Chapter 24
The Aftermath
“We need to go,” Sarutobi says, gripping Naruto tightly on the arm. Still on the stage, the rally has just finished, and people are now exiting the stadium. At the front of the stage, Madara takes photos with random members from the crowd, the Asamachi mayor, certain donors- too distracted to notice Sarutobi quickly exiting the stage, heading towards the back door.
“Sir, the president has requested you stay here, in the gym for the time being” a guard says to Sarutobi and Naruto, standing in their path to the door. Another guard approaches from Sarutobi’s left, another who stands tall, approaches from the right. He’s surrounded.
“He wouldn’t mind if I got something from my car, right,” Sarutobi responds.
The guards look at each other for approval. “How important is it,” one asks.
“The boy’s got a heart condition and needs to take his medicine, and my stupid self,” he chuckles, nervously. “I’ve left the medication in the car.”
“We can retrieve it for you,” another guard says.
“It’s hard to describe what I need- Look why don’t one of you escort us to the car, if it’s really important that we meet with the president after.”
The guards again look at each other for approval, not sure what to do.
“That sounds fine with me,” one says from behind Sarutobi. “I’ll escort you.”
Hiruzen body relaxes a little and resists the urge to sigh with relief. The two are not yet out of danger.
“Lead the way,” the escorting guard says.
Sarutobi, Naruto, and the guard walk out the back door, the same way the group of people walked out early in the rally. The door takes them to an exposed side of the school that overlooks the city. The city street is only separated from the campus grounds by a black metal fence.
It’s quiet. The silence is instant the moment the door closes behind them, all to be heard are distant cars, and chirping birds who sit atop buildings or in the occasional tree. Sarutobi takes quick glances at his surroundings. The group of people who exited the rally early are long gone. In fact, there isn’t anyone at all on this side.
The three head down the side of the building. Sarutobi pulls out his phone.
“Who’re you calling,” the guard says.
“No one,” he responds.
“What’s with the phone then?”
“Just responding to some texts.”
“Put that phone up.”
Sarutobi stops walking. The guard and him both glare at each other.
Was this where they would make the first move? Sarutobi kept his phone in his hand and pressed send to the text, waiting for the guard to react.
But the guard didn’t. He just stood there. That’s when Sarutobi knew that Madara wouldn’t make his move if the rally was still taking place. As long as there were people on the school grounds, it was too much of a risk to make a move.
“Doesn’t your son need medicine,” the guard finally said, breaking the minute long silence. The three continued their walk.
Naruto hadn’t said anything, which both concerned and relieved Sarutobi. The boy was too lost on what was happening, and due to his father’s behavior, he’d opted to stay quiet, hoping to get answers later.
The three turned the corner, and now were at the front of the school. The courtyard was packed with Madara’s supporters.
“Down with the Uzumakis,” one yelled as the three squeezed through the packed courtyard, heading towards the parking lot.
“The Uzumakis are a blight to the Konoha,” another said.
“They’re powerful, all of them are what’s wrong with this country,” said another.
“Madara will make quick work of them,” another said in response.
“Nothing can stand in his way!”
The three finally make it to Sarutobi’s car. He opens his car door and pretends to look for his son’s medicine.
“Where is it,” he murmurs to himself, in case the guard had a perception quirk.
“You can’t find it?” the guard asks, suspecting Sarutobi of stalling.
“Ahh, I think I might’ve left it at home,” Sarutobi says, getting out of the car, shrugging. A drop of sweat is starting to run down his forehead. “Look, my home is not too far from here-.”
“Not happening.”
“So, my son and I are going to head home-.”
“I said that’s not allowed.”
“And I’ll give him his medication, and we’ll be back in time for whatever Madara needs us for-.”
“You are not allowed to leave the school.”
Sarutobi brings Naruto closer to him. “Get inside the car, we’re leaving.”
“I don’t understand, I thought he said we can’t leave.”
“We’re leaving, Naruto.”
“No, you’re not,” the guard said.
“Yes, we are.”
“Are we, Sarutobi? Are you sure?”
“Just get inside the car, Naruto.”
Naruto opens the back car door. The guard steps closer to stop him, but Sarutobi gets in the way.
“What’re you gonna do to stop us?”
The guard glares at Sarutobi.
He wouldn’t dare, Sarutobi thinks, resisting putting a smirk on his face. In front of all these people? You wouldn’t dare.
But it was the guard that was doing the smirking. Sarutobi first looked at him confused then frantically turned around to the car.
No one was inside.
He grabbed the guard.
“Where is he,” he yelled, hands gripping tight on the guard’s collar.
“Looks you’ve underestimated who you’re dealing with here.”
“You have three seconds-,”
“Or what? You’ll kill me in front of all these people, people who are crazy about our president, who would do anything for him? You think you can get away? Much less retrieve your boy?”
“Bastard.”
Sarutobi let go of the guard. He took a look around for any signs of Naruto. His eyes looked through the crowd, the building, the parking lot. But it was no use. He knew he wouldn’t find him that easily.
Onlookers started to gather closer to the two of them. Some were confused, while others were a little riled up due to Madara’s speech. Their eyes contained aggression, dogs waiting for an excuse to bite.
That’s when Tsunadae and Jiraiya came to Sarutobi’s side. He had texted the two earlier to arrive, but they were too late.
“Orichimaru’s on the way,” Tsunadae said when she approached, the smell of alcohol strong. Jiraiya looked around at the crowd gathered around them, confused. He saw the guard smirking. “What happened,” he asked.
“They took him,” Sarutobi responded, tone almost sounding defeated.
“Come with me if you want to see him again,” the guard said.
“Don’t think so fucker,” Tsunadae said, liquor emboldening her. “Let’s go find him.” She grabbed Sarutobi and dragged him through the crowd. Jiraiya and the guard followed. The onlookers lost their interest and headed to their cars. The courtyard was now not as busy as it once was.
“How’d they take him,” Jiraiya asked.
“I have no idea,” Sarutobi responded. “He was in my car and then he vanished.”
“Tobi’s got a quirk like that right? Where he can teleport,” Jiraiya said, looking at the guard. The guard gave a sarcastic, mocking shrug.
“I’m gonna kill this fuck,” Tsunadae said to the guard. “The moment no one’s watching, you’re dead.”
“By all means, try. In fact, you can try right now.”
“Tsunadae, I really wish you’d do something about your alcoholism,” Jiraiya said.
They made it inside the school. It’s almost empty, with a couple strays of people and cleaners.
“Where would he take him,” Sarutobi asked the others and himself.
“Let’s head into the office to think of a gameplan,” Tsunadae suggested.
The four walked into the office. The door was locked and the lights off. They walked around the different rooms, the principal’s office, the ISS room. No one was there.
“What next,” Sarutobi asked.
SLICE
The guard’s throat was cut open, the top of his suit covered in blood. He collapsed to the ground.
Tsunadae grabbed a napkin from the secretary’s desk and wiped her kunai before sheathing it back in her belt, hidden away again.
“What the fuck, Tsunadae,” Jiraiya said in a whispered yell, using his hair quirk to grab the still twitching, still coughing body quickly and toss it in the principal’s office. He went in office and closed all the blinds. He then took the guard’s suit coat off and tied it around the wound, hoping that it would delay blood coming out from under the office door. The sheer luck that nobody witnessed this was immeasurable and Jiraiya knew it. Sarutobi shut the front office door and turned off the lights.
The body won’t be found until Monday morning by the front desk secretary, Anko Mitarashi, who opens the principal’s office door because of a disgusting smell coming from it.
“What is wrong with you,” Sarutobi asked, angry.
“Fuck all of this,” Tsunadae said. She turned to Sarutobi, eyes wide, breath disgusting, adrenaline high. “He took your kid, and you’re still trying to be covert about this? The last thing he wants is attention, so fuck all of this, bring the fight to him. That’s the gameplan. We can take them, I know it.”
“Tsundae, we aren’t in the Sanin anymore,” Jiraiya said.
“I’ve been waiting for this day. My life hasn’t had any purpose since I’ve left the Sanin. I’m now a fucking nurse at a goddamn school? And you wonder why I drink- Why I’m never fucking sober? That’s what my life is now? From one of the greatest soldiers ever to this? No, I’m not letting this chance slip away.”
“Chance at what,” Sarutobi asked, concerned.
“We’re getting your kid back and if it means killing a bunch of his guards so be it.”
She stormed out of the office. The other two chase after her.
The school is now empty, even the cleaners are gone. The guards cleared the remaining strays from the building.
“Tsunadae calm down,” Jiraiya says, wanting to grab her but afraid that it might lead to an all-out brawl.
Tsunadae ignores him and walks up to the first guard she sees.
“Ma’am, we’re going to need you to leave, the school is closed-.”
She grabs him using her strength quirk.
“Where’s Naruto,” she demands.
“Tsunadae, ENOUGH!” Hiruzen yells, his kunai pulled out.
“Why would I tell you,” the guard says to her.
She grabs his throat and tightens her grip.
“Where the fuck is he.”
POP.
Hiruzen was no longer in the school hallway. In an instant, his environment changed.
Disoriented and overcome by nausea, he kneels over and vomits. After vomiting out all his nausea, he sees he’s on the roof and in front of him is Madara Uchiha, Tobi Uchiha, two guards, Madara’s nephew, and Naruto. They stand in front of the roof door.
Sarutobi wipes his mouth and stands up.
“Being teleported is the worst,” Madara says, pacing around him as if he was still on the rally stage. “I don’t understand how Tobi does it. All of your atoms separating then reassembling- If I have bad tuna, I want to vomit my guts out.”
“What do you want,” Sarutobi says, slightly shaking. His age is catching up with him. 60-year-olds should not be vomiting so violently much less doing so under high anxiety, he felt.
“I want my weapon back,” Madara stops pacing.
“What do you mean,” Naruto asked.
“He doesn’t know what he has within him,” Madara asked.
Sarutobi shamefully shook his head.
“Well, too late now. You can have your kid back when I take the fox spirit out from him,” Madara said. “That’s all this is about. I just want the spirit back and then you can go back to taking care of Minato’s boy, I don’t give a shit. You can come with me to take the spirit out from-.”
“You can’t….” Sarutobi said, almost whispering.
“I can’t what,” Madara glared at him. “I’m the president.”
“… The kid will die if the fox spirit is taken out from him,” Sarutobi confessed, his voice cracking.
Madara took a step back, surprised.
“So that’s what all the fuss is about then,” Madara looked at the kid and kneeled in front of him, scratching the boy’s hair. “I understand why you’ve been behaving this way, that’s terrible.”
“What’s going on, Sarutobi,” Naruto asked.
“You have this country’s weapon stored inside you,” Madara said in response, his voice low and soothing. “Within you is the key to this country’s greatness, without it, neighboring countries will no longer respect us. The Konoha has many enemies, and the fox spirit keeps these enemies dormant. They’re afraid that we’ll release it on them. That’s what’s inside of you.”
Naruto was left speechless, not knowing what to think, to feel. He was an orphan boy, who was cast aside, who had no friends, who didn’t have a father- a real, true, loving father until maybe a month ago- a boy who no one ever cared for was actually the most valuable person in the Konoha. In the world.
“Which is why you’ll have to die,” Madara said, bluntly, rising from the ground.
“W-What,” Naruto said.
“For the greater good of this country, you’re going to die.”
“Madara please,” Sarutobi pleaded. “What do you want? Huh? I ran the greatest military- covert ops group this country has ever seen? What enemies do you have, I’ll kill them. I swear it, I’ll kill them all.”
“You were dishonorably discharged,” the president said.
“You can do anything, you’re the president. Please, just leave the boy out of this- I’ll do anything. I promise you, anything, I’ll do it. I’ll kill every Uzumaki in this country, I- I’ll- I’ll go into different countries and kill your enemies.”
“You’ll kill every Uzumaki except this one,” Madara said, turning to him. “Plus, I don’t need them all dead, they’re just a scapegoat I can use to pin all the country’s problems and get reelected again.”
“What do you want,” Sarutobi pleads, his voice now unrestrained and letting out all of his true emotions.
“I want your boy dead,” Madara says.
“Dead?” Naruto fills with anxiety. His heart pounds so hard, it hurts. He starts to back away, towards the roof door, but is grabbed by the two guards. Naruto tries to break free, but the grip is tight.
“Y-You won’t get away with this,” Sarutobi said. “I-I’ll tell the press! I-I’ll-.”
“You’ll be too occupied to do so,” Madara says. “Cause you’ll be dead too. One of this country’s greatest military leaders, who led the Sanin- I’m really going to leave that person alive after I kill his son.” He chuckled. “No fucking way.”
Sarutobi draws his kunai, ready to fight Madara.
“Don’t do it uncle,” Sasuke says, shaking and sweaty.
Madara looks at Sasuke with anger, rage fills his eyes.
“D-Don’t do… don’t kill him, Uncle…” Sasuke can’t even look at Madara, too afraid.
“We have a lot of work to do on you, boy. Clearly Dahlia has done a horrible job,” Madara says.
One of the guards let out a loud scream. His arm is on fire, but the flames aren’t normal. They’re see through, looking more like a red aura rather than actual fire, the aura having a flamelike shape.
The other guard jumps back, but Naruto is quick. His mouth opens and inside are fangs. He jumps at the guard’s throat before she can use her quirk against him. Naruto’s teeth tear open the guard’s throat. The woman is dead immediately. Bloody muscle from the guard’s throat fills Naruto’s mouth, blood escaping and landing onto his chin and the ground. Naruto swallows muscle and tissue for he is no longer human.
The Fox Spirit has been released.
The burning guard removes his suit jacket to get the fire off him. His arm is burned but his adrenaline is high enough for him to ignore it. He uses his ice quirk to cover his arm with ice to alleviate some of the burning and then launches an ice blast at Naruto. It hits Naruto, hard, and the force knocks him off the roof.
“NOOOOO,” Sarutobi yells, running towards the edge.
“Tobi, teleport to him now,” Madara barks.
Naruto hits the ground hard, and he passes out. The fox spirit returns within him. Though not awake, the boy is uninjured.
Tobi is about to teleport to him when Sarutobi blasts him with wind. The principal’s quirk is his ability to control the element of air, and though he is old, his blast still knocks Tobi across the roof, stunning them.
The guard prepares to throw another ice blast.
SLAM.
The roof door opens. In the doorway is Tsunadae, covered in wet blood, drenched kunai in both hands. She looks horrific, like a monster, and her face… almost happy. She has returned to the battlefield she’s yearned for for many years. Her time in the Sanin made Sarutobi all too familiar with this side of her. This lust for violence.
She launches towards the guard and stabs him in the stomach. She uses her strength quirk to keep a good grip on him, but the guard in response creates a blade of ice in his hands and slices her right eye. The eye bleeds, and she is blinded for a second, until the eye heals itself. Her secondary quirk is healing. It was why she was made a nurse.
The guard collapses to the ground, too much blood lost to keep fighting. He dies a couple minutes later.
Jiraiya rushes onto the roof, witnessing the aftermath.
“Jiraiya! The boy! He’s on the first floor! Get him,” Sarutobi yells. Jiraiya immediately runs back into the school.
Madara fires up his quirk, controlling lightning and fire.
He blasts both elements at Tsundae, knocking her back.
“Tobi! I need your help right now, get up,” Madara yells frantically.
Tobi slowly rises from the ground. He has a cracked rib but doesn’t know it yet.
Sarutobi blasts Madara with an air blast. Madara deflects using his fire as protection, consuming the blast.
Tsunadae quickly recovers from Madara’s blast and runs towards Tobi. She is struck in the back with lightning.
She turns to see who it is. It’s Sasuke, wide eyed, scared, shaking. Not sure if that was the right decision.
“Tsundae don’t! He’s just a boy,” Sarutobi yells as he throws countless air blasts at Madara. Madara continues to deflect with fire but is feeling slightly overwhelmed.
She pays Sasuke no mind and continues to charge at Tobi.
Tobi still has not fully recovered yet from Sarutobi’s blast.
Tsunadae loads up her punch, prepared to put all of her strength behind it. It has killing intent.
Sarutobi notices this. “Wait, don’t touch hi-!”
The moment the punch makes contact with Tobi’s face, Tobi and Tsunadae disappear from the roof.
************
Tsunadae’s punch connects, and she makes a victorious roar. But she then looks around and realizes she is not on the roof.
“What the-.”
She’s hundreds of feet in the air, and here she can see the entire city of Asamachi, in its glory. The city stretches far below her, and in the distance, she can see hills that lie past the city limits. The hills sit comfortably on the horizon, surrounded by flat grass plains.
She looks directly in front of her.
Tobi is falling down with her, and though hurt, he gives her a peace sign.
Then POOF.
He’s gone.
Tsunadae doesn’t bother to scream as the city comes hurdling towards her. She knows there’s no point. All she does is give a sigh of relief as she plummets towards the ground.
************
Jiraiya rushes down the stairs and through the halls of the school, trying not to slip on the trail of bodies Tsunadae has left behind. He bursts through the front doors, trying to find Naruto. He runs around the school’s perimeter, searching and searching, frantic and praying that none of Madara’s guards picked up the kid.
But luckily, he finds Naruto, still passed out on the concrete. Jiraiya quickly runs to him and checks for any wounds. He tries to find the source of all of the blood around Naruto’s chin, but to no avail. He picks up Naruto and puts him over his shoulder. As he starts to run off the campus, he sees in front of him one of Madara’s guards. The guard runs up to him.
“Stop,” a guard says, new cigarette pack in hand.
He’s lucky he went on a smoke break before Tsunadae went on her rampage, Jiraiya thought.
Jiraiya gently laid Naruto on the ground and prepared to fight him before the guard put up his hands, surrendering. The guard already looked beat up, but Jiraiya notices that the bruises are old, not from today.
“You can go,” Shun says, sighing sadly. “I quit tomorrow, so…”
Jiraiya cautiously picks Naruto up again, his eyes never leaving the guard. As he’s walking away, he says “Thank you.”
“I didn’t do it for you,” Shun says, walking towards the school building, lighting a cigarette, unaware of what is happening or what has happened.
Jiraiya runs off the campus and into the streets of Asamachi. He goes into an alleyway and sets Naruto down.
Jiraiya, a voice says in Jiraiya’s head, that isn’t his. One of Madara’s bodyguards has a telepathy quirk?
It’s me, Orichimaru.
Jiraiya gave a relieved sigh.
Orichimaru, announce yourself first before communicating telepathically.
I did announce myself. I can see where the two of you are, and I’m on my way.
Jiraiya sat on the floor next to Naruto and waited for Orichiamaru’s arrival, not knowing the fates of the others.
***********
The wind blasts finally overtook Madara. Finally.
Sarutobi was exhausted, but luckily, it was Madara who was first to collapse. Madara falls to his knees and then to the floor, breathing heavy.
Hiruzen instinctually jumps atop Madara and squeezes his throat. Now was his only chance to escape. Kill Madara and then regroup with the others.
Madara tried to use another lighting strike, but his body gave out on him. All he could to was try to physically resist Sarutobi’s tight grip around his throat. Madara flung around, he punched, he tried clawing at Sarutobi’s eyes. All failed. This was a trained killer who he was dealing with.
Madara’s face was turning purple. Hiruzen’s grip became even tighter, his nearing victory emboldening him, giving him new strength. Madara’s eyes began to redden.
Madara then looked at Sasuke, who was still on the roof, frozen in fear. A fawn in headlights.
Madara’s red eyes pleaded with Sasuke. They begged for help, any help. Just anything, just don’t let him die, not now. Eyes that said I’ll do anything you want, just please do something. Please, I’m begging you.
Lightning cracked through the air and hit Sarutobi. His body flung backwards across the roof, hitting an ac unit. He felt two of his ribs crack from the impact, and felt as if the electricity had actually killed him and then brought him back to life in an instant. His eyes were dazed, and his mind was not all there yet when he got up from the ground.
Madara leaned forward, and gave out disgusting, deep wheezes. He breathed as if he was dragging the air back within his lungs.
“Thank you, son,” Madara wearily let out as he slowly got up from the ground, coughing.
Sarutobi was disoriented but still ready to continue fighting. He prepared another air blast to throw at Madara.
Shun enters the roof, kunai in hand.
“Where the fuck were you,” Madara yelled at Shun, eyes still on Sarutobi.
Shun sprung into the action, using his fire quirk to block the incoming air blast from Sarutobi.
Sarutobi lunged forward and threw another air blast at Madara.
Shun pushes Madara out of the way of the blast. Shun then launches a fire blast at Sarutobi.
It misses.
Sarutobi counters with a powerful gust of wind.
It connects.
Shun is launched off the roof and plummets towards the ground. The bones in Shun’s legs shatter upon impact with the ground.
Hiruzen is breathing heavily but is determined to get back to his son. He turns to Madara, who is on the floor because of Shun’s hard push.
“Don’t interfere this time kid, or I’ll have to do something to you,” Sarutobi said to Sasuke as he glared at Madara with murderous eyes.
Hiruzen rushed towards Madara, ready to finish the job.
POOF.
Sarutobi turned around to see where Tob-
SLICE.
Hiruzen’s throat is cut open. Immediate pain fills his body and though he wants to scream, he can’t.
He falls to the floor, grabbing his throat, trying to stop the life from leaving him.
He can’t.
The last thing he sees is the tile floor covered in his own blood.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, age 60, will be buried at a cemetery in Asamachi. A funeral will be held, and many will attend, with almost the entire city of Asamachi coming out in memoriam of the man. But only one will grieve. Asuma, his nephew.
Hiruzen leaves behind his home and his belongings, which will be transferred to Asuma’s name. His ex-wife will not even know about the death until weeks after the funeral and will not care all that much. She is happy, with a new husband and family.
Madara will attend the funeral and give a eulogy so great that the media will cover it for days. Asuma will personally thank Madara for the kind and inspiring words he gave. Hiruzen Sarutobi will be buried a hero and will be considered to be one of the Konoha’s greatest soldiers. He will be given even more medals post-mortem, and his dishonorable discharge status will be changed to an honorable one. The city of Asamachi will remember Sarutobi fondly.
“Good riddance,” Madara spat as he watched the life leave Sarutobi’s eyes.