Kakashi's Teammate, the Lightning Goddess

Destruction

*edited*

Chapter 25: Destruction

                 I left a few days later, not even having cleared it with the Elders. Actually, I hadn’t told anybody. I donned my clan’s trademark silver and gold cloak, and ripped my headband off my head, stuffing it into my backpack. Naruto had left with Jiraiya to find a new Hokage yesterday, and I’d decided that I had to go too.

                I was leaving the village to Kakashi. I had to go back home. We needed to stop Orochimaru, and then the Akatsuki, who had already made several appearances in the village. Whether they made it was up to them.

                There had to be a plan behind all of this. If I could stop it, then I’d win everything. We would triumph. However, if I didn’t…

                I stopped my train of thoughts. There wasn’t an if in this situation. I had to do it.

                But where would I look first? I needed allies – or rather, Konoha needed allies. I could go back to Iwa, but would they accept my request? I was no longer a member of their village. They had no obligation to help me at all, or even listen to me. They might arrest me for trespassing.

                But then again, there was a rather low likelihood of that. I had always known the Tsuchikage to be a fair man, and even if I wasn’t part of their village, he would quite likely give me an interrogation first. It wasn’t as though I was looking to spy on them or anything.

                I began to walk, knowing that my journey was going to be long. Long…

                Just as long as it had been last time, coming the other way.

***

                “Tsuchikage, sir! We’ve found a Konoha-nin, requesting an audience!”

                My hands were bound and my weapons had been removed, and three Jonin stood flanking me. The one Jonin who had gone in to report was one that I recognized, but I wasn’t sure if he remembered me. I hadn’t worked with him much.

                I didn’t hear the Tsuchikage’s response, but it must have been affirmative, because I was pushed roughly into the small office.

                “Ah,” he said, looking just as I’d remembered him. A slow smile spread across his face. “Iwaku, Goru, please wait outside.”

                “Uh… yes sir!” The two Jonin scrambled outside, closing the door behind them. The Tsuchikage didn’t move from his desk, but he raised his eyebrows.

                “So, Kira Izanami, what brings you back to this village?”

                “Would you be willing to help Konohagakure?” I asked him quietly, and he stood up then, rubbing his back.

                “Konoha? Why would I do that?”

                “You’ve heard about the war, right?” I shifted my weight to my other foot. “The predicted Fourth War is going to break out soon. If we have two years, we’ll be lucky.”

                “So? If it’s a shinobi world war, then why would I ally with another village?”

                “Because,” I said, wondering how to explain our dilemma. I couldn’t exactly tell him that “Itachi Uchiha, S-ranked criminal, told me so.” “It’s going to be vastly different. I don’t think our opponents will be each other. Orochimaru is up to something. He’s trying to recruit one of our brightest Genin, Sasuke Uchiha, and I’m sure you’ve heard that he recently killed the Third Hokage.”