Redemption

6

So IDK if it's because I updated so it magically appeared on everyone's feed, or just because the cat's out of the bag, but there are a lot of new follows and I am scared.

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Sevoflurane? Check.

His prized book? Check. 

Rags and a gas mask? Check.

Ninja wire? Double-check. Alright, Naruto felt decently prepared for this mission. Jashin knows it wasn't gonna be easy, but he was sure that with a touch of his Uzumaki luck on his side, things would work out in his favor.

He hadn't stayed at his apartment for long, only long enough to change into something a little less eye-catching than his new jumpsuit. (As cool as it was, he didn't want to be washing blood stains out of it just yet.) But soon enough, he was back on the prowl as he'd originally intended, wandering off towards the clan compounds.

He was putting most of his effort in singling out the words of individual shades, having figured them to be something like a person's most undiluted thoughts. 

He'd found a lot of ramblings about a demon fox, someone's exes, or a specific superior, but nothing particularly harmful to the village. (All to be expected, really.)

But then he started moving further into the clans' section of Konoha and noticed immediately that their thoughts were a lot darker and far more creative in their violent imaginings. The small blond tried not to look too suspicious or let himself get freaked out by the graphic imagery they provided. Despite this, though, there wasn't really anything he would call overly alarming. 

That is, until he reached the gates of the Uchiha clan compound, at the very edge of the village. 

It wasn't overly apparent at first, his first probings showing little more concerning thoughts than those of the civilians. But then he went in deeper, clinging to the walls and their shadows, pulling up the hood of his ratty sweatshirt and putting on the gas mask he'd stolen for the occasion. He didn't want his hair to give him away, and he hoped that the mask would make others see him as yet another kid genius rising in the ranks, (or maybe even an ambitious child with aspirations to be a ninja.)

Regardless, he felt stealthier than he'd ever been and he'd be pissed as all hell if this fell through now. He was in too deep, too invested in this. He just had to pretend he belonged there, which was easy enough. 

And then came the moment when he heard whisperings of a coup.

He'd come closer to the heart of the clan's land, where he assumed the more skilled shinobi resided; (And naturally, with more skill came higher clearance.) He'd come across someone who had probably just come from a meeting discussing the subject, as that was all his shade would talk about.

'-finally taking action to claim what's rightfully ours! The Uchiha deserve better than this after all we've done for the village! If this could've been resolved peacefully, it wouldn't be a problem. That's fine, the Uchiha always was a war clan, and we never went soft like those Senju! Just need to wait a little longer, heh heh, they'll never know what's comin'!' His shade looked agitated with his emotions, writhing in glee and clawing at its owner with immaterial talons.

He'd found what he was looking for. And so he waited.

He waited until everyone had gone to sleep with the assurance of safety within their village, the village they thought to betray, and were without guards in the night. But still, even after he was sure the streets were devoid of life, he waited some more.