Inheritance

Shatter

Utatane Koharu's world had collapsed. There was no other way to describe the events that were unfolding before her and Homura. He stood, much as she did, in the stands of the stadium slack-jawed as the violence raged around them. It was fortunate they were old. They were not important enough for the sound, or Suna to target. Not whilst there were active Konoha shinobi to worry about.

It was how they had been the only ones to notice as Root had shattered the barrier that trapped Hiruzen, Jiraiya and the traitor in with each other. At first, their hearts had soared as Danzou's men had cut down the shinobi that had erected the barrier. There may still have been time to save their old friend.

Betrayal was the bitterest of pills to swallow, made all the worse by the fact that it was, at least partly, one of her own making.

Below them, the chaos shifted, resonating with the events above. Figures all in black weaved through the clamour of battle, unnoticed until their blades met flesh. These new presences were indiscriminate. Konoha shinobi fell, surprised and screaming, as often as their enemies.

"He is eliminating his opposition," Homura said grimly, face hard, and Koharu thought she saw a hint of resignation in his eyes.

"Now that Danzou has chosen this path, he will not allow any fragment of Hiruzen's way to survive. The price of this coup will be steep, paid for by the blood of our own."

Koharu had never been one to wallow in regrets. She had made mistakes aplenty but she had learned from them and then been sure to keep moving forward. Wallowing would not help Konoha. However, she regretted this. Regretted not seeing the seeds of treason in her old teammate. Regretted her part in those seeds germinating.

They hadn't known. But they should have.

Shadows coalesced before them into men, blades gleaming in the mid-afternoon light. Neither she nor Homura moved, even as several more appeared behind them. There was no escape from their fate, both had known it the moment Danzou had driven his sword into Sarutobi's heart. As much as they had agreed with Danzou's criticisms of the Third, he knew they would never abide by his betrayal here.

Koharu raised her head, held her eyes firmly open in the face of death. Behind her killers, upon the rooftop in the distance, a glimmer of white in the sun caught her eye. A white snake, carefully making its way down from the site of Sarutobi's battle with Orochimaru. Danzou had already turned his attention to the fleeing Jiraiya. Nobody besides her had seen it.

Blades fell upon her in a flurry, and Utatane Koharu died knowing that one way or the other, she would be avenged.

###

Jiraiya staggered into the clearing, ragged, gasping breaths shattering the tranquillity. If he had the energy, or perhaps if his mind hadn't been a whirlwind of grief and panic and frigid rage, he'd have whistled at the level of destruction that had been wrought here.

Sand covered the area. Jiraiya could see it across plants and bushes, caught between leaves and stuck in every possible crevice available to it. Trees had been torn from the ground and tossed wholly across the forest. Fresh pools of water occupied newly-made craters scattered irregularly throughout and in stark contrast, some isolated trees were engulfed in flame, sending plumes of thick, black smoke reaching to the sky.

He shifted towards his reason for being here, wincing as his ribs reminded him they were broken. Naruto lay on the floor, having clearly passed out on his feet. His opponent, Gaara was several feet away, similarly unconscious but covered in his own blood.

Even in the dire circumstances, the Sannin. couldn't resist a proud grin. The sealing plan had evidently not worked and Naruto had been forced to go toe to toe with an out of control jinchuuriki. And he had won. At any other time in Konoha's history, Jiraiya would be carrying Naruto back to Konoha and to a hero's welcome.