Naruto: Mind over matter

Pov: Nagato/Pein

"For now your new teammate will be Hidan, you will work well together"

Kakuzu glances at me and stares directly into my eyes.

"Fine. But it is rare to find someone with such control over themselves and switch personality at the drop of a hat... this {Luke} intrigues me"

Zetsu steps forward and offers his opinion.

"I had followed when Kakuzu pointed him out... he seamlessly transformed into the 'Tailed Beast Hunter' of Konoha and entered Suna without any disturbance"

I look towards Kakuzu and Zetsu and speak.

"And how do you know that this.. 'Tailed Beast Hunter' is not just the Terror of the leaf fooling you?"

"Because there abilities do not match... if they did then we should label him as a threat, but the more likely scenario is that they are two different people..."

"Explain"

"The Terror is a puppet-master that puppeteers there own body, he has a Kekkai Genkai built for puppets... while {Luke} is capable of shifting his form without the Henge and or any known Jutsu... {Luke} has also been found in multiple places while the Terror was in Konoha... I believe that one holds a mastery over identities while the other is a puppet-master, two distinct masteries over infiltration and combat"

"Were you sure that {Luke's} sightings were actually him?"

"No... but that is that makes him interesting"

Itachi speaks up.

"It is very possible that one can master both of those things..."

"My partner is right! These are just assumptions... you have real evidence do you not?"

Kakuzu looks towards Kisame and lowers his gaze, Zetsu speaks for him.

"The language his name is in... It is a dead language from hundreds of years ago... before Ninja were ninja and before chakra was so well... developed. I doubt a thirteen year old boy managed to decipher and know a language I used to be confident that few knew"

Itachi squints at this..

"A dead language? You know of this language how?"

The white side of Zetsu speaks.

"Well... I'm pretty certain that there was an agreement to be very hush about our backgrounds~"

"You are right. My apologies Leader-sama"

I nod and declare the end of this meeting.

"Then it is decides that {Luke} will become a member of Akatsuki... that is when he detangles himself of his current web"

Sasori speaks to the group.

"This Terror of the leaf, a puppet master? I have spies who have given me information on him, they always keep an eye out for puppet masters... he is a friend to the Kyubi Jinchurikii... the rumour that he threatened the one tail into submission is also true, at least my spies told me that its host confirmed that... Terror is a fitting name for him, I have recently confirmed that he should not be walking, an injury that would make any ninja retire and but a month or more after he walks yet, and even promotes to Jonin... he will be an annoyance when dealing with the Kyubi Jinchurikii"

I note this information and my gaze lands on Sasori.

"This Terror, any reason he has that name, any details on his strength?"

"My spies are having a difficult time finding anything on the brat... both Danzo Shimura and the Hokage deny my spies there information, the only knowledge that isn't public that they acquired was that he doesn't take anyone seriously and that he rarely uses his full strength, one of my spies in Oorochimaru's ranks found out information from his latest enemy the one who made him paralyzed... he was still half-heartedly fighting even when his spine was splintered... then he won with two kunai... that was all my spy could recover from the Dwellers corpse... the memories extracted from his last moments consisted primarily of fear and regret"

Hmmmm...

"I will leave his disposal in the hands of Itachi and Kisame when the time comes for the Kyuubi's extraction... for now label him as another threat to watch out for"

I look towards everyone in the room, now is the time that they either bring up any relevant topic or we end the meeting.

...

"Then I will dismiss this meeting, continue with your current objectives and make sure Hidan doesn't 'get lost' this time Kakuzu"

They nod and there illusory selves disappear one by one.

Terror of Konoha... Ill make sure he feels true pain... make sure he feels what it is like to be human...

---

Pov: Sasuke Uchiha

"That's enough for today Sasuke"

I nod and place my blade at my side, huffing and puffing I catch my breath, around me are multiple targets and the last few have been destroyed... I have been expanding my lightning style and methods of chidori application onto my weapon.

I touch my neck, the pain grows and my body feels weaker and weaker in the marks presence... no one but Oorochimaru can help me, but Riku has hope for me... even going out of his way too help me and for no apparent reason other then 'sure I am free'

Hours of dedicated work and study, Jewel answers any question I pose and often always has the answer or more... my meditation is going well, my combat prowess is expanding and in certain that with my recent progress that I will be able to remove this mark...

I have an Idea and that is to fight it within my mindscape and remove its... mixing of its and my chakra... when that is done starve the seal like Riku did with the one on his tongue... Kakashi-sensei is helping me create a jutsu to temporarily starve a part of my body of chakra and with the Hokage's help I will be fine.

I dust off my new clothes, Like my old ones... black but it has a V cut into the front and I'm also wearing a few bits of armour here and there, mostly light grey leather.

I walk home and into my apartment, Jewel is waiting on the railing and he swings into my apartment, sitting down I open my textbook and Jewel starts speaking.

"We left yesterday on... page 154. Here, the Lord seconds jutsu creation method might be tough and require great intelligence but I'm sure you can get through it... it has many foundational points that most Jutsu creation methods use today, in fact Riku- I used it to create my academy three"

I nod and we begin the studying session, soon after I hear a knock on my door and open to see Sakura and Ino... butting heads.

"Why you- oh! Hey Sasuke-kun~ Want to have some desserts with us? Choji is buying...?"

"Hello Sasuke! Yeah we are going to be discussing the next Chunin exams wanna come?"

Hn. Not really, but I stare back into my apartment and Jewel has already left... haaaa- its fine I have time.

"Sure... ill find you guys in ten, have to shower first..."

"Kyaaa! Knew it!" "Thanks Sasuke! See you soon!"

I close the door and head to my shower after packing away my study materials.

Turning on the water and feeling its warmth run down my skin I place my hands on the wall and take a minute to breathe... to calm... to forget my burdens and to forget my worries, to let everything go... an exercise I have been trying frequently and an exercise that I can finally feel the effects of... walking out the shower I dry myself of and look at my-

What...!

How!? What!? What happened!?

In the reflection is my eyes... spinning violently and with a unique pattern, like flower petals... my head is hit with information and I hold me temples as it hurts to think... then I get off the floor...

How... what happened? What did I do?

Riku better be at this gathering...

I watch my eyes set to black and I get dressed to leave.

---

Pov: Riku

Just chatting with my friends today, why am I doing this when I have to hunt Danzo in like.. two days? Because if shit goes down and Im not so lucky... well you know, spend time while you have it.

I take a bite into my ice-cream as we sit in the park, whole gang is here except for team 8 and 9, they are busy.

"Terror of the leaf is right... who bites into Ice-cream like its an apple?"

Choji quips and I spot Sasuke walking down the street when he gets close Sasuke stomps his way into the park and stares at me... through me? Ino whispers to me.

"You didn't make him collect pine-cones again did you?"

"Not that I know of... maybe... Jewel could of done so... or Ace.."

"You!"

"Me!"

"My eyes!"

"Your eyes!"

He scowls at me and pulls me into as private an area you can get in a park- behind the swings.

He flashes me his new eyes and I open mine in shock- *splat* my ice-cream... wait!

"How? Did you figure it out!"

"No, I was doing that breathing exercise and- and thinking of clearing my mind that I just- I don't know? Do you have an answer!?"

"Just breathe and... eat some ice-cream with us, Ill have all my minds thinking on this and get back to you by tonight"

"Tch- fine"

We walk back to the group and sit down, the regular antics play and I sit in a meditative pose, not trying to enter my mindscape but just purely thinking with all my minds...

---

-4 hours later-

Pov: Sasuke

"See you Sasuke-kun~ try not to break Riku again~"

"Later, Ino"

"Bye Sasuke! Ill be late for joint training tomorrow, extra shift at the hospital in the morning!"

"Hn. Sakura"

I give a nod and I'm left alone with Riku who sits in silence on top of the monkey bars...

"They left?"

"Hn."

"I have a theory, I don't know if it fits fully but it is my best one so far.."

"Go ahead"

"Immense loss, that is when you awaken the Mangyeko correct?"

"Yes.. it should at least"

"Fugako and Mikito... your parents died and you didn't feel that immense loss?"

I clench my fist and grit my teeth.

"I know you are going somewhere with this... but stop pausing"

"Haaa~ no sense for the dramatic... the betrayal of Itachi... a brother no more is one of your greatest losses... your clan members slaughtered you felt alone in the village... you get put into a genjutsu that makes you believe that you killed Naruto, your best friend... Sakura is presumed dead by you when getting kidnapped... you thought you saw my leg being torn off and dragged under the sand to die within the one tailed beast..."

"And..?"

"Is that not enough loss? Should you cut off your balls and sell yourself to Oorochimaru? Should you kill everyone you know personally? How about renouncing the Uchiha clan?"

"Where are you going with this!?"

"You have suffered that immense loss... but maybe you never let it go, always holding onto it with your vengeance, perhaps you needed to accept it and before you were 'blinded' by your immense hatred to that man and everyone else around you... when you let go of that blindfold called Hatred... you could finally see."

...

"That's.."

"That is my best theory"

"How are you always capable of such words... and yet"

"Yet I'm an idiot? A sage and a fool are almost identical you know? Think about Jiraiya the toad sage... think about the sage of six paths... how foolish did the population think him when he developed 'magic techniques that solve every problem'... basically I'm bullshitting with context and that is what creates this idiot wise man you see as Riku.."

"I let go huh?"

"Do you feel like rushing at Itachi with bloodthirst now?"

"Yes."

"But will you sacrifice everything for it?"

"....no"

"Hm. Go get some sleep and train, ask Windoor for help with that upgrade you now have and prepare to use it in our missions in the future"

I nod and walk away, mind heavy with thought and body pumped with excitement and clarity... I let go...

I let go. Itachi will face my wrath, and I wont let him take anyone else from me... whether his hand or mine.

---

Pov: Rocks

I am Rocks... my priority is to sense and I have sensed all I could... should I return?

Gathering all of myself into a humanoid creature made of stones I walk towards the direction of the main body.

I am far too big in this form, let us take time so I do not expend all my chakra by walking... I have so little left... nature chakra can only do so much

---

Thanks for reading :)