Naruto: Tango with Death

[3rd POV]

Konoha, Uchiha Compound.

Itachi and Shisui Uchiha, the two friends that were like brothers to one another, sat down next to each other, looking at the rising sun in the distance.

Itachi said after a while, "I don't believe what the village said."

Shisui nodded, "Of course. We know her. She wouldn't just kill the Daimyo to put herself in power. She has always hated power."

Itachi asked, "But then, why would she make herself Queen? It doesn't make sense."

This time, Shisui did not reply, for he faced the same doubts. Still, after a moment of silence, he muttered, "I love her, you know."

Itachi nodded, "So do I."

But Shisui shook his head, and clarified, "No. Not like I love you. I love her, Itachi."

Itachi gasped a little, a very rare physical sign of emotion from him, but felt even more shocked as he turned, and saw tears falling from Shisui's eyes.

"Why! Why did things have to go this way!"

Itachi was never good with people, but as he heard Shisui's pained cry, he decided to act the way he felt. Moving an arm over Shisui's shoulders, he hugged him from the side, and said, "It's going to be alright. It's going to be alright."

It would unfortunately remain a mystery as to whether he was comforting Shisui with his words, or himself.

Higher in the village, in the tallest building of the village, the Hokage's Tower, Minato sat in his chair, his eyes completely red as he too looked at the sun.

His eyes didn't shift away from the sun as he said, "Do you think she would understand?"

Next to him, Kushina, who looked like she had cried all night too, sobbed in response, but all the tears in her body had already left her.

Since that was the case, she replied with words, "I don't know… Do we really have to do this? To her? She does not deserve this."

Minato tightened his grip around her hand, and kissed it lightly as he replied, "Yes we do. If we don't, not only everything we did up to this point would have been for naught. You know this is beyond us."

Kushina tightened her grasp back, and said, "Couldn't we… send her away? Let her live a normal life?"

Minato shook his head, "You know this isn't possible. Certain things need to be done, and the only way for that to happen, is for us to act."

Several dozens of kilometers away from Konoha, Sendai was in a much more joyous mood. Usually, what would follow the passing of the Daimyo would be national mourning, yet the capital was celebrating today.

The entire city had been decorated with flowers, as to honour their soon to be crowned new ruler, the Queen of Flowers, Sukaina Sumichi.

To be fair, they had taken her as their ruler for a while already, how could they not, after she gave them everything when they had nothing.

This coronation was, in their eyes, nothing more than a celebration, an official change of rulers.

Moreover, the people weren't just celebrating for this. Not only had the rebellion been crushed, the Fourth World War had also officially stopped.

And today was the day they would inaugurate this new era.

And so, through the course of the day, the last details of the coronation were put in place, while people arrived from all over the country. However, hidden under the joy, a certain tension had appeared.

At the center of the city, the old Daimyo's palace had actually been razed down, alongside the Shogun's mansion, which cleared a large area. The new palace was already planned, but the constructions hadn't begun yet as the large area was left for the coronation itself.

As a result, a high platform had already been set, one that people would be able to see from several hundred meters away.

And on top of that platform, was a small pedestal, on top of which a crown laid. It was an exquisite crown, seemingly made of pure gold and laid with rare gems.

Around the platform itself, many people had already shown up, both to get a good spot for the coronation, and to be able to see the Queen by themselves.

There was also a bunch of soldiers surrounding the platform, standing in a circle, and protecting it.

And as the day went by, more and more people started showing up, and before even noon, the large place was crowded with people. It was not very comfortable as they pressed against each other, but they didn't mind suffering a little if it meant witnessing their beloved sovereign in the flesh.

Their suffering definitely wasn't for nothing either, as the time for the coronation finally came.

As the people surrounded the platform from every direction, and the guards hadn't kept an entry for the Queen to come, they had been wondering how she would pass through the crowd.

But as they hit four in the afternoon, a figure appeared in the sky.

At first, not everyone saw said figure, but as they descended down from the sky, it became impossible to miss.

It was a woman, she looked young, definitely younger than 18, yet she was the most beautiful woman they had ever seen.

She wore a red dress that made her beauty stand out, yet that was not vulgar. All those who looked at her, without being able to say it, felt like kneeling.

Her lustrous black hair floated behind her, as if carried by the wind, and her dark eyes seemed to look down on them with a kindness from another world.

That's right, she did not just feel grand, she felt… divine.

The fact that she was flying down from the sky also helped with the impression too.

Finally, as she landed on the platform, the crowd had long turned completely silent, watching her in awe.

Who else could it be other than Sukaina?

She raised her hand, and proclaimed, "People of Sendai! I arrived in your city less than two years ago, and what did I see when I first came? Misery, perversity, corruption, pain… But today, do you know what I see? I see a proud people, who can stand firm on their legs and say that they worked for a better life, without feeling any shame!"

The crowd exploded in cheers, making Sukaina smile. However, she brought her hand, quickly quieting down the crowd as she clenched her hand into a fist, and her smile disappeared as she said, "Through our combined efforts, the dissident terrorists were put down, with the remaining strays hiding like the rats they are. But still, I believe that for this special day that shall represent the passing over a new era for the next generations, a symbolic action must be made. Bring forward the prisoner!"

With those words of her, several of the guards under the platform moved directly beneath it, and opened a trap the people hadn't seen before. Out of it came a dishevelled man, a young one, barely any older than the Queen, and who was chained up.

As he was brought up the stairs by the two guards, he kept looking down, while the crowd of thousands booed him down.

Finally, he was forced on his knees right before the crown, and in front of everyone's eyes. The boos of the crowd quieted down as Sukaina once again spoke.

"This young man may not look very dangerous to you, but he actually was one of the highest ranked members of the rebellion! Moreover, he was the one who killed the Daimyo's family!"

The shocking revelation left the crowd silent for a second, before they exploded into insults of all kinds, as if they were trying to kill the young man with their words.

Sukaina grabbed the back of his head, unsheathing a knife as she said, "This is not just a symbolic measure to the passage over a brand new era, though. It is also a warning, to all those who shall dare to oppose our great nation. There will be blood."

As she said that, and the crowd's cheers reached their paroxysm, she brought the knife to his throat.

But then, a man dressed in a black robe with red clouds on it jumped out from the crowd. Because of the short distance, he appeared in front of the platform in an instant, bringing his fist down on Sukaina, who didn't react.

The fist went right through her chest.

But as everyone was shocked, they didn't see blood come out of her body.

Only water.