before feeling cut off from his chakra, a feeling worse than any pain he had ever experienced before.


“I’m sorry, Mitsuo, but we have to ensure that you won’t take out your anger on us, and attempt to attack us. We do not wish to fight you, as we know what you are capable of, and therefore would much rather have you working for us.” Mitsuo wanted to activate his cloak of the will and reach his hand into the man’s chest and pull his heart out so he could feel it stop beating in his hands as the life left his body, but his chakra was completely cut off, and he could do nothing to stop him right now. The Senju created a chair in front of the desk, and Mitsuo was asked to sit down, which he did, keeping an eye out on the men behind him. He couldn’t believe he hadn’t felt Kimaru’s father earlier, and it was bothering him greatly to know that he was one of the people who were in on this plot, especially considering it had involved Kimaru’s death...Mitsuo’s rage felt different without his chakra, there was no physical manifestation of heat that he normally felt, though he did feel the heat below his skin and his head was pounding. He wasn’t sure if it was anger or it he was hurt, but whatever it was, it felt awful and Mitsuo didn’t want to feel it again.


“Let’s get to the point, shall we?” The man behind the desk spoke to Mitsuo. He had felt on Mitsuo’s level before, which meant that he had suppressed his chakra when they had first met, something that Mitsuo found to be a fascinating ability. As he looked towards the man, he noticed he didn’t look a day older than when Mitsuo had last met him, something he couldn’t say about himself. “Mitsuo Sarutobi, you have hunted us down for many years, and we commend you on coming this far, but we will have to ask you to stop, and ideally convince you that what you are doing is wrong.” Mitsuo almost laughed out loud at these words, holding it though as he was somewhat curious to see what the man would say. “Konoha is sick, it has been for years. There have been several people who have felt it over the years, and those who tried to heal it, like those of us assembled here. There is something wrong with the system that the village has in place, and it is tearing our beloved village apart from the inside. The Hokage is subservient to the Daiymo, and it has always been that way, but there is no reason why. The village is the Daiymo’s military might, and could easily overthrow him so that the Hokage could hold the true seat of power. There have been a few who have seen this, but not all agree. The Daiymo in the past discovered our intentions, which are pure of course, and decided that it would be in the best interests of the village if the man in charge would step down, and so a dynasty ended and the recent Hokage issue has arose once more.”

Mitsuo was biting his tongue, he wanted to speak and to completely destroy this man’s argument and all of his points, but he knew there was no point right now. “Every hokage over the past fifteen years has gone missing, or died after attempting to take half of the village with him. There is a cancer that has spread to all of the Kage of Konoha, and while it may not have affected Kenta again this time around, I am sure that it will soon enough. We discovered this poison long ago, but there was nothing we could do at the time but bide our time. Every time we would try to lash back at the plague infecting our village, members of the Sarutobi Clan, the devoted followers of the “Will of Fire” who would never allow any harm to come to the village, stopped us and caused more harm than good, destroying the village piece by piece in doing so. We had to find a way to stop them from interfering, and so we started taking matters into our own hands by influencing events leading to the removal of many of them from their positions, and permanently taking them out of the picture so they could not disturb us.”


His words confirmed what Mitsuo had come here to find out, these were the people who were behind the deaths in his family, and he would certainly make them pay for the pain that they had caused him over the years. He wanted to strike them all down, but he would have to wait for that to happen, as there wasn’t much he could do right at this second. “Our employer warned us about you, Sword Saint, and told us that you would be coming for us. He told us that you were a demon of retribution and hatred, and that you would not stop until all was ash and nothing was left to stand before you. He wanted us to kill you, which we are not going to do, but we can have someone do it for us. We think it would be better if you were to come and work for us. We know that you seek to ensure the village of Konoha is safe, and therefore our goals clearly align. It is not healthy to dwell on the past as much as you do, and you need to look towards the future, of Konoha and of yourself.”


The threat was there. Mitsuo had his two options, join them or die. He knew that the former wasn’t even remotely an option, as he would much rather take death than join the people who had tortured him his entire life. His eyes narrowed and his hands balled into fists as he prepared to speak. “You...you seriously think...that after hunting for you bastards for my entire life...I would join you? Just because you think that what you are doing is protecting Konoha? You’re kidding yourselves. I would destroy each and every one of you if given the chance, but since it seems as though you have given me no chance I suppose I will accept my death, but first tell me...who sent you? Who is behind all of this?” The man laughed at his defiance, Mitsuo’s anger burning hotter. Kimaru’s father walked up behind him again, and he heard the Senju man leave after him, the Uzumaki walking up and placing a seal on his chest. He felt his consciousness quickly fade, and he heard the door open once more, Kumo ANBU making their way into the hut to take him away. He could briefly hear one of them speak, “Mitsuo Sarutobi, you are under arrest for the murder of the Mizukage Reika Misora.” he didn’t hear much else as he lost consciousness and was taken away…

Some things are easier said than done, Mitsuo had known this when he came back to the village. He had known that there was a chance that he would be brought to justice for the murder of the Raikage. He hadn’t done it himself, apparently it was the missing-nin from Iwa known as Tame, who had also killed Tatsumaru. It had been said that Tame had connections to the Aoi Bara, even though that wasn’t true, but there was no way to prove that. That was the issue with groups of missing-nin; as long as they were all missing-nin nobody cared what the truth was, all that mattered was that they got what they deserved. He had known this all along, and even though he wasn’t guilty of killing Reika, and in fact respected her greatly, he would accept the punishment for the crime. He was standing in front of a crowd of people, on top of a wooden block on a cliffside, a man standing behind him preparing the noose, and Mitsuo had decided that he had lived a long and fulfilling life, and he had also done much more harm than good for the most part, and perhaps this was the best answer for that.


He reflected on all of the things that he had done to bring him here, remembering how he had caused the deaths of his brother and of his lover Kimaru, how he had murdered Ukiyo Senju, his best friend since he had been a child. He remembered how he had broken the hearts of Strafe and Kaia, and how he had even destroyed an entire clan in Suna just because he had been pointed at them and told kill. He caused nothing but pain and suffering, and he had earned death. The sweet embrace of the afterlife would be a paradise after what he had gone through in his life, and he was greatly looking forward to being able to finally have his rest, not having to run or hide anymore, and never having to be afraid for himself or his family. They would be upset of course, but at least this time they would know that he was really dead, not that there was a chance that he had just left. Mitsuo never wanted any of them to have to worry about him again, and if this was the way to have that happen, he would gladly choose death.


As the man behind him put a rope around his neck, a peaceful look crossed over his face, finally accepting that which had been coming his way for so very long. The man looked at him, tightening the noose so that he wouldn’t be able to slide free, and speaking out over the crowd. “Assembled masses, this man in front of you is a known conspirator and member of the Aoi Bara. He has been arrested and found guilty for the murder of our former Raikage, Reika Misora. She died because of his organization and therefore this man will be put to death. He has earned this through his associations. Do you have any last words, Aoi Bara scum?” Mitsuo didn’t even notice that it was odd that the man hadn’t mentioned his name. He assumed that it was because he didn’t actually know his name, as he imagined an executioner had better things to remember than the names of those who he was leading to death. Mitsuo pondered his last words carefully, wondering what people usually said at these things. What did he want to be remembered for saying? He would take his death with grace.


“It appears it is time for a Saint to walk with Hades, and so to begin my walk I shall go.” The crowd booed because of course they did, all they wanted was to see a man die, specifically one who had killed their beloved leader and left them in the grips of a tyrant. Mitsuo understood, he hated Sanosuke Flint and had seen what he did to people, but he decided that it wasn’t worth it to get upset over it. He felt the executioner kick the block out from below his feet, falling as the rope caught under his chin. The ideal situation in any hanging was for the person being hanged to die after the first plunge, as it made it quick and relatively painless, but instead he would have to suffer through suffocation. He assumed that this was karma from the people that he had killed using the Hell’s Gate jutsu. He could feel himself blacking out from lack of oxygen fairly quickly, his body twitching as it happened. He knew that this was it, this was what he had been waiting for. He could see the light at the end of the tunnel and he was about to walk towards it…


But then he felt himself falling. The blood started flowing normally again, oxygen returning back to his brain. He felt another man prod him and he suddenly felt all of his chakra begin to flow again too. He looked around, where he saw the executioner had disappeared and there was quite the commotion being brought up down below. He looked down, seeing a note at his foot. He opened it up and read;


Mitsuo,


I am sorry for everything that I have done. I loved Kimaru very much, and I cared deeply for you as well. When they told me that my son would have to die I tried to get out and warn him, but they wouldn’t allow me to go, and threatened to kill everyone else close to me if I left. If you are looking for answers, go back to Konoha. Find Sebasu, and kill him. It is the only way to end this entire thing. Your weapons and items are in the cave behind you.


Good Luck


Kimaru’s father had saved him, and had given him the name of the man behind all of the killings. Mitsuo felt a surge of excitement and he was ready to go and take on the world, to finally avenge everyone he had ever loved,and to put all of this behind him once and for all. He collected his things and used the Body Flicker Technique, to get him as far away from here as he possibly could, where he ran off to meet with his Aoi Bara brethren…

{Exit Thread}
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Speed C3 -> A 4100 words
Strength D3 -> A 6500 words