Play To Win [Rewrite] || Naruto Fanfic

Clemency

The Raikage is undoubtedly an overbearing man.

He is a stern man, outspoken for his village in a way that only indicated that he loved Kumogakure as its whole. Tough when called, hypocritical all the same. He had prided himself prior to the war as the only Village to not have any of their finest to become a part of the Akatsuki. Berated the rest of the Gokage for this shame.

Yet, it was under his leadership that Kumogakure gained a negative international reputation as two-faced due to their unsavory and shameful acts of stealing secrets. Whether be using peace as subterfuge to gain the Byakugan, or kidnapping children of valued lineage in hopes to reproduce such lineage for their own.

Kumogakure became the boogeyman, parents would tell their children that if they were not in bed by nine, men in white uniforms would steal them away.

When Tamako arrived, she had prepared herself to face such an adversary. To heed any indication that the Raikage may throw her way. She identified that she would be met with distrust, perhaps even anger from her past actions as an ex-Akatsuki.

And she was half right.

A had launched himself from his desk the second the door behind her closed. Fist held tight and pulled back with lightning chakra as it raced throughout his body. The only reason why Tamako didn't immediately get her head chopped off was because A had activated his Lightning Chakra Mode only after she entered the room. His spike in chakra had warned her, and that alone was enough.

As he approached, she dropped a kunai to the ground, pulsating her chakra just a fraction before his fist made impact. To others, Tamako had stood in dead shock, sure death just fractions away, then from one image to the next, she was in a deep crouch. A's fist had missed her by two heads, implanting deeply into the wooden door behind her.

The office stood in silence, neither of the two Kage-level shinobi moving.

Only when A had wrenched his fist from the wooden door did Tamako fully stood up, their backs facing each other. Purple paint flickered on and off from her lids before fully receding back.

She would've died if not for the constant intake of nature energy.

"I've only had two people dodge my Lightning Straight." He says, wood crumbling as the air continued to emit static. "The first was the Fourth Hokage. The second, Uzumaki Naruto." His head twisted to the side, side eyeing her. "You've obtained the same technique as Minato."

She mirrors his movement, head turning to face him. "You praise me, but my reaction speed does not prevail either of the two you've named..." Her eyes meet his. "...or yourself."

Without the instant Sage Mode she imbued herself with the little build-up she had, lasting for only a second, two a most, she would've died.

A smirks at her. It's a look that seems demeaning, perhaps even prideful. "You are humble." He body flickers to his desk, taking a seat as his arm leans on the table. "Uzumaki Naruto could only react to me with his Tailed Beast Cloak, and I with my Lightning Chakra Mode." His beard twitches as his mouth pulls into another smirk. "And you, with Sage Mode."

He makes a good point, but it almost sounded like praise to Namikaze Minato who had none of the above mentioned Chakra Modes.

Then, A's face turns not exactly cold, but serious. "I've heard what you did in Akatsuki. Sabotaged on the inside. B told me that you had willingly taken his clone."

She nods back. "Of course." Her eyes slid to his, no emotions betraying her. "Naruto must learn from B in order to win the war."

The office is silent at her declaration with A's assistant, a dark skinned woman in neat and formal attire glancing back and forth at the two frantically, her fingers squeezing the clipboard in her hand. "R-raikage-sama..!" The woman whispered harshly. "This is the third this month that you've destroyed the office!"