standard disclamers - i dont own naruto and i make no profit from this
It was another sunny october afternoon, unlike so many others before this one naruto day was going quite peacefully. today was his thirteenth birthday and the annual festival and such Konoha's streets were in their usual state of early morning disarray.
like every year he could remember naruto had gotten up early on festival day and gone to visit the old man. while festival day was fun and truly a wonder to behold naruto had learned early in life ninja partied as hard as they worked should to be avoid, at least until he finished at the academy.
passing through the vendors and merchants naruto couldn't help but shudder as he watched kegs of different drink being unloaded from a cart and rolled into a neighboring stall. drunk ninja while difficult to achieve where still something that a 13 year old boy should not risk crossing paths with, particularly one whom so many ninja found to be an unpleasant reminder of friends and family gone.
as he passed naruto would return the waves and calls of happy birthday he would receive from the regular venders as he procured his annual supplies for festival day, the odd vender slipping a small pastry or piece of fruit into his bag as he went with a word of support and condolence on such a both happy and terrible day.
with a smile on his face naruto would continue his way towards the central tower stopping to help position a tent or two along the way or aid in push a cart off of the main road. it was odd thought naruto the people of the village generally thought better of him then his brothers and sisters in arms, though after many words with his jiji he could understand why.
Fūin-jutsu - the art of seal craft was one of the least trained arts amongst active ninja, but oddly enough almost every civilian of a ninja village held a basic understanding of being one of the only arts they themselves could utilize on any level.
with a sigh naruto would pass out of the far side of the civilian districts, crossing through the market districts into the heart of the village and the shinobi districts, it was slightly odd thought naruto that the tower central to the village would be surrounded in a ring of ninja districts and clan compounds whom would be circled by markets and businesses before the final ring the civilian districts and slums would be pressed against the villages great walls and the forest that concealed it. you would think a military power would want to have the most powerful of its forces on its exterior to defend against intrusion but konoha had slowly stretched and grown to encompass the settling forces of many small groups into a collective whole, each generation expanding upon the last's work.
to cross into the shinobi districts was an odd sensation for naruto the academy was located within the market districts between civilian and shinobi to foster a sense of mutual respect and support between the two sides much like the paths that crossed all the districts towards the great gates at each of the compasses faces in the village walls, but the central tower the home of the hokage's office as well as the central command for his forces was shielded by the shinobi districts and the forces housed within them a force that for all its power and control still had trouble telling the difference between a boy and a thirty foot tall kitsune.
while the hokage had passed a well worded and critically enforced law specifically to protect naruto from acts of aggression while within the walls of konoha there had been a few attempts to cut short his ninja career and his life, and it was these few occasions that had started naruto on the path to becoming a ninja at the tender age of five. while the vengeful parties of these incidents had for the most part been punished in a swift and decisive fashion most ninja still considered all laws to be more guidelines than laws because lets be fair a broken law was only broken if you got caught breaking it in the first place.
the tension of the shinobi districts only dissipated for naruto when he crossed the threshold of the central tower. for some reason the anbu while the most powerful of konoha's forces and the most likely to have been thrown into the fires of war and carnage, where also the most accepting of naruto, it was a silent acceptance but acceptance none the less. while naruto didn't know this, this was due exclusively to the required skills to enlist in the hokage's private army one of which was an advanced knowledge of the sealing arts and their application. why the forth had added this to the usual base skills of "SADIE" was speculated on by many but known only to his teacher and his hokage.
the utter madness that festival day brought to konoha was evident as naruto entered the tower nodding to the two sentries at the open double doors as he went, ninja hurriedly moving from department to department with stacks of scrolls and sheafs of paper piled high. accountants and secretaries issuing missions, permits, and license at a steady and in some cases daunting pace. lastly the near invisible anbu standing viggle in there concealed compartments to slay enemies and the first whisper of intent.
opening a door to the stairs naruto made his way towards the seventh floor and his destination. the hokage's office was nestled in the south facing wing of the seventh floor of the tower, his personal secretary a retired anbu of chunin rank shannon sat head on her desk hands on her head as naruto entered the room.
his lips cracking into a slight grin naruto couldn't help himself as he yelled "Morning Shannon!" to promptly get a grown and a rude gesture from the women in reply. one of the key reasons Shannon had gotten the post she resided was her ability to differentiate between chakra signatures at a level of an individual not just their capacity and rough direction, this had been a boon in her younger years but had gradually evolved into a content type of nagging ache that you just could not releave or silence.
"morning Naruto," said Shannon as she lifted her head from the small stack of papers on which she had been resting a small grin on her lips, "you didn't have to yell i knew you were in the building ten minutes ago before you put dye in the janitor's second floor soap dispenser."
shrugging slightly naruto couldn't help but grin as he rifled through his bag.
"well can you really blame me," chuckled naruto quietly as he leaned over Shannon's desk and deposited a pear in her in basket, "the poor chap keeps leaving the door unlocked and it just screams please poision everyone who uses the loo today."
"no its better he simply dyes the first thing he touches pink and then spends the next hour cursing my ancestors," finished naruto an evil little glint in his eyes.
nodding her head slightly at the logic Shannon pressed the buzzer to let the hokage know he had a visitor in a moment before sending naruto to see the big man.
"just remember those who play pranks on ninja should expect to be pranked by ninja naruto-kun," reminded Shannon, "the hokage will see you now."
as naruto walked past her and down the hall towards the hokage's office shannon couldnt help but smile at the small token of appreciation naruto had left her, she'd always had a soft spot for pears, and naruto had taken note as early as twelve years of age that you got more with a kind word and a friendly gesture then the usual ninjas spit and shine approach, and this pear was just as perfect as she could have hoped.
as naruto approached the hokage's office door the scent of cherry and the rhythmic sound of thumping reached him. naruto knew the hokage was a busy man and the position and responsibility was stressful but the old man really needed to cut back on the smoking thought naruto, at least until the third passed the big hat over to him.
giving the door a light knock followed by a swift kick naruto entered the thirds office. the words of usual greeting dieing in his throat as he entered naruto couldn't quite comprehend what he was looking at.
sitting behind the thirds desk no less than six Hiruzen Sarutobi sat methodically sorting, reading, stamping and sealing scrolls and sheets of paper. the small mountain of sealed scrolls in the out box a testament to the skill and efficiency of a leader with as many years tenure as the third had endured.
the swift patter of hands on wood drew narutos eyes to the top of the shelves where a small monkey was swiftly depositing sealed scrolls into the corresponding receptacles while activating small seals letting other departments know they had new documents to retrieve from the third.
"ah - naruto how are you"? as he pulled himself together once more.
"fine jiji, just fine," replied naruto as he took a seat opposite of his jijis desk before slowly unpacking the small bag of pastries and fruit from his days shopping. as the last of the items came out of the bag hiruzen cleared a section of his desk so he and his young friend could share a quiet mornings breakfast.
unfortunately no sooner had hiruzen spit an orange with naruto and put the first piece in his mouth would that days quiet breakfast be irreparably interrupted by the sound of the emergency buzzer blaring to life and the anbu dropping from their concealed positions and into defensive positions between the door and there charge.
the static laced voice of shannon gargled through the only warning the anbu would get before the explosion dampening seals on the tower's exterior burst into life as fire and smoke poured from the now gaping hole in the 3rd floor.
"Dog, Cat," instructed hiruzen instinctively as in a flash the sagely grandfather vanished to be replaced by the warrior of countless battles, "secure naruto's safety, tiger, lion, with me!"
hiruzen had not reached the office door before naruto had been tackled by dog and cat and simultaneously shunshin'd into the shinobi districts roofs. the village was only under minor additional stress as a whole as most shinobi had been on alert at the first explosion and all others had quickly joined them as a second explosion rocked the central tower on its foundation. the civilians bless them grumbled as they were directed towards their designated shelters oblivious of the danger because of what was perceived as the most ill timed safety drill in konoha's history.
but as the streets emptied and people secured their homes and the village walls dog was fighting for his life as a pair of clocked ninja engaged in a uniform attack on his person in an attempt to separate him from his ward. cat lay motionless in a pool of crimson a large laceration from the ninjato she had materialized in front of evident through the ceramic plate of her flack jacket. who ever the pair was they were working fast and extremely skilled. the skill to detect the location of a shunshin and intercept the user mid exchange was a very difficult feat and dog would have estimated until this day the total number of people in the elemental nations capable of such a feat would have been less than a dozen.
only a spinning eye of black and crimson had saved dog from sharing a fate with cat, unfortunately a trump card spent wouldn't last long in a battle amongst giants as a third figure cleared the burning side of the central tower and aimed to intercept their fleeing prey.
with a flash of fire to conceal their escape dog hoisted naruto over his shoulders and shunshin'd again into what was a crowded market street in an attempt to dispers their pursuers.
as the lurch of the shunshin left him naruto could feel the warm sticky haze of blood splash across him as car fell the wakizashi still sheathed at her side and hands still grasped in the finishing seal for the shunshin as the ninjato flashed through her side. the kick that separated naruto from his attacks and secured his safety for the moment would quickly be followed by a burst of fire from Dogs mouth as he flipped naruto onto his shoulders and launched them into another shunshin.
landing sprawled on his hands and knees naruto watched, frozen in place as Dog parried the coming blow of a ninjato with a pair of kunai.
standing on the third floor of the tower a cloaked figure placed two layers of explosive tags along the exterior wall, the floor guard lay dead in no less than six equal pieces. a shame really thought the figure all they wanted was the vessel, the police had been so helpful to date why did the tower forces need to be so difficult. the secondary plan would begin shortly and it would be her job to separate the pray from his guards. hands glowing red she only hoped the others were ready as the explosive tags flared to life. with a clear line of sight to the seventh floor window another pair of cloaked figures knelt in the shelter of the village roofs waiting for the signal and the inevitable reduction of security that would follow.
as the first explosion ripped through the wall the pair were positioned to intercept the incoming ninja, the standard operations manual stolen from records and operations had been a boon like no other when the initial shunshin resulted in the downing of one of their quaies anbu guards, while not mortally wounded the shock that stuck the women with enough force to render her unconscious the second had not gone down as quickly and had landed a decisive blow against the first of the pair before vanishing in a billowing current of fire. fortunately the vessel was easy to track and even easier to capture once alone.
upon landing in the market district Dog was forced to drop naruto and block the incoming strike of a ninjato, who ever this pair was they were at or above his level, blocking a spray of water bullets with a wall of earth while separating himself from his adversary with quick back flip Dog was quickly losing his patients as a third figure joined the pair on the assault against him by sending a wave of earth and debris his way with a wave of a hand only to receive the kunai that had blocked his accomplices sword strikes as payment.
it was useless to sunshin thought Dog as he secured naruto for the third time shaking naruto from his stupor and pressing a sealing tag into his hands. the third assailant was showing signs of lava release as the kunai he had thrown weren't so much dodged as disintegrated into molten metal before being stopped mid air and returned as needles to him. he needed an advantage, or support as skilled as he was three to one odds were not something he desired or endeavored to face on a regular basis. fortunately between the market and shinobi districts lay the training fields particularly his training field.
as a sheet of paper was forced into his right hand naruto found himself once more over the shoulder of Dog as he moved rapidly between roof tops and streets while continually avoiding torrents of earth shooting from the depths of the earth and fire raining from the heavens as they made their way towards, he wasn't really sure where they were going going actually now naruto thought about it... only the closer they got to the lightly forested fields that separated the market and shinobi districts the more the cloaked figures threw at them.
as dog crossed the threshold of the field he desired a single kunai left his hands only for the earth itself to turn against both him and his assailants alike, while the third wasn't losing any time to the onslaught of kunai and metal traps springing to life the sold log of oak that struck them in the mid drift did seem to take the wind out of their sails. weaving between the rushing weapons Dog vollied earth and fire jutsu to cover their retreat only to be cut off by a bolt of lightning arcing across the hail of protective kunai, unable to dodge a rapidly approaching bolt of electricity while carrying naruto Dog did the only thing he could think of shunshin towards the most powerful ninja in the village.
as the lurch of the shunshin shock him naruto released the sealing tag held in his hand as he faded from view the suction and following explosion of fire, molten metal, and earth would have covered their retreat in almost any other circumstance.
what dog couldnt have know was there was someone waiting for him to return with her prize, the shock of electricity coursed through both dog and naruto as they reentered the tangible world as the shunshin concluded before the heavy strike of a ninjato hilt would render Dog unconscious, and his package captured by the adversary
hiruzen was frustrated it was supposed to be a day of celebration yet here he was, standing in rubble fighting a phantom army of clones. the cloak covered adversaries were easy enough to dispel, lion and tiger had cut great swaths in their initial numbers. the odd clone being solid made of either earth or water disrupted the simplistic and foolish approach of just charging past the clones and finding the one real one. frankly it was all far too easy and hiruzen wasn't pleased with what he was quickly assessing as a token assault meant to distract and divide, as that thought crossed his mind hiruzen pulled the interior wall down onto their opponents.
"lion locate and assist Dog and Cat, there objective is likely project sunshine," ordered hiruzen as he started to run through seals.
lion vanished in an instant as tiger started is own sequence of seal and joined hiruzen in the jutsu that would rock the tower for the third time in the afternoon and all of the remaining enemy forces into the void over the village or to the dust they were once made of.
as the smoke cleared a large chakra flair signaled for assistance, with a nod of the head hiruzen and tiger shunshin'd to the location only for the shroud of whirling leaves to reveal a sight that would haunt hiruzen for the coming days to come. a trio of crippled anbu lay disabled on the rooftop and a duo of shunshing figures with their prize in tow vanishing.
as tiger checked his teams vitals and moved to stabilize cat, hiruzen placed a hand upon the roof beneath his feet. kusinenojutsut" intoned hiruzen before a rushing of chakra smoke revealed enma the monkey king.
"what troubles you old friend?" questioned enma as he took in the distinct scent of blood and the residue of spent chakra.
"naruto has been abducted," stated hiruzen plainly to his long time friend, "i require your aid in the search and a runner to find jiraiya immediately."
no sooner had the words crossed hiruzen's lips as Enma had clapped his mighty hands twice once to summon his kin and once to change into the mighty staff hiruzen had been know to wield in an age of war long past.
"all right old friend," spoke hiruzen settling his mightiest weapon in his hands, "what way?"
the almost silent patter of feet alerted jiraiya to the approaching entity, he was a day's walk from konoha by civilian standards but after chippy delivered sensei's message jiraiya burst into motion not commonly seen of the veteran shinobi. jiraiya had hopped to make the festival but delays and inspiration had been overly available in the land of hot water. jiraiya now cursed his previously sedate pace, his god son needed him and he would be damned if he wasn't going to be there for him.
enma was probably the best option for a sensor hiruzen could have chosen amongst his considerable resources and even then Enma was having great difficulty pinning the young uzumakis position down. it wasn't so much naruto Enma tracked but the residue the kyuubi's chakra left behind and the boy was clearly struggling if the spikes of kyuubi's essence across the village was proof of that, but the rapidly multiplying locations that that chakra signature was appearing was concerning and making finding the source more and more difficult by the moment.
"hiruzen the boy seems to be rapidly moving across the village," relayed enma as he focused on the bursts of chakra,"i do not feel tracking him in this fashion is wise."
repositioning the mighty staff on his shoulder the god of shinobi crouched on the edge of a village roof. focusing his considerable skill hiruzen could make out the faint signature and the despair of the kyuubi's chakra as it premiated over a dozen locations within the village.
"where is the signature strongest?" questioned hiruzen himself unable to differentiate the volume of chakra at this range.
"to the south east of the north gate," responded enma as he pondered the request, "the west and east most signatures are small but continual pulsing now…"
hiruzen stiffened slightly before instinctively smoothing out the tension in his form and summoned the closest anbu to him. the anbu operative hadnt had the opportunity to reveal himself to his kaga before orders reached his kneeling form.
"we have a vermillion level event in progress, all ninja are to report to duty stations immediately, all civilians are to report to the shelters no exceptions, the council of elders needs to be secured and moved to the forward staging point," commanded hiruzen the air of urgency and authority in his voice, "when my orders are put into motion return to me with a yamanaka and the best sealmaster we have in the village."
the anbu didn't wait for a dismissal and vanished with a turn of a shadow to fulfill his orders.
"what are you thinking old friend?" asked emma as hiruzen's stiffened form relaxed slightly it was minor but years of partnership had granted him insight into his friends habits and postures.
"i fear young naruto and our beloved village might not see the coming dawn my old friend."
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until next time
duze