Hey everyone. Long time no see eh? Over a month and a half to be precise! But fear not because I do plan on updating more frequently now that this new year is in full swing. Now I am aiming to do weekly updates, and I do think I can do that (since I wrote most of this in one week). In any case, you probably don't want me to ramble, so on to the chapter!
And yes, if you're asking, I do not own Naruto.
Return from the Shadows
20th of March, Konohagakure
The sky swirled in many hues of grey, and the earth shifted as winds tugged at its loose, water-ridden exterior.
"Somehow, this rain reminds me…" Naruto scanned his city, heavy downpours clouding the horizon. "Yeah… This feels just like the day I became Hokage."
It wasn't an exaggeration on his part; three years ago, bouts of wind and rain tore through town the day Naruto was inaugurated. People in the bustling alleyways of Konoha mumbled and shoved each other in irritation, some foolish enough to forgo their umbrellas just to have a better view of the Uzumaki. His speech that day was regarded by some as a turning point in the Shinobi world, one that would bring peace unseen in centuries. But to him, it was a call for vigilance and compassion. He knew that times of peace could fool people into being complacent, an idea that destroyed many nations before and provoked war without a second thought. With his blond hair ravaged by weather, and voice strained to the limit, he was a battle-hardened man ready to combat the last barrier to true peace.
"And you still remember why you took this job, right?" Naruto put his thoughts aside to see his pink-haired medical chief stacking more piles of paper on his desk.
Letting out a sigh, he faced her with his worn-out eyes. "I know, I know. I have to do paperwork in order to ensure the wellbeing of my citizens. It's just odd you know, with all this peace. It seems like the world hasn't changed at all, with an increasing lack of trust in leaders and more rebellions springing up."
"Well, people do tend to forget what lives they had before, but it's up to you to fix that right? To show people that they have to maintain this peace while it's still stable?"
"I suppose so. But I just can't understand any of this anymore! The more we fall into peace, the harder it is for people to accept it. It's like we are all born to fall into a cycle of hate…"
He felt a soft hand steady his balled up fists, "You're the sixth Hokage, Naruto. You fought Tobi and Madara, brought Sasuke back, and ushered in a new era of peace. You are the savior, the one who can bring this world together like never before."
~Far west, in an unnamed field~
The trees and mountains shuddered as a sudden blast of black color enveloped the area. The chakra-like energies uprooted the surrounding area and tore through rock as if they were made of glass. At the epicenter, a body began to form, the dark masses of substance molding into the legs, arms, torso, and face of a man. His skin flickered like a lone candle in a light breeze, black gas oozing out slowly as he formed into existence. Pure power was etched within him, such an enormous amount that dark lines began to form along his body, exuding a mix of blue and black chakra.
In an instant, his eyes shot open, a trio of black streaks occupying what was once a tomoe spiral. The man smirked as he flexed his new body, groaning in sadistic pleasure from being reborn. Flaring his chakra, a dark coat enveloped him and a series of interlocking wood pieces swirled around his face, leaving only his right eye exposed. Surveying the area around, he began to snicker. Soon, the cracks on his body widened, spewing a massive blast of energy as he screamed with insane delight at the world around him.
"I'll show you all… that true peace is but an illusion…"
From the world of Naruto, created with characters by Masashi Kishimoto, comes
Return from the Shadows
By Musing Raydius
Chapter I: Rebirth
The lights in the streets of Konoha dimmed into nothing as night drew to a close, extinguished by the somber mood of the day. Weary shopkeepers trudged back home in the rain, giving little attention to each other as they gazed towards the misty outlines of the village. In the Hokage tower, Naruto felt the lull of night tug on his consciousness too, his head bobbing up and down, begging for chance to rest. The yellow hair that drooped over his forehead had lost its once plentiful vitality as work plagued his everyday life. Gone was the carefree boy he used to be, replaced by a calculating and mellow man. If there was anything that remained, it was his faith in peace and prosperity. As a Hokage, he had a duty to protect, and he would gladly abide by it for his people.
Picking up a chakra signature approaching fast on the right side of the Hokage tower, Naruto whipped out his kunai and signaled his ANBU to stand guard, thinking of all possible attackers. 'Who the hell has the confidence to take me on at this time of day?'
"Naruto nii-san, why are you pointing that at me?"
Naruto slowly lowered his kunai, an irritated look forming on his face. "Why can't you use the door like everyone else, Konohamaru?"
"Well, you used to do this too you know… " Seeing the enraged look on his face, he immediately shrunk back. "Anyhow, I have urgent news from Kumo."
Glancing over the sealed letter, Naruto sent Konohamaru and his ANBU guards away. 'A only uses these stamps for times of grave danger' he thought, sweat building on his fingers. Opening it up, the very seriousness of the words glared at him like daggers would in the hands of an assassin.
"Four Kumo jonin dead, no known motive, an unknown means of death and each seemed to be… Oh Kami…" Naruto fought back the urge to smash his table as he read the next few lines. "The shinobi had been decimated in… a particular way that… ANBU!"
Shocked at what he had just read, he immediately called for a meeting at the break of dawn with the council and the clan heads. This is too serious to pass up…
Watching the ANBU flash out, Naruto felt his eyes droop dangerously close to his desk as sleep began to take over his senses. "Oh hell, I should get some sleep anyways." Tossing his paperwork aside, he succumbed to his bodily desires, falling into a deep slumber.
~In Naruto's dreams~
"Let it be known, that you and your plans fall today." Two people said in unison.
In a blinding flash of light, Naruto and Sasuke made the finishing blows on the Jyuubi. Both were bloodied beyond recognition, Naruto's left arm limp from multiple slashes, and Sasuke's left eye smashed into oblivion. But with what strength they could muster, they were able to finally stop the sadistic plans of Madara and Tobi once and for all. The breeze picked up, cutting through the silence as Naruto slumped over next to Sasuke. "Hey teme, we did it… Now come back to Konoha…"
"Che, looks like you were right. I guess you won that argument-"
In an instant, the scene fluctuated and Sasuke was impaled by a long spear of wood, shocking the blond.
"How sad… But isn't this the fate you wanted for him?" A shadowy figure appeared in front of the raven-haired Uchiha, a small smirk visible on its face.
"Who the hell are you?" Naruto tried to remain calm, but on the inside he was in shock at how realistic his dream seemed. 'Is this genjutsu?'
"So the great hero of the Shinobi achieved his greatest goal with Sasuke's death."
"I know this isn't real, it's all just a dream. Whoever you are, you're just some bad nightmare I'll recover from once I wake up."
"I applaud your bravery, but you'll know who's in control soon enough. After all, I can access you wherever and whenever." The mysterious voice proclaimed, projecting across Naruto's dream.
Jerking his head in a circle, he saw nothing, not even the slightest glint of light. "Why is it that you feel so out of place? Is this some kind of jutsu?"
"Never the brightest were you? I am simply taking a tour of your mind, finding out what your life is made of, and what fosters the darkness in your heart. But I will spare you the pain now as I am too weak as of now." Naruto's mindscape began to change, a wave of darkness engulfing his mind and a shadowy man materializing right in front of his face. "Don't worry though, I'll leave you with a parting gift to remember me by…"
~Back in Konoha~
Sweat poured down Naruto's face as he violently snapped awake from sleep. Struggling to get up, his muscles tensed and suddenly a sharp, hot pain exploded over his body. He had never experienced so much helplessness, even in the midst of the ten-tails, yet whatever was in his dream left him with a world of pain.
"ANBU!" Flashing in, the cat-faced woman appeared next to Naruto, instantly panicking as she saw the blonde yelling in pain.
"Hokage-sama!"
"Good… You're here… I don't think I can handle… handle this…" he managed to say before losing consciousness.
Immediately flashing her chakra, the ANBU hoisted Naruto into her arms and ran towards the hospital. Unprofessionally ramming through the doors, she rushed over and grabbed the receptionist. "Where is Sakura-san? She needs to treat him NOW!"
Seeing the body of Naruto, the receptionist nodded and took them to the ER room. "Sakura-san! Hokage-sama is incapacitated!"
"Bring him over, I need to check his vitals and make sure there's nothing else wrong." Sakura glanced over Naruto, seeing his pale colored face and lifeless body. "Looks like he just needs a jumpstart to his chakra system. What caused this ANBU-san?"
"He called me when he was already weakened, though it seemed like he was barely conscious."
Sakura weaved her hands over his body, injecting small amounts of chakra into his body. "He should be up soon, though I suspect this is all from chakra exhaustion from all the late nights he's used to."
"Will there be any lasting effects?" The ANBU questioned, fearing that Naruto would end up in a coma like Tsunade had been.
"He's fine, a guy like him doesn't go down so easily." Sakura jerked her head up at the sound of a light moaning. "Ah! You're awake Naruto!"
"Sakura-chan… Am I dead?"
"No you baka… you're in the hospital." Her eyes softened, "You can't be working that late or else you'll be in here more than you'll like."
"What do you mean? My whole damn body was on fire! It's not like working hard could cause that. Plus there was this one guy-"
"Don't give me that nonsense! We all know you've been straining yourself at the training fields."
"I'm telling the truth you know. I swear to it by the hat I wear as Hokage! There was this guy in my dream who did this!"
He watched as Sakura fell deep into thought, secretly thinking to himself that he'd finally outsmarted her.
"Well Naruto… I think you're just wrong." She crossed her arms and smirked at his face.
'Why do I bother…' Naruto thought, combing his hair away from his eyes. Spotting the scroll he read last night, he hastily changed the subject, a serious look plastered on his face. "On a side note we'll have to go to Kumo soon. I'll be having a meeting soon with the clan heads about traveling to Kumo. A and I have to discuss the current events that have been happening while you'll be examining four deceased shinobi."
"Corpses? What could possibly need my attention?"
Naruto let out a sigh, 'Well this won't go well…'Leaning closer to Sakura, he told her how the bodies had lost all trace of their chakra systems.
"Well, it was probably a misdiagnosis. It would be like saying something mutated them in a period of just hours! Plus no jutsu or medical technique could remove an entire chakra system!"
"That's why we have to leave and see what's going on in Kumo! Now we need to set up an emergency meeting as soon as I'm ready to leave here."
~Two Hours Later~
"So I've gathered you all here today to discuss the recent events that A-dono informed me about." Naruto placed the scroll and his notes down while stealing a glance around the room, spotting all the familiar faces he strove to protect during the Fourth Shinobi World War. Tsume was much older, a few wrinkles visible on her otherwise unblemished face, but she still had the anger to take out four jonin. Ino had taken up the head after her father perished, and though she was reluctant at first, eventually felt comfortable navigating the political affairs of the village. Shikamaru had taken on his dad's position with much pride, but still opted to take regular jonin missions to 'keep the will of fire alive'. Hinata had taken the head of her clan, though with some reluctance at first, and Naruto just couldn't believe that the once shy girl was now relatively headstrong. Sasuke had taken the reins of the broken Uchiha clan with a hint of pride in his voice, but wanted to change its long standing image of instability and hatred. Finally, there was Choza and Shibi, heads of the Akimichi and Aburame clans who he really didn't know too much about.
"Are you sure about this Naruto-kun? Who will take your place then?" Tsume commented with her usual lack of formalities, hinting at the other people around the room.
"Baa-chan will! I'm sure she'll agree, right?" Tsunade simply sighed in agreement, mumbling about ungrateful brats and sake. 'At least she didn't refuse…' He thought, tapping his restless fingers on the table.
"As for my team, Shikamaru, Sasuke, Sakura, and Sai will accompany me. Sound good?"
One by one, everyone shook their heads in affirmation, understanding the gravity of the situation. "Alright, everyone but my team and Baa-chan is dismissed."
"So let me get this straight. We're here to assist Kumo, or rather escort Sakura there for something we don't know anything about? Why do we have to do this troublesome mission and not the other nations?" Shikamaru questioned.
"Yes Shikamaru, and don't look at me like that! It may be like an escort mission but that's no excuse to look like that! You make sloths look energetic, geez. We're going because similar deaths are being reported around the area, the trail of crime has been spreading quickly towards the Land of Fire, and because we're the closest." Naruto shifted his view to the other shinobi. "Sai, you'll be joining Sasuke and me in the meet up with the Darui and his forces on the west side of Kumo as his sentries have spotted some unusual activity and your abilities in scouting will be needed. Shikamaru, you'll be with Sakura while she checks over the bodies. Everyone got it? Good. Now we leave now."
'It's like the killer wants us to follow the deaths…' Shikamaru mused, no longer treating the mission off as some troublesome endeavor.
"So how is my little gaki doing as Hokage? Paperwork's a bitch, right?" Tsunade never had a chance to casually talk to Naruto. It was always a formal meeting or an urgent event that brought them together, so she cherished these non-stressful moments.
"Well, with Kage Bunshin and everything it isn't that hard! I'm surprised no other Hokage ever thought of it…"
"Well, we don't necessarily have the chakra or skill to maintain it like you do."
"I know, I know. Maybe I'm being selfish, but in any case, we all have our own strengths and shortcomings." Grabbing his standard battle wear, Naruto prepared to leave. "I trust that you can hold this position until I come back?"
Tsunade lazily fell back into the Hokage chair, looking out towards the village. "Well as I was saying, yeah. Just don't make me sit here and do all the paperwork you didn't do or else I'll tell everyone about what you have in that one drawer…"
Naruto's face turned a deep shade of red as he picked up on her message, waving his hands in the hopes of distracting the others in the room. "Uhm… Now let's not jump to any conclusions here!... Alright everyone, let's go!"
Everyone filed out of the room, eager to get the mission done with. After all, the Fourth Shinobi World War had an effect of making everyone more pacifistic than usual. Noticing that Sakura and Sasuke were still in the room, he called them over. "Sakura? You have something to say?"
"I'll be a bit late, I have to go check on something." She whispered just loud enough for him to hear.
"Alright, but I'm only going to give you twenty minutes tops." Naruto dismissed her and took out his sealing scrolls. At least I have these ready to go or we'd be stuck here for hours… "So, what do you want, Sasuke?"
"Can I speak with you privately?"
Naruto looked around him, and dismissed his ANBU guards. "They're gone now, onii-chan. You know it's hard to get us alone with everyone being so suspicious. I wish they would just take my word that you're safe, but-"
"For the last time dobe, I'm not your brother." Sasuke shot back, though smirking on the inside. "In any case, are you sure it's a good idea for me to be working with Kumo? I mean I did try to steal the Hachibi and I'm sure many people there won't approve of such a high profile-"
"C'mon Sasuke, if I'm okay with you then everyone will be!" With a more serious look, he brought Sasuke closer, "The past is over, and this is a new start for you. Don't screw up, alright?"
"Hn. You better be right."
"Well, see you at the gates." Naruto quickly finished stuffing the ready-made storage scrolls into a small bag and jumped out the window towards the front gates. While the cool Konoha air brushed along his face, he couldn't help but think about the four dead Kumo shinobi. If those four were jonin and were defeated so easily, then what kind of killer are we looking at? It's not like there could be any person like that, but so far we don't know anything about the jutsu used at all! "If only I knew…"
"Hey dobe!" Sasuke walked up with Sai and Shikamaru who were following closely behind. "Where's Sakura? Wasn't she just with you?"
"I don't know actually, she mentioned something about investigating a certain place."
"NARUTO!" All four turned to see their pink-haired teammate walking with an ear-to-ear smile towards them.
"There she is! So now that we're all here-"
BANG! "You ero-baka! I KNOW YOU'VE BEEN READING THOSE ICHA ICHA BOOKS!"
"Sakura-chan, is that what you've been 'investigating'?" Quickly regaining his composure, he grinned, "You know that assaulting a Hokage can lead to imprisonment and trespassing can lead to…"
Sakura pouted, purposely sidling up to the blonde. "Naruto… You wouldn't do that to me, would you?"
Naruto simply scratched the back of his head, "Well, of course not. Never to you, Sakura-chan-"
BANG! "EXACTLY! Now if you weren't the Hokage I might have done more than that you know!"
"Oi, oi! Isn't that too much Sakura? I mean the mission hasn't even started and you're already causing injuries." Shikamaru reasoned, earning a nod from Sasuke.
Sai absently stared down Sakura. "Well, maybe it could be because Naruto has such a small di-"
Sasuke, not wanting Sai to finish, hit him on the head with his heavy travel bag. "Shut up, dobe. Now are we going or not?"
Naruto handed out small papers with a seal inscribed on them. "We can keep in communication with these. Just flare your chakra into it and it'll allow us to communicate, but you'll have to maintain a small amount of chakra to keep the connection."
Waving back at the crowd that was gathered to see him off, Naruto sprang for the trees along with his friends, hoping to arrive as fast as possible. "Ideally we should be out of the Land of Fire before the sun sets. We shouldn't have any hindrances from the Land of Hot Water or the Land of Frost on our way there, so hopefully we'll be at Kumo after another day's worth of travel."
~The Next Day~
"Alright, we've crossed into the Land of Lighting." Sai said, relaying the information from his bird drawing.
"It's only around noon, so we should make it to Kumo by three if nothing slows us down." Naruto opened his bag and checked the scrolls for food. 'Hmm still have four left, so we really didn't need to restock in the Land of Hot Water'
"Hold on, doesn't something seem off to you?" Sai pointed at a few trees that were spreading out away from each other. "Ah, it looks like we've stumbled upon a path."
"Wait, it looks like it's been used recently!"
"Exactly… Naruto-san, I advise that you let me check this out."
Naruto signaled everyone to stop, letting Sai draw a few birds. "I don't like the look of this…"
Sai sent his birds high up into the air, waiting for a signal. In an instant, one of them came down and molded back into his paper, transforming into lines of text. "That's interesting, one of my summons says that there is a village ahead, Yatakumi Village to be exact."
Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Well, I don't see anything wrong with that."
"Yeah, but apparently there isn't any activity coming from the village. In fact, the only thing alive seems like a large sign that says 'Welcome to Yatakumi Village where all from Uzushiogakure to Iwagakure are welcome!'"
"Wait, mom's village? Why would they advertise that if it's been destroyed for hundreds of years?"
"Let's not dwell on that now. The fact is we're in the Land of Lightning so this could be the perfect position for the culprit to launch an attack on either of the countries." Shikamaru reasoned, annoyed that this village was slowing their progress.
After waiting for Sai's signal, all of them jumped into the center of the village, hoping to find out where the locals were. "Anyone here?" Naruto immediately began to knock on doors, but was only greeted with an eerie silence. He noticed that the doors seemed extremely clean, even more so than Konoha had ever been.
"Naruto, over here." Sasuke was crouched over a pile of bodies that were unceremoniously thrown behind a large house. "It looks like these people suffered the same fate as the Kumo shinobi. Sakura, you mind?"
"Actually, before you go Sakura-chan, I have something to tell everyone. In the letter I got from A, it clearly stated that the shinobi's entire chakra system was either gone or undetectable." Naruto decided to leave out the gruesome aftermath of the shinobi, for fear that his team would be hindered by it in the future.
"Wait, you were serious back at the hospital? That's absurd Naruto! We're talking about changing people's bodies without touching them!"
"Well, check for yourself then. This could be some kind of kinjutsu for all we know…"
Sakura placed her hands down on one of the bodies, pumping chakra into her hands in preparation for a scan. Suddenly, she jumped back, fear etched on her face. "Th-This can't be! Not only does he lack a chakra system, but there are signs of some kind of poison!"
Naruto's face contorted in fear, "Can you identify what it is? We need to get an antidote for this."
"No, I don't have any idea. But we should take a sample back to Konoha for analysis and another in case we need it. I'll seal this body in a scroll so we can analyze it in Kumo."
Nodding his head in agreement, Naruto summoned Gamatatsu. "Hey wait a minute, I wanted Gamakichi!"
"Sorry Naruto, but he's busy. Do you have any snacks by chance?"
A devious smile appeared on Naruto's face as he gave the toad the sample. "Once you get back to Baa-chan, she'll have all the treats you can eat!"
"Cool! See-ya!"
"Hehe, this is just-"
BANG! "NARUTO! HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU NOT TO SCREW AROUND WITH TSUNADE-SAMA!" Sakura said, enraged enough to warrant the other ninja's attention.
"Ok! Ok! I won't do it again!" Naruto rubbed his head in frustration, and then looked towards Kumo, "A is going to want to know about this. Sasuke, didn't you say your snake summons knew Kumo well?"
"Hn. My snakes were embedded there before trying to capture the eight-tails. So yeah, they know the place well." Sasuke slammed his hand on the ground, giving a few instructions to a small white snake before rejoining the group. "Alright, let's stop wasting time here."
~Meanwhile in Kumo~
Clad in a typical jonin outfit for a Kumo shinobi, Mabui strode through the doorway into the Raikage's office. "So, Raikage-sama, why are we just waiting here for something we don't even know exists? Shouldn't we be on the field investigating? I mean we stand a better chance to outwit whoever it is now than later." She paused to pull on the sleeves that were a bit too tight for her. "In any case, getting out of that suit really makes me want to do something."
A smirked, clearly impressed at his assistant's intuition and amused by her proclamation. "Well, the thing is we don't know much about what's been going on other than the fact that some of the smaller villages around have been reporting sudden deaths similar to our shinobi. Plus, we have to wait for Konoha, who will probably arrive in the next few hours or so."
Mabui pondered the situation, weighing the risks of a search. "So… you're saying that all the other deaths are just a diversion?"
"Right. I'd expect nothing less from my former assistant who singlehandedly escaped a Bijūdama. In any case, Darui and C have been searching southwest of here for any clues."
"That's reassuring… But Raikage-sama, could we please refrain from mentioning that experience…" Mabui lowered her head in shame. Right before HQ had been destroyed, she tried to teleport everyone to safety, but in the end she was only able to save herself. Selfless as it was in theory, she couldn't bear to live after surviving… it just seemed so wrong for her to be the lone survivor. Had it not been for Naruto, who soothed her by explaining how the wills of the dead live on in her, she could have ended her own life.
"Right, sorry. I forget about that…"
"It's fine Raikage-sama, we should focus on our task here."
Mabui exited the Raikage's Office, opting to get some fresh air and to think about the current situation they were in. 'If the killer didn't dispose of the bodies, then he or she must have a lot of confidence in their abilities, but why not take the extra precaution?' Interrupting her thoughts a poof of white smoke appeared next to her, revealing a small white snake with a scroll in its mouth.
"Raikage-sama's Asssssistant I presssume? May I ssspeak with him?"
Mabui nodded, though she felt as if she'd seen the snake before. "Well, not exactly his assistant anymore, but if you want Raikage-sama he's over here."
Opting to wait outside, Mabui beckoned the snake to head inside. 'Now I was sure I remember someone who used snake summons… Orochimaru? No he's dead by now…' Her eyes widened as a man crossed her thoughts.
"YOU DARE SHOW YOUR FACE HERE SNAKE!" A yelled, demolishing the door and chasing the poor snake across Kumo.
Deftly jumping away, Mabui stood in front of the snake, spreading her arms out in defense, "Raikage-sama! This is from the Hokage!"
"MABUI , GET OUT OF THE WAY OR I'LL STRIP YOU OF YOUR RANK! THIS SNAKE IS FROM SASUKE!"
The snake poked its head out of the grass, spitting out the scroll into Mabui's hand. "I entrussst this you Mabui-sssan. Hopefully he'll underssstand now."
Before A could react, a small poof enveloped the area, leaving Mabui to read the scroll herself.
Dear A-dono,
My team and I spent some time analyzing new bodies that appeared in Yatakumi Village, so we will be late. In addition, we will bring over a sample from one of the corpses over for study, so if you could prep medical corps it would be much appreciated.
The World's Best Hokage,
Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze
"Here Raikage-sama." Mabui tossed the scroll to him, and smiled at Naruto's antics, happy that the hero of the ninja world still maintained his happy-go-lucky attitude even in tense times. In fact, if it hadn't been for him, she would have never considered going back to being an active shinobi.
[FLASHBACK]
"Hey, what's wrong?"
Mabui was sitting by herself in a corner, away from all the boisterous laughter and people. Her head was hung low and frankly, she was ashamed to even look at herself. 'If only I had the time, I could have saved Shikaku, Inoichi, Ao… And all the others…'
"Is anyone in there?" Naruto yelled, gently shaking her shoulder.
Refusing to raise her head, Mabui only wiped away her tears upon hearing his voice. "Shouldn't you be back with the others, Naruto-san? You're the hero of the Fourth Shinobi World War, you should act like one."
"I wouldn't want to leave anyone alone now would I, Mabui-san?" Naruto paused, noticing the tears that were streaking down her cheeks. "What's wrong?"
"Oh Naruto-san… I couldn't s-save them. It's all my fault that they all died. If only I-"
Suddenly, she felt his strong hand jerk her head up, forcing her to look into his ocean blue eyes. His face was contorted with both sympathy and anger, for reasons she could only guess.
"Look here Mabui-san. As shinobi, we may fight one day and die the next, but that's no excuse to sit in a corner and secretly hope that someone will come save you from guilt! Where's the Mabui Raikage-sama talked about, huh? You were the one Kunoichi that 'never thought twice about supporting her village' and 'always looked out for her fellow shinobi'! Are you telling me that she no longer exists?"
Shocked at the accusations, Mabui got up and turned away from Naruto, stopping after a few strides. "I was never here, and you never saw me like that, ok?"
"You got it, Mabui!"
"Thanks… Naruto…"
[END FLASHBACK]
"So that kid found more bodies. I should have accounted for Yatakumi Village."
Snapping out of her thoughts, Mabui froze. "Wait, Yatakumi Village? Why didn't I see that before? Raikage-sama, that's not possible!"
"Eh? What do you mean?"
"The people of Yatakumi Village were all killed in the First Shinobi World War!"
~Back with Naruto and the Others~
Naruto watched as Sasuke leaned in to his snake summon, nodding his head in a slow and ominous fashion. "Ne Sasuke, you've been talking to your snake for quite a while now."
"Naruto, you better double the pay for this mission when we get back. No question, ok?"
Realizing that the Raikage still had some animosity towards his raven-haired friend, Naruto sighed. 'Why is it that everyone always pushes their luck with me? Maybe I should be tough… yeah… I'm the one who makes all the rules!' he thought, the idea satisfying in every regard.
"Well Sasuke, my answer is… no."
"What do you mean dobe? I thought you were a caring Hokage?"
"We can't afford it, and frankly, I can't either. The council is actually making me take in a minimum amount of pay. Sorry teme!" Naruto waved his hand in a sarcastic way, hoping to end the conversation.
"I know that's bullshit dobe. Tsunade and Shizune are your council members and I doubt they'd force you to do anything." Sasuke retorted, grunting in annoyance.
"Fine, take it up with them when we go back, but you won't have my support."
Giving him a light punch, Naruto was shocked when Sasuke began to pant, clutching his head in pain. Before he could ask, the Uchiha fell towards the forest ground, his limbs limp like a ragdoll's. 'Shit! What the hell happened? I didn't put any chakra in that punch!' he thought, signaling Sakura and the others to retrieve him. "Hey! Sakura-chan! Sasuke just fell and-"
"I saw!"
Propping him up against the tree, Sakura began to check him for any signs of damage, slowly moving her glowing hands across his body. "What is this… I can't find anything wrong with him!"
Naruto's thoughts snapped as he remembered his dream. "Sakura, this could be related to the time I was at the hospital."
"What do you mean? That one imaginary person? Give me a break you baka!"
"Look he mentioned that he could access me whenever and wherever he wanted, and as crazy as that seems, that might be the case here!" Naruto proceeded to slap Sasuke, earning nothing in return. "See? He didn't even react to that!"
Leaning closer to his face, he felt a sudden change in pressure beginning to build in the Uchiha's eyes. "SHIT! EVERYONE GET AWAY!" Naruto shouted, jumping away.
"Amaterasu!" Sasuke's eyes opened to reveal his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, black flames spreading across the field in a circle.
Naruto looked around him, seeing Sai and the others floating on a bird just outside of the black flames. "You guys stay there! I'll handle it from here!"
"Naruto! Don't be a fool! We'll fly over to you." On cue, Sai swooped over the flames but was met with an invisible barrier that shot out black mist whenever he touched it. 'Shit, looks like we'll have to find another way.'
"Sasuke! What the hell is going on in your mind?!" Naruto parried two strikes from his friend, managing to kick him back. Sasuke raised his head in response, shocking Naruto. 'His eyes… It's like the time Lee was unconsciously fighting after his battle with Gaara!' Quickly summoning his Hirashin Kunai, he braced himself for the fight. 'C'mon Sasuke, snap out of it!'
Quick Note: I will have links to what the 'revived man's (As I will address him now)' Mangekyo Sharingan looks like, and though I couldn't find a picture of shinobi Mabui, I'll post one where you can easily visualize it if that makes sense. And yes, Mabui is alive, believe it or not, in this fic. Other than that there isn't much change as of yet. If you're trying to guess ages now... Well it'll be revealed soon :)
Well, I'm sure there are so many questions that have popped up after this chapter, but all will be answered in due time... But aside from that, please, if you find anything you liked, hated, or if you want to suggest something, don't hesitate to review because I will read every review!
As for the next chapter, expect it sometime next week, most likely on the weekend though. That's all for now!
P.S. (For anyone who read this before 2/24, this has been edited and it replaced my original chapter one.)