The Phantom of the leaf.
"People- Speaking".
'People- Thoughts'.
Jutsu/Tailed beast/Boss Summoning
Disclaimer- This is my first attempt at a Naruto Fanfic and before I begin I would just like to say that I picked this series up back in 2008 and have been going strong ever since and while I am doing this because of what if's like everyone else and it goes without saying, Masashi Kishimoto I really love your work, your characters are some of my all time favorites and when it does end I really hope you have a sequel in mind.
And now for the normal introductions:
KNOK KNOK KNOK!
SoujiroxTenken: Hello? (Jumps out of way from door flying off of hinges)
Wrath: Let me tell you something SoujiroxTenken, first time fanfic writer, Major Narutard, where the hell is some love for Wrath?! WRATH NEEDS LOVE TOO!
SoujiroxTenken …? WTF? WHY THE HELL DID YOU HAVE TO RIP THE DOOR OFF THE WALL WRATH? YOU COULDN'T DO THIS OVER THE PHONE?
Wrath: WRAAAAATH!
SoujiroxTenken: Oh just do the damn Intro already you damn crybaby.
Wrath: LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHIN READERS! SoujiroxTenken does not own Naruto/Rurouni Kenshin/Phantom Requiem for the Phantom or any references made herein, BECAUSE IF HE DID HE WOULDN'T BE SUCH A CHUMP!
SoujiroxTenken: Yeah what he said…Hey…? (Develops tick mark), that's it I don't care who you are nobody calls me a chump (body flickers behind Wrath) THOUSAND YEARS OF DEATH!
Wrath: LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHIN READERS THAT REALLY HUUUUUURRT!
Chapter 1: The Shadow of Inferno
Atop the Hokage Monument.
Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze could be seen standing overlooking the village he had been born to with a blank stare on his face that would make even Itachi Uchiha shiver, and that in itself could be considered an act of Kami. Naruto was of slightly above average height for a fifteen year old boy, standing at five foot ten inches tall. Naruto was normally easiest to spot by the three whisker like birthmarks adorning his cheeks or his bright golden-yellow spiky hair, but at the moment neither of these things would be able to represent our favorite blonde shinobi. Naruto could be seen wearing loose fitting black shinobi pants with cargo pockets, a sleeveless red form fitting shirt, a light black windbreaker, black shinobi sandals, a standard equipment pouch strapped on his backside to the left, a kunai pouch on his left leg, a scroll holster on his right, and strapped across his lower back you would see "Ravager" his personal chakra conducting dagger that his first teacher had made for him. Naruto was currently under his guise of Reiji Azuma or "The Phantom" as many in the assassination business had come to know him by now. Using his skills in sealing jutsu and the base formula made by his clan members of the Uzumaki, Naruto had actually recreated and improved a very basic sealing formula for disguise. Naruto had grown his hair out and it was almost a match to that of his late father's, Minato Namikaze. Naruto had grown his hair out in the back and kept it tied in a small ponytail to conceal a modest sealing tattoo, that when pulsed by his chakra would actually perform three very specific tasks. The first would be that due to its proximity, the color of his hair would shift from its bright blonde to a dull brown. The second function would actually place an almost imperceptible illusion over his face to conceal his whisker marks, and change the color of his eyes to that of a light brown. The third function and probably the most important function of the seal but the only inactive one would be the "forget me not" function. Naruto had painstakingly taken a full year and a half to perfect the final function of the seal; just so he could know that none of his secrets would fall into unworthy hands. The "forget me not" function of the seal on his neck worked in a simple two prong stage, so that he could try to take his assailants life along with his. It is a well known fact that the chakra circulatory system is vital to those that have awakened it, so much so that if one was to deplete all of their chakra the individual would die. It is also known that upon death itself, one's chakra goes into a stasis mode and it is recognized by the body as if you no longer have chakra. Naruto worked it into the seal that if the one bearing the seal was to die or their chakra was to disappear in the case of the stasis; the first thing would be that their mind would actually be wiped of all memory as if they never existed. The second and better part of the seal in Naruto's opinion was simple; it comes with a ten second countdown… and that should pretty much tell you what happens to those trying to loot/collect anything from someone felled wearing this particular seal. Naruto took a deep shuddering breath as he stared out at the village he could have spent his life growing up in and a simple thought came to his mind 'Why am I so worried about this'. Naruto had finally accomplished his goal and come back to the village of his origin and in all honesty while it felt familiar, I didn't feel right like he had come to expect it to.
Tomorrow would be an interesting day of that Naruto was sure; after all how one is supposed to react when they are recognized as the top assassin in the entire elemental nation's, and they are then asked to be slapped into a group with kids who have never even killed before… well it was beyond him. Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage had asked Naruto personally to take up his now future position; and that alone left Naruto in a tight spot. His new apparent "Leader" was asking him for a favor and while normally he would be all over this for a chance to cash in later, something was screaming at Naruto that this whole mess was going to be an outright cluster-fuck. Pushing the revulsion he felt for his new and upcoming assignment aside Naruto couldn't help but drift back to everything he now knew had led to his life as it was now; and really only one thing was to be said… Danzo Shimura and his little band of miss-fits were going to die by his hands and his alone, because "The Phantom" was definitely someone you should not fuck with.
The village hidden in the leaves, one of the five major shinobi villages, considered among many to be the most untouchable… until one fateful night.
Village Hidden in the Leaves Main Gate 15 years ago:
The village hidden in the leaves was known for many things, its bustling marketplace, its beautifully created houses that if one looked hard enough could see some were actually merged with the tall oak tree's they appeared to just be leaning on, and the expanses of beautiful forests that were littered with streams, gulley's, and even a few lakes. The most eye catching thing about the village though would have to be its main gate, which was not just an entry way but truly a symbol because painted upon the red face of the gate was the kanji for fire the representing symbol of the village and the land it was sworn to protect since it's conception. Connected to said main gate you could see a gray concrete wall that stood just as tall as the gate itself (a whopping 30 stories tall mind you) wrapping around the border of the village until reaching the dark brown rock mountain face that housed the true sight of the village hidden in the leaves, the Hokage monument.
The hokage monument had been created as an effigy for the Kage's of the past, currently being adorned by that of the First, Second, Third, and Fourth great leader's faces of the proud village. Though, on this night one wondered if the monument would survive to see the next sunrise.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was known as many things: the professor and the god of shinobi to name a few but never had he seen anything like this. The destruction he was currently viewing was unspeakable (and he had lived through 3 shinobi wars dammit… but this… this was just unbelievable.) "Get back in line and throw another volley of burst kunai. Dammit push the demon back!" Hiruzen yelled. Hiruzen could be seen wearing his black battle armor with thick samurai-like shoulder pauldrons, chest plate, battle leggings, and his round battle helm while wielding the monkey king "Enma" in his adamantine Bo staff form.
What he was referring to was the nine tailed demon fox, the greatest of the nine biju. Many good shinobi had died and Hiruzen feared for the lives of the rest of his villagers, all seemed lost to him but at that moment salvation arrived. "Look it's Lord Fourth!" one of the many assembled jonin shouted as he pointed out into the dense forest only to show a humungous toad easily the size of a mountain. Said toad was red in color and was seen to be wearing a happi vest, with a dosu blade strapped to his side. This toad however was recognized by all as the chief toad Gamabunta (Bunta for short, and only to those he respects dammit), and he was currently doing a quick onceover of his opponent.
"I don't know about this one boy, why'd you have to go and summon me to such a damn troublesome situation?" the chief toad bellowed to his summoner who was currently perched on his head.
"I am sorry Gamabunta but I feel that I will really need your help with this battle, in all honesty I'm not sure if I'm going to be walking away from this one."
Said one Minato Namikaze; the Fourth Hokage of the village hidden in the leaves.
"Let me tell you something boy (Ha see what I did there) don't you go talking about dying on me now, you've got one on the way and I'll be damned if I let you leave him without so much as hello beforehand you got me?" the chief toad barked out.
The fourth stood atop Bunta wearing a standard Konoha-nin uniform with two blue wrist bands each on both of his sleeves, a leaf green flak jacket, and blue sandals, his short-sleeved long white haori decorated by orange flame motifs on the edges, with the kanji for "Fourth Hokage" written vertically down the back and the most important but a blue hiate wrapped around his forehead holding back his yellow hair. He began a long string of hand seals and then stopped holding the ram sign.
'If this is really to be my end at least I can save the village, I just wish… Naruto… I hope you can forgive me and endure what's to come'.
The last anyone of the village hidden in the leaves saw of their dear lord fourth, was his disappearing visage in a brilliant flash of golden light with a giant nine-tailed fox in tow to the backdrop of a vibrant moon-lit night.
Later on that night…
10 miles west of the village hidden in the leaves:
If one were to wonder what young Megumi Takani was doing in the woods at three o'clock in the morning, well the answer would simply be she was supposed to be meeting a contact to drop off a new poison developed by Inferno. Now what Inferno is (well that's a story for a bit later but the point is, One Megumi Takani went looking to make a sale not pay witness to the greatest sealing of the greatest of the nine living Tailed beasts.
Young Megumi was a standard six year old girl at the average height of 41 inches tall with a beautiful alabaster completion, with long flowing black hair that reached around the middle of her back, with onyx colored eyes, and a small regal nose. This night you would see her wearing a violet kimono with her hair tied and held up at the middle of her back by a violet ribbon, and a blue pair of shinobi sandals adorning her feet.
'Why does father always wind up putting me in the worst situations…? I'll never know I guess', Megumi thought to herself as she watched the giant nine tailed fox disappear in a flash of blinding light.
Megumi tentatively made her way over to the open acre surrounded by the same oak trees all over the land of fire. Most of the area had been destroyed by the giant tailed beast and it was then that Megumi came upon a most horrifying sight, two people lay slump on the floor in front of a new born babe.
Megumi made a slow approach to the huddled silhouettes and was now able to make out their appearances. The first she made out by his back which even with the one foot hole in it, it would be impossible to mistake looking at the legendary haori of Minato Namikaze the fourth Hokage. If the haori hadn't been enough now she was standing nay two feet from the pair in front of the babe, looking as though they were trying to embrace the child she could now see his golden yellow hair and even though they were now half lidded his piercing blue eyes. To his front could only be described as probably one of the most beautiful women Megumi had ever seen, with long flowing crimson hair and a pair of violet eyes in a round yet slim heart shaped face. The woman was wearing a white blouse with what looked like a forest green dress over top of it. As Megumi rounded the pair to get a look at the quietly sleeping baby('seriously how was the kid asleep after all that' she thought to herself) she was brought out of her musing when all of a sudden she felt pressure on her tiny left leg.
When Megumi looked down she found the woman actually looking intently at her, it was as if her violet eyes were boring into her soul for Kami's sake. Megumi actually became frightened at the intense visage the women held, and then she noticed the twin wound that seemed to come from behind where then nine tails had obviously pierced her and the fourth hokage and immediately went into doctor mode.
Having grown up the daughter of the illustrious ninja-swordsman Saito Takani, she had begun her training at the age of four. While not as adept at battle as her father or her brother Sano, Megumi had easily followed in her mother's footsteps. Megumi was not only a healer but in all honesty was beginning her indoctrination into the art of becoming a walking poison. It is a well know fact that while an arcane form, it is easy to prepare oneself by taking amounts of a poison into the body to become used to the effects of said poison to make one-self immune and also grant the ability to poison ones foes through touch. Immediately Megumi began using a diagnostic jutsu to try to ascertain what to do with her new patient, but was immediately horrified that the women was even still alive let alone conscious.
Megumi planned to begin using the mystical palm technique to heal the women even though she knew it was futile, but then the women stopped her by speaking.
"Li…List…Listen...To...me." the crimson haired women said to the scared youth. "I...Don't care what hap...Happens…promise...Promise me… you'll take…Na…r...Naru…Naruto…Away from here." Tears were now forming at the corners of the women's eyes, it was clear to Megumi that this was the women's final request.
Megumi watched as the light finally died in the women's eyes, the last of her energy spent.
Megumi took a deep shuddering breath and quickly picked up the orange wrapped bundle holding the child, and with a quick glance towards the flickering lights of the fires coming from the village began her trek back to her father's position. All the while as she walked Megumi could only wonder, 'what will life be like now with this little one with me'.
For the record as it stands Saito Takani was known by reputation as a very patient man, however tonight was really pushing the boundaries of his propriety. Saito stood at a decent height of six feet one inches. It was easy to see his raven colored hair tied back into a long ponytail, gleaming in the moonlight, while his coal black eyes held a certain air of steel to them. Saito had a very angular face with a strong pointed chin, and an imperial looking nose. He was wearing his typical attire of a black kimono with his traditional Tabi shoes on his feet, but seen strapped to his back was what would draw your attention because on his back you could see a green handled Nodachi more specifically the legendary Hitokiri Battosai or(man slayer).
Saito had carved his name into the age, quite literally. The man hailed from the land of grass and was one of the few renowned swordsmen to not hail from the village hidden in the mist. Saito had come from humble beginnings like most and had planned to join his village's ninja force, much to the dismay of his mother and disappointment of his father (who was an ex-samurai himself.) At the age of ten however Saito lost his parents in a fire and the only things he could salvage from the fire were his father's sword and scroll forms, his mothers jewelry, and a few sealing scrolls his father had bought him. He himself went on to rise to fame with his defeat of multiple enemies at the border of grass coming from Takigakure-the village hidden in a waterfall at the age of twelve. By the age of sixteen Saito's renown as a swordsmen had skyrocketed, and it was even rumored that he was the one to finish Kisame Hoshigaki's (The Monster of the Hidden Mist's) training though it had yet to be proven.
The years had gone by and Saito had come to be known as the "Lone Wolf" due to his record of defeating upwards of fifty enemy shinobi single-handedly at once at the very beginning of the Second Great Ninja war.
Many said that Saito had even run into and faced the legendary Kakuzu a missing ninja from Taki that fought the First Hokage, and actually lived to tell the tale. Further bolstering his status as a legendary warrior, he was the first on record to actually face the Gold and Silver brothers and walk away (not so much in one piece but still). Even with the accolade though, it was not well known that Saito was actually a freelancer and not a shinobi of one of the major villages.
Oh sure he had the skills of one. He had ascertained a large fortune through fighting and looting throughout his young teenage years, Saito then spent that hard earned money locating tutors of the shinobi arts to train him. Now being seen at what would be considered by most the golden years of his life, he was now trying to even out the future for his daughter.
Saito had waited a long time to settle down; in fact it had been near impossible to find a woman even willing to go near him with his blood-stained past.
He had finally married a beautiful woman named Natsumi in the middle of the Second great Ninja war, and at the time he had been thirty-nine and she herself had been seventeen.
Now however Saito was fifty-six and it was starting to finally wear on him (He was trailing right behind Hiruzen Sarutobi for Kami's sake.). He would often reminisce about his wife, and the intense circumstances in which they had met.
Natsumi was considered a beautiful young woman at a height of five feet five inches, with long brown hair that had been pulled into a braided ponytail at the back, light pink eyes, a very slim hourglass figure, tight behind, and mid-b class sized breasts. She had been left in a bad way by her own family; they had sold her to a ring of smugglers operating out of Takigakure and she was being bartered over when Saito had descended upon the camp. Saito cut every mercenary in the camp down easily (when you only have two Jounin in the camp with a bunch of normal bandit's what chance do you really stand against a higher A-class/Lower S-class shinobi right?) Saito had just impaled one of the Jounin easily on his blade when he heard her scream; he turned to find Natsumi in a headlock clutched to the female Jounin's left side with a kunai angled at her skull.
Needless to say Saito beheaded the Jounin and then proceeded to free all the slaves at the camp including Natsume, and from there it was pretty much history. Saito and Natsumi then spent the next few years traveling, visiting the different towns throughout the land of rock. When the time finally came for their first child to arrive Saito and Natsumi returned to the hidden grass village, a nation known for its farming and beautiful green rolling hills, and it's slightly muggy climate(since it did actually rain half the year, nowhere near as bad as Amegakure right?) They spent the next few years enjoying what they considered to be a relatively peaceful life in Kusa. Sadly Natsumi took ill after getting pregnant with their second child, it was a rare disease and even though they had money they were told they would need the likes of Tsunade Senju to treat her. Saito being the kind of man he was, went in search of Tsunade for three months and always wound up a month behind her trail.
Saito began to tire in his search and when he received a scroll by messenger hawk from Natsumi, he knew it was time to return home. As time went on Natsumi's condition worsened, but even so their family knew love and peace. Finally though, as it is that all good things come to an end, Natsumi succumbed to her illness by young Megumi's fifth birthday.
Saito had since taken to working with a group of individual's looking to rival the five great ninja villages, though they were only an organization they already had many influential partner's. He had done this all for his children's future and anyone that would dare object to his motives…well… let's just say the last had actually been a missing ninja from the bloody mist one Kushimaru Kuriarare a member of the seven swordsman of the mist, and even this supposed legendary swordsman had fallen to the viciousness of the "Lone Wolf".
This night in all honesty had been a gigantic mess (cluster fuck… he would say when his daughter wasn't around) it was supposed to be simple: drop off of a new poison his daughter had actually made for Inferno, to sell off for a tidy profit of 3.5 million ryu to a surly character named Danzo Shimura. Saito by nature was a cautious man and something about this deal was screaming trap, and if it was one thing Saito Hated it was walking into a trap. His skills portrayed a certain image and falling into traps went against that image.
For starters why travel so far into one of the Big Five's territories, and second why only offer up this one vial. Normally Saito would have turned around and killed the person asking him to take such a ludicrous job but the fact's stood, it was not just one man but all "five burning pillars" had unanimously voted for "him" to specifically take this job and utilize his daughter's unique talents as well.
The pillars were the ones who had established the organization he had been working for the past ten years, and it was known simply as Inferno. They had established this standing organization as a result of the tempestuous times at the beginning of the Third Great Ninja War, and had begun simply by buying minor businesses' among the lesser villages and even hired out missing ninja they bought into their folds for jobs at a lower price than what any ninja village would charge "at first anyway." Soon though it was much more than minor businesses' and occasional hired assassin's, no now at this point they were known as an organization and while many of the hired guns they had were weaker their numbers were nothing to scoff at, they were bordering on having a quarter-million strong under their belt though most of that number comprised of foot soldiers/bandits. Inferno had flourished under the leadership of a man named Shishio Mokota, and the funniest thing about it was few had ever met the man. Saito had actually had the "Pleasure" of meeting the man face to face two years ago, and if Saito was honest he actually feared the man. Shishio had demonstrated a level of swordsmanship akin to his own and he was in his early to mid forties; it was practically like meeting Minato Namikaze in person. Shishio stood at the same height as Saito, but was just a little leaner and seemed to be wirier than him even.
The man had a very regal looking face with sharp cheekbones, a strong pointed chin, and a slightly angular nose. The thing about Shishio that threw Saito off though was the man's eyes; they were a light yellow color and contrasted greatly to his almost grayish-blue hair. Saito had met many in his years of battle and few could unnerve him but something about Shishio's stare, it was almost as if he was looking through him instead of at him while they spoke. It had been a relatively short meeting and it also struck Saito as odd because all the man did was thank him and comment on his skill from his latest job, which if Saito was honest had been really easy. It was at that moment that Saito replayed the mission in his head and realized it; the whole thing had been a set up so he could be evaluated. It was perfectly clear to Saito now; the man either needed him, or he wanted to gauge him so he could decide how to dispose of him.
The worst part of it all of this was Saito knew it but there was nothing he could do about it… you try proving something like that to anybody and you'd either get laughed at or reported right back to Shishio. The other part about it was that Saito knew Danzo; oh he knew that old bastard very well. In the beginning of the third great war he had actually had the audacity to send his "ninja" (if they could be called that) after him to collect the sizeable bounty he had acquired from Taki. (Dead or alive of course)
He had "politely" declined the offer to be brought in alive and had killed all twenty-seven of his operatives, and then beheaded them and sent the bodies back in scrolls without the heads (hey bounties could be found under the strangest of circumstances right). Needless to say the old fool was persistent; he had actually contacted Inferno two weeks later hoping to commission someone to hunt Saito down. This of course led to retribution… that which of course had gone quite well, and had really put a hitch in the old fossil's plan's.(Whatever his plans were anyway).
Saito had actually stopped Danzo's attempted infiltration of Amegakure; he slaughtered another one-hundred and twenty-nine of Danzo's men that day, and even gained the interest and favor of one Salamander Hanzo S-class shinobi and leader of Ame.
Hanzo immediately introduced himself and claimed "No matter what it is you need, I Salamander Hanzo shall abide you; you no longer need to be the Lone Wolf." In all honesty that had gotten Saito's attention, Hanzo was known for being a shrewd and should we say "difficult" person to deal with and yet there had been no lie in his eyes.
It was not an unwelcome alliance; in all honesty Saito was more than welcoming of it as it was that Inferno had no idea of Hanzo's declaration, and Saito knew that he would need an ally if he was to break free of Inferno. The feeling creeping up Saito's spine was the clinch; he would need to make a move and most probably sooner rather than later, if he was going to allow his children to be safe and happy.
And one thing was truly certain; Saito Takani lived for his children, and only them it was just a fact.
"Where is she…?" Saito mused to himself as he awaited the return of his beloved daughter. Though he could not bring himself to say it to her Saito loved Megumi more than anything, but he had to keep his emotions guarded even around her. She resembled her mother in a lot of ways and in others he could see himself in her, and it was that part that worried him. While she was not overtly longing for battle, she did have some skill with a tanto, and what was worse is that for a six year old girl she had a strange detachment when it came to death. Saito suspected it had to do with the loss of her mother, it had hit all three of them but none harder than her, and it seemed to leave a void in the girl that she now filled with habits. Now habit is something all creatures have it is understandable, but for a six year old girl to clean a room from head to toe after Saito just killed five men in it and then have there be no trace; that just screamed obsessive compulsive disorder.
He had meant to take his children and break free of this life, in all honesty Saito was tired… tired of fighting… tired of it all. He just wanted a place to rest now and finish watching his children grow. He longed for the chance to actually be a grandfather and not just look like one, but it seemed like a fading dream because of his involvement with Inferno. His son Sano was much like himself, the only difference in him being his personality quirk of flying off the handle at times. The worst part of that though was that now Sano wanted to work for Inferno to prove himself and move up the ladder so he could attain a station much like his father, and Saito didn't want his children working for Inferno if he could help it. Saito had attained the moniker of head Assassin for Inferno as such that everyone in the organization called him Wolf, even if he himself felt it a bit unnecessary.
Sano resembled Saito in every aspect of life; from the way he fought down to his very looks, it was almost as if Saito was looking at a younger version of himself. Sano had just turned fourteen and he was already in Saito's honest opinion a competent swordsman, even though Sano himself favored a zanbatou. His birthday had passed just last month on the fifth and Saito had gotten his son a new blade, a zanbatou that was actually double edged and was jet black all around in color. Sano had been practicing mercilessly against Saito, and Saito was now more than confident that his son could fight with the new weapon and not injure himself. Sano was a wonderful boy and while brash he definitely had the spark of a warrior, he was even working a taijutsu to use in tandem with his blade.
"Father…" Sano called out to his father as he entered the bluff his father was standing in. There were many tall oak tree's around them but in the center of the bluff the moon shone down prominently as the light breeze brought out the smell of the year round sunflowers, just next to the tiny stream outlining the west side of the bluff.
Sano Takani was everything his father was in his youth… he stood at roughly five foot six inches tall, and had his long brown hair pulled into a ponytail bound by a black band with only two strands hanging in his face. His lightly chiseled face bore no scars and only just the hints of an in-coming goatee.
Sano was dressed far differently than his father however; he had on a jet black haori with no shirt on but a set of white bandages covering him up to the middle of his six pack abs, a pair of loose fitting black shinobi pants and a pair of black shinobi sandals. Strapped to Sano's back you could see "Purgatory" his double-edged zanbatou, being held in place by a single dark brown strap.
All things considered Saito was proud of his son's battle prowess and his very presence; most grown men didn't have the clout Sano had and he wasn't even really a man yet.
Sano approached and reached out his right hand and his father clasped it in a show of respect for his oldest child.
They stood side by side in the moon-lit bluff in front of the sunflowers awaiting Megumi from her delivery, and while it was quiet they both knew that this kind of silence was one that only came after a battle; there wasn't even a cool breeze now and it was as if the world had stopped.
"Father what's going on it's quiet as a tomb, and the air's thick with malice." Sano said as he was now starting to get fidgety.
"You couldn't see it from where I had you positioned but I know you had to have heard the bellowing of the nine tails". Saito said as he threw a brief glace at his son.
Sano blanched white and then took a brief moment to remember the strange roaring, and then it all made sense. That oppressive killing intent he felt and that strange explosion he saw happen to the north, so it really was a tailed beast that did all that well…('shit on me') was all Sano could think after the knowledge hit him.
"Brother… Father…" Megumi called as she entered the bluff a little out of breath now holding an orange bundle in her arms instead of a scroll as her father had been expecting.
Now to most this would be extremely confusing but Saito could recognize that kind of bundle anywhere, after all he had dealt with two of those before in his own lifetime when he had his children. As Megumi got closer Saito began to wonder what the hell was going on, they had gone to deliver a poison and now his daughter had returned and she now had an infant with her.
"Megumi, I presume you have good reason to be here with an infant, and not the money we were supposed to be receiving" Saito stated as his daughter reached him and his son.
Megumi took a deep breath and quickly divulged what had transpired while she had been waiting to meet the contact meant to finish the business transaction with her, and then she promptly fell down from exhaustion due to the events of the evening.
Saito was now holding the orange bundle in his hands looking upon the face that so much resembled Minato Namikaze, and in all honesty he now for the first time in a long time had no idea what to do in his current situation. He was now holding effectively a child with the future potential to be the greatest shinobi… possibly ever, but on the other hand the leaf would no doubt be after the child. Saito quickly decided that the boy would come with him and if time and fate permitted, the boy would grow under his tutelage much like his son had. In his honest opinion he was doing the boy a favor; most hidden villages isolated their jinchuriki at best, and hated/tried to kill them at worst. As Saito began to turn that's when it hit him, the smell of iron, light copper, and an almost indescribable earthy smell-blood. The smell was thick and it was coming from the north east headed in their direction, the only question was why. Immediately Saito knew why and he knew in that same instant that he and his family had to move before nothing less than seven ANBU black ops agents (a standard kill squad) were upon them, and even with Sano he had no interest in being delayed long enough for the whole village to descend. Saito turned to his son to tell him to get ready to move when he realized it; Sano was walking in the general direction of the threat.
"Father… we both know even you can't take them all. You're getting slower even though you don't wanna admit it, and I probably wouldn't make it through anyway; you can't help me, protect Megumi and the kid, and get us out of here." Sano stated with his back facing Saito.
Saito bit back a shudder at the tone his son had used; it was one he recognized that many men he had killed had used before charging to their own deaths.
"You should take Megumi and the kid and go, I'll hold them back for a bit and for you that'll be enough. We both know that this is the best way… you need to do this, besides mom would just beat you to death if we all wound up to her this early together" his son said still facing away from him, his right hand trembling being the only thing that giving
Away that he might be afraid.
Saito dug deep and tried to hold onto his calm; but the dread that washed over him when Sano finished his statement, it was enough to push him over the edge. For the first time in a little over a year Saito Takani let his emotions show; in the form of tears that gathered at the corners of his eyes.
"I know I don't say it enough… but I love you… my son." Saito said as he took one step back and grabbed hold of Megumi and tucked her under his left arm as he cradled the sleeping babe to his chest with his right hand.
"I promise you… I will see you again one day… and on that day we'll go to your mother together… so I can apologize for my failure." Saito said as the tears finally fell cascading down his cheeks to his sharp chin where they gathered and then fell to the cold night ground.
"You never have to be sorry Father… I couldn't have asked for a better life… or father." Saito said now barely looking at his family as they prepared to bolt for their lives.
Megumi's tears were flowing freely and she was lightly sobbing but managed to choke out "I love you… big brother" in between her sobbing. It took everything Sano had not to break down and weep with her and their father but he knew now more than ever that he had to do what his father had taught him- banish his feelings; he had to hold it together until long after they left to get the job done.
"You need to go they'll be here any minute now, I love you both and it's like you said father I'll see you again… that's a promise" Sano said as he threw up a thumbs up as he spun back around and drew "Purgatory" off his back. Sano steadied himself for what was to come knowing that he probably wouldn't live the next hour out, but that if he was going to go he wasn't going alone.
Saito had so many things to say but he knew that there would be no point now; he was going to lose his son. He did what was natural and slipped into routine and let all feeling fade with a final thought for his son 'I couldn't have asked for a better son Sano' and with that turned and disappeared in a body flicker into the thick trees heading in the direction of Kusagakure.
Sano stood his ground taking slow deep breaths, a small bead of sweat trailing down his brow. He could smell the blood easier now his enemy was approaching and now he not only had to fend off the sorrow he felt, but now his adrenaline as well for the battle to come. He tensed and placed his weight on his back right foot, preparing to launch the moment they entered the clearing. With that thought they descended into the clearing and finally he could look at them, and in all honesty Sano was not impressed. For the entire rumor mill that followed behind the boogey-men that were the Anbu of each village, now after being able to look at them Sano knew the stories were exaggerated. Sure the masks were all different for each village and unsettling in their own way but still, initially the stories Sano had heard made them out to not be human at all. There were nine of them in all and they now stood in a semi-circle in front of Sano, and now he could see they're state of dress. Six of the nine were in standard attire for leaf Anbu with short sleeve black form fitting shirt's, underneath light gray body armor on their torso's, with loose black pants down to their calves which were wrapped in white medical tape leading down to the black shinobi sandals each of them wore on their feet. Each of those six had two equipment pouches strapped to their backsides, while each had a standard Anbu style ninjato strapped down their back parallel to the spine. Out of the first six masks were Bird, Rabbit, Ox, Bear, Deer, and Cat, each one being of their singular design and each bearing the same mark on the left cheek a splash of flame covering most of the left side of their mask. The other three stood in the middle with three of the other Anbu on each side, the other colors fading into the middle. Two of the last three had on black cloaks without their hoods pulled up, these two being Dragon, and Wolf respectively.
The apparent leader was seen wearing a white cloak with the hood pulled up and was wearing what Sano presumed could only be a Monkey mask.
The leader in the white cloak actually took a small step forward shaking lightly; if Sano didn't know better he would say the man was afraid, it was probably due to the chill in the air. "We are here by order of Hiruzen Sarutobi acting leader of the village hidden in the leaves to retrieve a blonde infant by the name of Naruto Namikaze, failure to provide us the information of his whereabouts and or the submission of yourself to questioning will result in use of deadly force on our part, are you willing to comply?", the man said in a monotone voice starring and Sano.
Sano took on a slightly perplexed look and began to shift on the balls of his feet, causing all of the Anbu to tense momentarily before his body fully relaxed. He cast his gaze to the ground shadowing his eyes from the Anbu and as he slightly began to raise his head a moment later the Anbu actually believed he would stand down, oh how wrong they were.
With speed beyond a simple Jounin Sano was upon them already having swung a sideways blow that connected with tender cloth and the flesh beneath severing the head off of the Anbu Captain's shoulders. 'So...fast.' was the last though one Shinto Sarutobi had as he left this life.
From that moment on it was pandemonium, and yet it only took three minutes to actually play out. Sano deftly spun on his left foot already bringing Purgatory to bear on not one, but now two of the Anbu before him. Finally the others got themselves to regroup and those that had been on the left of the Anbu captain jumped back, and began drawing weapons or weaving hand seals. Sano released one hand from the hilt of Purgatory and quickly tossed a kunai with an explosive note attached to the ring on its bottom two feet in front of the group of four that had jumped back, causing them to quickly jump back a little farther. Sano then readjusted his grip bringing his second hand back to Purgatory's
Hilt and began to add more pressure to the two Anbu. He absent-mindedly noticed they had actually drawn their ninjato's to block his swing, and that now left him wondering when they had gotten the chance. Sano quickly rectified that by channeling his fire nature chakra into Purgatory and added so much that the blade instead of just catching fire actually looked as though it had just been pulled from the forge, and proceeded to bisect one of the black cloaked Anbu and his obvious subordinate with no cloak. Now Monkey, Dragon, and Rabbit lay dead their life blood pouring onto the cold forest floor as a violent gust of wind picked up and Sano took that moment to charge directly at the two left on his left side. One quickly threw a set of six shuriken at Sano who simply knocked them away with Purgatory, while the other went through a string of hand-seals…
"Wind style: Gale palm!" the Anbu in the bird mask yelled as she let loose the torrent of wind at Sano, only for him to body flicker behind her and bring Purgatory in a downward arc hoping to cleave the Anbu member in two.
It was not to be though as Bird suddenly disappeared in a pool of smoke and a log now broken to splinters in her place. 'Substitution' Sano thought before his instincts saved him from being blasted by a wave a basketball sized fire-balls coming from his blind-spot.
Sano jumped five feet to his left spinning trying to bring Purgatory to bear but instead wound up with a kunai to the gut thanks to the Ox masked Anbu only for his "Inferno clone" to detonate into a shower of bright flames coating the Anbu member bringing the women down to her knees, where she was then met by the sound of sizzling only to see the clone had slapped an explosive tag on her stomach. The women's world which was already in a haze because of the mind numbing pain from the second-third degree burns she had sustained on most of her left side, ended when the tag detonated and sent her scattered in pieces throughout the bluff singeing most of the sunflower patch that had adorned the area.
Now Sano was facing the five remaining Anbu and then something happened he couldn't believe; the Anbu he had killed began getting back up, thinking quickly Saito made a half-ram sign and proceeded to dispel the illusion by flooding his chakra coils.
"Release." Sano called out just in time to release the illusion to see two Anbu (Wolf and Bird) charging at him from his flanks. Sano jumped up and spun one-hundred and eighty degrees and proceeded to kick both Wolf and Bird kicking them into the brush, while then digging Purgatory into the ground and used the hilt as leverage to spin over the blade and face his three other assailants. Upon hitting the floor Sano ran through his hand seals…
"Fire style: Searing Migraine, Sano called out and then launch a volley of flame out of his mouth at the three assailants.
Thinking quickly Deer and Bear ran to the stream and performed the same string of hand seals…
"Water style: Ripping Torrent, the duo yelled as a humungous blast of water fired from the stream emptying it to half its original amount. As the water approached Cat, now undoubtedly a Female (due to her curves and obvious bust behind her gray armor) ran through a short set of hand-seals…
Lightning Style: Electromagnetic murder, Cat called out as she generated and then released a shock of lightning into the water, hoping to not only bash and wash out their opponent but to stun and disable the young swordsman as well.
Sano quickly did the only thing he could think of at that moment he took the hit, only to go poof to reveal…Wolf.
The other three Anbu were by his side in an instant and Deer was already doing a "Diagnostic Jutsu", when all of a sudden they heard the yell…
"MOVE NOW", Wolf bellowed from beside Bird from across the clearing but it was too late… the "Inferno clone" detonated and this one had a great deal of chakra in it because when it went off it actually disabled all three of the Anbu.
Wolf clenched his fists and began scanning the clearing and tried sensing for the swordsman's foreign chakra signature only to realize with horror that he was below him, and by then it was too late.
Sano proceeded to pull the Wolf Anbu underground and then popped up right next to his head and placed a kunai to the man's throat; he then took a moment to analyze the area and realized he was still in dyer straits.
The Bird Anbu was standing maybe ten feet from him and she seemed fresh as a daisy; while her comrades although injured were now rising to their feet and were bound to be pissed off. Sano took a few quick breaths and realized he had no way out of it; he was going to have to go on his fall back plan. Sano looked at the sky briefly and took in the smell of the forest which even with the fighting he could still smell what was left of the sunflowers, and in all honesty it gave him a strange sense of peace.
Sano knew he was running on empty, his chakra reserves were pretty high for someone like himself (low-mid jounin he'd say if he was in a bragging mood), but as of right now he had less than an average genin; and that only left a few options.
"You guys are no slouches there's no doubt, but I'm not going to tell you anything", Sano said as he looked at the Bird masked Anbu. He reached into the lining of his haori and touched the "Dead man trigger seal" over his right breast pocket; and the last any of the other Anbu saw of Sano or the Wolf masked Anbu was a rather bright flash followed by a large explosion with enough concussive force to actually shake the ground and send Bird flying toward her compatriots to land in a heap at their feet.
'Funny…that the last one I took out…had father's nickname for a mask… I'll have to rub that in his face when I see him.' Sano thought as he passed to the after-life.
30 minutes Later…
After finally gaining her bearings and getting her squad on their feet after being looked at by Deer, they started a slow track back to the village. At that moment all Bird (or Mikoto Uchiha) could think of was how she had failed her best friend Kushina, and how she had failed to retrieve her son and give him the chance to grow up in his home village like she thought her friend would have wanted.
The team sat down and Deer began healing his own wounds so he could then begin tending to the rest of the team properly, and all the while Mikoto could only think one thing…'Lord Sarutobi is not going to be happy… not at all.'
1 hour since Anbu's encounter with the enemy…
After debriefing his Anbu squad and learning of what had transpired Hiruzen Sarutobi could only sigh and lean back in his chair, 'I'm too old for this shit' he thought to himself as he began filling his pipe. All Hiruzen knew was that his wife Biyako and son Shinto were dead, Minato and Kushina were dead, Naruto their new born and the villages new nine-tails jinchuriki was missing, and his village was in ruin from the nine-tails attack. Yeah in all honesty Hiruzen was getting to old for this shit but somebody had to step up, and he knew it had to be him just to hold it off long enough to find an acceptable replacement because (Danzo would get it over his dead body.)
The last thought Hiruzen had before falling into what would be the most restless hour of sleep he had in his life was ' Naruto… where are you…are you safe…and Kami forgive me for asking… but is it better this way?'
50 miles east of the border of The Land of Grass
Saito had put his daughter to sleep about an hour ago and had just finished setting up camp, and was now finally sitting down for the first time in hours. Saito found his thoughts drifting to his wife, and then ultimately…Sano. Saito was now allowing a steady fall of tears to go down his face as he gazed into the embers of the fire he had made to keep his daughter and his new charge warm. Of everything Saito found he was thankful for that hadn't gone wrong… it was actually that the babe had not woken once since being taken from his home. Saito was looking upon the boy and in all honesty his first thought had been to kill the child; for placing him and his family in danger, but he quickly dismissed that idea. Oh it was not this child's fault no… the people who had asked him to take this job, it was their fault Sano had died. Never once before had Saito Takani taken a job that had wound up going anywhere near this bad, and that was why Saito knew in his bones that someone had planned this. The people responsible may not have planned it to the letter but it was clear, the end game had been to eliminate him or his entire family altogether. Saito was now sitting in a much denser part of the forest where the trees were much closer together, and the hearty earth smell was permeating his very being. The air was still and the chill that had lingered for most of the night had actually faded to give way to the warmth the land of fire was famous for, all in all Saito was uncomfortable. It was in this place that Saito Takani decided he would have his daughter and their new charge help him; he would have his revenge or die trying it was just a matter of principal now.
The people who put the plan in motion were already dead they just didn't know it yet, and they would only know when he wanted them too, and by then the "Wolf's" jaws would already be around their throats. He would wake his daughter in a few hours, they had to get back to the village and gather their supplies; the first place they were going was Amegakure to call in a favor from a new ally… Salamander Hanzo.
It was time to show that the Lone Wolf still had some teeth.
Wow… guys I hope you like this as much as I enjoyed writing it, I had to do it in bits while at work on my breaks but I think it's great. Please let me know what you think and again please no flames, JA Ne!
As always this is SoujiroxTenken and just as a reminder if you're having a bad day you can always just throw rotten fruit at civilians, I mean what are they gonna do…nothing that's what.
