That Damned Village

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A/N - Thank you, Gavin Turlock, for becoming Azure Awakening Patreón!

<<<>>>

"Kid, I became stronger thanks to you," Maru said, tilting his head slightly. The roar of the waterfall made it difficult to hear him as the words came in a low, almost reluctant voice. For a moment, Kaoru even wondered if he had misheard.

"What do you mean?" Kaoru asked, confused.

"I've already told you everything I'm allowed to. That information can't be shared with those who aren't contracted with us." Maru's tone was final, but not harsh.

It was the answer Kaoru had expected. If anything, he was surprised the eagle had been willing to reveal even that much.

'Maybe if I'd been alone and not with Itachi, he would've told me more,' Kaoru thought, a hint of regret passing through him. But there was nothing he could do about it now.

"Alright, Maru," Kaoru said solemnly, clearly disappointed he couldn't dig deeper. "Would you like to transform into something smaller so you can enter the village?" he offered, even though he already knew the answer.

"Me? The great eagle, transform into something smaller?" Maru stretched his neck proudly, showing off his full, imposing stature. "Just bring me food here, kid. I'm more than happy to stay near this magnificent waterfall."

Without waiting for a reply, Maru turned back toward the pond, his massive wings folding neatly against his sides as he settled near the water.

"Let's head back, Itachi," Kaoru said, patting him lightly on the shoulder and giving a slight tug. "If you'd like, you can come tomorrow too."

"I'll let you know tomorrow. I don't know how long we're staying," Itachi replied, falling into step beside him.

Together, they walked slowly back toward the village, the mist of the waterfall lingering behind them like a fading drape.

<<<>>>

"How did you hear about the Uchiha proposal? Did Akura tell you last night?" Maki asked, surprised to see Kaoru already so well-informed. He was the first visitor to the Suikage's office that morning.

"No, not from Akura-san. Itachi told me at my birthday party," Kaoru answered honestly.

"Oh? He trusts you that much, huh…" Maki mused aloud, trying to decide how to react to her brother speaking on the Uchiha's behalf. "So he asked you to convince me to take the deal?" she chuckled, slightly disappointed that Kaoru might be playing favorites. Still, she was happy to see that Kaoru remained honest and open, instead of playing mind games like so many others when talking with her.

'At least he's honest... even if he's trying to push the village into an unfavorable deal…' Maki shook her head inwardly. 'He's still a kid after all.'

"Hey, stop thinking so low of me," Kaoru laughed loudly, easily reading the expressions flashing across her face. Even when she tried to hide it, Maki had always been a terrible liar, and now, with her guard down, her face was practically a scroll of emojis.

"Neither Itachi nor I want Takimura to accept the deal," he said, still chuckling. "But I'm surprised you decided to reject them as well."

Kaoru nodded approvingly, silently praising Ao and Akura for advising her so well.

"Well, we stand to gain nothing from this deal. And the agreement we made with Kumo forbids us from allying with forces fighting against them," Maki reminded him, her voice cooling into the formal tone she used when speaking as Suikage.

Kaoru blinked, caught off guard.

'Right… the non-aggression pact.'

Neither Kumo, nor Takimura and Kiri were allowed to move against each other, or support anyone fighting against the other side.

"Ru, if you're not here to convince me, why did you come to my office instead of my home?" Maki asked, confused.

"Because I'm here to see the Kage, not my sister," Kaoru said, shrugging as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

He stepped closer to the desk, lowering his voice slightly.

"I have a suggestion. I don't know how much you already know about the Uchiha situation, but I'll tell you something Itachi told me. You can share it with Ao and Akura if you have to but no one else."

Maki's eyes sharpened, immediately getting curious.

"Uchiha are planning a rebellion," Kaoru said bluntly. "They have two options. Either they demand peaceful separation from Konoha, or they try to take over the village by force. Right now, they're leaning toward the first option. But the only reason they're willing to consider it is because they don't think they can win against Leaf."

He paused, letting the information sink in.

In the back of his mind, Kaoru was already sorting through what he could and could not reveal. Telling Maki about Fugaku and Shisui's Mangekyo was off the table.

"They aren't stupid, they should know we wouldn't send shinobi to help them seize Konoha," Maki muttered, her brows knitting together. "And no matter how strong the Uchiha are, they can't defeat the entire Leaf on their own."

She was right, based on what she knew.

"All I can say is that they're confident they can win," Kaoru said carefully. "Maybe they'll only ask for us to put pressure on Konoha from the outside. Maybe more. That's not the important part."

He leaned forward slightly, his voice dropping even lower.

"The important part is that we should do everything we can to prevent that rebellion from happening at all." Kaoru's tone was more serious than Maki had ever seen it.

"The Uchiha won't have to fight Konoha's whole army. With Kumo invading the Land of Fire, if they wait for the right moment, they'll likely find a point where Konoha is defenseless. They might be able to seize power. But I'm not sure if an Uchiha-led Leaf would be able to stand against Kumo afterward. Their clan is blinded by rage and the need for revenge."

He was slightly bending the truth, but not by much.

'I need to guarantee Naruto's safety,' Kaoru thought. 'I have no idea how much the future has already changed, but I can't risk losing Asura's reincarnation.'

He hadn't considered it seriously until now, but both Sasuke and Naruto's strength would be vital. Even if he found a way to prevent Kaguya's resurrection entirely, having a backup plan was critical.

'Besides, we still need a strong Konoha… We can't afford to be left standing alone against the Cloud.'

Kaoru had considered countless options before coming to this conclusion. He was confident that he was making the right move.

"We need Konoha strong enough to balance Kumogakure," Kaoru said, a faint smirk touching his lips, "but not as strong as they are now."

He leaned back slightly, preparing to reveal what his suggestion was.

"What if we agree to the Uchiha's proposal for an alliance, but only after they separate and establish themselves as an independent village? Let them demand peaceful separation. Once they have their own standing, we'll support them and they'll support us."

He finished, taking a long sip of water, watching carefully as Maki analyzed his words.

For a moment, she said nothing.

"Ru, how much do you trust Itachi Uchiha?" Her question caught Kaoru off guard. He set the cup down and took a moment, not to calculate, but to truly consider.

"On a personal level - completely," Kaoru said after a thoughtful pause. "But if you're asking me how much I trust Uchiha Itachi, not just the person named Itachi, then not so much. Even if he's kind and trustworthy, he won't betray his clan for my sake any more than I would betray mine for his."

His answer was honest. There was no bitterness in it. 

"I'll consider your suggestion and decide after Ao and Akura arrive later today," Maki said in a calm voice. But then a spark of excitement ignited in her eyes as she leaned forward slightly, her more playful side slipping through.

"By the way... did you receive my gift?"

"No… what gift?" Kaoru grinned, happy to see that his sister hadn't forgotten his birthday after all. "To be honest, I thought you forgot," he added, chuckling when he saw the look of pure disbelief on Maki's face.

"How dare you?!" she cried, lunging forward. She grabbed him and started furiously rubbing her knuckles against the top of his head, rough enough that it felt like she might set his dark blue hair on fire.

"One day I'll become stronger and I will have my revenge!" Kaoru laughed, finally managing to break free from Maki's clutches.

They laughed together for a while, the sound echoing off the office walls and slicing through the usual heavy atmosphere that came with her position.

Eventually, Maki returned to her seat with a reluctant sigh.

"Ru, I have to get back to work now," she groaned, clearly preferring to spend more time with Kaoru rather than drowning in paperwork and responsibilities. "But I'll come visit you tonight and I'll show you the present. Unless Akura gives it to you first."

Kaoru nodded with a smile and then casually grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl on the table before heading for the door.

<<<>>>

"This is surprising. I didn't expect Kiri to survive both the civil war and Kumo." Obito sat back comfortably in his chair, but unlike his usual dead, emotionless demeanor, his eye now burned with a calm, simmering rage.

'I can't make a move against Kiri now. I need to focus on Akatsuki's growth to accomplish our goal.' Almost every plan he had set into motion was going downhill. Kiri had not only survived, but the Land of Water was surprisingly peaceful now. Even the Uchiha were acting differently than he had predicted, as they were seriously considering a peaceful separation rather than rebellion.

'The Land of Water isn't that important,' Obito thought darkly,' but I can't allow the Uchiha to exist. Those treacherous bastards…'

His eye narrowed as he glared around, though the room was empty except for Zetsu.

"Obito, our new member has a commission that might interest you," Zetsu broke the silence, sensing Obito's dangerous spiral. Distracting him now was crucial, as once Obito slipped too far into that void, reasoning with him became nearly impossible.

"Which new member?" Obito asked sharply, snapping back to the present. The haze of rage clouding his mind slowly thinned.

"The one from Sunagakure. He says Suna is looking for mercenaries to help deal with Iwagakure, and…" Zetsu's words were cut off as Obito rose from his chair, walking toward the window with slow steps.

"And?" Obito asked, voice quieter now.

"I think it would be beneficial for us to participate," Zetsu continued. His twisted grin stretched across his face, so ugly that the murderous aura clinging to Obito almost seemed tame by comparison. "It will spread our name and we might be able to capture one of our targets."

"Alright then. Send Pain to meet him. I can't reveal myself yet," Obito said, his gaze fixed on the distant landscape beyond the glass.

Zetsu was already preparing to sink into the ground when he remembered one last piece of information.

"The Uchiha are visiting Takimura."

Obito's hand twitched slightly at his side.

"Again... that damned village," he sneered, voice dropping to a cold whisper. "Every time something goes wrong, it's related to that place…"

He turned his head slightly without moving from the window.

"Have you checked what the Uchiha want there?"

"I couldn't. They have a Byakugan user in the village now. Getting too close would be too risky. We don't want the world finding out about my abilities just yet, do we?" Zetsu's smile widened unnaturally, his eyes gleaming.

Obito's fingers tapped once against the windowpane.

"We might have to make a move against Takimura if they keep sticking their noses where they don't belong," he muttered calmly.

"But not yet. First, gather information. I want to know about their strongest shinobi and especially about those siblings with the unique eyes."

Obito's gaze hardened.

He didn't know much about the Suijingan, and he didn't like that one bit. He needed to know whether they were a threat… or something worse.

'I didn't expect the great war to start so soon. Unfortunately, we're not strong enough yet to start our hunt…' Obito turned away from the window, finding Zetsu already gone.

Alone again, he stood still for a long moment.

"Maybe... we'll be able to use this war after all."

**

A/N -

I was thinking what Kaoru's contracted creature should be. I've already written most of the plot and even how it'll fit into the story, but… I still haven't locked in the species yet xD I've narrowed it down to a few options, though.

Character Notes:

Maru – Waterfall Snob – "I'd rather starve in majestic scenery than shrink myself for your puny human village."

Maki – Sister-in-Chief – Part-time Kage, full-time sibling bully. Still can't believe Ru thought she forgot his birthday.

Zetsu – Shrink in Disguise – "Keeping Obito's blood pressure at critical levels since the Warring States Era."

Reminder - Break Tomorrow

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The link is also in the synopsis