Faced with a Sasuke like this, Natsuki could only sigh.
People say Itachi is the ultimate little-brother-obsessed "ani," but wasn't Sasuke just as much of a big-brother-obsessed "otōto"?
Still, at least Sasuke didn't direct his hatred at Natsuki. That made talking possible. Natsuki hadn't revealed the truth to recruit another avenger.
"Sasuke, let me finish first," Natsuki said.
"…There's more?" Sasuke's rampaging emotions eased a notch; he actually wanted to keep listening.
Good. Years of habit had trained him to be calm; he wouldn't lose control so easily. At the very least, he could still hear someone out.
Natsuki continued, "That masked man from before—he also took part in the clan massacre."
Sasuke's attention shifted immediately. "Who is he really?"
Natsuki gave a small, amused snort. "A clown who turned love into hate and pretended to be Madara. His situation is even more tangled; it's hard to explain in a few words. But he did participate in the Uchiha massacre. He's also the one who drew Itachi into Akatsuki, and he's been trying to brainwash Itachi ever since—hoping to use him as a tool."
Sasuke ground his teeth. "That masked bastard! Using Itachi! So now that Itachi's dead, he wants to fool me next?"
"Exactly. All you need to know is that he's a vile, damned man."
Seeing Sasuke's focus pulled away, Natsuki judged he'd cooled down a little and steered back. "So—if you're going to avenge Itachi, do not trust the masked man. And your targets are the Konoha leadership, not the village!"
Sasuke blinked, then caught on. "You're trying to talk me out of attacking the village?"
There it was—once calm, his mind kicked back in fast.
Natsuki nodded. "Think about it. The ones who killed Shisui were the top brass. The ones who pushed Itachi to butcher the clan were the top brass. They are the ones who deserve to die. What do the rest of the villagers have to do with it? And Itachi loved the village. If you destroy it, won't that betray his wish?"
Sasuke raked a hand through his hair. He could almost feel his brain growing a size.
On second thought… it made sense.
It was the leadership's fault. No need to annihilate the village—and doing so would go against his brother's wish.
He nodded. "Natsuki, you're right. My revenge will be aimed at the leadership only."
Natsuki exhaled and pressed on. "There are four at the top. Hiruzen always played the nice old man, but he constantly indulged Danzo's persecution of the clan. Koharu and Homura—those two fossils—may not have gotten their hands dirty, but they backed Danzo all the way while hogging Konoha's power and bleeding it dry. Disgusting all the same.
"The worst is Danzo. With Hiruzen's indulgence he created Ne (Root)—the village's darkness. He colluded with Orochimaru, abducted people for human experiments. Whenever a genius appeared—yes, even from the noble clans—he'd go to Hiruzen and demand that child. Everyone loathes him for a reason.
"He always believed the clan was evil. He kept Root watching your people. He gouged out Shisui's eye and crushed his dream. He personally issued the order for Itachi to wipe out the clan. Your clan died in a single night—even civilians. I suspect he had Root block every escape route. Afterward, just like the masked man, he harvested a lot of Sharingan (Copy Wheel Eye) from the corpses for his own experiments."
Bang! Sasuke's fist shattered the table; the teacups smashed on the floor.
He was nearly beyond rage. "Danzo! That old thief deserves to die most!"
Hey—don't smash my furniture…
Natsuki was helpless, but he kept fanning the flame in the right direction. "You might not know this, but his right eye and right arm are always wrapped in bandages because he transplanted Hashirama's cells into his right arm. He couldn't control their activity, so he studded that arm with Sharingan to suppress it—and his right eye is Shisui's!
"He calls the clan evil, yet for power he has no bottom line—grafting Sharingan into himself, dreaming of wielding both Mokuton (Wood Release) and Sharingan, then using that strength to become Hokage."
"Arghhh! I can't take it! I'm killing him now!"
Sasuke's shout went feral with fury. If not for a kekkai (barrier) to muffle sound, the entire neighborhood would've heard him.
Any clansman hearing Danzo's sins—how could they not go mad?
But Natsuki still pinned Sasuke down.
Sasuke struggled and yelled, "Natsuki! Let me go! I have to avenge him!"
Natsuki barked louder, "I told you to calm down! I'm not stopping your revenge, but charging out like this is wrong. Do you even know where Danzo is? Where exactly are you going to take revenge?"
Uh…
Sasuke's brain lagged for a second. [014704012 Faloo 024282560]
Right. Where is Danzo? Where do I find him?
He blurted, "Natsuki, where is that old thief? Tell me! You must know!"
"Easy, easy—we'll plan this properly."
Natsuki soothed him, then cracked a joke: "Also, you smashed my table and cups. If Tenten comes back she's going to yell at me."
The joke did its job; Sasuke cooled a little. He muttered, "Sorry. I'll pay for it—and apologize to Tenten. Please, tell me where Danzo is."
Good. Calm is good. Now the conversation could move forward.
Natsuki brushed the debris aside, then clapped his hands. "Mokuton: Shokutaku no Jutsu (Wood Release: Dining Table Technique)!"
From the floor, branches sprouted and shaped themselves into a fresh table.
Sasuke's attention slid again. "Natsuki… you can use Mokuton (Wood Release)?"
Natsuki nodded, brewed two new cups of tea, and finally said, "Next, hear my story. You know I'm a genius—always have been. In the academy I kept my head down. Only Tenten and Shino knew. I later said it was because I had a girlfriend and didn't want to be too popular with other girls—but that wasn't the real reason.
"I knew what Danzo was. I knew about Ne (Root)—Konoha's darkness. Danzo was obsessed with Mokuton research, chasing the Shodai Hokage's (First Hokage's) power. That's why he sends people to abduct the village's prodigies—especially anyone with the Senju bloodline.
"Unlucky me—I ticked both boxes."
Sasuke stared—Natsuki had Senju blood?
Thinking it through, he understood. No wonder Natsuki was such a prodigy. No wonder his chakra was so vast. If he carried that bloodline, it all added up.
"So you hid your strength to avoid being noticed and snatched by Danzo?" Sasuke unraveled another knot.
He always thought Natsuki was odd—so strong yet always holding back.
Turns out… he was guarding against Danzo all along.
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