A middle-aged spindly man with pale skin and a set of thick bifocal glasses came strolling into view of a village in the middle of the woods. He was more than a little curious about the place as he'd heard many rumors on his way. Stuffing his hands into his jean pants' pockets the man headed for the gates, glancing about for any other travelers.
It was strange but it seemed like he was the only person to visit the village on this day. Giving a sigh, the man continued forward until he was within sight of a booth for access to the village.
"Halt! Name and purpose," ordered a ninja standing behind a table. To his side was another ninja, this one with a face full of scars and a black bandana covering his head. Otherwise, the two were dressed identically making the weary traveler think they were in a uniform.
"Uhh... I don't have any ID... At least not from around here. My name is Dr. Bruce Banner, and I'm looking for a famous doctor to assist me with a... problem I've got." he explained, gesticulating his words.
The first ninja looked at him in disbelief. "You are a doctor?" one of the ninja asked, askance. His partner elbowed him in the ribs. "Uh.. Sorry, I didn't mean to offend you. You're a civilian, right?" the first ninja asked.
Bruce nodded his head and waited patiently as the ninja filled out paperwork and processed a new identity card for a civilian. "Okay, you've got clearance as a civilian. You're free to roam, but if any ninja tells you not to go somewhere, you better damn well listen to him, or he is within his right to kill you. Understand?" spoke the ninja with the scars as he handed over the documents.
To Find Peace
Chapter 1
Dr. Banner made his way along the streets of Konoha, fully intent on meeting with the village leader. Originally he had sought out the hospital but was shooed away as the medic he sought was extremely busy.
"Identity, sir," asked a ninja at the door. Bruce quickly pulled his wallet out and showed the new identity he received. "And what's your business today?" the ninja asked after reviewing the name and image.
Bruce Banner gave a nervous smile as he wiped a hand through his sweaty hair. "Well, you see. I've traveled a long way to find someone that can help me with a personal problem. I'm willing to pay for an S-Class mission just for the sake of having Dr. Tsunade help me," he explained, looking a bit agitated.
The ninja nodded. "Well, when you get inside, go to room 130, and there you will meet an underwriter. He'll help you fill out a mission scroll," the ninja explained and allowed the spindly man through, shaking his head as he looked at the man. 'Good thing he's in the village, he wouldn't make it more than a couple hours outside of here,' he thought with a condescending sneer at the man's back.
Bruce quickly made his way inside and strolled about, finding the room he was told about. The ninja there helped quickly and efficiently write up a mission scroll and sent him on his way. It only took two hours in a waiting room before he was called to enter the Hokage's office.
The moment Bruce stepped in he glanced around the room nervously, looking for any exits. Other than the door he entered and a window to the outside on one of the walls, he didn't see any other ways out. "H-Hello, Hokage, sir," he said meekly as he stood before the large oak desk.
The man behind the wood was easily half of his age, being in his early to mid twenties. He had blonde spiked hair and a pair of tufts coming down the sides of his face. "Hello, Dr. Banner. I understand you have need of the best ninja medic in our employ?" he addressed as he read over the mission scroll.
Dr. Banner nodded hesitantly, still unsure of the situation. "Ummm, can I get a glass of water?" he asked hoarsely. His throat was parched and a glass of cool water would certainly help him to calm his nerves.
The Hokage nodded with a smile and made a gesture. Without warning a man in a mask stepped out from a wall and produced a glass of water. "Here you go, sir."
Bruce took the glass and waited patiently as the Hokage ordered for Tsunade to come to the office. It took a few minutes but a blonde woman with a pair of long braids and an impressive set of breasts entered the room. She was around the same age as Dr. Banner but carried an aura of authority. As she stormed into the room she had an extremely annoyed look on her face.
"You mind telling me why I was brought here when I was just about to induce labor on the Namikage?" she demanded, earning a pale, shocked expression from the blonde village leader.
"Y-You mean now? Today!?" Minato, the fourth and current Hokage asked.
Tsunade's eyes narrowed and she gave a curt nod. "If you brought me here to waste my time, I'm going to let Kushina bury your ass," she stated flatly.
Minato looked between the medic ninja and the spindly man in the room. "Umm, normally I would be here to explain the mission, but I've got to go!" he called out as he tossed the mission scroll to Tsunade and leaped from the window, a huge grin on his face.
Tsunade read through the report and raised an eyebrow. "Okay. Give me the details," the woman demanded, hers arms crossing her considerable bosom. For a moment Dr. Banner flinched.
The woman's heavy glare kept the man cowed. "Well, you see..." he began as he fidgeted under the woman's scrutiny. He could feel the beast within as it stirred. 'Not now,' he moaned in thought as he struggled outwardly for the right words.
"Well? Spit it out! I haven't got all day," she thundered at the civilian as he shrunk back. She noticed the pensive look in his face and found it peculiar. Rather than displaying fear of her it seemed more like he was afraid of his own actions.
Dr. Banner managed to calm himself after taking a few deep breaths, an exercise he picked up while traveling. "I'm sorry, it's just that I try not to fly to one emotion or another if I can help it," he explained. The blonde doctor nodded and he continued. "A long time ago I received a curse. Now I have a beast living within me. I want to know if you can help me to find a way to either keep it at bay, or get it out of me without killing me," he stated plainly.
Tsunade's eyes narrowed. Based on his words, this "civilian" was actually an untrained Jinchuuriki. 'That explains his nervousness,' she thought before speaking aloud. "And this beast, how many tails does it have?" she asked, her eyes dangerous as she glared at the man.
Dr Banner adjusted his glasses while his brows furrowed. "Tails? I don't under-" whatever else he was going to say was quickly interrupted.
"Don't bullshit me, Doctor!"she challenged, getting in Bruce's face and glaring daggers. "I don't play nicely with others."
Bruce scrambled back from the woman's proximity, tripping over his own two feet and landing square on his butt. "Ouch!" he cried as he rubbed his sore posterior. He looked up at the woman, sweating bullets. "Please, Dr Tsunade. Don't provoke me... One of the side effects of my condition is loss of voluntary control. If I'm agitated to an extreme the beast within takes over," he tried to explain.
However the blonde was having none of it and moved back into his personal space, a look of menace on her face. "I've asked you once, and warned you not to bullshit me. Now, tell me which beast is sealed within you?" she demanded, crossing her arms in front of her bosom once more.
Dr. Banner looked down on the ground. In all of his travels no one had ever asked that question before. "I've always referred to him as The Hulk. But, to my knowledge he doesn't have any tails," he offered lamely.
Tsunade rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Okay, so you are a Jinchuuriki?" she asked, hoping for details.
The scrawny man shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not familiar with the term. But if it's a common condition around here, can you help me to prevent him from escaping?"
Tsunade nodded her head. "I personally can't. I'm not that good with seals, but my teammate would be able to help you greatly. Give me a few hours to finish up with Kushina and I'll-"
Whatever the blonde was going to say was interrupted and died on her throat as an almighty roar pierced the air. The sensation of kill intent was so great that even she fell to her knees. Dr. Banner, not being a trained user of Chakra or "bio energy" as he referred to it in his studies, never felt the pressure. He looked down at the woman with concern. "Dr. Tsunade, are you alright?" he asked offering a hand up.
The blonde slapped his hand away and rushed out the window into the distance. As Dr. Banner watched her go he wondered why she so suddenly left him. "What about your friend?" he asked the air. As he looked outside to find the blonde's retreating form, he was surprised to see hundreds of ninja racing in the same direction, children, adults and elderly, all taking to the rooftops and racing towards an unknown destination.
