A/N: Success, and now this story has dealt Battle Damage to the opponent!
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[Hokage's office—three years later…]
The day was rather good—no paperwork to sign, no Konami running around shouting 'time to die, hag!' (which she was insulted by, but also found cute in a way), and most definitely no council meetings today. Everything was peaceful for Hiromi, as she took out the cylinder from her robes, and opened it to pull out her kiseru…this was a wedding gift from her paternal mother when she married Biwako-chan (heaven rest her soul). It had an ornate steel mouthpiece and bowl, and the hollow shaft was made of black lacquered sugar maple with silver clouds inlaid on its surface.
Stuffing a wad of the hair-thin tobacco into the small bowl of the kiseru, and then lighting it, Hiromi started to relax as she began smoking, thinking back on the three years since Naruto had left the village. The recent council meeting had involved the boy like he was some hot commodity that everyone was fighting over. A good half of the civilian council demanded that he be banned from ever returning to the village, but the other half pretty much told them to shut the hell up as they demanded that Naruto be married into their families—Haruno Yumiko, the Haruno clan matriarch being the most vocal of all the merchant clans (Hiromi was pretty sure that the woman only supported Naruto to have him serve as her personal butler-slash-sex toy more than anything).
The kunoichi side on the other hand, seemed a little more sincere in their response, demanding they marry him off to one of their daughters for different reasons—none were more obvious than the Clan Heads. Each of them had different reasons for doing so, but the fact of the matter was that Naruto had become a hot topic to those women…like a rare trading card, or whatever, that is really hard to get. All of them wanted him to marry into their family, and they were willing to fight each other to the death for the right to have his hand in any of their daughters' marriage.
Amusing as it was to see those women bitching over a little boy (and a handsome one at that), Hiromi's thoughts went back to the day she let Naruto leave. She'd secretly sent a team of ANBU to shadow him in his travels. The boy had practically been to all the shinobi villages…Suna, Kumo, Taki, even Tanzaku city for a time, doing an odd job here and there, but working as a high-class mercenary at the same time. Luckily, the four-kunoichi team she'd formed in secret to watch over him was filled up with infiltration experts; otherwise, she'd have to deal with an international incident, along with the possible loss of the village's jinchūriki. That and he'd managed to make all sorts of friends in high places in all the villages he'd been to…once, he'd found friendship in the Tsuchikage's granddaughter after saving her life from a gang of bandits that killed her entire team, and held her hostage. Afterwards, the two of them went out to dinner and got along fine, ironic as it were, considering Naruto's family tree.
The curious thing about their reports however, was that they'd crossed paths with unfamiliar ANBU from Konoha once or twice. It didn't seem like anything serious to the naked eye, but there was something off about those women—these kunoichi kept watch over him for a few moments before going back to whatever mission they were up to. Hiromi had a pretty good idea whose ANBU they were, but she would confront the woman later…she needed more evidence for that, apart from just a few chance sightings.
Speaking of sightings, the last report Hiromi read was that Naruto was in Mizu no Kuni—the ANBU team reported that he'd crossed paths with the Mizukage unknowingly and treated the girl to his exquisite cooking skills to try and apparently fail to put a smile on the tyrant's deadpan face. What the hell was wrong with the girl? Was she dead inside or something? 'Come to think of it, I don't see why won't Naruto-kun start a restaurant here in Konoha if he's that good?' she thought to herself, remembering the last meal he cooked for her when she visited, 'I doubt he'd have trouble keeping it at a five-star rating with the way he cleans up his apartment…and that place (which was the only place available at the time unfortunately) is in the borderlands smack-dab between the Red Light district and the slums.'
Continuing on with what she'd read of the report, after finding no good prospects for work in Kirigakure, he went back to the mainland where he ran into, and was threatened by the Kiri rebels. Their leader, a Terumi Mei, was at first suspicious of him, seeing that he'd come from Kirigakure, but his hard work at cooking food for her resistance and the uplifting words he let out of his mouth really raised their spirits. With their boost in morale from his acts of pure kindness, the Kiri rebels were inspired to keep fighting so that they could walk themselves into a better future (and maybe into his pants as well).
As she reclined in her expensive leather swivel-chair, with her pipe in hand, Hiromi wondered as to what adventure Naruto was going to get himself into today.
…
{Play: "Crescent Grizzly Stage" from "Rockman X5"}
[Unknown location …]
The rapid 'clip-clop' of horses drawing a carriage mingled with the rattling of wooden wheels rolling on a dirt road told all that heard it that a wagon were nearby, and they were moving very fast. However, if one were to listen very carefully, they'd hear the 'twang' of a bow launching arrows. That's because standing in the cargo bay of the wagon was Uzumaki Naruto with a bow in his hands, moving quickly to load an arrow, and then firing it at another poor soul that approached the wagon from behind.
The last three years had seen Naruto working as a mercenary to pay for his travelling expenses. His travels took him to wherever the work was, and he always chose his jobs carefully. One day, he accepted a contract to protect a village from bandits until they managed to organize a proper police force; the next, he was hired to hunt down a corrupt intendant that double-taxed the farming community he worked for severely. Today's job however, was simple: protect a merchant caravan as it made it through the woods from bandits—and it just so happened that among the wagons he was to guard, one of them was most important due to the fact that it carried the townspeople's tax money. Unfortunately, there were rumors that the bandits had some nuke-nin among them…kunoichi that had gone rogue. Luckily, he was able to take out a few of the bandits on horseback with his longbow. The next arrow he loosed pierced the poor bastard's eye, penetrated into his brain through the frontal lobe, and emerged from his occipital lobe and bone, stopping only at the back end of his helmet while still having plenty of force to knock the man off his horse. 'Eleven down, nine to go!' he thought to himself, 'My longbow has the edge at power and range, but their short bows are easier to load and better for horseback. They're going to want to get in closer before shooting. I also need to keep watch in the sky in case they decide to bring out the nuke-nin! '
It was only fortunate that he had quite a few shots left—nobody knew how many kunoichi had joined these bandits, but it was known that there were a small number of them scattered among that crew. Hopefully, those women would figure that he's too much trouble and leave…he hated having to kill, but these men were beyond saving. Letting them live would only continue to make the world a worse place! If it were peasants desperate for some money to survive, he would've understood; if it were rebels fighting a legitimate tyrant like the one he'd heard of during his stay in Mizu no Kuni that was choking the life out of the people in some faraway town, he would've understood; but these 'men' on the other hand, had rap sheets that included rape, murder, petty theft, grand theft, extortion, blackmail, terrorism, and maybe a few dine-and-dashes thrown into the mix just for the hell of it. In short, nobody would miss these men he was killing off…he only wished that there was a better way.
Another arrow was ready for the attack, when all of a sudden, the remaining nine bandits had started to retreat. The second he heard someone landing behind him, Naruto knew that his problems were just beginning! He swung the bow around quickly to try and knock the kunoichi off the wagon, only to see her jump over the attack, and preparing a kunai for battle. Not a movement was wasted, as he used the momentum of the missed attack to mount the bow across his shoulder while freeing his hands for the long-bladed kunai he drew from his holsters to fight back. Surprisingly, they'd held up for a while now, but even he knew that they were getting close to the end of the line.
The sound of three more thuds surrounding Naruto told him that there were more kunoichi ready to attack. This was definitely not good! Just as he was about to attack, a fourth 'thud' had caused him to look past the kunoichi in front of him to see another one taking a seat next to the driver of the wagon. "Drive off the road, and stop!" she shouted, before turning her attention back to Naruto, "Uh-uh!" she loudly taunted, bringing her kunai around to threaten the driver, "One wrong move, and everything goes down."
She was right—taking out the driver would guarantee that the wagon would be loose. The unspoken command was very obvious; he was to drop all his weapons, or else the driver died. He dropped both of his kunai and simply stood and watched…analyzing all four of his opponents as he slowly reached for his bow, causing one of the kunoichi to throw a shuriken at his foot. "You really think we're stupid? Take that quiver off first, and then put your hands behind your head."
By the time the wagon came to a complete stop, Naruto took off the quiver, placed it down on the floor of the wagon, before finally reaching for his bow. "From the look of your hitae-ate, I'd say you're all from Kirigakure," he said, trying to look for a way out, and possibly rescue the driver, "and for some reason, you girls want me back. I didn't think your Mizukage liked me all that much."
"Bingo!" taunted the lead kunoichi, "Mizukage-sama simply sent us to get you back. She wouldn't say why, although…" she paused, giving him a closer inspection, before giggling and staring at him lustfully, "I wouldn't blame her if her reasons were of a more…personal nature. Hell, were it not for our orders to take you back alive, I would've just raped you on the spot."
The shiver of discomfort had shot down his spine upon hearing that, before watching as the kunoichi moved in on him. "I really don't know whether I should be scared or flattered," he said, fiddling with the bracers he'd recently bought months ago, "but something tells me that this job was a setup."
"And what if it is?" she asked, getting rather uncomfortably close to him, "We've got you surrounded, and if you don't do as we say, the driver dies. What the hell are you going to do about it?"
His fingers had managed to find what he was looking for! His plan was ready, and he targets were in his sights! "What am I going to do about it?" Naruto asked, faux wonder in his voice, "THIS!"
With a quick movement, both hands had separated, and quickly drew a pair of bo-shuriken he'd had hidden in a holster under his bracers before throwing them at the kunoichi holding the driver hostage, both of them being driven into the woman's eyes before tackling the shocked kunoichi in front of him and desperately smashing the back of her head into the corner of the chest before reaching for his kunai blades to successfully slit one of his enemies' throats, and turning to face the remaining two kunoichi—both of whom stood their ground, their shock was evident before they did something that made him nervous: they smiled.
Before anything else happened, all the kunoichi had burst into a shower of water! He was forced to turn around to watch as the driver had an evil grin on his face, before his outline had started dissipating to reveal he'd been a kunoichi all along. Red hair tied up to the sides of her head in a manner that made her look like a rabbit, sharp teeth silently threatening to eat him alive, and a pair of swords with curved protrusions at the tip of the blade and at the back of the sword near the hilt. Oh, he knew her alright—he never spoke with her, but this was Ringo Ameyuri, the only member of the Kiri no Shinobigatana Shichinin Shu that still served the Mizukage, and Momochi Ayaka's colleague. "You're not bad, gaki," she teased, both of her blades ready for the kill, "unfortunately for you, I killed the real driver of this wagon before you even left. Before even that, I killed all those kunoichi that were among the bandits, and pretty much hired them off for this job. They get their money, I can collect on their bounties, Yasuko-sama gets her boy-toy; everybody wins—well, except for you and the taxpayers of course."
"Bring it on, witch," he said, preparing to fight back, "I'm ready for you!"
The fight began when the both of them moved on in, their blades a flurry of slashes. Their movements gradually became more dance-like as they dodged, swung, and stabbed. 'Good thing I ran into Kimiko-chan', he thought to himself, ducking under another slash by Ameyuri before countering with a slash. It was true…that pale girl he'd run into in Kusagakure was a swordswoman of great skill—because he was nice to her, she decided to tell him something to help his swordplay that he managed to take to heart: "Be like water."
At first, he didn't get the message, until Kimiko explained that water has no definite shape of its own, and so it takes on all kinds of forms, and her exact words were: "…if you put it in a cup, it becomes the cup; if you put it in a bottle, it becomes the bottle; if you put it in the ocean, it becomes the ocean."
Now, he was weaving through a deadly swordswoman's slashes. It was obvious that she was the better fighter, and he was barely keeping up, but the words of wisdom that Kimiko had imparted upon Naruto were giving him a fighting chance. Before he could move in for another slash, Ameyuri had managed to find an opening in his attack to kick him in the face, causing him to drop both his kunai while sending him flying backward and on his ass up against a rock wall.
"Not bad at all," she said, her grin showing her sharpened teeth as she stalked closer towards him, "I've got to give you credit where it's due: you are by far the best opponent I've ever fought so far. Yasuko-sama only said to bring you home alive and in one piece…she didn't say anything about having fun with you before I take you back."
The look in her eyes, the way she grinned, and her sinister laugh had told Naruto of her intent—she was going to rape him. Her leap was such that it was clear that she was going to stab him before she did her deed. He was very desperate, all his weapons were too far away from him, he was cornered due to being kicked into a rock wall, and he had no taijutsu experience whatsoever. He needed a sword, and he needed it NOW! Just like that, Naruto felt something in his hand. He didn't care exactly what it was, just that his opponent was getting closer. He needed to time this just right…and as his opponent got closer, he bided his time.
[Play: "EMIYA", by Kawai Kenji]
His instincts were keen, his movement swift, and her expression was of shock! The second he swung the blade around, Naruto saw that his opponent managed to change her trajectory in midair; but what surprised him, and his opponent, was that this was a sword that the both of them knew very well: it was Kubikiribocho! What the hell was he doing with that sword in his hand?
"How the hell did you get Ayaka's sword?!" shouted Ameyuri as soon as she landed, before she pointed one of her Kiba swords at him accusingly, "You're a girl aren't you?!"
Finally finding the strength to stand back up, Naruto instinctually hefted the blade as if it were a part of him. "No, I'm a boy!" he shouted, readying himself to fight back if necessary.
At that moment, Ameyuri charged in and then shunshined behind Naruto only to be tripped up with the back of the sword before it finally shattered. Thinking quickly, he grabbed a shard from the broken blade and drove it down into Ameyuri's thigh, eliciting a loud shriek of pain from her. Leaving the sword behind, Naruto ran back, picked up his kunai blades and holstering them as he ran, before moving to the horses and driving away, and fast!
Ameyuri on the other hand simply glared at his back throughout the whole ordeal. One of these days, she was going to find him and then rape him to death! But first, she had to deal with loose ends…those bandits would be coming around shortly, expecting to be paid—not like she intended to pay those dirt bags anyway. Once she got back to Kirigakure, she'd have to explain herself to Yasuko as to why she'd failed to capture one boy. For now, she was going to deal with what was in front of her.
What she didn't count on however, was that there were other eyes that have been on the entire fight…eyes that would spread the story about a boy who could use chakra…
…
[Hashirama Art Gallery, Konohagakure no Sato—hours later…]
Housing many works of art from the village was the Hashirama Art Gallery, a building constructed on Senju Hashirama's orders to spark inspiration for the artists living in the village. Some of the artworks in the building were local artists who have made noteworthy ink paintings, while others were spoils of war that were collected overtime. All of them however, were works that made one sit down, ponder, and appreciate them.
Sitting on a bench in front of a painting of a lark on a bamboo branch, Sango used her good eye to appraise the work. It was a hobby of hers to come to this gallery to see the paintings whenever she had the desire for fresh air. This was also a rather discreet location for her ROOT operatives to come and pass on information to her…like now, when a bespectacled woman walked on up to the old woman, and took a seat next to her. She moved on closer, to her ear, and began whispering.
Sango raised an eyebrow at the woman's claim, before turning her free eye to regard her. The woman's expression was serious. Watching as her operative left the art gallery, she could not help but to feel concern over the news. But on the other hand, perhaps this was a golden opportunity…one that she needed to capitalize on if she intended to make things right again…
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A/N: I shall be evil, and trouble you ladies and gentlemen with a ciffhanger!
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Vocabulary/Culture Notes
Kiseru—this is the traditional Japanese smoking pipe. It is thin and straight, and it is made with a metal mouthpiece and bowl, and it has a shaft made of bamboo or wood. It can be carried in a cylindrical case, and the bowl is rather small to the point that a special kind of tobacco is prepared for smoking…sometime used for opium.
