Disclaimer: Naruto doesn't belong to me
Disclaimer: Naruto doesn't belong to me. This is purely a work of Fan fiction, no profits gained. Support the official releases.
If you haven't seen some of the latest volumes of the Manga and don't want to know what happens, please don't read, I really don't want to spoil anything. May possible contain mature themes befitting Shinobi life? Please enjoy.
Cavaet Lector
Prologue. Along came a Spider
A man leaned lightly against the wall absently watching a lone candle struggle to provide illumination for the hall. His innocuous features highlighted in the dim candlelight. The uniform that he wore identified him as a Shinobi of the village Konoha.
He shivered and began rubbing his arms trying to warm them up. It was cold atop the Hokage Mountain at night; the cold nightly winds that seemed to spare the village blew through the aged building. The hall was a remnant of the regions history, prior to the foundation of the hidden leaf.
"Cold Tenzou" a voice spoke drifting along the wind.
"No Sir" the man replied searching for the source of the voice.
"There is no need to lie" dry voice responded from the darkness "I apologise for being late, I had to make sure that the parasites hiding in my roof were occupied"
"Have they not let up Sir?" the man asked.
"They haven't" the man responded curtly "I did not call you here to discuss that however. There is something more important we need to discuss."
The man waited expectantly. He had been in the old hall for several hours and wanted to know what was important enough to be summoned so late.
"It concerns your squad…." the voice paused mid sentence,
"Leader-sama"
"I would like to know how they are progressing "
Tenzou analysed the question, the darkness of the room helped him concentrate on his thoughts. He had a good idea of what he was truly being asked.
"The subject is reacting much like I expected he would" Tenzou finally replied after a short delay.
"Any reason for the pause" the voice asked piercingly.
"I was fully digesting the question Sir and trying to give you the most accurate answer," the man paused "I was also considering what my answer to your next question would be"
"Oh, and what will my next question be" the voice responded again, the man could detect the amusement in his superiors tone.
"Will we be able to use the subject?" the man replied promptly
He heard his leader chuckle silently.
"Very good Tenzou"
"Thankyou sir"
"And your answer"
"I think the subject could prove useful to our cause, however…." the man paused hesitating over his next words; He had to phrase them correctly.
"Continue" the voice drifted from the darkness once more.
"I have reviewed the situation and have come to the conclusion that we should attempt to convince the subject to join us"
"Please explain your reasons" the amusement was instantly gone replaced with cold detachment.
"Yes sir" Tenzou took another moment to order his thoughts.
"As we have discussed before I think there is little doubt that the subject's abilities would be eminently useful to our cause"
"That is undeniable"
"Taking that fact for granted the true question would appear to be how we can make use of the subject. I have concluded that there are two main options. The first option involves indirect manipulation; we make him serve our own ends without his knowledge. The main benefits of this options are, that should we be able to manipulate him effectively we would not have to risk our security being breached."
"I agree"
"The second option however is the option that I have come to believe is what we should follow. This option entails that we convince him to join our side"
"And'
"And I have come to the conclusion that we will be able to convince him to do so" Tenzou answered limply.
"I would like more than that Tenzou, please elaborate on why this option is preferable" the leaders words were polite however Tenzou knew better then to be fooled by such superficial artifices.
"I believe that, if we consider recent events, it is possible that we will be able to exploit the subjects current state and convince him to join us."
"Would this not suggest that we manipulate him? If he is confused as you suggest, it would seem the most logical response?"
"It is true that by manipulating him that way has its merits, however I think there are inherent flaws with the line of thinking."
"Yes"
"The subject has two chief assets that are of interest to us. Firstly he holds a position of some influence amongst the younger generation of Shinobi. Not to mention his links to some the senior members of the village itself, the Hokage being the most evident example. His second main asset is his ever-increasing physical prowess and his status as a Jinchuuriki"
"We have already agreed upon that Tenzou," the voice impatiently reminded him"
"Yes sir, however I do not see how these abilities can be exploited to their greatest extent if we attempt to manipulate him from the shadows. The best we could hope for are small objectives that are not too far out of his worldview. This is a tremendous waste of his potential. If we only need him to do such minor things I don't see why we need Him at all."
"And your reasons for making him an ally." The voice was still without warmth.
"If we manage to enlist him as an ally we would be able to make use of all his talents." Tenzou paused waiting for his leader to interject. The silence gave him confidence to continue.
"Simply if we have little or no direct links to the subject, his effectiveness to our cause will be low as a result, begging the question, why we even need him in particular? On the other hand if we increase our links to the subject, his effectiveness will be much greater. The weakness of this option is that the closer the subject is to us the greater damage he could possibly inflict if he isn't loyal."
Tenzou paused again; there were no interruptions so he continued.
"Having reviewed the options I came to the conclusion that the first option would make our efforts not worth the time. The second, despite its risks, could benefit our cause immensely and it is my belief that it is achievable."
"What about his opinions on me personally" the man interjected
"Sir?"
"I have other sources of information Tenzou, I am aware that he holds me in contempt. I find it hard to believe that he would either join us, or stay loyal"
"Yes sir it is undeniably true that the subject was resentful after you ordered the assassination of the Uchiha. Since the attempted assassination I have discreetly worked on the resentment and managed to at the least reduce it to suspicion. This suspicion as you would imagine is the key impediment to our progress. Taking into account what has happened recently I am confident that his suspicion can be overcome."
"I did not believe that he was not so close to the copy-nin, that his opinions would be changed so diametrically due to his death"
"The subject was informed about the death on the Sannin Jiraiya shortly after the death of Kakashi contributing to his distress. Also we must take into account the action of the Uchiha in Kakashi's death. The subject's resentment towards you is primarily derived from the attempted assassination of the Uchiha, however in light of recent events, the subject is more understanding of the logic behind why we attempted to eliminate him."
The other speaker had now moved close enough to be seen in the dim candlelight. Half of his face was covered with Bandages with a few tuffs of hair sticking out the top. With his one visible eye he firmly looked upon his subordinate. He gestured with his hand to continue.
"I think that the death of his two mentors coupled with the guilt that he is feeling about the fate of the Uchiha has led to him to re-evaluate his opinions on the world. He now no longer has either Kakashi or Jiraiya to guide him along the path of the first. I am the closet thing he to a mentor and it goes without saying that I will use my influence to guide him along the correct path."
The old man moved to the wall and lit another candle
"With all the determining factors taken into account I believe that this is probably the greatest opportunity we will ever have to gain access to such a valuable asset. If we are to approach him we must move soon however" Tenzou exhaled, he wiped his forehead after his impromptu speech. He was surprised to find that he was sweating.
The old man did not respond immediately, his eyes staring into the candles flame. The hall was silent, the only sounds that could be heard was the howling of the wind through the building.
"Very good Tenzou I am impressed with your analysis," the man finally stated breaking the stillness.
Tenzou was relieved however he tried to show no emotion, he had let his anxiety prey upon him for a few moments.
"Your reasoning was convincing." The man looked back at his subordinate. "Should I agree to your proposal, how do you suggest we continue from here"?
"I think it is necessary that I should be the one to broach the subject to him, I have known him for a while now and he trusts me."
"I Agree"
"I don't think the problem shall be convincing him to at the very least consider the idea. I think the true problem that we will face is the limits of his resolve. It is critical not to test him too early. He is still in most respects the person he always was, if we allocate him any assignments that raise too many moral dilemmas, we would lose him. It will be necessary to start slow, however if done correctly this will lead to greater things."
"Speed is critical to a Shinobi" the man recited one of the tenants of Shinobi conduct
"If we push him too far too quickly I cannot gauge how he would react, it would be counterproductive. Speed without caution is the path to a quick death" Tenzou halted abruptly as he realized he had rudely contradicted his superior "I am sorry for my impudence Leader-sama" he knelt on the ground his head lowered.
"It is quite all right Tenzou, I appreciate your judgement" Tenzou heard traces of amusement in his leaders voice.
"Another Test" he asked.
"Life is a test Tenzou" the man replied sagely. His subordinate raised himself from the ground relieved that his leader wasn't angry.
"Do you think he should come before me"?
"I think it is necessary, he knows about your connections with the former Root division. If I introduced him to a masked ANBU he would suspect our faithfulness. His loyalty shall initially depend upon his suspicions being alleviated. If we give him reason to be suspicious at the beginning the whole process will be ruined." Tenzou paused "However he doesn't need to be introduced to the others, he has no idea of their existence and there is no practical benefit introducing him to them. All that would be accomplished from such an act would be a greater risk of exposure of our movement should he divulge information to the Hokage."
"I agree" the leaders voice lapsed into dead seriousness "I have one last question and this one is the most Important. Should he prove unwilling to accept our invitation, or should he turn out to be traitorous…"
"I will eliminate him," Tenzou answered before his leader had finished speaking.
"Very good" the voice was warm again " I am very impressed with our efforts Tenzou. I know the last few months must have been trying for you, however you have fulfilled your mission admirably."
"Thankyou leader-sama" Tenzou replied.
"We are not in an official meeting Tenzou, you can address me by my name."
"Danzou-sama"
"I am convinced; bring him before me here in four days time. We could meet earlier however I do not want Tsunade to suspect that I have agents within the units she has spying upon me"
"Are things escalating"? Tenzou asked.
"No. It is not yet the time to take any major action. Any overt action against the misrule of the Hokage's is, for the moment, unfeasible. We shall continue to support our village from the shadows." Tenzou noticed a slight trace of weariness in the old mans voice
"Besides there are still potent forces dedicated to destroying Konoha, if we make any provocative movements before they are defeated they will exploit the turmoil. Our objectives shall continue to be eliminating any external threats to the future of Konoha."
Tenzou nodded, he knew of some of the main Threats, the leader of Akatsuki leader was alive and at large. Any one who could take down one of the Sannin was to be feared.
"Despite this Tenzou, I want you to always be prepared for the unexpected. If we manage to beat the enemies away from the gates, we will them move to combat the greatest threat to our village, that which resides within the walls."
"Yes Danzou-sama, I shall always be prepared"
"Good, we will meet again in four days time" Danzou extinguished the candle with his fingers.
"Understood" Tenzou bowed waiting for his superior to leave. When he raised his head the old man had left, his footsteps echoing on the wooden floor.
Once he was sure his superior had left the man returned to his contemplation of the lone candle.
"Things were certainly going to be different" He chuckled to himself as he extinguished it, engulfing the room in darkness.
Past & Future
It was nearly midday in Konohagakure no Sato, the village hidden in the leaves. The streets were crowded with ninja and civilians alike.
Uzamaki Naruto stood leaning on the rails of his balcony, disinterestedly watched the hubbub of activity in the city streets. Normally he was comforted by the sounds of the urban sprawl, the ceaseless murmur of activity conveyed a sense of life and vibrancy that he found relaxing. Yet at the moment the young mans mind was swimming in the multitude of thoughts, which had threatened to overwhelm him since his meeting with Danzou.
Danzou himself was not physically intimidating; quite simply he was old. His many visible wounds bespoke the sacrifices that he had made for his village; he had only one arm and one eye (Naruto assumed he had one eye as the right eye was covered in bandages). Danzou talked about his desire to protect the village and Naruto sensed that this desire was genuine. His problems with Root had nothing to do with the substance of theirs beliefs; rather it was Danzou's methods that he was concerned about. When Naruto queried him about this Danzou had responded.
"The village has lost its way; I created Root in order to protect the village Potential threats to the villages security have been allowed to survive and grow. These potential enemies encouraged by our feebleness eventually become actual threats. In the last two decades we have seen the results of what happens if our enemies are left in peace".
Naruto did not understand what the man was talking about. Danzou judging by the bemused expression on Naruto face clarified for him.
"You only need to review the last twenty years of our history to realize the problem. The village has lost two Hokage's; both killed within the very walls of the village, one of them killed by his own student no less. The war with Iwa, The Suna-Oto invasion and now our recent conflicts with Akatsuki have all taken their toll upon the village. We are trying desperately to maintain the façade of strength but the simple fact is Konoha is growing weak whilst our enemies grow stronger. Two of the three Sannin, the most gifted in their generation are now dead. Kakashi Hatake your captain was the last surviving member of his squad…"
Naruto had interrupted the old man, he did not appreciate that Danzou was using Jiraiya and Kakashi deaths to help convince him to join his cause.
"I am not going to treat you like a child and avoid mentioning your recently departed mentors." Danzou had replied evenly "The simple fact is that, besides the personal tragedy of their passing, their deaths also represent a downward trend in the village. It is possible that our village may be able to endure several more decades, however with each passing year the village will grow weaker until finally when the village finally collapses it shall be a mere shadow of its former self. What is more, the number of Shinobi who sacrifice their lives for their village will increase as well, just so we can try to keep the allusion of strength. Tell me would you be willing to sacrifice your friends needlessly?"
Naruto had not answered, the words however struck at his very soul. Little though he wanted to admit it what Danzou was saying actually made a little bit of sense. Naruto had never really looked at the deaths of his fellow ninja in such a way. Kakashi, Jiraiya, the Sandiame Hokage, Asuma among many others, to him their deaths were personal tragedies; he had not really considered how their deaths impacted upon the village in a wider sense. He had felt uneasy, not wanting to admit the validity of what Danzou had said he changed the subject.
"They died for their beliefs, the third sacrificed his life for his village. And yet you still dislike him and corrupt his legacy."
Danzou had surprisingly nodded his head at this comment.
"It is true I did not like the Sandiame Hokage. He became far to enthralled with his vision of balance among the nations, so much so that he lost his objectivity. His reign witnessed the decline of our village. You must remember that Orochimaru was the thirds pupil. Sarutobi had the opportunity to eliminate his erstwhile student however he let him escape."
"He was a hero like the forth, he died defending the village" Naruto had insisted.
Danzou nodded once again "And that is the reason I do not hate him. My dislike of him came from our disagreements over the means however we both wanted to save the people of Konoha. He was a worthy if misguided Shinobi. In regards to the forth Hokage, he was a true Hero and had his reign been longer I am sure he would have steered the village along the right path."
"Your path, you mean" Naruto grumbled.
"The Path of a Shinobi" Danzou declared vehemently, Naruto was taken aback by the outburst. When Danzou spoke again his voice was again controlled. "I am under no illusions. The ideology espoused by the Hokage's is far more attractive than what I am telling you. The philosophy of balance is very enticing, that is its greatest strength and weakness. The truth is that no matter how much it is pursued it can never be brought into fruition. The goal of the philosophy is the creation and preservation of peace, however the idea that Shinobi, who would have no place in such a world, could actually create a peaceful world is ludicrous. All it has given us, besides a pleasant daydream, is a circle of enemies around the village waiting for the right moment to finish us off. The great tree that is Konoha has grown corrupt. It surpassed all its competitors in the struggle for light; however once it became aware of its pre-eminence, it forgot its painful struggle for survival and instead tried to enforce an unrealistic ideology of peace on a world that is built on war."
Naruto did not respond to Danzou, instead he looked towards his captain. He had initially been relieved that Yamato was present at the interview however as it continued he felt uncomfortable with his captain's presence. He had stood behind Danzou throughout the interview and he had not moved an inch the entire time. His stillness was unnerving.
"I understand, this is a lot to take in, please take some time to consider our offer" Danzou had said.
A year ago he would have dismissed Danzou's offer out of hand, indeed he would have done so even a few months ago. And yet now he was actually entertaining the notion of accepting Danzou's offer. It was disconcerting how much things could change in so short a time. Naruto was forced to admit to himself that Danzou's promise to use his influence to put him back on the roster of active Shinobi was a major enticement. Besides Danzou was not asking him to do anything immoral, he just wanted him to keep an eye out during his missions.
Naruto dismissed the thoughts bubbling in his mind. What Danzou, and his Root cronies represented was against his Nindo, his ninja way. He wanted to protect his village and his friends however he wanted to do so without breaking his word. He had seen what happened to those who had become lost, their words had become twisted, a tool for justifying their own heinous actions. He had no desire to follow in their iniquitous footsteps.
"But you have already broken your word" a voice whispered in his mind. Naruto recognised the voice it was that of the Kyuubi no Kitsune. He channelled his chakra through his body to halt the flow of the Kyuubi's chakra, a trick that he was becoming more proficient with. To his shock he discovered no resistance, the demons energy was still firmly held at bay buy the seal placed on his stomach. Naruto shook his head; he must have imagined the voice.
Naruto groaned in frustration, it was true though. No matter how much he may struggle to explain his way out of it, the simple fact is that he had broken his word. He had made a promise of a lifetime to Sakura, to bring Sasuke back to Konoha, due to his actions he could never fulfil that promise.
Naruto closed his eyes ignoring the world around him. He let his thoughts drift back to that moment where he had failed; perhaps it could help him come to a decision.
He had, along with the retrieval team, rushed to the complex where Sasuke was supposed to be. He was hoping for another opportunity to recover his friend. The comment made by the strange Akatsuki member (Sakura had said his name was Zetsu) that Sasuke was fading fast had worried him. Itachi was near unstoppable, if Sasuke had somehow managed to defeat him he could only imagine the state he would be in.
The complex was a wreck; it could hardly be classified, as a building so great was the damage. The retrieval squad could not find the bodies of either Uchiha brother amongst the rubble; The Akatsuki had apparently reached them first. For a brief moment he had despaired that the mission had ended the way of the last attempt, they had come so close only to have Sasuke taken away from them.
When Kiba and Kakashi's nin-dogs managed to pick up traces of the Uchiha's sent he had felt hope again. The problem was that the scents were emanating from three different areas. The squad split up, Kiba and Shino followed one trail. Sakura and Hinata accompanied by most of Kakashi's hounds followed another. He and Kakashi had followed the final trail with the help of Pakkun, Kakashi's ninja pug-dog.
Naruto paused from his recollection and reflected on what might have happened had they arrived earlier, or not at all. If they had only arrived earlier, the masked man might have never had the opportunity to mess with his friends mind. If they hadn't arrived at all perhaps Sasuke would have had time to calm down and realize the situation he was in. Either way things would have almost had to turn out better then they did. Naruto dismissed these thoughts; it would do him no good thinking what might have happened. The simple fact was that they had encountered Sasuke, no amount of wishing it had been different would change that fact.
Following Sasuke's scent the found they entered a cave in the mountains near the battleground. There were various side passages however with Pakkun's help they managed to follow the path that led to a large antechamber.
Inside they had found Sasuke leaning against the cave wall, tears streaming down his face. His chest was wrapped up in bandages and the numerous scrapes, cuts and bruises on his body were evidence of the battle with his brother. Standing next to him was the masked ninja they had encountered in the forest.
"Senju-ninja, I am impressed that you found us, I suppose you aren't as bad as I thought" the man with the swirled mask taunted them.
Sasuke raised his head. Naruto had noticed the difference in his friend immediately; he could the strange starlike pattern of his eyes even at a distance.
"Naruto" Sasuke had whispered his voice and mannerisms were strange.
"Naruto watch out," Kakashi had shouted but it was too late he had not expected the attack.
Chidori.
Kakashi threw himself in front of his student to shield him from the blow; he had taken it full force of it himself.
With one hand stuck in Kakashi's bleeding chest Sasuke reached out with the other and in one horrifying motion ripped the Sharingan out of his former teachers head. It was all done so fast, with such clinical precision. The dark-haired boy jumped back from his former teacher to stand alongside the masked man.
"What have you done?" he yelled when he finally regained the ability to speak. The speed and the complete lack of hesitation in the attack had stunned him. He thought that Sasuke had only just emerged from a fierce battle with Itachi, how could he even launch such an attack.
"He was abomination, he was not worthy of such a gift" the dark haired boy spoke silently as Kakashi limply fell to the ground.
"What"
"He was a dog of the Senju, a conspirator in their treachery. He was unworthy of such a gift. I merely took back what didn't belong to him" Sasuke responded.
Naruto hadn't understood what Sasuke was saying; he couldn't actually believe that Sasuke had struck like that. He wasn't sure why, he just did not expect Sasuke to attempt to kill him. Sasuke had spared his life at the Valley of the End, and although it appeared that he had attempted to kill him at Orochimaru's hideout, Naruto was sure that Sasuke was only trying to scare him off.
He had never expected such a deliberate and clinical attack. On reflection he knew his actions were childish, but at the time he just couldn't comprehend.
"You have become stronger Sasuke" Kakashi had spoken, feebly struggling to his knees, a bleeding crevice where his left eye used to be. His arms cradling the massive wound in his chest " I tried to warn you that pursuing revenge at all costs would cause you pain"
"I need no lectures from you" Naruto remembered his friends voice; it was without any warmth, without any trace of the Sasuke who had acknowledged him as a child. There was not even any trace of the boy who had called him his best friend at the valley of the end. Sasuke had always been proud of his Uchiha heritage however in that cave his eyes dominated him, cruel and unyielding. Sasuke stared at his former friends with the unblinking ferocity of a bird of prey.
"I am sorry I couldn't help you" Kakashi had continued before coughing up blood upon the ground.
"Sensei" Naruto gasped.
Kakashi pulled himself back off the ground; he pulled a scroll from his vest and handed it him "Take this, you might need it"
"Naruto whatever happens here, don't let it stop you from following your own path. I know you will continue to be a worthy son of his " Naruto would remember the look in his sensei's eyes until his dying day. He had seen many things from looking into people eyes, hate, anger, love, pain, however the sadness that radiated from his sensei was almost tangible.
The dying Jonin turned to face the masked man next to Sasuke "Obito" he rasped.
The masked laughed sickenly. It was filled with pure, almost childlike, enjoyment. "Such a fool you are Kakashi Hatake. I am Madara, Obito Uchiha is long dead"
The silver haired Jonin ignored the man "Obito I am sorry, I couldn't protect Rin like I promised" Kakashi was obviously hallucinating, lost in the ghosts of his past.
Naruto touched his face; tears were falling down across his cheeks. He wiped them away furiously. He didn't want to cry, he didn't want to dwell in self-pity he was remembering so he could reach a decision. Kakashi's final moments would be forever etched on his memory, he wondered if it was a symptom of being a Shinobi that one regretted the decisions they had made in their life. Zabuza had done so all those years ago, so did Kakashi. With death a very real possibility Naruto had expected that life would be lived without regrets. However the reverse was probably true, one would always be drawn to what was done wrong rather than what was done right.
"Enough of this" he had heard Sasuke shout as charged at the kneeling Jonin drawing the sword at his waist.
He remembered attempting to move to intercept his friend however the masked ninja had teleported behind him and grabbed his arms. The masked mans grip was vice like, inescapable.
He had watched helplessly as the lightning enhanced sword cut through the kneeling man without resistance. He heard the dull thud as the body slumped to the ground. He was half-expecting his sensei's body to turn into a tree or rock like he had done so many times over the years. However Kakashi had not preformed the body switch technique, he had simply died.
When he realized that what he was witnessing was not a Genjutsu or one of Kakashi's trips he had closed his eyes. A foolish response in the situation, but he had not what to face the reality of what he was seeing.
"Are you okay, you coward" Naruto remembered the taunting voice of the Uchiha. The words were remarkably similar to those he had spoken on the mission to the land of waves. The Sasuke who had murdered Kakashi, the Sasuke who was his friend, the faces of the two overlapped their actions becoming merging together in his mind into a grisly collage.
"Coward" Sasuke repeated with contempt " if you really desire to be the Hokage, the head of your village. Then you are a prime example of the corruption of the Senju. Those who attack us when we are supposedly allied, who deliberately and callously planned the murder of my clan, those who corrupted my brother. All of them are cowards and all shall be held accountable just as they held my entire family accountable." Naruto remembered the rant; he had his eyes closed at the time however the words had burned themselves onto his memory.
From this point on his recollection of events was cloudy, He remembered only fragments of what occurred? Pakkun Kakashi-nin dog was dismissed with Kakashi's death. Konoha later managed to renew the contract with Kakashi's hounds and Pakkun had confirmed what Naruto had remembered.
He knew why he couldn't remember, it had happened before. Whenever the demon fox took over his mind, he remembered nothing about what happened in his possessed state. But something was different this time; he had a rough recollection of images and sounds.
Naruto sat down leaning against the rails of his veranda and closed his eyes, he no longer concentrated on his memories but rather he tried to let his thoughts take him there.
He began to hear fragments of conversation, he couldn't remember any images. The words swirled through his mind in the dark
"I shouldn't have come after you," a voice stated he recognised it to be his own but there was different, he was speaking quietly almost unnaturally so.
"I told you that already" another voice answered scornfully, the voice belonged to Sasuke.
"You are no better than your brother" it was his voice once again. Slowly he began to see blurry images of the cave.
"My brother was a far greater man then you could ever imagine" Sasuke had responded. Sasuke's eyes slowly came into focus they were no longer calculating, instead the vibrated with anger on the verge of madness.
"You will not destroy the leaf village, I cannot let you" Naruto could not comprehend how he was talking; his voice was low and even, emotionless, lifeless. Maybe that is what he sounded like when controlled by the demon fox.
"What can you do, I am an Uchiha I wield the Mangekyou Sharingan, A power born of a sacrifice that you could never hope to imagine. The man restraining you is Madara Uchiha. He saw the people of Konoha for what the truly were and dedicated his life into stoping the Senju. What are you compared to us, nothing, at best Senju scum."
"Uchiha Madara, a hero you say" the words were far different now. No longer were the soft nor did they have the same inflections. Something moved in his peripheral vision, the image moved slightly. The masked man was lying scrawled on the cave floor the remnants of his mask were rested on the ground. One of his own arms appeared in the image obscuring the mans face, Naruto watched as some as the skin slowly pealed away from his arm, there was a red haze over the limb.
The image changed once again to Sasuke his sword raised. "My eyes can see you for what you are, a mere beast. I have already shown you that I can dismiss you at any time."
"Proud of your eyes aren't you boy" Naruto remembered the awful voice. Momentarily he feared that the fox was in his head once again, for no longer was the voice from his remembrance belonging to him.
"Only one of your clan has ever truly manipulated me, and that will never happen again". Naruto was concerned, the line between his memories and the present were becoming harder to distinguish, he was no longer sure if the Kyuubi's voice belonged to the past. He considered stoping, he did not want to allow the creature access to him, however the knowledge of what happened next was alluring. He steadied his breath and let the memories wash over him.
He was moving towards the Uchiha. He could see Sasuke trying to react however he didn't seem to be moving quickly enough. He could see the fear in the boy's eyes as he struck him across the face, his hand clawed and engulfed in red chakra.
The image of Sasuke was lost for a few moments replaced with a swirling view of the cave. The image gained focus Sasuke was on the ground standing next to him was Madara. Naruto guessed from the perspective that he must have been on the other side of the room. For a few brief moments he saw the face of the man beneath the mask, somehow he recognised Madara's face immediately, although it belonged to someone he had never seen. Madara kneeled next to the thrashing form of Sasuke and preformed a few Kata's and gently touched his face.
Sasuke rose from the ground slowly, into a sitting position. From his perspective he could see the damage done to once handsome Uchiha. The left half of his face was untouched however the right was unrecognisable. Sasuke right eye had been consumed by the Kyuubi's burning Chakra; the area around it could only barely be described as a human face, a horrible mess of uneven charred flesh There was no skin nor hair on the right side of his face and the sinews and bone breath were visible to the world. It was strange however that there was no look of agony on what was left of his face. He could detect fear; he smelt it in the air. He saw Sasuke's lips moving but could hear no sound; he could see the sinews on the left side of his face as he moved his mouth.
His perspective was coming closer, he was moving towards the Uchiha. The elders mans face was shrouded by the lighting in the cave, only the three Tomoe in his Sharingan were visible. The image faded into darkness
"Uchiha Madara, such an arrogant human." Naruto heard the Kyuubi's voice. "I think we repaid him for trying to tame me" the demon sneered.
The darkness receded only to be replaced with an all to familiar sewer. It was a strange world, without any tactile sensation. Momentarily panicking the blond ninja looked around wildly, he hadn't intended to let things get this far.
Naruto looked through the bars into the monsters cell, red claws reached out towards him. Naruto cursed viciously, he focused his chakra through his body. The Kyuubi's arms cautiously receded back into the cell.
"I will allow you to have this day boy, after all you let me have mine," the Kyuubi's laughter echoed in the empty recesses of its confinement.
The sewer gradually receded, the bars that imprisoned the Kyuubi's shrunk and became the railings of his veranda. The dingy sewer slowly dissolved into the reality that was Naruto's apartment.
Somehow he had managed to fall over as he was now lying on his back on the balcony. He raised an arm to stop the glare of the midday sun, the other slowly stroking his eyes. He pulled himself over to the railings and slumped against them, His head lolling back onto his shoulders once he found a comfortable niche against the metal.
He took a few deep breaths to steady himself, he felt weary like he had been engaged in a prolonged struggle. Naruto's neck soon began to ache from the uncomfortable angle; he switched shoulders only then to be confronted with a grim faced Yamato.
"Arrrrrrrggggggghhhhhhhh!" he screamed swiping at the wood ninja before him.
Yamato deftly jumped backwards to avoid the panicked blows.
"Are you all right?" he asked lightly once Naruto calmed down.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY HOUSE!"? Naruto intoned the words slowly stressing every syllable, his heart was racing from encountering the demon fox, he hadn't really needed the wood-nin to scare the hell out of him as well.
"I detected the Kyuubi's chakra, I though you might need some help. I didn't need to act though, it had dissipated by the time I arrived."
"And you decided to scare me for the fun of it, I suppose " Naruto accused
"I had to make sure you were all right" Yamato replied defensively.
"You couldn't have smiled or something, first I see the demon then I see your snarling face. I'm not really sure which one I prefer" Naruto answered.
Yamato did not smirk, his eyes narrowed. "What is wrong, you were close to loosing control, I could feel the creatures chakra from half a village away and I am sure most of the other Shinobi noticed as well."
"I'm sorry, I was just thinking and it caught me unawares" Naruto lied. Naruto looked at his captain, his expression unreadable.
"Don't be sorry, just make sure it never happens again" Yamato finally spoke.
"Thankyou. If anyone asks can you tell them we were just training, I don't want to worry anybody"
"I don't know" Yamato answered vaguely. He smiled slightly and his expression contorted into a look of worried concern "I really should inform the Hokage, unless of course you could convince me otherwise"
"What do you want" Naruto asked wearily he knew what convince meant.
"After our next training session, I think you will pay for the meals"
Naruto nodded glumly, he wasn't sure when it had started however people had now began to bribe one another. He considered it a horrible practice since he usually was the one who had to pay up.
"Were you thinking about Danzou's offer"?
"Yes" Naruto replied, he paused for a few moments before asking what was on his mind. "Yamato-taicho if you were in my position what would you do?"
Naruto watched the wood-nins face hoping for some clue to help him reach a decision. Yamato expression once again became unreadable. Sometimes it annoyed Naruto that his captain was able to keep such control over his own features.
"If I was you, I would accept " Yamato finally responded.
Naruto opened his mouth to speak however Yamato gestured that he was going to continue "I am not you however, this decision has to be yours alone. At some point everybody has to make decisions for themselves. A core component of Root's philosophy is that its members should be able to accept, understand and interpret the realities of any given situation. My suggestion to you is that you think about what it is that you want and to what lengths you are willing to protect it"
"By accepting Danzou's offer do I have to go through the same kind of training as Sai"? Naruto asked remembering his emotionally handicapped friend.
"No, you are probably too old for that anyway. Working with Danzou does not mean that you become an emotionless killing machine. I will make no promises that what you might be called on to do will be easy. You will however have the satisfaction of knowing that you are working towards something greater than yourself."
Naruto considered the words before replying "Yamato-Taicho, how did you get involved in this?"
"That is the story for another time, for now I will leave you to think" Yamato turned and walked towards the door. "Remember though, you owe me a meal"
--xxxxxxxxxx--
The brief distraction of the wood-nins appearance soon faded after he departed and Naruto returned to his thoughts. His little foray down memory lane had been illuminating if not dangerous. He came to the conclusion that the Kyuubi was responsible for allowing for the disturbing manner in which he almost relived the cave incident. Various aspects of the recollection were hazy however other aspects seemed real, as if what was appearing to him was actually happening. Despite learning details of what happened in the cave Naruto was still not ready to make a decision about Danzou's offer.
He had failed his friend and his mentor; he could never escape the guilt. The rational aspect of his mind realized that it wasn't only his fault, however he couldn't help but feel that if he had just tried harder or thought clearer their deaths could have been averted. He didn't remember Sasuke's death; the Kyuubi had interrupted before he could see it. In one way he was glad that he didn't have to remember the image. From the battle in the cave to waking up in the hospital over a month later he remembered nothing. He only later learnt from being debriefed that he had killed Sasuke & Madara Uchiha. It was fortunate that the rest of the retrieval team were not in the immediate vicinity, apparently Yamato had stoped them from approaching the area. He had recognised the transformation had reached an unprecedented level. The reports from the retrieval team suggested that the Kyuubi defeated both of the clansmen and then proceeded to destroy the entire mountain range for the fun of it. Eventually his body gave way under the stress of the demons Chakra and he collapsed. After a short search his body was recovered by Yamato and Sakura amongst the debris and brought back to Konoha for treatment.
All this he knew from the debriefing only, one entire month of his life was missing.
Naruto smiled sadly remembering his first memories having woken up.
The sun was shining radiantly through the hospital windows onto his eyes. He remembered turning away from the sunlight blinking. Sakura was sitting at his bedside she was dozing slightly in the chair.
"Sakura-Chan" he mumbled his mouth feeling ungainly.
The pink-haired Kunoichi awoke, her green eyes focusing upon him. "Your awake"
"Yep" Naruto replied sardonically.
Sakura sat with her head down for a few moments "Sorry, I'm just glad you're awake. I have been worried you been out for a while"
"How long" he had asked.
"A little over a month, you have been waking up the last week but you weren't very coherent"
Naruto tried pulling himself up into a sitting position but it was more difficult than he had expected. Sakura helped him.
"Your been in bed for nearly a month Naruto, your muscles aren't used to your activity. There are also some lingering affects of your last fight" Sakura had spoken the last words with a brittle note to her voice that he had only recognised in reflection. At the time his wits were scattered however from his rest.
"What happened?" he had asked groggily holding his head.
Sakura didn't answer immediately; she was looking out the window of his room.
"We will talk about it later" she finally had answered "For now you should rest, I'll go find your doctor. I haven't slept for a little while so I not much help at the moment"
With that Sakura left the room. At the time he had not thought anything more about it. However now he could see how she must have felt, he had killed Sasuke. He had broken his promise of a lifetime. Instead of saving him, he had been the instrument of his death. He had broken team seven irreparably; no matter how much they would try nothing could bring the old days back now. And yet she hadn't berated him, or yelled at him, she visited him everyday with a smile but he knew what she must have been feeling, he had failed her. Her visits were always of a strained nature; something had irreparably changed between them.
He had other well wishers Team 8 came to visit him and Hinata left him flowers each time she visited with her team-mates they adorned his dresser table and filled the room with a beautiful fragrance. Team Shikamaru had also visited; Shikamaru had become the new team captain following the deaths of Asuma and of their interim captain Kakashi. Team Gai had also visited and much to Naruto's surprise so had old man Ichiraku and his daughter Ayame. They had said that they were worried about their most loyal customer.
He had politely listened to the words of support, part of him was thankful for their thinking of him and yet another part didn't want to hear their words. He had lost both his teacher and he had killed his friend. No matter how articulate their words of comfort were, it didn't dispel his guilt.
The hospital had forced him to have sessions with a councillor. They believed that he was having problems coping with the death of his mentors and they claimed that it was okay for him to feel fear concerning his own mortality. Listening to them talk about dealing with his own mortality Naruto recognised where their sudden preoccupation had originated.
One morning during his stay at the hospital Tsunade herself visited him, he distinctly remembered that she was looking very pale. He soon determined the cause of her unusual complexion when she had hesitantly informed him of the findings of the test they had been preforming upon him.
"The damage that the Kyuubi did to your body was more extreme they we originally had imagined. Using an average rate of cellular reproduction we believe that the incident has taken approximately ten years from your expected life expectancy."
He hadn't answered immediately; it was not the kind of statement that called for an immediate response.
"I want you to remember that the number ten years is conjecture, we have know way of measuring the damage accurately nor do we know how long you will live. Also our knowledge regarding the Kyuubi's effects on the body is minimal at best. Knowledge concerning Jinchuuriki is rare and often inaccurate"
"Please don't use that word," he had reproached her quietly.
"I'm sorry" Tsunade answered to the quiet correction "at any rate the damage was extreme. Ten years is may be too high a figure, but I thought it best that you recognise the possibility."
"Thankyou Hokage-sama, I appreciate your honesty" he replied smiling.
Tsunade looked taken aback at his response, he didn't know how she expected him to react. Did she think he would wave his arms above his head and go into a blind panic. He knew the effects the demon had on him up to the four-tailed state; he had already concluded that the damage done by whatever state he had reached would probably be far greater.
"Naruto will you be all right, if you need to talk…" Tsunade had begun.
"Thanks for your concern, but honestly I am fine." Naruto interrupted before she could finish speaking.
Tsunade had the left the room unconvinced, leaving the offer open that if he needed to talk he need only approach her. Not long after his doctor had informed him that he would soon start counselling sections. They were unnecessary, Naruto knew what he was feeling and why he considered a few years taken off his life as poor exchange for the debt he had incurred. Two lives ended in that cave that could have been saved had he only thought clearly.
He spent far too many hours for his liking in those sessions, when his councillor was called outside for a conversation he stealthily moved to look at their notebook.
The patient appears to be suffering from survivor guilt; he focus obsessively on his perceived failure to act and blames himself for the deaths of both Kakashi Hatake and Sasuke Uchiha. Naruto was unable to read more as the councillor re-entered the room.
After that chance discovery he made sure that he carefully worded he responses, if they thought he had an illness there was a very good likelihood that they would keep uncomfortably close tabs on him.
Eventually his councillor had come to the conclusion that it would be in his best interests to leave the hospital, Naruto had told them this many times they simply hadn't believed him. Once his rather extensive physical rehabilitation was complete he had been released back into the city.
He was put on the off-duty roster "for a well deserved break' as Iruka had termed it when he had requested an assignment. He had protested to Tsunade however she informed him that it was her decision. He hadn't even bothered to argue with her and accepted the ruling tamely; arguing about it would only lead to the vacation being extended.
He needed something to do though; his long stay in the hospital had tested his patience. He was not altogether used to being indisposed for long periods, the demon foxes influence usually saw to it that his injuries healed quickly. He had become slightly short tempered; it had taken a great deal of concentration not to berate his visitors. Only having a further inactive period only depressed him, if he wasn't doing something his thoughts would dwell on the cave.
He tried to keep himself busy training. He soon learned that if he exhausted himself with training he didn't have the energy to contemplate his actions. However at night he couldn't escape his dreams.
During his well-deserved break he adhered to a strict training regimen. Eating sleeping, and training each activity following the other at the scheduled hour.
He tried to keep abreast of event outside the village; he reasoned that the Hokage was not informing him of Akatsuki movements, to shield him in his venerable state. Not many of his acquaintances were willing to divulge information concerning the state of the world; the conversations seemed to usually centre on inoffensive topics such as the weather. Yamato was the only one he seemed willing to answer his questions.
To his surprise there was very little news about the Akatsuki. After learning of Jiraiya's death, Tsunade sent agents into the hidden rain with strict orders to avoid combat situations. The Rain nation had a well known and well deserved reputation, if rumours were true, of being a difficult country to enter. The Konoha agents however encountered little difficulty crossing the border.
The village had exploded into a full-scale civil war; the Shinobi deserted the border crossings to contend for power back in the village itself. Apparently the war had being going on for a long time, however recently one of the factions was thrown into confusion with the loss of their leader. The other took the opportunity to recapture the city for themselves. Naruto had waited patiently as Yamato had talked about what he had gathered, he cared little for the internal politics of the village, he wanted to know the whereabouts of Akatsuki's leader, he also had a debt to make sure that the old perverts death would not go unavenged. Much to his disappointment the agents had found no trace of the Akatsuki leader; he had apparently disappeared shortly after murdering Jiraiya.
Yamato was one of the few people that Naruto felt comfortable around. He answered his questions and whenever he had free time would join Naruto in his training sessions. With Yamato around, Naruto felt safe to increase the intensity of his training. If worst came to worst Yamato could make sure that the tailed demon would not emerge once more.
Naruto and the Kyuubi enjoyed an even less than cordial relationship. Due to the nature of the seal placed on his stomach, he could unconsciously draw upon the creatures Chakra. But now Naruto wanted nothing to do with the Fox.
Whatever state he had reached in the cave, weakened his seal. The demon fox occasionally made assaults upon his mind attempting to gain control, he had learnt that if he channelled his Chakra although his body he could suppress the foxes malign influence. There had never been an amicable relationship between himself and the demon, indeed sometimes when he was feeling venerable he blamed the demon for him being ostracized by the villagers when he was younger. Predominantly however they existed in a mutual truce, if he needed a little extra help he asked the Kyuubi to provide the muscle. The demon did so not out of love or even respect but simply out of boredom and self-preservation.
But now Naruto felt befouled by the fox's presence, it had caused Sasuke's death. Normally if he suffered an injury the fox's influence would speed up his healing but now Naruto wanted nothing from the demon, he had found that if he concentrated he could prevent even these usually unconscious uses of the Fox Chakra.
His acquaintances seemed to be keeping an eye on him. Not a few times he found himself in the company of Sakura, Hinata, Kiba or Shikamaru even Neji stoped in from time to time. The latter of these visitors was a source of some guilty humour; for Neji was painfully obvious in his attempts to keep a watch upon him. Naruto found that whenever he linked the term henpecking with the reserved Hyuuga, he would burst out in laughter.
Sakura was by far the hardest to deal with. They didn't even argue anymore, she would just smile and talk about little things. Naruto could feel the oppressive weight of his own actions whenever he looked at her, no matter how polite she acted he couldn't shake the suspicion that she was just hiding her anger and her pain.
Not only could he no longer talk to Sakura, he now also felt uncomfortable around his first sensei. Iruka by nature was kind and understanding and he had visited him frequently. One part of Naruto was happy that his sensei was trying to be helpful and he could tell that the teacher was genuine in his concern. But he couldn't refuse to accept responsibility for his actions as Iruka had suggested. Iruka had tried to convince him that the deaths were not his fault, but this was simply a denial. If he denied his responsibility than he would be no better than Orochimaru, it might be more difficult to face the reality but to retreat behind the excuses was even worse.
Sasuke, Kakashi or Jiraiya were never mentioned as a topic for conversation. Naruto knew why, they didn't want to upset him. Their presence however was only more conspicuous in their absence.
The official funerals for Kakashi and Jiraiya had large turnouts, and the general feeling in the village was similar to when the Sandiame had died. The bodies of neither ninja had been recovered. Kakashi's body was probably destroyed in the Kyuubi's rampage; Jiraiya's was lost to the lake outside the hidden Rain.
The remembrance ceremonies were well attended Jiraiya was a Sannin, a legendary ninja known to all. And Kakashi was considered a Hokage in the making. The names of the two were added to the ever-growing list of names on the memorial stone. Kakashi in some way was finally united with his teammates once again.
He had taken the time to learn about Kakashi's past as his sensei's last words had annoyed him for some time; he had wanted to know what the copy-nin was referring to. In order to find the answers he sought, he began to visit the library, a facility almost unknown to him before. Kakashi had never spoken much about his personal life. One of his few clues came from Kakashi's comment during the bell test all those years ago, that the names of his closest friend were engraved in the memorial stone.
Kakashi's father turned out to be a famous ninja, known as the white fang of Konoha. He skills had been ranked alongside those of the Sannin, however he came to a bad end. Having botched up a mission to rescue his comrades he was shunned by his peers, eventually committing suicide in disgrace. Obito who Kakashi had spoken off whilst losing consciousness turned out to be an Uchiha. Obito had belonged to the same three-man cell as Kakashi when his sensei was young. Naruto learnt that it was from a dying Obito that Kakashi acquired his Sharingan. Obito was reported as having been killed on assignment during the third great ninja war. It was during this war Naruto discovered that a Kakashi and his teammates were led by a Jonin by the name of Minato Namikaze.
The Name of Kakashi's teacher skirted on the edge of his understanding, he was sure that he had heard it before. In order to placate his irritation he researched a little about the man. To his surprise Minato Namikaze eventually assumed the role of Hokage and became known to history as the legendary forth Hokage. Naruto shrugged once discovering this fact and returned to the files concerning Kakashi's teammates. He reasoned that he probably was taught the name in the academy and he had simply forgotten about it.
Kakashi final teammate was a girl by the name of Rin; there was very little information in the records about the girl, noticeably the absence of a death certificate. And yet from Kakashi's statements he had inferred that she had died, indeed he had even seen her name on the memorial stone.
He presumed that she must have died in an assignment that was classified and thus records concerning the manner of her death were not displayed in the village library. Naruto pieced together that she had survived Obito at any rate as she was recorded as to having attended a service in his honour.
Kakashi had never divulged much about his personal life to those around him, other than of course his infamous love of Icha Icha series. Naruto had left a copy of the novel at the Hatake family grave. The gesture seemed strangely appropriate.
Naruto remained sitting on his balcony well into the night his mind swirling with the events of the past few months. So much had changed; so many people who had formed integral parts of his life were gone. For the last three years his chief ambition had been to fulfil his promise and bring Sasuke back to Konoha. The promise had been the bonds that held the increasingly fragmented members of team 7 together.
But now that bond had been destroyed, and Naruto felt rudderless without purpose. He had broken his promise; he had never done that before. With Akatsuki no longer active the major threat to himself and Konoha had diminished, he could not define his purpose in opposition to them.
Danzou words floated to the top of his mind
"It is in times of perceived peace that the strong grow indolent. Peace is a fallacy in the ninja world there will always be conflict; the nature of our world dictates it. There may be lulls but the conflict itself can never end. The danger that threatens Konoha is that the village is following an ideology born of the respite whilst the world is rapidly rekindling the fires of war."
Perhaps Danzou was right, the world may indeed be becoming unstable. However from what he could tell, there was no optimism in Danzou's worldview. He viewed everything as conflict and the only goal was survival. Survival could not be the only thing that mattered, progress, happiness, Love, something else had to matter as well.
Naruto laughed feebly, his internal debate was leading him in circles. He seemed to continuously end up in the place he started. The young ninja thoughts were interrupted by an ominous rumbling from his midsection, he had not eaten breakfast or lunch. Perhaps a short break would do him some good; it was a fact that the body did not work as well on an empty stomach.
He grabbed his wallet from his dresser table and went in search of his favourite food.
--XXXXXXXX--
"Naruto-Oniisan" a voice screamed from behind the quietly eating ninja. Naruto recognised the voice as belonging to Konohamaru the grandson of the third Hokage.
"What's up Konohamaru?" he asked
"Guess what, I'm going on my first C-class mission."
Naruto remembered how exited he was originally over his first C-class mission, he had reckoned that he would do something more exhilarating than the manual labour of D-class assignments. "Where is it"? He inquired.
Konohamaru expression became dumbstruck. "Well you see, umm, its, its…."
"You've forgotten" Naruto surmised.
"No I intrusted the information to our team strategist and wiped the knowledge from my mind so that, even if I was tortured, we would maintain secrecy"
"Sure you did"
"Moegi tell Naruto where we are going" Konohamaru demanded pompously.
The female member of the Konohamaru corps shrugged her shoulders "The land of Waves"
"Yeah, the land of waves. Pretty cool huh" Konohamaru added.
"Not bad" Naruto acknowledged, "My first c-class was there"
"What's it like?" asked the so far quiet member of the adolescent squad, Udon.
"It was poor then, but I imagine that it has become a little more prosperous" Naruto slurped up some more of his noodles. "So what are you doing"?
"We are going to fight brigands and missing-nin" Konohamaru answered proudly.
"What, we are!" Udon asked in alarm.
"No, Konohamaru is exaggerating" Moegi calmed down her teammate "the Hokage's exact words were to provide support for the main attack team as they engage dissident elements in the area. The attack team does most of the fighting, we just back them up"
"You know Konohamaru without your strategist I think you would be lost" Naruto observed. Moegi blushed, Konohamaru ignored the statement.
" I still think we will get to fight" Konohamaru insisted.
"I wish you good luck either way, all of you. Remember to look out for each other, if you cannot count on your team-mates who can you count upon"
"We will" the young Genin answered.
"Say Naruto, why aren't you back on duty yet, you look fit. Are you slacking off"? Konohamaru asked.
"Something like that" Naruto mumbled.
"Don't worry about it boss, you'll be back in no time."
"Thanks" Naruto answered half-heartedly.
"Well we have to go, we were on our way to pick up supplies when I saw you. So see ya"
Naruto watched as the young Genin squad ran down the street.
"You know Konohamaru was only trying to cheer you up" Naruto turned to face the person talking to him.
Sakura was holding up one of the shade screens of the shop.
"I was walking by and I heard the conversation," she explained taking a seat next to Naruto. "He has been worried about you, he wasn't trying to be mean"
"I know, I wasn't angry." Naruto replied, "It was just seeing him all exited about going on a mission kinda made me feel jealous."
"You know he is right to a certain respect. I'm sure Tsunade-sama will allow you to take missions again any day now. And then I'm sure you complain about how boring they are"
"Perhaps" Naruto answered, "Would you like something to eat, I'll pay?"
"I'm sorry I have to hand in a report about my last mission, I only just got back"
"Oh, okay" Naruto accepted her answer hesitantly.
"Well I have to go, I will see you around"
"Yeah, have fun filling in the report."
Sakura smiled and departed.
Naruto glanced at his nearly empty bowl, a few stray strands of noodles floated across the surface. The conversations were brief and uncomfortable, like normal. He couldn't seem to muster the will to finish the meal, a first for him. He left a few coins on the counter of the stand and departed quickly.
--xxxxxxxxxx--
Naruto lay on his bead staring blankly at the ceiling. He hadn't trained that day and so wasn't tired, although considering all he had to think about, he probably wouldn't be able to sleep anyway.
The world seemed to be passing him by, his friends were continuing to grow and change in his absence, whilst he was forced into an imposed exile within the walls of the village. It was a very strange concept, he knew that they were only desiring to protect him, however keeping him inside the city would mean that he would never have an opportunity to move on. Nothing would ever change if he never had the opportunity to redeem himself for his mistakes. He picked up his photo of team seven from his nightstand. He and Sasuke were standing on opposite ends of the photo looking murderous; Sakura and Kakashi were smiling (Naruto assumed his sensei was smiling, his ever present mask however prevented an accurate determination.). He didn't want the guilt; he had never really been one to stew upon his own problems.
He could deal with painful situations, he had learnt early in his life that crying had rarely helped him; instead he just continued moving on trying to improve his situation. He wondered where that drive had disappeared; true he was being forced into inactivity however that would not have stopped him in the past. Maybe it was the nature of the pain he was feeling, external problems were easy to deal with, he need only try to remedy the situation, change the world and make it better. However he could not ever find a way to overcome his current predicament, It was his desire to make things better that had led him into the mess he found himself. He had broken his word and he had been responsible for the deaths of two people close to him.
Failure, it was a title that he always strove to overcome. But he had failed and that was the simple truth, looking at his photo of the old team seven only cemented the notion in his mind.
Two of the faces in the photo belonged to the dead. Two had died and he was left to live with the shame of his failure.
What was worse was that Team seven didn't only consist of Sasuke, Kakashi and himself, there was one final original member left alive. The deaths of Sasuke and Kakashi must have affected Sakura as much as they had affected him.
If he allowed himself to be defeated then he would render the deaths of his friend as his mentor as meaningless; the worst fate for a Shinobi is a death without meaning. If he learnt to overcome his failings that led to their deaths, then, and only then could their deaths have meaning? He had to protect his important people, his friends, his village and most importantly Sakura. She was a skilled Shinobi however a Shinobi had to be able to rely upon their teammates, as he was, he could not help her.
Whilst he and Sakura still lived, he had not failed completely. If he let the death of his mentor and his friend be in vain, then he would have truly failed.
He would protect those who were important to him, maybe he had failed Kakashi, but he could still protect Sakura. Perhaps he may not have saved Sasuke, but he could attempt to make sure that a man like Itachi Uchiha would never again wreck havoc.
Yamato was right, he had to recognise the people he wanted to protect and what he was willing to do to ensure their safety. He had lost friends because he hadn't been willing to do what was necessary, he would not make that mistake again, and he would never again be unprepared.
Kakashi had told him not to give up his path. He wanted to be the Hokage, the living embodiment of the village. He had not struggled hard enough to follow Kakashi's advice, How could he ever hope to become the Hokage by sitting on the sidelines whilst his friends fought?
The many broken threads in his life all led to a single possible recourse.
If his only path back to active duty was by accepting Danzou's offer then his course was set. He would not fail again; he would make sure that he carried on the legacy of his lost teammates and protect those who were left.
Danzou's offer presented an opportunity to redeem his mistakes and move into the future. Tomorrow he would contact Yamato and inform him of his decision; if he was lucky he might even be back into action within the week.
The weight on his shoulders somewhat relieved, Naruto drifted off into his first peaceful sleep in months.
AN: I have placed the prologue together with chapter one, I think it works better this way.
Feedback, criticism, general feelings, it would all be appreciated.