Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Warnings: All warnings are addressed on the bottom of chapter 2.

Beta: Cyndaquil123

(ง ⌣ ~ ⌣) ง  

I see how you're going crazy

Always thinkin' 'bout me

Baby on the daily

Feed me your negativity

Talk some more about me

I know that you "love" me

Monster by Kira

(ง ⌣ ~ ⌣) ง  

I love my family.

I love my clan.

I would do anything to keep them from feeling pain.

I am merciful.

I am kind.

I will take them away from this wretched world so they will not ever feel pain again.

I am right.

I am a hero.

They will thank me later.

. . .

. .

.

Nebu's coronation was held on a beautifully sunny afternoon. The throne room was adorned with gold and red banners, and a very small genjutsu over the ceiling to make it seem like it was constantly raining golden petals. Every human of importance in the Land of Fire was in attendance, and each one dressed up in extravagant and gorgeous kimonos.

It was even more grand than the opening banquet, and the air was suffocatingly prim. Musicians played in perfect harmony at each corner of the massive room, filling it with loud and obnoxious noise. Women fanned themselves and batted eyelashes as the men, who in turn swaggered and smirked as they mingled.

Konoha's delegation would normally be seated somewhere in the middle, but Nebu saw fit to have our group at the front. It was a bold showing of favor, one that his allies and enemies would not miss.

Konoha has strong ties with this daimyo, it said.

Those wanting to gain favor with the daimyo would be more likely to show support to Konoha by extension. More missions would come our way. More missions meant more money, and more money meant we could go to war again even sooner whenever Nebu desired us to.

That was what Konoha ultimately wanted; the power and wealth that came with victory in war.

Oh sure, officially we would mourn those we lost.

The higher ups behind closed doors, on the other hand, would smile in satisfaction for all we had achieved.

Take this last war. Konoha came out as the greatest victor in that(no small thanks to my utter slaughter fest on the frontlines). Clients would be more likely to turn to us now that we had proven ourselves the better village. We would recover faster than the other villages because of such. We'd honestly be better off now than we were before the war. Now we had an influx of clients clamoring to use us, a surplus of gold and valuables taken from the spoils, additional land we had taken from our enemies, and fewer mouths to worry about for a while.

Not to mention the fame added onto the village.

Fame of winning.

Fame of winning significantly.

Fame of having the mokuton at their disposal.

Oh, yes. Konoha came out much better after the war than before it.

I'd honestly be surprised if we didn't go to war again in a decade or so. The only thing that prevented that, likely, was the threat of the Akatsuki. Otherwise I'd be willing to place good money that Naruto's generation ought to have been at war, too.

I stood beside Kanako, holding my tessen loosely in my grip. I wore a golden kimono, as a symbolic show of support for the coronation.

It was uncomfortable, heavy, and hot.

I didn't let any of that show, of course. I was certain Kanako was likely equally uncomfortable in her scandalous—it showed her shoulders—electric blue kimono. We kept smiling, patiently awaiting for the coronation to hurry up and be over with.

I wondered if there would be any more assassination attempts. There had been several throughout the week planned, but I had taken care to go ahead and kill the would-be assassins before they could bother us. Now that everyone knew I was actively protecting Nebu, they would have to adapt their plans. This made them dangerously unpredictable, so it was smarter to simply kill them.

I watched with a perfect smile, and roaming eyes as Nebu slowly moved down his red carpet. All guests turned to watch him, politely bowing in his direction as he passed them. Everything was stiff, formal, and oozed of deception.

A sensation washed over me as he neared the front row; a feeling I only ever got when I was on a mission for Madara, or on the front lines.

At once my back straightened out and I sent out a slight pulse of my chakra into the Zetsu spore hidden in my hair. It formed, first growing a mouth before shaping into an odd flower. Odd in the sense that it had a mouth at the center of it, and its stem intertwined with my hair. It whispered into my ear, drawing upon my chakra to do so. "Above us. Three signatures."

I did not look up.

"Eighteen degrees north."

Nebu slowly approached us. Within the minute he would be directly under his assassins, and that is the most likely time they would strike.

"Jōnin level reserves."

Then it's too much of a risk to let them strike and defend, I thought.

Without further ado, I raised my right hand—scarcely seconds before Nebu stepped into position—and lashed out with a surge of my chakra. My twisted mokuton tree immediately formed and quickly—too fast for anyone below Chūnin to even see—grew out to cover the entire ceiling, creating an inverted umbrella above Nebu.

Gasps and screams were heard, and I felt the assassins' chakra fluctuate. Explosions sounded against my mokuton prison, and Kakashi and Obito—along with many other guards—immediately leapt up to assist in capturing whatever I had trapped.

I withdrew my hand, leaving behind the wooden ceiling. I fanned myself with my tessen, awarding Nebu with a polite smile.

The soon-to-be daimyo inclined his head.

The priest who was in charge of the whole coronation raised his voice above the startled screams and brief thumps of the battle that was occurring in the wooden ceiling. "Ladies, and gentlemen, please remain calm. Everything is under control. Now, let us be on our way, yes?"

It took a few minutes, but the civilians reigned in their silly emotions. It would have been disgraceful if they continued to lose their composure while their future daimyo remained impeccably calm. They would become the laughing stalk of court for months.

Nobles were not allowed to panic, or flee, while their daimyo remained.

Nebu raised his head with an undeniable air of authority and continued his victory walk down the red, red, red carpet.

Red, red, red. Red like Grandmother. Red like the guts I spilled. Red like Kushina. Red like spider lilies.

Nebu climbed the steps, easily ignoring the battle above him.

He climbed, and climbed.

Red like Madara-sama's eyes.

Words spilled out of the priest, tumbling out of his mouth like an invisible, oppressive waterfall. Its sound filled the room, washing over many of the sheep like an off-key lullaby.

Red like war.

Nebu smiled a cold smile.

He was not in the original story, I recalled, the memory surging forth by some unknown trigger. He must have died. Yes, that's right. The man who was originally the daimyo—

My gaze swung forward towards Nebu's third brother, and of course I saw his wife holding onto a cat that could not have been Tora. He smiled a fake smile, and his wife hugged onto the cat tightly. The cat, oddly enough, seemed to adore her attention, and had its head tucked into the crook of her neck.

I returned my focus to the front.

Red like war.

Nebu's icy smile stretched further across his face in triumph as the priest announced him as the new daimyo.

And I knew.

I realized in that one instant what I had pushed forward to become a new daimyo.

With eyes darker than night, and a smile colder than winter, the man I had protected would undoubtedly become red like me. A man who thirsted for his righteous sense of justice. A man who would do anything for his version of justice.

A man who would become a monster to fight monsters.

The monster was proud of himself, standing tall above everyone and everything. He must have been purring on the inside, for there was a gleam in his eyes and a subtle twitch in his posture.

A shame, I thought to myself. All this work for nothing.

I allowed my gaze to slip over towards his son, a shining wanna-be hero, who was brimming with pride.

A smile curled on my lips.

No. Not for nothing. We need the daimyo support for our plans to go unnoticed, and more importantly, unbothered by Konoha. I cannot allow a monster to lead my country, though, and as long as I secure daimyo support Madara-sama does not care who is in charge.

Mo noticed my gaze and gifted me a brilliant smile, eyes shining with open admiration.

What a good hero he will make, I thought to myself, looking into his not red eyes. What a good villain his father will make for him. A proper monster for the hero to slay in the end. Yes, what a lovely story they will make.

I returned Mo's smile with the warmest grin I could fake.

Red like monsters.

Red like heroes.

Red like me.

(ง ⌣ ~ ⌣) ง

We did not stay for the after party, as we were not invited. That was exclusive for the royal family and those immediately close to them. After the coronation we left without another word, each of us satisfied another mission was well done.

I would send for Mo when things had settled down. I would mold him to become the perfect puppet, and if that failed I would replace him with Zetsu and use him as an experiment on mind seals.

I couldn't replace Nebu with a Zetsu clone because I had no way of guaranteeing the swap would go unnoticed. Nebu is set in his ways and is intimately known by two dear women. Zetsu would not be able to replicate... parts of Nebu accurately enough not to draw attention. Zetsu could not, after all, procreate.

Mo would be easier to replace, especially if I took the time to learn more about his habits and whatnot.

Though given how easily manipulated and trusting he was, I doubted I would even need to.

Besides, I had to give Nebu time to make enough enemies of the court that Mo's eventual ascension would go smoothly and I won't have to babysit.

(And Nebu, undoubtedly, would make many enemies of the court. That court, and city, is vile and corrupt and Nebu is obsessed with the law.)

He'll tie his own noose.

Hopefully I'll have Mo ready by that time.

(ง ⌣ ~ ⌣) ง

I returned to Madara's side that evening, and my master smiled at me as I retold everything that happened at the capital. I mentioned my plans to induct Mo into our service, and replace Nebu with him.

"How fortuitous," Madara mused, "almost as if fate itself is playing a helping hand in our cause. For the heir to be enamored by you already... well done, my dear."

A sincere smile curled my lips, with a slight blush following after it. I bowed my head towards the man I held above all else. "Thank you, Madara-sama."

"Mn. It is good the war is over, though. The Akatsuki have started to make their move, and now would be the ideal time to start integrating them into our cause."

"Of course. What would you have me do, Master?"

"Nagato must believe in our cause, and unlock the Rinnegan. Yahiko will die for this to happen. Zetsu spores have told me that Hanzo is already looking at their cause... What would you do to push him further?"

I reflected on this. "We've already infiltrated Amegakure and replaced several trusted shinobi with Zetsus. I would have them feed on Hanzo's paranoia. Additionally, I would personally approach Nagato's group as you and invite them to our cause. Eventually, I would guess a month, if I ordered the Zetsu's to start whispering in Hanzo's ear today, Hanzo will attack them. I'll need to make sure this attack is in Hanzo's favor. I really only need Nagato to remain alive, so I will have to watch this battle from the shadows. Yahiko, at the minimum, must die in this attack.

"After this, I will personally see to Nagato's recovery and manipulate him to our cause. If he proves unwilling, I will render him unconscious and bring him to you in order to implant a mind-control seal."

Madara inclined his head, awarding me with a tight smile. "Good. Do not start your Hanzo whisper campaign for another month, however. This month you will be... in recovery."

"Master?"

"Are you free to spend the entire night here, Naasica?"

"Yes."

"Lay down on the table, my dear. It is time we moved on to the next start of our training, for I have perfected the required seal."

Without hesitation, I moved towards the stone table off to the side and laid down. Madara approached me slowly, carrying a wooden box. He placed the box beside me, and gently brushed the hair out of my right eye. With a careful touch, he traced the outline of my eye. "I gave Nagato only one of my eyes. Tonight, I will give you the other."

Shock momentarily froze me and left me speechless.

Madara's other eye?

I would get to hold onto Madara's eye?

I would be entrusted with such a vital treasure?

He trusted me that much?

I wanted to speak, I wanted to thank him for this blessing, but only squeaks came out of me. He smiled kindly at me, closing my mouth. He pulled out a glass jar filled with preservative jelly and in the center floated a perfect Rinnegan.

Madara spoke quietly, "I could not give this to you until I could properly hide it. I have perfected a genjutsu seal that I will trace on your inner eyelid, and it will conceal the Rinnegan. No one will be able to notice that your real eye is gone. You will, of course, be able to temporarily dispel the genjutsu when you act as me. Using the eye will not dispel it, though, so feel free to use it as Naasica, too."

Madara moved his hand up to my forehead. "Now go to sleep. When you awake, you will see the world through my eyes."

His chakra washed over me like a heavy warm blanket and lulled me into a dreamless slumber.

(ง ⌣ ~ ⌣) ง

I opened my eyes and immediately felt a sharp dizziness shoot through me as I tried to focus. There was a stark contrast between my two eyes.

I did not have poor vision, but in comparison to seeing through Madara's eye I might as well have been squinting my whole life.

My body weighed heavily, and I purged the last bit of Madara's comforting chakra out of me. Madara himself was seated beside me, assessing me with Sharingan eyes that did not belong to him. "How do you feel?"

"Nauseas," I admitted.

"That will pass. Keep the eye on for as long as you can, and as often as you can. The sooner you get used to its effects, the sooner we can move on."

"Yes, Master."

"Go home. Play sick. Rest. Do not take another mission for the week, and do not train heavily."

Bowing I whispered, "Yes, Master."

(ง ⌣ ~ ⌣) ง

Early the next morning I moved slowly.

Kushina and Minato had not been home when we returned from the mission—granted our team did not reach Konoha until well into the night—but had instead left a note saying they were out on their own mission and would be gone for a while. It meant that Kakashi and I would have complete run of the place for the time being.

Kakashi immediately went to take a shower and rest, and I made a clone to feign sleep while I went to Madara's.

I had returned around nine hundred hours and swapped the clone out for myself.

Now noon—so I supposed it was no longer morning—I forced myself to get out of bed and start my morning ritual.

Madara's eye was going to be hard to adjust to. He had done a perfect transplant (not that there was any doubt in such a feat. He had already demonstrated himself more than adapt when he did a successful eye transplant on an infant) so the Sharingan could be activated or deactivated at my will. I could feel the intricate genjutsu over it to keep it hidden—and Madara's seals were truly a masterclass because I doubt anyone would ever notice the exceedingly "small" genjutsu—and I instinctively knew how to deactivate it and reactivate it at will.

I resisted the urge to shut my right eye.

Perfect transplant or not the Sharingan was a stark difference from what I was used to. It was a good thing I would be able to request some time off after such an important mission since I would undoubtedly need some time to adjust.

I should go ahead and submit my request for some vacation time, I thought to myself, slowly getting dressed. What should I put for reason?

I recalled the fact that I was now technically Head of Senju.

I'll request time off to orient myself with the Council Laws and the responsibilities of being a Head of Clan, I thought. Yes. That makes sense. It's something that needs to be done regardless, and now with the war over this will be a good time to do so.

As I brushed through my hair—I decided not to cut it and keep it long like Madara's—I headed down the stairs. Kakashi sat at the kitchen table, drinking some peach and ginger smelling tea. He glanced up at my arrival and offered a small nod. "Get enough rest?"

"For now," I admitted. "I'm going to request some time off, actually."

That got a raised eyebrow.

"I need to get caught up on the Clan Laws and being a member of the Council," I elaborated. "I'd rather do it without interruption, so I'll request some vacation time."

Kakashi took another sip of his tea, nodding his head thoughtfully. "Makes sense. How long will be you be off?"

"Perhaps a week. That should give me enough time to become adjusted," I answered honestly. "Who knows? I might even have enough time to further my studies in fūinjutsu."

"I was thinking about picking that up," Kakashi commented. "What do you think?"

"You would be good at it. You're meticulous," I immediately responded. "I still have my beginner notes if you want to look over them. They're in my room if you want to dig them up."

Another sip of tea. "I'll look for them, thanks. Do you want me to make you breakfast?"

"I'm going to go ahead and put in my request for vacation, but when I come back I'd like breakfast," I said, smiling at my dear friend. "Have you already eaten?"

"No. I'll wait for your return, then."

"Catch you later."

(ง ⌣ ~ ⌣) ง

I returned to my room, satisfied. Not only did I get my vacation time without a fuss, but the Hokage had all too happily prepared a copy of the Council rules, Clan Laws, and a whole bunch of other legislative paperwork for me to peruse through. There would even be a Council meeting in a few days that I would be allowed to attend as the proper Senju Head.

Upon entering my room I found Kakashi kneeling in front of my bed staring down at an open box with a blank expression.

I realized that the box was the stuff Kushina had gotten for me after puberty hit.

He looked up at me, expression carefully blank (ignoring the bright redness of his cheeks.)

"I hope you realize I have to kill you now," I warned him, perfectly serious.

"It would be a better alternative than keeping these memories," he responded pleasantly. "Kushina?"

"She gave them to me a while back. Forgot all about them to be honest," I admitted, staring down at the box with no amount of hidden disgust.

"Want me to throw them out?"

"Nah. It's a great way to protect my room."

"Come again?"

"Well," I began, "if someone comes snooping around my room they'll obviously find the box. I don't have it very well hidden, but it's hidden enough to know I don't want it to be easily seen. So then of course they're going to open it, and when they do—well, I'm willing to bet they won't be able to look me in the eye for at least a few hours."

"Then you'll know they were in your room," Kakashi concluded. "It would definitely work against Obito."

"Just imagining his horrified face makes me smile."

That got a chuckle out of my childhood friend. "Come on, let's go make some breakfast. Need any help with the paperwork?"

"I think I can manage," I said with a smile. "Thank you, though."

"What are friends for?" Kakashi returned, placing the box back underneath my bed and heading out of the room.

Kakashi is silver and blue, I thought to myself, watching him for a moment. Not a trace of red on him.

As Kakashi and I entered the kitchen and started breakfast, the front door swung open with a big bang.

Kushina sprinted into the room, red-faced and eyes gleaming like the sun. "GUESS WHAT?!"

Minato appeared right behind her, lightly blushing and scratching the back of his head.

Kakashi asked her, "What?"

"We're going to get married, dattebane!"

I smiled at Kushina, the woman who I loved like another mother. My smile was bright, and warm, as I had practiced making for many years now.

I smiled even as I felt my stomach drop, and a cold sensation wash over me.

Because I knew what awaited at the end of her marriage.

And I knew what that would mean for me.

For us.

Naruto was coming.

"I'm so happy for you," I lied. "I wish you both nothing but joy."

I lied. I lied. I lied.

I'm a liar.

Lying.

I'm lying.

I don't want you to get married.

I don't want you to have Naruto.

You're going to leave me.

You're going to abandon me.

I won't let you.

I won't let you.

I

Won't

Let

You

Go

(please don't make me do it)

(ง ⌣ ~ ⌣) ง

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