Naruto: Tango with Death

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[Minato's POV]

The war was… dragging on, I guess. As all wars do. It had become clear already that this war was not going to erase any village from the map, and that all we would all suffer from would be economic collapse, and we would all get weakened by more or less the same.

Or that's what everyone thought, until a week ago. Signs of a rebellion had already been showing themselves for several years now, but we found actual worrying evidence of that.

This was very worrying for the war as we did not have the necessary man power to deal with yet another crisis, and for a time, our only option was to find this rebellion, and crush it as fast as possible.

But then, something no one expected happened.

Sukaina Sumichi, known as the Owl, had been quiet for a year, stopping Kiri from moving into the Land of Fire, but never really taking action herself. That's why it was so shocking to learn that she had successfully assassinated the Fourth Mizukage, who was the Jinchuriki of Sanbi, and had even brought Kiri to its knees.

"Yo."

I whipped my head to the side, a kunai appearing in my hand as I was surprised by the sudden greeting. However, I quickly stopped myself when I saw who it was.

Sighing, I sheathed my weapon and said, "Please don't do that."

The girl at the door, Sukaina, grinned and sat down as she replied, "Sorry, I couldn't resist. Wanted to see if you would feel my presence."

I replied, "Well, I didn't. I doubt anyone could."

Not only was she completely quiet, and I couldn't feel her presence, but for a moment I had felt an actual threat to my life, so my body had moved out of reflex, moving as fast as I could in my current base form.

And while Sukaina did not show as much of a flinch, I clearly saw her eyes following me and my blade. Added with her appearance, she really was scary, even to me.

She had grown up a good deal since we last saw each other a year ago. Her hair had become much longer, reaching her lower back, and her features had become a little sharper. Overall, she had truly turned from a little girl to a teen.

Sitting back down in my chair, I commented, "You came back at the right time. I assume this was intended?"

She nodded and replied, "Yep, heard the news about the rebellion. Do we have anything on them?"

I did not immediately answer, and instead asked, "Are you sure you don't want to go to another battlefield and increase your reputation by killing a Kage or two?"

She chuckled at that, "Nah, I'm taking care of the matter back at home, and I'm asking vacations. Besides, I heard the battlefields have calmed down?"

I nodded, "Yes, since what you did in Kiri spread, they all have become more cautious. Having one less battlefield means more troops available, and you presence on any battlefield would be disastrous, so they've retreated even deeper into their lands. The conflicts are going to be scarcer and scarcer, I believe."

She sighed and said, "Good, that's good. You must be relieved, especially with Naruto being a year away from graduation."

"Yes, that is certainly a relief. Speaking of which, would you be interested in…"

She abruptedly cut me off, "If you are going to ask me to lead a Genin Team then hell no. Whether it be this year or the next. I already found it challenging protecting Jonins, so Genins are a big fat no."

I couldn't help but laugh as I replied, "Fine, I won't ask again. But maybe you should take a little vacation before tackling the ongoing problem."

She shook her head and replied, "It's fine, investigating doesn't ask much anyway. Anything for now?"

I nodded and explained, "Their aim is to kill the Daimyo, and anything beyond that is blurry. However, it doesn't look like this was started by any of the five nations, it truly looks like a coup from within."

She asked, "What about their influence? They must have spread bad words on the royal family?"

I shook my head and replied, "Surprisingly, no. Although some people have started making their own conclusions, the rebels themselves don't seem to hold it against the Daimyo."

She scratched her chin, and asked, "Did you consider the possibility of them shooting in their own foot? Started this rebellion for whatever reason, and it either got out of hand, or they have some nefarious plot that needs public turmoil?"

I sighed, "We have. Obviously the Daimyo denied, but I can't really look into his head."

She asked, "Anything else I should know, that would help with the investigation?"

I nodded, "They seem to have something against Konoha, this has been their main goal it seems. They want to disband Konoha, and leave all the power to the leader of the country."

She paused, before saying, "Who the fuck is that stupid?"

I shrugged, "Good question. That's also why I'm not convinced it comes from the Daimyo. He may have his problems, but he knows his ways around how to govern a country. Very few people would be stupid enough to destroy their greatest army."

She tried to guess, "Or, this person is either sure our forces will join the army after the dismissal, or they are high enough in the hierarchy to hide the involvement of an external force. In any case, this is quite worrying, that someone this high placed is behind all this. Anything about their forces?"

I replied, "Mostly mercenaries, some deserters among the regular army, but I believe more than a few still in the army are secretly siding with the rebels. Nothing good enough to face us, but if a particular organization were to take the job…"

She realized, "The Akatsuki… they have shown more than once they were particularly hostile to us. Adding them into the balance could be bothersome. It would seem that dealing with them swiftly, before they can make any wave, would indeed be for the best."

I tapped my finger against my arm rest, deep in thought, and heard her add, "Well, I'm going to investigate on my own, but if you find who is behind this… well, you know my skills."

I smiled and nodded, and in the next instant she disappeared, leaving me alone in my office. Well, if Sukaina continues sneaking up here, and Kushina can't sense her either, it seems I'll have to stop some of my activities in this office.

How sad.