You Live For Me
By Yonboy86
A.N. - This story has been in the work for about a year now. Its the first time ive ever post anything on and i dont pretend to be a professional writer. But what i do plan on doing is telling a good story! All criticisms, suggestions or ideas are welcome! (The only way you get better is to be told what your doing wrong! So bring it on!)
Disclamier: I dont own Naruto! (been waiting so long to say that!) All i own are my ideas!
Rating: M- this is a precaution. i dont intend this to be a story full of 'senseless' voilence, sex and bad laugaue! But there is a strong chance that all three will occur at some point in this story. I do intend there to be scene of gore and sexual abuse later on but i dont intend to let them over run the story. character developement and plot come first!
Enough said! lets start the show.
Prologue
Current day...
"You live for me! And I'll live for you! And until you find your goal in life again, this will remain" The stranger said this with a small sad smile.
The spiky blonde haired boy stared at the young man with long dark hair, his eyes blurred with tears. Then he nodded and after a moment pushed himself up off his knees.
The settlement in the distant flared and something exploded violently in the background. The flare of light framed the scene, as the blonde turned his back on it and started to walk away. The slim brown haired youth followed in his wake and together they walked past the bodies of the slain and into the darkness.
Three years ago...
Chapter 1 - Run Rabbit, Run!
He
didn't know how it happened, or why. All he knew was that it was
happening and he had to run.
His life and dreams had crumbled
before his eyes so fast that it was like he could see the pieces
shattering all around. Everything and everyone he had ever trusted
was gone and all he knew for certain was he had to run, as fast and
as far as he could. Away from that place he had once called home,
away from Konoha!
Nara Shikamaru couldn't believe his eyes. The Hospital room that had once contained the last member of the ill-fated rescue team was in ruins. The corner where there had once been a metal bed and a large section of wall was now supporting a very nice view of the sun set over Konoha. Pieces of debris and wreckage lay everywhere.
He took a step into the room and ignored the two figures that were already in there and instead looked down at the two dismembered corpses that lay in ruins in the centre of the room.
Shikamaru's brain kicked into overdrive as he took in the scene. Both corpses belonged to ANBU members. The blood stained mask that was lying in the corner of the room and the scatter pieces of shattered white at one of the corpses feet told enough to be certain of that much.
Also there was no chance of this being an accident, the state of the bodies and the absence of the previous occupant of the room proved that much. Although to the untrained eye the overwhelming scene of destruction that might suggest a gas explosion or structural failure. But no this had been deliberate, an act of man.
The fleeting relief that neither of the corpses were the occupant of the room was engulfed by a wave of anxiety as the only two viable alternatives left in Shikamaru's mind suddenly appeared. Either this was the work of Hostile forces "unknown" who had attacked with the intention of abduction or…
He suddenly turned his attention to the two other living occupants of the room. "What the hell happened here? Where's Naruto?"
The figures both turned to stare at him. He recognised them instantly, the Hokage's assistants, Kamizuki Izumo and Hagane Kotetsu both regarded Shikamura with a serious stares but neither made to answer his question. Kotetsu finally nodded darkly in the direction of large hole in the wall. Shikamaru carefully made his way to it and looked out at the scene below.
The market place look like a bomb had hit it and two of the near by buildings looked like they were on the verge of collapsing. Wreckage was everywhere along with what looked like the remainder of several more corpses, screaming people where being shepherded away by ANBU and wounded people were being treated by the medical staff. Shikamaru could hear shouts and cries of distress as his attention focused on the line of bodies which where being removed from the near by rumble and were covered by black shrouds, some of them were so small they looked like… children. The sight shook him deeply and his mind came horribly to a halt. To him there was only one possibility to what had happen here.
He turned slowly and with an unreadable expression on his face. "Where is he?"
Shikamaru had been like a shadow in the hospital for these last weeks after the fiasco, which was the Sasuke Retrieval Mission. He always seemed to be there, and always with his teammates.
That mission had changed him, maybe more than he himself knew. He would have normally written this kind of sentimentality off as "troublesome", "Let the healer do their work, no point getting in the way!" Yes that had been him. But now… it was important! Not just for them but for him.
The words he'd spoken to his farther during the agonising wait for news of Chouji's condition still sound strongly in his head "Next time. I will carry out the mission perfectly!" He'd meant it too. It was now his Nindo in a way, just like how Naruto was always shouting he would never go to give up. Shikamaru had made a silent promise to do everything in his power to ensure that his comrades came back from the battlefield alive.
Now more focused than he'd ever been in his life, He'd realised that he'd beenplaying ninja up until now, being half arsed and putting his trust in others. Others like Asuma, Neji, Naruto, and even Chouji. 'But… how could he do right by them, if he didn't even trust himself?' He couldn't! it was clear to Shikamaru now, and it was unacceptable.
'From now on he would never let others carry the weight of the mission. He was a Chuunin. A Leader. He would be there for them now! As a leader.'
These very thoughts had been shattered by the shockwave that had resounded through out the whole hospital, knocking him off his feet along with everyone else in the building.
And now! Once again he was rushing through the trees with yet another group of ninjas pursuing yet another wayward friend… Except for this time it actually was a friend… and orders were to Capture or Kill… by any means necessary.
He looked behind him at his companions and thought back to the emergency briefing that had been called less that an hour after the "incident". One he actually hadn't been asked to attend to but had done so regardless. The Leaf was still in such a pitiful sate after the sound invasion, that any free Shinobi who offered aid and wasn't needed elsewhere was unlikely to have his offer refused, and although there were plenty of duties a Chunin like himself should have been doing in an emergency situation like this, no one had challenged his presence.
Probably figured his brains and relation to the target would be of useful in any attempt to communicate and of course providing a tactical advantage if thing turn bad, he thought sourly.
Out of the five perusing ninjas, who were forming an arrowhead formation at present. There was the Taijutsu specialist Gai, his beloved mini-clone and apprentice Rock Lee, himself, Kamizuki Izumo and Hagane Kotetsu. Although he certainly couldn't deny that the calibre of this team was considerably higher than the desperate Genin cell that had he had been leader of, sent after Sasuke. In a desperate gamble that they could handle opponents that way outside both there training and experience, But for some reason that very fact was bothering him more than this whole fuck up situation in general.
While it was true that Lee was still only a Genin, Shikamaru had seen him fight against Sabaku no Gaara before his injuries and he knew that the rumours of his mad Taijutsu skills were no exaggeration. So even if both he and Lee were on good terms with Naruto, if you factor in presences of the Green beast of Konoha himself, and the formidable reputation that was the Chuunin tag team of Izumo and Kotetsu, this was starting to feel a whole lot more like a clean up crew rather than a search and retrieve team.
'What the hell was Tsunade thinking?'
Gai seeming to noticed his darkened brow putting on one of his Academy award wining smiles, that seemed to have the power to freeze an enemy nin in horror more efficiently than an ice jutsu, and said "DO NOT FEAR NARA-SAN. WE WILL SOON BRING BACK OUR WAYWARD FOAL BACK TO THE HERD!!!"
The confidences in Gai's voice didn't quite extend to his eyes, Shikamura noticed as he turned his piercing stare on the Jounin, 'Great I'm not the only one who is worried!'
Lee seemed to take heart from his mentors bold statement and added "Gai-Sensei with you're burning powers of youth! There no way we can fail!" his eye's taking on that look which could burn down houses.
Wincing slightly, the Nara clan heir wondered absently what it would be like not to be a genius with a stupidly high IQ score, it would be nice to have to reply on something as simple and pure as faith, like Lee.
Shikamaru shook his head violently trying to clear it of these annoying thoughts, "How the hell did things get so troublesome!" he growl to himself as the trees started to blur by even faster.
The burning light was the sole source of illumination in the Hokage's darkening office but it didn't come from the sunset. It caused dim reflections to burn along the glass of windows, which flickered every now and then as the flames in the village burned themselves out.
The door opened silently causing reflections of light to disturb the deep shadows that occupied the room, 'Clearly nobody had bothered to light one of the ornate lanterns' several of which occupied the grand old room '…or turn on the damn light switch!' the newcomer thought testily as he closed the door behind him with even less sound than when he opened it. This restoring the room to its previous state of dark gloom as the figure moved himself gently into the centre of the room facing the desk that occupied most all of the far side and stood still, waiting. A second later one of the shadows to his right spoke in an old but clipped female tone and addressed the newcomer. "You know of the "incident" that took place in the village else that three hours ago!"
'It was a statement not a question.' Thought the newcomer and didn't answer it. 'Of course he knew!'
The same voice continued unabated. "A team lead by Maito Gai was dispatched over two hours ago with orders to retrieve or subdue the assailant by any mean necessary."
"Unfortunately this is no longer deemed adequate," a deeper but equally old male voice continued from the shadows to left "An emergency council has been gather and it is decided that a second, more specialist squad is to be dispatched immediately. That is why you have been called."
'This wasn't good.' The figure in the middle of the room stiffened, and his gaze quickly turned in front of him, past the desk to where he thought the next voice would come from. But nothing came and the same voice from the left continued to talk.
"Considering you're past relationship with the Assailant, you are both well informed of his weakness and are best suited to lead a…"
"Hokage sama?" The newcomer cut him off, speaking for the first time, his gaze still not leave the area behind the desk.
"This will be a S class…" the old woman's voice tried to continue but was over-ridden once again.
"Tsunade sama. You cant seriously allow them too…?!" his voice trailed off
And still no reply came,' but then he noticed the strong yet subtle aroma slowing wafting its way back across the desk towards him… the scent of sake!
But before he could utter another word a new voice spoke to him from behind. But this one shattered any thoughts of continuing to speak. He turned and stared at the source.
"You have always been one of the most loyal instruments of this village. A true shinobi!" The voice was clear and emotionless and spoke with hard authority.
"The target no matter whom he once was, is now dangerous and out control! A threat to this village! No matter what what your past relation with 'him' was. Will you allow this threat to continue? Will you endanger everything you've worked so hard to protect? Everything and… everyone you love?"
The shadow from behind moved forward into one of the dim beams of light and formed into the shape of a figure that the newcomer knew all to well… and dreaded.
"….Danzo!"
The tall, bandaged figure hard gaze bored into him and he also filched as Danzo's one remaining arm was thrust towards him holding something, Something even worse that this damn old man who was like a bad nightmare.
The newcomers looked down at the object being offered to him, fighting the urge to back way or scream! He knew it well… intimately well. The last time he'd seen it had been in this very room, what had seemed like a lifetime ago? Dirty and splattered with blood, he'd placed it on the desk front of the "Old Man" and left without a word.
Before the newcomer had time to react, the final shadow in the room at last spoke, and the voice he'd been seeking from the start of this damned gathering, hoping to bring a glimmer of sense to this ever darkening situation, spoke… and damned him.
"Take it…" the low and unreadable voice of Godaime said.
"Tsunade?!" the newcomer voice questioned in horror as he span to face the desk again. All he could see was the back of her chair and he couldn't sense anything else but the smell of sake. But she was there he knew it.
"I said take it! That's an order!" the voice commanded, turning from unreadable too cold and harsh.
The figure stood still in silence, temporarily shocked out of his horror. Then slowly he turned his back on to the Hokage. Without saying another word, he faced Danzo again he reached out forward and took the object still being offer to him.
Now holding back in his tight grip after all this time, he started to feel something. The same feeling that had inhabit every inch of his being before the time he'd finely decided to give "it" up to the Third, a feeling he'd been fighting ever since that day.
He slowly raised the object up to his face and stop trying to resist the old feeling that started to engulf him. He wasn't afraid of what was to come anymore, what he might do. He couldn't be, he knew this feeling so well… it almost was like being home again. '… Nothingness.'
Tsunade now finally turned around in her chair as the figure in the centre of the room turned back to face her. His own face now covered by the ANBU mask shaped in the likeness of a Hound he'd been given. Her face was set in stone "Now carry out your orders, soldier!"
"Yes! Hokage sama" came the empty reply. There was no hint of remorse or doubt in his voice. The figure turned and walked out the door. Not looking back once. Tsunade eyes never left his back and stared at the closed door for a long time.
"Now the rest of you old Bastards! Get the hell out of my office!"
There was no response but she knew they had taken their leave. An angry Hokage was not someone to be around if you can help it. Not if you valued the use of all your limbs.
She grabbed the sake bottle that was under her desk and knocked it back hard! Preparing to take a big shot of the rice wine. Nothing happened, it was empty!
She suddenly threw the empty bottle with all of her chakra-enhanced strength. The bottle literally disintegrated against the opposite wall with a loud crash.
Her head hit the desk hard and her balled up hands crashed down soon after. That it causes the whole office to shake. Tears started to leak form the corners of her eyes. "Oh Kami…" she whispered in a voice so low and full of terror it could belong to a child, "Run Naruto… run"
A.N - Well there you have it! the begining of ... something. Im currently writing chapters 2 and 3 and I was going to wait uptil the first book (4 chapters) where finished before i posted anything. But i was to curious to see if i actually got any response and jumped the Gun! lol. This is the begining of the first book (which is 4 chapters long) which is all set just prior to Susake's departure form the leaf. the second should hopefully start 3 year after where the current manga is. I Have every intention of making this story an Epic But this will depend on response and feed back (... or ill just get bored). On that last note i make no promises about when these next characters will be posted. All i can say is when there ready!
If you've come this far please review and say anything you like. Once again all crit is welcome!
