1/29/2014
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor Naruto Shippuden
Pre Note: So this is the rewritten version of "Tales of a Demon Fox Jinchuuriki". If you have read the original version and disliked it…well, please try this one, about 4700 words of chapter wouldn't hurt, would it?
It all started that day…
Well, not quite started, the story of Naruto Uzumaki had begun much, much earlier, but some might say that the second part of his story would start that day.
It was a warm morning in the Hidden Leaf Village, also known as Konohagakure or simply as the Village Hidden in the Leaves.
Despite the morning being calm for so many people, Naruto Uzumaki wasn't one of those many people. He was woken up early because someone was knocking on his door. "Ah…damn it it's too early… who is it…?" The young boy thought as he got out of his bed and walked towards the door. He was surprised to open it and to come face to face with a masked ninja, an ANBU.
"Genin Naruto Uzumaki, the Hokage has called upon you; apparently Lady Tsunade wants to speak with you about urgent matters." The ANBU said. Before Naruto could answer him the man disappeared in thin air with a body flicker.
"So the old lady is calling me in…? About freaking time! The last mission I had was a month ago! The mission to rescue…Sasuke…" Instantly Naruto began thinking about the mission to rescue his once friend Sasuke Uchiha from the claws of the evil Snake Sannin Orochimaru. The mission had ended in him battling Sasuke in the border of the Land of Fire, the Valley of the End.
"None of it was in vain…we became best friends." As he closed his eyes the whole scene played again in the back of his mind. Their battle…the clash of jutsu...He had fought with everything he had and still…
"I will bring you back, Sasuke…" He said out loud with his eyes still closed. "Someday…"
As he opened his eyes he realized he was in the open street with his door opened. The few people who were already out of their homes were now looking at him strangely, maybe because Naruto was still in his pajamas.
The boy let out a sigh as he closed the door and walked back to his living room/kitchen so he could put on some clothes.
Later...
Naruto walked in the Hokage's office without knocking like he had done a thousand times before. He was about to shout out at old lady Tsunade, asking for an A-rank mission when he saw it. Inside the office was a serious Jiraiya who was looking at him with sadness visible in his eyes. Meanwhile Tsunade was sitting behind her desk as usual, except her right hand was covering her eyes. Her mouth was curved in a sad expression and she seemed to be hiccupping a lot.
"Grandma…? Pervy Sage…? What…what happened?" Naruto asked, not quite sure he really wanted the answer.
"Naruto…" Tsunade said. She got up behind her desk and opened her eyes to face Naruto. They were red as if she had been crying a lot before Naruto arrived. The Fifth Hokage walked towards the young boy and kneeled before embracing him in a hug. "I'm sorry…I'm so sorry..."
Naruto was really confused. Why was the old lady apologizing to him…? Did something happen? And how was he involved? As the questions continued appearing in his mind, Tsunade began crying while continually whispering 'I'm so sorry'.
"Pervy Sage…what…happened?" Naruto asked.
The old sage sighed; he seemed so much older than he actually was…"Naruto…I didn't want to be the one to bring you the news…however…" He sighed. "Naruto, you are to leave the Hidden Leaf Village this very afternoon."
Naruto's eyes widened, confusion took over him as he wondered what the hell was happening. "What…do you mean?" The boy asked.
Tsunade separated from him, she was still crying but she tried to smile while placing a friendly hand at the boy's shoulder. "Naruto…the elder's council has decided to exile you…you're too young to understand but I can tell you that because the Akatsuki is hunting you, they decided that exiling you was the best solution was the only way to guarantee the village's safety... "
"But…grandma…you're on my side aren't you? They can't oppose the Hokage!" The boy desperately shouted.
Tsunade sighed. "Naruto…I may be a ruling force in this village…but I'm not the most powerful political force in the Land of Fire…"
"The Daimyo…? Why would he want to exile me?!" Naruto desperately shouted. He felt tears forming in his eyes. "Is my situation really that desperate…?"
Tsunade got up and looked down at Naruto with a sad look on her eyes. "Naruto…I honestly do not know…I am…I'm so sorry but…there's nothing I can do at this point…It's beyond my political power…"
The boy looked down at the ground, his options were running out. "But what about Pervy Sage?! We were gonna leave together anyway, can't we leave early?"
Jiraiya finally got out of his corner and walked towards Naruto. "Naruto…I tried to tell them that, but they said that if I live with you we will both be considered Missing Nin of Konoha. I can't protect us both from a whole village…if you go alone they promised to buy you some time."
Naruto looked down and let the tears that were in his eyes fall down. "There is no way, is there? I…I will have to leave one way…or another…"
The toad sage sighed out loud and kneeled in front of Naruto. He looked straight into the eyes of his student and did something Naruto didn't expect at all. He hugged him. "Naruto…I'm so sorry…I tried my best, many of us did…but in the end we couldn't…I am truly sorry."
The boy hugged his teacher back as he continued crying. He had never expected to leave the village like this…what would be of his dream to be Hokage? How would he bring Sasuke back…he…he didn't know…
Later…
There he was, leaving...walking through the leaf`s gates never to return again...
Strangely, he didn't feel sad. It was a different feeling. He felt exhausted, even though all he had done in that day besides his visit to Tsunade was to have lunch in Ichiraku Ramen and to pack up. However he still felt tired as hell...
His jacket was now open and his headband was gone, Naruto didn't feel right wearing the symbol of the very village that had exiled him and he couldn't bring himself to slash the forehead protector like a Missing Nin had done, so he choose not to wear it. He was also carrying a blue backpack which contained the money Jiraiya had given to him so he could survive, clothes, his ninja tools, etc;
The sunny sky that had been present in the beginning of the day was now far gone, replaced by a sea of clouds that looked like rain.
Naruto sighed and continued to walk towards the village's gates. In his way there some people looked at him, but he didn't care, not anymore…why would a missing nin care about his image in the village?
After what seemed like an eternity, Naruto arrived at the gate. He was surprised to see that at least half the village was gathered in a crowd in front of the gate. The boy raised an eyebrow, which was followed by a sigh and then by a cough loud enough to call the people's attention.
The villagers slowly turned to face him and opened up a way to the gate. Naruto looked at both sides of the crowd and started walking. He ignored the looks the people gave him as he walked past the gates of Konoha.
It was only then that he remembered that none of his friends, none of the Konoha 12, now 11, had told him goodbye. Not that he cared…not anymore.
Naruto crossed the gate and walked for about ten meters without looking back. However, just when he reached the tenth meter, he suddenly stopped. The boy took a deep breath and looked up towards the sky before closing his eyes. Just then, a drop of water fell on his now naked forehead causing both his cerulean colored eyes to open.
Rain started falling from the Hidden Leaf Village's sky. The crowd behind Naruto stopped paying attention at the boy and looked up at the sky to see the rain falling. The Uzumaki looked back, a last look at the village. His eye drifted off to look at the Hokage monument. The four Hokage's stone faces, engraved in stone, watching down their village.
There was the First Hokage, the Second, the Third and finally…the Fourth.
The Fourth.
The Fourth Hokage was the worst of the worst. The man had, for whatever random reason, sealed the Kyuubi inside a newborn orphan without hesitating. He didn't think about the orphan or how sealing the Nine Tailed Demon Fox would affect his life in the future. The man who Naruto…and the entire village looked up to…the Yellow Flash, the man deemed as a hero…was nothing more than an irresponsible idiot.
The Fourth was his enemy, even more than the whole village of Konoha was.
Naruto turned his back on the place he once called home and started walking away. There was no longer a hidden village to bind him down. There was no longer a place that told him what and what not to do.
There was only forward.
There was nothing else.
Two and a half years later…
It was a normal day in the Hidden Village of Konohagakure. In fact, the only noticeable thing that happened that day was the Hokage's order to call a group of young shinobi to her office. This group consisted of eight people: Sakura Haruno, Kiba Inuzuka, Hinata Hyuuga, Shino Aburame, Tenten, Neji Hyuuga and Rock Lee.
"Do you know why I have called you here?" Tsunade of the Sannin, the Fifth Hokage, asked to the group that was currently in front of her.
"Is it because of a mission?" Kiba guessed with a hint of rhetoric in his voice, still a bit mad for not being able to bring Akamaru inside the building with him. He had grown in the past two years along with his now shoulder length, wild hair and was now wearing a dark brown version of his previous jacket with black fur around his head. He also wore dark colored pants and last but not least his forehead protector's cloth had been replaced for a black version instead of blue.
"Kiba! Be respectful! This the Hokage to which we are speaking to." Neji let out in a warning tone. The only Jounin in the group wore a white jacket that he left open to reveal a black shirt underneath. He also wore black pants and the same forehead protector that he had two years ago.
"Brother, please!" Hinata called out. "Don`t shout with Kiba, he didn't do it on purpose." The Hyuuga heiress was wearing a short sleeved, light blue colored jacket with white sleeves with the Hyuuga symbol on them. Underneath the jacket was a barely visible mesh armor. Hinata was also wearing navy blue pants and black, low-heeled sandals as in the traditional Shinobi uniform. Last but not least, Hinata wore her black forehead protector around her neck like a collar and her hair had grown to waist-length.
Tsunade cleared her throat in attempt to call the teenagers' attention and succeeded in doing so. "As most of you might know...it has been almost two years since Naruto Uzumaki has left this very village." As she said this, the Hokage stopped for a moment so she could check the reactions of the Chunin (and Neji) in the room. As expected, the young Shinobi's mood seemed to have dropped a lot with the reminder.
"So the 'Naruto being exiled' topic is still taboo here...huh." The Hokage thought to herself.
"Anyway...two and a half years since Naruto has been exiled." Tsunade said, calling the group's attention once again. "The council insisted that it's time to retrieve Naruto." She paused once again to see the group's reactions. She wasn't disappointed at the various surprised faces that opened wide in room.
"Do you mean...you want us to bring Naruto back?" Sakura hopefully asked. Her post time skip attire consisted of a red top with the Haruno white circle and a similar of her two and a half year ago version with black gloves, black boots, black shorts, short grey apron skirt, and grey elbow protectors and forehead protector which was now on a red cloth.
"Yes." Tsunade nodded to the pleasant surprise of the group of Chunin and Neji. "I convinced the council that ANBU or ANBU root Shinobi weren't necessary for such a task and that Naruto's friends would be able to convince him without further problems. So I'm counting on you guys for this, are we clear?"
Before anyone could agree, Shino took a step forward. "But Lady Hokage, how are we supposed to find Naruto when we have no idea where he is?" The Aburame said. He was wearing a brown colored jacket with a hood on his head that almost obstructed the black forehead protector on the boy's head and dark sunglasses. He also wore another dark colored jacket underneath with a collar that hid his mouth.
"Good question, Shino." Tsunade started. "Recently, sightings of a young shinobi without allegiance to a Hidden Village have been reported near the borders of the Land of Fire with the Land of hot water by Yugakure Shinobi."
"But why didn't the Yugakure Shinobi capture him then?" Neji asked. "Surely, a Missing Nin would have some info on his home village that they could use."
Tsunade sighed. "The thing is...they did try."
Silence presented itself on the room as the group of Shinobi quieted down.
"Still, how do we know that it's actually Naruto?" Tenten asked. She wore a sleeveless black shirt with red details knitted on it and white trousers along with black sandals.
"We don't." Tsunade admitted. "It's a chance we will have to take."
The Slug Sannin let the group talk it out for a moment, when it all seemed settled she continued. "So, are we on terms?" She asked. All of the group's members nodded. "Good. We'll start the mission first light tomorrow with Neji Hyuuga as the leader, your objective is to find Naruto, make contact with him and, if possible, bring it back, try not to use force. Understood, Neji?"
"Yes milady." The young Hyuuga said as he kneeled in front of the Hokage. "I promise not to disappoint you."
Tsunade opened a small smile at Neji's gesture. "Good, you are all dismissed."
The group nodded and walked out of the room trading whispers on what would happen next. Everyone seemed to have an opinion on how the mission would go; everyone but one quiet girl.
"Hinata..." Sakura said, calling the girl's attention. "I know how you're feeling...but I also know that Naruto would never fully abandon Konoha! We will find him and he will come back with us. He isn't like...well, Sasuke...he has no reason to stay away from us. Besides, he wouldn't abandon his dream of being Hokage, would he?"
Hinata observed Sakura as she talked and noticed that she was actually looking nervous, as if she was trying to reassure herself more than Hinata. "You're right, Sakura...Naruto would never abandon us like this" However she wasn't completely certain of her statement. She hadn't seen Naruto for nearly three years and a lot could have changed in him. What if he didn't really want to return to Konoha? What if they were forced to bring him back by force? And if it really was him who had dealt with those Yugakure Shinobi, what would stop him from doing the same to them, the people who exile him? There were a lot of questions on her mind, she couldn't focus properly but Sakura looked as bad as she was, at least someone would be reassured...
Sakura managed a smile and gave a small nod. "I'm sorry, Hinata. I have to go now it's my turn at the hospital. See you tomorrow." She said before running off.
Hinata watched as her pink haired friend ran towards the horizon before returning to her thoughts. They were so many...maybe she should skip training today and get some sleep. She had to settle both her thoughts and her feelings.
The following morning...
The self-named Naruto Retrieval Squad had just gathered at the gates of Konoha. They were all wearing white cloaks that hid their body and clothes with the exception of Akamaru.
The reason for the cloaks was the cloud covered, raining sky that projected itself high above them, storming down with no end. "It looks just like the day he left..." Hinata thought to herself.
Neji Hyuuga, the leader of the squad, was taking a deep breath of the cold air that surrounded them he opened his lavender eyes wide and said two words. "Let's go."
With nine individual body flickers the group of teenagers had gone off after their friend, soon they were jumping from branch to branch towards the borders of the Land of Fire.
A Few Hours Later...
The group of eight teenagers finally landed on the ground underneath them after hours of jumping from tree to tree in a nearly endless cycle. They looked over at the small village in front of them. It was small with various merchants offering their products throughout the town.
"Are you sure this is the place, Neji?" Lee asked his teammate. He was wearing his normal jumpsuit but with a Chunin vest over it.
"Yeah..." Neji affirmed as he checked the map he had brought so they didn't get lost. "This is the place. Pakuto Village...the nearest place from Naruto's sighting...Well, here we go. We need to gather info on Naruto and possibly try to find him. I think it's time for us to split up so we can cover better ground." He announced. "Lady Hinata will go with Sakura; Lee will go with Shino and Tenten with Kiba and Akamaru. And since this is the only road out of the village I will stay here watching over anyone who leaves the village. If anyone finds any hint on Naruto's location, come back to me. Questions?"
"Yeah." Kiba said as he raised his hand. "Why did you pair me and Akamaru up with Tenten or Lee with Shino or even Hinata with Sakura? Why such random combinations?"
"Simple. I organized the teams so each team can have a specialized tracker." The group nodded as they realized that it was true. "Anyone else?" Neji asked but was answered only by the silence of the group. "Good. Then go." Neji announced as he pointed to the village. The three groups of two followed by dashing towards the small village as their search for Naruto started.
One hour later..
"Damn it, if it continues like this we will never find him!" Sakura complained as she and Hinata walked through the streets of the Pakuto Village.
"Calm down, Sakura..." Hinata told her friend while she scouted the area with her Byakugan. "I'm sure we will find something on him any minute now...why don't we try that Inn next?" She said while pointing to a small town inn.
"Fine...let's do it..." Sakura said with no enthusiasm whatsoever in her voice.
The two girls entered the small house and walked towards the reception where a tall, bald man was sitting on a chair while reading a small orange book. "Excuse me sir." Hinata said, calling the man's attention. "We are looking for a friend of ours and we would like to know if you have seen him."
The man looked at Hinata's forehead protector and raised an eyebrow but didn't comment on it. "Sure, how did your friend look like?"
"Well..." Hinata began, but she didn't know what description to give the man. She looked over at Sakura, who simply shrugged her shoulders without knowing what to say. The Hyuuga heiress sighed. By the looks of it she would have to give her description of how Naruto looked like when she last saw him. "Well...he is about our age, has spiky, blonde hair, blue eyes and whisker like birthmarks on his cheeks." Hinata told the man. "Have you seen him?"
The man stooped for a moment. "Well...actually yes, yes I have!" He said, earning a simultaneous 'what?' from Sakura and Hinata. "He was here yesterday. The boy asked for a room to spend the night. He left two hours ago."
Blue eyes, whisker marks, blond hair...there was no chance in hell it was someone else! "We are really thankful, sir! Sakura, let's go!" Hinata called as she dashed out of the inn.
Sakura meanwhile only blinked twice as if escaping of a trance before following Hinata while shouting. "Hinata! Wait up!"
Hinata was running through the village as fast as she could while hoping to reach Neji. "Two hours...if we go fast we can still reach him!"
Two minutes later Hinata and Sakura were running up the hill were Neji patiently stood, waiting for...well, anything to happen. "Neji! Brother!" Hinata shouted out, catching the young Hyuuga's attention.
"Lady Hinata! What is it?" Neji asked his cousin as she and Sakura arrived in front of him.
"We know where he is." Sakura told the group leader.
Neji's eyes widened and almost instantly, he pulled a scroll out of his Kunai pocket, opened it wide and placed it on the ground revealing a simple seal matrix.
"What are you doing, Neji?" Hinata asked as her cousin started doing various hand seals.
"Calling back our teammates." He explained before doing the last hand seal and slamming his open palm on the scroll's center. "Ninja Art: Chakra Pillar."
Suddenly a bright light came out of the scroll's center and projected itself towards the sky.
Meanwhile...
Lee, Akamaru and Kiba were walking around town when Kiba turned to see the large pillar of light on top of the hill. "The hell...?"
Meanwhile...
Tenten and Shino were also in a similar position when Shino pointed to the pillar and asked. "What is that...?"
Tenten only smirked and said. "Looks like Neji has found something..."
Meanwhile…
A blonde traveler was walking away from the village when he felt a chakra presence far behind him. He turned to look and saw at the distance a gigantic, blue pillar of light that reached for the heavens. "What in the world...?" He asked to himself as he watched the pillar from far away. "Is that-" Sudden realizing what was happening, his blue eyes widened. "Crap."
Minutes later...
The two missing teams soon arrived in the location where Neji was waiting for them. "Neji! What have you found?" Rock Lee asked as he landed on the ground from his jump up the hill.
"We have found him." Neji calmly said.
"What?! Where?!" Kiba asked in surprise.
"He has left the village two hours ago. Apparently he's heading down the main road." Sakura said.
"So...What are we waiting?" Tenten asked. Everyone looked at each other before simultaneously body flickering away after Naruto.
30 Minutes Later...
The group suddenly came to a stop as Neji, the leading man, fell down on all fours and started breathing heavily. "Neji...are you...okay?" Tenten asked.
"Yeah...I just...tired...and...stuff..." He said in between breaths.
"No you're not." Hinata said as she walked towards her cousin with her Byakugan active. "That signalizing jutsu really took a lot out of you didn't it, Neji?" The Hyuuga heiress asked. As she gave a quick gentle fist to Neji's back, causing his chakra to flow more.
"He needs some proper healing." Sakura said. "We should take a break so I can heal him."
"Yes, and there's a river two hundred meters from here. I could go there and maybe get us water." Hinata told them.
"Maybe so...but...you're...not...going...alone..." Neji said while still panting.
"No problem. I'll go with her." Kiba said.
"No! Not...you...Shino, please...accompany her..." Neji requested, to which Shino nodded.
"Hey! Why can't I go with her?!" Kiba shouted, clearly angry with Neji.
"I...don't really...trust you...with her..." Neji said in his overprotective cousin tone which in him having a death stare contest with Kiba while Hinata and Shino walked away.
The small trip to the river was quiet. Hinata was deep in her thoughts, wondering what would happen when they found Naruto. By the looks of it Naruto really was the one who had killed the Yugakure Shinobi...what if he really had changed to the worse...what if he did to them what he did to the Shinobi...?
"Your posture and mood suggest an internal issue. As your teammate and friend, I find it logical to ask what troubles you." Shino asked. Hinata was surprised that Shino had spoken at all. He rarely did, even less than her when she was younger. However she also felt like she should have expected it. Shino, despite being quiet, was very observant and calculating, always thinking twice before he said something. Plus, it was evident that she wasn't very happy...
"Shino, I..." Hinata sighed, "It's Naruto, I'm worried that when I meet him again, he won't be the same Naruto that I knew two and a half years ago. I...I really liked, Naruto...and I don't know what I'll do if I find out that the person I once knew...is dead..."
Shino listened to her and nodded before continuing to talk. "Hinata...to be honest with you I do not consider myself someone good with social interaction, however I believe that if Naruto and you-" However, before he could finish, Hinata heard a loud noise, as if something had hit the ground hard.
"Shino...?" She asked, but before she could turn to face him a sharp, metal object materialized itself on her neck.
"No movements, otherwise this situation will end up bad for both me..." A voice behind her said as the metal object pressed harder against her skin, causing a small drop of blood fall down Hinata's neck. "...and for you..."
Hinata took a deep breath and without even activating her Byakugan she announced. "Gentle Fist Art: One Blow Body!" A blast of chakra was expelled from her back, causing the man to be thrown back and…poof into a cloud of chakra…?
"Oh no." Hinata said before realizing what happened. She looked up and wasn't surprised to see a man falling on top of her. He fell with his Knee first so to throw her to the ground before sitting on top of her with a kunai pressed against her neck.
Hinata looked at the man's face and was surprised of what she saw. It wasn't a man, it was a teen like her, a boy.
"I told you that this situation would…wait a minute, do I know you?" The teen asked.
Yes, Hinata knew him. She knew the blonde, spiky haired teen with a black cloak and a white shirt, blue eyes and familiar whisker marks. He might have become taller and let his hair grow but she would always recognize him. "Is it really you…Naruto...?"
Author's Note: Ok, so first thing some people might have noticed is that I changed some characters' clothes. Why did I do that? I didn't like their previous clothes or, in Hinata's case, I changed it to symbolize that she isn't the same Hinata Hyuuga from two and a half years ago.
In case you guys are wondering what Senpuden means…its whirlwind chronicles. It's like Shippuden (Huricane chronicles) but…Senpuden. If my japanese is wrong, please correct me in a review or something. I dunno, i just googled whirlwind, i don't really speak japanese so i don't know if it's right or wrong
I hope I made a good first impression for my new readers and an even better one for my old readers.
Thank you for reading.
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