Okay, so I'm re-writing Anbu: Black Ops. It was the first story I actually finished on this site, and to be honest I've grown a lot since then. Four years in high school have taught me not to write in the present tense, and one or two things about the English language. So I'm making this story better, just consider the old one a rough draft or an outline for this one. It rings true to the original, but with several small changes to plot, and many changes to punctuation. Please read and review, and if you're reading this after reading the original, and want me to change a few things about the plot, just let me know! I'm open to suggestions and I'll see what I can do. (Also, when I originally wrote this, Naruto had not found out who his parents were, so I'm keeping them a mystery to him. Also, the Hiraishin doesn't require a special kunai in this story)
So without further ado, I give you the first chapter of Naruto: Anbu Black Ops Redux.
Enjoy,
Chapter One
Enter Tatsumaki
Darkness, the kind of darkness a lightning bug would get lost in. Darkness that enveloped the night sky. All the stars and the shining moon were invisible behind the coverage of the clouds of a coming storm. It was hours past midnight, and in the village of Konoha, all were asleep.
Save one.
His feet hit the ground one at a time, scraping silently against the side-walk. His hands were clenched tightly around some sort of weapon, the handle barely visible, protruding from underneath thick fabric. He was running hard and fast, the only sound was the flapping of his cloak behind him. He ignored the wave of nostalgia as he passed a familiar bench, not allowing fond memories to slow him down.
But his ignorance had blinded him from the benches sole occupant.
"Naruto?"Umino Iruka spoke up, stopping the running man in his tracks. Iruka stood up, but Naruto didn't turn to face him. He was hiding something from his old sensei, and Iruka could tell.
"Listen, it's very late. I know I'm not in charge of you anymore... but, I'd rather you weren't out so long after dark. Go home, get some rest."
Naruto struggled to hide his weapon beneath the folds of his cloak, but his shaky hands slipped, revealing the scabbard of a short sword to Iruka.
"What's that?" Iruka asked.
Naruto had been found out, he threw a smoke bomb behind him and sprinted away. Iruka covered his face, his sight temporarily lost. When the smoke cleared, Naruto was nowhere to be seen. Only a black sword was left behind, its sheath ordained with several small scrolls. In the center of the saya, a name was inscribed. The name was, Namikaze.
"Naruto!"
The moon rose from its cloudy prison, illuminating the ground where the bench stood empty.
THE NEXT DAY, HOKAGE CHAMBERS.
Haruno Sakura stared out the window behind her master and leader. It was raining harder than it had in a long time, and the wind was howling furiously. It was an ominous time to call for a meeting, but the Hokage had seemed most urgent when she sent for Sasuke and Sakura.
Sakura could tell just by looking at Tsunade, that something had gone horribly wrong. Her stomach turned. Sakura knew full-well who hadn't been called to the meeting, the only possible reason for that being, that whatever Tsunade wanted to discuss, it involved one person. Naruto.
"Sakura... Sasuke. I've called you here to discuss something of great importance and secrecy. I shouldn't have to say, that whatever I tell you now should never be repeated to anyone not in this room. Am I understood?"
Sasuke and Sakura nodded. Their fears were becoming more and more real every second.
"Good... I'm not quite sure how to say this, so I'll just come out with it. At 2:30 this morning, Uzumaki Naruto became a missing-nin."
"What!?"
"Sakura, I know it is hard to believe... but I have a witness account by Iruka stating that Naruto mysteriously disappeared at that time."
"So he wanted to leave the village, we don't live under martial law," Sasuke argued, "He should be allowed to come and go as he pleases."
Even though Sakura found it strange that Naruto would leave without warning, she had to agree with Sasuke, there was no law saying one could never leave Konoha. But Tsunade shook her head.
"Naruto's surprising disappearance is not the reason he was placed on the missing-nin list..."
"Then what is?" Sasuke asked, impatiently.
"Yesterday, Naruto was witnessed stealing a forbidden weapon from an Anbu guard. The weapon was found by Iruka this morning, at the scene of Naruto's disappearance."
A member of the Anbu black ops seemed to materialize from the shadows.
"Hokage-sama." The Anbu knelt beside the Hokage's desk. He wore the traditional clothes of the Anbu, apart from his short black sword having an unusual scabbard. Sasuke spotted the familiar name 'Namikaze', engraved on it. His animal mask was matte black, and in the visage of a snarling fox. When he spoke from behind it, the effect was disquieting.
"This is the Anbu guard that Naruto stole the sword from. His name is Tatsumaki."
"Greetings." His voice rang with a monotone humor. Emotionless yes, but somehow strangely melodic. He excused himself to the back of the room, pulling three chairs up from their spot against the wall. He placed two of them next to Sakura and Sasuke, and then the third beside the Hokage's desk.
"You may be seated." Tsunade said, her voice eloquent and empty. She was clearly just as troubled as Sakura and Sasuke.
For several seconds, they sat in silence, then Sasuke cleared his throat. He looked from Tatsumaki to Tsunade, then opened his mouth to speak.
"Tsunade, why jump to the conclusion that Naruto stole this weapon for personal gain?"
Tsunade stood up and walked to the window. She stared out over Konoha, observing the terrible storm. The rain had never let up, and it almost completely obscured the village from view. The Hokage finally spoke, pain heavy in her voice.
"Tatsumaki can explain better than I can." Her tone was slightly accusatory, but Tatsumaki paid no heed. Standing up from his chair, he started reciting his story.
"Uzumaki Naruto... age: 18. Height: 6'0. Hair: Blonde. Eyes:Blue. Current holder of the toad-contract. Current container of the Kyubi-"
"Just get to the point!" Sakura demanded through clenched teeth. Tatsumaki bowed in her direction.
"My apologies Haruno-san. I located Uzumaki Naruto at Ichiraku Ramen. Uzumaki Naruto was eating at said ramen stand. I was not surprised by this, while making my daily rounds I have often seen Naruto eating there with... Haruno Sakura, Umino Iruka, Hatake Kakashi, Uchiha Sasuke, Rock Lee, Nara-"
"Please dispense with any unnesecary details Tatsumaki." Tsunade said, glaring.
"Yes of course, Hokage-sama. I was then caught off guard when Uzumaki Naruto spotted me on the roof of a nearby building and climbed up to face me. I asked him how I could assist him, and he responded by grabbing me from behind with two shadow clones (I had not seen him summon them, so he must've done it before I spotted him at Ichiraku) and ripping the sword from my back. He then ran away, and though I searched the entire village thoroughly for him, I was forced to return to Hokage-sama at nightfall to report. Uzumaki Naruto was not seen again until Umino Iruka spotted him trying to leave the village."
The occupants of the room sat in silence for a while, before Sakura spoke.
"Tsunade-shisho... I know that stealing is a crime, but whatever this forbidden sword can do, I doubt it's dangerous enough to have Naruto branded as a traitor!"
"Once more Sakura, Tatsumaki can explain."
Tatsumaki bowed once more before continuing.
"This sword is not only a symbol of the Namikaze clan, but the sheath is covered in scrolls containing many forbidden jutsu."
Sasuke grunted.
"The Namikaze clan has no heir, the fourth died without producing a son. What gives you the right to carry that sword?" He asked.
Tatsumaki looked toward Tsunade for support.
"He is the Anbu I have chosen to guard the sword. The sword was discovered in a section of the abandoned Namikaze compound a few months ago. We decided it would be best to keep it under constant watch, and have it constantly moving, that way it would be harder to locate and steal."
"We?" Sasuke asked, tilting his head accusingly.
"Tatsumaki and I decided."
"Who the fuck is this guy!?" Sasuke scoffed in anger.
"Sasuke..." Sakura grabbed his arm, hoping to calm him down. As she did this, she noticed Tatsumaki's shoulders slump, and his head dropped a little.
"No Sakura! How do we know this guy isn't the traitor? After all, he's the only one who claimed Naruto actually stole the sword! If I remember correctly, the last time Naruto stole a forbidden scroll, he was put up to it by some other jerk we thought we could trust!"
Tsunade sank lower into her chair.
"You always claim he's like a son to you, his hearts in the right place, he's a great shinobi, yet you betray him in favor of some...some..."
"Uchiha Sasuke, you should not speak to the Hokage-sama in such a manner." He stood up and moved over to the ex-traitor.
Sasuke pushed at the Anbu's chest.
"I've had more than enough of you. If you speak to me again, I swear I will-"
"Shut the hell up!" Tsunade yelled, slamming her hand down on her desk and breaking it in two, "Sasuke you need to show Tatsumaki some respect. After all, he is willing to help you two search for Naruto!"
"What?!" Sakura and Sasuke shared a confused expression.
"I also believe Uzumaki Naruto had a good reason for trying to steal the sword. Odds are he ran away because he realized what he had done and knew how bad things looked." Tatsumaki returned to his seat.
"Now I'm not going to report Naruto's status for as long as his disappearance goes unnoticed... In the mean time, you three will be trying to find him."
Sakura's mood visibly brightened, but Sasuke still held his suspicions.
"And just how will his disappearance go unnoticed?" The Uchiha asked.
"Because 'he' will be going on the mission with you." Tsunade cleared her throat , "Tatsumaki will leave the village with you henged as Naruto, I will list Naruto's name on the mission's papers. No one will question anything until you return, when you do find Naruto, Tatsumaki will simply sneak back into the village while you three return through the main gate. It will be as if he never went missing in the first place."
Sakura and Sasuke nodded in reluctant understanding. Tatsumaki henged, and the knuckle-headed ninja stood before them once more.
"Will this do?" He asked in his calculating tone. Sakura laughed at the mismatch of his body and his voice.
"Not with that ridiculous voice!" She teased.
Tatsumaki grunted in response. He formed a few more hand-signs, cleared his throat, and then spoke again.
"Is this sufficient?" His voice now sounded like gravel mixing with water. It was an almost perfect copy of Naruto's.
"You still talk strange... but at least you sound like him now." Sakura said, smiling at the Anbu. She was still slightly resentful for his role in this mess, but if he wanted to help Naruto, he at least deserved her respect. Sasuke seemed to think differently.
"Pretending to be Naruto won't replace him." He said bitterly.
"Yes, you aren't nearly obnoxious enough." Tsunade said chuckling to herself.
Tatsumaki stood there silently for a moment, he seemed to be gathering his thoughts.
"You still there Tatsumaki?" Tsunade asked, waving a hand in front of his face.
A sheepish smile formed on the fake Naruto's face. Everyone in the room was taken back by the likeness. Tatsumaki had mastered Naruto's signature grin.
"I am observant," he closed his eyes and scratched his head like the Uzumaki, "His expressions are easy to match after seeing them performed day after day."
His face quickly reverted to an expressionless one, it reflected Tatsumaki's attitude perfectly.
"Alright, enough chit-chat. Get home and pack for a week's worth, then meet up at the gates. The sooner you find Naruto, the sooner we can put all this behind us."
"Let's get this over with." Sasuke marched angrily through the door.
"Good to know we're getting off on the right foot." Tatsumaki said as he followed Sakura out of the Hokage's chambers.
"Was that a joke Tatsumaki?" Tsunade called after them.
Sakura leaned up against the gates of Konoha, watching as Sasuke filled out the paperwork with the guards. The storm had finally ended, and the ground was still soaked from the rain. Her eyes wandered lazily from puddle to puddle, seeking something that would catch her interest. After spotting two birds fighting over a worm, her attention drifted to her third companion, who appeared to be staring at her. She kicked a pebble that was near her feet and looked back at Sasuke. He was still filling out the forms, he would've finished by now if he wasn't so interested in the female guard in charge.
'Oh now he likes girls? Where was this flirting when we were 13? Jerk.'
Her eyes fell away from the disgrace of her teammate and once again rested on Tatsumaki, who was definitely staring at her.
"Why are you staring at me?" He asked.
"What?!" Sakura asked, taken off guard.
"You keep looking at me..."
"That's because you're staring at me!"
"Guys?" Sasuke stood before them, pointing at the gate, "We can go now."
Sakura quickly walked away from Tatsumaki. Her arms crossed in annoyance. Sasuke glared at the Anbu, waiting for him to follow. To everyone's surprise, Tatsumaki turned in the direction of the village and yelled in his best Naruto impression,
"GOODBYE KONOHA! YOUR NEXT HOKAGE WILL BE BACK BEFORE YOU KNOW IT!"
Sakura and Sasuke stood bewildered. The Anbu in disguise walked out the gate and the duo followed him, once they were out of the guard's earshot Sakura spoke berated him.
"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!" She screamed at the pseudo-Naruto. The smile washed off of Tatsumaki's face.
"I'm just being 'myself' Haruno-san." He answered coldly.
Sasuke groaned at Tatsumaki's emphasis of 'myself'. Sakura herself just walked away, taking the lead and following the path. As soon as she had left him, Tatsumaki's fake smile returned, and when he flashed Sasuke a thumbs up as he walked past, the Uchiha just cringed. With his head down, Sasuke followed the Anbu, and the trio began the long journey to find their missing ally.
The three had been walking for hours, searching for any clues that would get them on Naruto's trail, when the sun finally began to set. When the three reached a large clearing beside the road, Sasuke spoke.
"We should set up camp." Sasuke took his pack off and unpacked his tent.
"I shall search for firewood" the now himself Tatsumaki left the boundaries of the camp to find dry wood.
After setting up camp Sasuke and Sakura sat down against a large tree. The events of the day had left them both dejected and miserable. The crushing news of Naruto's disappearance had only been worsened by a day spent looking for him without any luck.
'Where did you go Naruto?' Sasuke thought to himself, looking over at Sakura, he could tell she was thinking the same thing.
"What are you doing?"
Tatsumaki stood before them, a large collection of sticks in his arms. Sasuke stared at him.
"We're just sitting."
Tatsumaki shrugged and organized the dry sticks into a bundle. Then he used a katon jutsu to ignite them. The sun had been gone for some time now, and the warmth of the fire was nice in the cold of the night. Sakura and Sasuke moved closer to the heat. After about an hour of silence, Tatsumaki spoke.
"Do you wish to communicate?"
"No." Sasuke stated, coldly and firmly. Sakura nudged his arm.
"What Sasuke meant to say is that we've had a long day and would rather not talk." She said kindly enough.
Tatsumaki shrugged. Several more minutes of silence passed.
"If you want, I can entertain you." Tatsumaki offered.
"You? Entertain?" Sasuke laughed a bitter sarcastic laugh.
"I know some stories." Tatsumaki said, emotionless.
Sakura grew suddenly interested, and nodded her head in approval.
"I love stories!" She smiled happily.
Tatsumaki nodded slowly, then repositioned himself closer to the fire. He stuck his hands out to warm them.
"Very well, of what do you wish to hear?"
"How about that creepy-ass mask?" Sasuke asked. Sakura nudged him again.
"I'm afraid there isn't much of a story behind it."
Sakura urged him on with a smile.
"No, please," She implored, "We'd like to know more about it."
Tatsumaki nodded and reached for his mask. Sakura and Sasuke stared at him in anticipation, only to be greatly disappointed by what he was wearing behind his mask. A wave of deja vu swept them as he adjusted the cloth wrap that covered his entire face.
He handed the mask carefully to Sakura, and she took it from him. Up close, she could better admire the skill it had taken to craft the mask. While other Anbu masks were very simple renditions of common animals, this almost demonic fox face clearly took time and patience.
"My father hand-made it when he was accepted into the Anbu. He was so proud of himself, he never once used the white mask they gave him. He earned a name for himself, the way he fought, and with that mask he was recognizable throughout the ranks of the Anbu. They started calling him 'The Konoha Tatsumaki'... that's why I go by that name now." Tatsumaki was being completely honest. Even though he had never personally known his father, hearing about his exploits always filled him with pride.
"Is your father...?" Sakura asked, not knowing how to finish her question. Tatsumaki nodded.
"He gave his life protecting Konoha from the Kyubi."
Sakura and Sasuke abruptly looked up away from the mask. Tatsumaki's hollow eyes stared back at them. Sakura broke the heated silence. They hadn't noticed that they were blue before now.
"Do you..." Sakura began, "I mean... you don't hate Naruto for it, do you?"
"I'm sorry... why would I hate Naruto for something the nine-tailed fox did? I was under the impression Uzumaki Naruto saved the village and is a hero."
Sakura felt her eyes start to water as she hugged Tatsumaki. She held back tears, but she was genuinely touched. It was very seldom that someone thought of Naruto as a hero for what happened that night, more often then not they despised him for it.
"You don't know what that means to me... what that would mean to him." She told him, wiping the tears from her eyes. Sasuke nodded in agreement.
"I see, you are in love with Uzumaki Naruto." Tatsumaki teased.
Sakura looked at Sasuke, and the boy's left eyebrow was cocked. It wasn't the first time someone had told her that she was in love with Naruto.
"No, no... it isn't like that. We're just great friends." Turning toward Sasuke, she hugged him, "Naruto, Sasuke and I... well we're like a family."
Tatsumaki grabbed his mask back from Sakura, and placed it back on his face. Whipping around quickly, he walked away, leaving Sasuke trapped in Sakura's death grip.
"Where are you going now?" The Uchiha asked suspiciously.
"I'm keeping watch... now get some sleep."
If Sakura didn't know any better, she would think that Tatsumaki almost sounded hurt.
"He's right, let's get some sleep." Sasuke wiggled out of Sakura's vice-like grip and crawled into his tent. After a moment of staring in Tatsumaki's direction, Sakura did the same.
Sasuke woke to find Tatsumaki standing outside his tent.
"What do you want?"
Tatsumaki pointed to Sakura's tent.
"Wake Haruno-san."
Sasuke peeked into Sakura's tent and called her name, she shifted out of bed and left her tent.
"What's up Tatsu?"
Tatsumaki opened his mouth to speak but was silenced by the nickname.
"Tatsu?"
"Mhmm." Sakura nodded sheepishly.
"Is there a reason you woke us?" Sasuke barked.
Tatsumaki seemed to pull himself out of a daze before speaking.
"Well the sun has risen... I figured we would want to continue the search." Tatsumaki seemed to be hiding something, but Sasuke chose to ignore it.
"Well let's pack up and go." The Uchiha said, moving toward his tent. Sakura nodded and did the same. In a few minutes, the trio departed. By nightfall, they were on the edges of the Wind country. Degraded at another day of meaningless searching, the three turned in for the night.
Being so close to the desert, it got really cold that night. So cold that it awoke Sakura. Her sleeping bag wasn't enough to keep her warm, and she couldn't fall asleep being so cold, so she pulled the incompetent sleeping bag around her and left her tent. The fire was still blazing, so she sat down right next to it. The warmth was an incredible relief.
"Oh that feels good." She said aloud, not knowing that Tatsumaki was standing only a few feet away.
"Haruno-san?"
She jumped. Then realizing who it was, calmed herself down.
"You know, you can call me Sakura, Tatsumaki."
"Oh... I'm sorry Sakura-san." He said, sitting down beside her.
"You don't need to apologize...I over reacted." Sakura said, smiling at him.
"Not that." he said, looking toward the ground, "I'm sorry for Uzumaki Naruto."
"Oh... I feel sorry for him too, to have so many people judge you for what's inside you..." Sakura said, her eyes glazing over.
"No not that...I feel sorry for him because of what is inside of him."
Sakura frowned. She'd never really thought of that before. Sure she pitied Naruto for the way the way people treated him, but she never really thought that the worse part of his life could be the demon living inside of him.
"How does he know if his power is his own? Maybe he deserves all the praise he receives, but it must feel terrible not knowing if you actually accomplished something, or if it was just the monster inside you doing all the work."
Sakura had never thought about that before either. Several moments of silence passed before she spoke.
"Even if Naruto's strength isn't what he's using... even if all his power comes from the Kyubi, the Kyubi isn't the one taking all the punishment and getting right back up. The Kyubi isn't the one helping all those people, and the Kyubi certainly isn't the one who would do anything to protect his friends. I certainly don't love the Kyubi... but Naruto has earned my love time and time again."
Tatsumaki's body seemed to buckle. It was almost as if he was crying, but when he spoke, his voice betrayed no weakness.
"He's lucky to have a friend like you."
"You know... I could be your friend too Tatsu. If you'd like."
"... I would like that very much, Sakura-san."
Sasuke watched on from his tent, clenching his fists.
The Kyubi stood before Naruto, his body glowing with anger.
"You can't keep hiding." the fox stated grimly, "I know how hard they hunt for you."
"Why should I trust you Kurama?" Naruto asked, "I know how badly you want to be free, if they find me, you'd just get what you want!"
"You have no idea what I want!"
"If you don't want to be free, why do you so often take control of my body! Even after I freed you from that godforsaken cage!"
Kurama said nothing.
"You make me hurt the people I care about, and all I've ever done is give you a chance to redeem yourself!"
"FOOL!" A wave of chakra knocked Naruto to the ground and the Kyubi shut his eyes, "It was you..."
"What?" Naruto stood up, "What the hell are you talking about?"
"You can blame me all you want for giving you the power to hurt those you love... but every time the rage consumes you, IT IS YOUR ANGER THAT FUELS YOU!"
Naruto stood in shock..."It was me?"...how could he have been in control, the few memories he had of his power led him to believe his body was being controlled by the Kyubi. It made no sense, if his own anger was controlling him then...
"I hurt Sakura."
Kurama nodded sadly. Naruto looked back and forth in shock.
Then, he roared in primal rage. Collapsing on the ground in his mind-scape, his tears quickly created a flood. He allowed the water to fill the room, hoping to drown himself in his own thoughts.
"Don't do this boy. Wake up."
Naruto ran out of oxygen just as the water reached the Kyubi's chest. His eyes shot open.
"Naruto!" Sakura's stood up in a flash, her body drenched in sweat. Panting, she scanned the camp for Naruto. Then she remembered that he was missing, and that three days of searching hadn't brought them any closer to finding him.
"You alright?" Sasuke had been sitting on a stump, clenching his sword tightly. He didn't look like he had gotten any sleep. When Sakura nodded at him weakly, he motioned toward Tatsumaki, who was apparently meditating next to the smoldering fire.
"Tatsu?" Sakura hesitantly shook the Anbu. He leaped up with a start, drawing his sword and swinging at the air in front of him. Sakura stepped back just in time.
Realizing where he was, he sheathed the Namikaze Ninjato.
"Sorry."
"Bad dream?"
"The worst."
"Sakura, I need to ask you something."
"What Sasuke?"
Sasuke drew his sword and turned his back to them.
"If you had to choose...would you kill him to save Naruto?"
"WHAT!"
Sasuke paced around the small camp.
"If Naruto would die unless you killed Tatsumaki...would you?"
"...how...How can you even ask that!"
Sakura looked from Sasuke to Tatsumaki.
"ANSWER ME!"
Sakura shook her head violenty.
"I can't!"
Sasuke whipped his sword around. It sat on the side of Tatsumaki's neck.
"ANSWER ME!...or he dies."
Sakura blinked rapidly...She stared furiously at Sasuke.
"You've gone mad!"
He pulled his arm back, ready to swing.
"YES!" She screamed.
A smirk crossed Sasuke's face. Ice cold anger passed through him as he swung his sword. Blood spewed from Tatsumaki's masked throat, and he crumpled to the ground.
"NO!" Sakura ran towards Tatsumaki's fallen body, but Sasuke grabbed her before she could get to him. He held her as she fought against him, before finally speaking.
"Wait." Sasuke's voice barely rose above a harsh whisper. Sakura was ready to turn and kick him away but Tatsumaki rose from the ground, the fabric still ripped but the wound healed.
"How!?" She asked, bewildered.
"A forbidden technique of the Namikaze clan." Sasuke uttered, "I studied the scrolls while you were sleeping. You're the on using forbidden jutsu for personal gain. You're the traitor!" Sasuke held up his sword, pointing it right at Tatsumaki.
Tatsumaki stared at Sasuke, not knowing what to say. A few moments of tense silence passed.
"Do you have a problem with me Uchiha-san?"
"I bet you set him up...sure Naruto stole a forbidden scroll before but he was tricked into doing it. He's all about finding power by your own means, he hates when people use forbidden techniques to make themselves stronger, there is no way he would have done it!"
"Guys stop fighting! Naruto wouldn't want-"
"Sakura, think about it... Naruto's dead...this guy killed him."
Tatsumaki spoke up. Anger in his voice.
"That's a lie."
Tatsumaki looked to Sakura, her face was twisted in confusion.
"Just think about it Sakura... he stole the techniques and let Naruto take the blame."
Tatsumaki felt fear. A deep fear, he knew the power of these two well, he knew what they could do.
"Wait. Sasuke. Sakura. Don't do this. I have an explanation for every-"
A wave of realization and anger fell over Sakura's face.
"You're right Sasuke..." She said grimly, cracking her knuckles.
'Shit.'
Tatsumaki took off sprinting, not wishing to take two of the most powerful ninja in the hidden leaf village head on. The remaining members of team seven followed at breakneck speed.
In his head, Tatsumaki was listing off more curse words than he actually knew. Sakura and Sasuke continued the chase for several minutes, traveling miles from their campsite. Tatsumaki stopped suddenly, a large rock face stood before him and Sakura and Sasuke were directly behind him. He turned quickly.
Using a forbidden technique, he summoned several shadow clones. They nodded at him, and ran to face the two ninja. Sakura slammed her fist to the ground, creating a shock-wave that sent the clones flying. Sasuke jumped after them, slicing them into smoke.
Tatsumaki was running out of time. Killing them wasn't even close to an option, they were his best friends.
"Wait!" He threw his hands up in protest, halting the ninja momentarily, "I swear I didn't kill Naruto!"
"Prove it!" Sakura screamed at him. Her resolve only slightly suppressed. However, when Tatsumaki seemed to struggle to answer the question, her patience quickly thinned.
"I didn't want to do this..." He reached for his mask. Unfortunately for Tatsumaki, Sasuke had read of a secret technique amongst the forbidden scrolls that involved the removal of ones face to hypnotize the intended victim.
"SAKURA LOOK OUT!" Sasuke raced forward slicing Tatsumaki across the stomach.
"Gah!"
Sasuke swung the blade again slicing the Anbu across his chest. Tatsumaki fell to his knees.
"Why'd you kill him!?"
Tatsumaki looked up at Sasuke.
"I didn't kill Naruto-"
"LIAR!"
The Uchiha kicked Tatsumaki square in the face. His nose broke behind his mask. Sasuke's brutality horrified Sakura.
"Sasuke stop! This is too much!"
"SHUT UP SAKURA! HE KILLED NARUTO!"
Tatsumaki's face shot up.
"Don't talk to Sakura-chan that way."
Sasuke looked on in shock, in all the distraction he hadn't noticed the shadow clone crouching behind Tatsumaki moving his hands.
"RASENGAN!" Tatsumaki slammed the ball of wind down into the ground, creating an explosion of dust and rock that sent the three ninja flying.
Sasuke fell to the ground, several large rocks fell around him, almost crushing him. He dodged another rock, then rolled onto his stomach.
"DAMN!"
Sasuke stood up searching frantically for the Anbu. A severely wounded Tatsumaki landed in front of him, holding an unconscious Sakura in his arms.
"Put her down!" Sasuke screamed through the clearing dust and debris.
Tatsumaki shook his head in anger, the pain from his injuries delaying his voice.
"She's hurt...we need t-GAH!"
Tatsumaki fell to his knees, the pain was tremendous. He hadn't had time to recast the Namikaze protection jutsu after Sasuke had sliced his throat, and his wounds were deep.
"WE NEED TO GET HER TO KONOHA!" Tatsumaki said through the pain.
Sasuke understood, he was willing to agree to a temporary truce for as long as Sakura was in danger. Whether or not this man killed Naruto, the life of his other best friend was hanging in the balance.
"Give her here, I'll take her."
Tatsumaki stood up.
"No...you're not fast enough." Tatsumaki barked at Sasuke. "I'll do it."
"Are you crazy? You'll die before you get halfway there!" Sasuke walked towards Tatsumaki, "Give her to me!"
Tatsumaki stepped away from the Uchiha, his body began to glow a harsh red.
"NO!" Tatsumaki growled his voice altered and gritty.
Before Sasuke could blink Tatsumaki took off at breakneck speeds away from the Uchiha.
"WHAT?" Sasuke quite literally ate the Anbu's dust.
Sasuke stood dazed, he couldn't believe that Tatsumaki had recovered so quickly, let alone manage to take off at such impossible speeds. Sasuke followed as fast as he could, hoping to reach Konohagakure before nightfall.
"You wont make it."
"SHUT UP!"
Tatsumaki knew it was the truth, he'd never make it..."unless...", Tatsumaki thought back to the forbidden scrolls of the Namikaze's. Only one would give him the speed needed to reach Konoha..."but it's a kekai genkai!"...That didn't matter. He had to try.
"Hang on Sakura-chan!"
Tatsumaki gathered all his remaining chakra at his feet and shut his eyes.
'Hiraishin!' A blinding light flashed and Tatsumaki was gone.
The fifth Hokage sat at her desk, filling out an infinite amount of paperwork, drowning a bottle of sake with every signature.
FWIPP!
A small explosion ripped the air in front of Tsunade's desk.
"What the hell?!" Tsunade stood up quickly, knocking her chair out from under her. The light was blinding, so she shielded her eyes with her arm. When the flash disappeared Tatsumaki stood before her, a wounded Sakura in his arms. He fell to his knees, but lifted Sakura up, holding her out from his body at arm's length.
"Help her." He begged. Tsunade ran to Tatsumaki and grabbed Sakura, sprinting her downstairs to the hospital-wing. Tatsumaki pulled himself up from the ground, and using the wall as support, followed the Hokage.
Downstairs, after several minutes of continued chakra flow, Tsunade had managed to stabilize Sakura. Turning around, she saw that Tatsumaki had made it all the way downstairs, dripping blood the whole way.
"She needs rest, but she'll be fine...It's a good thing you got her here so soon...something fell on her caving in her ribs, slowly crushing her lungs. I managed to pry the ribs outwards again, but she'll be asleep for some time." Tsunade patted the bed next to Sakura's and Tatsumaki sat on it. The Anbu unbuckled and removed his armor, and placed it and his sword on the mattress beside him. He lifted his shirt off his torso and Tsunade checked his wounds.
After a few moments of silence she spoke.
"Who did this to you?" She began healing the lacerations with chakra.
"...Sasuke." He answered.
"Well I've healed the sword wounds, but your chakra pathways and bones have massive bruising." Tsunade frowned, "Now do you mind telling me what happened?"
Tsunade handed him back his shirt, and he put it on. He buckled his armor back on, but kept the sword out of its saya. He stood up off the mattress and twirled it around before sitting down in a chair and sharpening it.
"I did it again."
Tsunade said nothing.
"I hurt her again!"
"It wasn't your fault." Tsunade knelt in front of Tatsumaki, embracing him. His body was shaking. He reached for his mask, wanting desperately to take the damned thing off, but there was no door to separate the room from the crowded hallway, where nurses were making their rounds. From behind them, Sakura's breathing grew erratic. Tsunade rushed over to re-stabilize her.
'Damn... her lungs are so weak...' The Hokage thought to herself.
"I unleashed the rasengan into the ground, a falling rock crushed her...I...I hate myself!" Tatsumaki stabbed the ninjato into the hospital tile below him, cursing.
"How did you get her here, what jutsu?" Tsunade asked, trying to draw the Anbu's attention away from his mistake.
Tatsumaki shook his head. In her heart, Tsunade knew what he had done.
"It was the Hiraishin... the kekai genkai of the Namikaze clan. Do you know what that means?" Sakura's breathing returned to normal.
Tatsumaki shook his head.
"You are the last remaining Namikaze!"
Tatsumaki's head shot up.
"How?"
"Minato must have produced in heir before he sealed the nine tailed fox inside y-" Tsunade whispered as a nurse walked by,"Inside Naruto."
Tatsumaki stared ahead.
"I have to leave the village, perfect it." Tatsumaki returned the short sword to it's sheath, "Learn to control myself, my rage. So I never hurt her again..."
The Anbu stood up and walked over to Sakura, who was now breathing easy. He brushed stray hairs out of her face, revealing the full glory of her ivory colored forehead. He dropped his head low, wanting to kiss it. But with the mask on, he could do no such thing.
"I love you." He whispered. She stirred, but remained asleep.
Tsunade frowned.
"What will I tell the village...about Naruto?"
Tatsumaki left Sakura's side.
"He needs this more than me...tell them he was the last of the Namikazes...and that I killed him."
Tsunade stared at him in shock.
"It's the only way I can see out of this. To protect my loved ones... I can no longer exist. I know all my friends will hate me, and want to kill me... but Tatsumaki will never return. From his ashes, a Namikaze will rise." Tatsumaki clenched his fist in front of his face.
Nodding grimly, Tsunade spoke.
"Believing the Kyubi dead, these enemies will surely stop following you. The village will no longer be in danger, and neither will you."
Tatsumaki walked quickly toward the window. When he opened it, a strong gust of wind blew into the room, a last reminder of the storm that had occurred almost four days ago. The Anbu turned to his Hokage one last time.
"Tell the village immediately the truth about Uzumaki Naruto... Goodbye, Baa-chan."
Tsunade smiled as a tear rolled down her cheek. Then, he was gone.