A ROOT Cause (IO)

Ita found himself leaning against a railing on the top floor of a wooden watchtower located within the outer forest that surrounded Konohagakure. The tower was approximately 4 stories tall and had a square staircase which ascended to the top floor where a singular enclosed room surrounded by a square catwalk resided. The wood of the structure was different then that of the other towers which were scattered throughout the the forest surrounding the village. This particular one was comprised of wood that was warped and bore curves that were not possibly made by nature alone. The wood of this structure was rumored to be made by a jutsu during a time of war between neighboring villages many years ago. The tower had long since been abandoned due to the speculation that it was haunted- but those were just rumors and Ita was not afraid of rumors or ghosts.

             
It was the middle of the night and at the center of the dark sky was a full moon which illuminated the dense forest. The Uchiha’s crimson eyes sparkled in the moons light and remained fixated at an imaginary point far off in the distance. The boy was in deep thought as reflected on many things. His current focus was himself.

“Who am I?” the boy whispered under his breath. A persisting question that pestered him following the recent chain of events.

It was at one point the boy knew who he was and what he wanted. Flashbacks of a boy who was exceling in training, surrounded by friends and a loving family, in a village that prospered had finally known peace. It took losing all of it for him to truly put himself and his reason for existing into question. But where did the spiral begin? It started with losing his parents- not his foster parents, but his biological parents. He had never met them, but their identities constantly lingered in the boy’s mind as faceless silhouettes. Next was the passing of his foster parents which ultimately resulted in the boy awakening his sharingan. Following their deaths things began to stabilize and Ita finally felt as though he had found a purpose in life. He had been taken on by a Chuunin mentor, Yen Aburame. He then met his teammates Jace and Queen and worked alongside other countless peers. He had even gotten promoted to Chuunin and then Jounin. Ita had finally felt as though he knew what he wanted in life- to serve his village and protect those he loved and served. This was all the case until a rather quick turn of events. The spiral towards emptiness resumed when his best friend Jace was killed which triggered a pain the boy had thought he had forgotten. Extreme guilt and sadness. Once again, the boy had failed to protect someone he loved. If only he had been stronger at the time, he could have accompanied Jace on his mission to hunt such a beast. If only he was better. Following his friend’s death, Kirigakure rose from the shadows and took his village by surprise and all he did was watch.

Ita’s jaw tensed and he grinded his teeth for a slight moment. In that moment a spark of hatred manifested inside him. The small flicker of hatred began to swell at the thought of the Mist villages invading his home. It swelled at the thought of his fellow shinobi surrendering after being forced to sacrifice one of their own. It swelled as he turned the gun on himself and blamed himself for not doing more to help. It swelled as he looked down at his left wrist which bore no hand, an excruciating reminder to the Uchiha’s of his betrayal to the village. The hatred swelled until the question he asked was no longer a question. He now had answers- an agenda, one fueled by shortcomings and despair. From this moment- the boy vowed to himself to make sure his village would never face the same outcome again and he vowed he would get his revenge.

The boys jaw relaxed and a sigh of relief pulsated throughout his body bringing him back to being levelheaded. The boy now had a purpose but knew in order to execute he would need to devise a plan. Where to begin?

Ita shifted his ominous gaze towards the moon as he felt he was no longer alone..

TWC: 740

Images of a teenage boy, full of hope and life, swam past his vision as he laid back with his his hands crossed under his head. A prodigy of his clan, and leader to his peers. He was the sort that couldn’t help but draw in the people around him. Tatsuya, Kasai. A team that came together by chance and became friends and comrades under the peaceful rule of the Leaf. Risako, a young girl turned student, turned friend. A lifelong dream of wanting to protect his family, his friends, his village. The drive to get strong enough to make that dream a reality, and one day become a Hokage the people of Konoha could look up to. Would look up to.

The images began to move past his vision quicker and quicker, changing into other, darker tones. The death of Navi, and the village in disarray as Brenner did his best to regain a sense of order and balance. The overall aura of mourning as an era came to an end with the loss of the fifth Hokage. A notice, addressed to all Leaf Chuunin and Jounin, calling candidates forward as the search for Konohagakure’s next leader commenced. A dimly lit room, four people stood there in front of the interim Hokage. Three of them, all Chuunin, came from the same team. The fourth, a sporadic Jounin woman, was unknown to him. Questions were asked and answered by each. Slowly, the numbers dwindled until only one remained. The one to take Navi’s place as the leader of the Leaf, the Sixth Hokage, Jason Senju.

The images began to flow faster again, slowing to reveal the Senju boy, beaten and bloodied, tied to a chair in an undisclosed location. Torture training that all ANBU went through in accordance with the system implemented years before by the legendary Echo Uchiha. Though he had been put through every test they had to break him, there was a fiery determination in his eyes. He would survive this. He would become the Sixth Hokage.

The next set of images were calmer, but only meant the pinnacle of his hope had passed. It meant the slow deviation from the original path he had followed, succumbing to darker means to gain power to protect his village. While he had been undergoing his secret ANBU training the village had somehow become overrun with powerful missing-Nin. Kozai. Stein. Kiranomo. Kiru. Many of them came to him seeking sanctuary, and most of them were turned away save two. The man who would grant him his eyes and attuned him to nature energy. Stein. Of course, looking back on it, the contract he had put out probably wasn’t the best idea. It had drawn the unwanted attention of Maku, after all. Jason couldn’t help but wonder what had happened to him, Akihana, and Denkiteki during these last 4 years. Regardless, his mind came back around to the unwanted visual remembrance of his past. Ita Uchiha, a young academy student with promising talent. Kozai Yuki, one of the two given sanctuary by him, had marked the boy with a sealing jutsu. Undoubtedly done with harmful intentions, Kozai too was forced to leave as Jason placed his own sealing formula on the boy and ordered the rogue out of the village, never to be heard from again in the Leaf.

The next to come were of him waking up, alone and betrayed, in the middle of the forest after being killed. Too weak to do much of anything, he was forced to bide his time from the shadows and watch helplessly as his friends and family mourned him, as new faces took up the mantle one after another until the Bloody Mist came and attacked his home. Still he was powerless to even consider intervening. If only his strength had begun to return to him sooner, if only he had had enough power to involve himself in that conflict maybe things would have turned out differently. If only.

As the years went by Jason had kept a close eye on the ones Viper had used to betray and murder him. It had been four long years until he finally felt the time was right for him to return, and so he did. Back to the Leaf, back into the light.

The welcome had not been one that he had expected. Kisuke Uchiha, one that had come to him for help before he was betrayed, didn’t even recognize him. Others had shown up, including Risako, Ita, and Kinzoku. All he felt from the first was a coldness, a distance, that he could not blame the girl for. After all, learning someone close to you that you thought long dead had been alive this whole time must have been incredibly difficult to digest. Kinzoku, a former Sunagakure ninja and the current Hokage, had the worst reaction of them all. Skeptical through and through, he insisted on disbelief and mistrust even after having Jason’s mind read by one of his own Yamanaka ANBU. Choosing to disrespect the former Hokage by officially naming him a Genin of Konoha and putting him under constant surveillance, Kinzoku had obviously earned a distrust and irritation from the Senju. He was not someone that Jason believed should hold the office that he did.

Ita, though, was a different story entirely. There was no coldness, no disrespect. There was only a fire in his eyes and an obvious warmth at having his old leader back. He was someone Jason truly believed he could trust and who trusted in him. Since coming home there were signs of ill feelings and discontent everywhere in the village. The warm, happy atmosphere he had once known was not something seen often anymore. The Mizukage had taken that from them when he came to conquer. Many people had lost their lives and many more had lost loved ones. The shinobi that took part in the battle had been forced to murder one of their own before surrendering to the Leviathan. Yensung, a former student of his and now the Deputy Hokage, had actually attempted to attack Risako during the exchange, who was the then Hokage. He had been the first one to move forward to kill the one to be sacrificed without any hesitation. He too, was not someone Jason believed worthy of the office he held. Luckily, a recent conversation with the man had granted the former Rokudaime Hokage with access to the village’s funds as well as allowed him to place his teleportation formula on the Aburame.

A plan had formulated in his mind, a plan that was slowly coming together. He needed help, though, in accomplishing what he wanted to achieve. It was a good thing he thought he now knew just where to go to find it. Ita Uchiha.



A sly grin broke across his lips as he lifted himself from the bed he had just been on. It might be the middle of the night, but now was the perfect time to move forward with his plan. Actually, it was the perfect time because it was the middle of the night. He began pulling on his flack jacket and strapping his weapons pouches to his body. His bow was tucked away neatly in the quiver which he sling across his back. His hair had been cut since coming back, now close cropped on the sides and back while the top sported an inch long mat of messy black strands. He wore his old shinobi headband across his forehead. Ita was one of few who had the former Kage’s personal teleportation formula on their person, which meant he would have no trouble finding him.

In one instant, Jason was standing alone in his bedroom, and in the next he was somewhere else entirely. Looking around quickly to get his bearings, he realized he was on the top floor of an old Leaf outpost tower. Only a few feet in front of him stood the Uchiha boy, leaning against the railing and apparently deep in thought. A slight shift in his figure told the Senju that he had been sensed. He smiled at that, remembering the helpless boy he had met so long ago. ”I see you’ve improved over the years. Not many people could detect my presence if I didn’t want them to,” he said lightly as he moved forward to lean against the railing on the boy’s left. ”Tell me, Ita, what has you so deep in thought all the way out here in the middle of the night?”

[WC: 1,428]

Ita’s gaze shifted towards the moon as a familiar, but unknown individual made themselves present behind him. They had appeared out of thin air which Ita felt was odd. The Uchiha had never met another shinobi who could do something of such, especially with such accuracy. With that the boy took a mental note.

”I see you’ve improved over the years. Not many people could detect my presence if I didn’t want them to,” a voice would lightly call out from behind the boy as the person made their way towards the ledge to be by the Uchiha’s side. Ita recognized the voice instantly. It was the voice of a dead man who had returned to the land of the living, only to be rejected by his fellow shinobi and friends. His sudden appearance did not startle the Uchiha as he motioned closer- in fact, Ita half expected that he would come looking to meet with him in private sooner or later. It was true- Ita did not exactly trust Jason and he did have his questions, but Ita could tell that the two shared mutual feelings; the man did save his life after all…

”Tell me, Ita, what has you so deep in thought all the way out here in the middle of the night?” The former Rokudame Hokage would inquire.

A direct and pertinent question the boy thought. A moment of stillness would pass before the boy would answer, continuing to gaze out into the moon-lit canopies of the forest.  “You say you laid witness to what has happened here over the last several years. How much did you really see while hidden away in these forests? If what you say is true, then you should know why I am here.” Ita’s answer was thought provoking and challenged the Senju’s reasoning for his absence. If Ita was to trust the man, he would need to know the truth behind his disappearance and his motives moving forward. “I do not view you as the others do and I do not blame you for what has happened to our village. Although your sudden reappearance has left many people questioning your legitimacy.” Ita would pause before continuing with his next statement, turning his head so that his sharingan would meet the eyes of the previous Hokage as he spoke once more. “As of now I have no reason not to trust you. I believe you would not have returned if you did not care about this village and the people in it. If your intentions are any like mine, then you must feel the same way; however, prove me wrong and I will treat you as I will treat the shinobi that invaded our home.” If Jason reciprocated the same feelings, the Uchiha would continue to engage in conversation, trying to now lighten the mood.

“I apologize if I have offended you Hokage sama, it was not my intention. Things have changed a lot since you’ve been gone and It’s hard to know who you can trust these days. I fear if things do not change then the Hidden Leaf may be in jeopardy.” Ita was eluding to the overall political climate of the village as well as their occupation by Kirigakure. “It must be tough to be demoted by a Kage of foreign origins. To be rejected by your friends and feel like a outsider in your own village. I too feel your frustration Jason and I do not believe what they did to you is right. There is no more respect in or for this village. just cowards who would rather sacrifice their own instead of challenging their enemies who threaten the Will of Fire. Despite these feelings, I am no better than they are.” Ita hesitated for a moment before pulling back his left sleeve to reveal a nub. “I stood in the Hokage’s office with the Mizukage and took my own hand instead challenging him. I could have stopped him… If only I were stronger. Next time I’ll be ready for him. Next time I’ll kill him.” The boy’s eyes would begin to swirl, switching between the shapes of his mangekyou sharingan and his normal sharingan, a subtle occurrence which had been produced from the sudden influx of negative emotions he was feeling. A moment passed and the boy calmed down again, his eyes assuming his sharingan's normal state. He had let his emotions get the better of him- something that did not occur often, but he was now back to normal. 

twc: 1508

There was no distinct change in the boy, no tensing of muscles or shifting of body wait to either an aggressive or submissive role. In fact, he seemed rather comfortable where he was, leaning against the railing with his eyes trained on the luminescent orb in the sky.

For a moment, there was no response. Then, the young Uchiha’s words filled the silence and brought with them a heavy truth left unsaid. Though the words were calm and questioning, it was clear to Jason that only hurt, anger, and perhaps a slight hint of betrayal lie hidden beneath them, powering the silent thoughts and giving light to the walled up emotions that had undoubtedly led him to this moment. It said to the former Kage ’Why didn’t you help us? How come you didn’t return before now? Why did you abandon me? Abandoned the village?’ It was clear that the Senju would need to give him more detail, more of a reason to forgive his absence and trust in his leadership again completely.

This time it was Jason’s turn not move. Not to tense his muscles at the turning of the boy’s head, not to flinch at the harsh tone of the crimson of his eyes as he spoke. His demeanor did not shift at all, and a small smile still graced his lips. ”The fact that I am here should tell you all you need to know about my intentions.” His words were calm, though there was a clear undertone of anger, and warning, complimented by the former Rokudaime Hokage’s instinctive reaction. Natural energy has flooded his body unbidden, and to Ita, it would seem as if the the dark night grew darker still as the shadows grew and an ancient forest could be seen looming tall and foreboding over him. They would seem to coke from Jason himself, though it was clear these weren’t real trees. It was as if his presence, his very being, was that of a forest of ancient oaks each hundreds of years old with all the strength and power of nature itself. It brought a type of pressure the young Uchiha would undoubtedly be hard pressed to ignore if Jason’s lapse of emotional control continued. There and gone in an instant. So quickly, in fact, that it would be entirely possible for Ita to believe he had imagined the entire thing. Such was the sheer power and self control of the man returned from the dead.

A moment passed where their eyes locked, Jason’s face taking on a more serious expression after his lapse. ”I’ve seen it all happen, and I regret not being able to step in and help until now. I believed that if I had come forward sooner, that not only would it have put my own life in danger, but the lives of everyone I cared about. Tatsuya. Kasai. Risako. You. I couldn’t come forward until the time was right. And now that I have, well, I hope to change things. I don’t believe Kinzoku is worthy of the position he holds. He’s shown poor judgement on a number of occasions that I’ve witnessed alone since returning. Yensung is even worse. Attacking Risako and being the first to slaughter one of our own to appease the Mizukage without any hesitation or signs of remorse. No, something needs to change.”

He allowed the boy to take in his words, and he seemed to change. Ita’s tone became lighter then, his words colored with honey as he spoke next. An apology, sympathy, a confession, and a promise. The Uchiha had stood before the Mizukage and willingly cut off his own hand. A claim to not have been strong enough to challenge the man himself, something Jason could relate with all too well. The promise was probably the most important part, except for maybe the stump where his left hand had once been. As the words reached the former Kage’s ears and he took in the sight of the boy’s missing hand, an idea took ROOT[see what I did there? ] in his mind. He would need a couple short minutes to be able to do what he wanted, but it would undoubtedly serve to gain Ita’s trust and loyalty. ”No, Ita. Next time we will be ready for him. Next time we will kill him. But before then, we need people. We need shinobi loyal to the village. We need to gather the ones with the most potential and groom them to be at the level our great village once was. I’ve gone through Echo Uchiha’s ANBU training and come out of it much stronger than when I went in. I’ve learned that I cannot trust the ANBU I haven’t chosen myself, and I plan on creating a new organization to fix that problem. A new organization that will become the roots of our tree to guide and nourish the next generations of leaves. I was hoping that you would be the first to join it, to work with me as my second, my right hand. What do you say?”

[WC: 850]
[TWC: 2,278]

”The fact that I am here should tell you all you need to know about my intentions.” Jason would say.

Following his statement, Ita would sense a shift in Jason’s presence, yet he could not see it with his sharingan. It was a weird pressure that he had not experienced before, and it definitely wasn’t pleasant. The boy could tell that even in his weakened state, the former Hokage was dangerous and someone not to take lightly, regardless of Ita’s own personal growth. The feeling had gone just as quick as it arrived. The two would lock eyes and Jason would continue to speak.

”I’ve seen it all happen, and I regret not being able to step in and help until now. I believed that if I had come forward sooner, that not only would it have put my own life in danger, but the lives of everyone I cared about. Tatsuya. Kasai. Risako. You. I couldn’t come forward until the time was right. And now that I have, well, I hope to change things. I don’t believe Kinzoku is worthy of the position he holds. He’s shown poor judgement on a number of occasions that I’ve witnessed alone since returning. Yensung is even worse. Attacking Risako and being the first to slaughter one of our own to appease the Mizukage without any hesitation or signs of remorse. No, something needs to change.” He would say.

There were correlations between each other’s feelings. Jason was right. The current state of the village’s leadership had been compromised. Even though Yen had once been the boy’s teacher, Ita could not sympathize with his actions especially now that he served as Kinzoku’s advisor. Kinzoku on the other hand was someone that hadn’t proven to Ita that he was not capable of being Hokage or untrustworthy, but Ita still felt uneasy over the fact he came from another village. Ita’s mind wandered for a moment to the time that Kinzoku and he had met in the middle of the night, on a night like the one they found themselves in now. (The Fate of the Crow) As of now, Ita believed himself to be trusted by both Kinzoku and Jason; the current and the former. Such a fact would be crucial to his future decisions- for now it was up to the power the two kage to persuade Ita’s future actions for he was currently just another piece of the chess board; for now.

Jason finished speaking and there was silence for a while as Ita pondered his words. Ita could feel his gaze upon the stub where his hand once was. Jason then began to speak once more.

”No, Ita. Next time we will be ready for him. Next time we will kill him. But before then, we need people. We need shinobi loyal to the village. We need to gather the ones with the most potential and groom them to be at the level our great village once was. I’ve gone through Echo Uchiha’s ANBU training and come out of it much stronger than when I went in. I’ve learned that I cannot trust the ANBU I haven’t chosen myself, and I plan on creating a new organization to fix that problem. A new organization that will become the roots of our tree to guide and nourish the next generations of leaves. I was hoping that you would be the first to join it, to work with me as my second, my right hand. What do you say?”

The Senju’s following speech left a deep impact on the boy which increased the gap in terms of the amount of trust Ita felt towards Kinzoku and Jason. Jason understood the Uchiha- something he had not felt since his friend had died. Jason declared he was putting his trust in Ita and by doing so, bringing him into his inner circle, disclosing to him his plan to create an organization to challenge the corruption that was beginning to spread through the village like a silent virus that was only visible to the select few that conjured and nourished it. He asked Ita to be the first to join his organization and be his right hand.

This was an offer that Ita would not refuse. It was a solution that satisfied many of the boy’s questions and desires. It provided purpose, revenge, and most of all, a solution to the underlying problems which plagued the village that had gone unaddressed since Jason’s absence.

“I am honored to accept your offer Hokage-sama. I promise I will not let you down.” The boy would turn his gaze once more to the full moon which illuminated the otherwise shadows of the surrounding forest. “Together we will rid this home of ours of its enemies and restore it to great village it once was. Even if that means taking matters into our own hands. You have my support.” Ita’s voice was sincere. Now the two would need to formulate a plan and execute; along with recruiting like minded individuals they knew they could trust would risk their lives for the cause.

TWC: 2,355

There seemed to be no hesitation from the boy before he answered. It was good to be eager, and it was even better that his trust for the Senju had grown, but this was a very big decision. It wasn’t something to jump headlong into with no pause for though about it. ”Ita. I understand your eagerness, and I appreciate your trust, but this is not a decision you can make without thinking about it. You would essentially be swearing your loyalty to the village, and to me, before anything else. You would report to Yensung and Kinzoku as normal, but your true loyalties would not be to them. They would be to me. We would work together to root out the corruption that has begun to grow in the village, and declare our independence from Kirigakure, but you would be doing so from the shadows. Could you live with these facts? If I ordered you to kill a child to prevent unwanted information from spreading, could you do it without any hesitation? Without any regrets? Think about that, and tell me again that you can do this.”

This would be the real test. Had the Uchiha truly thought this through, or was he simply answering out of passion in the heat of the moment? Did he understand what position he would be in and was his trust in Jason and thirst for vengeance so strong that he would be capable of delving into the darkness for the betterment of the village? The former Rokudaime Hokage truly hoped that was the case. ”If you still wish to work as my right hand on this, then I have a gift for you. Hold out your left arm, and don’t move.”

[WC: 289]
[TWC: 2,567]

”Ita. I understand your eagerness, and I appreciate your trust, but this is not a decision you can make without thinking about it. You would essentially be swearing your loyalty to the village, and to me, before anything else. You would report to Yensung and Kinzoku as normal, but your true loyalties would not be to them. They would be to me. We would work together to root out the corruption that has begun to grow in the village, and declare our independence from Kirigakure, but you would be doing so from the shadows. Could you live with these facts? If I ordered you to kill a child to prevent unwanted information from spreading, could you do it without any hesitation? Without any regrets? Think about that, and tell me again that you can do this.” Jason would say in return to Ita’s acceptance of his offer.

 
Maybe it was true, maybe his decision was haste, but Ita did not feel that way. He understood far too well what was being asked of him. Ita would ponder the Senju’s words for a moment before responding.


“Lord Hokage, I understand your concern for my haste decision, but I can assure you that I am fully aware of what is being asked of me and the things that I may have to do and endure in the future…” Ita would now pause, letting his words sink into the crisp air of the night. In the same calm, but direct manner, he would continue, his eyes now directly in contact with Jason’s so he could judge whether or not what Ita was saying was sincere for himself, “If saving our village means sacrificing myself to a life of deceit and darkness, then this is the life I have now chosen.” If Jason would proceed with his next request after hearing what the boy had to say, Ita would proceed to bow his head and raise his left arm towards the Senju, unbeknownst of why he made such a request.

twc: 2,691

The boy’s words showed his resolve. His commitment to to this cause, to the village, and to Jason, was clear on his face. It was one of both determination, and resignation. Though his initial answer had come quickly and without hesitation, he had shown the Senju that it was not without consideration. Very well. The former Kage of the Leaf was not one to push for more when the path before him was clear.

”Good. Then hold out your left arm, and remember,” he said, eyes locked on the Uchiha’s before him, ”don’t move.” Ita did as he had been asked, though the look on his face clearly showed his confusion, tempered with curiosity. In an instant his body was flooded with nature energy once more, this time a conscious choice, and his hands flew through a series of six seals. Ram->Ox->Boar->Dog->Tiger->Snake. Jason’s right hand extended to rest on the severed stump that once connected to the boy’s left hand. He had never used this particular effect on himself before so he couldn’t be certain of how it felt, though he was sure it would not be comfortable. After all, completely regrowing a lost limb was not a simple process. There would undoubtedly be some pain, itching and even potentially burning as his bones, flesh, tendons, muscles, capillaries and ever other component of a person’s hand grew at an exponential rate. Even as he watched the flesh visually knit itself together while the hand regrew he found it completely fascinating. It would be another few minutes before the process completed.

[WC: 260]
[TWC: 2,827]

Ita took a leap of faith by raising his stump towards the former Rokudaime Hokage. With the Senju’s following actions, he would win the Jounin’s trust and become the Uchiha’s closest ally. For a moment the whole situation seemed very cliché, as the boy’s sharingan witnessed what seemed to be a transformation…

 

A transformation that Ita could not pick up on with his keen eyes. Despite the fact he could not visually see the Senju’s natural chakra, Ita could sense a strange power at works, one that was powerful, but felt balanced; however he wasn’t entirely sure what type of technique he was using. Jason began to perform a series of hand seals and following the completion of the sixth one, he would extend his hand to rest on the severed stump that was formerly attached to Ita’s left hand. Unfortunately, Ita was unable to track down his severed hand and Ita was for sure he did not see Xyxer retrieve his hand from the bloody kage chamber floor or else they probably could have reattached it. The boy’s thoughts were soon interrupted by a strange sensation originating at ground zero ‘nub’. The following scene of events would appear to be straight out of Marvel’s Dead Pool. Ita’s stump began to contort itself as the flesh and bone began to form at an extreme rate of speed. The newly formed hand started off small, just a few inches and appeared to age rapidly as the cells continued multiply.

 

Ita did not know if he was going to be sick or not, but it did not take him long to figure out what Jason was doing to him, or should I say for him? The Senju had returned something to the boy that he had missed dearly. Ita’s hand continued to grow, Ita’s face a scowl. Even he was not mentally tough enough to resist the pane of growing bones. The sounds associated with the process were grotesque and unnatural. The boy would wipe the sweat from his brow with his right sleeve as the processes just about finished up. With a final crackling sound, the Uchiha’s hand had snapped into place and finished regrowing. The feeling of having his hand back was surreal. Ita would practice opening and closing his fingers to get readjusted. It only took a few moments for the familiar motor functions to return to the boy and he would move onto thanking Jason for his gesture.

 

Ita would smile while continuing to fidget with his left hand. “That’s much better. I will repay you someday, but for not all I have to offer is my partnership. Now then, where shall we begin? If we are going to fix this mess, we are going to need to recruit a few more shinobi to support our cause. Unfortunately, like you, I have not many friends within the village at the moment. In fact, you may now be my only one.” Ita couldn’t help but chuckle at the truth behind both statements. It was true, Ita’s previous title as one of the most AFK ninja in the village had resulted in his lack of close relationships. Jason was also not doing too great in the friend department right now. At last, two loaners tasked with the fate of saving and protecting the village, who would have guessed? Not me.

 

“The only person I trust has been gone for some time now. Her name is Queen, but we haven’t been in contact since our friend Jace died. One of the Genin on my team seems to be promising. I think you may have met him at your grand entrance. Tadashi is his name, but I am unsure if he is up to the task at hand. You don’t happen to have anyone in mind, do you?” Ita would ask hoping he would give any other answer besides “No.”

wc:648

Extending his newly formed hand, Ita would grasp Jason’s (not like that you weirdo) and Ita would say, “Come Jason. You have yet to fully recover and we still have much to discuss. I know just the place where we can do both in solitude.” With that, a swirling animation would commence, the origin being at the Uchiha’s eye. Jason would be pulled into Kamui and Ita would follow. 


Twc:3,408

Claims TBD

[Ita and Jason both exit to Kamui]