A Ninja's Path (Kakashi X Reader)

Chapter Fifty Three

Warning: This chapter is rated mature for violence

You opened the Council room doors, voluntarily stepping towards your unavoidable downfall.

You weren't expecting all seven Council members to be calmly seated on their thrones, no rebels in sight.

"Good afternoon, Violet Phantom." Hawk said. You could hear the amusement in his voice. "It took you long enough."

You clenched your fists. The Council had been prepared.

"How long did you know?" You said in a low voice. Quiet for fear that the terror rattling your bones would set your voice quaking.

Hawk crossed his legs. "Since the day you planned it."

They had known. Had known about your coup since it first came into fruition. Which meant...

"You infiltrated the rebels." You stated hollowly.

You could hear the smile in Hawk's voice. "Correct."

Someone in the rebellion had betrayed you. Had betrayed your cause. But who...

Fox raised a hand, snapping her fingers. "Bring him in."

Footsteps sounded from the shadows behind the Council thrones as two Nightmares dragged a limp body into the light.

The man was beaten and bruised, a trail of blood following as his feet dragged along the floor. The Nightmares dumped him in front of you.

"Behold, your traitor." Fox gestured to the person before you.

You stared at them. "Who-"

"See for yourself." Hawk motioned for you to turn the person over, to see his face.

But as Hawk spoke, you began to realize who it was. The bloody apron tied around his waist. His athletic build-

"No..." Taeru ran to the man, dropping to his knees. He pulled him close, turning him over to reveal...

"Ichirou." Taeru's son. You stared at the man in shock. His face was beaten beyond recognition, the only thing confirming his identity besides the apron being his bronze eyes, twin to his father's.

But then you realized that his eyes were open. And they weren't blinking.

"Ichirou?" Taeru asked. There was an edge of desperation in his voice. "Ichirou, answer me." The old man shook his head, pulling his son closer. "No, no, no..." He cradled his son's head, brushing the hair out of his face. "You're okay, you're okay..." His voice quaked uncontrollably.

You knelt beside the old man, placing a hand on his shoulder. "He's gone, Taeru."

The old man stilled. "I know." He pulled away from Ichirou, placing a tender kiss on his brow. "Soon, son. Soon, we'll be together." He set his son's body down gently and stood up.

You rose with him, keeping your hand firmly on his shoulder. The man begin to tremble again, every inch of him on the verge of collapsing. His son, the only thing he still loved, was dead. By the Council's hand.

Hawk chuckled. "Funny isn't it? The son of one of your rebellion's most vital leaders betrayed your cause. He started coming to us about a month ago- while the Violet Phantom was in the Land of Fire." He motioned to you. "We considered sending Nightmares after you, to bring you back to face the consequences of betraying us." Undoubtedly an agonizing death. "But we decided it was safer to keep you out of the country, at least while we gathered information about the rebellion through him." He pointed at Ichirou.

"But why?" You asked. "Why would he betray us?"

Hawk shrugged. "That, I do not know. Perhaps he believed that exposing traitors would save him and his family." The Council member chuckled. "Foolish boy. We never intended to allow him to live after he first came to us. We only kept him around because of the information he was exposed to. But after he told us that this would be your final rebellion. A coup..." He dragged a finger across his throat. "He was no longer useful."

You glared at the Council member, anger radiating from you. "So you just used him? We're all just expendable, aren't we?"

Hawk nodded. "Of course you are. And now, all of you will-"

He was cut off as a kunai embedded itself in his throat.

Taeru still trembled, even as he put his arm down. In that moment, you realized that he hadn't been shaking in despair, but in fury.

Hawk made wet gasping sounds, blood dripping down his neck. He clawed at his throat, tearing his mask off as he tried to stop the bleeding. But it was too late. He slumped against his throne of obsidian and glass, blood pooling at his feet. His eyes stared into space, a look of fear etched into his face.

The room was dead silent. Then you heard something reverberate through the air.

You didn't pay it much mind as you turned to look at the old man beside you, his arm still held out in front of him. When you looked into his eyes they were molten in pure rage. He glanced at you, realizing what he had just done. He opened his lips to say something.

Then blood slid out of the edge of his mouth as his expression went blank.

"Taeru-" You glanced down to find dark shadows deeply embedded in his chest. They pulled out, blood spraying everywhere as Taeru fell to the floor.

You screamed as he fell to the floor like a rag doll, reacting just in time to catch him. You stared at the hole in his chest. And then back up at the the Council member it came from.

Panther stared you down. The air around her buzzed. Just like in your subconscious.

"I-I could feel you using your... Hikarigan..."

The Council member stood, taking a step toward you. Her eyes glimmered behind her mask, hues of purple.

"But as far as we know... the rest of the Murasakinos perished. My daughter, you are the last one alive. The last user of the Hikarigan."

Shadows gathered behind Panther, poised to attack.

"You're-" You were cut off as shadows crashed into the room like a tidal wave.

You activated your own Hikarigan, creating your own shadows to fight off Panther's.

Darkness clashed, but Panther was stronger. Your shadows crumbled and the Council member laughed.

Right before everything went black, she pulled off her mask, just enough so that you could see her lips pulled into a sneer.

"You're my little puppet now."