The sky was black and rumbled with the crashing of thunder, splitting with the white slashes of lightning and pouring down all over the land with a heavy rain. Mitsuo stared directly up into the sky, the water making his glasses nearly useless, droplets dripping down his face that were more than just rain. He could taste the salty tears making their way down his cheek and he screamed bloody murder into the heavens above. A cold hand touched his cheek and he could barely bring himself to look down at the sight that was unfolding below him. He could feel the warm liquid pooling on the ground below him reaching out and soaking his knees, the irony tang of blood thick in the air. He lowered his head and sobbed, his lips pressing to those of the man who was dying in his arms as he kissed him one last time, feeling the life leave him in that last moment, which seemed much too short for Sarutobi, Mitsuo as the light left Hyuga, Kimaru’s eyes. He yelled out once again, the horror of the situation truly sinking in. The man whom he had loved for the past three years, and whom he had known all of his life, was dead. The fact was undeniable. He found it difficult to face the fact and he could do nothing but watch as the silhouette of the man who had done the deed disappeared into the distance.

How could I have let this happen, Kimaru? Why wasn’t I fast enough, why wasn’t I strong enough? Why wasn’t it me? Everyone I love, every last one, dies… My mother…My brother…My father…My sister…now you… What is it about me? Why does death surround me? Why can’t I just be happy… His eyes were painted completely red and the salty tears were beginning to sting the cuts around his face from the battle that had ensued. He didn’t know how he would have told Kimaru’s family what had happened if they were still around, his parents being dead and his brother having defected from the village five years prior. His brother was the reason Kimaru had become ANBU black ops in the first place. Mitsuo didn’t even know what he would tell himself to convince himself this wasn’t his fault and to be able to live with himself. This death hurt more than any of the others that had come before it, and a good part of the reason why was the fact that he knew the killer. He was the guard named Hatake, Satoshi, and he was the bodyguard and, assumedly, the personal assassin for a group of politicians in Konohagakure no Kato that Mitsuo had heard about in hushed voices in the past. His privileged status hadn’t even been enough to allow him much of a look into their doings, but he knew about Satoshi. The man was a stone cold killer, and that was probably why he had been chosen to carry out whatever task they had possibly hoped to achieve by taking out local Konoha ANBU operatives. Mitsuo had fought him until he had taken the advantage as Kimaru had lain on the ground, choosing to allow the man to escape for the chance to save his love. He knew this was the wrong choice but he didn’t care, Takeshi –sensei could take his mask for all he cared; Kimaru was what was important to him.

Mitsuo ran his hands along the young Hyuga’s cheek and closed his eyes, the cold flesh wet from the rain and blood. He felt as though his heart had been torn out of his chest and smashed with a tenderizer, pulverised into a fine mush and then lit on fire, made to slowly burn until it was nothing but ash. He couldn’t believe what had happened, and wasn’t sure he would ever be able to accept it. He set down his mask and rested his forehead on Kimaru’s, looking into the blank and lifeless eyes of the beautiful man in front of him. He knew nothing would ever be the same and he knew it was his fault. It was a pain that was like no other he had ever felt. He thought back to the day that he had the Karisuma eye implanted into his left eye socket, the stabbing burning feeling that was intense as a thousand sons when Aisu, Strafe had dug a kunai into his eye socket and dug out his destroyed eye. This was much more intense though, as Strafe had severed the nerves, eventually numbing him to the pain, though this was a pain that would last a lifetime. When he thought of all of the time they had spent together, all of the love they had shared, and that it would come to something like this, it made him sick. He could still remember the day they met as though it was yesterday…


The young Sarutobi smiled as he made his way towards the classroom, passing several of the other children who were entering the academy and waving and nodding, getting several returned waves and smiles from students. Most of them knew who he was, as he was one of the young “prodigies” of the class, someone who was expected to excel far beyond the others. Everyone knew of the famous Sarutobi clan and their deep Konoha roots and the fact that they had been around about as long as the village had, having produced one of the most powerful and well respected leaders in the Village Hidden in the Leaves’ long history, the Third Hokage. Mitsuo was coming into this class carrying that legacy on his back and he knew it, knowing that he and his brother were similarly going to be treated as if they were something more special than either of them truly thought they were. He didn’t personally think he was that impressive but his brother had inherited the sealing prowess of the Uzumaki clan, and had been taught by their mother from a very young age. She had helped him become proficient enough to make his trip through the academy easy. It wasn’t that Mitsuo thought he wasn’t going to be able to excel in the academy, in fact he was positive that he would have no issues having been trained by his father since a young age, but he was more impressed by how easily his brother had picked up the Uzumaki sealing.

Mitsuo made his way through the doorway and shook his head slightly, knowing that he was probably a bit above the simple training he was about to be put through, but he had resolved not to see it that way. Everyone went through the same training when they wanted to become shinobi, one way or another they had to graduate from the academy. Mitsuo knew he was no different, even though his father had taught him all of the basics that would be covered here, and a lot more advanced techniques as well that most of the people here would probably never imagine being able to perform themselves. It wasn’t like it was some big secret that a lot of people who left the academy never made it past the rank of Genin, and Mitsuo had mastered abilities that had surpassed many genin he knew. He wore a cocky smile, which was something that he knew would be a problem down the line, and pushed his glasses up his nose into position, chuckling and taking a seat beside a young buy with medium length spiked black hair. The boy had his eyes closed and was looking down at his desk so Mitsuo placed his hand on the boy’s shoulder and spoke softly to him.

“Hey there, My name is Sarutobi, Mitsuo.” The boy began to raise his head turning it in Mitsuo’s direction, his eyes still closed for the moment. “What’s your name?” As Mitsuo said these words the young boy opened his eyes and Mitsuo was shocked to see that his irises were almost pure white, one of the traits of Konohagakure no Kato’s legendary Hyuga clan. The milky white was enticing, holding Mitsuo’s attention and trapping him in their beautiful depths. He smiled once more, realizing that the staring might be making the boy uncomfortable, and blinked before looking at him again. The hair was falling in front of his eyes and making its way to the tip of his nose, his thin jawline running down to a soft point on his chin and his slender neck hiding beneath a simple white robe. He smiled back and touched Mitsuo’s hand, brushing it gently before grasping it and shaking it.

“My name is Kimaru…Hyuga, Kimaru.” Mitsuo wasn’t surprised when he was told this boy was one of the Hyuga clan, and he was happy that he could say there was one in his class. This would easily give him something to strive towards, to contend with a Hyuga boy would prove to be most challenging. The boy looked at him with a puzzled look and Mitsuo noticed he was probably staring again, a fire in his eyes that had been ignited by the thought of a potential rivalry with this boy. As he heard the list of students go on he heard some other names that interested him, the main two being Uchiha, Oshiki and Senju, Ukiyo. The Uchiha clan were a clan that were always treated with contempt and distrust in the village, having had some issues in the past. The Senju were the exact opposite, being loved and adored by the village. When people think of the founders of the village they think of the Senju, even though the Uchiha were just as much a part of it as the Senju were. Mitsuo introduced himself to both of them and then took his seat, fixated on the young Hyuga boy for reasons he didn’t quite yet understand…


He almost couldn’t bring himself to do it, his hands closing the young Hyuga’s eyes and resting on his forehead. He shuddered to think of what he would have to do next, as was his duty as an ANBU Black Ops agent. He began forming hand signs quickly, an intricate string of them more complex than any other jutsu he knew and the tears continued to fall down his face as he did this. Each hand sign seemed to stretch an eternity even though they took fractions of a second to form from his training, and he couldn’t bear to think of what he was about to do to his lover. He eventually finished through his string and placed his hand on Kimaru’s forehead once more, sending his chakra into the young man’s body and performing what was basically an ANBU agent’s last rights. The chakra pulsed through the young man’s body in waves, building up inside of him before he was consumed in a flash of bright light and then there was nothing left of the body, save for the mask which Mitsuo had saved. He angrily began to search the area, his training in stealth fully accented by the primal stage of rage he was in right now. He had reattached his own mask and he knew that he was nothing more than a ghost at this point.

He moved back to where the battle had first begun, looking for some clue as to why the attack had even happened in the first place, not knowing much more than who the person who had attacked him was. He had a lot of sensitive information at his disposal but he had never even heard the names of any of the people this man was protecting. He was looking for something, anything, which might lead him to find out who had hired this man. His eyes were sharp, much better than they had once been and he could pick out smaller details than he would have previously been able to. He scanned the area to find the answer and what he found left more questions than answers. On the ground by where he had picked up Kimaru’s body was a small symbol, one that he recognised from his past. It had been found by his father’s body, as well as on his mother at the time of her death and the nin who had attacked his brother wore the same one. He didn’t know what to think, it couldn’t possibly be a coincidence, and it had to be connected somehow. Mitsuo ran his fingers through his hair and shook his head before removing his mask so that he could throw up, the entire world spinning around him as he nearly collapsed onto the ground.


(2125/9000 Cloak of the Will)

When the world finally stopped spinning Mitsuo took a second to regain his composure and collect his thoughts, his entire body was still shaking and probably would be for a while. He spit the taste of vomit and blood out of his mouth and brought his mask back to his face, screaming out once more before running back towards the village as quickly as he possibly could. He needed to remember back to the details of those horrible days that he had tried his entire life to forget, the deaths of his mother and his brother. He had witnessed both events and had wished dearly that he didn’t, as they would ultimately shape him into the husk of a man he had become. The only thing that seemed to be keeping his life normal was his lover, and now that Kimaru was dead Mitsuo had no idea what to think. He just ran as fast as he could, moving at a speed that would be a blur to the average and even abnormal human eye, faster than what would be considered to be humanly possible. He made his way back to the Sarutobi manor and threw his mask down on the desk in his office, smashing his fist into the oak and leaving a large crater in the normally smooth surface, the papers scattering all over the floor of his office.

Mitsuo tried to sit but he couldn’t bring himself to do so, instead pacing back and forth furiously in his office, knocking things over and smashing anything he possibly could. It was a good thing his office was relatively empty. Once he had extinguished a lot of his pent up energy he finally became calm enough to stand still, clutching the back of his chair and stripping off his armour, dressing himself in his typical clothing before taking a seat and resting his forehead between his palms. He rubbed his temples with his thumbs and sighed, more tears dripping from his eyes and staining his desk dark. He couldn’t bring himself to accept what had happened today, and instead concentrated on the symbol, trying his hardest to think back to the first time he saw it, when he was only a child and his mother had been killed by whom he had been told were Iwa-shinobi…


The four man squad made their way back to the Village Hidden in the Leaves in the dead of the night, their mission having been completed and their charge being in their grasps. The leader of the group was a Hyuga woman, her name Mitsuo had never bothered to learn, though he wished he had. She was an extremely important figure in the history of his personal family, as she was the person that his mother was charged to protect when she died. He could still picture her long raven hair which went down to the small of her back as it flowed in the wind. The one to her left had short, spiky red hair and was the one person in the group that Mitsuo could never possibly forget, as it was her death that had haunted his dreams since he was a small child. She was his mother, Uzumaki, Akiha, and she was one of the bravest people who Mitsuo believed had ever lived. She carried a bow in her hands and ran like the wind, her body lithe and fluid. She never should have fallen, no enemy could have snuck up on her perfect sight, but that night someone did. The man to the Hyuga’s right was Senju, Arashi, who was another person Mitsuo would find it hard to forget as he was his first ever encounter with a Senju. He wore a set of armour that Mitsuo noticed looked a lot like the armour that Sousetsu now wore and he smiled at this realization. The glaive on his back bounced up and down as he ran and Mitsuo remembered being quite impressed by this weapon. The fourth person in the squad was Uchiha, Daisuke, a master of the art of Genjutsu and someone who was greatly sought after for his eyes, almost as much as the Hyuga in the squad. He would eventually be killed by his brother, who in turn would be killed by Mitsuo’s father for murder.

The four of them had been sent out on a mission to Iwagakure no Kato to make peace with the Tsuchikage and take him an offering. This mission was reported to have gone fairly well, though nobody knew the exact details of what had happened as shortly after each of the members of the squad would end up dead and only the Kage at the time would truly know what had happened. They ran back so that they could report to the Hokage and complete their mission, but that was not fated to commence as they would be ambushed before they had their chance to meet with the kage. Mitsuo remembered being at the gate of the village hiding, waiting for his mother’s return. He was fairly close to everything when it happened and remembered witnessing the entire thing, the painful memory forever being burned into the back of his mind. The first thing he always remembered was the excitement of seeing his mother rushing towards the village, the childish hope that it managed to instil in him and the feeling of happiness from the idea of embracing her once more. That was the first thing, the second was a horror that would creep over him as he watched the scene in front of him unfold over and over in his mind. He watched as a group of no less than ten ninja descended from the trees above and attacked the four ninja, the two jounin and two Special Jounin fighting their hardest to stay alive.

Mitsuo remembered the flash of blades and watching his mother push the Hyuga woman behind her, making sure that she was safe as she knew that she was the most likely target. The Uzumaki woman held her bow in her hand and release a bolt into the chest of one of the nearby ninja, making a handsign and causing the arrow to explode in a burst of fire. He watched the Uchiha catch the eyes of two of the men and bring them to their knees without touching them, their minds broken before he engulfed them in a massive fireball, their minds and bodies both being destroyed in the blaze. He watched as the Senju shot massive splints of wood through the chest of one of his enemy and used his mokuton abilities to create a protective ball around the Hyuga woman. It was really quite impressive to see, and Mitsuo soaked up the entire fight, right up until the climax, which was the part that would haunt him always. He watched as the person who seemed to be the leader of the group came out of the shadows and drew his swords, his entire body twisting as he cut through the Senju’s Mokuton with a burst of flame and then dug his blades across his chest before turning on Mitsuo’s mother. He watched in horror as the Jounin Senju fell to the ground, his upper torso completely separated from the bottom of his body. The blades turned onto the mistress of the bow, her arrows being swatted away by his superior speed and ability before the blades turned on her, cutting her from her left shoulder to the right side of her hip. Mitsuo nearly screamed and gave away his position as she fell, the man dropping something beside her. That’s when the ANBU came and the ninja ran away.

Mitsuo remembered that the man who had killed her mother was wearing something that looked an awful lot like a Konoha Flak Jacket, it had bothered him even after he was told that it was Iwa shinobi who had killed his mother, even though they became the target of his hatred for a very long time. Mitsuo ran out to hold his mother, tears staining his face as he held her in his arms. She smiled at him and stroked his cheek before he watched as the light left her eyes, all that was left was the symbol beside her head; a symbol he would see a few more times at least in his life…


He walked into the kitchen of the Sarutobi compound and sighed deeply once more, the memory of his mother’s death still being extremely painful to him so many years after it had happened. He put a kettle of hot water on and grabbed some tea leaves from a small bag in his cupboard, placing them into the bottom of a glass cup and waiting on the water to boil. His eyes ran all along the kitchen, noticing little reminders of Kimaru everywhere, so many that it hurt. He could see his craftsmanship on the cupboards, which he had helped Mitsuo to make after the fire had burned the compound to the ground. He could see the chair which Kimaru would always sit in when they ate together at least once per day, and the bowl and chopsticks he would use in their place. He could see the reminder to Mitsuo to check his desk for new missions and recruit possibilities posted on the refrigerator and when he opened the fridge he could see the veggies that Kimaru always kept stocked, knowing full well that Mitsuo wasn’t a fan of vegetables but making him eat them anyway to keep him healthy. He took a stalk of celery from the fridge and nibbled on it as he waited for the water to boil, the familiar whistle of the kettle telling him it was time as he turned off the element and poured the hot water into the cup, allowing the leaves too steep in the bottom.

Once his tea was made he made his way into the bedroom, taking a sip of the tea, not noticing that it had burned him, and sitting on the bed. The bed smelled like him, the entire room did. Mitsuo had never realised how big their bed actually was until he was sitting on it alone, the feeling of being alone truly sinking in at that moment. He felt as though he had lost all hope and happiness, as though nothing could ever make him happy again, nothing could help… Though perhaps vengeance could help him… The thought sickened him and made him want to throw up again but at the same time is soothed him in a way. Killing Kimaru’s killers could possibly help to mask the pain that he was now feeling, and he knew that he would need to find out who was behind it before that could happen. He looked towards the dresser and saw a crystal rose, which always made him think of his first date with Kimaru, sparking what was now a particularly painful memory to the grieving Sarutobi…


His father sighed softly and inspected the young Sarutobi up and down. He was wearing a white collared shirt over his normal fishnet shirt that covered his upper torso and a pair of expensive black pants being held up by a nice brown leather belt. He was wearing a pair of black leather boots and his glasses sparkled on his face, his long hair pulled back into a ponytail, something his father had suggested he do. Mitsuo watched as his father shook his head.

“You’re sure you want to date this Hyuga boy? He doesn’t have a sister or something?” His father’s words were not barbed or hateful, and he said them with a jesting smile. Mitsuo knew that his father loved him very much and that he wouldn’t intentionally try to hurt him. He also wasn’t a hateful man and Mitsuo knew this very well. “Just kidding, little Mitsu. I’m sure this young Kimaru is a wonderful boy and I hope you two have a great time together. Just remember it’s not considered classy to put out on the first date.” His father winked at this comment and Mitsuo blushed, exclaiming daaadddd, and hearing a knock at the door. “I’ll get it Mitsu,” His father made his way to the door and Mitsuo followed behind, hearing it open and hearing his father say; “Why hello there Kimaru, how are you doing today?”

“O..oh.. Hello Mr. Sarutobi…” Kimaru’s soft voice made Mitsuo smile as he looked out the door at the young Hyuga. He was dressed similarly to Mitsuo, though his dress shirt was buttoned up and over top of it he was wearing a black sport coat. Mitsuo heard his father comment on how handsome the young Hyuga boy looked and told him he would get Mitsuo, turning around and smiling to his son. “Well little Mitsu, guess this is it. Have fun and make sure you’re home by nine, you know I don’t like to wonder where you are.” Mitsuo smiled and hugged his father as he walked towards the door, blushing slightly as he saw the handsome young Hyuga boy waiting for him.

“Hi Kimaru, you look really handsome…” He smiled and Kimaru blushed as Mitsuo walked out the door to meet him, hearing Kimaru say something along the lines of so do you as he turned around and the two of them sheepishly began walking towards the road, making their way to the market area. The two of them were shy to be seen together at first but eventually Kimaru took Mitsuo’s hand in his and it made the walk that much easier for them. People walking down the street were watching them as they went but the two of them were young and innocent, or as innocent as it was possible to be in this world. They made their way towards the ramen shop and both ordered simple meals, both eating slowly and being lost in one another’s gazes from time to time. It really was a sight to behold, simple infatuation perhaps but nice to see anyway. The young teenagers spoke about many things, including Kimaru’s brother Tsuyo and his squad. Kimaru lived alone with Tsuyo and therefore talked about his older brother a lot. He really looked up to him as a personal hero and Mitsuo smiled and listened to every story he had to tell him. When it was Mitsuo’s turn he told Kimaru stories of his mother, who was revered as a hero in the village for the things she had done, not going into depth about her death though. The two of them eventually left the ramen shop and Kimaru walked Mitsuo home, smiling the entire way. Before Mitsuo went inside Kimaru did something he wasn’t expecting. The taller boy wrapped his arms around Mitsuo and leaned down to kiss him, embracing him in a warm hug and a tender kiss goodbye which left Mitsuo blushing for the rest of the night. His father was watching this unfold through a window and, although he never told Mitsuo it, he was extremely proud of his son. Mitsuo then watched as Kimaru walked down the street and back to his home…


(4665/9000)

His head was pounding and the room began spinning once again, no more tears as he had cried them all out. The memories he was having were extremely painful and he couldn’t deal with them anymore, but he knew he had to relive one critical and defining moment in his life. He had to remember back to the day his brother had died. Nothing except for today’s events had ever hurt him more. He didn’t want to think back to that day right now but he knew he had no choice if he were to attempt to discern whom the killer of his brother was and if they have any ties to the killers of his mother, father, and his lover. Mitsuo placed his forehead on the desk and rubbed his temples once more, really wishing he didn’t have to go through with what he was about to do. He took the picture of his brother out of his pocket and held it in his hand, looking at it and bringing the powerful and painful memory back to the fore of his mind. He sighed as it came flooding back to him in a painful flashback that he had never wanted to relive again…


Mitsuo Sarutobi smiled as he made his looked back at his team, consisting of himself, his brother Munoto, his lover Kimaru and their sensei, Akako Kimura, a young jounin who was a master of Taijutsu and the Katon element. Mitsuo thought he would be able to learn a lot from Akako-sensei but sadly their pairing was not to last. The mission they had been assigned was to protect a messenger who was delivering a message from Konohagakure no Kato to Sunagakure no Kato. It would be Mitsuo’s first ever trip outside of the village and their first real mission as a squad that wasn’t just retrieving cats from trees or cleaning up the village. The three of them were really excited to be trusted with something so important and none of them wanted to fail at this mission. Munoto and Mitsuo had been chatting about it all night and neither of them had slept that well until their father came into the room and told them to cut the chatter and get some sleep unless they wanted to be sloppy on their mission. This prompted them to sleep as they didn’t want anything to go wrong the next day.

When the five of them met it was early in the afternoon, Munoto had gone on ahead to go to the meeting point and Mitsuo had waited around the compound with Kimaru, whom his father had let move in shortly after his brother had left the village. Mitsuo went to have breakfast with Kimaru, the two of them now openly holding hands and kissing one another. His father had already left as well so Mitsuo didn’t need to worry and he and Kimaru had a bit of time to themselves before they had to take off, in which they decided the best use of that time would be to take a shower together, helping one another clean hard to reach spots, and then get ready to meet the day head on. They both adorned their regular garb, Mitsuo wearing his fishnet shirt and gloves with black pants and shinobi sandals while Kimaru wore a simple white robe like many of the other members of his clan. When they were finally ready to go, Mitsuo strapped a small tanto to his hip and they made their way out the door, the two of them walking off to meet up with their sensei.

It was a simply beautiful day outside to begin their journey, the sun high above them but a cool breeze coming off of the lake telling them that at least it wouldn’t be too hot, or at least for the beginning of their journey. Mitsuo had no delusions that the trip to Sunagakure no Kato wouldn’t get to be uncomfortably hot at some point and the young man was glad that he dressed so lightly. He looked at his sensei, who was wearing the typical garb of the village and the Konoha Flak Jacket that the majority of the Jounin in the village wore. His hair was white and spiked down over his eyes, a well trimmed beard and moustache on his face. He was wearing a pair of armoured gloves and he wore his Konoha headband around his neck. Mitsuo had adapted to wearing his own headband in the same way after seeing his sensei do it the first time he met him. His hair was also fashioned in a similar fashion to Akako-sensei’s, although where Akiko’s was snow white, Mitsuo’s was raven black. Akiko-sensei smiled when he saw Mitsuo and Kimaru approach, waving at them as they came.

“Kimaru, Mitsuo, glad to see you guys here and just on time too.” Munoto chuckled when he heard Akako sensei say these words, knowing that they were actually slightly later than they were supposed to be. Akako looked back and chuckled himself before looking back to Mitsuo and Kimaru, who were walking up to them hand in hand. “I hope you two are well rested and ready to go because our charge will be here any second now… In fact…” Akako sensei looked past Mitsuo and Kimaru to where there was a middle aged man walking towards the group of Shinobi, and he smiled a warm welcome. Mitsuo and Kimaru went to stand beside Akako sensei and looked at the man approaching them, smiling as well and standing in a way that they would be prepared to go at any time. “Mr. Yamamoto, good to see you again.” Akako was still smiling, something he always seemed to do. Mitsuo imagined it was to comfort people but he wasn’t sure. “These are my students Mitsuo, Munoto, and Kimaru. They are all fantastic students and we will protect you to the best of our abilities.”

“I sure hope so Akako, because this information I have is extremely delicate and if people find out it’s being transported it could make us a target.” He looked at all of them judgingly. He was a bald man, a long moustache on his face and angry weathered eyes. His moustache was black and his eyes were deep brown. He was fairly slender and was wearing simple robes of brown and black linen. His hands wrung nervously in front of his chest and he had somewhat of a tremble when he stood still. He walked right up to Akako and shook his hand before moving so that he was standing behind him, the three genin stepping into place with Munoto taking the rear and Kimaru and Mitsuo on either side. The three of them began to move and Mitsuo noticed that Mr. Yamamoto moved pretty quickly for an older man. He chuckled to himself about it as the five of them moved off towards the village docks, where they would be picking up the package that they would be transporting.

Clouds were rolling in overhead and Mitsuo could feel the air shifting and becoming cooler. It seemed like they were about to get some rain which suited Mitsuo just fine. He enjoyed the fooling feeling of the rain and he knew that getting a little wet on the way to Sunagakure no Kato would probably cool them all off for the trip through the desert. Mitsuo looked across Mr. Yamamoto to where Kimaru was and saw that the young Hyuga was smiling as well, similarly enjoying the idea of rain. The two of them had gone on several walks together in the rain and they liked it for similar reasons. It was always something they had seen as a romantic thing to do and they always loved it. Mitsuo looked forward again when he noticed Mr. Yamamoto was looking at him with an angry look, Mitsuo not entirely sure what the older man’s issue was but knowing that he had every right to be worried about what they were undertaking.

When they made it to the docks the contact that Mr. Yamamoto was supposed to meet was nowhere to be seen. This, of course, made Mr. Yamamoto nervous as he had remarked that the man they were supposed to meet was never late. Mitsuo and Kimaru were watching intently making sure they wouldn’t miss him if he showed up and they would quickly realise what had happened. Mr. Yamamoto stared in shocked silence directly towards the water and Mitsuo’s eyes snapped there right away, seeing the man standing on the river and realising what was happening. The entire area suddenly became covered in a thick fog and Mitsuo felt something hit the ground behind him, turning around and realising it was Mr. Yamamoto, who had fallen dead, a hole between his eyes. Mitsuo and Kimaru both made their way towards where their Sensei was standing to try to engage the shinobi who was the source of the fog. Neither of them could have seen what happened next coming.

Mitsuo heard a scream in anguish cut the air and he quickly realized it was the voice of his twin brother. He rushed back to meet him, Kimaru coming with him as Mitsuo rushed forward to where his brother was. He could see the man who was running away with a polearm weapon on his back, one that now looking back Mitsuo realised was oddly familiar, intricate design carved into the haft that featured the symbol of whatever it was Mitsuo was seeking. He watched as he dropped a wooden trinket on the ground, the calling card of the group. Mitsuo knew that it was no coincidence that these were dropped at the murder of each of his family members but he was no longer able to concentrate on that part. This was the worst part of the memory and Mitsuo would have to relive it one more time.

He rushed forward, his brother with a massive hole carved in his chest as Mitsuo scooped him into his arms. He looked down into his brother’s eyes, blue as the ocean on a clear day, and ran his fingers through his brother’s hair, stroking his cheek and trying not to cry onto his face. “Mitsuo…” Munoto’s voice was weak and cracking, Mitsuo knowing that it was taking him everything to hold on and say these words. Mitsuo’s tears were flowing, Kimaru standing back and hiding his own tears at the situation as Munoto continued. “You…you need to live on…Make father…proud…” He coughed up blood and looked back towards him. “Ne…Never forget…me…or mother…And make su…make sure you protect…the village…Protect…Kimaru…protect…” Mitsuo watched as the light slipped from his brother’s eyes, completely glossing over and turning grey. He touched his cold cheek once more and began to feel the rain falling on them.

“Munoto?” His voice cracked and he already knew what he was trying to confirm. The tears flowed freely from Mitsuo’s eyes, falling to the ground and onto his dead brother as he looked towards the sky and let out a piercing scream. Akako sensei made his way over to meet them, returning his weapon to its place and putting his hand on Kimaru’s shoulder as they watched the horror scene unfold in front of them. There was nothing any of them could have done. This was an ambush and they didn’t come into it prepared. Mitsuo would blame himself for the death of his brother every day for the rest of his life…


…Up until today. Today he knew it wasn’t his fault. He stood up and walked to the cabinet in the corner, pulling out all the files he could on the Konohan upper class and looking first for the file on Hatake, Satoshi. When he pulled the file he sighed and looked at the picture on the cover, it had a picture and highlighted his abilities as a shinobi. He was thirty years old, with white and black hair, and soulless dark eyes. The man was a professional with a glaive, which was a type of pole weapon, and that was when Mitsuo realised he had seen the weapon used in the death of his brother before. It was the weapon that Satoshi had been using when he had attacked Mitsuo and Kimaru. The intricate shaft of his weapon was engraved with the symbol of whatever it was Mitsuo was looking for. He recognised the design from the swords that had struck down his mother too. He began looking through the profiles of some of Konoha’s higher ups and pulled aside the ones who had known affiliation with Satoshi, or ones who seemed suspicious to him. Mitsuo knew something was going on, he wasn’t sure what but he was determined to get to the bottom to it. It was obvious to him that Konoha had killed his family and when he started looking through the more restricted files of some of these Konohan officials and digging up the crimes of their pasts it made him sick. Then he noticed that the Hyuga and the Sarutobi had stood up against the bastards. They had been the ones who had tried to expose them, and he was sure that because of that, his family had been killed off one by one, until It was only him left.

He couldn’t believe what he had unearthed. He had just learned about something that had been going on in Konoha for years, and it had cost him the lives of his family. His sadness was turning into anger quickly, his body temperature was rising rapidly. He felt as though he was on fire, as though all of the weight of the realisation had just slammed into him, bursting out and making him feel as though he was going to explode. What he didn’t realise was his chakra was reacting to his anger. He put the files into his vest and then went to rest his hands on the desk, before realising that his hand was on fire. He recoiled and noticed that the fire had spread to his entire body, making him freak out as he tried not to run into anything. He did his best not to touch anything as he ran to the exit of the Sarutobi compound but in the time it took him to finally get to the door he had set a fire that was turning into a blaze in the main building. His office had been completely destroyed and the rest of the building was turning into a blazing inferno as he stood in front of the building. He let out a loud blood curdling scream and fell to his knees, his body still flaming although he didn’t feel the heat.

Mitsuo had just burned down the main building of the Sarutobi compound, and he didn’t know how, or why. He screamed out for help once more, hoping someone would hear him…

(7164/9000 Cloak of the Will)

Ukiyo sprang out of the Hokage’s office, slamming the door behind her as she flew down the hallway. The day’s work was done and she couldn’t be happier; the pointless monotony of it all had been weighing her down more than usual lately. When she started working as the Hokage’s aid, it was exciting. She thought she’d be taking on new and exciting missions and have opportunities lined up at the door for ways to improve her abilities. While it’s true she’s learned a lot since becoming Jounin, Ukiyo’s felt that Konoha has nearly run out of things to teach her. On top of that, the village has made no progress towards a more sustainable lifestyle, as Ukiyo expected. The more time that passed, the more it seemed that Ukiyo was outgrowing Konoha. She often day dreamed of other, far off lands. Their grass was always greener in her mind, their air crisp and the people scarce. It made Ukiyo sick to walk through the streets of Konoha, as she did now (having left the administrative  building). The more smiles she saw, the more lights that lit stores and streets alike, the more days that went by in this seemingly soulless village, the larger the knot in Ukiyo’s stomach grew. It wasn’t enough for her to stand idly by anymore. She always knew she had to do something about society, something to reform the self-indulged, spoiled child of a village that Konoha had grown into. It wasn’t until recently, however, that she felt she could do anything. With her training rapidly reaching a peak, and the strength of the Hokage seeming less and less distant, Ukiyo knew something was about to change.

It’s been over ten years…ten years since the day Konoha killed my parents. The day the Senju turned on them, on us. Still they both stand tall: Konoha has one of the strongest of the hidden villages and Senju has one of the strongest of Konoha’s clans. It’s despicable, no one so much as speaks of their atrocities. They live their lives in ignorant bliss, laughing on the corpses they’ve trampled on to build their utopia. Not an ounce of guilt. Not a tear shed or so much as a blink when confronted with the soulless, gruesome reality of the village’s past. Ukiyo watched patrons passing her down the street, laughing with one another as they chatted, joked, and ate various sweets purchased from the local market. Ukiyo’s eyes drifted downward, not wanting to look at them or anything for that matter. Her eyelids held a weight on them from her imposing thoughts, and her eyes seemed devoid of light. She had slowed down a while ago from a sprint and was now practically dragging her feet. The village filled her with a great sadness that seemed impossible to ignore while within the isolation of its walls. They don’t think for a moment about it. They’re all content living their lives, and that’s all they care about. It doesn’t matter to them who dies and who lives, so long as it doesn’t affect them. This entire society is built on selfishness.

At that moment, Ukiyo began smelling something. It stung her nose as this particular scent usually did, bringing forth terrifying memories and ominous thoughts. Fire. She looked up and saw where it was coming from; about 200 meters ahead she could see smoke arising. Ukiyo immediately began running in the direction, though was slowed by her thoughts. Why should I bother? Helping these people only pushes me further from my goals. What they really need is to be cleansed, a fresh start. Perhaps they should rise from the ashes- At this point, Ukiyo neared the source of the smoke enough to realize where she was heading. Wait, that’s the Sarutobi compound. Mitsuo! Ukiyo immediately picked up her speed, running as fast as she could. She sprang from rooftop to rooftop at a blinding pace as she prepared by pulling chakra into her stomach. As she arrived, she could see that one of the large buildings was set ablaze and there was a figure running out of it. They were almost completely set on fire and flailing for help as they ran out. Before Ukiyo could get close enough to make out who it was, the person let out a shrilling sound of anguish, and at that moment she knew immediately who they were.

MITSUO! It was her partner, but much, much more importantly, her friend. Mitsuo Sarutobi was now screaming out in pain as he burnt alive, and Ukiyo nearly lost her breath at the realization. The chakra in her stomach swayed back and forth and crashed against itself until it began molding into Suiton. Ukiyo did this instinctively as she ran up to Mitsuo with all of her might. Her feet pounded the floor beneath her, as if trying to break through, and within a second she was within reach of him. Her chakra at this point exploded throughout her body, crashing against her fingertips and toes, head and chest. She reached out to Mitsuo, one of the very few people she’s been able to make any type of connection with in this god forsaken village, and continued in towards him. She wrapped her arms around him and moved in so their bodies would meet. Just as she began closing in on his skin, and as her own flesh began to char, explosions of water let out all over her body. The flames quickly dispersed, leaving only steam behind. Ukiyo held Mitsuo gently as she assessed each of their wounds. His were very severe, however Ukiyo’s weren’t too bad. She wanted to ask him what happened, wanted to ask if he was ok, but knew nothing she said would make any difference. She held her friend in her arms, and waited.  Mitsuo…

976

Chakra: 265/300:

He was so alone, the pain of the situation slamming into him. The impacts it was having on him feeling as though they were physically manifesting. Heaven had opened up and he was becoming soaked, the fire still burning and him noticing he was still not becoming hot or injured. He could feel his chakra draining and he wasn’t sure why at first, his current state of mind making it difficult to work out or look at things rationally. Had he been able to think straight he would have realised that he was controlling the flames and that it was a jutsu that was causing them to engulf his body and make it so he was unscathed. He was still covered in the wounds and burns from his fight with the shinobi that had killed his lover however and he could feel the world spinning around him once again. It took him a while to realize that the “impacts” the pain was having on him weren’t just the pain of loss, but they were a real physical manifestation of pain. It also took him a second to realize that the flames on his body were disappearing; the impacts on his body being from what must have been an incredibly powerful technique. His chakra finally stopped draining and he nearly passed out completely from exhaustion, his vision blurring and everything spinning and fading out around him. Was this the end of the chita sennin? Was the discovery he had made too much for him to bare? Had the assassins who had been targeting his family come to take him too?

Before he passed out he heard a familiar voice in his ear whispering his name and could feel a warm body pressing against his, holding onto him and it reminded him of something that he felt long ago when he held the tiny Senju girl in his arms after they had fought, carrying her out of the tree and protecting her from the fire of his attacks. He knew she didn’t like fire and he felt so bad about what he had nearly done to her in that fight, not expecting it to get as intense as it had. He looked at her as she held him, recognising her face before his vision completely faded out and he slipped into unconsciousness, which wouldn’t last long but would feel like an eternity…

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

He could see them standing in front of him. His mother was just as beautiful as ever, her short red hair spiked up and her smile as warm as ever. She looked at Mitsuo with her blue orbs and walked up to him, hugging him tightly as he hugged her back. His eyes were filled with tears and so were hers as they embraced, her hand moving up to rest on the back of his head as her fingers ran through his hair. He was taller than her now, something he had never really realised, and he couldn’t help but smile through the tears. “You’re so handsome, my boy. I can’t call you little Mitsu anymore I guess, now can I?” He had almost forgotten that it was his mother who had been the one to call him Little Mitsu first. He was so young and his father had never approved of the nickname, thinking it would make him soft or weak. She pulled back and smiled once again “It’s so good to see you, Mitsuo. I’ve missed you so much…and I love you so much…” She stepped back and Mitsuo looked beside her as another young man stepped forward. He was nearly Mitsuo’s height, and looked so similar to him it was staggering. Mitsuo looked him up and down and the boy just chuckled.

“Jeez Mitsu, don’t recognise your own brother? I know it’s been a long time, and I probably looked a little different back then, but still man, that’s sad.” His brother walked up to him and Mitsuo clutched him tightly, holding onto his younger brother and not wanting to let go of him. His death had been the second most devastating moment in his entire life, and having his brother here in front of him now was overwhelming him with emotion. He couldn’t speak just yet, his body didn’t seem to want to let go as though if he were to do so his brother would vanish once again and Mitsuo would be left alone once more. When he finally did let go his brother took a step back and chuckled again, resting a hand on his brother’s shoulder and grinning at him before stepping back and letting the next of the people standing in front of him approach him. The third person of course, was Mitsuo’s father, who just stood there and looked his son up and down, inspecting him and smiling.

“So Little Mitsu, I heard you made Chuunin in the exams. I guess you must have impressed someone, eh?” His father walked forward and hugged his son, closing his eyes and whispering into his ear. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there to see you son, I wish I could have been. If I had been things might have gone a little bit better for me. But such is life, or death I suppose in my case.” He chuckled to himself and let go of his son. “You have grown so much since I last saw you. ANBU Captain, Jounin, and you finally seem to have truly mastered the Katon element. I couldn’t possibly be more proud of you my son, you really have become a stunning shinobi that our clan can be proud of…You stepped into the head of clan position well…” He stepped back and smiled back to Mitsuo before looking behind himself and taking a step to the right, revealing a figure that made Mitsuo drop to his knees and begin to sob when he saw.

Kimaru walked up to Mitsuo, putting his strong hand on his forehead and stroking his hair as Mitsuo wrapped his arms around Kimaru’s waist, burying his head in Kimaru’s stomach and sobbing hysterically. He held on to his lover for dear life, not wishing to ever let this moment pass or to ever wake up at this point, and he knew that Kimaru could sense that as well as he also dropped to his knees and kissed Mitsuo on the forehead, whispering to him. “Mitsuo, you cannot stay here with us…I’m sorry, I know it’s hard to see us all right now but we’re a projection of your mind, sent here to help you work out what you should do next.” Kimaru’s words weren’t making it any easier but after a few minutes Mitsuo managed to pull himself together, standing up and kissing Kimaru as he sighed and stepped back, his father addressing him once again.

“Mitsuo, you know that all of our deaths are connected. I was not killed by a falling building, though it helped to hide the body. You saw the pictures of the scene and of my body, how my chest was cut opened in a way much too perfect to be done by falling rubble. The weapon would probably match the wounds on your brother and Kimaru as well. Konoha is killing off our family. We are shining beacons of purity, people who give our lives to make sure that our village is safe and the corrupt people in power have done this to us. We need to stop them, but sadly we cannot do this anymore. Mitsuo you are our only hope now, you have to find allies. Remember that the enemy of your enemy is your friend, seek allies, formulate a plan to leave, prepare yourself and move as quickly as possible, for the longer these people sit free and still breathe the more lives they destroy with their corruption.”

Mitsuo’s world began shaking around him and he wasn’t sure what exactly was happening, he could see his family was still trying to speak but he couldn’t make out exactly what they were saying. He couldn’t hear anything except rumbling and a soft voice whispering his name. He wasn’t quite sure exactly what could be happening but he imagined since this was all just a projection of his mind somebody was trying to wake him up. He knew that he should wake up but leaving his family was too painful. He wanted to spend the rest of his life in this illusion but he knew that he had something more important to do, namely he needed to avenge the death of his family and protect the village people from the potential danger they were in. He knew that he had to bring down whoever these people were and he needed to find someone who would be able to help him. The enemy of my enemy is my friend, that’s what his father had said. Tatsumaru’s enemy was from Iwa so perhaps they would be able to help him? Maybe that was the answer, he had to go back to Iwagakure no Kato and seek out the Tsuchikage. He would have to leave this life behind and, in leaving the village, he would save it. He wouldn’t be allowed to just leave though, he would have to make a plan, he would have to “die” before he could be reborn. He would have to…

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wake up. His eyes shot opened and he could feel Ukiyo clutching him. He lifted his own arms and wrapped them around her, holding her close to him and crying on her shoulder. His Ukiyo, she had always been like a sister to him, she had always been so wonderful. He just hoped that she would understand if he was to tell her what was going on in his life. He took a second to compose himself and pulled away a little bit, smiling softly and looking into her beautiful eyes. She was one of his best friends and someone who had always been there for him and he was eternally grateful for her. But she was also the assistant of the Hokage, and Mitsuo didn’t want to get in trouble so he would have to weigh his options carefully. If she wanted to she could tell the Hokage of his entire plan and it could possibly ruin it, destroying him in the process and his chances at getting vengeance for his family. Though he weighed the options he decided that he needed to talk to someone, and he thought that the girl who had always been like a sister, the closest thing to family he had left, would be a perfect person to talk to. He regained his composure and got up to his feet, smiling softly and brushing himself off, the fire on his manor lightening up as it had finished burning to the ground.

“Ukiyo…Thank you for saving me…I’m sorry about everything…I’m so sorry…” he was finding it difficult to find the words that he wanted to say, so he decided he would take the direct route. “I don’t know if you’ll believe me Ukiyo, but Konoha killed my family… I have to leave… I need to get out of here… I need to find help… If I am to save the people of this village I will need to leave it… I hope you understand… Please don’t tell Takeshi, please help me… Please…understand…” He was so scared but he felt better having gotten that off of his chest. He looked into the face of the younger shinobi and felt tears welling up once again, hoping dearly that she would understand his pain and intentions.

(9000/9000 Cloak of the Will complete! 106)

Ukiyo held Mitsuo in her arms as steam slowly poured off his body. He was severely wounded, and Ukiyo could sense his chakra was dwindling as well. The young man she held in her arms was suffering, and all she could do was hope he would be ok. Ukiyo couldn’t help but remember the first time the two of them met, back in the Academy.

It was a hot day like most in Konoha; the sky was clear, the sun was out, and the wind seemed to know just went to stop and when best to blow. These days were plentiful in Hi no Kuni, and made going to the Academy that much easier for Ukiyo. When she started going there, it was dreadful. Traveling into the village, then spending several grueling hours with a variety of carefree brats made the days seem to drag on forever. She wasn’t forced to go, however Ukiyo took it upon herself to better her skills through some regulated practice, rather than relying solely on her alternative methods. After the first year, however, Ukiyo learned to enjoy it. She was able to exercise her mind by interacting with the other children, and learned many things she hadn’t in the wild. One thing she took upon herself to do was to try and teach the others about the ways of peace. All the would-be shinobi were young and reckless, and many of them had short tempers. At this point, Ukiyo had learned only to use her abilities for survival, and that “picking a fight” was nothing more than foolish. As such, she often made it a point to break up fights she saw at the Academy, or otherwise try to prevent them from starting. This is how she and Mitsuo met.

On this day at the Academy, there was a rather loud fight that had broken out in one of the hallways. No instructors were within earshot apparently, or perhaps they didn’t care. When Ukiyo heard what was happening, she ran over to the source of the commotion to find a gathering of children cheering on to the spectacle happening in the center. Ukiyo could make out two figures pushing back and forth, but had to make her way to the front of the crowd to get a good view. There, she found Mitsuo and another child fist fighting, and it was quickly going from bad to worse. The two of them were covered in bruises and their skin had almost begun breaking. Ukiyo still hadn’t discovered how to mold Mokuton, but in that time relied solely on her speed for combat. Ukiyo quickly slid in-between the boys as they were heading towards each other for another go, and crouched to avoid being struck. She held out her arms to catch each of their wrists and held her legs out firm to prevent them from moving past her. Mitsuo, however, had other plans. He saw Ukiyo entering the fight and quickly took her into account. When his wrist was caught, he pulled back and used this to propel his body forward, aiming to slide past her in-between her arm and leg. The other boy moved to the other side of her in defense, not being quick enough to counter Ukiyo’s hold effectively as Mitsuo. When he saw the boy move, Mitsuo naturally readjusted his attack to swing around his side to where he had moved to. Unfortunately, because he was attacking one of his blind spots, Mitsuo didn’t realize he was actually hitting Ukiyo. And that’s just what he did. As Ukiyo turned to keep track of the boy who just ducked behind her, she was struck on the side of the face by Mitsuo’s fist, bruising her badly and cracking the skin. Ukiyo released the two of them and touched her face, shocked that this boy would attack someone trying to stop a fight. Ukiyo quickly fled the scene and the two of them didn’t speak until about two years later, when they teamed up to fight Takeshi. At the time, he was Mitsuo’s mentor, but now, he had become the Hokage. Ukiyo couldn’t believe how much has changed since then. Now they were both Jounin, and the two of them worked alongside the Hokage himself. Ukiyo considered Mitsuo to be one of her closest friends, if not her closest. She pushed away most people in preference to nature, but somehow Mitsuo made it past that veil. He had found a special place in Ukiyo’s life, and was dear to her now. In fact he was probably the only person she could say this about. And here that man was in her arms, suffering.

Ukiyo then noticed Mitsuo pulling his arms up and wrapping them around her. He dug his face into her shoulder and began crying. Ukiyo placed her hand on the back of his head softly, careful not to touch any of his more serious wounds. She comforted him, remembering he day he held her after burning her in a fight they had. She wanted to be there for him just as he was for her, and wanted to alleviate him of his pain. There was only so much she could do, however, and she once again cursed her lack of ability. Even now as a medical ninja she couldn’t help her friend. Mitsuo began pulling back and tried to compose himself, which didn’t look easy given his condition. He was able to let out what was on his mind, however, which apparently was a lot. He thanked her, something that was unnecessary at this point, and then proceeded to tell her what had happened. Apparently the village did to him what they had done to her. For whatever their selfish, heartless reasons, Konoha had decided to kill Mitsuo’s family. Ukiyo was in awe of this news, knowing how incredibly loyal Mitsuo had been to the village and how this must be affecting him. She looked up to the now burnt down building behind her friend and wondered how it was set on fire. Was it Konoha? Mitsuo? Whoever it was, it didn’t matter now. Mitsuo admitted to wanting to leave the village, and that’s all Ukiyo needed to hear. She had been planning to go rogue for some time now, knowing her place in this world was not to be part of human society. The one thing keeping her in Konoha was Mitsuo. She didn’t want to sever the bonds she had made with him, and now, it appeared she didn’t have to. Fate had dealt the two of them a strange hand it seemed; they first met with hostility, then grew close to each other over time until now when it seemed their paths were one in the same. To think in the beginning they would be living entirely different lives, only to have them gradually turn into one they’d be living together. It truly appeared that they were bound together by fate. Ukiyo placed her hand on Mitsuo's shoulder and gave him a smile that she often greeted her friend with.

It will be alright, Mitsuo. We can get through this, together. She clenched his shoulder and her eyes began tearing up. She had been so conflicted about leaving the village lately, but with this, her mind couldn't have been surer. Ukiyo would not only be able to leave this retched place behind, but would be leaving with the one person she held dear to her. Her arm began to tremble a bit at this realization as she spoke, I'll come with you.

2267