Paths of Divergence

Harrow

Chapter 53

-Harrow

Wild icy winds whip is every which direction, delivering bone brittling chills to the lone Uchiha. The dense fog and blanket of falling snow severely interferes with his sense of direction yet he remains focused and presses on. Luckily the interim Hokage, Danzo, or rather his lackeys made sure Shizake had proper clothing to withstand the cold. Otherwise he would've been a frozen corpse several miles back.

A tiny rogue cyclone of powdery snow halts the boy in his path for a brief moment before he regains his pace. At this point in the journey he is fatigued yet determined. The moment this is all over he can return to the Hidden Leaf, his friends, and his lover.

They're probably all worried sick, he thinks to himself. Thankfully Toshika is highly perceptive... I could tell just from the look she gave me. I'll have to trust them not to fully panic.

The boy's stomach rumbles and groans with hunger. He tries to mentally shake it off but deep down knows his supplies are running low. He took a wide berth when moving through Earth country, avoiding the village there altogether due to political tensions while also keeping a low profile. However, he was able to make a quick stop in the Hidden Glacier village but was only able to grab mere rations.

He crouches down, slinging his pack off and setting it down before digging through it. After rummaging around he grabs a few slices of jerky that he must eat quick before they become frozen blocks of meat. At the same time the wind storm begins to die down, providing him with a lot more visibility than before. He looks around while chewing the tough meat noticing that he's engulfed by a glacial maze.

     "How did I end up here...?" he says out loud.

      Without warning the frozen walls on both sides of him shatter. Two shadowy figures emerge from the icy dust hauntingly gazing upon him. To no surprise he immediately notices they dawn ROOT outfits. It turns out this was just a set up all along. Shizake slings his pack into the ground, glaring side to side at the rotten ninja before him.

     "Shizake Uchiha," one of them begins, "You are hereby declared a rogue ninja. For this reason you shall be executed."

      Shizake's eyes go wide as he fully realizes what Danzo's plan was all along. That being to isolate him far far away from the village and put down like a rabid animal. Without any back up available he can only fight alone. The boy widens his stance as his Sharingan spins into place, preparing for the imminent battle.

      "I hope you know I don't plan on going down so easil-" he says but is cut off by a sudden onset of nausea and weakness causing him to collapse to his knees.

      One of the ninja walks over and grabs the jerky he had been eating out of his pack, waving it in front of his face. Without any words being spoken Shizake realizes he had been poisoned. A testament to show just how far Danzo is willing to go to ensure his death. With no time to waste Shizake lunges forward and tears the mask off the ROOT ninja before managing to make eye contact with the ninja. The ninja is thrown into a genjutsu immediately causing him to fall over into the snow.

     With the toxin flowing through his veins it causes his Sharingan to fade from his pupils before he's forced to one knee, breathing heavily. The other ROOT ninja treads over to the boy before pulling a kunai into the palm of his hand. He stares down at the boy, watching him struggle at his feet.

"This is the end of the line, Uchiha. You're all alone. There's no one here to save you. You'll perish in this remote desolate frozen wasteland and no one will be none the wiser," the ninja says.