Disclaimer
Naruto characters and references belong to Misashi Kishimoto
Fullmetal Alchemist characters and references belong to Hiromu Arakawa
Original Characters characters are mine.
Naruto Hurricane Alchemist Chapter 2: Tension
With Konohagakure far behind them Team Kakashi had thought that the journey west would be peaceful and uneventful, however those thoughts were soon shattered when Sakura landed a firm punch on Sai's left cheek and sent him tumbling into the bushes on the side of the road. "You sure tricked me with that fake smile of yours." The dark haired teen rubbed his scuffed cheek.
The pink haired kunoichi relaxed a little while maintaining her guard "You don't know a damned thing about Sasuke or Naruto so don't you dare go trying to act like you do." Sakura glared at the Anbu Roots member. "The next time you say something bad about Sasuke I won't hold back." She warned, "That goes double if you say anything about Naruto." The pinkette added, ever since she had became the apprentice of Tsunade, Sakura didn't only just use her access to the archives just to study but also to do some research on Orochimaru and the Akastuki, which led her to discover Naruto's burden, the cause of the pain he was forced to endure and it was for this reason she had to apologise.
Sai rubbed his bruised jaw "Heh, Heh…Fine…I wont say anything in front of you then" he then looked to the pink kunoichi "Still to think a fake can be used in a way you used it. I'll have to remember that." He smirked.
"You get knock over and you just smile? How lame can you be?" Ino rolled her eyes at the young artist.
"A smile is the best way to get oneself out of a tight spot even if it is a fake one." Sai said bluntly getting to his feet "Surprisingly enough, everyone takes it at face value…I read that in a book. Although it doesn't seem to have much of an affect in my case." He admitted, earning blank looks from his female teammates.
Yamato shook his head at the poor dynamics of the team and thought of a way to help remedy the problem. "Shichuurou no jutsu!" he shouted after completing the required hand seals. Suddenly the ground began to shake as timber sprang from the path, twisting and branching out in the air connecting with joints to eventually form a sturdy cage of hard wood, with a frowning brunette standing in front of the structure "All of you…if you make any more trouble than you have, I really will throw you in a cage."
"Th…That's…the secret jutsu known only to the shodai-sama. Mokuton ninjutsu! How could Yamato-Taicho possibly…who exactly is this guy…" Sakura stood in awe of what she had just seen, someone other than the first hokage was able to create and use the wood element style ninjutsu, but this fact only made her suspicious of the new team leader.
Yamato's features softened slightly as he folded his arms "Now as your mediator I'm going to give the three of you two options to choose from. In order to get better acquainted with one another, you can either choose to spend a whole day in this cage here…or we can stay the night at an inn somewhere that has an onsen. It's your choice." He shrugged and looked at each of the young shinobi making sure to make eye contact with them "The three of you probably don't know me very well either. While I do prefer to interact with people in a gentle manner I'm also not opposed to establishing my dominance in a reign of terror." He said in a cold voice that sent shivers down the spines of the teenagers, with the exception of Sai.
After what seemed like hours of walking Yamato eventually found an inn for them to retire for the day "Why did I say that?" she muttered to herself as she relaxed in the hotel's onsen trying to figure out why she completely lost it with Sai. Sure she was mad when their new teammate had called Sasuke a traitor, but it was when the Roots member had accused Naruto of betraying Konoha that had set her off.
"So…Sakura that was awfully protective of you." Ino said slyly
Sakura glared at her friend "What do you mean Ino?"
"Defending Naruto's honour like that." The blonde said plainly, shrugging.
"I defended Sasuke's too." The pinkette countered
"But you added 'double' when you warned Sai not to talk about Naruto like that." Ino allowed a smirk to play across her features.
"Naruto would never betray Konoha like that, I know that for a fact." Sakura growled.
"People change Sakura." Ino stated matter-of-factly.
"No, not Naruto he was concerned for Gaara and for the team." The rose haired kunoichi starred into the hot water frowning; although her male blonde teammate had grown physically she knew deep down that Naruto was still Naruto, but her thoughts then trailed off. "He also said that I-I was beautiful." She blushed as she played with her fingers.
Ino laughed at the idea of Naruto being so forward "Either he's gone insane or you're starting to imagine things from the heat." The platinum blonde scoffed
The medic-nin glowered at the Yamanaka "What was that Ino-pig?"
"You heard me Forehead." Ino taunted returning the glare.
"I'm going to make you pay for that comment." Sakura growled and balled a chakra filled fist.
The blonde smirked at the challenge "Bring it on." She dared the fellow kunoichi to make a scene.
******Central******
Far from the troubles of the new team Kakashi, the Iron Wall Alchemist was about to face a challenge of the different kind, "Uh-Sir! You don't want to go in there." A dark haired sergeant tried to stop his superior
"It can't be all that bad can it?" he said simply as he sidestepped the sergeant and placed a hand on the doorknob.
The man shook his head "I tried to warn you."
Opening the door Lucas eyes went wide in shock at the towering piles of paper work on his desk that reached the ceiling. "YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME! This…this will take me weeks to finish!" the Steel Fortress Alchemist cried out loud, he felt faint just thinking about signing all of those reports.
"Then you better get started then." A middle-aged woman walked up behind the alchemist
"What about you sis? You've got a case to investigate don't you?" he turned his head slightly to source of the voice
The woman shrugged "So at least my work is in order."
Lucas smirked at his older sister "Really? Then how come you haven't caught the killer? How many have been murdered five or six officers found dead?" he said in a nonchalant tone
"It's a little hard when they're using Alchemy." The woman rubbed the back of her neck feeling that the investigation was a little out of her league.
"How about I help out?" Lucas offered trying to forget the daunting work that laid in wait in his office.
"Um-sir what about your reports?" The sergeant pointed to the piles of paper that swayed gently back and forth before toppling over to create a single pile that covered the floor.
"Right…" he said reluctantly. "Maybe no one will miss the reports if I transmute them into something…" his voice trailed off.
The sergeant looked at his superior in horror "SIR!"
The red head shook her head "By the way little brother where's Aoshi?" his sister looked about concerned about the blonde's absence
"He's back in Resembol. He wanted to get his automail serviced." He pointed towards the east with his thumb.
His sister looked at him sceptically "Are you sure that's wise, little brother?"
The alchemist sighed, "Sometimes you've just got to stop and do nothing." he replied picking up one of the reports and sweatdropped.
******Flashback******
Continental Calender 4th March 1937
It had been one day since Naruto passed the State Alchemist exams and exactly that long since anyone had seen him. After bringing Naruto to Central, Lucas allowed the blonde to stay in the home that he inherited from his father seeing as the Lieutenant Colonel mostly uses the living quarters at Central HQ it seemed like a natural decision. "Let's see how the new pup of the military is doing." The chestnet haired man opened the door and walked into the lounge to see the blonde with a knife to his throat with tears falling down his cheeks "Fuck!" immediately Lucas bolted over to the teen and absently grabbed the blade of the knife "Y-you know that really did hurt, what the hell were you thinking?" he said through gritted teeth before throwing the thrust knife across the floor.
The fifteen year old looked down at his feet trying to avoid eye contact but had the unfortunate opportunity of watching blood drip from the Lieutenant Colonel's hand on to the polished rosewood floor "I-I'm a monster I really am a monster." He sputtered
"What the hell are you talking about?" the chestnut haired man looked at the blonde quizzically.
Naruto handed an aerial photo of himself to Blackburn, showing a crimson red figure on all fours with pale white eyes surround by a devastated forest. "This. That's me at least I think it is." When Edward was testing Naruto to see if the shinobi was ready to become his apprentice, the older Elric brother made it a point to supervise the blonde and observe the Jinchuuriki's progress but instead caught Naruto in the form of mini-kyuubi, all that he remembered before the incident was that he was frustrated at the futility of the 'test' and how it would enable him to retrieve Sasuke.
He scowled at the picture then at the blonde before him "And you think that sticking a knife to your throat is the answer? If so then you're a coward. What about the promise you made? Does that mean nothing to you now?" he questioned the teen as he made his way to the open kitchen to clean the wound.
Naruto's cerulean eyes hardened as he glared at the Lieutenant Colonel "No and I'm not a coward!" he said sternly.
Lucas' turquoise eyes stared intently at Naruto as if seeing right through the young blonde "You certainly are acting like one. Only people who are afraid of living even think of taking their own life." He said with a hint of concern in his voice, he retrieved an emergency med-kit from under the kitchen sink.
"But I may end up hurting them." Guilt and fear now took a hold of the blonde.
Blackburn just sighed and took a seat in the lounge room, bandaging his hand "It is a lot braver to live than to die, if you take your own life you'll end up hurting those who know you and the promise you'd said that you would keep, would've meant nothing." He said nonchalantly, he then looked up to meet Naruto's eyes that still shook with uncertainty and guilt "As long as you keep your emotions in check you won't become a monster and I sincerely doubt that a monster would be concerned for the safety of their friends." He smirked, securing the end of the bandage.
"Is everything okay in there?" a feminine voice came from the hallway outside the lounge.
Naruto looked up to see a red head with hazel eyes "Who's that?" the blonde pointed to the woman who had entered the room carrying with her a cake
"My older sister Fiona, she wanted to see the Puppy." Lucas chuckled.
Naruto looked about confused trying to find the small dog his superior was talking about "Puppy? What Puppy? Gah…you mean me don't you? You jerk! What give's you the right to call me that?" Naruto fumed standing on the couch while pointing an accusing finger.
She looked him over inspecting the blonde "So this is him? Well…if I was younger I'd take you in a second" she stood up and smiled.
"O-okay." Both Lucas and Naruto looked at each other uneasily after Fiona's comment.
She giggled after seeing the look on their faces. "Anyway happy birthday Aoshi, I did a background check and…what's wrong?" she held out the cake in front of her and smiled only to become concerned as Naruto batted away tears.
"N-nothing just that I've never had an actual birthday like this." He confessed no one that he knew had ever said happy birthday to him and all of the birthdays he had prior to becoming a shinobi if Konoha were filled with untold pain and loneliness.
Lucas got Naruto into a headlock "Hey, don't get all teary eyed on us pup. By the way here you'll need this." He released his grip on the blonde and placed a silver pocket watch with the Amestris Military emblem on it in the former shinobi's hand.
He raised the pocket watch in front of his face. "What's this for?" Naruto tilted his head curious as to the purpose of the timepiece.
The Lieutenant Colonel picked up the silver pocket watch from Naruto's hand and let it swing on it's own for the young man to see. "You're now a certified State Alchemist and this pocket watch is the proof. Welcome aboard." he grasped Naruto's hand and shook it giving the watch back to him.
"That also means you're a dog of the military but seeing as you're new to the job we'll call you puppy." Fiona said teasingly patting the blonde on the back
******End of Flashback******
A blonde dressed in black denim jeans and an orange button shirt with black sleeves, laid back on a rock wall near the river that flowed by Resembol engulfed in the passed and what had recently happened in the Land of Rivers. "Why now? Why did I have to meet up with her now? It only makes this harder. She probably still likes Sasuke so I won't have to worry about her coming after me." He raised his arm up from his face to look up at the sky to see that the sun already had begun to set on the horizon "Time to head back I suppose." He lifted himself from the wall and began his trek back to the Rockbell residence
"You're late where have you been?" A blonde woman scolded Naruto.
The young man just grinned and rubbed the back of his head and walked over to the table "Sorry. I was just clearing my head that's all." His expression then became sombre "I'm going to eat outside." He picked up his plate and tea and headed to the outside table.
Winry scratched her head. "What's wrong with him?"
"I'll go see what's on his mind." The other blonde male sighed and got up from the table.
"You haven't drunken your milk" the automail specialist scolded her fiancé
"Why don't you drink it?" Edward Elric quipped.
Winry became irritated at the statement "Because it's yours" she retorted
"It's not like I'm not going to grow if I don't drink it." Edward growled
The blonde haired woman grabbed the glass and marched over to the golden-eyed man "If you don't drink it I'll force you to-" she was cut short when Edward gently placed a kiss on her cheek, causing Winry to forget what she was about to say "What were we arguing about?" she blinked as Ed walked out on to the porch.
When the older Elric brother walked out on to the porch he saw the Hurricane Alchemist gazing at the stars with an empty plate on the table. "You know I prefer the countryside to the towns and cities, unlike Konoha and Central you can see the night sky perfectly." He sounded as if he was off in a world of his own.
"There's something bothering you Naruto isn't there?" Ed got straight to the point for his reason for being outside.
"What are you talking about?" a fake smile plastered his face.
Ed shook his head, both he and the former shinobi were much a like not wanting to trouble others with their burdens "You're not usually this calm." He said plainly
"…I-I just don't know whether I should go back to my hometown or not. If I go back I'll just be putting everyone at risk, but I kind of miss all of them you know?" Naruto finally admitted.
"I know what you're going through however the best answer to a question is one that you find on your own." Fullmetal and took the seat on the side of the table and joined the other blonde at stargazing.
The Major groaned, "Figures you'd say something like that."
"Heh- There are some things you're supposed to find out on yourself." If he gave Naruto a straight answer the nuke-nin wouldn't have learnt anything.
"I've lived that way my entire life so why should now be any different?" the adolescent male got up from his seat and walked over to the door
"Before you go I want you to think about who are you really protecting when you say you don't want to go back to Konoha?" He looked up from his tea.
"…" Naruto stood at the door thinking about his answer before heading inside, both Edward and Naruto knew the answer to the question and both were too stubborn to admit it.
With the sun starting to rise Sakura stirred from her slumber "Aahhhh! I slept soooo well!" She yawned as she stretched out as she looked out the window a lone figure caught her attention "Sai?" after getting changed and leaving Ino inside to her 'beauty' sleep the pinkette walked up to the dark haired boy and caught a glimpse of what he was doing. "What's this? So you're an artist."
"Do you need something?" the Roots member continued to sketch in his book.
Sakura leaned closely to look at the image on the page "You may have a dirty mouth, but you have a delicate side, huh? I'm surprised." She smiled only slightly.
Wearily he looked up at Sakura "That fake smile… Did you come here to hit me again? Just like yesterday?" Although he didn't show it he was somewhat afraid of her due to what happened yesterday and thought it best not to stir up anymore trouble for now.
Her smile deepened at the thought of smacking some more "Actually yes…kidding!" she added "I just wanted to see your picture…I was curious what were you drawing."
"I see" he always felt uncomfortable when someone watched him draw.
"Since you're in a place like this, I thought you'd be drawing the scenery…But that's an abstraction I see. That picture what's its title" she asked
"Who knows?" The dark haired boy said simply
Sakura looked at him perplexed at the statement "You haven't decided yet?"
"It just doesn't have one. I've done tens of thousands of pictures in my life, but I've never given any of them titles"
"Hmm…" Sakura looked at the other images that Sai had completed and was amazed that none of them had any names
"To be accurate it's not that I don't give them titles it's that I can't. Not one thing comes to me. I just don't feel anything at all." The dark haired boy admitted.
Ino came outside in saw Sakura looking over Sai's shoulder. "So this is where you've been hiding?" she chided, "Yamato-taicho sent me to tell you that we'll be heading out soon." She walked up to the pair and took a look at the images giving an approving nod.
Sakura nodded and took her backpack from her friend "Okay"
The Anbu roots member got to his feet placing his art book on top of the other pictures that he had finished earlier. "Please go on ahead I'll follow as soon as I've cleaned up here."
"Let me help." Sakura offered. "That isn't printed is it? Did you draw this also?" she picked up a small book that had a picture of a white haired boy on one side and a black haired boy on the other.
"Yeah…" Sai admitted in a monotonous voice
She looked the book over "Oh really… a picture book huh…would you mind showing it to me along the way sometime?" the pinkette asked
Sai snatched the book from the kunoichi's hand "Actually I would…this book isn't finished yet. Also I make it a point not to let other people touch this." He placed the small picture book in his bag.
"Okay everyone break time is over we got to keep moving we still have a long way to go, before we reach our destination." Yamato came out of the shadows clapping his hands to gain his squad's attention.
"Right." Sakura nodded slinging her pack over her shoulders. I'll retrieve you Naruto and then we'll retrieve Sasuke together.
Standing amongst the devastated home of an elderly exile, Fiona looked over a crime scene. "What happened here?" the red haired woman turned to an elderly Ishbalan
The old man looked up from the chaos as uniformed men scoured the area for evidence. "There were two strange men arrived in town and demanded to see the exiled one, we asked them why but they only pressed the matter." The white haired man stated.
"Were there any casualties?" She asked.
The elderly man shook his head in despair "Only those that tried to stop them from leaving." He pointed his cane to the bloody mess at the doorway of the crime scene
"What did they look like?" the red head sighed and jotted the number of casualties.
"They were wearing coats with red clouds around the base. One of the men had blue skin and was carrying a heavy sword, where as the other had dark hair and blood red eyes." He etched their likeness into the sand.
It matches the description of two Akatsuki and we were only informed of this organization after Aoshi joined our ranks. Just what is going on here and what are you hiding Lucas? she mused as her eyes seemed to focus inwardly at her own thoughts "Thank you elder, you may leave now." She nodded slightly to the Ishbalan
"Ma'am should we send a search team?" A private walked up to the colonel.
She shook her head slowly "No if they are indeed from the east then pursuing them now would be futile without any clues as to their true destination, for now we concentrate on discovering what they were after."
From one of the many Akatsuki hideouts, the figure of the organization looked down upon the unconscious body of a withered old Ishbalan male "Is this him?" the voice was cold
"Yes Pein-sama." A raven-haired figure bowed.
Pein turned to the half-man, half-plant member Akatsuki who acted as the information gatherer for the organization "Then begin the interrogation I want you to extract every drop of information from him." His grey eyes gazed hungrily at the exile in anticipation of the information that would be unlocked.
"Unh?" the old man began to stir.
Zetsu stood menacingly over the Ishbalan "This will be over before you know it."
"…Gyaaagh!" the old man's screams echoed through out the cavern as the hybrid began the extraction process.
TBC