Flames of War
Chapter 1: Re-acquaintance
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters involved except for Guardian I. Inferno and Guardian F. Fire
Land of Fire, the Hidden Leaf Village, after Pain's attack.
The village was in the process of recovery, construction was going on everywhere, which was why the two strange figures in red cloaks were able to slip through unnoticed. They approached the Kage's office building and made their way inside. As they approached the door the taller of the two figures said something to his companion.
"You remember what I told you?"
"Yes sir," he said as he reached back and adjusted something under the cloak.
"Good," The older figure stopped as they had arrived at the door to the Hokage's office.
"Ready?"
"As I'll ever be,"
The older man nodded and reached out, taking the knob, he turned it and pushed the door open. Immediately a voice shouted at them.
"Not now, I'm in the middle of a mission briefing!"
"She is loud," the younger man whispered.
The older man shh'ed him before he pushed the door the rest of the way open.
"I told you I'm-" Tsunade was standing behind her desk but stopped when the older man dropped his hood.
"No…"
"Yep," He replied with a grin.
The man unclasped his cloak and let it fall to the floor, the younger one did the same before he picked the two articles up off the floor and folded them up into a neat pile and placing them in a pack on his back, which covered a majority of a large, red-bladed great sword.
"Fire…" She said.
The young man looked up at her and nodded hesitantly.
"Fire!" Another voice shouted, a young man's. The pair looked over and spotted three Jonin ninja with one blonde haired ninja in an orange and black outfit.
"How are you?" he asked as he approached, extending his fist.
The older man stepped forward and connected his fist with Naruto's.
"Wrong one," he replied simply.
Naruto looked confused for a moment before he spotted a red-banded Leaf Ninja headband tied to the upper-arm of the man's right arm.
"Fire?"
"I go by Inferno now, that's fire," He thumbed back over his shoulder to the younger man, who nodded.
"What's going on?" Naruto was definitely confused.
"I'll explain later, but first. Lady Tsunade! Hidden Leaf Ninja Guardian I. Inferno reporting for duty," he approached the desk as he spoke and when he standing before Tsunade he took his middle and third fingers on his right hand and made a V with the back of his hand facing Tsunade. She nodded in response.
"Good to have you back. I assume you're here because of the attack,"
"That and what's to come," Inferno replied.
"Very well, and I assume you're going to want to escort Naruto?"
"Nope," He replied.
She looked surprised, as did Naruto and the three Jonin.
"Fire's going to do it, you're gonna need all the help you can get," He replied as he thumbed back to his younger counterpart once again.
"But master!" he shouted.
Inferno turned in a blur, one eye staring intently at Fire, the whole room was immediately hit with a sense of foreboding pressure.
Fire backed down and the pressure disappeared as Inferno turned back to face Tsunade.
"As I said, Fire is going to escort Naruto, I'll be here, helping out around the village," He said with a wink.
Tsunade noticed the sign and nodded. Naruto seemed a little down at the conclusion of the conversation.
"Alright, I'll catch you later Naruto, make sure to find me before you leave, we'll get some ramen," He said as he walked by and held up his hand.
Naruto nodded and the two bumped fists once again before Inferno left the room. Tsunade cleared her throat and the Jonin, Naruto, and Fire lined up in front of her desk.
"As I was saying, Naruto, you're going to need to learn to control the nine-tails, as such you'll be traveling to the land hidden in the clouds, there's someone there who can help you do that,"
"Alright, when do I leave?"
"Tomorrow, gather your things for a long trip. The rest of you are going to act as Naruto's guards on this mission, be sure nothing befalls him, am I understood?"
The group nodded.
"Dismissed!"
The five of them turned and filed out of Tsunade's office, and once they were gone Naruto turned to Fire.
"So… you're Fire now?" he asked.
Fire nodded, "Yes, I'm master Inferno's apprentice, and as such I have inherited the title of Fire,"
"And Inferno is the Fire I used to know?"
Fire nodded again.
"I think I get it now, but why the name changes?"
"It's part of our culture, it's just the way it works," Fire explained.
Naruto crossed his arms and groaned a little before sighing. "Alright, well, it can't be helped I guess, c'mon, I'm gonna want some help packing up my stuff,"
Fire nodded and followed Naruto out of the Hokage's building. Inferno watched from atop the structure as his apprentice walked with Naruto into the construction.
"So, you're back then? For how long?" Tsunade's voice asked from behind him.
"Well, as you and I both know, there's a war coming. The Guardians aren't as strapped for resources or manpower this time around, and we're not here to offer help for a favor in return. There's a guy, Jirn, who's supposedly on the run around here,"
"And what's so dangerous about this Jirn fellow?"
Inferno thought about how to answer that for a moment, before he sighed. "From the mission briefing, and from my few brief encounters with him… he's the Kakashi of Guardians,"
Tsunade's eyes widened. "You mean?"
Inferno nodded, "The guy's able to copy any technique he sees, and while Kakashi's sharingan limits him to Jutsu, Jirn has no such restriction,"
"But… the toll that takes on one's body must be enormous,"
"Normally you'd be right… but Jirn isn't normal by any means, which is why he's such a threat,"
"And you think he's teamed up with the Akatsuki?"
"If reports and sightings of his activity lately are to be believed, yes,"
Tsunade sighed as she closed her eyes and looked down at the ground.
"Don't worry Lady Tsunade, I swear on my life as a Guardian that Jirn will not touch a hair on Naruto's head, nor will his presence influence this world anymore than it already has,"
"I suppose that's what I'll have to take at this point,"