Chapter Text
"What the hell are you planning?" Kakashi asked as he saw Rio arguing with himself, pacing in a circle, making both of them a little dizzy.
Rio stayed at his place to keep up the ruse with his students. He had insisted on it, and Rio reluctantly agreed. Rio didn't like it one bit. Since that moment, he had been fidgeting the whole time. He calmed down after ANBU put him to work again.
But at one point, he stopped speaking, quieted down, and began drawing on the table with his finger. He tried following the lines, but he would scramble them after a minute or two like he was figuring something out. He could follow along occasionally when he was drawing up some new traping formation. Other times, he was still determining what he might be considering in those drawings.
He had enough at this point.
"Murder," Rio said without hesitation.
"Sanctioned?"
"No," there was a bit of hesitation in his voice. Would that hesitation stop him from his self-appointed task?
"Then don't leave evidence, get caught, or killed," he advised instead.
For some reason, he started laughing at his response and said, "You know, the place I came from… no one would encourage it."
"Are you finally telling me?" he wanted to know. It didn't matter what it was like; it couldn't be worse than his own past, and Rio knew his past without even him having to tell him. Besides, Rio didn't look at him differently, even when he knew of his past.
"I'll think about it if… when I get out of this without it all collapsing on me."
"Can I know?"
He grimaced before answering. "Worry about today… it's going to be bad."
"And you are causing even more? Is it in or out?"
"Does it matter? So many will be harmed by this. No matter how much my Snake Channel worked. It can't be stopped."
"Not your decision."
"He'll probably die today."
"You are sure of this?"
"I never got the full plans, but it is one of Orochimaru's goals."
"And you are doing something else?"
"I'll be around when it all starts. I need to be around before it all starts. I'll try to get it done before it all goes down."
"You want help?"
"I considered it, but no. Thanks. When this is all done and over with, I'm moving out. You smell like a dog, and your chakra is too sharp."
He snorted, "Like Naruto and Sasuke don't have the same indicators." Rio did tell him about his sharpened chakra sensitivity. Besides, somehow, he didn't need those glasses anymore. That was something no one could explain.
He bristled, "At least I'll have my own room again."
He sighed. "Sorry to tell you this, but Sakura took the room. Naruto said you two could room together." He knew well that this wouldn't go over well with Rio.
"Then I'll make an offer to the apartment next door, I can't stay here. It's too tiny, and I can't…"
He sighed. Wires. He needed his wires—traps. It was probably one of the reasons why he was so nervous in the apartment—choosing the corner with the longest distance from the door and window.
Yeah, he knew. He understood.
Just seeing similar things from others made him reflect on things.
He sighed. "Whatever you are about to do, I know nothing of it. Just come back alive."
Then he smirked. "See ya," he said and jumped from the window, copying him for the first time. The sun wasn't even up yet, but the sky was slowly lightening, welcoming the new day.
He sighed, tossed the blanket off him, and got up. It would be a long day, but he still felt like some dramatics should be in play.
So, yeah, he planned to arrive late with all his Genin. Let them all sweat a little because none of the matches will start without the Uchiha brat being present.
His Team was the only one to reach the finals with its entire Team intact. This was a statement in itself, but it mainly was Rio's work, and everyone in the Village knew it. He did very little, but it would be credited to him anyway.
*
Kakashi could feel it when Rio arrived at the stadium. He looked toward the location.
He couldn't see him.
He frowned. Rio arrived late. He should have been here earlier. But the red-haired kid was acting strangely at that point. He had to keep an eye on things here.
Things began to unravel.
**
An Owl landed on his shoulder.
That was something that had never happened before.
Why was there an Owl on his shoulder?
The bird's claws dug into his robes, and he looked up at the magnificent bird.
A beautiful bird just stared down at him. His golden eyes simply stare at him.
Then the bird's claws tightened on his shoulder, and he held back a pained hiss. He looked at the claws. A small message was attached to the bird's leg.
He pulled it out and unravelled it. The bird flew off.
'Kumo will use the Finals as a distraction. They will try to get your daughter again as they are aware of her injured state. The hospital isn't currently staffed or ready to deal with an attack.'
He stared at the words. He got up and told his second daughter to follow him. He reached the medical room where his brother's son was being treated. He thought about giving it now, but he didn't. He told the boy to come with him. There was a girl with him who joined them.
They left for the hospital, where a commotion was already going on.
**
Rio had barely captured the man after he nearly took the Spy's head off. Kabuto's artery burst, and he is still dealing with it.
Rio carefully removed the eyes, keeping his senses on the other man. If there was no chakra, he would leave no trace. One by one, each eye was taken from the man, hidden under his bandages.
Rio cut Danzo Shimura artery open. Finally, the damn man was dead, and his privacy was safe.
A kunai he had taken from a Sound-nin embedded in his chest.
He left, picking up the Spy, and stabbed his chakra points with his fingers. He grunted in response but let it happen as he still held onto his neck.
Rio had been moving with the Spy over his shoulder for about four minutes when he felt a pain at his side. The Spy grinned and pulled at the container with the eyes only to see an empty one.
Rio was cautious and stored the eyes another way before he picked up the Spy.
He observed the man. He was a snake, so he expected something from him. So, of course, he had placed a decoy in his pocket while the real one was already sealed in a scroll.
Yeah, he could feel the poison and the senbon stuck at his side.
It was dangerous and even lethal in specific quantities, but not to him… not anymore. No poison—well, the natural poison wouldn't work on him; even sedatives and paralytics were almost ineffective. So, in case of injury, his body may get rid of it faster than expected. It would probably make healing things a little difficult for the Healers and painful for him.
Rio threw his wire, but it was deflected. The man grinned. Rio wondered what he should do with him now. Teach him a lesson… kill him? He is already framed. He can't kill him. He would have to be alive to take the blame properly.
The Spy's blood is everywhere, and Rio hasn't left a trace. His chakra lingers in that place, while Rio used none. The man's weapon was in Shimura's chest; he had used soft wire that didn't cut anything. He had used a common but strong sedative on the man. It wouldn't be traced back to him.
His face, hair, and any possible identifying markers weren't visible. Besides, he made himself taller. He was curious to know if Kabuto knew who he was.
Hmm, to think this was the full-blood Snake. He expected more, but he was lacking more than he expected. Unless… unless he meant himself to be cut like that, but snakes wouldn't take unnecessary risks.
He didn't need to know any of that. The two engaged in close combat, Kunai against Kunai, but a few minutes later, the Snake was caught by his soft wire, which felt like a thread.
There had been no words between them.
"I suppose it's time to punish the unruly," he said, focusing heat on his fingertips. The man began to struggle, but it only made his wire cut him deeper.
"No," he got out before Rio pulled out his tongue and seared the tip of it off, burning the rest of his tongue so he wouldn't be able to taste any food or drink.
"Be thankful," Rio found his angry rage-filled eyes. "I'm leaving your hands and legs intact." He grinned the vicious kind. The grin he would only use with enemies. Not that the man saw it. "Maybe we will meet again, and you can actually do some damage when you aren't injured." he tapped his healed neck. "You really are an amazing healer," he commented dryly.
It was then that Rio knocked him out and left him there. He would be up soon enough and well before anyone would come this way.
Rio ran toward the stadium but was stopped by a snake who had agreed to listen in a specific spot. He left the snake for some work near the Kumo people. He listened to what the Snake said. He scribbled a note, and his owl arrived at his side. "Hiashi Hyuuga," he said to the bird, and she took off.
Rio rushed to the arena. He saw the monstrosity emerge…
He scratched his head.
He can't fight that.
The barrier was erected around the Hokage. He sighed and knew he wouldn't be able to help there. He thought about trying, but he wasn't skilled enough with the barrier seal or… his other energy practice.
He located his teacher.
Kakashi's eye lingered on his side. Some dried blood crust was visible, but he sent him after his Team 7 plus Pakkun and Shikamaru. Rio knew well how to track and found the trail.
He caught up with Shikamaru just as he grabbed a bunch of foreign-nin. Rio wired them up as quickly as possible, but even then, Shikamarus's team leader arrived with one he knocked out. Rio hadn't noticed that one but released his trap just then, and the two blinked.
Rio stepped out for a moment, waved and rushed off after where the rest of his Team was. He heard the two scoff.
It took a disgustingly long time to reach the battle in the forest. Sasuke was seething for some reason. Sakura was unconscious, and Naruto was on a giant toad… nah, scratch that. He was on top of a nine-tailed fox… it wasn't real. The Toad had transformed into a fox, but still…
Was the Nine-tails really that big, and how could anyone fight that thing?
He really wanted to watch the whole thing go down, but his priority was the Team. Thankfully, both Sakura and Sasuke were close to each other, so when he appeared at the girl's side to check her over. Sasuke arrived with a kunai at his throat.
"I did not change that much for you not to recognise me," Rio said, his hand on her pulse. He felt it. It was strong and steady. He removed his hand and looked at the other boy.
"You… you're fine?"
"I'm fine. Better question: why are you here and not helping Naruto?"
"I'm not…"
"You are strong enough. I heard you finally figured out the Team play, so why aren't you using it."
"I… I can't see a way in."
"That thing is huge. How can you not see the flaws in being huge?" The kid blinked and took off. Rio smiled. A bit later, Sasuke dodged a few random tail swipes but got to the boy's head, shocking and waking him up.
Naruto and the Fox, now Toad again, barely adjusted their move and caught the two people falling since the One-tail was gone.
Rio picked up Sakura and went to where everyone was. There were other kids from the red-haired kid's Team and his siblings. The Suna team that brutalised everyone.
The kids were speaking… not that he was any older, really, but he felt older. He put Sakura down. She had woken up during his move toward the kids, but he needed to ask something of the red-haired kid.
"Wait!" he called toward the Suna team. "Can I ask him a question?"
It didn't look like they wanted to let him do that. "I promise to let you go even though it would cost me, just I've never met someone like me."
"What do you mean 'like' you?" the girl asked.
"You don't get it. There was barely anyone who would get it. Your name is Gaara, right? Naruto gets it to a point. You and Naruto are exactly alike. Why, why did you stay? You could have left it all behind, with all the power you hold, and you didn't?"
"Why are you saying those things? How could you possibly understand?"
"My parents were killed, and I was placed with my aunt who hated me, the very existence of me, what I represented. I never had the proper amount of food until I was found by Konoha. No one cared for me. No one liked me. No one acknowledged me to any extent. I didn't even have a room in their house. The house had four bedrooms, but I was… my room was the closet under the stairs. I didn't leave because they had sunk in the message so deep… so deep that I believed everything they said. No one, absolutely no one, contradicted what they said, and I still struggle every day to keep it together. So, why didn't you… why did you stay?"
"I… I had someone, but then he tried to kill me. Now... now I don't know."
Rio huffed fondly, his eyes on Gaara's Team, "You'll figure it out, just like I did." The boy looked confused, "You best be off now." The trio left in a hurry, carrying Gaara, and Rio let go of the tension in his body. He held on to some of it and made his Team return to Konoha to meet with village forces.
"You were treated that badly?" Sakura asked.
"You are looking at me like I'm damaged. Yet you never look at Sasuke or Naruto this way. They have gone through sh*t you haven't the faintest clue. Are you still blind?" the girl looked shocked. "You have no right to look at me with pity. Most ninjas of this Village have gone through some sort of trauma. I hope you don't, but then you'll be lucky. The only lucky one."
Rio moved away; he didn't want to see or feel the pity in her chakra. He didn't like being pitied. He had worked hard to get himself out of his past and didn't want to be reminded of it.
Back in the Village, they helped deal with the enemy forces, and he released much of his frustrations on them rather than the people around him. He noticed Sasuke doing the same while Naruto beat up everyone who wasn't a Konoha ninja. Sakura dealt with the ones who got past them or healed the few ninjas who were injured in the fight.
He had to admit the girl was getting good with Healing.
Was he too harsh with her again? It isn't her fault that nothing terrible happened to her while she grew up, and he can't really fault her for being ignorant. No one ever wants to share their ugly past.
When things settled, he apologised for his tight nerves, explaining that he had been feeling off for a long while and needed to vent. However, he couldn't find a good target, and she accidentally got hit by one of his moods.
She was nice enough to accept his apology.
