cry 12

Frustration thy name is Uchiha. That was the thought running through his mind as he wandered the village. He now had a game plan and while he was not too sure about it he figured it was worth the risk. The issue he was facing now was finding Shisui.

You would think finding him would not be too difficult but you would be wrong. Shisui may be a war hero and someone who held great acclaim in the village but he was not one of the Jonin teaching students or even a regular ninja in the light. Shishui was a part of the Anbu, the program that was dedicated to the principles that most normal ninja followed.

Anonymity, obedience, and stealth. Usually when you joined the Anbu you forsake your name and were assigned a codename. No fame will come to you as you assigned yourself as a tool in the hands of the Hokage. You would also find yourself under a schedule that most ninja would scoff at. Combat after combat and assassination after assassination. Being a part of the Anbu meant that you were basically signing yourself up for thankless but vital work for the village.

In other words it was a place where suck ups and idealistic fools went to. Sadly for my current goals Shisui was both of those things. So trying to find him by just wandering the village was a fool's endeavor. At least he was not a part of the Root as that would take him completely off of the board.

Danzo was known for basically destroying the personality and sapience of all of his subordinates. He could understand the need for creating loyal ninja who would follow orders without limits but Danzo’s program was such a travesty. Creating a program that effectively made your people into slaves for the whims of one man was a ridiculous concept. 

If the village at large knew exactly what Danzo did to his underlings there would be riots all over the place. Especially since Danzo was not content to have his paws only on the non clan ninja. The village had assigned a quota for the clans to send ninja to the Root. That obviously rubbed the clans the wrong way but it was mostly looked at as a messy sacrifice to appease the current regime.

Most of the clans also thought that the people they sent over were treated well and they could take them back if things truly went heads up.

Sadly the clans basically sold their members off as slaves without really knowing it. Honestly, that sort of treatment should only be assigned to enemy combatants but under Hiruzens reign and Danzo's greedy hands, loyal and powerful ninja were broken down to nothing but tools in their hands.

It was not like the brainwashing was necessary for the work that the Root was supposed to do. While the Anbu assigned the more socially acceptable jobs the Root dealt with the dirty things. The sabotaging of allies, or the massacre of civilian populations to send a message. The type of work that had you shuddering into your pillow in the middle of the night. 

The thing is while removing the will behind the ninja made those dirty jobs a breeze to get through it was not necessary. Ninjas were typically a pragmatic sort, the type of people who knew that sacrifices needed to be made and were willing to die to have certain goals. Assination was a mission that regular ninja did and while what the Root did was the worst of the worst people would do it.

He could certainly see the appeal to having a loyal force that did not need to be cycled to insure mental stability and the need for the jobs to never reach the light of day. But the price our people had to pay was too much to ask for and it was not even a price that they knew they were paying when they got involved.

He could barely accept the toll that was being paid from a more pragmatic sense but even if he was viewing the Root as a tool the village needed they failed. They followed the orders and the will of a man who only cared about his own goals and felt the village’s security and integrity came second.

Danzo was willing to kill entire clans seeing it as a necessary price as they were too powerful for the world he wanted. He was not even talking about the Uchiha as that had not happened yet. Danzo had his part to play in the massacre of the Uzumaki. It was not just about not supporting them in their time of need, Danzo leaked information that directly led to their deaths.

Certain routes and security seals that would let people breach the nearly impossible barriers the Uzumaki held up. Then he sent his people to pick the dying clan for all they were worth while securing an Uzumaki for the Village’s use.

That could be seen as an okay move but his part in the death of the Senju was absurd. His greed for the overwhelming power that Hashirama and Madara held had him targeting the clan for their research potential. There was also the motive of the fear of another Hashirama popping up in the Senju clan but it was clear Danzo’s main motive was greed.

If it was not, he would not have grafted the flesh of Hashirama to himself and he certainly would not have turned himself into an abomination with eyes coating his body. Those actions were not the sign of a man afraid of the power those men held but greed to have what they had.

So Danzo sent members of the Senju clan to their deaths over and over again to gather more research potential. He even had his greedy little mitts on Nawaki, that was a line that even Hiruzen did not expect his old friend to pass. The kid was a direct blood relative of their teacher after all but he still ended up on the research table for Danzo’s pursuit for more and more power.

God damn it, thinking about the dark side of this village was frustrating. Or maybe it was the fact that he still could not find Shisui after spending hours of his time searching for him. A part of the reason he could not find the man was because he had to be a bit discrete about who he was searching for.

Trying to make a connection with the guy in times like this would certainly send red flags to the current regime. So he had to catch the slippery man without anyone finding out.

Which was frustrating as he could just have his clan arrange a meeting or even just help him find the dude. It would be so simple but he was far too late for that. If he tried this years ago it might have passed but currently the Uchiha situation was moments away from blowing sky high.

So he was stuck wandering around for now. The thing that was even more frustrating to deal with is the person he was finding over and over again. In his pursuit of Shisui he managed to find Itachi without even trying. He would walk into a random store and Itachi would be talking to the clerk making his purchases. He would wander around training grounds and he would find Itachi teaching Sasuke with a smile on his face. Hell, he passed Itachi no less than seven times while traveling along the roads.

Which would be just irritating all by itself but with the frequency of him finding Itachi the guy was bound to notice something. Even he thought he was stalking the guy by this point and he knew for a fact all of this was a coincidence. So now Itachi was watching him with a wary look on his face and that was just going to complicate things.

He did not want to look too deeply into him. His wandering around the village was really suspicious so reporting him for his actions would be a proper move. Hell, the only reason Itachi had not done that yet was because of his Clan heir status. So he was given some slack but it was clear to Itachi that he was up to something and that was not something he wanted the fool to think.

He was already taking a long shot by trying to flip Shishui, Itachi could ruin his efforts and re-brainwash his friend. Hell, it might not even come to that if Itachi found out about his intention the guy might take care of the issue in a more direct method.

This is why dealing with fools was an issue because you were never sure what they would do.

As if to mock him for his thoughts he finally found Shisui when he wandered around a store near the Uchiha district. The man was smiling cheerfully at a little kid as he offered him some candy, it was a scene you would expect from the man who wanted nothing but peace between him and his clan. The issue was Itachi was with him standing behind him with that blank look he seemed to wear all the time.

That look lasted only a moment as the weasel caught sight of him, after that Itachi had the guarded look that he was sporting whenever the guy caught sight of him lately. Itachi even had the gall to tug on his target's arm as if trying to drag his friend away from a dangerous snake.

Shisui looked over at his friend with a strange look. He was not used to seeing him being so uneasy about things that were not related to the current situation the Clan was going through. Still, while Shisui was confused about what was happening the man was a ninja so he saw the situation clearly in seconds.

Shisui could tell Itachi was wary of him and it was clear Itachi was trying to pull Shisui away from a small kid of all things. Shisui shot a confused look at him before letting himself be dragged away by his friend.

Seeing that Shikamaru raised a hand as if trying to stop the guy from leaving but let it drop quickly. He was not going to have the conversation that he wanted with Itachi around so there was no point of following along. If he did not have a way of finding Shisui again he would have been more assertive and risked Itachi finding out some troublesome matters.

Thankful that did not need to come up. Now that he had seen Shisui he could use his skills to track the guy. As he leveled his Shadow Manipulation he got more and more interesting ways to use shadows. He emptied his Mana pool and used all of his skill to slice a small part of Shisui’s shadow.

That part was so small that even if Shisui was paying direct attention he would not find out something tricky was going on. Shisui was too focused on his friend and Shikamaru to notice his shadow. Thankfully they were leaving at a quick pace so he was able to approach the severed shadow before he ran out of mana.

He merged his own shadow with the small piece and let go of the skill. He was sweating and felt a little cold from emptying his Mana so quickly but the recovery rate got rid of those symptoms pretty quick.

He looked down at his own shadow with a smile. One of the shadowy spikes that were casted from his hair was pointing in a direction it had no right to be pointing at considering the light. That spike would serve as a compass to Shisui until he unstitched the shadow that he severed.

Since that Shadow belonged to Shisui it would constantly seek out its origin even if it was forced into the confines of his own shadow. This little trick was something he cooked up when he Shadow Manipulation leveled up and it was really useful.

Not just because he could track anyone he wished as long as he caught their shadow. No, it was useful as it enhanced his clan techniques. Since that piece seeked out its original place when he used the clan technique his shadow would be pulled at nearly blinding speeds to Shisui’s own shadow. Making it nearly impossible to stop his shadow from connecting.

It also served as a homing attack as the shadow was dragged along by that piece for the most part. Sadly he did not have enough Mana to sever and stitch a shadow that was larger than a fist. He could already see how truly scary this technique could be if he had more Mana.

If he completely severed someone’s shadow and stitched it to his own he would not even need to use the clans technique as he would have full control over their bodies at all times. He was a little far away from that as he needed more Mana but it was possible and that was all that mattered.

He really made the right call when he picked Shikamaru to insert into. Getting a skill like Shadow Manipulation so easily was well worth the price of one of his character tokens. At this point he was like Moria but even scarier as his control over shadows would let him play with his opponents bodies instead of just subjecting them to a life without sunlight.

There were some issues stopping him from complete and utter domination. As a strong will and a source of energy could fight off his control if they were strong enough. That was an issue he could solve with more levels in the skill and more Mana to work with so it was not a dead end. It just stopped him from cutting Hiruzen's shadow and trying to get the man to slice his own throat.

Still, he could see the day in which his control of shadows would dominate worlds. Truly, the Gamer was a path to god-like powers.

He clenched his fists in determination, he would have that power even if the entity watching him threw him into a death game immediately after he left this dungeon.

He walked home with that determination blazing in his mind but as he walked his shadow bubbled and morphed. That had him freezing as this was not him and that small piece of Shisui’s shadow should have not done this even if Shisui was a powerful person. But maybe the Yin nature of the Uchiha made the shadow stitching method a danger to him, before he could release the Shadow to stop the morphing the shadow finally revealed its new form and he stopped his actions and froze.

This time he was freezing with a familiar fear crawling along his mind as his shadow morphed into a familiar visage. His shadow seemed to come alive with color as the form of the entity constantly watching smiled at him with that cracked crescent mouth of light.

It appears he was not as out of reach as he thought. With that thought the cracked smile widened further on his shadow.

“Were you expecting something else, little mortal? Everything you currently are is because of me. You are here to dance to my tune and show off a performance that is worth the price I paid.” The entity spoke slowly with a tone that had Shikamaru shuddering. It was like wisps of smoke were surrounding him and intent on smothering him.

The creature's mouth did not move a single inch as it spoke, and the sound was transmitted directly into his mind. Still, he cast a wary look around the alley he was standing in. He did not need for people to see his shadow as it currently was. 

“You really worry about the strangest things little mortal. This is such a simple thing as well. If you want to keep something a secret, bury it. Build a mountain of corpses and rivers of blood if you need to. Stitch the meaning of fear into those that covet what you have and burn any that do not fall in line.” The voice whispered sweaty in his mind with the same dark smokey tone.

He wanted to deadpan and say things were not that simple but what use would arguing with his sponsor do for him? 

“No mortal you are over complicating things, The answer to all things will always be power mortal. If you had it you would be able to keep whatever secret you wished. If you had it you could do anything you wished and the world would answer you. See, when it comes down to it the answer you are seeking is right in front of you. I have given you all the tools you need but here you are floundering, it would be rather boring if seeing your pointless actions were not entertaining in a different way. Like watching a puppy struggle to climb a step when there is a ramp inches away from it.” The voice spoke out darkly as the air around him started to flicker into darker shapes.

The shadows of the alley crawling forward and shifting into dark inky tendrils. The shadows were surrounding him as if wanting to consume him, he felt like he was standing in the jaws of a beast and it felt like they were about to close in.

He swallowed and cast a nervous look around. This feeling was not exactly pleasant and it was only the malicious glee in the eyes of his own shadow that held his beating heart still. Killing him here and now would not be the ending his sponsor sought. That would be rather boring after all.

That thought seemed to almost be a ward as the flickering fell away and the world started to shift back into something more stable. He let out a sigh of relief and shifted from toe to toe to get his mood into a more calm state.

Clearly conversations with his sponsor were always going to be a fight for his life. His sponsor held all the cards right now and that was unlikely to change. Still, while he knew disagreeing with his sponsor would end badly he could not hide his thoughts and feelings from it so it was not his choice if things ended up poorly from him.

This conversation for example. He knew that his sponsor was right in a way. Power was everything, it was the reason his sponsor could afford to give away god-like powers and the reason it could have him dancing to whatever tune he wanted. He agreed with the concept in principle but he disagreed with his sponsor's advice.

He did not have the power to assert whatever he wished upon the world. So the secrets he had needed to stay secret. 

“Who’s fault is that mortal? You were given all the tools you need to do as you pleased with this world but instead of doing so you stand here stalking a foolish man in hopes of changing his mind with a silver tongue instead of an iron fist. You let your talents squander away in this den of arrogance and pride. You hide yourself like a rat searching for its next meal when you should be more predatory in nature.”  The voice rang out with disdain and a hint of dark intentions once more.

He almost wanted to scoff in return. He would rather be a rat slinking in the shadows instead of a blazing fire that gets snuffed out because of how bright it was.

“See, that is your issue little mortal. You are prideful in your own ways even if you are content to spend years playing at the humble rat. You think you made the best decision you could have but you are wrong. You are a creature that thrives on violence and anarchy but you are here peacefully expanding your power in a slow pointless struggle.”

“ You gain the most when you fight and struggle for it. Skills that you slowly grind away in a daze would fly away as you used them to conqueror and dominate. Stats that take weeks upon weeks of growth would build quick and easy as you pushed yourself in life and death battles. Killing would give you the experience that you need to level and expand your mana pool without spending months of mind numbing calculations. All you need and want is at your fingertips but you stand here building up a small flickering flame.” His sponsor spoke out with an annoyed huff and he felt like throwing up a defence.

He knew those things but that was risky. Showing that sort of talent in this village would only end up one way. WIth him collared and shackled to a cause he wanted no part in. It would also lead to years of psychological torture as Danzo systematically dissected his personality. 

“Again you see a tree and ignore the forest. Yes, showing talent here would end with your death. But you choose this route, you made the decision to be here of all places. You let your feelings and whims pull you in this den and complain to the world when things don’t go your way.” The voice spat back at him and he flinched at that.

His mind spun as again his thoughts brought up a defence. The leaf was the safest place and he made the best call for the person he inserted into. None of the other villages would be even remotely as safe.

“You choose this! You had plenty of worlds with less intrigue and complex patterns to go to but you followed your childlike desire and went to a world filled with polite smiles and blades clenched behind backs. You could have taken your time to research a world more fair to you, more safe and bountiful but you let your fear and want dominate you. You had your reasons but you still got swept up in a foolish choice.” The voice was sharp and again the shadows seemed to dance as sharp almost teeth like patterns emerged around him.

Again he felt himself flinch away from the jaws of the beast but another part of him felt the truth of his sponsor's words. He could have taken his time, he should have at least spent a day searching for a proper game plan and his choice of Naruto was tinged with the want to live and breathe this story. It had been one of the stories that built his childhood after all.

He was afraid that his sponsor would pull him into some sort of death game. The clues from his achievements and titles were certainly spelling out an image that gave him very little time but was that really right? That death game theory always rang out hollow in his mind and the higher his WIS stat rose the more that idea felt wrong. So did he really make the right call?

He gritted his teeth as his mind spun but let go and relaxed. There was no point in crying over spilled milk and he was here already, there was no going back. At least not until he achieved his goal or dropped dead.

“Good, at least acknowledge your foolish notions mortal. It is not just about this world either. You choose to bind yourself to these villages for powers you could have gained elsewhere. You could have come to this world as you were and explored this world as you pleased out of this den of sin. It would not be as safe but you know of places safer than you give credit. Minor places that hold no importance to the story, like the land of snow, iron, or even waterfalls. There were places that were out of this intrigue.”

“Sure, you would not gain the resources and the skills you have now but you would have time and more freedom to expand yourself. It would have been worth the price mortal. I will admit that Shadow Manipulation will do you well and choosing this child was probably your only good choice Mortal but you could have gained that skill later. As you see now you can gain bloodline and skills from quests so as long as you lived in this world you could have gained it.”

He felt his mouth dry as the thoughts guiding him since he arrived in this world halted. He wanted to argue against this as he was so sure he made the right call by inserting as Shikamaru but that was wrong. He did not want to admit that but he could see the point his sponsor was trying to paint. He was not stubborn enough to cling onto something that was being thrown into his face as wrong.

He could even admit that some of the other villages would have been a better call. Being poor in Suna would be annoying but he did not technically need to eat and a prodigy would be something celebrated in Suna instead of snuffed out quietly like it was done in the leaf. Kumo was also better as they were safe for the most part and they would have treated him well. He let out a sigh as he had to face the rose tinted glasses that guided him to this place.

“Good, now no more complaining about how difficult the path you are treading is. You choose this so follow it till you reach its end, or choose a different one mortal. Just be steadfast in whatever route you choose in the end.” The voice seemed to slip away as his shadow morphed back into its proper image. 

He stared at it for a moment before shifting his direction and heading towards a nearby store. He was going to eat and wait for a while longer. He was going to give Shisui a little more time to make sure Itachi was away from his friend but that was just wasting time. So he was going to give it an hour and then track down his target again.

This was the path he sought so he was going to complete it with the resolve that it needed.