The pounding on his door was what woke up one Uzumaki Nagato. Being up in the early hours of the morning or in the middle of the night wasn't uncommon for him so he was able to snap to attention much quicker than other people. One of his aides had seen fit to wake him up this early in the morning and by the panicked look on their face he could tell that he wasn't going back to sleep anytime soon. He hated being up so much sooner than the sun actually rose.
"The Hyuuga heiress has been kidnapped Nagato-sama!" the aide didn't have an ounce of their usual calm demeanor as they shouted the sentence the moment Nagato opened up the door. Apparently realizing that they were shouting at their clan head they bowed and lowered their voice before continuing. "You are requested at the Hokage's Tower immediately Nagato-sama."
"Tell them I'll be there in a few moments." Nagato shut the door on the embarrassed aide without another word as he quickly dressed and took off for the Hokage's Tower. It would make sense for the kidnapping of an heiress to draw the attention of the Hokage and no other place would make sense to hold a meeting. Besides he could already see several squads and messengers coming from the direction of the Hokage's Tower before he was even outside the main compound.
He settled himself on having a long night with the high possibility of not getting any more sleep for the rest of the day as he took off.
He saw his two ever present shadows appeared at his side not even a moment after he hopped over the compound's wall. Arashi was on his right in the standard Konoha-nin attire with a red swirl on the back being the only thing special about it. His red hair was tied back in a similar manner to how Ryuu's was as he mimicked the same attired but had a sword strapped to his back.
The two stood around six feet tall and had elected themselves Nagato's bodyguards whenever he left the clan compound and even when in it sometimes.
"What do you wish for us to do Nagato-sama?" Arashi asked as he had always been the more talkative of the two.
"Stick close to me. I'm preparing a technique to track her if she is still in the area. I'll point you in the right direction." The two had already noticed how Nagato kept his arms in the sleeves of his red kimono even as the black haori caught the wind behind him. They had an idea on what technique Nagato was going to use in combination with his already extraordinary sensing ability but had only seen it used on one other occasion so they couldn't be absolutely sure of their clan head's next move.
Instead of saying anything though and risk breaking the clan head's concentration they simply nodded to each other and dropped back to run behind Nagato. They would be at the Hokage's Tower soon at the speed they were going and they still needed energy to go about whatever was necessary for the kidnapped heiress' rescue.
"I would like you two to be the first ones to find her. It would help the clan's standing as a whole if you were." Nagato stated it as more of a command than a request though as they stopped at the entrance to the Hokage's Tower with Nagato finishing his technique and muttering its name under his breath. A single motion with his hand and the two vanished from sight just as an ANBU came to escort Nagato to the Hokage's office.
"It's good to see you Nagato." Hiruzen greeted Nagato with a smile and a nod even in the stressful situation. Any other occupants of the office had received similar greetings even if a few felt like ripping their hair out.
"It is always a pleasure Hokage-sama." Nagato answered with a bow as he went to stand next to the Hokage's desk to view the map spread out over it. The entire village was laid out on it and Nagato could already guess that several dozen teams were combing through various areas of the village. "I suggest looking in the eastern section of the village." Nagato tapped the general area of the map as Hiashi Hyuuga turned to look at him.
"Our compound is on the other side of the village. Surely the kidnapper couldn't travel that far without anyone knowing. Patrols were already upped for the peace treaty signing. To head through that area would be almost impossible." The stress of the situation was already visible on his face if his face was any clue. He was forcing himself to stay awake even if he already wasn't getting enough sleep.
"This rain is going to wash away the scent if we don't hurry." Tsume Inuzuka added to the conversation for the first time since Nagato had entered the office as the rest of the occupants looked out the window to indeed see that it was a starting to rain with a light drizzle. She was obvious in charge of finding the missing heiress. Only a fool wouldn't seek out the Inuzuka's help first in a situation like this.
Hiruzen gave Nagato a steady look before he signaled a silver haired ANBU over from their post at the door.
"Take a group of Inuzuka's and ANBU to follow Nagato's suggestion. I believe he has guides already outside." Hiruzen might've cracked a smile if the situation was lighter but instead he kept his face neutral.
"Hai Hokage-sama." The silver haired ANBU beckoned to several others as they left the room and could soon enough be seen leaping across the rooftops in a group.
"Is this wise Hokage-sama." Hiashi's calm façade seemed to be slipping at the Hokage's action plan. A calm and well rested Hiashi would never question the Hokage's judgement even if he was ordered to do something ridiculous. "The kidnapper has already succeeded in covering their tracks so well from not only the Byakugan but also the Inuzuka. Sending a group off on a pointless search is only a waste of valuable manpower. Surely you see how preposterous it is to send them there." The Hyuuga clan head glared at Nagato as he centered the blame for the waste of manpower on him alone. Nagato kept his expression neutral though. The Hyuuga were usually stoic, almost as if by nature, and one as emotional as Hiashi was now could take anything out of context.
"Pale eye-chan has a point. We barely have anything to follow now and sending the men to a place like looks more like a waste of manpower than anything to me." Hiashi was glad for Tsume agreeing with him but could've done without the insult. He was far too stressed to stay concerned about it for long though. He did however focus any negative feelings that arose from the insult onto Nagato. Nagato turned towards the Hokage instead as he expanded his sensor range to track the group. "But hell you probably have a good reason for trusting old red hair over there." Tsume let out a bark of laughter as Hiashi felt his calm slipping further away from him and Nagato's eyebrow twitched at the nickname. He surely didn't deserve to be called old. Hiruzen and Tsume herself had him beat in the age department.
"Hiashi." Hiruzen's calm and level voice instantly brought all attention on him and relaxed the atmosphere. "I believe Nagato here might be on to something. He has extensive knowledge tracking people from his service with Jiraiya. I trust his judgement. Not as much as I would trust Jiraiya's but I am willing to give him a chance. As should you all." Hiruzen directed the last sentence to everyone in the room as their looks to Nagato relaxed to more neutral ones instead of the hostile ones they were bordering on.
"Perhaps it is best if we all calm down." Shibi Aburame finally spoke from his place at the edge of the room. Many had forgotten he was there or had not even taken notice of him in the first place. Nothing about the Aburame stood out and Nagato pushed the unease from his mind as quickly as it had appeared.
"I apologize for not greeting you sooner Aburame-san." He smiled as he extended his hand towards the clan head. Shibi hesitantly shook it as the rest of the clan heads looked on with some interest. Not many people would greet an Aburame in that way. Not unless they knew them long enough to look past the abilities that came from their tenants. Nagato definitely had not had much interaction with Shibi before now. "It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Likewise Uzumaki-san." Anything more he could've said was cut off as Hiruzen spoke again.
"No matter how we may feel about all of this all we can do now is wait for any results. I'm sure our search will turn up something." Hiruzen took a puff from his pipe as his Jonin commander sighed before stepping away from his spot at the side of the Hokage's desk.
"What about the, albeit, small chance of the kidnapper escaping the village with the heiress in tow." Shikaku Nara asked the question everyone had been thinking for far too long.
"I've already ordered a message sent to all patrols outside the village to be on the lookout for anyone attempting to cross the border. Everyone is to be searched before they leave Hi no Kuni no matter of status, wealth, or influence."
"You surely think the kidnapper won't ask for a ransom Hokage-sama. It makes no sense to kidnap her unless they wanted a large albeit difficult to acquire sum of wealth."
"Still to be able to sneak into the Hyuuga compound out of all of the ones available is something. I mean there are other prime targets that don't have patrol that can see everything. The Uchiha for one would be easier as they are closer to an exit than any other clan. Then there's other clans like the Aburame and Akimichi. The possibilities are endless but there has to be a reason for their targeting of the Hyuuga especially." Shikaku's view was something new and Hiruzen merely gazed at him over his folded hands. "They want something only the Hyuuga have."
"I'm pretty sure money is something everyone in this room has a lot of." Tsume said.
"But the Hyuuga have something different in their blood."
"I'm glad that I am not alone in my thoughts. The main problem is first acquiring a possible suspect. Not many in the village would attempt such a brazen crime on the eve of such an important peace treaty signing with Kumogakure. Still the number that could successfully pull it off is even smaller."
"What if they had help? The Hyuuga have their fair share of enemies."
"Are you saying that someone in the village sold my daughter to this kidnapper?"
"Yeah acting like you shit gold and are above everyone will make people angry." Tsume let out another bark of laughter even as Hiashi focused a glare on her and with clenched fists. Tsume flexed her claw fingers in retaliation, daring the Hyuuga to make a move. The Hyuuga clan head began to take deep breaths instead. This situation was getting worse and worse by the second in his mind and he still had no news of his daughter. She could already be halfway to the border for all he knew. The last thing he wanted to do was start a brawl with the Inuzuka clan head in front of the Hokage and ther clan heads. Word would spread and the reputation of the clan would be put at risk.
"All though Tsume's language is rather crude she still makes a good point." Shikaku continued as if he hadn't been interrupted. "The rank would probably have to be Special Jonin or higher. Only they can roam through the clan district without an escort by a member. It would be easy enough to scope out the place and monitor guard patrols. Then comes the fact that no one has truly seen the kidnapper. Knowing how to best throw off the Inuzuka and keep away from the Byakugan is impressive. That definitely raises it to someone of Jonin rank. Probably a veteran that felt wronged by the Hyuuga in some way or form. No doubt they were specifically sought out. They get to get revenge on an enemy and get a hefty payment for barely doing anything. A place among the enemy could've also been offered as well. It's much too tempting of an offer to really turn down. Heck I can't say I wouldn't take it." Shikaku rubbed his goatee between his index and thumb. "Still I need more time for a definite suspect."
"That still leaves a large amount of candidates." Hiruzen directed his stare at Hiashi from behind the smoke of his pipe. "You're clan isn't known for being friendly or respectful to very many others Hiashi." Hiashi bowed his head without responding and Hiruzen sighed before turning to Nagato. "Nagato how does the search go." All eyes instantly turned to Nagato, who had his eyes closed and arms crossed over his chest in a corner of the room. No one had taken notice of hi departing the conversation or leaving his previous spot. Many were wearing expressions of confusion at Hiruzen asking him about the search. The most he had done was offer a new area to search that most of them had deemed foolish in the first place.
"They are closing in as we speak. The kidnapper is fleeing towards the wall but has suffered a leg wound during a brief struggle with the team led by Kakashi."
"What of my daughter?" Hiashi looked to be restraining himself from grabbing Nagato by the shoulders but did move closer to him with his previous comments seemingly forgotten.
"She barely has any chakra to begin with but I'm able to sense that she seems to be alright." Nagato opened his eyes after a moment more and looked at those in the room with ripple pattern eyes for only a moment before they changed back to their regular color. Those in the room dismissed it as a trick of the light. There was no time for fairy tales now. "They should have her in a few minutes though. Kakashi-san is already closing in."
The chase was from the beginning going to inevitably end this way. He shouldn't have stopped to rest and instead should have risked being caught by that patrol to escape the village as soon as possible. None of this should have happened. He had covered his scent so well. It was impossible for them to be able to discover it so quickly. That and the numerous decoy trails he had left leading in random directions. He had walked all over the village today to avoid this exact situation. The Inuzuka and their hounds should be searching around Konoha's famed Trainign Ground 44, the Forest of Death. It didn't make sense. This rain should've only covered his scent better from the hounds.
The howls proved otherwise though. He couldn't keep this up much longer. That damn silver haired ANBU had already injured his leg. He could barely stop the bleeding while running and balancing the heiress across his shoulder. This didn't make any sense. That damn ANBU was ahead of any of the others and didn't even seem to be tiring. The same ANBU that had been the first to find him hiding in an alley and throw a kunai that embedded itself into his leg with a simple flick of the wrist. It had to have been imbued with some chakra nature as well. It felt like his leg was rebelling against what he told it to do.
He chanced a look behind him and found the single red eye only about a dozen yards away and closing fast. He was already going at his top speed and the ANBU seemed to easily be keeping up. He was just able to catch the blue light out of the corner of his eye as the ANBU quickly ran through several hand signs and the chirping of what seemed like hundreds of birds filled the previously silent night air.
He was downright terrified now. He shouldn't have accepted this job and just turned it down. Nothing was worth this. The ANBU didn't care about who he was carrying. He simply saw a target that was a threat to their village and needed to be eliminated. Trying to use the girl as a shield to make his getaway would be useless. He would simply cut through her to get to him.
The red eye was getting closer to him and the blue light became almost blinding to him when he finally made a decision. He would make sure that he wasn't taken out like this. Not alone.
He grabbed a kunai from his leg holster and prepared to bring it down on the startled girl he had brought from his shoulders and now held in one arm. He was going to kill her and the ANBU would kill him. He wouldn't be the only one dying tonight. The ANBU would fail their mission. Probably earn a blemish on their perfect record. He could see it now. The frustrated ANBU member going over this night over and over again. The death of the girl in his arms hanging over his head for the rest of his life.
He brought the tool of death down with all his strength and speed on the screaming girl with it aimed at her head. He wouldn't give them a chance to perform a miracle. The small mercy of the girl's death being instantaneous was an added benefit.
Knowing that he was going to die immediately after the act, he shut his eyes and prepared for whatever the end would feel like. Whether it be painful or painless he didn't care. He was ready.
Then the girl kept screaming even after he had brought his arm completely down.
He stopped and dropped to the streets below as he opened his eyes and stared at the blood covered girl in his arms. She should be dead. But pale eyes stared right back at him with pure terror in them but life at the same time. Was the handle of the kunai slick because of the rain and he had dropped it. That had to be it.
He looked down at his hand but saw nothing there. Instead he saw a steady drip of blood coming from his arm turned stump. The blood on the girl was his. His arm had been cut off when he closed his eyes. He had been ready to die so he let his guard down. That didn't explain why he didn't feel it though. He should be screaming in pain now. He fells to his knees even as the girl was taken from him and someone began to soothe her. The simply sound of the ANBU's sandals as they took step after step towards him had his full attention. Easily avoiding the numerous puddles around him from the rain and instead keeping his eyes focused on him. The glowing red eye that had pursued him relentlessly.
"How?" it was all he could ask the silver haired ANBU approached him with a blood covered hand. The same hand that had previously held the same technique with the blinding light and deafening chirping of birds. "How?"
"My technique is something unique." The ANBU started as he began going through hand signs. "It can be either lethal or nonlethal. Able to change at a moment's notice. It's cutting power is also off the charts. I could fight a legendary swordsman with my technique and chip their sword away long before I received a single scratch. It's the work of a genius. I can assure you one thing though beyond all else." the sound of the technique roared to life again and split the silence of the night. "The target never feels a thing. It causes the nerves of the area it hits to shut down the instant it comes into contact. Overloading the area with the lightning and effectively destroying any chance of feeling anything there even if they survive." He began taking steps towards the kneeling man even as other shinobi came to investigate. "That is the Chidori."
The man blinked and Kakashi moved. The darkness would take him before he reopened his eyes.
"Get this trash out of here." He ordered while walking away from the man. Two ANBU instantly appeared on either side of the body and hoisted him on their shoulders before they Shunshined away.
He walked over to his purple haired subordinate as she cradled the child in her arms flanked by the 2 red heads who had become their temporary guides during the chase before Kakashi had caught sight of the kidnapper himself.
"How is she?"
"Scared but asleep. I'm assuming that seeing someone get their arm cut off as they are about to kill you is not something a three year old sees everyday." The sentence was accompanied by a sharp look directed at Kakashi but his lazily scratched the back of his head as he looked at the child.
"Taicho." There was a warning edge to his subordinate's voice and even though Kakakshi was ranked higher he got the hint.
"She'll be fine. Probably block it out and it'll only surface if something similar happens. Until then its fine." Kakashi turned to look at the two Uzumaki on either side of Yugao. "I must thank you for your help Uzumaki-san." He inclined his head to each of them but kept his gaze focused on the child in Yugao's arms. "Geez hard to believe that she caused all this trouble and probably won't even remember it. It sure would be one hell of a story to tell though."
"I must disagree Hatake-sama." Arashi said seemingly for the both of them if the look of approval form Ryu was anything to go by. "This experience has surely been traumatic for the young heiress and will no doubt show later on in life."
"I do not find it to be 'one hell of a story to tell' either. It will most likely plague her in the forms of nightmares." Ryu quietly added.
"Agree to disagree." Kakashi apparently did a 180 as he turned away from them and towards the Hokage Tower in the distance and with more enthusiasm than necessary said his next words. "Let's return the little girl to her father so he can stop straining his eyes from trying to use the Byakugan to see us."
"Hai taicho."
The two Uzumaki were silent as Kakashi lead the group to the rooftops and towards the Hokage Tower at a speed that wouldn't wake the child. A Shunshin would do so immediately and Kakashi had long ago learned that trying to Shunshin someone unknown to it, especially a child, would produce disastrous results. Mainly the tag along experiencing varying side effects ranging from almost constant nausea to actual physical injuries. Better to return the heiress as she was now then worse for wear. Kakashi chanced a look at the sleeping girl in Yugao's arms and resolves himself that cleaning the blood off of her wouldn't be a bad idea though. The last thing he wanted was to have Hyuuga watching him every moment of every day.
'A Shunshin would still beat walking though.' they would be at the building in around 10 minutes at this speed and he could finally mark this mission as complete and get back to the sleep that he, like so many others, had been woken from to deal with this. 'Interrogations can come later.'
Oh yes the kidnapper had simply been knocked out. He had used the nonlethal version of the Chidori on him. The version that would allow them to get all the information out of him they wanted and then some. Like why a shinobi from Kumogakure was trying to abduct the Hyuuga clan heiress and who exactly ordered it. Ibiki would have a long list of questions to ask and Kakashi knew one thing without a doubt. The interrogator would get an answer for every single last question no matter how major or minor it seemed. Heck Kakashi would show the scarred man what was under his mask if he ever found himself being questioned by the man, however unlikely that was.
"The rain's finally clearing taicho." Yugao said as Kakashi looked up to indeed see the rain had stopped and now the early morning sunrise was visible to all those in the village.
"Well isn't that something to start the morning on a high note." Kakashi said as he took in the rainbow forming above the village.
"Maybe god is finally giving us a break." Arashi added from beside him.
"He is on his way here with your daughter Hyuuga-san." Nagato said to Hiashi with a small smile on his face. "She seems safe but I believe she is asleep."
"How do you know all of this Uzumaki-san."
"I have always had a great sensing ability and have been able to tell someone's emotional or physical state usually by how their chakra is flowing. It tends to gather in wounded areas with more chakra meaning its more severe."
"Thank you Uzumaki-san. I apologize for any comments I made that might've offended you and offer you my humble apologies. You have saved my daughter from whatever fate awaited her at her kidnapper's hands. You have mine and my entire clan's deepest thanks." Hiashi gave a short bow to Nagato before taking his leave from everyone in the room to reunite with his daughter.
Nagato only smiled and gave his thanks to Hiashi before he left and was soon congratulated by the other present clan heads as the all began to filter out of the room happy to get back to the sleep that had been interrupted for this entire situation. Soon only Nagato and the Hokage remained in the room. Nagato had chosen not to turn around yet but he could still feel the Hokage's gaze focused on his back.
"I'll be taking my leave then Hokage-sama." Nagato quickly turned around and bowed to the Hokage before moving towards the door to make his exit.
"Take a seat Nagato." Hiruzen ordered with his eyes not changing in the slightest. Nagato quickly obeyed as he sat across from the Hokage. "Why exactly did you keep that charade going for so long. At any moment you could've had the kidnapper at my feet but chose to give the chance to someone else."
"I don't believe me miraculously finding the Hyuuga heiress and bringing her back after just being informed of the situation would've sat well with the others. But using my sensing abilities to guide a tracking team when the storm rendered them helpless was different. I have never hid that I have a superior sensing ability to anyone in the village."
"Still why not personally lead the team?"
"He didn't want to dirty his robes." The new arrival, Jiraiya, said as he walked into the office followed by his teammate Orochimaru. He let out a bark of laughter as he clapped Nagato on the shoulder and took the seat next to him.
"We found only a single shinobi waiting for the heiress to be delivered to him in a small village. We handed him over to TI before coming here Sarutobi-sensei."
"So he's not working alone then. That is grave news indeed. What have you been able to learn since then Jiraiya? Where they acting alone or was this approved of by someone high up? Perhaps it is a further reaching conspiracy of some kind."
"Relax Sarutobi-sensei. No need to go paranoid at your age. I'm not even sure that your heart could handle it."
"Preliminary reports say that they definitely weren't working alone. This operation definitely wasn't just spur of the moment by someone trying to gain some favor. We can tell that already by having an established drop off point. We just need to find out who exactly approved of it though in the first place."
Hiruzen's outward appearance remained the picture of calm except for a small crease in his forehead. The aura he was exerting though made the three other occupants in the room unconsciously get themselves ready for a fight.
"I'm disappointed that they would use such underhanded tricks in an attempt to steal a bloodline from us."
"What type of retaliation do you want carried out Hokage-sama?"
"Lets wait and see how they respond before we make our own move. Still I want you three to be ready for an all out war if it comes to it."
"Hai Hokage-sama." All three men said as one as they bowed to the Hokage and left the room.
After saying his farewells to the other two men Nagato took off back to the compound. One look to the sky told him that he had been in the office much longer than it seemed like. Several hours had passed somehow and what he had remembered as a black night sky now had the early morning sun rising. The conversation between himself and what remained of Team Sarutobi in the village much have gone on longer than he thought. He sensed rather then saw his two bodyguards fall into step behind him. He was still proud of them even if they hadn't managed to be the ones to bring back the heiress themselves. They still managed to keep up with Hatake Kakashi himself along with one of his handpicked ANBU. That was a feat to be proud of in and of itself. As the trio stepped inside the compound itself Nagato found himself tackled by a black and red blur. He could hear Arashi and Ryuu laughing even if they were trying to muffle it and vowed retribution. He wasn't knocked to the ground thanks to his shinobi training but he still stumbled as the child started jumping up and down while trying to use his body as footholds.
"What have I said about jumping onto people Naruto?" Nagato asked even as he picked him up.
"Be careful."
Nagato sighed as he settled on setting the young red head back on the ground rather than trying to carry him around. Naruto instantly latched on to Nagato's hand though and walked alongside him even as the clan head's bodyguards fell into step behind the two. He was now beginning to think that he had been in the Hokage's office longer than he originally thought if Naruto was up and this active. He guessed that he had been waiting for him by the gates when he hadn't found him in his office or his room. The child had grown attached to Nagato after their first meeting and always tried to be as close as possible to him when either had spare time even if that meant falling asleep in Nagato's office when he was completing his duties as clan head. Nagato wouldn't say he disliked Naruto's affection but it did grow tiresome when he insisted on being let into private meetings and would throw a tantrum right outside the door when he was denied. It had shocked more than a few people when they entered and found Naruto sitting next to Nagato in an otherwise private meeting. Even though he would eventually fall asleep against Nagato it unnerved a few people that Nagato trusted a child to sit in on them.
"Why were you gone so long Nagato-nii?'
"Because I was needed at the Hokage's office."
"What did Hokage-jiji want?"
"He needed my help with something."
"What was it?"
"I don't remember you being this curious about what I do when I'm away from the compound. Usually you just want to sit in my office when I get back after asking me if I would be gone for anything else."
"But Hokage-jiji called you. It was for something cool right?"
Now Nagato could see why Naruto had so many questions about his absence. He would always accompany him to the Hokage's office when he went and would only be kept out when village secrets were being discussed or something else that had to be kept secret. Still he had Arashi and Ryuu to keep him company the few times it did happen. Being kept completely away only made him think that Nagato was given a secret mission by the Hokage or something similar. Naruto had a very active imagination and more than once it would get out of control and lead him to completely insane scenarios.
"Someone important was missing and they needed my help to find them." Nagato didn't want to explain how a clan heiress was kidnapped and the subsequent manhunt for the criminal that had been carried out by hundreds of shinobi and ANBU. Naruto didn't even know what a kidnapping was in the first place. Trying to explain the backlash of something like that to anyone was hard enough to do but trying to explain it to a 6 year old was nearing the realm of impossibility. Especially when the victim of the kidnapping was among Naruto's small group of friends. Naruto looked like he was about to ask another question when he let out a yelp and hid behind Nagato. Nagato instantly understood why when he turned to look at whatever had scared Naruto and found his instructor standing in front of them.
Uzumaki Asami was not a woman you wanted to cross. Calculating brown eyes looked at them both as she took slow and measured steps towards them. Even though she was about half head shorter than Nagato he still found himself wanting to take a step back. No. He had to stay strong in front of Naruto and the others though. He couldn't give in to the entirely justifiable fear that the woman instilled into people with just a glance. Even if his bodyguards had vanished the moment they saw her. (Those cowards.) The small smile on her face only made her all the more terrifying as she came to a stop in front of him and bowed to Nagato.
"It's great to see that you returned from your errand safely Nagato-sama." A few strands of hair came loose from the usual bun style she kept it in and she carefully placed them back an adjusted the senbon needles in her hair. "Have you happened to come across Naruto-kun? He ran off when I was taking him to begin his morning studies." She looked directly to where Naruto had hidden himself behind Nagato before turning back to the clan head.
"I'll be sure to send him to you when I find him Asami-chan."
"Thank you Nagato-sama." She turned around to head back into the compound but before she did she looked back over her shoulder at the clan head and his newly returned bodyguards. "I'll be seeing you sooner rather than later Naruto-kun." she closed the door to the compound and Naruto breathed out a sigh of relief.
"I'm alive! I'm alive!" he shouted while patting himself frantically, checking to make sure she hadn't done anything to her.
"Please stop ditching your lessons and using me as an excuse. Asami-chan won't stand for it much longer."
"You can handle her Nagato-nii." Naruto pouted as he looked up at the clan head. "Besides she'll melt me or anyone else with her eye powers. It has to be you!"
"Yes save us all Nagato-sama!" Ryu and Arashi exclaimed as they bowed before their clan head. "Save us from the weapon that is Asami-chan!"
'No I can't. She terrifies me.' was what he thought but he chose to say something more neutral. "Asami-chan is nice and you shouldn't keep doing this." His eyes looked to his 'bodyguards' ,if they were even worthy of the title currently. "And you two stop making a scene."
"But lessons are so boring." Arashi and Ryu had silently returned to the clan head's side instead of voicing their thoughts.
"We all have to go through them Naruto-kun. Jiraiya-sama even made me go through them."
Naruto pouted as he stayed silent for the rest of the small walk to Nagato's office and while Arashi and Ryuu placed themselves on either side of the doorway Naruto sat behind Nagato's desk before Nagato had even gotten fully into the room.
"Naruto I actually have work to do today." Nagato looked at the edge of Narut's head barely peeking over the desk with a smile even as he walked around to the side.
"Play with me first Nagato-nii." He saw Naruto's red hair shake left to right as his answer.
"Naruto." Nagato warned as he came to stand on the side of the desk and look down at the child in his chair.
"Nagato-nii." Naruto answered in the same tone of voice as he looked up to the clan head with his blue eyes.
Nagato would never admit that he had a stare down with a small child. Especially not in his own office. Especially not about the part where Naruto went out the office only to come back in dragging a very reluctant pair of bodyguards behind him in one hand as he carried a box in the other. No, none of that happened at any time or in any place.
AN : So how is it? Any type of criticism is welcomed. I'm even opened to suggestions. Any typos or things that are confusing please let me know about them. Hope you enjoyed it!