A/N: So welcome to this story. I got this idea from watching the Blacklist, a recent show on NBC. It's pretty much cut from the same cloth as the Butcher of Konoha, so expect it to be gritty and having my own blend of dementedness worked in.
This first chapter is a bit pounding through things, getting the pilot out and seeing how much people like it. Back story will come in later chapters, so just pay attention please and wait.
I don't own Naruto.
Chapter 1
Jiraiya walked with a purpose, moving through the casino. He had already noticed Tsunade and he knew she had spotted him already. However, he wasn't his usual jubilant self and even Tsunade would pick up on it. The people parted, moving out of his way, because for better or for worse, Jiraiya was a big man and toned from his work as a Shinobi and from his efforts as a Sage. Given the determined look on his face, the grim look in his eyes, and the rough way that he'd shake off people's hands when they tried to pause him to ask if they could help him, people soon got the message and just generally got the hell out of his way.
Jiraiya took a seat at the table where Tsunade was at and he glanced at her before at the rest of the players. "Leave." He ordered them. He saw some of them looking to argue, but with a brief flare of killing intent, they scrambled away like they couldn't get away fast enough. Even Shizune, for all of her training under Tsunade, looked like a rabbit caught in the gaze of a large and hungry predator.
Tsunade leaned back. "What's wrong?" she asked, feeling her mind clearing up as she worked to purge the excessive amount of alcohol from her system. She was reminded, quite sharply, that Jiraiya had become the strongest of the three Sannin, no matter what Orochimaru would claim. Perhaps not the brightest, but she wouldn't want to take him on in a straight up fight either.
Jiraiya waited a moment, making sure everyone cleared before he smacked a silencing tag down onto the table. "What I'm about to tell you is in regards to a current investigation of a major crime within Konoha. With the perpetrator being involved, or believed to be involved in twenty murders within the walls of Konoha in the past year. We really had no idea that this person was doing anything to be honest. At first, people disappeared, fine, we just thought they either left Konoha or Danzo was recruiting for Root once more. Now though, now we have belief that someone has been purposely killing them." Jiraiya said as he set a folder on the table
Tsunade looked briefly aghast at the sheer number of people killed. So quickly and by a single perpetrator? It would require some skills to evade the skilled senses of the Shinobi within the walls of Konoha. Which meant someone was very good and they needed her for something. "What do you want from me? You know I'm not about to go back there." Tsunade said.
Jiraiya's eyes sharpened. "You will go back there, even if I have to drag you by your hair kicking and screaming. Sarutobi-Sensei has already ordered it of you and failure to comply will result in you being declared as a Missing Nin, with Shizune." Jiraiya jerked his head towards the brunette woman. "We have kept the latest crime scene for you to take a look at." He said.
Tsunade inhaled slowly before she watched Jiraiya. He was quite serious, it actually scared her. "Someone was obviously pushing hard for this to be brought to me. What aren't you telling me?" Tsunade asked.
Jiraiya felt the corner of his mouth twitch, a dead giveaway that he was indeed keeping something. He paused for a moment. "Three clan heirs, a clan head, and my spy network in Konoha have all been victims." Jiraiya said. "As well as the Heiress' sister." Jiraiya added and inhaled slowly. "Hinata Hyuuga, Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno, Shikamaru Nara, and Shikaku Nara have all been killed, all of them being unaccounted for in the past three months. Hanabi Hyuuga was less than a month ago."
Tsunade inhaled sharply. That was a lot of deaths of important people. How had Konoha not found them yet? But then she understood. Someone had cut off the head of the Nara clan, and Shikaku was renowned for being able to think dozens of paces ahead. Someone had killed a very important group.
The Hyuuga clan was likely on lockdown, refusing to risk their members to the machinations of the perpetrator. She had heard of the Haruno family, civilians, wealthy, influential, and of course she was also aware of the Uchiha massacre that left Konoha with one Uchiha.
Guess not anymore.
"And what of…what of Naruto?" she asked carefully. She knew Jiraiya's godson was something of a sore topic, especially since Jiraiya felt he abandoned the poor kid, but what was done was done.
"Safe," Jiraiya said sounding thankful for that, something she really couldn't blame him on. "He's homeschooled, a little bit of a Hell raiser, but he's kept under careful guard."
Tsunade thought for a moment and then took a drink from her saucer of sake. "And what have you found at the crime scenes?" she asked. She had done forensic work in the past, working alongside the Uchiha police force when it was around. They may not have cared for her, but she was a brilliant individual in the world of medicine and as a result, she became brilliant in several other fields as well.
Jiraiya grit his teeth and Tsunade felt a pit form in her stomach. "Nothing." He ground out slowly. "Not a hair, not a finger print, we haven't found jack or shit." He said.
Tsunade frowned a moment, realizing why then that they had preserved the latest crime scene for her. Even still, it would degrade quickly if they didn't hurry, which meant they'd have to wait for the killer to strike again. "How do you know it's the crime scene?" she asked.
Jiraiya leaned back into his chair a little bit. "The owner of the hotel mentioned seeing Hanabi with someone there. We have determined the person either used a very civilian-like disguise or a complex henge like yours." Jiraiya said.
Tsunade's hand went to her diamond almost before she nodded softly. Her transformation was not exactly something easy to perform and keep. Still, it helped narrow people down for a moment. "Then let's go." She said and stood up. She gathered what little money she had left.
"One last thing Hime," Jiraiya said. "Sarutobi-sensei will be paying you freelancer pay for this job." He told her.
Tsunade nodded simply, unable to think of something to say to that. She was getting paid however much she wanted to stop a serial killer in her Grandfather's village. It just didn't seem right.
(Scene Break)
It had been three days since they left and they were just getting back. Tsunade watched as people roamed in groups, desperately trying not to be the next victim. How long had it been like this? Even seasoned Genin were travelling with their teams and only their teams. "How old is he?" Tsunade asked, mentioning Naruto to Jiraiya.
"Thirteen." Jiraiya said glancing in the direction of where he knew his godson lived. How he'd like to go to him, but Jiraiya had problems of his own. The graduation had been postponed and the Chunin Exams flat out cancelled.
Tsunade nodded. "Jiraiya-sama!" A chunin with a burn across his face came running up. "He's struck again." He said breathing heavily. "He managed to get Neji Hyuuga this time, and we're left with a more intact crime scene for Tsunade-sama."
Tsunade's eyes hardened and she quickly followed the Chunin with Jiraiya, running quickly with Shizune. It wasn't long until they came to a hotel room on the ground floor and Tsunade headed inside the room, past the ANBU guarding it. Shizune just followed with her mentor.
Tsunade stared at the grisly reason why they believed this room to be the crime scene. There, on the nightstand, was a jar with the eyeballs of a Hyuuga and a note written in red, her nose was telling her it was blood but she refused to become useless. Not when there was such a danger involved.
She shakily picked it up and flipped it open 'His eyes were useless'
Tsunade swallowed softly at the brutality of the comment and looked to the glass jar where the eyes resided. A branch member had been killed and had their eyes deemed useless. This was someone capable of getting not only clan heirs but seasoned Jonin like Shikaku Nara.
Tsunade began to look around with Shizune, looking over things and getting increasingly more confused. Not a smudge, not a hair, not a finger print. Not even on the night stand where it should be littered with finger prints.
"Tsunade-sama, I have a residue along the walls," Shizune said, rubbing it between her gloved fingers. "Though, I'm pretty sure it's just tape." She said.
Tsunade glanced back thinking about it. "He's put up plastic. That's why the walls are so clean." She said. Tsunade then moved to the shower and the tub, looking confused as to why they were separate. It was a rather unique item. She wondered if the killer used them.
She ran her fingers along the walls. She then tried the drain, finding a slight residue. She smelled the residue carefully. "Iodine." She said softly. The perpetrator had used iodine to sterilize himself most likely. She got a swab and began to try the drain, but found it as squeaky clean as the rest of the damned room.
Tsunade then went to the tub and stepped inside of it. She checked the drain once more, feeling another residue. She smelled it as well and drew back, almost gagging. The smell of chemicals was strong. And there wasn't a trace of iodine.
Tsunade stood up and looked to the Chunin. "How old is this crime scene?" she asked.
"The owner said the maid came in this morning. Due to the possibility of the perpetrator using a different identity, we didn't ask who it was that rented the room last night." He said.
"Find out who it was," Tsunade said sharply. "Shizune, get to the sewage plant, you're going to be looking for a bloody looking water. It should smell like chemicals and none of the ones I've shown you. Move!" she barked out and watched as her apprentice and the Chunin took off running.
Jiraiya glanced to Tsunade for a moment. "You think you might have something?" he asked as she swabbed the drain to the tub and then put it in a glass vial as evidence.
"I have a theory." Tsunade said swallowing softly. "And whoever is doing it is smart, as smart as I am at least." She said as she glanced to her teammate. "Imagine a mixture of chemicals that becomes a powerful acid capable of eating through a human body in a matter of minutes, bones and teeth included."
"How fast?" Jiraiya asked, writing in a notebook.
Tsunade glanced to the tub for a moment. "At tops? Twenty minutes, twenty minutes to breakdown the skin, muscle, organs, and bones. It depends on the concentration of the mix that they used." Tsunade looked back to her teammate. "If he's using the strongest concentration possible, you're looking anywhere from five to ten minutes. I'd need to know the chemicals he was using first."
Jiraiya continued to write things down. "And how do you know it's a he?" he asked her.
Tsunade shrugged. "I don't, I just prefer using a better pronoun than it."
Jiraiya nodded before he flipped his book closed. "To be honest with you Hime," he said and sighed. "I think he's been doing this a lot more, to a lot more folks. We've just started to catch his victims because they took on a higher profile."
Tsunade nodded. "How many people are in Konoha now?" she asked.
"Since we're on lockdown and no one gets in or out? We're looking about seventy thousand people." He said. "Seven thousand or so of that are Shinobi."
Tsunade sighed, glancing up to the Hokage monument as she left the hotel. "Hashi-Ojisan." She said softly, wishing her Grandfather was back.
(Scene Break)
Three weeks, another two murders, this time they were inconspicuous nobodies. The patterns left by the people missing and dead just didn't make sense. A few of those that were missing came up found, so they were ruled out.
They had taken in a suspect, but after a mind dive by Inoichi, it was found that the person didn't know anything about what was going on. The poor doctor had been almost traumatized by the idea of killing someone, even as an act of triage.
They had another suspect, despite some vehement protests that they couldn't possibly have done it. Tsunade moved with a squad of ANBU towards the apartment, going up the steps. She had orders from Sarutobi, orders that he didn't want to write.
Tsunade leaned back and kicked the door off its hinges, seeing the tuff of blonde hair spin around to see her. The scent of chemicals was strong inside the room and she covered her mouth briefly. "Naruto Uzumaki, you are to move away from the table." She said
The damnable blonde moved forward away from the table to the center of the table. He fell to his knees, hands clasped onto his head like a routine that had been practiced. Worse yet was the cold look in his eyes, a cold look that would even send a shiver down her pale teammate's spine.
"Take him into custody." Tsunade barked to the ANBU, watching as they grabbed the thirteen year old blonde. She stepped forward to look at the table, seeing books on anatomy, chemistry, biology, everything that a genius could use to make a cocktail mix of death and destruction.
She also saw a scratched out Taki headband and a tri-bladed red and black scythe. It took a bit of searching, but she found a secret panel that revealed the chemicals used. They were different from the ones she had smelled, not at all fooled by the basic chemistry set on the table.
These were the ones used in the killings of the people.
The village's Jinchuriki was killing its populace.
Tsunade then had the ANBU cordon off the apartment; all of it would be evidence.
(Scene Break)
Naruto eventually found himself sitting with his hands tied and chakra suppression seals placed all over him. His hands were behind his back and tied to the chair even. His blonde hair overshadowed his eyes, keeping the people in the court room from seeing the cerulean blue eyes.
Around him stood ANBU, he could see Jiraiya in front of him, Tsunade and Shizune with him and discussing their findings no doubt. He could see the hesitancy on Jiraiya's face, the old sage not wanting to believe what was going on.
Sarutobi was talking to a man with his face and arms bandaged. According to his sources, the man was Danzo. Undoubtedly he'd want Naruto to be kept as a working serial killer. Naruto just had a problem taking orders and he'd fight back.
Naruto's gaze flicked over to Ibiki, undoubtedly the man that would be trying to draw information from Naruto. He could see the various clan heads and the elders talking as well in hushed whispers. He was quite impressed at the fact there was a full court for his crimes.
"My oh my," Naruto began, startling everyone who thought that he'd be ignored. "A full council court for little old me." Naruto raised his head up and grinned sadistically. "Shall we cut right to the chase Ji-san?" Naruto asked, grinning more at the shiver that went down Sarutobi's spine. "How about you Godfather?" Naruto asked, his eyes turning cold and his tone venomous as he spat out the title at Jiraiya, startling those that knew of Naruto's connection to the white haired Sannin.
Jiraiya's face contorted in rage a bit. "The monster sitting in front of me isn't my Godson." He said just as frostily. "My godson apparently died a long time ago."
"Six years ago if you want to count my very first murder." Naruto said almost proudly "Better to be who I am than the village's bitch." He spat out.
"What did you mean by Neji's eyes were worthless?" Hiashi asked standing up.
Naruto glanced over to Hiashi. "That vile seal, the Caged Bird Seal, was better than I anticipated. It sealed his eyes off when I tore them out of his skull before I killed him."
Hiashi stiffened, in rage or shock it was hard to tell. "And what of my daughters' eyes?" he asked in a cold tone.
"The daughter you cared about or the daughter you suddenly cared about when she went missing?" Naruto asked.
Hiashi strode over and instead of using his clan's signature Taijutsu style; he balled his hand into a fist and delivered a harsh punch to Naruto's jaw, snapping the blonde's head to the left.
Naruto tasted blood in his mouth, coughing a bit and laughing at the same time as he ran his tongue over his teeth. "Oh that was good," he said with a mouthful of blood. He popped the loose tooth out of his gums and then spat the blood and the tooth out onto the floor. He turned to look at Hiashi. "Thank you sir, may I have another?"
Hiashi's hand balled up and he was about to take another swing when Sarutobi cut in. "Hiashi! That's enough! You're letting him goad you."
Hiashi gave a very un-Hyuuga like sound of frustration before he moved away.
Naruto spat out another glob of blood. "I doubt it's any consolation, but Hinata wasn't planned." Naruto said to Hiashi's back. "She followed me when I had Shikamaru, and unfortunately I couldn't let her just go after seeing me start. I wouldn't have noticed her until she started crying. She begged me to let her go, that she'd never tell a soul." Naruto glanced down to the blood on the floor. "But I couldn't run the risk. She's probably the only kill I regret. I even drugged her before killing her, letting her be unconscious when I took the eyes and put her in the chemical bath."
"What did you do with Hinata's eyes Naruto? Did you do the same with Hanabi's?" Sarutobi asked from his spot, moving over to Naruto.
Naruto glanced up at the old man. "Yes, I took Hanabi's as well. I sold both sets to Kumo. They paid me handsomely for both sets; in fact Kumo also got Neji's testicles when I had removed them. In fact, their payment kept me supplied in my chemicals and will keep me supplied for quite some time." Naruto could see Hiashi stiffen once more out of the corner of his eyes. "The Caged Bird Seal doesn't protect testicles from physical removal; you might want to get on that."
Naruto's head snapped back, blackness filling his vision until he blinked it clear. It took several moments. "Oh fuck that one hurt." He said as he checked his teeth with his tongue. He snapped his head forward to see it had been Sarutobi that had struck him with a palm strike.
"Hiruzen, end this farce. He obviously killed those people. Let us remove the Kyuubi and reseal it into another child. We tried your method, now it's my turn." Danzo said stepping forward, his cane hitting the ground.
"So hasty, not even having all the facts I have," Naruto said as he shook his head, trying to finish clearing his vision. He saw double still but soon that was coming into focus. Naruto's eyes turned to Jiraiya. "Akatsuki." He said simply, gleefully enjoying the way Jiraiya's spine stiffened.
Unfortunately, such an action didn't go unmissed by everyone else. Sarutobi turned to his student. "I had meant to report in on it," Jiraiya explained quickly. "Orochimaru was once a member and the organization is interested in the Jinchuriki. When you pulled me onto duty in finding the murderer of those people, it slipped my mind and I've been working closely with Tsunade the past few weeks." He explained quickly.
Naruto's hands came forward, the ninja wire holding his hands back falling slack. He had long since learned how to escape any physical bonds like that. He reached into his opened jacket and from a seal inside he pulled out a thick folder. "Akatsuki Known members include Pain of Ame, single handed slayer of Hanzo the Salamander. Has the Rinnegan. Konan of Ame, Pain's right hand woman, abilities include the use of Origami as a weapon. Itachi Uchiha of Konoha, slayer of the Uchiha Clan. Abilities include the Sharingan and its Mangekyo variant. Kisame Hoshigaki of Kiri, wielder of the Samehada and former Seven Swordsmen of Mist, abilities include large, ridiculously large chakra reserves and a skilled swordsman. Sasori of the Red Sands of Suna. Puppet master extraordinaire uses an extensive amount of poison. Deidara the Mad Bomber of Iwa, explosives expert. His abilities involve explosive laced clay. Zetsu the Cannibal, the spy master for the group. Abilities involve being able to meld with the ground, trees, and other pants." He said before he snapped the thick folder closed.
Sarutobi saw an ANBU checking each of the names in a Bingo book. "With the exception of Pain and Konan, they are all in here Hokage-sama, each S-Ranked."
Sarutobi turned to Naruto who wasn't even bothered by the swords at his throat who was offering over the folder. "Information in that is accurate, about five months old, but accurate. Straight from the mouth of a former member." He said.
"Members just don't quit." Jiraiya said. "It's my understanding that Orochimaru was forced out, even injured." He said.
Naruto grinned a bit more. "Two of my favorite trophies to be honest. Kazuku of Taki's headband and Hidan the Jashinist's scythe. Kazuku was easy to drop; I simply laced a briefcase of his with an airborne gas that would render him unconscious in mere seconds. Such a miser, he didn't even think the brief case was rigged. Poof, he was out like a light. I used five times the normal dosage, he had five hearts." Naruto said with a slight shrug. "As for Hidan, it took some work, but I just cut his arms, legs, and head off."
Naruto closed his eyes, smiling as he remembered it. "Hidan was dipped into my acid bath, one piece at a time. Kazuku came to and I made him an offer. I'd let him go, let him live on. In exchange, he'd give me information and wouldn't come after me." Naruto's eyes opened. "He had stubbornly refused until Hidan was proven to be dead. An immortal that died because his bodies were reduced to sludge and then flushed away like one giant piece of shit. Kazuku then sang like a canary. I took his headband as a reminder to him that I was able to beat him at the age of thirteen, I haven't heard anything from him to be honest."
Sarutobi knew of Kazuku, his Sensei's brother had been attacked by the man. He had thought the man to be dead, but apparently he lived on because of his Jutsu. If this Hidan was a member of the Akatsuki organization, then he was undoubtedly another S-ranked Nin.
Naruto glanced over to Danzo. "This brings me to my last point. If you unseal the Kyuubi from me and put it into another infant, then Akatsuki will come after the infant and they have the Kyuubi already without question, without hesitation. Boom, Akatsuki wins. If you simply kill me, then the Kyuubi reforms in a couple years, rampages and kill hundreds, some village nabs it and seals it up; bam Konoha no longer has a Jinchuriki. What if Kumo, who has two Jinchuriki already, gets a third?"
Naruto leaned into Sarutobi. "So you're stuck." He said to the aged Hokage. "And your only option is to lock me away in the deepest, darkest cell you have. Akatsuki's spies are everywhere; they probably already know I've been taken into custody and that I've been the one killing all those people."
Sarutobi looked at the blonde. Why did it have to come to this? What happened to that patriotism that both Kushina and Minato had displayed in spades? Had the village truly destroyed any hope for this young child? Not only that, but Naruto displayed a mind like no other, not even Orochimaru had compared.
Sarutobi pinched the bridge of his nose. "Take him away." Sarutobi whispered softly, motioning to the ANBU. "Make him disappear, but keep him alive, keep him alive at all costs."
"Hiruzen, you surely can't be serious." Danzo said.
Sarutobi glared to his former rival. "Imagine Iwa getting the Kyuubi. Who do you think their first target would be?"
Danzo winced before he backed down, understanding Hiruzen's point. "What about unsealing the Kyuubi and putting it into someone else?"
Sarutobi shook his head. "We can't take that risk. We'll make better preparations to hide Naruto forever. He won't be free, not ever." He said.
It felt like he swallowed a very bitter pill to be honest.
"Oh!" Naruto said gleefully as he was being lead roughly out of the room. "If you want a proper count of all my victims, I'd double the amount of suspected victims you have, which I'd say is around twenty and some change, and then tack a zero on the end. You'd be closer!"
Sarutobi managed to wait until Naruto was gone before he let out a sound of utter frustration and helplessness. His foot lashed out and destroyed the chair the blonde had been sitting in. The son of two of the most brilliant Shinobi he had ever met had turned into a monster as bad as Orochimaru.
Sarutobi didn't even dismiss everyone, he just walked out. His shoulders were slumped and his head hung low. He had hoped to mold Naruto into a fine and splendid Shinobi, a worthy successor of the title of Hokage.
Instead, he had gotten monster.
(Scene Break)
Naruto was taken away. He was drugged and blindfolded and taken away and put into somewhere that he wouldn't be able to find his way out of.
He was stripped of all of his possessions and thrown into an eight by ten cell with no window and no light. Not even a hole to go to the bathroom in, not even something to sleep on.
Ass naked, he took stock of his surroundings when the drug wore off: Concrete walls, thick, and a massive steel door. He could feel the place leeching his chakra out, likely taking it away to act as a power supplement to Konoha.
Naruto grinned a little bit to himself and moved to the wall on the far side of the door. There, he sat down. "You'll need me. It may be days, it may be weeks, it may be months, and it could even be years. But you'll need a monster such as me." Naruto said to no one, no one would hear it. "And I'll be waiting."
(Scene Break)
The light tapping of a cane beat a steady staccato on the cold, unyielding concrete. He entered the maximum security interrogation cell. The door had to be opened from the other side, a side that he left one of his better men on so that he could escape if necessary.
The room was a foot of solid concrete in every direction, with a foot of solid steel for a door. The only things that made the room any better than the cell that the prisoner had spent the last ten years in was the sole light that was above them and the steel table and chairs bolted into the floor.
He glanced to the four ROOT agents that hid in the corners. Men that had taken on countless missions that they shouldn't have come back from and each had come back each and every time. If his life was in danger, they wouldn't hesitate to drop the prisoner.
Only one, Danzo noted, stood beside him. Fu had his hands clasped behind his back, his spine ramrod straight. Torune was outside the door in case this went south.
He had struggled for the past ten years to get clearance for what he was about to do. He didn't blame Tsunade, Sarutobi's successor in the title of Hokage, to be cautious when regarding the village's weapon.
However, Danzo knew of the murderous feelings the boy was feeling. He had felt them himself before he had entered ANBU, his Sensei had beaten it into him on how to give such feelings a direction instead of lashing out at everyone.
Sociopaths and Psychos were not uncommon in Shinobi Forces. Such things happened a little less so in Konoha, but not unheard of even given the quirks of some of the more Elite Shinobi.
"Bring him in." Danzo rasped as he sat down. Soon enough, the prisoner had been brought in, the door shutting and locking behind him.
Danzo looked at Naruto Uzumaki, a fully grown man of 23. Ten years in prison had been surprisingly good to Naruto. He was a little skinny for as much muscle as he had on his bones, but it was all tightly compact into a lithe form. Danzo was somewhat reminded of the Namikaze boy that had become the Yondaime. Naruto's hair was ragged and would need to be cut and washed, but given that he never got anything more than a patch job worth of a hair-cut and that he only got sprayed down with a hose once a week, it was to be expected.
Naruto was forcefully sat down across from Danzo and the blonde looked at Danzo with those cold blue eyes. Danzo knew those eyes; he had looked himself in the mirror every day with those eyes.
They were the eyes of a sociopath that had gone entirely too long without the rush of the kill.
"What do you want old man?" Naruto asked, his voice a deep throaty sound, a sound that Danzo had often accompanied with the men of the Uzumaki clan before they went extinct.
All down to the blonde sitting across from him.
"How did you stay in such good shape?" Danzo asked calmly. Perhaps if he took some of the other sociopaths and put them in such conditions… they'd make fine weapons.
Naruto's lips quirked into a lopsided smirk. "Push-ups, back flips, front flips, jumping jacks, sit-ups. I had no books to read, nothing to write, just had to pass the time. Amazing what water, bread, rice, and the occasional fat rat will get you isn't it?" he asked.
So the blonde had taken to eating whatever came his way to survive. That was good, Danzo needed a survivor. "How's that itch? The one we both know you haven't scratched but sits just below the surface?" he asked.
Naruto cracked his neck slowly, inhaling. "There, just waiting. I don't mind though. What's this meeting about Old man? Shouldn't you be looking for a successor?"
Danzo frowned a moment before nodding. "You're right; I am in dire need to train a proper successor. That being said, that's not why I'm here. I need a proper successor, and that just isn't you." He said. "I am old Uzumaki, I am eighty years old, and I don't have much longer for this world." Danzo finished.
Naruto nodded slowly, understanding slowly. He still wasn't sure where the old man was going with this.
Danzo rubbed his face, feeling his age a little bit more. "But before I find my successor, I have one last project that needs to be done. I need to set you to work."
Naruto smirked. "Ah, so Konoha finally comes to me for help. And what exactly do you mean old man? Setting me to work? I don't take orders. Not from you, not from any Hokage. I'm my own, free man." He said.
"I suppose not." Danzo said thinking a bit about what the blonde was saying. "So instead, I won't give you orders. I don't have time to try and break you of that free will you wish to exhibit. So I offer you… direction I suppose."
Naruto decided to humor the old man. From what he heard of Danzo, this was uncharacteristic of the old man. Setting a murderer like him loose?
Danzo coughed suddenly, Fu moving to his side quickly. "Danzo-sama…" the Yamanaka said softly, concerned for his leader.
Danzo waved Fu off. "Kumo." He said to the Uzumaki blonde. "Plenty of hiding spots for bodies, with a village bigger than Konoha's. And I hear they are interested in a new torture and interrogation expert." Danzo said.
Naruto watched Danzo, thinking about what the old man was playing at. It was a well-played game. "Why are you setting me loose? Really?"
Danzo closed his eyes, only one noticeable to the blonde. "I have done many things in the grand scheme of things, all for the good of Konoha. I have lied, I have cheated, I have stolen, I have killed and murdered. I have even worked with Orochimaru in an attempt to extend my life so that I may continue my work. The Jutsu he came up with for such a thing was however not a particularly effective thing and as such I had no desire to use it. I have operated from the shadows for so long that I know sometimes the most effective weapon is the weapon you have no control over."
Danzo opened his eyes and pierced the blonde with a hard look. "I have a year to live according to my personal doctors. Iwa is a shadow of their former-self, as is Kiri after the bloodline wars. Neither will ever be able to reclaim their former glory. Suna is an ally of Konoha, a precarious one at best, but one that has been cultivated slowly. They lack the numbers and skill to be a legitimate threat to us. This leaves us with Kumo."
"Numbers, skill, tools, and two Jinchuriki." Naruto said with a smirk. Danzo was trying to weaken the last of the big five that would be a truly troublesome thing to Konoha. "But you can't guarantee that I will be an effective weapon. Once I'm out of Konoha, I'm gone. Until I scratch that itch, I can ignore it. You'd never find me again."
"A risk that I am willing to take at this age Uzumaki." Danzo removed a passport to Kumo from his kimono and put it on the table. It wasn't some half-assed forgery; it was the real deal, an actual passport to Kumo from Kumo, with the stamp of the Raikage on it.
Naruto looked at the passport before up at Danzo. "How long do I have to get out of Konoha?" he asked.
Danzo watched the blonde. "If you're seen within five kilometers of Konoha, there is a kill on sight order for you."
Naruto made a small sound with his mouth before he grabbed the passport. "Guess I won't be seen then. Now let me the fuck out of here,"
Danzo had Fu give the signal to Torune through Torune's small bugs. The door was opened and Danzo looked to the blonde. "From one sociopath to another, enjoy yourself Uzumaki."
Naruto smirked a bit before he took off running through the halls, clutching the passport in one hand. His ticket into Kumo, to get away from the cesspit that he hated.
Even as naked as the day he was born, he ran with everything he had. He had kept his muscles as strong as he could and his lungs as working as best as they had been. The Kyuubi inside his gut helped, maybe. He didn't know, he never spoke with the beast. Not once.
Naruto emerged from the bunker and shielded his eyes to the bright glaring sun that he hadn't seen in ten years. He squinted a moment before he dashed ahead to hide in the shadows. He could be out of the village in thirty minutes tops if he just sprinted for the gate. He might be able to lose his pursuers if he ran fast enough.
Unfortunately, Naruto also needed clothes.
When his eyes adjusted to the bright light a little bit more, he peeked around the corner to try and catch his bearings. He saw the Hokage Monument, five heads standing proudly upon it. That helped him. He took off towards the training fields. It was a dangerous gambit really, but a necessary one.
He stuck to the bushes and the shadows. He could not be seen. Despite his really impressive kill count, he was a thinker instead of a fighter due to the social parameters that went on in his life prior to his incarceration.
He had studied Kazuku, he had studied Hidan. Even Hidan he hadn't engaged directly. Instead, he lured the fool into a trap, a trap that had severed his limbs and head.
He also hadn't been doing proper training in ten years.
Naruto found a training field with a river and began to look around. He soon found a rusty shuriken with two of the four prongs bent and broken. He heard someone and he ducked behind a tree. He held the Shuriken close, prepared to do a very bloody kill if necessary.
His heart pounded in his chest as he caught sight of Konohamaru with his team. They passed through the training field and Naruto exhaled in relief. He remembered a long time ago when he had killed someone that had threated Konohamaru's life.
He still wasn't sure why he did it.
Naruto ducked into the water, using one hand to properly wash some more of the grime off of his body from his long incarceration. He then drew his long blonde hair back into a make-shift pony tail, holding it in place. He then cut it short with the Shuriken, cutting it as close to his skull as he could.
Naruto simply let the blonde hair flow down the river.
Naruto got out of the cold river and took off once more. He stuck to the shadows and the bushes, even if things were still blurry to him because of the light. His eyes were adjusting, but ten years was still ten years, especially without light.
He found a clothesline and soon ripped down a still damp shirt and pair of pants. He quickly put them both on. Now he needed some sandals or something.
Naruto kept moving, swearing as he was almost spotted by a team chasing after a damn cat. He grimaced and press himself flush against a wall as an Inuzuka sniffed at the air. Soon the Inuzuka walked off, ignoring the blonde completely. Whether Naruto was thought to be a homeless individual or some trash, Naruto didn't care which.
Naruto opened a window and slipped into a house. He ducked into a closet as someone passed by into the bathroom. The door was left open a crack and Naruto was greeted to the sight of a very shapely blonde woman stripping.
Naruto was then very sharply reminded that he had ten years of hormones pent up.
"Not now." He whispered harshly down to his groin. He didn't have time to handle that particular problem. Nor did he have time to lose his virginity at the moment.
When the shower started to run, Naruto crept out of the closet and headed down the stairs. He paused as he heard someone in the kitchen. He snuck by the other woman. He grabbed a pair of black, men's sandals at the door and slipped them onto his feet before he snuck out another window.
One woman had to of been the mother and the other the daughter. He hoped at least. Still, Naruto really wanted to go back to that bathroom, grab the blonde woman's pony tail and just sink himself into her.
He growled a moment before he punched a brick wall. He felt his knuckles in his hand break and it felt good. It kept him focused.
He had sandals, he had clothes. Now he just needed to get out of there. Food would come later on his trip to Kumo, but so long as he was in the Land of Fire, he was a dead man walking.
Five kilometers around Konoha his ass, he knew that any Konoha Shinobi that could tell who he was would try to kill him if he was spotted and recognized in the Land of Fire.
Naruto made it to an alley near the front gate of the village. He had spotted a caravan movie with plenty of people and wagons for him to slip inside of. He just needed a distraction.
He caught it as he saw the same team attempting to catch Tora once more. He slung his warped and worthless shuriken, his mind having already calculated the variables. It spun and looped around before slashing out a cord, dropping a banner. Tora made it under the banner, but the Genin team which had been chasing Tora had been going full tilt. They were caught up in it and began to tumble, taking out a cart of food. The distraction proved humorous to the people around except the Genin and the vendor working from the food cart.
Naruto then stepped forward, stepping up onto the wheel and slipping inside a bunch of hay and lying inside of it, hidden from view with the cows.
Konoha was lax enough with their security that they didn't even open the carts to make sure nothing was being stolen. Fucking bleeding hearts.
While Naruto travelled with the cattle, he thought about all that he knew that he was capable of, his mind going a hundred miles an hour to come up with a legitimate business inside of Kumo.
Unfortunately, being a sociopath by itself usually didn't pay the bills and he had never gotten into the underworld of crime to dispose of bodies that needed to be disposed of.
He was sure that if he wanted to, he could but it would take entirely too long for his personal preference. It was also possible that such actions would draw Konoha back to him and he wanted to be someplace that would give them pause.
Kumo would be the best bet he could think of.
His resources were limited. Extensively so. A private tutor, one he had after his… first Sensei up and abandoned him, had noticed that Naruto had massive reserves and would never be able to perform the regular clone technique. So the man had petitioned Sarutobi and was allowed to teach Naruto the advanced Shadow Clone technique.
Naruto, keeping with his pranking persona, had also come up with that atrocious joke of a Jutsu. He admitted that it had merit, but it would require some thinking. After all, becoming a full-fledged woman wasn't much of a help in a battle situation. Though he had to admit, for espionage work, it might help a little bit.
Show a bit of cleavage and men turned into idiots.
He knew it and every other guy in the Elemental Nations knew it.
Naruto could also perform the standard substitution technique, but that was bread and butter of being a Shinobi.
He knew tactics and could work steps ahead of any opponent, even a Nara, who attempted to keep up with him. He had just enough strength that he could move whatever he needed to without issues, even a fully grown Akimichi. Not a fully expanded one, but definitely a fully grown one.
"Remember you worthless shit, the basics can kill. Even me." Naruto clutched his head as he remembered his first sensei that had beaten Naruto from the age of five to seven when the man had no longer showed up.
After that, Naruto had committed his first kill. A random civilian with no standing, the poor woman just vanished one day. Of course, it might also have to deal with the fact that Naruto couldn't stand the broad over charging him.
He was taught to treat every kill as precious, like a completely new high. He had kept trophies of them, of every single one of his four hundred some odd kills. He would need to get that back sometime, but that meant infiltrating Konoha once more.
Naruto had learned much under the man, he had learned to take a beating and keep throwing punches, even if his punches felt like no more than a bee sting. A hundred bee stings could still fell a human.
Still, Naruto had some bulk to him now and he'd only get a bit bigger.
(Scene break)
Naruto made his way along the beaches of the island, feeling a sense of belonging that he had never felt before. It was so different.
It had taken him a week to get there, but Naruto instantly liked it. He was home, for better or for worse, he was home.
He was standing at the ruins of Uzushiogakure.
Say what you would about the Senju clan and the Uchiha clan, the Uzumaki clan had become the pinnacle aspect of Shinobi life.
The Uzumaki had their own hidden village, built to give peace to the clan and their sort of serf like clans. And the Uzumaki had gone down swinging against overwhelming odds whereas the Uchiha clan went like a whisper in the dark and the Senju clan through bad Genetics and bad luck.
Naruto walked the ruins, his head held high, even as he saw that the wild life of the island had spilled into the village. Wolves lingered about, but they didn't attack, none daring to come close to him.
Naruto rushed for a while and quickly scaled it with his chakra, going towards the highest point he could. "I'M HOME!" he roared out at the top of his lungs, getting that off of his chest if for no other reason than it seemed like an Uzumaki thing to do.
He leapt off and went about doing what he had planned on doing.
Uzushiogakure had fallen, but the village had never been sacked. It hadn't been plundered either. He supposed that he should thank Tsunade for not letting people trample all over the village. It made him wonder how many had tried and how many headbands were at the bottom of the ocean.
Naruto went to the treasury of the Uzumaki clan and nodded to himself at what he saw.
The Uzumaki, to him, came off as a practical sort. That meant they likely wouldn't have many Ryo notes as currency. They had something worth more value than a slip of paper. They had gold, and lots of it.
Naruto gathered a substantial amount of gold and sealed it up. It would help him in getting things started in Kumo. He'd need a shop front, and a home to himself. He wanted places where he wouldn't have to be worrying about paying someone else.
He'd also need supplies and more chemicals again. All he had was his emergency stash of chemicals that he had kept for ten years. He briefly worried that he wouldn't be able to unseal it, but then shook his head at the notion.
Naruto gathered a few books from the personal library of the village leader, Most of them were on sealing to be honest, but a few were on a few other things Naruto was always interested in learning.
He then headed over to the desk of the leader and from the top of it; he took the sword and scroll that were both just lying there. He unsheathed the crimson blade, the sword gleaming like the day it was forged.
It was probably still sharp too.
Naruto sighed softly before he headed out.
He had already found some clothes from the place that he liked. He wore a pair of black pants with a burnt orange sash and a simple crimson vest style top. The sword was tucked into the sash and held securely in place by it.
The scroll was tucked into the front of the vest, a seal there to keep it safe. He had exchanged the black sandals for black boots instead.
"Off to Kumo." He muttered to himself, wondering what he was going to do with the country he was leaving. He couldn't leave it to Tsunade.
Eh, he'd figure it out in time.
(Scene Break)
Naruto made good time to Kumo in his opinion. He first went to the Land of Lightning's capital to get things taken care of. He got a second passport for a 'sister' that didn't really exist. He also bought a store in Kumo as well as a small two bedroom, two bathroom house near said store.
Naruto also stocked up on his chemicals and other supplies, both for his sociopathic tendencies and for the business venture that he was attempting. What did he know about running a business? Abso-fucking-lutely little.
It had taken two whole months from his leaving Konoha to where he was ready to open up business in Kumo.
He had also noticed a few things during his time there. One, it was fucking wet. It rained at least once a week. The fact Kumo was in the Land of Lightning should have tipped him off. Two, it was fucking cold. They were on top of a fucking mountain for crying out loud. Three, light skinned people were the minority. He could count the number he had seen on his hands and feet. That meant nothing to him really, people were actually rather friendly.
Naruto, in his outfit he had gotten from Uzushigakure, or one of the sets he had made afterwards, was standing in front of his shop with a clone that had transformed into his female form in a similar outfit, more designed for women.
"Free spa treatment!" he called out as he passed out flyers to the nearby passers. "Free spa treatment folks, just give the flyer to the front desk when you come in!" he called out. He had been at it for a few days no, passing out flyers with his clone.
He knew human anatomy fairly well and his clones practiced massages on him to make sure that they could do that correctly. Past that, all it took was reading up on spas to see the other things they did and working out how he could do that.
"Free spa treatment! First one is on us! The flyers are good until you give them in!" His clone called out passing out a few more.
"What's going on here?" A cool female voice asked.
Naruto turned to regard the three that had come up behind him. His eyes swept over them quickly, his mind already analyzing them and sizing them up. One was a busty blonde with a thin frame, in fact her shoulders and neck showed the strain from her breasts. Her hair was cut short, barely brushing her neck, and she had some blue eyes that pierced him. She was in what he learned was the standard Kumo Shinobi outfit, and had a tanto strapped to her lower back.
The second Kunoichi was a dark-skinned woman with thick, long, spikey red hair. She seemed to be a little less calm and collected than the blonde, something Naruto could tell by her gold eyes. Her red hair was also setting off that itch inside of him, being reminded of his first Sensei for a moment. She had a katana strapped to her back and wore much the same outfit.
The male Shinobi was another dark-skinned individual with short and spikey white hair dark eyes. His outfit was a little darker than the two Kunoichi's but that didn't seem to matter to anyone. He also had a katana strapped to his back.
Naruto also knew that the blonde was the most dangerous of the trio.
He put on his best smile. "I'm handing out flyers for a free spa treatment. This includes a full body, deep tissue massage and a hot spring treatment," he informed her, turning to hand one to each of the team. "I am authorized to have a business here in Kumo, I can even show you my paperwork if you'd like." Naruto said trying to be as professional as possible
The male of the group looked to Naruto with narrowed eyes as he looked at the flyer. "Why are you just giving away free treatments? That seems bad for business."
Naruto shrugged slightly. "Perhaps, but I am confident enough in mine and my sister's abilities that if I can get you into my place of business that you will leave a tip and return for another treatment when the stress of the Shinobi lifestyle is too much of a burden once more."
The light-skinned female looked down to the flyer as well and then up at Naruto, narrowing those blue eyes. "There isn't any perverted hijinks involved with this is there?" she asked slowly and calmly.
"No ma'am," Naruto offered, keeping his smile in place. "You may choose who gives you the massage and I have the men's and women's sections of the hot spring completely separated from one another." He assured her.
"Can I see your passport and work papers?" she asked, staying completely business.
Naruto fished them out of the front of his vest, having kept both together. He then handed it to his fellow blonde, letting her read them over and look at the passport which had his grinning face on it. "Naruko, your passport!" he called over to his clone.
He caught the tossed object and handed it over as well, letting the three look at them and examine them. Soon they were returned to him and he tossed his clone the passport back.
"Could I have another two of those flyers?" The light skinned woman asked. "I would like to give them to two others that would appreciate the offer."
Naruto had to play the trusting fool. He wanted to ask whom, but he didn't bother. "Who are you talking about Samui?" the dark-skinned female asked.
"Mabui-san and Yugito-san." The now named Samui said to her dark skinned teammate.
Naruto handed the two flyers over to the busty blonde. "Here you go." He told her.
"That's rather cool of you to do this." Samui said before she turned and walked away with her group to report to the Raikage who had wanted to know what was going on. Now they knew.
"Naruko, I'm taking a break." Naruto said as he handed the stack of papers to the clone. He entered the shop and went to the employee section.
He rubbed his face with some cool water, looking up into the mirror. Kami, that itch was starting to hurt. He needed to scratch it, he needed to kill. "Not yet." He whispered to himself.
It was too soon for him to just up and kill someone. He needed to establish himself in Kumo first.
End