Sozen the Ghost Shinobi

Epilogue One

✦𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕌𝕔𝕙𝕚𝕙𝕒✦

Sozen had been training for a while now. The kitsune spirits were beyond helpful when it came to learning how to use Senjutsu chakra. While the seal that Orochimaru had placed on him still hindered Sozen, it wasn't beyond impossible to function as a ninja again. 

Tsunade had been accommodating towards the changes in not only Sozen's physical appearance but his emotional state too. Over time, the teen was learning to control himself and overcome his past while doing so. 

When returning from a trip to Konoha, Sozen was able to sense two people in the area. Standing not far from the shrine was a presence that the lilac-haired shinobi had made himself familiar with over the months.

Without so much as a word, Sozen dropped between the two lingering shinobi and folded his arms, his kimono fluttering out around him as he extended a fan he carried nowadays.

"Hello, Itachi, Kisame," Sozen greeted, the two Akatsuki members freezing and looking at him.

"Sozen?" Itachi's questioning call made the young adult smile.

"The one and only, might I ask what you're doing here?"

"Heh, beat it show off," Kisame sneered, "You've got no business here."

"Actually," Sozen mused, "You're near my training spot, so I believe we have a minor issue if you're to be causing trouble."

Kisame bared a fighting stance, one hand on Samehada ready to bring the wrapped blade down. Itachi wasn't much better looking, though passive in a stance there was fight or flight in his eyes which spun red with the Sharingan. 

"You needn't fight me over this," Sozen sighed, waving the fan in his grasp.

While the two braced for a fight, the teen didn't do any more than open the fan and cool himself from the sun. Itachi relaxed, seeing that Sozen wasn't about to run nor attack them but he noticed something odd.

"You're not wearing your hitai-ate?" 

"No, I'm not on a mission so there's no need to," Sozen shrugged it off then Kisame narrowed his eyes.

"You got older too," The shark-like man peered in confusion.

"I've always been this old, I just didn't remember," the Izanagi offered a wry smile.

"You got your memories back?" Itachi's brow furrowed.

"All of them," Sozen quietly confirmed, "Pleasent and majority unpleasant."

"Kisame?" Itachi looked towards his partner. 

"Heh? You want me to leave you alone with the brat again?!" Kisame grumbled. 

"Wait," Sozen muttered, "The heck's the creature lurking in the bushes?" 

"Oh," A distorted voice called out, "You noticed me?" 

A weird creature of two colours divided down the middle made his way out of a tree, an Akatsuki robe resting as his attire. Sozen clicked his tongue, eyes narrowing at the creature before him.

"Might you do me a favour and piss off?" Sozen curtly asked which caused Kisame to burst out into sharp bouts of laughter. 

"So vulgar," The being sneered, "I have a name and a reason for being here."

The purple-haired teen merely blinked at the being before snapping his fan shut out to the side with his arm extended.

"Please don't give me an excuse to use my new talents, pest," Sozen calmly aggravated. 

"Hmph," the being growled, "Sozen Fujimoto, you'd best watch yourself! ... and I'm known as Zetsu, not pest."

This seemed to surprise both Itachi and Kisame at the civil conversation, Zetsu not having left or gone into hiding.

"Okay, Zetsu, please leave. I do not wish to have my conversations overheard by someone they do not involve."

With a stiff growl, the being known as Zetsu took leave which further stunned the two other Akatsuki members.

"How'd you do that?" Kisame asked.

"He knows what I am," Sozen simply answered, "Which isn't to be public knowledge just yet."

"Right, right," Kisame got the hint, "Don't take too long, Itachi!" 

Sozen started towards the river nearby the shrine, so as to not quite reveal its location to Itachi. The rouge-nin followed him, the silence shared by them was somewhat tense as they had a lot of past shared together... and Sozen was the only one other than Sasuke that Itachi had ties to. 

"What caused you to get your memories back?" Itachi asked, starting the conversation as Sozen made himself comfortable at the roots of a tree.

"Orochimaru, he tried to unlock my Dojutsu again in return for my memories and chakra," the blue-eyed teen mused, "I guess it was worth it, Sasuke was able to benefit from fighting me too." 

"So he did end up there," Itachi sighed, "Does he know what he's doing?"

"I'd say so. He doesn't intend to let the Snake walk over him - but Orochimaru's probably anticipating that."

"And where are you at?" Itachi moved to sit down with a gap between them.

"I'm a part-time Shinobi for Konoha, and something called the Izanagi," Sozen mused, "Its a form of Senjutsu to put it simply - I deal with spirits when I'm not training or on Shinobi missions."

"You'll become a person of interest!" Itachi grumbled, "He won't let you away, he still controls Konoha."   

"It's the other way around in terms of our relationship," Sozen mused, "I controlled him to the point of reinstating my former Jounin rank. Tsunade-sama isn't daft either, she's keeping her wits about her."

"What of your mind?" 

"A little broken, but strong enough to allow for reform. I went through the Izanagi trials which were dependant on my mental stability."

"Did you pass?" 

"I'm alive, aren't I?" Sozen smirked. 

"I'm glad," Itachi offered the slightest of smiles.

"You won't be for long, I think I've pieced together your dumbass plan," Sozen narrowed his eyes at Itachi, "I'm not gonna let you get away that easily, ya know - I still care for you... through everything that's happened..."

"You shouldn't."

"I'm all too aware," Sozen's face pulled into a lopsided grin, "But, you're gonna have to put up with my shit."

"I'll pass," Itachi muttered, his trained passive look not bothering Sozen at all.

"We'll see," Sozen poked Itachi's cheek, much like an event in the past, "So! Keep an eye out for kitsune and I'll keep my eyes out for crows, yeah?"

"You're an idiot."

"Thanks, I know," Sozen smiled while standing up, "Kisame is getting impatient, you'd better go and I have training..."

Sozen held a hand out to Itachi, the Uchiha hesitated for a long moment before taking the hand and pulling himself up. 

"I'll always know your truth, remember that, Ita-kun," Sozen waved as Itachi cast a glance over his shoulder.

The Akatsuki members kept to their spot but stayed away from the river, therefore, the shrine where Sozen set about training for the remainder of the time they stayed and longer. 

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