Naruto: Akatsuki

A year has gone by since his departure from Amegakure.

Unlike the three years he passed in Ame, a year felt longer than it ever has been for Akashi.

Wanted, chased, and attacked from all around—the number of his pursuers and their skills were greater than what he faced in the long past.

However, that wasn't the biggest problem for him.

Leaving behind what he felt was the most important to him and roaming around the nations endlessly without a specific goal or dream in his mind...

...it could be said that ever since that night, Akashi was no longer the same.

"Huff... huff..."

A nightmare once more, it woke him up from his slumber.

The flesh and corpses, gazing at him with a deep hatred in them.

'...Killing is all that you know how to do.'

'A monster. That's who you are.'

I had no choice, Akashi wanted to say. Faced with nothing but dark reality from the start, he tried his best. Yet, he grasped nothing in the end. The only achievements that he made in this world... was killing thousands of lives, be it good or bad.

Being alone and wandering around made Akashi realize this fact. And ever since he did so, he was engulfed by these gloomy thoughts.

Whenever he looked at his hands, they were covered in blood. No matter how many times he tried to wash them, they remained the same.

'Peace for all. Peace for my family. Peace of my own. War for peace. Kill others for myself—'

Akashi used to think about how the current rulers of the world are ruining the lives of civilians for their own. Then, he accepted that such was the nature of human beings, that power is the dictating factor of all.

Now, he didn't know. He hoped that Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato would remain safe and build a sturdy foundation in Ame, but other than that, he didn't know what to do.

He simply ran and ran more, away from the prying eyes and pursuing hunters. When they arrived, he clashed with them. None of them managed to match their skills, but whenever he attempted to end their lives as he impassively did many times before—

—he couldn't do so. His breathing would stop and his weapon-holding arms would shake. Watching as his enemies' eyes were filled with panic and fear, Akashi... he was reminded of those whom he killed.

'Are you going to justify once more, why you kill someone? That you had no choice in doing so?'

In the end, retracting his weapon, Akashi ran. With his blade having lost its sharpness, the rumours regarding his stay spread quickly everywhere he went. Running more day and night, here he was now, in the Land of Snows.

"Huff... huff..."

Perhaps it was a matter of time for this to happen. In the past, all that Akashi did was tied to Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato ultimately. Now that he departed once more and looked beyond the idea of protecting the three, he fully felt the actions he committed.

Lifting his shaky hand, he massaged his temple.

"Tell me... what am I supposed to do?"

But of course, there was no response but a comfortable darkness. Akashi himself didn't know to whom he was asking.

He thought he understood how this world works. However, the more he experienced, the more he became confused.

Ethics, way of living, and all sorts of those things, he rarely experienced. Having lived a life surrounded by steel and blood since young, he realized that he knew nothing about life, of how arrogant he was.

The idea of morality became truer than ever to him. They said that killing repeatedly makes you dull; Akashi wondered why that didn't apply to him.

"..."

Eventually, his arm dropped back by his side. Unable to sleep, he emerged from the hard ground and exited the cave—one he discovered to spend a night.

On the outside, the sky was yet dark with the crescent moon as the only source of light.

Standing still with fatigue written on his face, Akashi watched the moon thought-free.

With long-grown, messy hair and beard, as well as the deep scar on a closed eyelid, within this scenery of snow, he looked more miserable than ever.

__________

"...The operation of Fire Release is just as costly as in Kiri and Ame here,"

Mumbled a ninja as he gazed at his hand.

"Land of Snow was it? Honestly speaking, I only heard it in words once before, since there's no reason to travel this much to the north."

They were currently traveling the sea via a ship.

Just then, holding a hand out, the leading ninja motioned them to get silent with his eyes headed to the left.

Following the leader's gaze, the others behind him found,

"...Aren't they the people from Iwa?"

The eyes of the leaders met. Though far, the ninjas of both parties tensed up for a potential fight.

Then, after a few seconds passed, they parted their eyes. The leader of the Kumo group stated,

"We continue our mission. No changes, but keep your guard up. Iwa is notorious for its lack of ethics and common sense. Though we are currently allied, we are prone to betrayal at all times."

Similarly, the leader of the Iwa group said to his own,

"Pretend that you haven't seen them, but keep your guard up for a potential sneak attack. Those brawn-filled fools lack logic, after all."

It was hard to camouflage or hide in the sea. Perhaps, it was those from Kiri that would best adapt to this environment, for snow and water had a close association.

Time passed. Days and nights repeatedly went by.

Then revealed to them after a long time, the mesmerizing sight of the Land of Snow.

"...Fuck."

And the first thing that one of the Kumo ninjas did upon witnessing the scene was to curse.

"It's white everywhere..."

White meant that there was little for ninjas to use. The inhabitants of this land would hold a drastic advantage against conventional ninjas.

Having entered the land without any contact with the Yukigakure, the foreign ninjas had to expect a hostile reaction from them.

One shinobi was about to speak up out of complaint, however, then widened his eyes as he saw the group of Iwa ninjas fast-traveling ahead.

"Leader, they—!"

"Deboard the ship. We cannot afford to fall behind."

The leader of the group couldn't help but curse the Iwa ninjas for their rashness.

And soon after,

"State your business."

But the ninjas of Iwa and Kumo would face the force of Yukigakure, signaling a start to yet another international strain.

__________

Boom.

The icy ground shook a little as the explosion was seen from afar.

Akashi's eye narrowed, knowing that a fight's begun from that point.

'That scale of an explosion is likely to have risen in a fight between ninjas. This means...'

His thoughts had to stop, however. Sensing the presence from the back, Akashi turned his head and saw a group of ninjas approaching him.

'Kiri...'

Immediately recognizing the symbol of their forehead protectors, Akashi readied himself for a potential fight.

"Red Blade."

Holding her empty hands up as a sign that they weren't trying to attack, one of them spoke.

"We're here to bargain, not to fight. We have no interest in your bounty."

It was Akashi's time to pause.

"Bargain?"

"Yes, a bargain. Or to say it more accurately, a recruitment."

Lowering her arms, the kunoichi then held her hand out.

"You too know well that in this world, there is no truer thing than power. We've recognized your power and wish to recruit you as one of our own."

It wasn't common for the nations to seek a recruitment of rogue ninjas. One reason was that recruiting them may earn hostility against other nations who issued bounties on them.

However, the fact that Akashi was a S-Ranked ninja made such a demerit worth taking. Furthermore, the fact that Akashi's behaviour changed—that he stopped killing and began to merely knock out his enemies—served as a sign to the nations that he is open to a bargain.

"Kiri has recently managed to regain the stability, and soon enough, the nation will make its full, glorious return."

Akashi grimaced. The words spoken by the kunoichi meant two things: that the fourth Mizukage was declared, and that they will be entering the Third Shinobi World War as well.

It was a crucial information, but if the ninjas were willing to leak it to him, it likely meant that the news was already spread from the underneath.

The chance was that the supposed civil war was quite a one-sided one from the very start.

"We won't take your ownership of our swords. Instead, you will become one of our Seven Swordsmen. Wealth, fame, and everything that you desire will be yours... as long as you pledge your loyalty to the nation."

"...Everything?"

Akashi couldn't help but feel bitter.

'What's the point of having everything when I no longer know what I want?'

"..."

Emotionlessly, those from Kiri stared at Akashi, waiting for his response.

Such visages reminded Akashi of the time he fought against Danzo's underlings. Trained to be emotionless... did these people even know what they were speaking of?

"You aren't here to bargain with me. No fool sends an emotionless killer to negotiate."

Akashi said impassively.

"From what I can see... you are here to prevent others from recruiting me, rather than recruit me yourselves."

The fact that these Kiri ninjas approached him the moment the fight between other ninjas began from afar—the timing was far too inorganic. Akashi found it highly likely that this wasn't a coincidence.

Throwing his emotions aside, Akashi knew that it was time to be rational.

"If I were to reject your offer, what would be the consequences?"

"Are we to take that as a rejection?"

"It is a mere question."

"..."

Tension was rising, and it seemed that the name of the Bloody Mist wasn't just a rumour. In an instant, the spark of blood lust was found in the eyes of the Kiri ninjas. They were confident that they could kill Akashi—not as a fighter, but as an assassin. And to them, such confidence wasn't baseless, for it arose from the experience.

This reaction from them was enough of an answer for Akashi. Closing his eye, he couldn't help but sigh in exhaustion.

His sigh served as a trigger for the Kiri ninjas to act. The floor underneath Akashi suddenly sunk, and simultaneously, numerous kunais flew upward toward where Akashi was hovering.

As if that wasn't enough, four ninjas spewed out high-pressurized water techniques on all four sides of Akashi to prevent his escape. A buff shinobi threw a huge rock above Akashi's head to prevent his escape upward.

Everything happened within a second. It was clear that they were the veterans, skilled enough to kill even a renowned one if given the right chance.

However, Akashi did nothing in response. While the Kiri ninjas prepared for Akashi's possible escape and their move after, he didn't move.

In other words, there was no need for him to do so.

Puff!

Upon contact with the kunais, Akashi simply exploded into a puff of smoke, indicating that he was simply a clone. The Kiri ninjas reacted violently, shocked by the revelation.

"How?! We were tailing him since—"

"Formation 3!"

They quickly formed a circle to protect their backs and were ready for a backlash.

However, nothing came. There was no attack. There was no backlash from Akashi who was hiding elsewhere.

Instead,

"...Kiri."

Tap.

There were ninjas from Kumo, Iwa, as well as Yuki, ones who were fighting by themselves previously.

Kiri ninjas found themselves caught up in the middle of a storm. They were confident, but this time around, such confidence served as nothing but complacency this time around.

__________

"...What the fuck?"

Whispering from beyond a snowy hill, peaking at the four-way clash of ninjas from far away, was Zabuza.

"..."

Ao, the sole one who was considered an adult by age, locked his eyes on those from Kiri.

"It's the hunter-nins, Terumi-sama. The division that is loyal to Mizukage only... has acted."

"It seems that the situation in Kiri is much worse than we anticipated."

Mei bit her lips.

"We must hurry."

Zabuza grabbed the dazed form of Gai by the back of his coat, and they quickly exited the scene.