Okay, I decided to use the different style boarders for this story. I figure it would be a lot easier to read. Well anyway, this is the next installment of Trust and Betrayal. I hope you all like it. Sorry for the late update. I have taken the liberty of creating a question and answer part at the end of the story to maybe answer some questions.
Naruto kept running, trying to create as much distance as he can between his pursuers and himself. He felt his heart beating faster and faster; he couldn't believe what just happened. He wasn't stopping for anything, not anymore. There was nothing left for him here. The only thing he had left in this village was his execution date and he was sure as hell that it was one date he will not be keeping.
Naruto looked over his shoulders while he was running away. He could make out maybe 5 or 6 ninjas currently hot on his trail.
He frowned, he had done those fools a favor by running away and not killing their remaining ninjas but yet they still send them to chase after him? The council must be stupid for sending these young ninjas to their deaths. His battle did not concern these ninjas. It was with the people who sentenced him to death that he had an issue with. Them and only them.
Naruto increased his chakra output, causing him to gain a burst of speed, leaving his pursuers in his dust. Naruto leaped from a tree branch, easily clearing 3 buildings and landing on a wide-open rooftop before disappearing.
As the ninjas reached the point where Naruto disappeared, they looked around, trying to figure out what just happened. "Kiba-san, where did he go?" Kiba stuck his nose up into the air and sniffed, trying to find the right scent. He let out a low growl. He wasn't known as Konoha's best tracker for nothing. He once caught the scent of a missing ninja that was 100 feet away. If he could do that, why couldn't he smell Naruto's scent? It should be easy for someone like him.
"Split up, he's covering his scent somehow." Kiba barked out several orders, sending the men to search the four corners of the village.
Kiba smirked, "Let's see if you can hide now you coward." He stood on the rooftop, surveying the surrounding area for any changes.
A gust of wind blew towards Kiba, causing him to shiver against the cold breeze. "Why do you resent me Kiba?" A hallow voice whispered into the wind, causing Kiba to turn around. To his surprise, he found no one there. His eyes told him no one was there but his instinct was screaming danger. He turned back around and met face to face with an old friend.
"What did I ever do to you?"
Kiba stepped back, surprised by the sudden appearance of the ex-captain. "Na-Naruto!" This was the man who was known as the ANBU Captain, the man who the other villages marked as the Silent Storm. "Did I ever hurt you?" Naruto stepped forward, trying to find some answers.
"Stay back demon!" Kiba quickly regained his focus and threw a kunai towards Naruto. Naruto stood there, motionless as the kunai came towards his face. With a quick swipe, the kunai was split into two. Kiba's eyes widened. The kunai was forged from the hardest metal, there was no way chakra could have done that. He noticed that Naruto's right hand was folded up, like it was gripping something.
"Consider this a warning. If you follow me again, I will dispose of you and everyone else who stands in my way." Naruto stared at Kiba with his cold empty eyes. There was nothing left. Naruto could see the anger and fear in Kiba's eyes. Everyone has turned against him; the entire village was against him. Was there truly no one left in this village that believed him? Naruto felt his heart breaking as these thoughts occupied his head.
"Kibaa!" Naruto heard someone shouting Kiba's name and jumped away in time to avoid an incoming kick. "Lee…Neji…" Naruto said their names slowly as he landed away from the trio. It would seem like reinforcement has arrived. Naruto felt his lips changing into a slight frown. Their timing couldn't be any worse.
"Turn yourself in Uzumaki." Neji stepped forward, determined to bring Naruto back to justice.
Naruto's eyebrows rose. "Do you believe their lies? Do yo-"
"Demons have no right to speak about lies!" Neji barked out.
Naruto found that comment amusing. His scenes went crazy when he saw Lee disappear in front of him. He saw a kick coming from his left side. Naruto raised his arm to guard. Lee threw a hard left kick but was surprised to see Naruto already in position to counter. Naruto caught hold of Lee's kick and threw him to the ground. He quickly put his right hand over his throat. "Move one step and you will be visiting Lee annually at a graveyard."
Kiba was about to step forward when Neji stopped him. "Don't. He's holding a blade somewhat near Lee's throat."
Naruto saw Neji with his Byakugan activated. This was an interesting turn of events; Neji was able to distinguish his weapon now. Naruto moved his hand slightly, causing Lee to wince at the pain caused by the invisible blade. "Smart move Neji." Naruto looked straight into the Hyuuga's eyes. "I will say this once more. If you come after me, Konoha will have three more deaths to mourn for." Naruto made his point clearly by causing some blood to leak out from Lee's throat.
"You won't get away with this Uzumaki. You have nowhere to run." The Hyuuga prodigy pointed out. They had the upper hand here.
Naruto laughed, it wasn't a warm laugh. It was a cold empty laugh. The laugh of someone who didn't care anymore. "Listen to yourself; do you think you won because I'm trapped here? I'm not known as the Silent Storm for nothing Neji."
Neji glanced at him, just a few more seconds. He had to keep Naruto's attention focused on him while he brought Lee some more time. Luckily for them, Naruto didn't noticed Lee's hand movements, which was slowly reaching for the Kunai pouch. In a few moments they would be able to apprehend the demon. "Make this easy on yourself Uzumaki. Maybe the council will spare your life."
Naruto shook his head, "The council members are fools. The people in the entire village are fools. I was an even bigger fool for trusting you guys. Friends… What a useless word."
Neji saw the moment of opportunity; Naruto was preoccupied with his speech to be paying attention to his hostage. Big mistake. "Now Lee!"
Lee quickly knocked away Naruto's right hand and with lightning fast motion, he quickly rammed the kunai into Naruto's chest, just barely missing the heart. Lee pushed the kunai in, making sure it was going in. Naruto staggered back, taken by surprised from Lee's actions. Lee stood up, wiping the blood off from his throat. "You lose Naruto… I'm sorry but this is for the greater good of the village." He stood there alongside Kiba and Neji, who just looked on.
Naruto clutched his wounds, with a shocked expression on his face.
Neji stepped forward. "It didn't have to be this way Uzumaki."
Naruto staggered forward, swaying from side to side. He finally collapsed to the floor, just in front of Neji's feet.
The group slowly approached the body, making sure it wasn't a trap. As soon as Neji's hand approached the body, a hand suddenly jerked up and grabbed his wrist. Neji was taken by surprise, he tried to shake it loose but found the grip unbreakable. "What the hell!" Neji performed a simple karate chop on Naruto's hand but the man did not let go.
"What's the matter? Stuck?" The head turned, revealing a smirking Naruto. Everyone's eyes widened, shocked to see the man still able to move. "By the way, Naruto says boom."
Neji's eyes widened as he saw the Naruto in front of him building up chakra. "RUN!" He shouted out an evacuation order to his teammates but it was already too late. The Naruto that was holding onto Neji's wrist exploded, causing a major explosion that rocked the area, causing damage all over the village.
In a different part of the village, Naruto received the updated information from his clone. It seemed like they played right into his hands, those fools. If they only had taken his warning, maybe they would have lived. Naruto looked behind him; this was the last place they would expect him to be.
Naruto took a step into a grassy area, a place where legends were built on. Legends that shape their daily lives, events that defy explanation. Individuals here whose lives soar up to the heavens or fall to the earth. This is the place where legends are born. He stepped up to a familiar stone, a place where he spent the last 5 months visiting when his nightmares became unbearable, his one place where his soul was finally at peace. He touched the stone and sighed. "Hello… Iruka-sensei…"
- - -
Sakura and her medic team immediately rushed to the area where the large explosion just occurred. When she got there, the sight before her shattered her imagination. This was something that defied all reasoning. Whatever happened here was unbelievable. Instead of the usual block of apartment buildings and stores, it was now a big crater, filled with nothing but rocks and overturned dirt. Ino raised her hand to cover her mouth, unable to believe the events that happened here.
"Oh my god Sakura…" Her best friend called out, snapping Sakura back to reality.
Sakura quickly got her act together, every minute meant losing lives. "Everyone quickly search the area and find me some survivors. NOW!"
The entire medic team spread out, searching for whatever survivors that may still be here. Ino walked up to Sakura, still shocked from the events. "Dear lord Sakura. What do you think happened here?"
Sakura shook her head, praying that there were still some survivors alive under the mess. "I only have a couple of guesses…"
- - -
"It's been a while Iruka-sensei…" Naruto's voice showing some emotion. "I'm sorry that I haven't visited in a while…"
He touched the spot where Iruka's name was engraved onto. "Things have been a bit hectic around here." Naruto chuckled to himself. Things weren't even hectic. Hectic was just a nice way of putting it. Things were thrown upside down and then rearranged beyond recognition. It was just a disaster.
"Maybe if you were here, things could have been different. Just maybe if I were a little stronger, you would have been alive. Maybe if…" Naruto's voice started to crack, tears starting to form in his eyes. "Maybe if it was me, then this village would have been better off." He fell down to his knees, letting his tears hit the soft earth, the place where he considered his home for the last 20 years.
His mind drifted back to the man who he considered family, his older brother. He remembered the day like it was yesterday, the day when his older brother died. Only a few people have tried to talk to him about it but it didn't work. Naruto was always busy, occupying himself with work so his mind wouldn't think back the event. It was hard but he always managed to get through life. This was the way he lived it, the only path that was open to him.
A breeze of wind blew through the area, carrying some leaves along with it. A faint sound emerged from the winds, almost like it was trying to say something. Naruto picked his head up, responding to that voice. The voice sounded so familiar yet so far away. It was the voice of someone that he hadn't heard in a long time. "Aniki?"
His eyes looked up; trying to find the person he missed most. He lowered his head in disappointment when he saw no one. "I'm sorry I couldn't be the person you wanted me to be. I'm sorry for everything!" Naruto continued to cry, oblivious to the person walking up behind him.
"Naruto…" Naruto suddenly jumped up, surprising the person behind him. Naruto found his hands at the man's throat, inches away from crushing the man's windpipes. He was shocked that someone had disturbed him while he was in his special place. The one place where he considered himself safe. His face turned from shock to surprise. "Kakashi…sensei?" Naruto finally realized who the man was.
The white haired man that stood before Naruto, the great Copy Ninja Sharingan Kakashi. Kakashi did the only thing that he could for Naruto. The man hugged him. For the first time since Iruka's death, Naruto never had another hug from someone who has felt the same pain as him.
Naruto felt all his mental barriers failing; the emotions that he held back since his death came rushing to the surface. Naruto cried on the man's shoulder, letting out his pain that he was carrying on his shoulders for the past few years. "It's okay Naruto… It's going to be okay…"
This was the man who the village labeled as a demon, the bloodthirsty killer that was better off dead. If only they got past their ridiculous pride, they would see a suffering human being, a man who was innocent of all crimes, a man who was carrying a huge burden on his shoulders.
Naruto cried for a good few minutes before drying his tears. He let go of his sensei, just wondering why the man was here. "What are you doing here Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto felt something inside him, a feeling that he hasn't felt for a long time, the bond between student and teacher. He felt himself transported back to his genin days, when they were only student and teacher not a demon that was being hunted down by the village's ninja.
"Are you here to kill me?" Naruto stood there, waiting for the man's answer.
"No… This place does not need any more bloodshed. This is a place for the fallen, not a place for blood. Besides, I always come here to speak to Obito as well."
Naruto lowered his head, feeling at ease for the moment. The two stood there for a moment, enjoying the silence.
Kakashi caught scent of something in the air; it was the scent of metal. "Naruto, you should get out of here. Ninjas are coming."
Naruto nodded his head. He looked at the Heroes Memorial Stone one last time. "This is good bye forever Iruka-niichan…" Naruto turned around, disappearing into the wind.
Kakashi smiled under his mask; if the events turned out differently, that boy would have became the best Hokage this village ever had.
"Kakashi-san!" A loud voice knocked Kakashi out of his own thoughts. Kakashi turned around, wondering who else could be here. When he turned around, he saw a group of chunnins with their kunais out. "Did the demon come over here?"
Kakashi sighed before walking over to them. "So they sent chunnins as well?"
The leader of the pack, a big chunnin nodded. The chunnins quickly scanned the area for any signs of Naruto. "They have also sent out several ANBU units as well. All able ninjas are to regroup and gather by the front gate. So did the demon come this way?"
Kakashi tilted his head, his eye showing some amusement. With a quick left hand, the big chunnin went down. Aware of what just happened, the remaining chunnins backed away. "W-what are you doing Kakashi-san?" Kakashi blurred out of sight and proceed to knock out the rest of the team. "I can't allow you guys to do this. I'm sorry."
- - -
The medic team had been digging for the past 10 minutes, trying to uncover something. So far, it was just rubble after rubble. "Sakura-san! I found something." Sakura quickly moved towards the man, hoping that he had found something useful.
As a field medic, you have to be prepared for everything that was to come but this was one thing that Sakura wasn't prepared for. When she got there, her eyes widened, her hands quickly covering her mouth, unable to speak.
Ino saw Sakura's shocked look. She walked over there to see what happened. "Saku-" Ino went into shock as well, unable to believe that this was happening.
The medic team uncovered the body of a well-known ninja, a very familiar one. "Kiba!" Ino and Sakura both shouted. Kiba was no longer the man he once was. He had burns all over his body and his body was badly bruised. If it wasn't for his armor, he would have probably been in worse condition.
Sakura quickly searched for a pulse. "Come on Kiba… Don't die on me here…" She found a pulse but it was low, very low. Her face paled. Kiba might not make it. "Everyone over here! Emergency protocol now!" All available medics began to perform the Shosen no Jutsu. They had to operate on Kiba now or else he wouldn't make it.
Ino backed away, until she tripped on something. She looked down and saw that she tripped over a bloody hand. She quickly screamed, drawing everyone's attention. "I found someone else!" Ino quickly cleared the rubble, revealing Lee and Neji in the same condition, if not worse. They both sported burns all over their face and body parts.
Ino quickly searched for a pulse and felt her heart beating faster and faster as she tried to locate different pulse positions. "They're still alive!" She shouted, drawing Sakura's attention. Their pulse was low which meant their condition was in a critical state.
Sakura left the rest of the team to work on Kiba while she went to work on the other two. Ino stared at the battered bodies of Lee and Neji. "Could Naruto have done this much damage?"
Sakura put her hands above Neji's heart, her hands turning green, which meant the healing jutsu was starting. "It had to be Naruto. Why else would they be like this Ino?" Sakura snapped at her, not really caring for anything else at the moment except for saving their lives. Ino quickly got the picture and went to work on saving Lee.
- - -
Tsunade looked at the mess that stood before her. The impractical stuff like tables and chairs were overturned and people were all over the streets. Lucky for them, Naruto only blew them away with winds and not with anything else. She was lucky that no one was critically injured, except for those ANBU who was stupid enough to get in his way.
She was quickly approached by the elders, who each had a stern look on their face. "Tsunade! Did you see what that demon did? We have to quickly assemble our forces at the front gate. He will surely try to leave the village that way." Koharu immediately pointed out. The demon was already loose inside the village; there was no telling what could happen.
"Don't worry; my Root Unit is already on the job, pursuing the demon as we speak." Danzo smirked. Pretty soon Tsunade will have no choice but to resign and then it would be his time to shine. The Third Hokage was a fool to let that boy live. He lost count of the number of times he had confronted the Third about executing the boy but was merely turned away, stating that the demon was no harm to the village. He silently laughed at the Third; almost wishing he was alive to see this day.
Tsunade looked around, looking for a particular person. 'Damn it Jiraiya, where did you go?' If only Jiraiya was here, maybe he could talk some sense into these old farts. She continued to look around, no sign of her old teammate anywhere.
"Tsunade, we're ordering all our forces to stand guard in front of the village gate." Homura spoke up, catching Tsunade's attention.
"Gather everyone and go!" She half-heartedly shouted out. She watched as the elders disappeared, with ninjas slowly getting up and following them.
Shizune appeared next to Tsunade, standing by her side. "Do you think he's going to be okay?" Shizune quietly asked.
"For his sake, he better be." Tsunade felt her knees giving out and was about to collapse until Shizune caught her, providing support to help her to her feet. "Oh Tsunade-sama…" She helped her mentor up and the two of them slowly approached the front gate.
- - -
The village of Konoha, one of the greatest hidden villages to ever exist, was in turmoil. Destruction and death was reeking from the great village. Both villagers and ninjas alike were running in fear, fear that the great demon, the Kyuubi no kitsune was released. The very beast that their Yondime gave his life to seal away.
Naruto quickly ran towards the front gate. If he can exit the village in one piece then he would be safe. No ninjas would dare to follow him into the openness. No one would expect him to just waltz out from the village using the front gate. He was pretty sure the walls were being watched.
Naruto leaped off from another building, forgetting stealth and just quickly using his speed to leave the village. Naruto caught another chakra signal, wait not one but a few chakra signals approaching quickly from behind. He decided not to fight but to escape as soon as possible. He saw a blur appear next to him before spearing him into a nearby building, sending him through several walls before landing on the grounds of an alleyway. He cursed his luck. He was about 300 yards away from the gate and he was caught.
Naruto looked up and saw the person who tackled him. "Sasuke…"
Sasuke stood there, staring Naruto down. "Get up Naruto." He just tackled Naruto through a couple of walls; it couldn't have hurt him that much.
"Get out of my way teme…" Naruto growled. "Or I'll go through you." Naruto slowly got up, easily matching Sasuke's height.
Several jounins appeared next to Naruto, surrounding him completely. The jounins cracked their knuckles, anticipating that a fight would come. "You can't beat all of us Naruto." Sasuke spoke up, making a clear point.
Naruto looked around, chances of escape were low and he knew that. All those missions had given him the skill to analyze his environment carefully. That wasn't the only thing missions taught him. They also taught him survival skills. When plans don't work, which was 80 percent of the time, improvise and execute.
Sasuke saw Naruto's hand twitched and quickly unsheathed the Kusanagi. He disappeared and reappeared next to Naruto's right side, trying to catch him off guard. Naruto quickly blocked with his Kunai. Metal against metal, both sides struggling for dominate control. Naruto matched Sasuke's strength with his own, with both sides not giving up.
The other jounins quickly jumped in, trying to lend support to Sasuke. Several jounins proceed to make some hand seals before performing their jutsus. Sasuke saw the humongous fire dragon coming towards him and quickly jumped out of the way. Naruto saw it coming as well and leaped up, only to be greeted by a drop heel kick from another jounin.
Naruto knew he was surrounded, there was no way out. He kept dodging the series of punches and kicks from the jounins. While Naruto was busy dodging the jounins, he kept one eye trained on Sasuke, who was the most dangerous out of all of them. Sasuke continually went in and out with a series of punches, trying to throw off Naruto's rhythm. He couldn't keep this up much longer.
Naruto found himself backed into a corner, with no chance of running. "It's over for you now Naruto." He saw Sasuke above him, coming straight down with the Kusanagi aiming for a vertical slash. Naruto gritted his teeth, there wasn't much to do, his options were limited to just a few now.
Sasuke quickly came down on Naruto but was surprised when he saw Naruto blocked his attack. Sasuke's narrowed his eyes when he saw Naruto intercepting the attack with his own hands.
"Always so pathetic Sasuke-teme." Naruto quick yanked the sword towards him and mustered all the strength he had left and punched Sasuke in the jaw, sending him to the ground. Sasuke went down hard, unable to get back up. Naruto smirked. "That felt so good." He was pretty sure he had broken Sasuke's jaw. It didn't matter. It was payback and this was a great feeling.
The other jounins growled quietly, clearly expressing their anger. Naruto noticed their slow movements. "You call yourself protectors of this village? You can't even take on one lousy guy. You are a disgrace to this village!" He taunted them, buying himself some more time.
"Oh we'll protect something alright, we'll protect the village from the likes of you demon scum." The closest jounin spat out. They approached him slowly which Naruto hated. If they ran at him all at once, he could have taken them all and won but they were playing it safe. The slower they walked, the more they were alert to Naruto's actions.
The group of jounins suddenly all ran towards him, with their weapons held out to kill. Naruto braced himself for the attack. If he could endure this attack, then he was free to counter. All he had to do was survive this attack. It was easier said than done when you're faced with a group of jounins.
Naruto felt time slowing down; his heart rate beating faster and faster. He cursed himself for wasting too much chakra from his earlier escape. He felt the chakra usage taking a toll on his body. 'Is this the end?' He repeated the question in his mind. No. His mind kept screaming the answer, forbidding himself from giving up. He can't give up. They would win if he gave up now. He saw his attackers slowly reaching him, weapons out and ready to kill.
In a split second, everyone froze, unable to comprehend what happened. One moment, they were rushing towards the demon and the next, their fellow comrade dropped dead on the floor.
Naruto's eyes widened. He didn't do this. Someone else did. He saw a hint of silver before the man dropped dead. His mind quickly formulated a plan. "Go ahead. Take another step." Naruto dared the men to step forward. His voice was cold, like a person who has nothing to lose but everything to gain.
The men hesitated, unsure of what to do. It took just a second to see their hesitation but it was just the opportunity that Naruto needed. He focused some chakra into his right hand, summoning his Wind Blade. It felt like second nature to summon it but he still winced at the pain. He dashed forward, his hand aimed to kill.
Within moments, he killed three and left one critically injured. He turned his head to the one that was still alive. "Looks like I missed." He pointed his sword forward, aiming straight at the wound he inflicted upon the man. Pressing it lightly, the man squirmed against the pain.
"You probably think of me as a demon, wait no, you do think that I'm the Kyuubi but after the events today. I would say that you guys are the ones who should be considered demons." Naruto dispelled the sword. The man looked like he didn't have much fight left in him. He leaned over to inspect the man. "You look like a decent man. How would you like to bargain for your life?" Naruto took a deep breath. He felt his body screaming in pain, yearning for a break. That bastard fox decided to cut off all connections with him at this critical time. Just great.
The man whispered something but Naruto couldn't make it out. He asked again. "What's that? I can't hear you."
The man took a deep breath, finding his voice to answer Naruto. "I said my name is Tayu Mashino." The man grunted, feeling the pain.
"Well Tayu-san. If you would kindly tell Tsunade and all her forces to back off. I will leave this village in peace."
The man named Tayu laughed. "You leave this village in peace? Demons like you don't know the meaning of peace." He spat some blood in Naruto's face.
Naruto wiped the blood off his face. "Do a little nice thing…" Naruto slowly lowered his hand. "And this is what you get." Naruto forcefully hit the man's wounded area, causing Tayu to groan in pain. "Now, will you do it or not?"
Tayu continued to laugh. "Never. I might not live to see the day you die but I know one thing. I'll see you in hell." The man took his last breath before passing out.
Naruto sighed. Things weren't exactly turning out the way he wanted. He looked at the dead man. So prideful yet so stupid. They were like sheep being led around by a Shepard, not questioning why to do this or that. People are by nature manipulative and only work for themselves. This was a lesson that he learned the hard way.
As Naruto slowly got up, he felt a great amount of pain erupt from his body. He saw blood coming out from chest. He turned around and saw Tayu standing there, clutching his wound with one hand and the other one thrusting the kunai into his chest. Tayu laughed. "I told you I would see you in hell. Now burn demon!"
Naruto gritted his teeth, trying to ignore the pain. He quickly pulled away from Tayu and yanked the kunai out. He immediately shoved the kunai into Tayu's throat, killing him instantly. Naruto collapsed on the ground, trying to form the hand seals for a medical jutsu. He chuckled to himself. It was ironic. He never thought there would be a day he would need to use it on himself. Damn the fox.
As Naruto painfully finished the hand seal and began healing, he felt another presence in the alleyway. He scanned the area without interrupting his healing process. "I know you're there. Show yourself." Naruto had to buy himself some more time. He needed to heal the wound and his right hand so at least he could have a fighting chance.
"Naruto Uzumaki…" The mysterious voice quietly whispered into the area, echoing all around. Naruto looked around, trying to recognize the voice. He heard the sounds of a cloak flapping in the wind on his right. He was in for a shock when he recognized the symbols on that dark cloak.
"Akatsuki…" Naruto growled. He moved his left hand over to his right hand, trying to heal it. He was in for another surprise when he recognized the face. "Uchiha… Itachi… " The S rank missing-nin stepped out from the shadows, with a stoic face on. Naruto cursed his luck. Of all the bloody people that it could have been, it had to be him. After the hell he just went through, there was no way he can walk away alive from an Akatsuki member. "What do you want Itachi?"
Itachi slowly formed a smirk on his face as he looked at the mess that laid before him. "It looks like that the great Uzumaki is critically injured. There's a big bounty on your head. Did you know that Naruto-kun?"
Naruto started to scoot back, increasing the distance between him and Itachi. Itachi's smirk slowly reverted back into his stoic face. He drew a blade from underneath his cloak. Naruto stared at the man who was responsible for single handily wiping out the Uchiha Clan in one night, Uchiha Itachi. Itachi approached the ex-captain slowly, showing the blade in its full glory.
"If you're here to kill me Itachi, then wait in line. I got a whole list to go through before you get your turn." Naruto had one eye trained on Itachi while the other one was looking after the healing procedure. Just a few more minutes he told himself. A few more minutes and he can at least have a chance to fight back.
Itachi raised his sword and dashed forward. 'Shit!' Naruto saw Itachi running forward and he was backed into a corner. Naruto did the only thing that he could do and that was to raise his arms to block the incoming attack and pray. He waited for the attack but felt nothing. He knew Itachi should have reached him by now but where was the blood and pain? Naruto slowly lowered his arms and looked around. He saw Itachi standing in front of him, holding a sword soaked in blood. He checked his body, it wasn't his blood and Itachi surely wasn't stupid enough to stab himself. He heard a thud behind him and turned around. A body dropped to the floor.
Naruto turned around, surprised to see that there was a person hidden there. He then realized that he missed the man due to a genjutsu placed on the area. Naruto slowly picked himself up, steadily leaning against the wall, watching the missing-nin as he slowly put the sword away. "I should kill you for just being here Itachi."
Itachi let out a small chuckle. "Do you really think that if you kill me here Naruto-kun, they would take you back?" Itachi pointed his fingers outside the alleyway, at the scene of several villagers currently running to safety. "Why would you go back to a village where they hate you and scorn you like a plague. There is much you don't know about Konoha Naruto-kun. I came here to offer you a deal."
"A deal? What kind of deal?" Naruto's interest was peaked; there wasn't any other options left open that he could take.
"We would like it if you would join our ranks Naruto-kun."
Naruto shook his head. "No way. You guys are wanted for a reason. I will not join the likes of you."
Itachi sported a curious look on his face, well as curious as his face would get. "Please enlighten me as to what those reasons might be?"
"For one thing, you guys murder in cold blood for power with no regard to anything or anyone as long as you get it." Naruto hastily answered.
Itachi laughed. "You have become a naïve man Naruto-kun." Itachi then pondered on another option. "How about this then? Follow me outside the village and hear the real truth about the village before deciding if you want to join us or not."
There had to be a catch. There is always a catch. Naruto smirked. "And if I decide not to?"
Itachi shrugged. "You can walk away free and then the next time we meet. We will be as enemies and not allies."
Naruto thought about this offer. He had nothing to lose but a lot to gain. "Fine." Naruto held out his hand to seal the deal. Itachi looked at Naruto's gesture strangely before putting out his own hand. Naruto grabbed it and shook. "So lets leave."
Itachi shook his head. "The deal was that you had to get out. I won't help you. If you can't get out of here alive, then you don't deserve to know." With that said Itachi stepped back into the shadows and disappeared. Naruto dropped his jaw a little. He was taken like a sucker. "Damn it Itachi." He quietly cursed the Uchiha. The next time he sees him, he's going to strangle the damn guy.
Naruto formed his hands into a basic seal and henged into a fellow leaf chunnin. No one would recognize chunnins. They were too low below the power chain to be recognized. He slowly shushin out of the alleyway and into the rooftop, quickly joining his fellow chunnins. He smiled to himself. This wasn't the best plan but all he needed is to conserve his chakra and reach the gate. He was joined up with a team of chunnins who was also making haste to the gate.
Naruto looked over and made eye contact with them. He slowly joined their formation, hoping to blend in. "Did you find the demon?" A fellow chunnin asked.
Naruto shook his head. "No, the bastard ran away before I could track him." Naruto replied with an angry tone. The first step in blending in with the enemy is to be like them. Don't give them too much information and don't act too much into your part. Just be average and observe how others respond.
"Don't worry. We'll get him in the front gate. Everyone's there, even the Hokage." Naruto's eyes widened, he did not just hear that. The plan just got more complicated; there was no way to he could hide from Tsunade. Maybe she wouldn't notice and he can slip behind them. Naruto laughed to himself. Like Tsunade won't notice. She was the one who condemned him to this in the first place.
"What's your name?" A chunnin asked, kicking Naruto out of his own thoughts.
"Tayu Mashino." He quickly used the name of the dead man that he just killed.
"Great to have you on board Tayu-san." Naruto quickly nodded as the group made haste to the front gate.
"Tsunade-sama. Our forces are all here." An ANBU walked up next to her.
"Good job." Tsunade nodded her head and quickly scanned the area, waiting for Naruto. Within the next few moments, ninjas of all ranks; chunnins, jounins and ANBU came gathering by the front gate. It was the largest assembly of ninjas ever since the Third Shinobi War.
"Lets see if the demon can get through us all." A jounin sneered. The rest of them joined in and laughed.
Danzo stepped forward and raised a hand, signaling everyone to be quiet. "We will deploy the forces into 2 groups, the front assault, the ambush team." Danzo pointed to the location of where the ambush team should go hide and wait for his signal while the front assault team will hold their positions.
Tsunade shook her head, feeling her heart crumbling as she watch her power slip from her grasps. She then saw a group of chunnins quickly coming towards them. When they arrived, they greeted their Hokage. "Greetings Hokage-sama." Tsunade half heartily responded and pointed them to be the front assault team.
Naruto surveyed the area. There were less ninjas than he expected. "You there!" Naruto turned around and was met face to face with Danzo. "I want you over there now!"
"Yes sir!" Naruto spoke up in an alert yet boring voice, showing to the man that he was just a new chunnin. Just a little longer, Naruto kept telling himself. Danzo was right in front of him but he can't kill him just yet. No… He was going to make that man suffer a thousands death over before he died.
Naruto found his mind going back to his little discussion with Itachi. The enemies will do anything to save themselves, even if it means forming false alliances. That was the first rule he learned while training for ANBU. Never believe anything the enemy has to say. Always look underneath the underneath. Kakashi's voice echoed through his head. What if Itachi's logic proved true? Naruto slowly shook himself out of his thoughts. The time to act is now, while the enemy is still mobilizing.
Naruto casually slipped behind the front line, making his way to the back. "Hey Tayu-san! Where you running off to?"
Naruto froze in his steps. Damn the insolent chunnin. Naruto turned around and casually rubbed his head, acting like what a normal chunnin would do if he got caught. "They told me to stand in the back. Go figure." He shrugged and continued to move. As he prepared to move back, he felt someone holding on to his wrist.
"Hold on there." Homura said as he grabbed his wrist. "What did you say your name was?" He stared at the chunnin suspiciously.
Naruto smiled. "Tayu Mashino." He said it fluently, without hesitation. Any hesitation would immediately allow the enemy to know that you're lying.
"I see. So how are your wife and kids?" The elder must be on to him. He could kill him here but then he's right in the middle of a war zone. Not a good idea.
"I'm not married elder-sama." Naruto answered. "I like bachelorhood too much to get myself married." He didn't see any signs of a ring on the man's finger before he died so it was a gamble with this answer.
Homura nodded. He let go of Naruto's wrist and walked back to Danzo.
Naruto stopped at the back and watched the man talk to Danzo. He was careful not to make more eye contact or else it would show that you're guilty. He could see Homura talk casually to Danzo but his instincts were telling him otherwise. He saw Danzo glance at him for a split second before turning away. 'Shit, my cover might have been blown.' Naruto quickly looked around for an escape route. An idea hit him. If he could walk towards the door, he could henge into something else, something smaller. Naruto started walking away again but decided that this time he would be escaping from the front of the line.
Naruto quickly slipped inside a vacant building, buying his time carefully. He performed some basic hand seals and quietly whispered his trademark technique. "Kage Bushin no Jutsu."
A Naruto clone appeared from the smoke and grinned. "Distraction right boss?"
The real Naruto nodded and pointed to the back door. The clone received the hint and left quickly. Naruto stepped back to the entrance and waited for the signal to come, where his clone will finally make his grand appearance.
"Look there's the demon!" He heard some shouts coming from the outside, feeling the movements. He quickly shushin outside and joined the chase. Hopefully, he can slip behind their forces and leave. Naruto watched from behind as he saw his clone having everyone chase him around in circles. He slowed down his pace, allowing ninjas to pass him and allowed himself to be near the end.
When he saw that he was one of the last ninjas, he stopped in his tracks and turned around. He paid no attention to anything else. He quickly made his way back to the front gate. When Naruto got there, he was in for a shock.
There stood most of the Root ANBU unit along with Danzo. "Greetings Uzumaki." Danzo coldly greeted to his prey.
Question and Answers
Q: How old is Naruto?
A: Naruto is 20 years old.
Q: Where would this story take place if it were to be compared to the storyline?
A: It would be in the second season of Naruto, where they finally get Sasuke back and the rest, i'll leave it to your imaginations.
Q: How strong is Naruto?
A: Well technically speaking, he is roughly the ANBU Captain or the Ex-ANBU Captain. I would rank him higher than a jounin but with his special stamina and chakra, I will give him just below kage because he isn't mature enough to handle his issues well.
Well another chapter, let me know what you guys think. I am not discontinuing his story because I like how it's turning out, so don't worry. Hit that button people!
Edit October 22, 2007 - I have proofread the chapter and made some minor changes and fixed some grammer issues. If you find anymore, just let me know.
