"Empyreal Paradox"

By Nes Mikel

Acknowledgment;

I herby acknowledge that the work of fiction presented here is for my own personal amusement and entertainment purposes alone. Most of the story, characters, place names and other etc stuff in this fiction are copyright Naruto, Kishimoto Masashi, Weekly Shounen Jump, and any others I might have forgot.

For non up-to-date readers, this fiction contains characters and events introduced post-timeskip and spoilers up to the latest Naruto manga chapters.

I also humbly suggest reading Garden of Sanctuary and Medusa Javelin first before reading this fiction. Although not a requirement, many things in this fiction will not make sense unless they have been read beforehand. The links to both fictions are in my profile.

With that said, enjoy.

"Empyreal Paradox"

- Chapter Four -

"Incognitos"

n – one whose identity is disguised or concealed

Until the incident that decimated her and her younger sister's clan, Haruno Mikoto had led a very sheltered life – and quite literally so. One may argue that the sheltered life may be one where comfort and discomfort go hand in hand, a life where one could spend immersed in comfortable wealth but trapped in the discomfort of never being able to venture outside the clan walls, but the stereotypical image did not compare to the life Mikoto led until the fall of her clan. In her case, her life consisted of being held prisoner in the basement cell of her very own home.

To understand why this was so, however, one would have to understand the history behind the Haruno clan.

In the days before the Hidden Leaf even existed, the Haruno clan was one of the original seven noble families – or eight, if you counted the Uchiha after they had separated themselves from the Hyuuga – that had settled around the land where Konoha Village stands today. During the legendary era of the First Great Ninja Wars, these eight families constantly warred with one other over the dominance of the land, threatening to tear the very existence of the recently forged Fire Country apart. The eight clans consisted of the 'Shadowbender' Nara, the 'Mindwalker' Yamanaka, the 'Titanic' Akimichi, the 'Swarmmaster' Aburame, the 'Wild' Inuzuka, the 'Seer' Hyuuga, the 'Copycat' Uchiha, and finally, the 'Firestarter' Haruno.

Indeed, the Haruno had a name fit for a clan that consisted solely of Firestarters. Their clan's name translated into 'field of spring', named after the firestarting ability of their founder where she was rumoured to be able to ignite and transform the field of battle into beautiful blossoms of rapturous fire. A clan that was proficient and famous for a wide variety of Fire Element Ninjutsu and Genjutsu, the Haruno furthered their powerful status during the era of the First Great Ninja Wars when they discovered they were on the verge of manifesting their own unique bloodline when a certain legitimate successor to the clan started to develop abilities where she could create, ignite, and control fire on a whim. It was a bloodline capable of immense destructive power, a bloodline where one could easily tip the scales in the stalemate between the eight warring clans if used correctly.

Fortunately for the other seven clans and unfortunately for the Haruno, until the two Kazama brothers Kazama Masashi and Kazama Seishi (who later became the First and Second Hokages) intervened and finally put a stop to the wars between the eight clans and united them under one banner to found the Village of the Hidden Leaf, the Haruno clan was unable to fully control their emerging bloodline ability despite their many attempts to control it. None of the girls who displayed hints of their bloodline ability survived past the age of five, unable to quell the raging fire within, eventually letting the fire consume them whole, reducing themselves to nothing but mere ashes.

It was only after the end of the First Great War when the Haruno clan discovered the method to control their bloodline ability. Afraid that one day their own bloodline might be the very catalyst of their own destruction, the Haruno clan at one point decided to start imprisoning any girls that exhibited signs of their bloodline ability and confined them into the basement cells constructed underneath the Haruno manor, isolating them away from the clan and the rest of the world. Years pass, and strangely, when the oldest of these imprisoned Haruno girls easily pass the age of five without having to succumb to self-destruction, the Haruno come to realize that imprisoning their own girls and cutting them off completely from the rest of the world was the very key to allow them to control their own bloodline limit. By throwing the girls inside prison cells, it had quieted the fire inside them, allowing precious time for their bloodline to blossom, giving the user full and total control over their abilities. The method soon became tradition and, signs of ability or not, it later became an absolute requirement for all Haruno women to go through until their first coming-of-age ceremony, which in their case was turning five years old. Equipped now with the knowledge to control their own abilities, the Haruno had the title of the most powerful clan in the Hidden Leaf within their reach.

Was the method inhuman? It most certainly was. But ironically for Mikoto and her younger sister, it was this very tradition that had saved their lives during the fall of their clan.

It shouldn't be that surprising to know that much like the Inuzuka, the Haruno was a clan ruled and dominated by their female population. This was especially true in their case because, not only was their founder female, throughout their clan history only the female half of their clan displayed magnificent proficiency over Fire Element Ninjutsu and Genjutsu. Their position was elevated further when it was discovered that only the women in their clan manifested their bloodline abilities, and when this happened – although it was a cruel way of putting it – it reduced the male population of the Haruno clan to nothing more than gene providers.

So it was only natural when seeds of dissent were slowly sown inside the minds of Haruno clan men.

Their first acts of subtle rebellion came during the Second Great Ninja Wars, after the First Hokage was assassinated by a ninja from a then-unknown village now commonly known as the Hidden Waterfall. Using the chaos of war to their advantage, the men of the Haruno clan secretly kidnapped their own female clansmen proficient in the use of their bloodline during an away mission that consisted of only her and the Haruno men. The men then falsified the report of her disappearance and instead reported her dead, successfully fooling the village and their own clan to believe that she had perished, reduced to a mere statistic in the ongoing Great War. Had the war not been so chaotic perhaps someone would've caught on that there was more to her supposed death than it seemed, sparing her and her clan from the gruesome fate they were spiralling down into. But with the all the lesser-known villages and the Greater Five involved in the spreading conflict, there was no time to be worried over a single ninja, member of a noble clan and user of a bloodline she may be.

It is unclear exactly what fate befell the kidnapped female member of the Haruno clan, but one can clearly imagine her death was far from quick and far from painless. The experiments the men of Haruno conducted in secret were possibly the most inhuman types of experiments man could possibility conduct against a fellow human being, and it continued well after the Second War drew to a close. They spared no expense, showed no mercy when it came to figuring how the bloodline of their female population worked. It was all for the sake of their goal – for them to obtain that very same ability the females used to rule over them, the manifestation of the Haruno bloodline among their male population. And they were willing to do anything to achieve it.

After decades of research and experimentation, the results were finally unveiled approximately one year ago, the day before Mikoto turned five, they day before the Haruno were to reveal their latest heir. In preparation for the ceremony, every last member of the Haruno clan were recalled into their clan compounds and the male members decided to use this opportunity to finally overturn the status quo they've been subjected for so long. It was to be a glorious day, a day of open rebellion, a day where the Haruno's latest heir, Mikoto, was meant to die, giving the Haruno no choice but to name the male member who controlled the bloodline ability their heir, a day where the men would show the Haruno women their true potential.

The experiment was a failure.

The boy they infused the firestarting abilities with turned into an uncontrollable pyromaniac, much like the Haruno girls before him back in the days when they were unable to control their own abilities. Not only did the ability consume the boy on the day of unveiling, the ability the men of the Haruno clan infused the boy with was so powerful it consumed the entire Haruno clan household in no less than a second, killing every single member of the Haruno clan who were gathered in preparation for Mikoto's inauguration ceremony. In an instant, what was rumoured to be one of the strongest clans in the country of Fire ceased to exist, consumed by the fires of their own rebellion.

The only reason Mikoto and her younger sister had survived the ordeal was because they were still trapped underneath inside the Haruno clan prison cells. The prison cell walls were constructed absolutely fireproof in case the carrier of the bloodline spun out of control like they did in the old days, preventing catastrophe just like the old members of the Haruno clan had feared. Incidentally, the prison cell meant to protect the Haruno clansmen outside ironically ended up serving the exact opposite purpose; it was these fireproof prison walls that protected Mikoto and her younger sister from certain death when the raging fire outside consumed everything and everyone in their own clan.

It should be noted here that the reason why the Inuzuka will much later choose Inuzuka Kiba as their successor instead of his older sister and legitimate heir Inuzuka Hana was precisely because of this rebellion. By naming a male member as their clan heir, they wanted to prevent the same mistakes which lead the Haruno clan to their very own destruction.

As many of us are also aware, the Hidden Leaf's orphanage system isn't exactly up to standard (as witnessed first hand by our hero Uzumaki Naruto) and, naturally, the old days fared no better. The system had failed Mikoto and her sister in more ways than one, and with their noble status nullified and their clan's wealth divided and spread among the seven remaining noble clans, they were reduced to mere beggars in the streets. Their calamity could've possibility been prevented had the retired Second and the current Third Hokage had been a little more attentive, but it was assumed that during fall of the Haruno clan every single member had perished along with the fire and, since the Haruno clan women were imprisoned in the basement cells since birth, citizenship registry did not happen until they turned five and were released from the clan prisons. So it had escaped everyone's notice that there were people, much less survivors down in the prison cells. It also didn't help when Mikoto, thinking it was strange to have nobody come down to free her despite her day of inauguration, broke out of her prison cell by melting the lock with her ability and upon witnessing the carnage in front of her, took her sister and fled the clan premises before anyone could see them.

But could one honestly blame her?

Although Mikoto was given basic education in both general knowledge and the ninja arts during her years of confinement, she was otherwise wholly ignorant of the outside world. With her clan burnt to cinders around her, the first thing that came to her innocent mind was to take her only surviving relative and flee before any other 'bad men' came to kill her and her then one-year-old sister. She had thought they were under attack. It would take nearly a year of living in the streets with her sister for Mikoto to realize that this wasn't the case. She would gather the bits and pieces of information she picked up from the streets to discover the truth behind the fall of her clan, the nullification of her clan's noble status in the Hidden Leaf, and how her clan's wealth had been pillaged by the seven remaining noble clans.

It was right then and there when Mikoto swore she would someday rebuild the Haruno clan.

With newfound resolve and her life's goal embedded firmly in her mind, Mikoto then started to actively seek out a method of employment where she could at least provide herself and her little sister a better life than what they had now. Mikoto loved her little sister dearly and knew wholeheartedly that this was in no way an ideal environment for her sister to grow up in. Her sister was young, wholly ignorant of the fate that befell their clan, and Mikoto wanted to at least provide her sister a normal life even if she couldn't rebuild the Haruno clan. Carrying her little sister in her arms, she kept on tugging the sleeves of any passer-by's telling them she was willing to do anything for food and shelter. It was a dangerous gamble – one wrong move and she could've been sold into child prostitution, which Mikoto was fully aware of and fully willing to go into if absolutely necessary. The year she had spent in the streets had turned the overly-sheltered noble house girl into a street rat that was willing to do anything to survive, equipping herself with knowledge of the back streets, trickery, even downright common-sense instincts. The knowledge that child prostitution existed was simply one of the many things she learned during her stay.

Luckily for her, Mikoto was spared from traveling down that dark road by none other than a member from one of the clans that had indirectly contributed to the stripping of her noble status. In her quest for employment she had run into Hyuuga Hiashi, and for the first time in her life she had been shown kindness in a degree she'd never known it existed before when she was unconditionally offered to work under the Hyuuga manor as a junior attendant. Between her imprisoned life and the life's she'd lived in the streets, never before had she thought she could run into such a kind man, especially so because men were the very reason that had contributed to her clan's downfall. But him… she felt that, for some inexplicable reason, she could trust Hiashi. It will take a while before she realizes that she had become smitten with the teenage Hyuuga heir. Hyuuga Hiashi had become Haruno Mikoto's first crush.

Mikoto knew, however, that working as a servant under the Hyuuga manor wouldn't contribute to her goal of rebuilding the Haruno clan. Although she had no idea how exactly she would go about in doing so, one thing she knew that would help towards the rebuilding of her clan would be to gather power and wealth, and she also knew there was one job that allowed the accumulation of both if one advanced far enough – and that was to become a ninja, a kunoichi. Her plan was to save up enough money to allow her to pay for the ninja academy admission fees while working as a servant under the Hyuuga roof, and from there she will slowly steadily rise up, and from there, maybe, just maybe, she could find the light of hope at the end of the tunnel.

So when Hyuuga Sen asked if she wished to become a ninja, what he was asking was the equivalent of asking her if she wanted an opportunity to rebuild her clan.

"A… a ninja? Me?" Mikoto had to restrain herself from jumping at the opportunity outright and instead tried her best to put up a look of doubt. She knew nothing good would come out of this if she was too hasty.

Sen smiled a tiny smile. "I will become your sponsor. What do you think? I don't think it's that bad of an offer."

"B-But… why me, Sen-sama?"

Sen's eyes softened. "You do not want to become a ninja? Strange, I thought you would be jumping at the opportunity."

Mikoto again had to restrain herself from revealing her surface emotions but she wasn't sure if she'd succeeded or not this time around. She knew she was busted however when she noticed her master started to chuckle softly. Damn, was she that obvious?

"It's not wise to underestimate these eyes." Sen said, as if reading her thoughts. "By using the Byakugan correctly, it is quite easy for us to read what another is thinking. Especially against someone as young and unschooled as you are, Mikoto."

"I-I'm sorry," She stuttered, the feeling of total defeat creeping up her spine. It was indeed not wise to underestimate this man. "I didn't mean to be rude. I just…"

"Stop. I don't wish to hear excuses. What I want to know is why…" He suddenly stopped. He looked tense.

"S-Sen-sama? What's wrong?"

"You are quite aware I dislike being disturbed." He spoke almost out of the blue. "You have put me in a foul mood."

"While I do apologize for the sudden intrusion Sen-sama," A new voice suddenly introduced itself from above them. "I felt that you had to be notified of this immediately."

Mikoto didn't even have the time to look up to see where the voice came from when the figure dropped down from the ceiling and kneeled down in front of Sen. The figure was clad in lightweight armour, a tight but sleeveless black top, spandex, and on its face, a mask Mikoto was all-too familiar with. The masked figure – a woman, Mikoto deducted, from the large, shapely bumps she saw underneath the armoured jacket – was a member of the ANBU, the elite of the elite among the Hidden Leaf forces. The spiral tattoo she saw engraved on the woman's left shoulder only made things conclusive.

Still in her subservient position, the female ANBU spoke. "Sen-sama, if you would lend me your ear for a moment…"

Sen nodded, and the female ANBU cautiously approached the Fifth Generation Leader of the Hyuuga clan. With one knee on the floor, the ANBU then cupped her hand over his Sen's ear and proceeded to whisper hushed words. Gulping down her nervousness for being in the presence of an ANBU member for the first time, Mikoto remained quiet as she could. Sen continued to nod his head up and down as the ANBU continued her report. Soon, she was finished, and backed away from Sen and kneeled down in front of him again. "Was I a… bother?" The female ANBU asked when she sneaked a glance back at Mikoto. Mikoto could barely contain her yelp of surprise.

"It is fine." Sen replied automatically. "You made the correct decision in notifying me of this. You should return before your teammates notice you missing. Your excuse won't hold for long."

"You'd be surprised, actually." The ANBU said, in a cheerful tone Mikoto never before considered an ANBU would be capable of. "By your leave, then."

Sen nodded. "You are dismissed."

The ANBU disappeared before Mikoto realized she was gone. "W-Who was that?" She asked him, bewildered.

"You are curious?"

Mikoto wasn't sure if asking him would offend Sen or not, but eventually the curiosity got the better of her. She nodded.

"Like you, she was a servant that once worked for the Hyuuga household." Sen told her, apparently not offended. "She was my personal attendant until nine years ago. I'm sure you've heard her name at least once… her name is Kaede."

She was unable to contain her shock. "Ka-Kaede? You mean 'Konoha's Silent Lily' Hasegawa Kaede-sama?"

"The very same. She is a member of the ANBU team 'Yotsuba' and teammates of three other shinobi I'm sure you're familiar with as well: 'Konoha's White Fang' Hatake Sakumo, 'Konoha's Unseen' Hatake Midori, and 'Konoha's Cyclops Fist' Kurazaka Nagi."

"Y-Yes. Like the Sannin, the members of Yotsuba are really famous after all…" Her eyes became distant. "So that was Kaede-sama…"

"Is Kaede something of an idol to you?"

Snapping out her daze, Mikoto's face flushed red in embarrassment. Tightening the fists resting on her lap, she gave Sen a squeak of "Yes." before she covered her face with her hands. "I-I can't help it, Sen-sama. She's strong, she's beautiful… she's everything I wish I could be if I could become a ninja."

"Are you saying you don't want to become a ninja?"

"No!" Mikoto shouted, quickly covering her mouth when she realized she had definitely spoken out of line this time. When Sen made no move to punish her she slowly released her hold over her own mouth and answered him meekly. "Er… I mean… yes, I do want to become a ninja, but..."

"Are you wondering why I'm offering a servant like you this opportunity?"

She nodded.

"It is because you have potential, Mikoto." He answered. "What I abhor above all else is to see potential talent like you go to waste. Like Kaede, for example. It would've been such a waste if I had let her talents rot away by letting her stay as a mere servant."

"But…"

"You disappoint me Mikoto. Do you not want to rebuild your clan?"

"Y-You knew?" So he was perfectly aware of her ambitions, yet he still wanted to help her?

"You may not be aware of this, but I was a good friend of your late mother. She, Kazuki, and I were Genin teammates back when we were children."

"I… I didn't know that."

"Consider this as my way of repayment, Mikoto." He said seriously. "Would you accept this old man's proposal? I will help you in any way I can to reclaim your clan's formal glory."

This was more than Mikoto could've ever hoped for. Her dream… her long time dream was coming true! Her first step was complete! Bowing deeply in front of the Fifth Generation Leader of the Hyuuga clan, Haruno Mikoto, the six-year-old heir of the Haruno clan pledged her undying loyalty to Hyuuga Sen in order to walk the long and winding road of rebuilding her clan.

To this, Hyuuga Sen only smiled.

The die was cast.

All he needed to do now was to set his plan in motion.

"…And what exactly do you mean by missing, Dan?"

Tsuburaya Dan was sincerely wishing he had a hole he could crawl into if it meant he could escape the wrath of these two severely pissed teenagers in front of him. Although a casual glance by an outside observer would argue otherwise – they certainly didn't look that angry, anyway – Dan was smart enough to know better. Yes, they did look calm on the outside but in truth, they really were that angry in the inside.

However, even Dan had to admit that even if such a hole existed, it wouldn't do him much good given the situation he was in. Of the two teenagers, one of them held Dan up by the collar of his Chuunin uniform with his right hand and held an open palm over the right side of Dan's face with his left. This was done just in case Dan made any stupid attempts to escape. If Dan did try to escape, he knew would be rewarded with a swift and painful jyuuken strike to his temple which, he knew from experience, wasn't exactly the most pleasurable experience in the world. Despite being seven years their senior, Dan had truly become fearful of the wraths Hyuuga Hiashi and Hizashi could and would deliver had he screwed up.

And boy oh boy did he screw up big time this time around.

"Hiashi please, please let me go." Dan pleaded. "Threatening me like this isn't going to help me – help us find Setsuka."

"Are you sure you did everything you could, Dan?" Hizashi quietly asked from behind his twin.

He nodded meekly. "Yes Hizashi. Trust me, I asked everyone…"

Hiashi glared at him. "Everyone?"

Dan sighed. "Well okay, I admit the term 'everyone' is an exaggeration considering the number of excavation and rescue workers we have around here. But honest, I did ask around – and all I know is that when the crew struck break, Setsuka drifted off somewhere claiming she was going to get some snack or something and after that, I have no idea."

"That's all you have?" Hiashi questioned him, tightening his grasp on Dan's uniform. "You told me that the excavation crew working around the ruins last struck break two hours ago, which means she's been missing for two hours. Two hours, and this is all you have?"

Dan decided to try a different approach."Hiashi… look, I admit that Hizashi asked me to watch over Setsuka and all, but my original assignment was to supervise the excavation process so we could carry the Hokage Tower debris off and to find out just exactly what the purpose of these ancient underground passageways are. Setsuka came to me as a volunteer worker, so technically speaking I'm really not responsible-"

Bad choice of words. He would've been struck in his temple immediately had Dan not been saved by his attacker's younger twin brother in the nick of time. "Dan." Hizashi said, dropping Hiashi's hand and ignoring the glaring daggers his other brother was throwing him. "You have a younger sister of your own, right? What would you do if we told you that she went missing under our care? Please consider our situation."

"…Yeah, I understand. I'm sorry." Dan apologized quickly, the feeling of guilt now washing over him. "I'd do anything if Hatsune went missing too. That's why I'm doing my best to help you guys find Setsuka. But I can't just drop everything and leave to find Setsuka, y'know? I mean, can't you guys use your Byakugan to locate her? It should be easy for someone like you two, no?"

Hizashi shook his head. "There are simply too many people around here."

"Hm? Whaddya mean?"

"The Byakugan is ideal in locating individuals in places where there are many obstacles, but fewer people." Hiashi replied. "Considering Setsuka can be anywhere in the village by now, scanning each and every single individual with the Byakugan to locate her chakra signature will take too much time."

"And," Hizashi added. "Setsuka is still a child. Her chakra signature is still too weak. It makes it very hard for us to locate her." Hizashi then changed the subject. "Did you try asking any others to help you look for Setsuka, Dan?"

Dan nodded. "I did. Heck, I even enlisted the help of Orochimaru who dropped by just a few minutes ago before you two arrived. But honestly, Hiashi, Hizashi, I really should get back to work. There's stuff to do, and-"

"Indeed you do. Just what is going on?"

The three Chuunin snapped to attention at the man's gruff voice. "Nidaime-sama!" They all exclaimed at the same time, saluting their former leader.

Out of the three, Dan was the first one to recover. "I apologize. We were just in a middle of a… ah, argument."

The Second Hokage Kazama Seishi laughed hoarsely. "You don't have to speak so formerly. I am but another Konoha ninja, just like you. I ceased being your superior before all of you kids were even born for crying out loud."

"You will always be a leader to us in this village, Nidaime-sama." Hiashi replied sincerely.

Seishi shrugged his shoulders. "Sheesh, you Hyuuga brats are all the same, always so formal. I just dropped by after sweeping the village for stray Mist nins to say hi and you're all acting as if I made an official visit or something. Oh well, whatever." He then turned his attention to Dan. "You the Chuunin Monkey assigned to supervise the excavation?"

"Yes sir." Even Dan knew that the term 'Monkey' was a nickname the Second Hokage used to call the Third.

"Great. Listen, it seems that the crew in Section B unearthed another part of the underground passageways. They were looking for you back there." Seishi pointed towards the row of workers working not too far away from here. "How about you go lend them a helping hand?"

"But…" Dan snuck a weary glance at the two teens standing besides him.

"I'll watch over the others in your stead." He offered with a smile on his face, unaware of Dan's predicament. "Hell, with the Mist gone now, I'm kinda bored as is anywa-"

Kazama Seishi never got the chance to finish his sentence.

It was the sudden pulse of gigantic chakra from underground that silenced them all.

Naruto really should've known better.

After all, he had already come to the realization previously that even being able to move his body like he wanted after millennia of inactivity was already a miracle in itself, and wishing for his body to move like it did before his imprisonment was pure wishful thinking. So just exactly what was it that made him think that being able to mould chakra like he wanted after all these years would be no problems at all too?

I really am the Hidden Leaf's Number One unpredictable ninja. I couldn't even predict my own stupidity.

The Rasengan ended in failure. Not only did he attempt his attack without the assistance of a clone (of which he never succeeded in his previous life), he attempted the technique without realizing exactly how much chakra he was putting into it. After his control over the blue ball of chakra broke and the attack dissipated before it connected with the woman, he found himself immediately depleted of chakra despite his large natural reservoirs. He had hit the painful wall of chakra exhaustion.

For a brief and still second, nothing happened, the woman in front of him still too shocked at his magnificent but totally useless attempt at a counterattack. Then the tension broke like a glass shattered, and Naruto found himself pummelled face first into the dirt floors by the man who until now was quietly observing the battle between himself and the woman.

It was then when he heard Sakura's strangled shout.

"Naruto, get down!"

I think it's a bit too late for that, Sakura-chan… Naruto thought unenthusiastically.

Sakura had been faking unconsciousness ever since the woman thought she had knocked her out and dropped her to the ground. When the Mist woman hit her pressure point, Sakura managed to twist her neck at the last second to avoid herself from getting knocked out and continued to lie down still in hopes she could find an opening to capitalize in. Although she knew what she was doing was cruel to Naruto (for having to see her getting knocked out like that and all), Sakura knew that the only way they were getting out of this was to catch these enemies completely off guard. Surely these two underestimated them. Both Sakura and Naruto looked as if they were children after all.

The problem was, of course, that she really was a child.

Sakura was really beginning to hate the fact that she had to be reincarnated as a Hyuuga in this restarted world of the past. Despite her extremely low chakra reserves due to her age, had she not lived in a clan that was full of people that possessed 360-degree vision, she was confident that she could've trained herself in secret so she could've at least reclaimed a portion of her former capabilities in both combat and chakra control. Unfortunately, with her overprotective brothers watching over her like a hawk coupled with her father's attitude towards her, Sakura was unable to train in secret at all since she was born. The only actual combat training she held since birth were spars that bordered more on tag with her brothers and the 'spars' she held against her father that bordered more on torture. Although both forms of training gave her some basic ideas about her newfound ability of juuken combat, none of them were going to help her in getting herself out of situations like these. Sakura wished she'd paid more attention to the training Hanabi received from Hiashi when Hanabi was still her apprentice.

A stack of regrets within, and there was nothing she could do about it now.

Even though Sakura lived to be over 70-years old and gained enough strength to achieve the ever-acclaimed Hokage title in her previous life, she was, in summary, extremely weak. Heck, she was probably worse off than she was in her Genin years, and the only advantage she held now was her brain. She was going to have to take full advantage of it if they wanted to survive.

Sakura had to admit that Naruto wasn't doing too badly during his battle against the Mist woman considering his, uh, 'hiatus' as she decided to put it. Even though it was clear the female Mist nin was only playing with him, the taijutsu skills he desperately threw against her was smooth and without waste – one can call it refined, even. Even in rage, Naruto, it seemed, was no longer the brash and wild kid that acted thoughtlessly Sakura knew from before.

She changed her mind when he tried to attempt the Rasengan and failed miserably, though.

But his attempt wasn't a total loss. Everyone in the room was surprised by the abrupt display of power Naruto had shown them all and surely someone from outside would notice the gigantic surge of chakra that pulsed outwards during his Rasengan attempt and come down to investigate. Although it was dangerous to consider letting Naruto out of here right now with the way he was ignorant of everything that was going on outside, anything was better than getting killed by these two Mist nins before they could even resurface. All she needed to do now was to hold these two off until the cavalry arrived. This was her chance. The woman let her guard down. She would get up, and…

Her body didn't move.

Wha…? No way…! But I made sure she missed hitting my pressure point!

Before she could even start to formulize theories over what was preventing her from moving her own body, Sakura noticed that the man with the gigantic sword on his back who until now had stood still had moved. He was moving in to restrain Naruto's movements…!

She shouted him a warning. "Naruto, get down!"

But the man was fast. Even before she finished her sentence the swordsman had already pummelled Naruto headfirst into the ground.

Goddamnit!

Although it didn't feel like she was restrained in any way, Sakura struggled against whatever bonds that were holding down. Absolutely nothing. She could move her head about slightly, but her body didn't respond to her will at all.

Why? Why can't I move my own body?

"Hey Orochimaru?"

"Hm?" With the winds blowing past him as he ran through the village in high speeds, Orochimaru nearly missed what Midori had to say. He turned to the green ball of light guiding him which subsequently projected into Hatake Midori's full body image. It was almost like having her here in person, except, of course, it was still her image guiding him along the way.

"I've been meaning to ask you this, but… what exactly did those two do to escape from you guys?"

"Those two?"

"You know, Utono Kagerou and that Seven Swordsmen master of hers – Kuro no Hei." Then, with a thoughtful look on her face, she added, "Now that I think about it, he has a funny name don't you think? Both his given name and title translate to 'Black'. Black of the Black. I wonder what he's trying to prove. That he's 'darker than black', perhaps?"

Orochimaru shrugged, as best as he could while running anyway. "Who knows? Perhaps he's trying to prove that he is something that he is not."

"So… would you tell me?"

"Tell you what?"

"Sheesh, you've got some bad personality. You know what I mean."

"Why do you wish to know?"

"Well, I am an information specialist you know. I make it my business to know things. And it would help my team to know what they're capable of in the event we spot them trying to scale the walls."

"You could've admitted that you were simply curious."

"Hey!" Midori shouted uncharacteristically, apparently taking offence. "You really do have a bad personality, you know that?" She shook her finger at him. "It's no wonder Jiraiya-kun doesn't like you."

He ignored that last part. "So you're not curious?"

"Of course I'm curious. Why would I be asking you this otherwise?"

"Very well." Orochimaru replied, a small, teasing, hardly-visible smile on his otherwise expressionless face. "It was Kagerou's ability that helped them escape."

"Kagerou's, huh?"

Orochimaru gave her a curt nod. "She wears a flower-shaped accessory in her hair. It is easily detachable, and she can throw the accessory like one does a shuriken. It can also be easily reattached even when thrown from a distance. The accessory can be transferred to any target relatively easily."

Midori was quick to catch on. "And when the accessory sticks to the target's hair, then what happens?"

Like a puppet with its strings cut, the target's rendered immobile. This is one time I'm thankful to have not underestimated anyone. Kagerou thought unhappily as she eyed her white flower-shaped accessory she discreetly attached over the pink-haired girl's hair. It was an insurance policy she placed the moment she had thought she knocked the girl out unconscious. I expected her to wake up early but to think that she avoided it completely… and to think that kid would be capable of such a technique… just who are these brats?

"Make haste, Kagerou." Her master spoke, interrupting her thoughts. "The boy's attack had surely attracted some unwanted attention. We should get away from here as fast as possible. Carry out our original plan."

"Understood." She then eyed the boy her master was holding down in the ground. "What are you going to do with the kid?"

For a moment, her master didn't reply. It was only when her master started to unsheathe the large sword he had strapped on his back with his free hand did she become fully aware of his intentions.

"I will dispose of him." He said.

Doom was at hand, and Naruto was really beginning to despair for real. Struggling, he knew, was useless, and although he tried it anyway the only reward he got for it was being able to turn his head sideways so he could witness the man above him slowly unsheathing his sword. He was, however, thankful that he couldn't see Sakura, his view of her blocked by the man holding him down. He wasn't sure he could stomach the thought that Sakura had to see him die after being this close to freedom or seeing Sakura's tear-stricken face for that matter. In sobbing voices she continued to call his name, and time and time again she asked the two Mist nins they spare him. Her words fell on deaf ears.

Naruto sighed in his mind. Life really is unfair.

The blade was hovering over him now, and Sakura's pleas of mercy only grew louder. Naruto wanted to cover his ears; he wasn't sure if he could stand a second more of this. He was so close to freedom, so close to a start of a new life, only to have everything end just like that, his dreams crushed in a single instant. Cursing whatever gods that had subjected him into this cursed fate, Naruto gritted his teeth for the inevitable pain that was awaiting him when the blade would pierce his flesh. He could only hope that the Rasengan he attempted had attracted enough attention that someone would come to rescue his Sakura-chan. Silently wishing her the best of luck, Naruto slowly closed his eyes.

"…I never thought I would run into you again in a place like this, Naruto-kun." The man mumbled in barely audible volumes.

Naruto's eyes snapped back open.

That voice…!

"You…!"

"Please be quiet, Kagerou will hear you." The man whispered. "I will put you in a state of temporary death. This will hurt a bit, but please forgive me for what I'm about to do. I promise I will escort Sakura-san back to the Leaf safely after this is all over."

For the first time since the ordeal, Naruto recognized the sword the man was holding in his hands. His eyes went wide. That was the Kubikiri Houchou, the weapon that Zabuza…!

The blade came down.

"Naaaaruuuutooo!"

The world went black.

"Binding someone to immobility doesn't sound that threatening." Midori pointed out after listening to Orochimaru's explanation. "It's pretty easy to counter. You'd only have to fight her like you were fighting against a Nara."

"A Nara… yes, I suppose that analogy would be quite accurate." Orochimaru mused. "And in more ways than one."

"Oh?"

"Kagerou is also a shadow user."

"Oh my, really? Well, I suppose it shouldn't be that surprising given the name 'Kagerou', but… maybe she's a descendant of some Nara's that went missing-nin and fled to the Hidden Mist?"

"It's a sound theory and you are most likely correct. But if so I would guess that the Nara missing-nin she's descendant from had fled the Hidden Leaf many generations ago and their connections weak at best. Although she is a shadow user, her techniques are fundamentally different from those of the Nara."

"How so?"

"For one, she doesn't bend or control existing shadows like the Nara do. Rather, it is more like she becomes the shadow itself."

"The shadow itself...? Yikes, that's a tricky opponent."

"Indeed she was." Orochimaru agreed. "Not only can she camouflage herself extremely well, she is capable of instant teleportation between any two shadows wither it be a person or a building, and unless she solidified physical attacks do her no harm. I also suspect that she is to a certain degree empathic. She was incredibly skilled in reading our next moves."

"And on top of that she's the apprentice of Hei, the strongest of the Mist's Seven Swordsmen huh? No wonder those two guys gave you three some trouble. But you cornered them, right? Just what did they do to escape from you guys?"

"Nothing fancy, really. She simply took her master by hand and teleported themselves away through the shadows."

"But there's more to that, isn't there?"

Orochimaru sighed. "We wouldn't have let them get away if we didn't have to deal with certain… distractions."

"Thought so. What was this distraction? Something to do with those Mist-nins you guys captured and we intercepted, right?"

"Yes. They were the distractions themselves."

"So they interrupted the fight in order to let Kagerou and Hei escape?"

"Yes and no. They didn't interrupt the fight by their own will. They were controlled."

"Controlled? By whom? Hei or Kagerou?"

"Kagerou. She is able to completely transform herself into a perfect copy of a person's shadow and, by attaching herself against that person and becoming that person's shadow she is able to bend any man or woman to her will."

Midori whistled a low tune. "That's some troublesome ability. But wait, how can she attach herself to a person when people already have shadows?"

"The flower-shaped accessory I mentioned earlier. The reason why a person would be rendered totally immobile when someone other than Kagerou has the accessory attached is because it completely erases that person's shadow. All she has to do to gain control then is to attach herself to that person."

"I see, I see… one more thing though, Orochimaru."

"Yes?"

"Sakumo downed those two Mist-nins almost instantly, you know. I don't see any reason why they would be enough of a distraction to let you three allow Kagerou and Hei to escape."

"You're correct. Ordinarily they wouldn't even have posed a problem but… I did mention that Kagerou's manipulation ability allows her to bend any man and woman to their will, yes? The problem is that, when she gains control of a person, she gains total access to their techniques and chakra reserves and she's free to use her own reserves as well. It's like fighting an enhanced Kagerou with larger chakra capacity and access to an even larger library of techniques. Until Kagerou released those two from her control they really did pose as quite the threat. We then captured them and tried interrogating them to see where they went, but… and well, you know the rest."

Midori's image made a face. "So that means that if Kagerou takes that Hyuuga girl's body over…"

Orochimaru nodded. "It will be equivalent of having a Kagerou that can use the Byakugan."

"Does her ability have any weaknesses?" Midori asked.

"Weaknesses you say? Hm…" Orochimaru gave it some thought. "I don't know if it could be called a weakness, but her manipulation ability does have one flaw. When she takes control over a person's body, the color of the person's hair also changes to match her original hair color. Coupled with the flower-shaped accessory in her hair, it makes it easy to spot who she's controlled."

"Hair color? Is it unique?"

"Quite so."

"Hmm… I seemed to have misplaced the file I have on her. Ah well, might as well take this time to create another one. What color was her hair again?"

"Blue."

Had Kagerou been aware of the conversation between Midori and Orochimaru, she would no doubt be impressed by the accurate analysis they made over her own ability. After all, every single assumption they made about her origins and her abilities had been true, from her family history to her empathic abilities she read off from the surrounding shadows. Had she been in another time and universe where the three of them were friends and engaged in friendly conversation over their own abilities, Kagerou would've added that, like the branch of the Nara clan she was descendent from long ago, her abilities bordered more on pupeteering rather than a complete takeover like the Yamanaka were capable of.

Of course, her abilities were nothing like the pupeteering certain ninjas of the Hidden Sand were proficient in. This was thanks to her proficiency in empathy – or, to put it more accurately, what she possessed was the ability to shadow read, an ability that allowed her to detect the slightest of changes in a person's shadow, thereby allowing her to read emotions. Unfortunately for her the ability was to a certain degree automatic and possessed an unnatural large range, and although she had training to keep it under control to a point, she was unable to completely shut off the shadow readings of people she'd been acquaintances with if they were in range.

She really hated her ability sometimes.

Nevertheless, it was thanks to this shadow reading that allowed Kagerou access to a person's techniques and chakra when she's control. By transforming herself into the person's shadow and attaching herself to her target, she is able to focus her empathy and read her target's deepest emotions, allowing her access to their chakra reserves, and, by reading their surface memories, their techniques as well.

Although she hadn't told anyone about it, it was this reading of a person's surface memories part she hated the most about her ability. Although only fragments of actual memories would reach her in the process of her scanning for techniques, the fragments were more than enough to disturb her deeply depending on what kind of pasts the individuals went through. More than enough the experience ended up not being pleasant and always left a bad taste in her mouth. So even though her technique of manipulation would normally grant her an overwhelming advantage over any opponent, she refrained herself from using the technique unless it was absolutely necessary.

In a way, though, she was glad the person she was taking control of this time around was a young girl who was currently weeping loudly over the boy her master had just now stabbed to death with his sword through the boy's stomach. With the girl still young and all, Kagerou for once didn't have to be so worried over so many memories. Instead the only thing Kagerou thought she had to be worried about was the raw memory of what this girl saw just now with her own two eyes. Without hesitation, Kagerou morphed her body into that of a shadow and subsequently attached herself to the girl. The girl's pink hair slowly turned into a darker shade as Kagerou slowly read off the girl's surface memories.

Then like a ton of bricks, it suddenly hit her.

What… what is this…?

One after another, flashes of images assaulted her and overwhelmed Kagerou completely.

"Sasuke-kun… I love you with all my heart!"

"You really are annoying."

"Naruto… thank you…"

"It's a promise of a lifetime!"

"Tsunade-sama, please make me your apprentice!"

"I heard from Kakashi you were quite the skilled student."

"What do you think? Do you think I'm more like a woman now?"

"Don't worry, you haven't changed one bit!"

"Why gardening?"

"That's obvious, Sakura-chan! Flowers will remind me of you!"

"It's the smell of blood, isn't it?"

"Oh yeah, never had a chance to congratulate you on your promotion to ANBU, so grats!"

"You broke one of his bones in 'that' area, you know?"

"Hmph. That's the price of seeing me naked."

"N-no… you… you c-can't… mustn't…"

"I always did kind of like you."

"The Twin Emeralds?"

"Just like your eyes, Setsuka-san."

"I don't want to stop feeling like this."

"My job offer from two days ago is still valid, Sakura. Are you still interested?"

Inside her own world, Kagerou clutched her head in pain.

Make it stop… She pleaded in her mind's eye. Make it stop… make… it… stop…!

But the images still continued, and continued, and continued… until…

"Naruto… forgive me… I just… wanted to see you… one… last… ti-"

It finally stopped. Breathing out a pained sigh of relief, Kagerou finally released the clutch over her head and looked up.

Only to come face to face with the most powerful being she had ever seen.

SO YOU'VE COME, AKATSUKI.

She screamed.

As a member of the Mist's Seven Swordsmen, Hei made sure he was always careful not to miss even the smallest of details. It was the very reason that allowed him to survive this long among the rapidly changing ranks of the Mist's Seven, and it continued to serve him well throughout his life. So when he re-sheathed his sword after 'killing' the boy below his feet, Hei was quick to notice something was going terribly wrong in his apprentice's attempt at shadow manipulation. He'd seen his apprentice's manipulation ability at work many times in the past, but this was the first time he had ever seen Kagerou's target of manipulation shake this viciously.

He approached her and shook the girl lightly. "Kagerou?"

But the girl still continued to shake even as the girl's pink hair slowly continued to turn blue. It was only when the girl's hair completely turned into Kagerou's natural shade of blue did the shaking stop. Normally, that was the sign that told Hei that Kagerou now held complete control over the girl, but…

She suddenly began to laugh.

At this, the swordsman from the Mist grew alarmed. "…Kagerou? What's wrong?" He asked his apprentice wearily.

The laughing stopped and Kagerou turned to her master with an insane smile plastered on her face.

"I understand everything now, Master." She spoke through the girl.

"Everything."

"I see three people down there, Nidaime-sama." Hiashi reported to the former leader of the village. "One of them is a dead boy. Another one of them is… a man with a large sword strapped to his back. I've identified him as a Mist nin from his forehead protector."

"That's got to be a member of the Seven Swords." Seishi commented with eyes narrowed. "It's probably Hei. If the reports are accurate he's the only one of the seven that participated in the invasion. That brat, what's he up to?" The former Second Hokage said with teeth bared. "What does he hope to accomplish by going down in the dungeons?"

"Who's the last one, Hiashi?" Dan asked from the side.

"The last one is a girl. She's… what the?" The veins around Hiashi's eyes bulged. "That's Setsuka down there!"

"Setsuka!" Dan exclaimed. "What's she doing down there?"

Hizashi's face tightened as he too observed the scene below him using the limits of his bloodline. "I don't know Dan. But Setsuka… her chakra signature…"

The Second Hokage noticed the worried tone in Hizashi's voice. "Hmm? What's wrong?"

"Her chakra signature is… different." Hiashi finished the sentence for his brother. "That's the best description I can give, Nidaime-sama. That's our sister Setsuka down there... but… it's not her."

Dan was confused. "That doesn't make any sense. How can the girl down there be Setsuka and not Setsuka at the same time?"

"Only one way to find out." Hizashi said sternly. "Dan, guide us to the entrance."

"Uh, sure. Follow me then, it's not that far from here-"

"Everybody get down!"

Engulfed in never before seen levels of heat and light, the ground underneath them exploded violently upwards.

"Incognitos"

n – one whose identity is disguised or concealed

"Empyreal Paradox"

- Chapter Four -

-END-

Author's Notes:

You know, I promised myself I would do my best to reply to reviews last chapter but in the end I only got around to sending replies to about four of them. For those who didn't get any reply, I'm terribly sorry. I really have to do something about my own shyness… it makes me so happy when people review my work, but I can't seem to stomach the courage to type up a personal reply… siiiigghh… I'll do my best to answer them this time around, but if you don't get a review reply, please do understand.

But just in case I don't: To all people who have reviewed thus far, you have my unending gratitude. Thank you. You all mean the world to me.

A few things of note in this chapter: for those who haven't figured out who Mikoto's sister is yet, she is the (adoptive) mother Sakura will eventually have in the canon timeline. While I did argue to myself for some time if I should just go ahead and give her name instead of being elusive about it like I was with Hei until this chapter, in the end I decided against it. So expect her to be referred to as 'Mikoto's sister' for the rest of the story unless the manga by some fluke reveals the name of Sakura's mother in future chapters.

And just to clarify, Sakura is not a carrier of the Haruno bloodline. It is revealed in the Epilogue of Medusa Javelin (Chapter 11) that Sakura "had been adopted by the Haruno clan when it was discovered that their heir could not give birth to their children". I just wanted to point this out in order to avoid any confusion one might have about Sakura's abilities.

It should also be mentioned that while some of the flashes of memories Kagerou was assaulted with are taken from the canon storyline, some of the scenes were taken from Medusa Javelin as well. If you're really bored, I suggest you check them out and try to find out which scene comes from where.

The name I gave Sakumo's ANBU Team – 'Yotsuba' – translates to 'Four Leaves' in Japanese. I couldn't continue on referring them as 'Sakumo's Team' considering that, according to the canon storyline, Sakumo rivalled the Sannin's fame during the Great Wars. So to compensate I gave them a name I found appropriate. His teammates (Midori, Kaede, Nagi) and their respective titles (the Unseen, the Silent Lily, the Cyclops Fist) are all made up by me, however. The only thing that's really canon here is the fact that Sakumo had teammates.

It's really easy to miss this, but the fact that Dan has a younger sister is actually a fact mentioned at one point in the manga (and probably in the anime as well, but I'm not so sure because I don't watch the Naruto anime). If curious, read over the flashback scene Tsunade has about Dan a little more carefully. You'll find it it's there.

That's about it I think. Till the next chapter!

- Nes Mikel

Chapter Four, Complete, June 26th, 2007